Five New Streaming Picks: Carrie, Avatar: Seven Havens, Below and More

This week’s streaming slate is unusually tidy in one respect: every selection has a sharply defined lane. There is contemporary supernatural horror, a returning animated universe, an action film built around a toy brand, and a high-stakes kidnapping thriller. That makes choosing less about finding something new and more about deciding what kind of tension—or escapism—fits the evening.

The five highlighted releases are available in the US and UK across Prime Video, Netflix, Paramount Plus and Apple TV. The most immediate release-planning detail belongs to Avatar: Seven Havens: its first three episodes are available now, while the remaining episodes arrive in weekly batches of three. The other projects offer a more straightforward movie or limited-series proposition, based on the information available.

Here is what each title is about, who is involved, and the practical viewing question it answers.

Prime Video’s new Carrie is an eight-part drama created by Mike Flanagan. It revisits Carrie White, a young woman whose isolated home life under controlling parents leaves her especially vulnerable when she enters high school. In this version, the bullying around her is tied to social media, an update that changes the environment of the story without changing its central emotional pressure: public cruelty directed at a teenager with very little support.

That distinction matters. A modern-day adaptation is not simply a new setting or a set of phones added to the frame. The supplied premise positions social media as part of the mechanism through which humiliation and hostility circulate. For viewers, that suggests the show’s horror may be rooted as much in sustained social exposure as in the powers Carrie begins to discover when she is pushed too far.

Why it may be the strongest seasonal fit: It combines a recognizable horror premise with an extended format. Eight episodes give the story room to develop Carrie’s home life, school experience and growing ability rather than forcing every escalation into a feature-length runtime. It is available on Prime Video in both the US and UK.

It is also the pick for viewers looking for horror with a social dimension rather than a standalone creature feature. The material described here centers on bullying, family control and retaliation. Anyone expecting a light scare should take that subject matter into account.

Below makes an iceberg the start of a Newfoundland nightmare

Netflix’s Below is a supernatural thriller set in Newfoundland, where a mysterious iceberg arrives in nearby waters and stories of a frightening monster begin to consume the town. Josh Hartnett plays a sailor caught up in the unsettling events, while Charlie Heaton also stars.

The basic setup is economical and effective: a visible, inexplicable object appears offshore, and the community begins encountering something it cannot comfortably explain. An iceberg is normally a real-world natural presence, but in a supernatural thriller it becomes an ominous signal—a physical marker that tells the audience the familiar landscape is no longer safe.

What “limited series” means here: Below is described as a limited series, a term generally used for a television story conceived with a contained run rather than an open-ended, recurring-season structure. That does not reveal its episode count or every narrative choice, but it does make it a sensible option for viewers who want a defined mystery instead of committing to a long-running franchise.

Of the titles listed, this is the most direct choice for a chilly supernatural mood. The combination of coastal setting, mysterious iceberg and monster sightings points to an atmosphere-first scare story, while the premise leaves the nature of the threat uncertain. It is streaming on Netflix in the US and UK.

Avatar: Seven Havens begins a new chapter with Pavi

Avatar: Seven Havens returns to the animated world shared by Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra. Created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, the Paramount Plus series follows Pavi, a young Earthbender who learns that she is the new Avatar. She must understand both that discovery and her powers while joining her long-lost twin, Nisha, in an effort to save the Seven Havens.

For newcomers, “Earthbender” identifies a character associated with the ability to manipulate earth in the show’s elemental fantasy framework. The much larger revelation is that Pavi is the Avatar: she is not merely a person with a particular elemental skill, but the newly discovered central figure in a world already familiar with the idea of an Avatar. That gives the series a built-in coming-of-age engine. Pavi is learning what she can do while everyone around her has reason to see her identity as consequential.

The twin relationship adds a second personal thread to a premise otherwise driven by world-scale stakes. Pavi’s search for answers is not presented as a solo journey; Nisha is both family and partner in the effort to protect the Seven Havens.

How to watch: The first three episodes are streaming now on Paramount Plus in the US and UK. Three further episodes will release each week. That schedule is helpful for viewers deciding whether to begin immediately: there is enough material for a substantial opening session, but the series is not being presented as a single all-at-once drop.

This is the clearest family-friendly fantasy choice among the five, based on its animated format and franchise setting. It is also the best fit for anyone who prefers a serialized adventure driven by character discovery over horror or contemporary crime. For a broader look at how screen stories keep intersecting with interactive and genre worlds, see our coverage of the Cyberpunk 2077 film in development at Paramount.

Matchbox: The Movie turns childhood toys into an espionage chase

Apple TV’s Matchbox: The Movie takes Mattel’s small vehicle toys as its starting point, but its plot is an action-comedy scenario rather than a toy-world story. John Cena plays Sean Walker, a spy and former soldier who becomes embroiled in a crisis after the CIA believes he and his friends have stolen a nuclear weapon. Jessica Biel and Teyonah Parris also star, and Sam Hargrave directs.

The link to Matchbox is personal within the premise: the group once played with Matchbox toys together. That is a notably different adaptation strategy from treating the brand itself as the literal setting. The toys operate as the shared childhood connection, while the central conflict is an accusation involving a stolen nuclear weapon and the pressure that creates.

Hargrave’s role is a useful expectation-setter. He is identified as a stunt veteran, and the film is presented as a stunt-forward piece of action escapism. That does not establish particular set pieces, but it signals that physical action is intended to be a key part of the experience rather than incidental decoration around the comedy.

Who should queue it: viewers looking for a feature-length, lower-commitment alternative to a series. The premise sounds intentionally heightened: a former soldier, the CIA, a nuclear weapon allegation and an old group of friends make for broad action stakes. It is available on Apple TV in the US and UK.

Animals gives Ben Affleck a political life-and-death thriller

Netflix’s Animals is directed by Ben Affleck, who also stars as an LA mayoral candidate. His character and his wife, played by Kerry Washington, face a nightmare when their son is kidnapped. Gillian Anderson plays Dayle Burton, identified as the force behind the crime, who blackmails the couple to secure a ransom before time runs out. Steven Yeun, Ray Fisher and Adriana Paz are also in the cast.

This is a thriller built from overlapping pressures. The abduction establishes a private family emergency. The father’s campaign for mayor adds a public identity and political exposure. The blackmail requirement turns the crisis into a deadline-driven choice: the couple needs to produce the ransom in time to save their son.

“Thriller” can cover a wide range of stories, but the details supplied point toward suspense based on coercion and escalating decisions rather than supernatural danger. Viewers choosing between Netflix’s two new genre entries can therefore use a simple split: pick Below for mystery and monster dread, or Animals for a human threat, a kidnapping plot and political complications.

Best for: a single-sitting dramatic thriller with an ensemble cast and a clear ticking-clock premise. Animals is streaming on Netflix in the US and UK.

Quick guide: which one should you watch first?

For contemporary horror: Carrie explores Carrie White’s ordeal through the added pressure of social-media bullying.
For supernatural coastal unease: Below pairs a Newfoundland iceberg mystery with reports of a monster.
For an animated fantasy series: Avatar: Seven Havens introduces Pavi, the new Avatar, and launches with three episodes.
For stunt-led action-comedy: Matchbox: The Movie places John Cena’s Sean Walker in a CIA crisis.
For a tense crime drama: Animals follows a mayoral candidate and his wife after their son’s kidnapping.

The common thread is range rather than a single dominant genre. Prime Video has an episodic King adaptation, Paramount Plus has a new entry in an established animated world, Apple TV has a brand-driven action movie, and Netflix offers both supernatural suspense and a kidnapping thriller. With the US and UK availability matching across the five selections, the choice comes down to tone—and whether you want three episodes, eight episodes, a limited series or one movie.