10 Movies To Watch Before They Leave Netflix At The End Of October

Over three dozen movies are leaving Netflix throughout October.

These movies include spooky Academy Award winners such as “The Silence of the Lambs” and “Sleepy Hollow,” as well as the more lighthearted yet still beloved “Sleepless in Seattle” and “Spaceballs.”

All of the above movies leave on Oct. 31, so you have a few weeks to watch them before they depart. But other films such as the Seth Rogen-starring “The Green Hornet” or Noah Baumbach’s “While We’re Young” leave Netflix sooner.

You can see the full list of October departures at the bottom of this article. 

I’ve compiled 10 recommendations from the full list directly below. You can watch the trailers along with brief synopses.

“District 9” (2009)

Premise: In this sci-fi action movie set in Johannesburg, South Africa, an alien migrant camp keeps the nearly powerless beings from outer space in prison-like confines while humans try to figure out their technology. A South African human gets infected with a virus that makes him more alien-like, and so he hides in this camp, called District 9, and begs the aliens to help him.

Neill Blomkamp directed and co-wrote the screenplay.

“District 9” earned four Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture.

Runtime: 1 hour, 52 minutes

“The Firm” (1993)

Premise: In this legal thriller set in Memphis, Tennessee, and based on a novel by John Grisham, a young lawyer (Tom Cruise), fresh out of Harvard Law School, joins a well-paying firm. He soon realizes that the firm has so much money because it’s involved in illegal activities.

Sydney Pollack directed.

“The Firm” earned two Academy Award nominations, including Best Supporting Actress for Holly Hunter.

Runtime: 2 hours, 34 minutes

“The Interview” (2014)

Premise: In this political action comedy set largely in North Korea, an entertainment interviewer (James Franco) and his best-friend producer (Seth Rogen) find out that North Korean supreme leader Kim Jong Un (Randall Park) loves the show. The CIA recruits the duo to go to North Korea to hang out with and ultimately assassinate Kim.

Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen co-directed.

Runtime: 1 hour, 52 minutes

“Magic Mike” (2012)

Premise: In this comedic drama set in Tampa Bay, Florida, an increasingly disillusioned stripper (Channing Tatum) mentors a younger stripper. As the younger stripper gets more involved in the stripping world’s illicit side, the mentor tries to plan an exit from the career path.

Steven Soderbergh directed.

Runtime: 1 hour, 50 minutes

“The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!” (1988)

Premise: In this crime comedy set in Los Angeles, a goofball police detective (Leslie Nielsen) tries to foil a villainous plot involving mind control. Despite his being a police detective, the movie more closely spoofs James Bond-style spy scripts.

David Zucker directed.

Runtime: 1 hour, 25 minutes

 
“The NeverEnding Story” (1984)

Premise: In this young adult fantasy based on a German novel by Michael Ende, a bullied kid in Washington state steals a mysterious book from a bookstore. He finds out that he’s somehow a character in the book, which tells the story of a troubled kingdom that needs his help.

Runtime: 1 hour, 42 minutes

“The Silence of the Lambs” (1991)

Premise: In this psychological drama based on a novel by Thomas Harris, an FBI student (Jodie Foster) stops her training to interview an imprisoned former psychiatrist and cannibalistic murderer (Anthony Hopkins). Her task is to try and coax information out of the murderer about another ongoing investigation.

Jonathan Demme directed.

“The Silence of the Lambs” earned seven Academy Award nominations, winning five, including Best Picture.

Runtime: 1 hour, 58 minutes

“Sleepless in Seattle” (1993)

Premise: In this romantic comedy set in Seattle and Baltimore, a man (Tom Hanks) who has lost his wife tells his story of loneliness on a national radio show after his son tricks him into opening up. A woman (Meg Ryan) on the other side of the country hears this show and becomes increasingly convinced that he’s her soul mate, even though she’s already engaged.

Nora Ephron directed and co-wrote the screenplay.

“Sleepless in Seattle” earned two Academy Award nominations, including Best Original Screenplay.

Runtime: 1 hour, 45 minutes

“Sleepy Hollow” (1999)

Premise: In this supernatural horror movie set in a small town outside of New York City in 1799 and based on an 1820 story by Washington Irving, police constable Ichabod Crane (Johnny Depp) has to investigate a string of decapitations. The locals believe a paranormal force related to the Revolutionary War is responsible, but the New York City-based constable doesn’t believe in ghosts.

Tim Burton directed, and Andrew Kevin Walker wrote the screenplay.

“Sleepy Hollow” earned three Academy Award nominations, winning for Best Art Direction.

Runtime: 1 hour, 45 minutes

“Spaceballs” (1987)

Premise: In this satire of sci-fi action movies (mostly “Star Wars”) set in a fantastical universe, a ragtag team of space fighters tries to save a princess held captive by an evil planet. The planet lacks oxygen and the bumbling leaders try to hold the princess as ransom in exchange for more of that resource.

Mel Brooks directed and co-wrote the screenplay.

Runtime: 1 hour, 36 minutes

All the movies leaving Netflix in October