As the leaves turn and Halloween approaches, streaming services are staging a coordinated push of new fright fare designed to seize viewers’ attention and keep subscription meters ticking. CNET’s roundup of 13 new horror movies and shows arriving in October — spanning Peacock, Prime Video, Netflix, HBO Max and others — illustrates how platforms are leaning into seasonal curation and genre diversity to compete for time and ad dollars. “Peacock, Prime Video, Netflix and other streaming services are putting frights front and center,” the tech site notes, underscoring a calculated industry move.

Among the most notable arrivals, HBO Max will add The Substance, the high-profile film that earned a Best Picture Oscar nomination and took home the Academy Award for makeup and hairstyling — a reminder that horror can now court both mass audiences and awards-season prestige. Such recognition elevates genre projects beyond niche fandoms, giving studios and streamers a stronger rationale to invest in practical effects teams, makeup houses and auteur directors who bring distinctive visions to life.

The October slate mixes tentpole originals with library rotations and smaller-scale international imports, a pattern that reveals how platforms balance big bets with low-cost, high-engagement fare. For global services like Netflix and Prime Video, the approach broadens appeal: marquee titles draw headlines and casual viewers, while niche or regionally produced pieces cultivate passionate communities that drive social media conversation and long-tail viewership. Peacock and other ad-supported tiers are likely to push horror as a way to monetize back-catalog holdings and lure price-sensitive subscribers with frequent, topical content drops.

Analysts say the seasonal horror strategy also serves a retention function. In a market where churn is the constant enemy, curated event programming — Halloween playlists, watch parties, themed recommendations — produces short-term spikes in engagement and can create habits that reduce cancellations. For creators, the upside is tangible: streaming windows can provide larger audiences and data-driven greenlights for sequels or series extensions that traditional theatrical-only releases seldom guarantee.

Culturally, the October surge reflects horror’s continuing evolution as a mirror for contemporary anxieties. Recent genre hits have mined social tensions, identity politics and pandemic aftershocks, and the new releases reportedly continue that trend, offering both visceral frights and socially conscious subtext. The presence of The Substance on a major streamer, following its awards recognition, signals growing acceptance of horror as a vehicle for ambitious storytelling — not merely jump scares and gore.

There are, however, social debates accompanying the expansion. Advocates argue that horror provides a cathartic space to process collective fears; critics raise concerns about the normalization of violence and the need for thoughtful content warnings and moderation for younger viewers. Platforms will need to balance promotion with responsibility as they feed an ever-hungry audience.

This October’s 13-title lineup is more than seasonal programming; it is a strategic statement from an industry that sees horror as versatile commercial currency, cultural commentary and, increasingly, a route to prestige. As streamers refine when and how they release scares, audiences can expect the October-to-Halloween window to keep growing into a marquee moment on the entertainment calendar.