Quick links
New this week
Brokenwood Mysteries: Season 11 – 5 January (Acorn TV & AMC+)
Series. This quirky, fan-favourite crime drama returns with an all-new season starring Neill Rea (Go Girls, Auckward Love) as Detective Senior Sergeant Mike Shepherd and Fern Sutherland (The Almighty Johnsons) as by-the-book Detective Kristin Sims. The formidable duo investigate crimes in the sleepy and secret-filled town of Brokenwood, New Zealand.
From seemingly supernatural incidents in the idyllic community to mysterious murders with hidden motives, season 11 sees Shepherd and his team plunge into a web of deception, greed and dark secrets, using less than conventional methods to tackle their most perplexing cases yet. The series also sees the return of Cristina Serban Ionda (Filthy Rich) as eccentric pathologist Dr Gina Kadinsky and Jarod Rawiri (Shortland Street) as no-nonsense Detective Constable Daniel Chalmers.
Chain Reactions – 9 January (Shudder & AMC+)
Documentary. Fifty years after Tobe Hooper’s The Texas Chain Saw Massacre shocked the world and forever changed the face of global cinema and popular culture, Chain Reactions charts the film’s profound impact and lasting influence on five great artists – Patton Oswalt, Takashi Miike, Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, Stephen King and Karyn Kusama – through early memories, sensory experiences and childhood trauma.
By crafting a dynamic dialogue between contemporary footage and never-before-seen outtakes and delving into personal impressions triggered by distinct audio-visual formats, the documentary goes to the heart of how a scruffy, no-budget independent film wormed its way into our collective nightmares and permanently altered the zeitgeist
Heads up: The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) is also available beginning 9 January, while The Texas Chain Saw Massacre 2 (1986) is available to stream on Shudder from 1 January.
Recently added
Love After Lockup: Crime Story – 1 January (AMC+)
Limited Series. Love After Lockup cast favourites from the past and present reveal what led them to a life of crime and what landed them behind bars. We have seen them walk out of prison gates and into the arms of loved ones, but who were they before prison?
In-depth interviews provide a no-holds-barred look at the pre-prison life of the franchise’s most loved and notorious characters as they return to the scene of the crime, and reflect on their origin stories and how far they’ve come.
Tucker and Dale vs Evil – 1 January (Shudder & AMC+)
Film. Affable hillbillies Tucker and Dale are on vacation at their dilapidated mountain cabin when they are mistaken for murderers by a group of preppy college students. Directed by Eli Craig (Clown in a Cornfield, Zombieland).
Sanctuary: A Witch’s Tale Season 1 – 26 December (AMC+)
Series. Set in a contemporary world where witchcraft is real, the story takes place in the idyllic English town of Sanctuary, where for hundreds of years witches have lived peacefully, as valued members of society. Until now.
At the heart of the tale is Sarah Fenn (Elaine Cassidy), Sanctuary’s resident witch, on whom the town relies to solve their problems when conventional remedies have failed. When local teen rugby star, Dan Whithall, dies tragically in an apparent accident, his death exposes a terrifying undercurrent of suspicion and fear towards Sarah and her teenage daughter, Harper (Hazel Doupe).
Mother of the dead boy, Abigail (Amy de Bhrun), once Sarah’s closest friend, is wracked with grief, and to avenge her son’s death, launches a modern-day witch-hunt to get justice, no matter what the cost.
G.R.I.T.S Season Finale – 18 December (AMC+)
Series. G.R.I.T.S. (Girls Raised in the South) follows Keisha (Jasmine Sargent), Ty (Ashanti Harris) and Francis (Aja ‘Slimeroni’ Canyon), three young women coming of age in Memphis.
Determined to define the next chapter in their lives, they find solace in their favourite pastime: roller skating. As they navigate grief, love, hustle and the underbelly of the city threatening to pull them down, a skating competition with life-changing prize money offers a glimmer of hope.
