10 must-see movies of fall, from 'Killers of the Flower Moon' to 'Saw X' and 'Priscilla'
First there was "Barbenheimer." But are you prepared for "Saw Patrol"?
As a same-day, double-feature sensation, the next brutal chapter in the "Saw" horror franchise and a kid-friendly animated adventure with talking superhero dogs is an even more improbable pairing. But they do symbolize the wide variety of films arriving in the next couple of months as the weather gets a little colder and the pumpkin spice lattes start flowing: a new Oscar-ready Martin Scorsese/Leonardo DiCaprio collaboration, a Priscilla Presley biopic, another round of "The Exorcist," a Netflix crime drama starring Emily Blunt and Chris Evans, and much more.
Here's an exclusive peek at the 10 movies you absolutely, positively must see this fall:
'The Nun II' (Sept. 8)
Stars: Taissa Farmiga, Storm Reid, Bonnie Aarons.
Director: Michael Chaves.
The skinny: Set in 1956 France, the horror sequel (and ninth installment in "The Conjuring" franchise) returns Sister Irene (Farmiga), who survived her first encounter years earlier with the demonic nun Valak (Aarons). This time, she's faced with the freaky figure while investigating a priest's murder and odd occurrences at a boarding school.
Where to watch: In theaters.
Ranked:All 'The Conjuring' horror movies (including 'The Nun')
'Dumb Money' (Sept. 15)
Stars: Paul Dano, Seth Rogen, Pete Davidson.
Director: Craig Gillespie.
The skinny: Dano stars in the comedic true-life story as Keith Gill, a YouTube financial analyst who sinks his entire life savings into stock in the video-game company GameStop. He gets a ton of everyday people to go in with him, making them millions and in the process freaking out billionaires and Wall Street tycoons.
Where to watch: In theaters (adding cities through September and nationwide Oct. 6).
'A Haunting in Venice' (Sept. 15)
Stars: Kenneth Branagh, Michelle Yeoh, Tina Fey.
Director: Kenneth Branagh.
The skinny: Based on the Agatha Christie novel "Hallowe'en Party," the mystery catches up with famed detective Hercule Poirot (Branagh), now retired and living in Italy. He's invited by an old friend (Fey) to attend a seance hosted by a self-proclaimed psychic (Yeoh) and is back to sleuthing when a fellow guest winds up dead.
Where to watch: In theaters.
'Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie' (Sept. 29)
Stars: Taraji P. Henson, Kristen Bell, James Marsden.
Director: Cal Brunker.
The skinny: While the guest voice cast includes Chris Rock and Kim Kardashian, kids will care most about Chase, Skye, Marshall and the rest of the good-guy pups. The Paw Patrol members get superpowers thanks to a meteorite landing in Adventure City, though a mad scientist (Henson) will stop at nothing to steal them for herself.
Where to watch: In theaters.
'Saw X' (Sept. 29)
Stars: Tobin Bell, Shawnee Smith, Steven Brand.
Director: Kevin Greutert.
The skinny: The 10th "Saw" film is actually set between the first two movies and brings back Bell as John Kramer, aka the Jigsaw Killer. A cancer diagnosis sends him to Mexico for a miracle cure that turns out to be a scam, and the sadistic villain uses his signature gruesome traps to torture the con-artist culprits.
Where to watch: In theaters.
'The Burial' (Oct. 6)
Stars: Jamie Foxx, Tommy Lee Jones, Alan Ruck.
Director: Maggie Betts.
The skinny: In the comedic drama based on a 1999 New Yorker article, Jamie Foxx stars as a charismatic, self-made attorney hired by a funeral home owner (Jones) to save his family business. The unlikely duo push past their differences and bond over exposing corruption and racial injustice.
Where to watch: In theaters (and on Prime Video Oct. 13).
'The Exorcist: Believer' (Oct. 13)
Stars: Leslie Odom Jr., Ellen Burstyn, Ann Dowd.
Director: David Gordon Green.
The skinny: Like he did with "Halloween," Green crafts a direct sequel to the 1973 horror classic "The Exorcist" and brings back original star Burstyn. Her character, Chris MacNeil, is recruited to help when a couple of young girls go missing in the forest and show up days later possessed by a demon.
Where to watch: In theaters.
'Killers of the Flower Moon' (Oct. 20)
Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Lily Gladstone, Robert De Niro.
Director: Martin Scorsese.
The skinny: Based on David Grann's book, Scorsese's Western crime saga is both a love story – of Ernest Burkhart (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his Native American wife Mollie Kyle (Lily Gladstone) – and a tale of theft and murder centering on the wealthy Osage Nation in 1920s Oklahoma.
Where to watch: In theaters.
'Killers of the Flower Moon':Martin Scorsese debuts trailer, chats with Leonardo DiCaprio
'Pain Hustlers' (Oct. 27)
Stars: Emily Blunt, Chris Evans, Catherine O'Hara.
Director: David Yates.
The skinny: Blunt stars as Liza Drake, a high-school dropout and working-class single mom whose life turns around when she meets a rep (Evans) for a pharmaceutical startup in a Florida strip mall. Her gumption and drive boost the company, but things go awry when Liza discovers she's at the center of a racketeering scheme.
Where to watch: Netflix.
'Priscilla' (Oct. 27)
Stars: Cailee Spaeny, Jacob Elordi, Dagmara Domińczyk.
Director: Sofia Coppola.
The skinny: Elvis got his biopic last year – now Priscilla Presley gets hers. Based on the 1985 memoir "Elvis and Me," the drama features Spaeny playing Priscilla from age 14, when she met Elvis (Elordi) at a party while he was stationed in Germany, to 24 and being married to the king of rock 'n' roll.
Where to watch: In theaters.
