Each week on Polygon, we round up the most notable new releases to streaming and VOD, highlighting the biggest and best new movies for you to watch at home.
This week, Terrifier 3, the new supernatural horror slasher from director Damien Leone, arrives on VOD. That’s not all that’s new to rent and purchase this week, as the clerical mystery thriller Conclave also comes to VOD this week, along with the sci-fi horror film Elevation starring Anthony Mackie (Captain America: Brave New World), the stop-motion comedy Memoir of a Snail, and the dystopian superhero film Watchmen Chapter II. There’s loads more to watch on streaming, including Robot Dreams on Hulu, the holiday rom-com Our Little Secret on Netflix, and much more!
Here’s everything new that’s available to watch this weekend!
Where to watch: Available to stream on Netflix
Genre: Holiday rom-com
Run time: 1h 41m
Director: Stephen Herek
Cast: Lindsay Lohan, Ian Harding, Kristin Chenoweth
Lindsay Lohan continues to reign supreme over Netflix holiday titles, though this newest rom-com is a little more grounded than Falling for Christmas and Irish Wish. Lohan plays Avery, a woman who’s super excited to spend the holidays with her new boyfriend. But she realizes that her ex is also in attendance, since he’s dating her new boyfriend’s younger sister. They decide to pretend not to know each other, which seems to go about as well as you’d expect. Cue the holiday hijinks!
Where to watch: Available to stream on Netflix Nov. 28
Photo: Glen Wilson/Sony Pictures
Genre: Sci-fi horror
Run time: 1h 24m
Director: Chris Weitz
Cast: John Cho, Katherine Waterston, Havana Rose Liu
Remember Smart House, that 1999 sci-fi comedy about a fully automated house voiced by Katey Sagal that goes haywire? Well, imagine if that movie was a horror thriller instead and you’ve got the gist of Afraid, the new film from director Chris Weitz (The Golden Compass, The Twilight Saga: New Moon) starring John Cho and Katherine Waterston.
When a happy family decides to test out AIA (Havana Rose Liu), a commercial artificial intelligence designed to help them better organize their home life, they couldn’t be happier with the results. That is, until the AI starts psychologically manipulating the family and harming people close to them in its twisted desire to be a part of the family.
Where to watch: Available to rent on Hulu
Image: Arcadia Motion Pictures
Genre: Tragicomedy
Run time: 1h 43m
Director: Pablo Berger
The surprise entry in this year’s Best Animated Feature category at the Oscars is a bittersweet ode to old friends. Director Pablo Berger was so moved by Sara Varon’s graphic novel that he started an animation studio just to adapt it. It’s entirely without dialogue and follows a lonely dog who befriends a robot, the blissful summer they share together, and what happens after outside forces separate them. Robot Dreams is beautifully animated and deeply evocative — and will have you sobbing next time you hear Earth, Wind & Fire’s “September.”
Where to watch: Available to stream on Hulu Nov. 29
Image: Rivulet Films/Hulu
Genre: Holiday comedy
Run time: 1h 44m
Director: David Gordon Green
Cast: Ben Stiller, Linda Cardellini, Ari Graynor
In this comedy-drama, a workaholic named Mike (played by Ben Stiller) has to step up and take care of his four orphaned nephews after the death of his sister and brother-in-law. He journeys out to a farm in the middle of nowhere and has to provide for them while social services scrambles to find fitting guardians for the four unruly kids. Nutcrackers was the opening film of the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival.
Where to watch: Available to stream on Max Nov. 28
Image: Picturestart/Max
Genre: Comedy
Director: Jordan Weiss
Cast: Kiernan Shipka, Christine Taylor, Miles Gutierrez-Riley
Kiernan Shipka and Nico Hiraga star as two best friends who decide that they really need to break up with their high school sweethearts over Thanksgiving break, because they’re missing out on the college experience. But when they return to their hometown, they’re not sure if they’re going to be able to do it, especially since they’re running into everyone from their past. At least they have each other in this tumultuous time!
Where to watch: Available to stream on Disney Plus Nov. 29
Genre: Documentary
Director: David Tedeschi
Produced by Martin Scorsese, this documentary chronicles the legendary 1964 U.S. tour that catapulted The Beatles to rock-’n’-roll super-stardom. Featuring behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with the surviving members of the band, Beatles ’64 is a sterling testament to the band’s enduring legacy.
Where to watch: Available to stream on Paramount Plus
Image: Paramount Pictures
Genre: Dark comedy
Run time: 1h 43m
Director: Bobby Farrelly
Cast: Jack Black, Robert Timothy Smith, Keegan-Michael Key
This dark Christmas comedy stars Jack Black as Satan, who is summoned to Earth by a meek teenager who mistakenly addresses a letter meant for Santa to him. When the boy fails to take the hint that “Santa” might not be who he says he is, Satan takes the initiative to help him grant his Christmas wishes. In exchange for his immortal soul, of course. It’s like Beetlejuice, but for Christmas!
Where to watch: Available to stream on Shudder Nov. 29
Genre: Horror
Run time: 1h 26m
Director: Adam MacDonald
Cast: Missy Peregrym, Joris Jarsky, Damon Runyan
This Canadian horror thriller follows a group of friends who venture into woods for a weeklong hunting trip. Things go awry when they accidently run afoul of a pack of wolves that proceed to hunt them mercilessly, all while the group’s cooperation is tested by long-simmering tensions from the past.
Where to watch: Available to rent on Amazon, Apple, and Vudu
Image: Focus Features
Genre: Mystery thriller
Run time: 2h
Director: Edward Berger
Cast: Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow
Ralph Fiennes stars in All Quiet on the Western Front director Edward Berger’s latest thriller as Thomas Lawrence, a cardinal tasked with convening a secluded conclave in order to decide on the appointment of a new pope. As interfactional disputes between the cardinals amassed give rise to conspiracies and questions, Thomas must weigh the future of the church against the weight of his own conscience.
Where to watch: Available to rent on Amazon, Apple, and Vudu
Image: Dark Age Cinema/Bloody Disgusting
Genre: Horror
Run time: 2h 5m
Director: Damien Leone
Cast: David Howard Thornton, Lauren LaVera, Elliott Fullam
Art the Clown is back, just in time for the holidays! Terrifier 3 sees the return of everyone’s favorite homicidal clown, this time with the help of demon-possessed survivor Victoria (Samantha Scaffidi), to exact his revenge on Sienna Shaw (Lauren LaVera) and continue killing as many people as inhumanly possible.
Where to watch: Available to rent on Amazon, Apple, and Vudu
Image: Vertical Entertainment
Genre: Sci-fi thriller
Run time: 1h 31m
Director: George Nolfi
Cast: Anthony Mackie, Morena Baccarin, Maddie Hasson
Three years after a civilization was destroyed by a race of subterranean creatures, a widower (Anthony Mackie) journeys to Boulder, Colorado, along with two women searching for a way to kill the invasive species. After descending to ground level, the trio must fight to survive against overwhelming odds.
Where to watch: Available to rent on Amazon, Apple, and Vudu
Image: IFC Films
Genre: Stop-motion animation
Run time: 1h 35m
Director: Adam Elliot
Cast: Sarah Snook, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Eric Bana
This stop-motion animated film is narrated by a snail-obsessed woman (played by Sarah Snook) who looks back on her life. She recounts her poor but blissful childhood with her father and beloved twin brother and recalls how she and her brother were separated after their father died. While her current situation is pretty dreary and she certainly has regrets, she slowly begins to find the courage to live again.
Where to watch: Available to rent on Amazon, Apple, and Vudu
Genre: Dystopian sci-fi
Run time: 1h 26m
Director: Brandon Vietti
Cast: Troy Baker, Adrienne Barbeau, Michael Cerveris
The second and final installment of Brandon Vietti’s animated adaptation of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ landmark superhero miniseries Watchmen has finally arrived. As the world hurtles toward doomsday, will Nite Owl, Rorschach, Dr. Manhattan, and Silk Spectre be able to uncover the orchestrator behind the conspiracy to pit the United States and Russia against one another in global conflict?