Netflix is adding a limited series based on John Steinbeck’s East of Eden starring Florence Pugh, and the streamer is also bringing back Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho, plus a slew of other literary adaptations across Prime Video, Apple TV, Peacock, and AMC+. The monthly round-up comes from Literary Hub‘s Emily Temple, whose beat is the intersection of books and screens. The list mixes prestige drama with campy horror, and it is worth reading just for the deadpan commentary.
East of Eden Arrives on Netflix
Zoe Kazan directs and writes the limited series, which stars Florence Pugh as Cathy Ames. The show is described as “the marquee literary adaptation of the season,” and Temple notes that Kazan’s grandfather Elia Kazan directed the 1955 adaptation. That adds a generational layer to the project.
The series is described as a modern take on Steinbeck’s 1952 novel. Pugh plays Cathy Ames, and the cast includes “quite a few other hot people.” Temple’s preview notes that the show is a major draw for subscribers looking for literary prestige.
Kill Jackie and Carrie Land on Prime Video
Kill Jackie is based on The Price You Pay by Nick Harkaway, adapted by Aidan Truhen. Catherine Zeta-Jones stars as Jackie Price, an art dealer with a past so checkered that seven assassins are hired to kill her. The setup is pure action-comedy territory, with Temple noting that the titular character will simply have to kill them all herself.
The adaptation swaps the genders of the original source material. The Welsh accent is on full display, which Temple treats as a notable detail. The series arrives on October 2.
Carrie is Mike Flanagan’s latest horror offering, and it is the fourth screen adaptation of Stephen King’s 1974 novel. Flanagan’s version is a miniseries set in a modern high school, which gives the story a fresh context for its themes.
Flanagan told Entertainment Weekly that the adaptation addresses the ways technology has changed school life. “The themes that Steve was talking about half a century ago of kindness versus cruelty, of empathy and bullying, and violence at school have become even more relevant today than he could have contemplated because of our relationship to technology and the degree to which violence encroaches on our high schoolers, especially in the United States,” he said.
The director framed the project as a chance to update King’s characters for a new generation. “So that meant we had an opportunity to tell a story about a modern teenage experience that could use the seeds of these characters King created 50 years ago, but express them completely differently,” Flanagan added.
“The themes that Steve was talking about half a century ago of kindness versus cruelty, of empathy and bullying, and violence at school have become even more relevant today than he could have contemplated.”
Yaga and Nocturne Round Out the Month
Yaga is a television adaptation of Kat Sandler’s 2019 play, which itself is based on the legend of Baba Yaga. The show hails from Canada’s Crave, the same platform that brought Heated Rivalry. Hudson Williams, Carrie-Anne Moss, Noah Reid, and Clark Backo star in the series.
Temple describes the show as “looks deranged; I’ll watch it!” which is the kind of pitch that gets the attention of fans of weird fantasy. The premise is rooted in a folk legend, and the cast brings serious acting credentials to the supernatural material.
Nocturne is an adaptation of the Swedish thrillers The Sandman and Lazarus by Lars Kepler. Liev Schreiber stars as Jonah Lynn, a former homicide detective who relocates to a small town in Pennsylvania. There, he finds citizens being terrorized by a notorious serial killer named Jurek Walter, played by Stephen Graham.
Saga Bauer, played by Zazie Beetz, is Jonah’s surrogate daughter. She helps him try to get Jurek to talk before it is too late. The series draws on the bestselling novels written by Alexander Ahndoril and Alexandra Coelho Ahndoril under the name Lars Kepler.
Throwbacks Bring the Classics Back
The throwback section of the list leans heavily on horror classics. Psycho arrives on Netflix on October 1, a classic thriller based on Robert Bloch’s novel. The film remains a cultural touchstone, and its arrival on the streamer gives subscribers a reason to revisit the Bates Motel.
The Fly is the 1986 version based on George Langelaan’s 1957 story. Jeff Goldblum stars as the scientist who merges his DNA with that of a fly. The film is not for the squeamish, and Temple’s note about Goldblum being “always peak” captures the cult status of the performance.
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is the 1994 version directed by Kenneth Branagh, with Robert De Niro playing the Creature and Branagh himself as Victor Frankenstein. Francis Ford Coppola produced the film, which Temple describes as “overwrought and overstuffed.” The Halloween release date fits the mood of the month.
I Know What You Did Last Summer is the 1997 adaptation of Lois Duncan’s 1973 novel. Duncan reportedly disavowed the adaptation for its sensationalized violence and how little it bore to her book. Despite that, the film remains a touchstone of Millennial horror nostalgia.
American Psycho is the 2000 adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis’s 1991 novel. The film keeps getting scarier, according to Temple.
Twilight is the 2008 adaptation of Stephenie Meyer’s 2005 novel. Temple admits she has never seen the film, and she wonders if this is her year. The question is framed with a shrug, suggesting the movie is a cultural artifact she has avoided rather than a personal favorite.
What the List Says About Streaming
The mix of titles shows how streaming services are treating literary property. Major adaptations like East of Eden get front-page treatment, while genre classics like Psycho and The Fly fill out the month. The list also reflects the way titles move across multiple platforms, with Netflix, Prime Video, Apple TV, Peacock, and AMC+ each hosting their own additions this month.
The commentary throughout the list is playful and irreverent. Temple’s tone treats the material with affection but not reverence, which makes the whole thing feel like a recommendation from a friend rather than a corporate marketing push.
The Verdict on the Picks
The list is a fun mix of high and low. East of Eden is the standout prestige pick, and Kill Jackie is the most purely entertaining entry. Carrie and Nocturne offer serious storytelling, while the throwbacks deliver the scares.
The Halloween lineup is particularly strong, with Psycho, The Fly, and Frankenstein all arriving on October 1. That gives subscribers a full slate of classics to watch.
For readers who want to see their favorite books on screen, this month offers something for everyone. The adaptations range from faithful to loose, and the commentary makes it clear that Temple is not taking herself too seriously.
The one complaint is that the list sends you elsewhere to see the full details. All ten titles are listed at Literary Hub, and the seventh is the best of them. The full write-up is worth a read for the quotes and the context.
For now, the advice is simple: set your watch, cue up your streamer, and settle in for a month of literary film and TV.
Source material: “The Literary Film & TV You Need to Stream in October,” Literary Hub.
Get the Notebook.
The day's best stories and every fresh verdict, in plain English, in your inbox by seven. One email a day, no more.