This week, fans of The Witcher will find out if Liam Hemsworth can fill Henry Cavill's shoes as he takes on the role of monster hunter Geralt of Rivia in the penultimate season of the hit Netflix series. For more scares, there's also It: Welcome to Derry, the prequel to the 2017 hit film It, based on one of Stephen King’s most haunting and popular universes.
Meanwhile, mystery lovers can look forward to Emma Thompson playing detective while best-selling author Harlan Coben has co-created a horror-thriller.
Here are some of the latest films, shows and music to stream this week.
Shows to stream
The Witcher season four (Netflix)
Liam Hemsworth takes over the reins from Henry Cavill, who played monster hunter Geralt of Rivia in the first three seasons of this hit series – an adaptation of the fantasy books by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski.
At the end of season three, Geralt is brutally defeated by the treacherous mage Vilgefortz, and is forced to retreat and recover from his injuries. However, after hearing word that his adoptive daughter Ciri (Freya Allan) has been found, he musters all his strength and heads off to save her. Meanwhile, sorceress Yennefer (Anya Chalotra), who is dealing with the death of her mentor and mother figure, Tissaia, must rally other sorceresses to fill Tissaia’s shoes as the new leader of Aretuza.
In season four, Geralt, Ciri and Yennefer find themselves separated by a raging war, and as their paths diverge, they encounter unexpected allies eager to join their journeys.
New characters include fan-favourite Regis, a barber-surgeon with secrets of his own, played by Laurence Fishburne.
It: Welcome to Derry (OSN+)
The anticipated prequel to the blockbuster It movie franchise is here. Set decades before the events of the first It movie, this series takes viewers back to where the nightmare began: the small town of Derry.
Blending coming-of-age drama with classic supernatural horror, the show is set in 1960s America steeped in Cold War fear and racial division, and explains where the malevolent Pennywise came from.
New episodes will be released every Monday.
Down Cemetery Road (Apple TV)
Oscar-winner Emma Thompson plays a private investigator in this thriller based on Mick Herron’s 2003 book of the same name.
The story begins when a house explodes in a quiet Oxford suburb and a girl disappears. Neighbour Sarah Tucker (Ruth Wilson), who becomes obsessed with finding the missing girl, enlists the help of Zoe Boehm (Thompson).
The duo soon find themselves caught up in a conspiracy, where they discover people who were believed to be dead are still among the living.
Harlan Coben's Lazarus (Prime Video)
Many of Coben's mystery novels have been turned into hit shows. The American author serves as co-creator for this thriller which centres on forensic psychiatrist Dr Joel Lazarus (Sam Claflin), who is forced to confront long-buried demons after his father Dr L (Bill Nighy) dies in suspicious circumstances. First believing that his dad’s death is a suicide, Lazarus is soon sucked into a world of murderous conspiracy, and a race to find the killer.
Movies to stream
Ballad of a Small Player (Netflix)
Colin Farrell plays a high-stakes gambler running away from his past in Macau in this stylish neo-noir thriller from Edward Berger, director of the Oscar-winning film Conclave. Based on the 2014 book of the same name by Lawrence Osborne, Farrell plays Lord Doyle, whose debtors catch up with him as he tries to lay low, and who then encounters a kindred spirit, Dao Ming (Fala Chen), who might just hold the key to his salvation.
Besides Farrell and Chen, the film's cast includes Tilda Swinton, Alex Jennings and Deanie Ip.
Hedda (Prime Video)
Nia DaCosta, who directed The Marvels, returns with this adaptation of Norwegian author Henrik Ibsen's play Hedda Gabler, which was first staged in the 1800s. It tells the story of Hedda, a recently married woman who, feeling bored and trapped, begins to manipulate people around her, sometimes to tragic consequence.
DaCosta sets her story in England in the 1950s, exploring themes of female identity and societal pressures on women in the 20th century. Tessa Thompson plays Hedda, while Tom Bateman plays her husband George Tesman.
Music to stream
Everybody Scream by Florence and the Machine
After suffering the effects of an ectopic pregnancy onstage and needing life-saving surgery, Florence Welch delves into the horrors of life for her group's sixth studio album. The 13-track album explores womanhood, witchcraft, sexism and more.
“The closest I came to making life was the closest I came to death,” she told The Guardian, adding: “I’ve shared parts of my life with fans that I haven’t been able to say to my closest friends.”
