The Top 25 New Movies Streaming in September 2025

September is upon us, and you know what that means in the streaming world: it’s Spooky Season! Contrary to conventional wisdom, September actually has the highest viewership of Halloween-tinged movies of the year as folks get ready for the fall holiday and manifest those vibes with scented candles and pumpkin spiced lattes. To that end, this month’s curated list of the best new movies streaming — on everything from Netflix to Prime Video to Hulu to HBO Max to Disney+ and beyond — includes a bevy of horror and Halloween-type films.

Below we’ve run down the top new movies streaming now.

Ghost Cat Anzu

HBO Max – Sept. 1

One of last year’s very best, most overlooked animated features, “Ghost Cat Anzu” is an absolute delight. And its profile should be raised significantly by its debut on HBO Max. Directed by Yōko Kuno and Nobuhiro Yamashita and based on the manga of the same name by Takashi Imashiro, it follows a young girl named Karin, who has just lost her mother and whose father is a deadbeat. She goes to stay with her grandfather and while there she encounters the titular ghost cat Anzu, a spirit who works as a masseuse and gets into trouble. (If this were remade in the west he would no doubt be voiced by Bill Murray.) From there the two go on an incredible, very strange adventure – traveling to the underworld, encountering other mythical creatures and generally making a mess of things. This movie is deeply funny, strangely moving and totally one-of-a-kind, with a distinct art style that is influenced by the fact that it is a French/Japanese co-production and that the voice actors were recorded acting out their lines, which the animators then drew inspiration from. (This is very apparent in some scenes, like when Anzu is pulled over on his moped.) In short, it’s unlike any animated movie you’ve probably ever seen – evoking everything from “My Neighbor Totoro” to “Uncut Gems.”

Love & Pop

HBO Max – Sept. 1

One of the biggest events of the month – if not the year. For years “Neon Genesis Evangelion” creator Hideaki Anno’s debut live-action feature “Love & Pop” was difficult to find, if not impossible. But earlier this year a new 2K restoration played New York and Los Angeles and while we wait for a physical media release (there’s a beautiful box set of Anno’s live-action work overseas but nothing like that here), it’s very nice to have this restored version streaming. “Love & Pop,” based on the novel “Topaz II” by Ryū Murakami, follows three high school girls who are trying to get enough money by the end of the day to buy an expensive ring. And while that might seem simplistic, the depth of feeling and the adventurousness in form (it was filmed entirely with small, consumer-grade cameras), is what makes “Love & Pop” come alive. If you are at all a fan of Anno’s work this is an early, essential part of his filmography, full of all the eccentricities and obsessions that make him one of the world’s most essential artists.

Bram Stoker’s Dracula

Netflix – Sept. 1

“Bram Stoker’s Dracula” is a lush, loving and horrific adaptation of its namesake with Gary Oldman playing the vampire, Winona Ryder as Mina Harker and Anthony Hopkins as Van Helsing. What sets “Dracula” apart is director Francis Ford Coppola revived filmmaking techniques from the silent era, resulting in a movie that looks like nothing else that was being made at the time. The effects and production design are jaw-dropping.

Phantasm II

Peacock – Sept. 1

Spooky season is definitely here. And Peacock has some of the best Halloween-worthy lineups this month. And included in this lineup is the outrageously wonderful “Phantasm II.” If you don’t know the franchise, the “Phantasm” films are dreamy, surreal endeavors that follow a ghoulish figure known as the Tall Man (Angus Scrimm) who appears as a mortuary attendant and communes with creatures from another dimension. The series is perhaps most well-known for the floating, spinning sphere (the tagline for the sequel was “The ball is back”). The original film, released in 1979, was a low budget sensation, aided by word of mouth and a strong cult following. The sequel, released almost a decade later, was a higher budget studio affair (the only film in the series to have any studio involvement), with sophisticated visual effects and a more straightforward narrative. The results are perhaps the most purely enjoyable entry in the franchise – a runaway chase movie embroidered with all the oddness of the original but with writer/director Don Coscarelli working with an entirely new set of tools, pushing the visuals and the storytelling much further than before. Essential Halloween – or any other time, really – viewing. An unsung horror classic.

Blade, Blade II and Blade: Trinity

Paramount+ – Sept. 1

Considering a new version of “Blade,” set to star Mahershala Ali, seems stuck in development hell, why not revisit the original trilogy? “Blade,” released by New Line Cinema in 1998, predated the true start of the modern superhero movie movement by two full years and still feels very much ahead of its time. Directed by Stephen Norrington and starring Wesley Snipes as the titular “daywalker” (a half-vampire able to exist in the daylight), the first “Blade” was overflowing with style and texture – a superhero tale that was both grounded in our world but also didn’t take itself too seriously. And the opening sequence, set in a vampire rave, is an all-timer. When Norrington didn’t return for the sequel, the studio hired Guillermo del Toro, whose goal was to make it scary. (Blade is recruited by some other vampires to hunt down a new monster threatening their way of life.) Released the year after del Toro’s Spanish-language triumph “The Devil’s Backbone,” “Blade II” continues the rollicking fun of the first film while adding some much-needed intensity. It’s a shame about “Blade: Trinity” though. David Goyer, who had scripted the other two films, returned as a writer/director, and had major conflicts with Snipes. The plot is silly (it involves Dracula), the cast is sillier (Ryan Reynolds and Jessica Biel are here for some reason) and the entire thing is a limp, uninvolving conclusion. What makes it even worse is that it might be the last standalone Blade movie we get – maybe ever.

Friday the 13th Part VII: Jason Takes Manhattan

Paramount+ – Sept. 1

The ”Friday the 13th” franchise is seemingly as cursed as the teenagers who set to reopen Camp Crystal Lake. The last film in the franchise was the somewhat underrated 2009 remake. Since then, the series has been buried in rights issues and legal wrangling. Most of that seems to have been untangled, or at least mitigated to the point that something new can come out (finally) – the “Crystal Lake” prequel series is in the works for Peacock and something called Jason Universe is guiding the character through, at the moment, consumer products. But why not revisit the mainline series, before Paramount sold it to New Line Cinema? If you don’t want to watch all seven movies, which oftentimes feature nubile young campers getting dispatched by Jason Voorhees, an undead killer, maybe we suggest some highlights? The original film is still terrific – moody and startling and heavily inspired by Italian giallo movies of the period. (Tom Savini’s make-up effects still hold up beautifully too. Kevin Bacon’s arrow through the neck is particular favorite.) “Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter,” the fourth installment, is many fan’s favorite. And it’s easy to see why – Joseph Zito’s direction is great, Corey Feldman’s Tommy Jarvis became an instantly iconic part of the franchise and Savini returned to do the effects because he (and much of the production) believed it would be the final installment. It wasn’t. Our personal favorite might be “Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives,” written and directed by Tom McLoughlin and following the glum fifth chapter. This is the most self-aware the franchise got, predating the postmodern knowingness of “Scream” by a full decade, with Jason reenvisioned as a kind of classic Universal Monster. It’s a hoot. But why not watch the whole series? It’s almost Halloween, after all.

Perfume: Story of a Murderer

Paramount+ – Sept. 1

One of the more underrated movies of the past 25 years, this sumptuous thriller from “Run Lola Run” director Tom Tykwer is ripe for reappraisal. Based on Patrick Süskind’s 1985 novel of the same name, an adaptation of “Perfume” had been attempted by Stanley Kubrick, Miloš Forman and, more recently, Julian Schnabel, who wrote a script that displeased the rights holders. It’s easy to see where an adaptation would get tripped up. The story, of a young man born with a keen sense of smell (played, later in life, by Ben Wishaw), oscillates between period drama and something more horrific. As he grows older, the perfumier becomes obsessed with bottling the essence of life. He does this by murdering lots and lots of women. Darkly funny, “Perfume” ultimately packs an emotional punch before descending into one of the wildest climaxes imaginable. (This, too, must have been a sticking point.) With a crack supporting cast that includes Alan Rickman, Dustin Hoffman and, as the narrator, John Hurt, and some of the most lush visuals you’re ever likely to see, it’s time we talk about “Perfume: The Story of a Murderer” like the modern classic it actually is. Start by watching on Paramount+.

Sleepy Hollow

Paramount+ – Sept. 1

Kick off Spooky Season with Tim Burton’s “Sleepy Hollow,” one of the filmmaker’s very best films and a gothic delight. Written by Andrew Kevin Walker (“Seven”), this adaptation of the classic tale follows police constable Ichabod Crane (Johnny Depp) as he’s called to investigate a series of beheadings in Sleepy Hollow. The craft is immaculate and this R-rated feature is downright spooky. Christina Ricci, Miranda Richardson and Michael Gambon co-star. 

Crimson Peak

Prime Video – Sept. 1

Guillermo del toro’s “Crimson Peak” is a gorgeous ghost story that packs the filmmaker’s signature emotional punch. Set in 1901, Mia Wasikowska plays a budding author who is wooed by an English baronet who marries her and brings her to his old, decrepit mansion to live with him and his mysterious sister (played by Jessica Chastain). This is one of del Toro’s most ornately designed films, with an enormous and impeccably designed house and some spooky, unique-looking ghosts. It’s a bit light on actual jump scares, but it sure is pretty to look at.

The First Omen

Prime Video – Sept. 1

If you’re looking for a newer horror movie to watch this spooky season, check out “The First Omen.” The 2024 prequel from filmmaker Arkasha Stevenson is genuinely chilling, refreshing and handsomely crafted. Plus, you don’t really need to know anything about the “Omen” franchise to enjoy it. Set in 1970s Rome, the story follows an American nun sent to work in a Catholic orphanage where she uncovers a sinister plot to bring about the birth of the Antichrist. It’s actually scary, so prepare yourself!

Lilo & Stitch

Disney+ – Sept. 3

This live-action version of the 2002 Disney animated favorite is the most successful American-made movie of the year, grossing over $1 billion at the global box office. Pretty incredible for a movie that was originally intended for Disney+. “Marcel the Shell with Shoes On” director Dean Fleischer Camp takes over for original directors Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois (Sanders returns to voice Stitch), sticking close to the original film’s tale of an abandoned space alien and the young Hawaiian girl who adopts him (mistaking him for a dog). If you fell for the original, you’re most likely to do the same here, if only because the emotional beats are so similar. But that’s okay. This new “Lilo & Stitch” is full of fun performances and zippy animation. And you might as well watch it now; a sequel has already been announced. After all, “Ohana” is an ancient Hawaiian word that, translated, means “franchise potential.”

Friendship

HBO Max – Sept. 5

How much awkwardness can you stand? You’ll find out when you watch “Friendship.” This new comedy, written and directed by Andrew DeYoung and released by indie movie wizards A24, stars Tim Robinson as a man who becomes beguiled by the cool guy who moves into the neighborhood (played by actual cool guy Paul Rudd). Of course, what starts as a clumsy attempt at friendship (because, really, what’s more difficult than adults making new friends?) soon curdles into something more sinister and unnerving. This feels very much like an extension of Robinson’s gut-busting Netflix series “I Think You Should Leave” (there’s even a cameo from certified madman Conner O’Malley) ballooned to feature length and embroidered with fine, emotionally nuanced performances from Kate Mara and Jack Dylan Grazer. You’ll laugh because you’re nervous. And you’ll laugh because it’s so funny. Thus is the magic of “Friendship.”

Black Bag

Deliciously twisty, “Black Bag” is a ton of fun and one of the best underrated movies of the year. Steven Soderbergh’s thriller stars Michael Fassbender and Cate Blanchett as married spies whose relationship is thrown for a loop when Fassbender is tasked with outing a mole — who may or may not be his wife. A terrific supporting cast, including Rege-Jean Page, Naomie Harris and Pierce Brosnan, anchors this “spy movie for adults” that builds to a finale so tense, so explosive you’ll be amazed it takes place entirely within the confines of a living room.

Highest 2 Lowest

Apple TV+ – Sept. 5

Remaking “High and Low,” one of Akira Kurosawa’s definitive masterpieces, was always going to be a dicey proposition. But a filmmaker like Spike Lee is never one to shrink from a challenge. “Highest 2 Lowest,” like Kurosawa’s original, is based on Ed McBain’s 1959 novel “King’s Ransom” (part of his 87th Precinct series) but contemporized in all sorts of fun ways. Instead of Toshiro Mifune’s shoe company executive, regular Lee collaborator Denzel Washington is a New York City music mogul. Sure, the contours of the story are still there but everything else is, undoubtedly, pure Spike Lee. (Jeffrey Wright, Ilfenesh Hadera, ASAP Rocky, John Douglas Thompson, Dean Winters, LaChanze, Princess Nokia and Ice Spice also star.) “Highest 2 Lowest” premiered at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this summer, followed by a brief theatrical rollout in August. And now it’s finally coming home. We’re very excited.

Shadow Force

Starz – Sept. 6

There have been endless variations on the “spies who leave that life behind to start a family but their old colleagues find them” cliché in the past few years – for some reason it has become a favorite trope of the streaming movie (think: Apple TV+’s “The Family Plan” or Netflix’s “Back in Action”). “Shadow Force” is basically the same type of movie, except instead of courting family audiences, it goes for a hard-R. And since it was co-written and directed by Joe Carnahan, there is an unusual amount of style in “Shadow Force,” even if it becomes something of a tonal nightmare as the more kiddish aspects collide loudly with the movie’s more violent stuff. Don’t get us wrong; it’s pretty fun to see Kerry Washington and Omar Sy as loving parents and former spies who have to save their family, plus Mark Strong always does a great job as a mustache-twirling villain.

AKA Charlie Sheen

Netflix – Sept. 10

There are few personalities as controversial and bizarre as Charlie Sheen. He had a successful film career, with hits like “Wall Street,” “Young Guns” and “Major League.” He had an even bigger television career, with 177 episodes of “Two and a Half Men” and, somehow, 100 episodes of “Anger Management,” his adaptation of the Adam Sandler/Jack Nicholson movie. But in the past few years his image curdled, propelled by a series of bizarre television appearances (remember “tiger blood?”), an acrimonious divorce from Denise Richards and his endorsement of the 9/11 truth movement and the anti-vaccination crowd. Since 2015 he has come out as HIV-positive and was investigated for threatening to kill an ex-fiancée. Now, with “aka Charlie Sheen,” he’s ready to talk. This two-part documentary, directed by Andrew Renzi (the terrific “Pepsi, Where’s My Jet?”), features extensive interviews with Feldman, who claims to be seven-years sober. Netflix states that “Sheen is able to open up like never before, tackling the rumors, scandals, and self-inflicted chaos that have always threatened to cut him down. With humor, heartbreak, and refreshing honesty, he reflects on his wildest moments and the hard lessons that followed.” In other words: winning!

The Wrong Paris

Netflix – Sept. 12

Who said the romantic comedy is dead? In “The Wrong Paris,” Miranda Cosgrove stars as Dawn, a young woman who enters a dating competition series thinking she’ll be sent to Paris. Instead, she’s flown to Paris, Texas, where she’ll compete. While there she falls in love with Pierson Fodé, who we can only assume is a handsome cowboy. The supporting cast is full of actors you’ve likely never heard of but someone younger than you probably does. Our prediction? It’ll be #1 on the Netflix chart for three weeks and they’ll make several sequels. Also, a bit of trivia before we go: the movie was shot entirely in British Columbia. Maybe there’s another Paris in Canada?

Warfare

HBO Max – Sept. 12

Quickly after making last year’s “Civil War,” writer/director Alex Garland had the idea to do a really-for-real war film, which unfolds in real time and is based on actual incidents. He recruited Ray Mendoza, his military advisor from “Civil War,” to co-direct and co-write, and gathered some of the finest young actors to portray the movie’s soldiers (including D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Will Poulter, Cosmo Jarvis, Joseph Quinn and Charles Melton). The resulting film, “Warfare,” is a singular, gut-wrenching experience. Stripped of artifice and manufactured drama, it is based on an event in 2006, shortly after the Battle of Ramadi, when a platoon is pinned down in a two-story building in a residential neighborhood. What unfolds is unrelentingly gripping, with Mendoza’s experience in Iraq used as the basis for everything. But don’t worry. When the movie finally ends, you’ll remember to breathe again.

Smurfs

Somehow, “Smurfs” have returned.  Sony had released three “Smurfs” films (two were live-action/animation hybrids and the third was completely animated) and two holiday specials between 2011 and 2017, and when the rights (from Belgian comic book artist Peyo) were up for grabs, Paramount swept in, bolstered by Rihanna’s love of the property. Additionally, Rihanna produced the movie, oversaw the soundtrack, voiced a character and contributed a new song (“Friend of Mine,” legitimate banger). The voice cast this time around also includes James Corden, John Goodman, Sandra Oh, Kurt Russell, Nick Offerman and Hannah Waddingham, with the action starting out purely animated before introducing live-action elements. “Shrek the Third” and “Puss in Boots” director Chris Miller helmed this new “Smurfs” adventure, from a screenplay by Pam Brady, whose credits include everything from the “South Park” movie to this Christmas’ “The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants.”

Elio

Pixar’s latest adventure, “Elio,” was released earlier this year and failed to make much of an impression, drumming up just $154 million worldwide. This is a real shame because “Elio” is another Pixar triumph, full of wit, heart and imagination. It follows the title character, an orphaned young boy (voiced by Yonas Kibreab) whose relationship with his aunt (Zoe Saldaña) is strained at best. He lives with her on a military base in Florida and dreams of a world beyond, longing to be abducted by an intergalactic race that will understand him. Eventually, that does happen, and Elio is whisked away to the Communiverse, a floating space station where dozens of alien species interact and exist. He even makes a friend, Glordon (Remy Edgerly), a slug-like alien whose father Lord Grigon (Brad Garrett) wants to destroy the Communiverse. Things only get trickier from there!

Full of wonder and light, festooned with some of the most jaw-dropping animation and creature designs the studio has ever come up with, and capped off with one of the more moving climaxes in Pixar history, “Elio” is an absolute joy from start to finish. But its status as an underseen gem will, hopefully, come to an end with its premiere on Disney+. It’s time for the whole universe to appreciate how special “Elio” is.

Swiped

Hulu – Sept. 19

“Swiped” is about the creation of online dating app Bumble, with Lily James starring as Whitney Wolfe Herd, the founder, executive chair and CEO of the app. (Before that she co-founded Tinder.) Dan Steves, Myha’la, Clea Duvall and Jackson White also star. “Swiped,” which will have its premiere as part of the Gala Presentation program at Toronto, was written and directed by Rachel Lee Goldenberg. Goldenberg has had a fascinating career, having made direct-to-video cheapies for notorious company Asylum, before being discovered by Will Ferrell, who put her in charge of his Lifetime original movie “A Deadly Adoption,” which co-starred Kristin Wiig and was written by Harper Steel. Since then, Goldenberg made the musical version of “Valley Girl” and “Unpregnant” for HBO Max. “Swiped” could be her biggest movie yet. But Ferrell will tell you he knew she was talented all along.

Night of the Reaper

Shudder – Sept. 19

The latest from director Brandon Christensen (“Still/Born,” “Superhost”) is a 1980’s-set slasher that seems to be channeling the fun of the direct-to-video movies from the era. The official synopsis reads: “In the heart of a quiet, 1980s suburb, college student Deena returns home and reluctantly takes on a last-minute babysitting job. That same night, the local sheriff receives a cryptic package that pulls him into a sinister scavenger hunt that sets off a game of cat and mouse with a dangerous killer.” Sounds good to us. We could use some new scary movies in the lead-up to Halloween. And “Night of the Reaper” fits the bill.

28 Years Later

Netflix – Sept. 20

Writer Alex Garland and director Danny Boyle return to the blood-soaked franchise that they started with 2002’s “28 Days Later.” Almost three decades after the Rage virus was unleashed in England, a family (Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Alfie Williams) lives on a remote island. The mainland is only accessible by a land bridge that is uncovered at low tide – that’s when a father takes his son to hunt for the infected. It’s a rite of passage, something that must be completed before the child becomes an adult, but in the case of “28 Years Later,” it’s much more complicated than that. Young Spike (Williams) sees a doctor on the island (Ralph Fiennes) and, convinced that the doctor can help his ailing mother (Comer), makes a desperate plan to get her to the mainland. Of course, things get even more complicated from there.

When making the film, Garland and Boyle cited Ken Loach’s kitchen sink coming-of-age tale “Kes,” and it really is startling how much “28 Years Later” borrows from that film. This is a movie, marketed as a hardcore zombie movie, that concludes in such a tender, unforgettably moving way and sets the stage for an even wilder sequel (out in theaters in January). If you missed “28 Years Later” when it was released in theaters, now is your time to catch up.

The Surfer

Hulu – Sept. 25

“The Surfer,” which premiered as part of the midnight section of Cannes last year, follows Nicolas Cage’s character, who wants to take his son surfing but is terrorized by a band of unruly surfers. It is inspired, in part, by the Lunada Bay Boys, a real-life surfer gang in Palos Verdes Estates, California. And while the film was praised for its surrealism and intensity, there’s another reason to watch “The Surfer” – it was one of the last films to feature Australian actor Julian McMahon, who died earlier this year from cancer at the age of 56. McMahon plays the leader of the surf gang. And it would be nice to celebrate his life and career with this, one of his final performances. Surf’s up dude.

The Man in My Basement

Hulu – Sept. 26

This new film, which will make its debut as part of the Discovery section of the Toronto International Film Festival and have a brief theatrical run afterwards, is based on Walter Mosley’s 2004 novel of the same name. It follows a young Black man (Corey Hawkins, taking over for Jonathan Majors) who, scared of losing his ancestral home, agrees to rent the basement to an odd European man (Willem Dafoe). We’re guessing things get considerably weirder from there, which is fun because it’s been a while since we’ve had a really gripping “renter from hell” movie a la “Pacific Heights.” Nadia Latif, making her directorial debut, co-wrote the screenplay with Mosley. This could be just the creepy little thriller we’ve been looking for.