HBO’s October Lineup Includes Classic Horror and a Wild New Animated Series

2026/09/28

Categories: entertainment

We're headed into spooky season, and HBO Max is picking up some big horror franchises like A Nightmare on Elm Street to celebrate. The streamer will also be closing out the first season of Lanterns, the latest DC series, while premiering movies from the Warner Bros. slate as well as studios like A24 and Lionsgate. There's even a splattering of live sports.

Highlights Coming to HBO Max

A Nightmare on Elm Street Movies - October 1

It wouldn’t be an October list without some good ol' horror. Expect to see plenty of dedicated “Halloween” sections compiling all of the existing horror movies and shows on the service. One franchise HBO Max subscribers will get to marathon is A Nightmare on Elm Street, with the first five movies and the 2010 reboot coming to the service just as Freddy Krueger himself arrives in Fortnite.

Lanterns Season 1 Finale - October 4 @ 9pm ET

The latest DCU series, Lanterns, is finishing up its first season at the start of the month. We’ve been pretty big fans of the series, which loosely adapts not one but three Green Lantern arcs through a grittier, detective-style story. Plenty of questions remain as we head into the final episode, which will premiere on HBO Max in the service’s primetime slot.

What's taking over the Sunday slot through the rest of the month? Well, that honor goes to a three-part documentary series, The Pet Cemetery Murders: A Ghost Story.

Get Jiro - Premieres October 4

This new animated series adapts a graphic novel written by the late Anthony Bourdain in collaboration with Joel Rose. The stylish series follows the stoic sushi chef Jiro as he attempts to make a name for himself during an ultra violent chef gang war in post-apocalyptic Los Angeles. The trailer personally gives me ultraviolent Dave the Diver vibes.

IGN’s Jesse Schedeen got the chance to check out the premiere, calling it a “fresh and exciting” take on your standard revenge thriller. New episodes will stream on HBO Max after premiering on Adult Swim every Saturday.

Evil Dead Burn - October 5

If you’re looking for a fresh horror release to enjoy this Halloween season, the latest movie in the Evil Dead franchise will be making its streaming premiere on HBO Max. The sequel to 2023's Evil Dead Rise, which we called “most gruesome Evil Dead movie yet,” blends the franchise’s classic zombie scares with a whole new level of horror: having to stay with your in-laws.

The Invite - October 23

From the A24 side of things, Olivia Wilde’s The Invite was a sneaky box office and critical hit from earlier this summer. Unlike a massive spectacle like The Odyssey, this one contains the drama in a single San Francisco apartment, as two couples grapple with their relationships and, specifically, how much sex they’re having. It’s got some crazy uncomfortable moments as well as some peak performances, amounting to an “enjoyably nerve-racking domestic comedy-drama” in our 8/10 review.

Everything Coming to HBO Max in October

Click through links to read IGN's original reviews.

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What’s Up With HBO Max?

ICYMI: Warner Bros put itself up for sale next year, and after a little bit of a battle with Netflix, Paramount came out as the buyer. The deal was briefly put on pause due to antitrust lawsuits, though Paramount has since reached an agreement, putting the deal back in motion.

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There’s not a whole lot of info on what the company intends to do with HBO Max, particularly in the context of its own streaming service, Paramount+, but we do know the deal involves some commitment to theatrical releases. It also doesn’t put much value in Warner Bros. Video Games.

Another note: Disney raised prices again, which does include a price hike on the Disney+ bundle with HBO Max.

Blythe Dujardin Avatar

Blythe Dujardin

Audience Development Coordinator

Blythe (she/her) is an Audience Development Coordinator at IGN who spends way too much time in character customization screens and tracking down collectibles.

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