Halloween Appropriate Recommendations To Read, Watch, and Listen To

Hello and welcome to another Spooky October post! 👻 For those who are just joining us, Spooky October is a seasonal event we’ve held on our blog in the past few years in the weeks leading up to Halloween. I feel like, even if you don’t like or celebrate Halloween, there’s something about everyone’s excitement that pulls you in and makes you want to consume season-appropriate media.

Today, I’m here to help you with that as I’ve brought you movies, shows, youtube channels, podcasts, and books you can watch, listen to, and read to get into the mood for Halloween. Originally, I wanted this post to be horror-focused, but I ultimately changed my mind because I know many of you dislike horror and October is over-saturated with horror, in my opinion. So, you’ll find mystery, fantasy, thriller, and horror recs here; basically, I tried to bring something for everybody.

Movies

🍬 Crimson Peak: It follows a young woman who, in the aftermath of a family tragedy, is swept off her feet by a charming stranger who takes her to his far away, haunted mansion after their wedding. The film is tension-filled and suspenseful; and as is the case with del Toro’s movies in general, it’s visually gorgeous. For those of you who are looking for a Gothic horror movie, Guillermo del Toro Crimson Peak is the perfect choice.

🍬 Us: Us follows a family who, while on vacation, are forced to run from and fight another family who looks exactly like them… just more disturbing. Jordan Peele created a tension-filled atmosphere that made me invested from beginning to end. On top of that, even though Us has some comedic elements, it’s one of the few movies that genuinely scared me and stayed with me long after we exited the cinema. Easily one of my all time favorite titles.

🍬 Hereditary: Hereditary, another film that would make it onto my all time favorites list, follows a grieving family who are haunted by bizarre occurrences. It packs quite a few punches as it’s full of twisted little surprises. I feel like the horror aspect of it is built on it being so tension-filled that it feels suffocating at parts, and most horrific scenes fall more on the disturbing than on the genuinely scary side.

TV Shows

🍬 Good Omens: I know, I know, the movie section of this post was filled with horror recs, and I’m sorry about that, but we’re starting off with a fun tv show to counter that! Good Omens follows an angel and a demon who like Earth so much that they decide to go against the wishes of Heaven and Hell to stop the impending apocalypse. Crowley and Aziraphale have the best dynamic, which is true no matter if you interpret their relationship as a friendship or as a romantic relationship.

🍬 The Haunting of Hill House: This show, man, this show is everything – I’ve seen it twice (and I never rewatch shows) and I’m ready to watch it again. It centers around a family whose paranormal experiences change their lives forever. While the paranormal elements and the haunting take up a big chunk of the show, their effect on the family remain at the forefront of the show. The second season, which is unconnected from the first one, is called The Haunting of Bly Manor and is fantastic as well.

🍬 Gravity Falls: Gravity Falls is one of the best pieces of media I’ve ever had the chance of discovering and I’ll forever shout about this show. It follows twins Dipper and Mabel who are spending the summer at their great uncle’s tourist trap, in a town they’ll soon realize holds many (paranormal) secrets. It’s visually gorgeous, has a solid plot, and, despite being aimed at kids, it’s easily one of the best shows I’ve ever seen.

Youtube

🍬 Buzzfeed Unsolved: I don’t think I have to introduce Buzzfeed Unsolved to you, but for those who don’t know, the show has two hosts who discuss murder mysteries in the True Crime episodes and investigate paranormal occurrences in the Supernatural episodes. They’ve recently made a youtube channel, Watcher, with another person, where they post a rather wide variety of videos. It’s less Halloween appropriate, but I recommend checking it out if you like Shane and Ryan.

🍬 PossessedbyHorror: This channel is run by Sarah who posts horror movie lists, recommendations and reviews. I don’t always agree with her opinion, which is normal, but I love watching her videos, as she is well-spoken and has been a horror fan for a long time. I love that she unapologetically talks about her favorites even when they’re disliked by the majority of horror fans.

🍬 ReignBot: I discovered this channel recently, but I wanted to include it, because she posts a wide variety of videos, all of them Halloween appropriate. She has talked about disturbing things from the world, internet mysteries, and unsolved cases.

Books

🍬 The Siren and the Specter: David, a skeptic who has debunked multiple paranormal mysteries, is invited to stay at his old friend’s haunted house and investigate its supposed paranormal activity. I read this novel more than two years ago, but I still vividly remember some of its scenes as they creeped me the hell out.

🍬 The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein: This is the only YA novel I picked for this post, but it’s one you shouldn’t miss out on, especially if you’ve read Frankenstein or if you’re at least familiar with the story. It’s a female-centric retelling of the original that refuses to let Victor get away with his shit, and man, I loved the book for that.

🍬 Mexican Gothic: This is one of my more recent reads, and one that has a really nicely creafted Gothic atmosphere. The novel follows Noemí who is sent to check on her cousin, Catalina, after her family receives a concerning letter that suggests that Catalina might be in danger of her husband’s family. I’m going to be honest, I didn’t think Mexican Gothic was perfect, I rated it 3 stars, but I believe others might enjoy it more than I did.

Podcasts

🍬 The Magnus Archives: Let’s be honest, many of you saw this coming, as The Magnus Archives has taken over my life this year and I keep talking about it. This is a supernatural horror podcast that functions like an anthology while also building a bigger picture and letting us slowly get to know the main cast, who also start to experience supernatural things. TMA is incredibly well-written, directed, and acted and I need you all to check it out and then tell me what you thought.

🍬 Two Girls One Ghost: Out of these three podcasts, Two Girls One Ghost is my most recent discovery, and it’s one I’m surprised I like as I’m not a fan of nonfiction podcasts. It’s created by two friends, Corinne and Sabrina, who discuss paranormal related things, including their own experiences. I don’t believe in ghosts, but I enjoy listening to this podcast so much.

🍬 The Penumbra Podcast: TPP has two main story lines, but I couldn’t get into the “Second Citadel” so I’m going to talk solely about the Juno Steele stories. These stories follow the adventures of Juno, a private detective who tends to get swept up in weird and intriguing cases. This is such a light, goofy podcast compared to the other two, so it’s perfect for those of you who want to listen to something lighter that still has emotional depth.

Let’s chat!

What are your go-to October pieces of media? Would love to hear your recommendations! Do we share any? Are you interested in any of these titles?

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