It’s fall movie season, so that means horror (from modest quirky entries to hyped franchise fare), Oscar-baiting biopics and legendary directors unveiling their latest wares. Here are my picks for 10 movies I wouldn’t mind seeing this fall; if your tastes are similar, you’ll put them on your radar, too.
“Elevator Game” (Sept. 15, Shudder)
The pedigree: An episode of TV’s excellent horror series “Evil” introduced me to this creepy Gen-Z teen pastime, wherein typing a code into the elevator buttons makes it open on the supposedly nonexistent 13th floor. This film likely won’t be as good as “Evil,” but maybe it will have fun twists in order to fill out a feature-length runtime.
“A Haunting in Venice” (Sept. 15, theaters)
The pedigree: Director-star Kenneth Branagh’s Hercule Poirot adaptations aren’t known for their fidelity to the source material, and this one is the most extreme. Agatha Christie’s “Hallowe’en Party” (1969) doesn’t feature a haunting and isn’t set in Venice. But these films are known for lavish settings and talented casts, and I liked more about “Murder on the Orient Express” (2017) and “Death on the Nile” (2022) than I disliked.
“No One Will Save You” (Sept. 22, Hulu)
The pedigree: Mentally diverse representation meets sci-fi home-invasion horror in this latest from writer-director Brian Duffield, who has proven himself as a screenwriter with the likes of “Underwater” (2020). Kaitlyn Dever certainly knows how to play a victim who finds her inner heroine, as seen in the likes of TV’s “Unbelievable” (2019).
“Dumb Money” (Sept. 29, theaters)
The pedigree: This docu-drama adapted from a book by Ben Mezrich (who also provided the source material for 2010’s “The Social Network”) examines the street-level entrepreneurs who took on Wall Street in a GameStop stock maneuver. We know director Craig Gillespie (2017’s “I, Tonya”) can bring coherence and dark humor to odd people and situations, and Pete Davidson and Paul Dano appear to be perfectly cast. Frankly, a big part of this film’s appeal is the opportunity to grasp a bizarre, complex topic.
“The Exorcist: Believer” (Oct. 6, theaters)
The pedigree: Director/co-writer David Gordon Green shepherded “Halloween” back to screens with the stylish “H40” trilogy, and now he takes on an even bigger classic. Chris MacNeil, the mom of the possessed girl Regan, has returned to the saga before (in the excellent 2016-17 TV series) but this marks the first time since the 1973 original that Ellen Burstyn reprises her role. I’m a skeptic that “Believer” will match the original, but still, we could be in for a 50th anniversary treat.
“Totally Killer” (Oct. 6, Amazon Prime)
The pedigree: This horror-comedy stars Kiernan Shipka and Olivia Holt, who have experience with weird horror and period mysteries from “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina” (2018-20) and “Cruel Summer” Season 1 (2021), respectively. It features time travel to the 1980s, and director Nahnatchka Khanso showed some comic flair in 2019’s “Always Be My Maybe,” so the stage is set for this one to be good.
“The Killer” (Oct. 27, Netflix)
The pedigree: “Se7en” (1995) director David Fincher and writer Andrew Kevin Walker team up again, and Michael Fassbender plays an assassin who takes on his employers. Let me stop you right there. I’m in.
“The Holdovers” (Nov. 10, theaters)
The pedigree: Director Alexander Payne and star Paul Giamatti re-team for the first time since 2004’s “Sideways.” Enough said, but the premise sounds appealing, too: Giamatti plays a curmudgeonly boarding-school teacher stuck with a handful of misfit students at the school over the holiday break.
“Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” (Dec. 20, theaters)
The pedigree: The 16th DC Extended Universe film is the last before James Gunn becomes the overseer and sets a fresh narrative plan. However, it’s not a throwaway release, as the mid-credits scene of “The Flash” hinted that Jason Momoa will be one of the actors to reprise his role in the newly cast Justice League (perhaps the only one). Director/co-writer James Wan returns, so if you liked the underwater spectacle of 2018’s “Aquaman,” this sequel is unlikely to leave you high and dry.
“Ferrari” (Dec. 25, theaters)
The pedigree: “Ford v Ferrari” (2019) proved the wide appeal of a historical motorsports pic, so this could be a similar draw at the gate. Michael Mann co-writes and directs – before bringing his own novel, “Heat 2,” to the screen – and the cast features Adam Driver, Shailene Woodley and Penelope Cruz. It’s hard to imagine “Ferrari” veering off track.