The It List: Sundance horror favorite 'Piggy' debuts, Peacock's Prince Andrew doc dives into his Epstein relationship, Shawn Mendes becomes a singing crocodile in 'Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile' and all the best in pop culture the week of Oct. 3, 2022

The It List is Yahoo's weekly look at the best in pop culture, including movies, music, TV, streaming, games, books, podcasts and more. Here are our picks for Oct. 3-9, including the best deals we could find for each. (Yahoo Entertainment may receive a share from purchases made via links on this page.)

WATCH IT: The Spanish horror movie Piggy isn't for the faint of heart

Start the scary movie season off right with a serving of Spanish filmmaker Carlota Pereda's thriller Piggy, which has been thrilling genre fans since its Sundance Film Festival debut in January. Laura Galán stars as small town butcher's daughter, Sara, whose weight has inspired the local mean girls to give her the titular nickname. But she gets her revenge when a group of her tormenters are kidnapped by a man with murder on his mind, and Sara is the only witness to the crime. Instead of helping the police, though, she decides to help their kidnapper — whether he wants it or not. That sets the stage for a gory finale with plenty of limb-chopping bloodshed. This exclusive clip from Piggy offers a glimpse at the Carrie-esque treatment Sara receives from her bullies... and also gives you a reason to root against them. — Ethan Alter

Piggy premieres Friday, Oct. 7 exclusively at Alamo Cinema Drafthouse Cinemas.

STREAM IT: Unraveling Prince Andrew’s royal mess

Forget the noise about Megxit. The royal scandal that many critics say isn’t getting enough attention is the allegation that Prince Andrew, Queen Elizabeth II’s beloved second son, was involved in Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell’s sordid sex trafficking ring. As his mother’s recent death raises new questions about his current standing in the royal family without her protection, the disgraced royal — who settled a sexual abuse lawsuit filed by Virginia Giuffre in February — has inspired a new Peacock Originals documentary that digs deep into the allegations and their impact on the monarchy. Hear from royal insiders, friends and the lawyers sounding the alarm about it all. — Erin Donnelly

Prince Andrew: Banished premieres Wednesday, Oct. 5 on Peacock.

WATCH/HEAR IT: Shawn Mendes does a thing called the Crocodile rock

Pop star Shawn Mendes is about to scale to new career heights as titular character in Lyle, Lyle Crocodile, based on the 1965 Bernard Waber book of the same name. Fans can’t wait to hear Shawn sink his teeth into the reptilian role of city-dwelling crocodile Lyle — co-starring with Constance Wu, Javier Bardem and Anthony Ramos — but in the meantime, his theme from the live-action/CGI musical comedy, “Heartbeat,” is out now. The soundtrack also features eight other Mendes tracks and classic hits by the Gap Band, Stevie Wonder, and, of course, Elton John. — Lyndsey Parker

Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile is out in theaters Friday, Oct. 7; the soundtrack will be available to download/stream on Apple Music that same day.

WATCH IT: Small town secrets are unburied in the low-key freaky The Visitor

The shadow of Stephen King's Children of the Corn short story — and the movie franchise it launched — looms large over The Visitor, a small town yarn involving long-buried secrets and a mysterious "savior" who may be anything but. Ex-Iron Fist Finn Jones plays Robert, a British expat who turns up in rural America with his wife, Maia (Jessica McNamee) and discovers that he bears a striking resemblance to the man depicted in a portrait that currently resides in their attic. Before you can say "Dorian Gray," poor Robert learns that his alter ego has a sinister history... and an apocalyptic future. This exclusive clip from the film depicts a late-night locust attack — a clear sign that something wicked this way comes. — E.A.

The Visitor premieres Friday, Oct. 7 on most digital and on demand services.

WATCH IT: Podcaster/comedian Marc Maron gets serious in the recovery drama To Leslie

If you're a regular listener of Marc Maron's WTF podcast — and let's be honest, who isn't? — you'll remember his stories of shooting an indie movie at the height of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020. After a two-year wait, that movie is finally ready for the world to see... and it's now clear why the comedian felt it was a project he couldn't turn down. Andrea Riseborough plays the eponymous Leslie, a West Texas single mother who won a small fortune in the lottery and then proceeded to waste it all on booze and drugs. Years later, she's a homeless alcoholic who crashes outside of a run-down motel operated by Maron's well-meaning Sweeney, who offers her a job against his better judgement. A well-known "recovery guy" in real life, Maron dramatically channels his own personal journey out of addiction as Sweeney aids Leslie in turning her life around. This exclusive clip from the film features some late night bonding between the pair, and also shows off Maron and Riseborough's Texas accents. — E.A.

To Leslie premieres Friday, Oct. 7 in theaters and on most VOD services.

STREAM IT: Britbox's Sherwood isn't another Robin Hood story

That wily prince of thieves, Robin Hood, is nowhere to be found in Sherwood, a new U.K. procedural that premieres Oct. 4 on Britbox. But the show does take place in his neck of the Sherwood Forest adjacent to Nottingham, and prominently features archery action. Inspired by real events, the series involves a manhunt for a killer who is slaying local citizens with a bow-and-arrow. The murders further disrupt an already unsettled community, where tensions between the citizens and the police force have been running high. In addition to a familiar setting, Sherwood also features a cast of familiar faces for fans of British television, from State of Play's David Morrissey to Downton Abbey's Joanne Froggatt. This exclusive clip finds Froggatt knocking on doors in support of her local government bid. What would Mr. Carson say?! — E.A.

Sherwood premieres Tuesday, Oct. 4 on Britbox.

WATCH IT: Cate Blanchett heads for her eighth Oscar nomination in Tár

In case we needed yet another reminder that Cate Blanchett is one of the greatest actors walking the planet, writer-director Todd Field came out of semi-retirement (or whatever he’s been doing) to bring us his first movie in 16 years — and first since 2006’s Little Children. Blanchett conducts a masterclass in acting as Lydia Tár, a seemingly unflappable, globally renowned orchestra maestro whose life begins to unravel in increasingly dramatic fashion. A fair warning that this 158-minute psychological drama starts very slow, but have patience: It won’t be long until Field and Blanchett have you entirely engrossed in its epic, delirious downfall. — K.P.

Tár opens Friday, Oct. 7 in theaters; get tickets from Fandango.

STREAM IT: A Friend of the Family depicts a surprisingly close-to-home crime

The latest addition to the long list of TV series based on true crimes out there now is Peacock’s dramatization of the story of Jan Broberg. She was kidnapped twice in the '70s by a man who was close to her extremely religious family in Idaho. The difference here is that the nine-episode project is approved by Broberg and her mother, who even serve as executive producers. It also boasts an all-star cast, which includes Mckenna Grace as Broberg; The White Lotus’s Jake Lacy as the kidnapper, Robert Berchtold; as well as Colin Hanks and Anna Paquin, playing the victim’s parents, in its attempt to explain how such a thing could happen right under her parents’ watchful eyes. We see, for example, how much time Berchtold's family spent with the Brobergs, and how they slowly discovered that something was amiss. — Raechal Shewfelt

A Friend of the Family premieres Thursday, Oct. 6 on Peacock.

HEAR IT: Charlie Puth makes a name for himself

The much-awaited CHARLIE is the eponymous singer-songwriter’s most open, personal album yet. After scrapping everything he’d written in 2020 because — as he recently revealed in an interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe — he “felt like [he] was kind of pretending to be a cool guy” and was dissatisfied with the music he’d released in 2019, Puth took to social media to share his creative process, writing most of his third studio album on TikTok. The result is CHARLIE, which has already surpassed 1 billion global streams on the strength of the early singles “Smells Like Me,” “That’s Hilarious,” “Light Switch” and “Left and Right” featuring BTS’s Jung Kook. Clearly Puth, now age 30, really is a cool guy. — L.P.

CHARLIE by Charlie Puth is available Friday, Oct. 7 to download/stream on Apple Music.

STREAM IT: Bluelock scores a goal for anime-loving soccer fans

Looking for a series that can unite soccer lovers and anime fans? Bluelock scores that gooooalllll in a big way. Based on the 2018 manga, the show follows the Japan Football Union's quest to find an ace striker for the next World Cup — a quest that involves recruiting 300 of the best players in the country and putting them in a school that's part sports academy and part Charles Xavier's School for Mutants. This place even has its own version of a Danger Room, where would-be strikers suit up in nifty outfits and show off their power (kicks). Good thing that none of them have Wolverine-style claws or the soccer ball budget would be off the charts. — E.A.

Bluelock premieres Saturday, Oct. 8 on Crunchyroll.

HEAR IT: Bush are true rock survivors

The ninth studio album from Gavin Rossdale’s multiplatinum alt-rock band, The Art of Survival, finds the alt-rock icon reflecting on the sorry state of the modern world, just as he did in its pandemic-era predecessor, The Kingdom. The top 10 Active Rock radio single “More Than Machines” addresses women’s bodily autonomy, climate crisis and the dangers of an artificial intelligence-driven society; other topical tracks include “Heavy Is the Ocean,” “Human Sand,” “Kiss Me I’m Dead,” “Identity,” “Judas Is a Riot” and “Gunfight.” After 30 years, Bush are clearly not resting on their laurels, and are more than surviving. —L.P.

The Art of Survival by Bush is available Friday, Oct. 7 to download/stream on Apple Music.

WATCH THEM: Horror favorites I Know What You Did Last Summer, Scream 2 and more landing anniversary Blu-rays

It’s that most wonderful time of year… to watch all types of grisly murder scenes. The movie studios are wishing horror fans an early “Happy Halloween” with a handful of special releases on 4K Ultra HD this week: I Know What You Did Last Summer and Scream 2 both celebrate their 25th anniversaries; Bram Stoker’s Dracula marks its 30th birthday; and Fright Night — well, Fright Night came out in 1985, so it’s turning an uneven 37, but it’s also making its 4K debut. Now that’s a murderer’s row. — K.P.

I Know What You Did Last Summer, Scream 2, Bram Stoker’s Dracula and Fright Night 4K Ultra HDs all release Tuesday, Oct. 3 on Amazon.

READ IT: The Miracleman saga (finally) continues in the pages of Marvel Comics

Sometimes miracles do happen. After a series of false starts, Neil Gaiman is finally poised to continue one of the comic industry's great unfinished storylines. Thirty years ago, The Sandman creator inherited Alan Moore's revamped version of '50s-era British hero, Miracleman, and published one arc — The Golden Age — before the book was unceremoniously canceled midway through his second volume amid legal issues that are worthy of their own graphic novel. With the help of Marvel Comics, which acquired the Miracleman rights a few years ago, Gaiman will complete The Silver Age and then hopefully move on to the third of his planned trilogy, The Dark Age. Before the first issue of The Silver Age hits stands on Oct. 19, Marvel is releasing Miracleman #0 to get new readers (and existing fans) up to speed on where we left off in this one-of-a-kind superhero comic. — E.A.

Miracleman #0 is available Wednesday, Oct. 5 at most major retailers; Miracleman: The Silver Age begins Oct. 19.

HEAR IT: WILLOW brings a lot to the table

Willow Smith burst onto the pop scene as a tween 12 years ago with the breakout bop “Whip My Hair,” but since then she’s been building a credible discography of genre-crossing work. She established herself as a true artist to watch with last year’s pop-punk opus Lately I Feel Everything, and now, at age 21, the second-generation superstar and Red Table Talk co-host continues to push herself with the even darker and more metallically intense <Coping Mechanism>, featuring a collaboration with electronic experimentalist Yves Tumor. It seems like WILLOW, as she is stylistically known, is coping just fine as she grows up and comes into her own in the public eye. — L.P.

<Coping Mechanism> by WILLOW is available Friday, Oct. 7 to download/stream on Apple Music.

READ IT: Tamera Mowry-Housley has a lot to say in her new book, You Should Sit Down for This: A Memoir About Life, Wine, + Cookies

The former child star, who came to fame in ABC’s 1990s sitcom Sister, Sister, alongside her twin sister, Tia, opens up about being a teen idol in her debut memoir. Not only does she talk about the pressures she faced back then, a subject she’s been open about in the past, telling Yahoo Entertainment in Oct. 2021 that she and her sister were once denied the cover of a magazine because they were Black, but the former host of TV’s The Real is branching out into talking about her life today, too, like how she handles being a working mother. (Mowry-Housley and her husband, Adam Housely, have two school-age kids, Aden and Ariah.) In fact, the subtitle speaks to the book’s intention of being, as the official description says, “like spending the afternoon sharing tea, fresh baked cookies and conversation” with the actress, who’s like a “fun-loving, wisdom-sharing girlfriend.” — R.S.

You Should Sit Down for This: A Memoir About Life, Wine, + Cookies is available Tuesday, Oct. 4 at bookstores.

HEAR IT: Darren Hayes is truly, madly, deeply living his truth

After spending his traumatic '90s living in the closet and then taking a hiatus from music for nearly a decade, former Savage Garden frontman Darren Hayes is releasing his confessional comeback album, Homosexual. Led by Hayes’s rawest and most personal single yet, “Poison Blood,” about his history of depression and suicide, and the queer anthem “Let’s Try Being in Love,” an ode to his husband of 17 years, Homosexual is the exact opposite of a mid-life crisis album. It’s the sound of the now 50-year-old Australian pop star finding peace, and finding his voice. — L.P.

Homosexual by Darren Hayes is available Friday, Oct. 7 to download/stream on Apple Music.

— Video produced by Kyle Moss and edited by Jimmie Rhee