Autumn has always been the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness. Now, thanks to Netflix, it’s gearing up to be the season of must-watch entertainment releases, too.

That’s right: having sped our way through an undeniably wild year, September is upon as at last. And the streaming platform is keeping its foot on the pedal, dropping a wealth of brilliant films and TV shows to kick the season off in style.

For those in need of a nostalgia kick, Netflix will once again be adding a wealth of older movies and TV series, including Gogglebox, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971), Halloween (2018), and Kick-Ass (2010).

Cinephiles, meanwhile, have a lot of new titles to check out: there’s unusual horror I’m Thinking Of Ending Things, the deeply unsettling The Devil All The Time, and Millie Bobby Brown’s Enola Holmes, too. 

And, more than 50 years after Mart Crowley’s play became an unexpected smash hit for putting gay men’s lives center stage with honesty and humor, The Boys In The Band returns to the screen in a new adaptation that reunites acclaimed director Joe Mantello with the all-star cast of the Tony-winning, 2018 Broadway production. 

If television is more your thing, then don’t worry: we’ve finally reached the month that much-anticipated shows Julie And The Phantoms, Ratched and Away will become available to binge on the streaming platform.

All in all? The future of streaming looks brighter than ever. So, without any further ado, here’s our pick of what’s new on Netflix this September.

Please note that this article was originally published on 20 August, but has been updated throughout to include new titles.

Love, Guaranteed – 3 September

This frothy romcom follows hardworking lawyer Susan (Rachael Leigh Cook) who, in a bid to save her small law firm, takes on a high-profile case from Nick (Damon Wayans Jr), a charming new client wanting to sue a dating website that promises love to those who use it.

“But as the case heats up, so do Susan and Nick’s feelings for each other,” Netflix teases.

Classic.

I’m Thinking Of Ending Things – 4 September

Everyone at Stylist HQ is incredibly excited about this horror film, which promises to touch a nerve with anyone who’s stayed in a relationship past its sell-by date.

Essentially, a young woman (Jessie Buckley) joins Jake (Jesse Plemons), her boyfriend of six weeks, for a road trip to meet his parents at his old family farm. Too bad, then, that she’s thinking of ending things – especially as he has an unscheduled stop in mind.

You can read all about it here.

Away – 4 September

Described as P.S. I Love You meets Gravity, new Netflix Original series Away follows astronaut Emma Green (Hilary Swank) as she embarks on a career-high mission to Mars in command of an international crew.

Sadly, though, she has to leave behind her husband and teenage daughter to do so.

Prepare to cry. A lot.

#Alive – 8 September

For all those who love horrors that hit just a little too close to home, this pandemic-themed nightmare might just be the film you need to watch this September. Set in a city being ravaged by a grisly virus (sound familiar?), it follows a lone man as he stays locked inside his apartment, digitally cut off from seeking help and desperate to find a way out.

The Handmaiden – 8 September

Not to be confused with The Handmaid’s Tale, this critically-acclaimed film sees a Korean con man (Ha Jung-woo) devise an elaborate plot to seduce and bilk a Japanese woman (Kim Min-hee) out of her inheritance. But, when he introduces orphaned pickpocket (Kim Tae-ri) to the scheme, he can never imagine what will happen next.

The Social Dilemma – 9 September

Already being hailed as this month’s must-watch documentary, Netflix’s official synopsis reads: “We tweet, we like, and we share – but what are the consequences of our growing dependence on social media?

“As digital platforms increasingly become a lifeline to stay connected, Silicon Valley insiders reveal how social media is reprogramming civilisation by exposing what’s hiding on the other side of your screen.”

Find out more about The Social Dilemma here.

Julie And The Phantoms – 10 September

Julie lost her passion for music when she lost her mum. But when the ghosts of three musicians appear and lift her spirits, it’s not long before they decide to form a band together. And yeah, it’s bizarre-sounding, but people have high hopes for this fun Netflix Original series.

Check out the trailer for yourself below:

The Babysitter: Killer Queen – 10 September

It’s been two years since Cole survived his frightful night with Bee and her killer satanic cult. When some of the cult members are resurrected, Cole must once again outsmart the forces of evil and survive the night.

Watch the trailer for this utterly mad film below:

The Duchess – 11 September

Katherine Ryan stars in her debut scripted series The Duchess, which is all about the powerful and problematic choices of a fashionably disruptive single mom living in London. Her daughter, Olive, is her greatest love so she debates a second child with her greatest enemy – Olive’s dad. Can two wrongs make another right?

Hope Frozen: A Quest To Live Twice – 15 September

In this award-winning documentary, a two-year-old girl from Bangkok – nicknamed “Einz” – loses her battle with brain cancer. Her father, a laser scientist, yearns to give his little girl the opportunity to experience a rebirth inside a regenerated body, and makes the unorthodox decision to store her remains in a cryo-preservation tank.

Much like his father, Einz’s teen brother, Matrix, desperately wants to revive his little sister. What the boy later discovers, though, rattles the family’s radical hope in science.

Criminal: UK (Season 2) – 16 September

That’s right, folks: Netflix series Criminal is back!

Teasing the series’ return, Netflix says: “Following a hugely successful first series and great critical acclaim, Criminal returns to Netflix on 16 September with four new cases, four new suspects and one room that changes everything.

“Prepare for bold stories, some surprises, and a completely innovative take on the police procedural.”

The Devil All The Time – 16 September

Netflix’s official synopsis for this unsettling film reads: “In Knockemstiff, Ohio and its neighboring backwoods, sinister characters – an unholy preacher, twisted couple, and crooked sheriff – converge around young Arvin Russell as he fights the evil forces that threaten him and his family.

“Spanning the time between World War II and the Vietnam war, The Devil All The Time renders a seductive and horrific landscape that pits the just against the corrupted.”

Intrigued? We thought as much, so you can find out more here.

Ratched – 18 September

Sarah Paulson and Ryan Murphy reunite in this One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest prequel, which focuses on the origins of the original text and film’s villain, Nurse Ratched,

Which means that, yeah, we’re going to watch a young nurse at a psychiatric hospital become jaded and bitter before turning into a full-fledged monster to her patients. Gulp.

Find out more about the must-watch psychological horror series here.

Enola Holmes – 23 September

Starring Millie Bobby Brown and Helena Bonham Carter, Enola Holmes – teen sister to the famous detective Sherlock Holmes – gets her first solo cinematic outing in this movie.

The plot is hinged on the disappearance of Enola’s mother, prompting the young woman to embark on a journey to London in search of her. When she arrives, though, she finds herself involved in the kidnapping of a young marquess, fleeing murderous villains, and trying to elude her shrewd older brothers – all while attempting to piece together clues to her mother’s strange disappearance.

Find out more about the film here.

The Boys In The Band – 30 September

In 1968 New York City – when being gay was still considered to be best kept behind closed doors – a group of friends gather for a raucous birthday party hosted by Michael (Jim Parsons), a screenwriter who spends and drinks too much, in honor of the sharp-dressed and sharp-tongued Harold (Zachary Quinto). 

Other partygoers include Donald (Matt Bomer), Michael’s former flame, now mired in self-analysis; Larry (Andrew Rannells), a randy commercial artist living with Hank (Tuc Watkins), a school teacher who has just left his wife; Bernard (Michael Benjamin Washington), a librarian tiptoeing around fraught codes of friendship alongside Emory (Robin de Jesús), a decorator who never holds back; and a guileless hustler (Charlie Carver), hired to be Harold’s gift for the night. 

However, what begins as an evening of drinks and laughs gets upended when Alan (Brian Hutchison), Michael’s straight-laced college roommate, shows up unexpectedly and each man is challenged to confront long-buried truths that threaten the foundation of the group’s tight bond.

All images: Netflix