Animatronic gorillas, an author’s mysterious disappearance, and husbands made out of wicker? No, these aren’t fragments from a fever dream, but indeed a taster of what’s coming up this week.
The British Library is about to open a major exhibition on the life and works of crime novelist Agatha Christie, while Turin Art Week is launching an exhibition all about the visual manifestations ofQuantum theory (think infinity rooms and Kubrick).
Then there’s Wicker, a strange, surreal and saucy movies about a woman that marries a man made from, well, wicker. Call her a basket case all you want, but it surely beats those terrifying humanoid robot partners.
And speaking of terrifying, we can’t forget Halloween. If you’re not too busy dressing up, watching one of these movies, or just hiding in bed waiting for it to be over, Apple TV+’s new serial killer thriller Nocturne perfectly fits the mood.
And if you think all of that sounds perfect, wait until you hear the title of Queens of the Stone Age’s new album…
Exhibitions
Agatha Christie: A World of Mystery
When: 30 October 2026 – 20 June 2027
Where: The British Library (London, United Kingdom)
It’s 50 years since the Queen of Crime passed away, and to mark the occasion, London’s British Library is hosting a new major exhibition. Featuring everything from early manuscripts to private letters and personal objects, it’s every wannabe Poirot’s dream — filled with puzzle pieces from Christie’s singular life and career. Highlights include the original 1937 Remington typewriter that Christie reportedly used to write her best-selling novel, And Then There Were None, along with life-sized replicas of an Orient Express carriage. Not only is it educational, it’s also a lot of fun, with easter eggs scattered among the displays. Find out more here.
Turin Art Week: ‘The Quantum Effect’
When: 31 October 2026 – 25 February 2027
Where: OGR Torino (Turin, Italy)
Quantum theory refers to the atomic and subatomic foundations of matter and energy. It’s a head-spinning concept that has not only aided our understanding of the universe, but also permeated the stories we tell about it — through art, pop culture and cinema. A new group exhibition explores this visual impact as part of Turin Art Week, using the black monolith from Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey as a central reference point. Curated by art critic Daniel Birnbaum and filmmaker Jacqui Davies, it investigates concepts such as parallel universes, teleportation and dark matter through the works including one of Yayoi Kusama’s infinity rooms and an animatronic gorilla by British artist Ryan Gander.
Bonus highlight: A fascinating exploration of cosmic imagination, ‘Night Maps’ is a new exhibition at London’s Warburg Institute that charts humanity’s historical depictions of the night skies. Entry is free and it’s open now until 17 April.
Movies
Wicker
Where: Cinemas
When: 30 October
Between all the dating app apathy and existential dread, times are tough for romantics. It makes you wonder: wouldn’t it just be easier to make a partner out of wicker?
This is the strangely alluring plot of Alex Huston Fischer and Eleanor Wilson’s new film, which sees a frustrated medieval fisherwoman (Olivia Colman) commission a basket weaver (Peter Dinklage) to make the man of her dreams (Alexander Skarsgård — who is fast becoming this generation’s James Spader). Based on a short story by Ursula Wills, it’s a darkly comic folk tale that explores female desire while critiquing gender norms and the transactional nature of marriage.
Bonus highlights: Robert Pattinson stars in Lance Oppenheim’s Primetime, which is released at UK cinemas on 30 October. For Friends fans, new documentary The One About Matthew Perry is released on Netflix on the 27 October.
TV series
Nocturne
Where: Prime Video
When: 30 October
Stephen Graham plays as serial killer Jurek Walter in Apple TV+’s new crime thriller series, Nocturne. Based on Lars Kepler’s novels The Sandman and Lazarus, it follows a former homicide detective (Liev Schreiber) and FBI agent (Zazie Beetz) as they attempt to track down a missing child and decipher clues from Walter, who, despite being locked away in a high-security prison, appears to still be puppeteering outside horrors. It’s a compelling procedural drama that perfectly fits the mood of the darkened evenings, but the biggest sell is always Graham — anything he’s in is usually guaranteed to be gritty and good.
Bonus highlight: Michael C. Hall returns for Dexter: Resurrection season 2, alongside Brian Cox as the New York Ripper. Out on Paramount+ on 30 October.
Music
Queens of the Stone Age: Perfecth
When: 30 October
Where the Goth Girls At? California rockers Queens of the Stone Age want to know in their 2000s-tinged upcoming 9th studio album, ‘Perfecth’. According to frontman Josh Homme, the title was coined as a more honest spelling of “perfect” — a concept he does not believe exists. While we can’t see it catching on, it does give a sense of the album’s overall mood: a raw, vulnerable and fragmented sound that reflects on human connection, health and emotional set-backs. It’s Homme’s way of coming to terms with the past and assembling new perspectives. As he told Pitchfork: “Nothing in this world is perfect, but everything seems to be ‘perfecth'”.
Bonus highlight: American industrial metal band Ministry are releasing their 17th (and final ever) studio album ‘Hate to Go’ on 30 October.