Though your human calendar may show a date of late September, I’m afraid I must inform you that the hauntingest of seasons has already commenced. But as much as “Spooky Stuff” is somewhat of a year-round flavor for me, I must double down when it comes to All Hallow’s Eve.
Here’s a quick run down of what I’m watching, reading, playing, and contentifying so that you too can hallow the ween the B.C. Johnson Way. I wish I’d worded that last sentence differently.
Watching: TV and Movies
Every October my brother and I forge an elaborately nerdy spreadsheet prescribing the horror movies we’re going to watch. We usually aim for watching one movie a day, but seldom manage it because of linear time and having like jobs and shit.
We haven’t fully figured out the lineup yet, but I know EVIL DEAD BURN is gonna be in there somewhere.
I’ve already watched RESIDENT EVIL, NOPE, 28 YEARS LATER: THE BONE TEMPLE, and rewatched the original HALLOWEEN and HALLOWEEN 2. I’ll be reviewing all those on my TikTok and Instagram, along with all of the other horror movies I’m gonna watch in October, so feel free to click those links if you want to follow my journey into darkness and guts and stuff. I had a blast making those reels last year.
I’m still on the lookout for a spooky TV show to watch, but I’ll likely be too busy with movies to get that going.
Reading: Books
I’m currently reading THE GLASS KEY by Dashiell Hammett, which is not scary, so I need to up my creepiness in the literary department.
I am writing a pretty scary novel at the moment with a sci-fi/cosmic horror bent, but that’s not quite the same thing. If you’ve got any horror book suggestions you want to toss in the comments I am open, but keep in mind if it’s Stephen King I’ve probably read it.
Playing: Games (Video and TTRPG)
I’m actually playing two horror games at the moment, though they are very different vibes.
The first is RESIDENT EVIL: VILLAGE, or RESIDENT EVIL 8AGE as it’s sometimes called, or more commonly “the one with the big lady.” I started playing the game when it came out but fell out of it because it was too scary. I am once again valiantly braving the horrors of Unnamed Rural European Country full of people with American accents and the daunting castle of vampires therein.
Though I haven’t played it in a few days because it’s too scary.
On my Steamdeck I’m playing WELCOME TO ELDERFIELD, which is basically “what if STARDEW VALLEY did mommy/daddy stuff with WELCOME TO NIGHT VALE.”
Like DREDGE, Elderfield is able to capture “cozy horror,” which is a genre that shouldn’t exist but is delightful. It’s like…comforting anxiety?
On the Tabletop RPG side of games, my eldest brother (mentioned briefly above) will be running his annual Halloween D&D adventure this month. I will be revisiting an old and beloved character of mine, small town priest James Callahan, who is legally distinct from the priest character in Salem’s Lot because that character’s name is “Donald,” not James. And my guy has a flail.
Anyway, tell me what flicks and books and games you’re diving into this year to entrap the Halloween spirit.
Oh and I wrote some scary books too if you don’t mind recommendations or some contractually-obligated plugs. Take a look, I wrote them *a lot.* Or subscribe to my blog for future updates and horror-related nonsense.
