This weekend is for the witches and the bros. Hocus Pocus 2 brings the return of the Sanderson sisters, while Billy Eichner brings the arrival of actual openly gay people onscreen, per his pitch. But if you want a mixture of Bros and Hocus Pocus, AMC+ has you covered with its adaptation of Anne Rice’s famous novel Interview With the Vampire, starring Jacob Anderson and Sam Reid as Louis and Lestat, respectively. While the beloved film heavily alluded to their love for each other, the series is quite obvious about Louis and Lestat’s sexual tension. If only Bros had vampires … On to the rest of the picks!
Bros
Billy Eichner being the first openly gay man to get an openly gay major-studio film in theaters? What a concept! Oh, and did I mention this has an all-LGBTQ+ cast? If not, you’ve probably heard Eichner talk about it already. All jokes aside, Bros is pretty good! And pretty funny! Eichner and his co-star Luke Macfarlane are charming and vulnerable together, and while Bros can tilt to being a bit too self-aware of itself, it managed to make my entire theater laugh uproariously throughout.
Entergalactic
Another rom-com out this weekend is Scott Mescudi’s (Kid Cudi) long-awaited foray into television with Entergalactic. Starring Mescudi, his animated Netflix film follows his character, Jabari, as he finds a new love with his neighbor Meadow (Jessica Williams) while in the throes of his breakup with Carmen (Laura Harrier). Featuring new music from Cudi and a stacked list of guest stars including Ty Dolla $ign, Timothée Chalamet, Vanessa Hudgens, and Macaulay Culkin, Entergalactic is just a fun piece of enveloping cartooning from Cudi and crew.
God’s Creatures
One of the smaller and quieter movies on this list, God’s Creatures is a fascinating movie by Saela Davis and Anna Rose Holmer. Emily Watson stars as a mother in a small town restlessly meditating on the idea of her son (Paul Mescal) not being the man she thought he was as sexual-assault accusations are made. It’s not as bombastic an A24 outing as Pearl or Everything Everywhere All at Once, but it still boasts a moving performance by its lead, Watson.
Hocus Pocus 2
The witches are back. Disney fans have been clamoring for this day, and I’ll be interested to see just how widely Hocus Pocus 2 hits. While the original kids won’t be in this sequel, the Sanderson sisters (Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy) return to wreck havoc on a new set of teens in Salem 29 years later.
My Best Friend’s Exorcism
Teenage friendships can be a bitch, huh? My Best Friend’s Exorcism exacerbates that fact by adding a little vengeful demon into the mix. Based on the novel of the same name, Elsie Fisher and Amiah Miller star as best friends Abby and Gretchen, who one day go a bit too far when they explore a run-down house, leading Gretchen to becoming possessed. From there, Abby has to do everything she can, including employing a mall exorcist, to get her friend back.
Smile
Sure, sure, let’s make a smile scary. From director Parker Finn, Smile follows a deathly phenomenon that starts when patient passes a deadly vision to her therapist (Sosie Bacon). Basically, if you see that smile, you die. Now Bacon’s character must do everything she can to prevent that murderous smile and vision from coming true. So if you already saw Barbarian, onto Smile!
Interview With the Vampire
Hot.
Ramy season three
Season three of Ramy Youssef’s Hulu series brings ten new episodes for fans to binge over the weekend. Loosely based on Youssef’s own experiences, Ramy continues to examine its central character’s world as he handles familial conflicts and crises of life and faith. The third season also brings the television debut of Bella Hadid as Lena, a “weirdo girlfriend†— their words, not ours!
Also! Read our streaming recommendations from the weekend of September 23. Vulture’s next list of weekend streaming picks goes online Friday, October 7.