3 award-winning movies to watch on Netflix this weekend (October 23-25)

Published Oct 23, 2026, 11:00 AM EDT T.M. Amrita is a writer and tech enthusiast with experience as a news reporter covering technology, artificial intelligence, and gadgets. A journalist at heart, she found a soft spot for technology reporting during her tenure as a reporter at The Hindu Businessline, where she covered topics like the economy, data, and personal finance. She has published more than 250 news stories, tech guides, and opinion articles. Outside of technology, she is a passionate poet and brings her interest in learning new things to her work as a writer. Amrita is also a student of design and interface development, and likes to take on passion projects in her free time. With so many new releases coming to Netflix every week, it’s easy to miss some of the older movies in its catalog. I like going back through them for these award-winning picks, and this week, there are a few interesting titles worth adding to your watchlist. My top pick is a horror classic that I’d recommend making time for with Halloween coming up. You can stream all three on Netflix U.S., so here are a few movies to check out this week if you're in need of a watchlist refresh. 3 The Forty-Year-Old Version Reinvention, one rhyme at a time Getting older comes with expectations, particularly when it involves your career. The Forty-Year-Old Version gets a lot of its character from how frustrating those expectations can be. Radha Blank wrote, directed, and stars in this comedy, drawing on her own experiences in New York’s theater scene. In her feature debut, Blank doesn't take herself too seriously, making it easy to get drawn into her story. Blank plays Radha, a playwright approaching 40 whose early promise hasn’t translated into the career she wanted. She teaches theater to teenagers while trying to get her own work produced, but the people who can help often have their own ideas about what she should write. Frustrated with the compromises, she starts exploring rap under the name RadhaMUSPrime. Shot in black and white, it also gives you a look at the classrooms, rehearsal spaces, and music venues that make up her New York. Blank won the U.S. Dramatic Directing Award at Sundance in 2020, followed by the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Writing in a Motion Picture in 2021. 2 Quincy The man behind the music Even if you’ve never gone looking for Quincy Jones’s work, you’ve probably heard plenty of it. He produced Michael Jackson’s Off the Wall, Thriller, and Bad, and his career also included jazz, film scores, and television. That’s a lot to fit into one docufilm, but Quincy gives you a good starting point, even if you lack knowledge about the producer and musician. Directed by his daughter, Rashida Jones, and Alan Hicks, the film looks back over decades of his life through archival footage and time spent with him in his later years. It follows his work as a musician, composer, arranger, and producer, as well as his relationships with the artists he helped along the way. There’s also plenty in the movie for music fans who enjoy seeing how some iconic songs and collaborations came about. Alongside the professional achievements, Quincy gives you time to get to know him as a personality. If you usually like music biographies, make time for this one this weekend. Quincy won Best Music Film at the 2019 Grammy Awards, with the award going to directors Rashida Jones and Alan Hicks and producer Paula DuPré Pesmen. Quincy Release Date September 21, 2018 Runtime 124 Minutes Cast Quincy Jones Director Alan Hicks, Rashida Jones 1 Psycho The motel of nightmares Psycho is my top pick this week, and it's here on Netflix right on time for your Halloween watchlist. This movie has been referenced and parodied so often that you might recognize several parts of it even if you have not watched it: the shower scene, the Bates Motel, and the score. Based on the 1959 novel by Robert Bloch, the story follows Marion Crane (Janet Leigh), a woman who steals money from her workplace and leaves town, hoping to start a new life. During her journey, she stops for the night at the Bates Motel and meets Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins). Norman runs the motel while living with his mother nearby. From there, things go astray. Leigh's and Perkins' performances, the eerie setting, and the score all make up arguably one of Alfred Hitchcock's most influential movies. Leigh won the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress in 1961 for her performance as Marion. Psycho Release Date June 22, 1960 Cast Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh, Vera Miles, John Gavin, Martin Balsam, John McIntire, Simon Oakland, Frank Albertson, Patricia Hitchcock, Vaughn Taylor, Lurene Tuttle, John Anderson, Mort Mills, Fletcher Allen, Walter Bacon, Francis De Sales, George Eldredge, Sam Flint, Virginia Gregg, Alfred Hitchcock, Paul Jasmin, Lee Kass, Kit Carson, George Dockstader, Harper Flaherty Runtime 109 minutes Director Alfred Hitchcock Writers Joseph Stefano Producers Alfred Hitchcock Sequel(s) Psycho 2 Franchise(s) Psychonauts Main Genre Horror Sequel Psycho 2, Psycho 4: The Beginning, Psycho 3 Budget $806 thousand Studio(s) Universal Pictures Distributor(s) Universal Pictures Refresh your watchlist As Halloween draws closer, Netflix has a healthy collection of thriller movies and spooky shows you can use for your streaming parties. The platform has also released new horror titles while bringing back some classics that might catch your eye. Subscription with ads Yes, $8/month Simultaneous streams Two or four Stream licensed and original programming with a monthly Netflix subscription. Live TV No Price Starting at $8/month