Couch Theater – October 12, 2023

#MiddleburyCT #Movies

“The Fall of the House of Usher” (TV-MA) – Mike Flanagan, one modern filmmaker who always keeps his finger on the pulse of the horror genre, has created a new miniseries based on the works of the great American poet, Edgar Allan Poe. Robert Usher (Bruce Greenwood) is the CEO of the corrupt company, Fortunato Pharmaceuticals, and has managed to scrape past each enemy who threatens to shake his power. But when his children start falling dead one by one at the hands of a mysterious woman, Robert realizes his reckoning has finally come. Carla Gugino, who also starred in Flanagan’s previous series “The Haunting of Hill House” and “The Haunting of Bly Manor,” plays Verna in this eight-episode series, available to stream on Oct. 12. (Netflix)

“The Starling Girl” (R) – Twenty-four-year-old Australian actress Eliza Scanlen has received critical acclaim since she starred as Amma in the HBO miniseries “Sharp Objects” alongside Academy Award nominee Amy Adams. Scanlen went on to play Beth in Greta Gerwig’s “Little Women,” and now she’s adding the role of Jem Starling to her already stellar filmography. Raised in a fundamentalist Christian community in Kentucky, Jem struggles with desires, like her love of dance, that fail to coincide with her strict religious foundation. She begins to find solace with her youth pastor, Owen, but when the affair backfires on her, she is forced to leave the one home she’s always known. Out now. (Paramount+)

Justin Long stars in “Goosebumps.” (Disney+)

“Goosebumps” (TV-PG) – While the “Goosebumps” book series was previously adapted into two films (props to you if you even remember them), a series based on the books was put into development by Rob Letterman, who also directed the first “Goosebumps” film that released in 2015. This series focuses on a high school teacher who gets possessed by the spirit of a teenage student from years prior. He unleashes a curse on a group of five kids, attempting to get revenge through the sons and daughters of the students who previously wronged him. The first five episodes release on Oct. 13, while the following five release every Friday thereafter. (Disney+)

“Renfield” (R) – This comedy-horror film inspired by Dracula’s familiar Renfield in Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel was an incredible flop in the box office, and I can’t help but wonder if it was because someone had the idea to put Nicolas Cage in a pimp coat and acrylic nails and cast him as Dracula. Nicholas Hoult (brilliant in “The Menu”) plays Dracula’s humble servant, who receives immortality, speed, and super strength when he consumes bugs. Growing ever tired of having to find victims for Dracula to feast on, Renfield is desperate to reform his tragic life. So, when the duo makes a stop in New Orleans during their travels, Renfield attempts to find freedom from Dracula’s perfectly manicured hands. Premieres Oct. 10. (Amazon Prime Video)

© 2023 King Features Synd., Inc.