13 living nightmares on DStv this Halloween

1. Coming soon: Scariest House In America

In this Ugliest House in America spinoff series, comedian and actress Retta (Parks and Recreation’s Donna) is on the hunt for America’s eppy-creepiest haunted houses, with  a cash prize on hand for a home makeover. Look out for several former funeral parlours with “corpse doors” leading to the basement, a family home built on a graveyard, and residents who tell Retta the legend of the Bowie Goatman.

Stream Scariest House In America Season 2 From Friday, 31 October at 10PM on HGTV Channel 177.

2. Coming soon: Witches of Essex with Rylan and Prof Alice Roberts

Looking for a truly haunted Halloween? Between 1450 and 1750, thousands of women across Britain were tried for witchcraft. Essex alone accounted for 60% of all executions in the UK. In this three-part series from Louis Theroux’s production company, former Celebrity Big Brother winner Rylan Clark and Professor Alice Roberts dig into history to find out why women, specifically, were under attack.

Stream Witches of Essex with Rylan and Prof Alice Roberts from Friday, 31 October at 8:15PM on History Channel 186.

3. Coming soon: Alone: South Africa

Love your air conditioning, WiFi and food deliveries? Imagine if it all vanished! The 12th season of Alone takes 10 survival specialists into the Great Karoo, where they’ll need to live off the land – last competitor standing wins. This is the first time that Alone has shot in a semi-desert region, but the survivalists are being dropped off on the shores of a lake. There’s abundant game, but that means abundant predators, too. Better get those shelters and fires built.

Watch Alone: South Africa Season 12 from Thursday, 30 October at 7:25PM on History Channel 186

4. Coming soon: Last Breath

This survival thriller is a dramatic retelling of Alex Parkinson’s documentary on the 2012 saturation diving accident in which diver Chris Lemons (Finn Cole) became trapped 100 meters beneath the surface of the North Sea when his lifeline was severed. Alone in the bitter cold and absolute darkness, Alex had just five minutes of gas in his bailout cylinder to breathe. His only hope? Fellow divers Duncan Allcock (Woody Harrelson) and David Yuasa (Simu Liu). 

Stream Last Breath on Sunday, 2 November at 8:05 PM on M-Net Channel 101. Also on Showmax from Monday, 3 November. 

5. Coming soon: Survivor

18 castaways arrive on Fiji’s Mamanuca Islands in Fiji with just the clothes on their backs and one personal item. Think of it as an Agatha Christie-style thriller as they connive their way to survival. Everyone has secrets, and alliances can’t protect you from a double-crossing hostile takeover, no matter how cunning you are in the challenges. Even viewers will be blindsided by the twists this season. 

Stream Survivor Season 48 on Mondays-Fridays from Monday, 3 November at 6PM on M-Net Channel 101.

6. Coming soon: The Unspoken War

The war is over; the silence is not. IdeaCandy’s (Tracking Thabo Bester) documentary series unearths survivors of South Africa’s brutal, covert war, fought across Angola, Namibia, and within its own borders, between 1966 and 1989. Soldiers were ordered not to speak about it. Families were left guessing about what their loved ones had done and endured. This series pieces together the story using intimate interviews with soldiers, historians, journalists and loved ones, along with rare archive footage.

Stream The Unspoken War from Wednesday, 12 November at 9PM on M-Net Channel 101. Or binge on Showmax from Wednesday, 12 November.

7. Last Bite Hotel

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and Oh Mary star Titus Burgess has summoned eight of America’s best chefs to his eerie remote hotel. In their luggage, each chef has been allowed to pack just 13 ingredients, which they will use to prepare every dish for Titus’s celebrity chef guests. Waste not, want not. But fail the assignment, and you’ll find yourself in Room 13 writing out your last wishes. Tasting notes: It’s a campy delight!

Stream Last Bite Hotel Season 1 on Fridays at 5PM on Food Network Channel 175. All previous episodes on DStv Stream.

8. Lockerbie: A Search for Truth

Dr Jim Swire’s (Colin Firth) nightmare – and his quest for truth and justice – began on 21 December 1988, when a bomb exploded aboard Pan Am Flight 103. Jim’s two-year-old daughter died along with 258 other passengers and crew, and 11 people on the ground, who were crushed when flaming wreckage rained down on the Scottish town of Lockerbie. This docu-drama follows Jim’s work as spokesperson and investigator for the UK victims’ families. 

Stream Lockerbie: A Search for Truth Season 1 on Wednesdays at 9PM on M-Net Channel 101. All previous episodes on DStv Stream.

9. Huisgenoot Ware Lewensdramas

This local ripped-from-the-headlines series returns, as the journalists and experts who investigated some of South Africa’s most horrific and compelling news and human interest stories give us the whole story. Find out how Jessica Janse Van Nieuwenhuys committed over R9 million worth of tax fraud. Uncover the tragic family story behind the murder of Marianna Richter, and more. 

Stream Huisgenoot Ware Lewensdramas Season 17 on Mondays at 8:30PM on VIA Channel 147. All previous episodes available on DStv Stream, along with all of Season 16. 

10. Dating #NoFilter: South Africa

If you’ve got no game, if you’re tragically rizzless, welcome to hell! While singles mingle on blind dates in Cape Town, local comedians – including Anele Zondo, Bontle Modiselle Moloi, Carpo More, Hope Mbhele, Jason Goliath, Jo-Anne Reyneke, Kim Jayde, Nadia Nakai, Okay Wasabi, PD Jokes, Rosette Ncwana, Skyf Your Loss, Sphokuhle N, Tums The Narrator, ZilleWizzy, and Robby Collins – point and laugh as they give us blow-by-blow critiques of the action. 

Stream Dating #NoFilter: South Africa Season 2 on Saturdays at 6PM on Bravo Channel 124. All previous episodes on DStv Stream.

Also watch: Date My Family Season 13 on Sundays at 6PM on Mzansi Magic Channel 161. All previous episodes on DStv Stream. 

11. Fix My Frankenhouse

If you’ve ever lived in a home made by an amateur builder who was spooked by spirit levels, your house features generations of electrical wiring bypasses, or if you have to leave guests instructions on how to flush the toilet, you’ll know these clients’ pain. But help is on the way thanks to Boston-based home reno husband-wife team, Mike and Denese Butler. This season features “deathtrap” staircases, hallway mazes, and a sewer pipe that goes right through a kitchen!

Stream Fix My Frankenhouse Season 2 on Fridays at 9PM on HGTV Channel 177. All previous episodes on DStv Stream.

12. The Real Murders on Elm Street

This true crime series brings us multiple real life horrors with one thing in common – they’re linked by Elm Street addresses in multiple American cities. It was the address of Ryan Burgess the night he murdered Tara Gillon. It was the home of three-year-old Dennis Tran the day his family was massacred in front of him by the Tiny Rascal Gang. And it was inside a ruined warehouse on Elm Street that police found the remains of 21-year-old Cindy Sumner.

Stream The Real Murders on Elm Street Season 2 on Thursdays at 9PM on ID Channel 171

13. Mysterious Creatures With Forrest Galante

Calling all cryptozoologists! Former Naked and Afraid star Forrest Galante has been animal obsessed ever since his childhood in Zimbabwe. Now he’s travelling the globe to investigate sightings of mysterious creatures. Find out about the real animals behind local legends, from the Pacific Northwest’s Lake Chelan Dragon, to a rogue elephant in Mozambique, and the elusive giant anaconda in Brazil’s Pantanal. It’s not science, but it is fun!

Stream Mysterious Creatures With Forrest Galante Season 1 on Saturdays at 9PM on Discovery Channel 121. All previous episodes on DStv Stream.