the spooky autumn kit

autumn guide, spooky scary version

(This post is best viewed on your browser.)

Happy Hallo-week! In honor of this season, I’ve curated a horror guide for you all, full of scary books, movies, games, and more. Not for the faint of heart.

If instead you would prefer something warmer and less spooky, check out my cozy autumn kit.

halloween collage from pinterest

themes

A chill in the air, creaking floorboards, the moon hanging high and shiny in the sky, a small tremor in your hands, the flap of a bat’s wings, a beating heart, candlelight blown out, gothic castles.

---

books

This Thing Between Us by Gus Moreno

It was Vera's idea to buy the Itza. The "world's most advanced smart speaker!" didn't interest Thiago, but Vera thought it would be a bit of fun for them amidst all the strange occurrences happening in the condo. It made things worse. The cold spots and scratching in the walls were weird enough, but peculiar packages started showing up at the house—who ordered industrial lye? Then there was the eerie music at odd hours, Thiago waking up to Itza projecting light shows in an empty room.

It was funny and strange right up until Vera was killed, and Thiago's world became unbearable. Pundits and politicians all looking to turn his wife's death into a symbol for their own agendas. A barrage of texts from her well-meaning friends about letting go and moving on. Waking to the sound of Itza talking softly to someone in the living room...

The only thing left to do was get far away from Chicago. Away from everything and everyone. A secluded cabin in Colorado seemed like the perfect place to hole up with his crushing grief. But soon Thiago realizes there is no escape—not from his guilt, not from his simmering rage, and not from the evil hunting him, feeding on his grief, determined to make its way into this world.

The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones

Seamlessly blending classic horror and a dramatic narrative with sharp social commentary, The Only Good Indians follows four American Indian men after a disturbing event from their youth puts them in a desperate struggle for their lives. Tracked by an entity bent on revenge, these childhood friends are helpless as the culture and traditions they left behind catch up to them in a violent, vengeful way.

Pet Sematary by Stephen King

When the Creeds move into a beautiful old house in rural Maine, it all seems too good to be true: physician father, beautiful wife, charming little daughter, adorable infant son-and now an idyllic home. As a family, they've got it all...right down to the friendly car. But the nearby woods hide a blood-chilling truth-more terrifying than death itself-and hideously more powerful. The Creeds are going to learn that sometimes dead is better.

My Sister the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite

When Korede's dinner is interrupted one night by a distress call from her sister, Ayoola, she knows what's expected of her: bleach, rubber gloves, nerves of steel and a strong stomach. This'll be the third boyfriend Ayoola's dispatched in, quote, self-defence and the third mess that her lethal little sibling has left Korede to clear away. She should probably go to the police for the good of the menfolk of Nigeria, but she loves her sister and, as they say, family always comes first. Until, that is, Ayoola starts dating the doctor where Korede works as a nurse. Korede's long been in love with him, and isn't prepared to see him wind up with a knife in his back: but to save one would mean sacrificing the other...

We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer

As a young, queer couple who flip houses, Charlie and Eve can’t believe the killer deal they’ve just gotten on an old house in a picturesque neighborhood. As they’re working in the house one day, there’s a knock on the door. A man stands there with his family, claiming to have lived there years before and asking if it would be alright if he showed his kids around. People pleaser to a fault, Eve lets them in.

As soon as the strangers enter their home, uncanny and inexplicable things start happening, including the family’s youngest child going missing and a ghostly presence materializing in the basement. Even more weird, the family can’t seem to take the hint that their visit should be over. And when Charlie suddenly vanishes, Eve slowly loses her grip on reality. Something is terribly wrong with the house and with the visiting family—or is Eve just imagining things?

What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher

When Alex Easton, a retired soldier, receives word that their childhood friend Madeline Usher is dying, they race to the ancestral home of the Ushers in the remote countryside of Ruravia.

What they find there is a nightmare of fungal growths and possessed wildlife, surrounding a dark, pulsing lake. Madeline sleepwalks and speaks in strange voices at night, and her brother Roderick is consumed with a mysterious malady of the nerves.

Aided by a redoubtable British mycologist and a baffled American doctor, Alex must unravel the secret of the House of Usher before it consumes them all.

---

music

(playlist)

southern gothic

disillusioned god-fearing southern belles kneeling by graves, quivering hands drenched in blood // inspired by william faulkner, flannery o' connor, cormac mccarthy

(albums)

TURN OFF THE LIGHT - Kim Petras

genre(s): EDM, techno, hyperpop
sounds like: an underground rave on halloween night, bright pink punch, neon nails

A fun dance-y Halloween party in an album.

There Existed an Addiction to Blood - clipping

Visions of Bodies Being Burned - clipping.

genre(s): industrial hip hop, horrorcore, noise, experimental
sounds like: being the final girl, trying not to breathe, creaking floorboards, the metallic taste of blood in your mouth, the smell of something burning

A two-part love letter to horror tropes, paying homage to iconic films like Scream, Rosemary’s Baby, and Candyman.

---

tv shows

The Haunting of Hill House

genre(s): horror, gothic, drama

This modern reimagining of the Shirley Jackson novel follows siblings who, as children, grew up in what would go on to become the most famous haunted house in the country.. Now adults, they are forced back together in the face of tragedy and must finally confront the ghosts of their past. Some of those ghosts still lurk in their minds, while others may actually be stalking the shadows of Hill House.

Twin Peaks

genre(s): thriller, drama

A crime drama mixed with healthy doses of the surreal, this series is about FBI Agent Dale Cooper, who travels to the small logging town of Twin Peaks to solve the murder of seemingly innocent high schooler Laura Palmer. Almost nothing is as it seems, however, and the show's sometimes eerie visuals, oddball characters and wild dream sequences drive the point home.

Ares

genre(s): horror, dark academia

An Amsterdam student joins a secret society that has been around since the Dutch Golden Age, but must decide how far she is willing to go to rise up the ranks.

Supernatural

genre(s): horror, mystery, drama

This haunting series follows the thrilling yet terrifying journeys of Sam and Dean Winchester, two brothers who face an increasingly sinister landscape as they hunt monsters. After losing their mother to a supernatural force, the brothers were raised by their father as soldiers who track mysterious and demonic creatures. Violent memories and relationship-threatening secrets add additional burdens on Sam and Dean as they investigate all things that go bump in the night. As old tricks and tools are rendered useless and friends betray them, the brothers must rely on each other as they encounter new enemies.

Yellowjackets

genre(s): psychological thriller, horror, survival, mystery

"Yellowjackets" tells the narrative of a team of wildly talented high-school girls soccer players who survive a plane crash deep in the Ontario wilderness. The series chronicles their descent from a complicated but thriving team to warring, cannibalistic clans, while also tracking the lives they have attempted to piece back together.

---

movies

Us (2019)

dir. Jordan Peele
genre(s): horror, thriller

Watch yourself.

Husband and wife Gabe and Adelaide Wilson take their kids to their beach house expecting to unplug and unwind with friends. But as night descends, their serenity turns to tension and chaos when some shocking visitors arrive uninvited.

Parasite (2019)

dir. Bong Joon-Ho
genre(s): thriller, drama, comedy

Act like you own the place.

All unemployed, Ki-taek’s family takes peculiar interest in the wealthy and glamorous Parks for their livelihood until they get entangled in an unexpected incident.

The Ring (2002)

dir. Gore Verbinski
genre(s): horror, mystery

Before you die, you see the Ring.

Rachel Keller is a journalist investigating a videotape that may have killed four teenagers. There is an urban legend about this tape: the viewer will die seven days after watching it. Rachel tracks down the video… and watches it. Now she has just seven days to unravel the mystery of the Ring so she can save herself and her son.

Based on the Japanese novel of the same name. The original Japanese film adaptation came out in 1998.

Hereditary (2018)

dir. Ari Aster
genre(s): horror, thriller, mystery

Every family tree hides a secret.

Following the death of the Leigh family matriarch, Annie and her children uncover disturbing secrets about their heritage. Their daily lives are not only impacted, but they also become entangled in a chilling fate from which they cannot escape, driving them to the brink of madness.

Raw (2016)

dir. Julia Ducornau
genre(s): body horror, drama

What are you hungry for?

In Justine’s family everyone is a vet and a vegetarian. At 16, she’s a gifted teen ready to take on her first year in vet school, where her older sister also studies. There, she gets no time to settle: hazing starts right away. Justine is forced to eat raw meat for the first time in her life. Unexpected consequences emerge as her true self begins to form.

---

video games

Resident Evil

genre(s): survival horror, shooter

A deadly virus engulfs the residents of Raccoon City in September of 1998, plunging the city into chaos as flesh eating zombies roam the streets for survivors. An unparalleled adrenaline rush, gripping storyline, and unimaginable horrors await you. Witness the return of Resident Evil 2.

Phasmaphobia

genre(s): paranormal horror, multiplayer online co-op

Phasmophobia is a 4 player online co-op psychological horror. Paranormal activity is on the rise and it’s up to you and your team to use all the ghost-hunting equipment at your disposal in order to gather as much evidence as you can.

Don’t Starve

genre(s): survival, crafting, open world, 2D

Don’t Starve is an uncompromising wilderness survival game full of science and magic. Enter a strange and unexplored world full of strange creatures, dangers, and surprises. Gather resources to craft items and structures that match your survival style.

There is also a multiplayer version, called Don’t Starve Together.

Ib

genre(s): horror, pixel graphics, 2D

A young girl named Ib visits an art gallery with her parents.
While perusing the various works of art, Ib suddenly realizes that she is alone.
As she searches for someone – anyone – else, the museum begins to change...A 2D exploration adventure game set in a creepy, mysterious art gallery. Inspect the area around you, discovering items and disarming traps to find your way out of the strange gallery.

---