New movies this Halloween weekend: Watch 'Tár,' stream 'Wendell & Wild,' skip 'The Good Nurse'

With the spooky season coming to a close, it's time to get in some last-minute haunts – or just thrill to Cate Blanchett wielding a mean baton instead of a machete.

This Halloween weekend, Blanchett turns in an Oscar-worthy performance as an orchestra conductor navigating personal and professional obstacles in a classical music drama. But if you're into the scarier stuff, Jordan Peele and Keegan-Michael Key play a pair of demon siblings in a Netflix animated comedy that's perfect for kid horror fiends.

Here's a guide to new movies that will satisfy every cinematic taste, plus some noteworthy theatrical films making their streaming and on-demand debuts:

‘Who better to play a genius?’: How Cate Blanchett got the role of a lifetime in ‘Tár'

If you're a classical music nerd and/or Oscar lover: 'Tár'

Blanchett's a musical force of nature as famous conductor Lydia Tár, a modern-day Leonard Bernstein and rock star of the orchestral world. Just as she prepares for her career masterwork – a live recording of Mahler's Fifth Symphony – a kitchen sink of issues arises, including a former student's suicide and sexual misconduct allegations, that leaves her scrambling to maintain her power and sanity.

Where to watch: In theaters

'Tár' review: Cate Blanchett conducts herself magnificently in a modern classical music drama

If you've been hoping for a 'Key & Peele' reunion: 'Wendell & Wild'

Dark, twisted and devilishly stylish, the horror-tinged stop-motion animated tale centers on Kat (voiced by Lyric Ross), a boombox-wielding orphaned teen who's shipped off to a Catholic school because of her behavioral issues. Kat learns she has a pair of personal demons (Key and Peele) in hell and, hoping to fix a past tragedy, she brokers a deal to bring the scheming bros to the Land of the Living.

Where to watch: Netflix

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If you respect realistic war movies: 'All Quiet on the Western Front'

Like its 1930 counterpart (which won an Oscar for best picture), the latest adaptation of the Erich Maria Remarque novel – told from a German point of view – is harrowing and deeply effective with its anti-war message. A 17-year-old (Felix Kammerer) lies about his age to proudly go to the front lines of World War I, witnesses carnage and becomes numb to the brutality while an officer (Daniel Brühl) desperately negotiates for an armistice.

Where to watch: Netflix

If you're all about Netflix docudramas: 'The Good Nurse'

The melodramatic, over-the-top Lifetime thriller treatment would have been better than a movie based on a real story that inserts big-name stars into what seems like an overlong episode of a dull, methodical true-crime show. At least Jessica Chastain and Eddie Redmayne deliver in the tale of the single-mom nurse (Chastain) with a heart issue who begins to believe her kind co-worker (Redmayne) might be behind a string of mysterious patient deaths.

Where to watch: Netflix

If you need a timely history lesson: 'Call Jane'

In the 1960s drama, Elizabeth Banks plays a pregnant Chicago housewife who learns she has a heart condition that threatens her life if she delivers her baby. Unable to get a legal abortion, she is helped by (and becomes part of) an underground group of women helping those in need. The movie, based on the real-life Jane Collective, is solid, and its themes have new significance after the recent overturning of Roe v. Wade.

Where to watch: In theaters

If you dig international thrillers: 'Stars at Noon'

Margaret Qualley ("Maid") plays an American journalist stuck in Nicaragua who has an affair with a British businessman (Joe Alwyn) and sees him as her best chance at getting home. However, she's put in danger when he's targeted by Costa Rican police and a mysterious CIA agent (Benny Safdie) tries to turn her against the dude. It's tepid as a romantic thriller but has some interesting political stakes amid a pandemic setting.

Where to watch: Hulu

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If you like twisty chillers: 'Run Sweetheart Run'

Ella Balinska stars in this horror film as a young legal secretary and single mom who's set up on a blind date by her boss (Clark Gregg) with a client (Pilou Asbæk). They go to his place, things turn violent and she runs for her life as this seemingly unstoppable guy ruthlessly pursues her through LA. But what seems fairly straightforward nicely flips into an unexpectedly clever mythological survival story about female empowerment.

Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video

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If you're a big Satchmo fan: 'Louis Armstrong's Black and Blues'

Director Sacha Jenkins' immersive documentary looks at the legendary jazz icon's life and music through essays (spoken by rapper Nas) and home recordings, as well as music, TV and film appearances. The most insightful aspects are the non-musical deep dives into this complex cultural legend, such as the political side that he kept mostly to himself but faced criticism for during the civil-rights era.

Where to watch: Apple TV+

Also on streaming

• The horror hit "Barbarian," featuring Georgina Campbell as a woman who rents out a Detroit Airbnb and finds something terrifying in the basement, is now available to stream on HBO Max as well as to rent/buy on Apple TV+, Vudu and Amazon.

• The psychological thriller "Don't Worry Darling" with Florence Pugh and Harry Styles as a 1950s married couple is streaming on Apple TV and other video-on-demand platforms.

• Also on video on demand is the Halloween-ready "Pearl," the 1910s-set period horror prequel to Ti West's 70s slasher flick "X" starring Mia Goth.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: New films to see this week: 'Tár,' 'Wendell & Wild,' 'The Good Nurse'