I'm not a fan of scary stories so I try to make a point of avoiding the genre of horror in both books and on screen. They creep me out and hinder my ability to smoothly function throughout the day...and night. After watching a scary movie, you'll probably find me creeping corners, looking for the wandering ghost or bloodthirsty vampire. But there are times when I pick up the occasional spooky read or watch a horrific thriller, so I thought I would compile a list of books and films/shows I would recommend to you- my wonderful readers- to read/watch yourselves. Interestingly, the majority of the following recommendations are ones I watched/read very recently myself.
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street: This film, while not a horror movie, is one that gives off chilling vibes. It follows its namesake, Sweeney Todd (formerly Benjamin Barker), a barber whose come back to London for revenge after having been released from prison after serving years for a crime he did not commit. He was sent there by a corrupt judge who took a liking to Todd's wife and wanted him out of the way. The vengeful Todd opens up shop on Fleet Street, claims to be the best barber in London to attract the corrupt high office officials in London and kills them to clean up the streets. After watching this, I didn't know how I felt. Don't get me wrong, I liked it, I just didn't expect what I saw. Anyway, it makes for a good candidate for a Halloween movie marathon. It's an R rated film, so I would only recommend it to a mature audience. But honestly, barring the bloody throat-slitting scenes, there isn't much that potential viewers should be wary of.
Next up is a spooky book I recommended last time around, one that's appropriate for all ages and whose film adaptation may accompany its literary counterpart in the Halloween Spooky Marathon:
Coraline: Neil Gaiman's Coraline is the perfect mildly spooky book without being too scary for young readers. The story centers on Coraline Jones, a girl who's made to move across the country with her parents and leaves her friends and former life behind because of a change in their work circumstances. On her first day in her new home, Coraline explores the old house out of curiosity and boredom and finds a latch-like door built into the living room (I think) wall. Against the warnings of her neighbors, Miss Spink and Miss Forcible, as well as Mr. Bobinsky and his performing mice, Coraline opens the door and finds herself in a world where a woman who looks exactly like her real mother claims to be her Other Mother. There's just one difference between her and real mother- the Other Mother has round black buttons for eyes.
Coraline's Other Mother tries to convince Coraline to stay with her forever by tempting her with good food, a beautiful garden, and entertaining neighbors. The only caveat is that she would have to have buttons sewn into her eyes. Coraline realizes that the life her Other Mother has shown her is not her own and that all she wants to do is go back home to her real parents. That, however, will prove to be a challenge...
The Strain: The Strain is a television show about vampires or Strigoi (the Romanian word for vampires) The first few scenes of the first episode show us that there is a flight coming into the U.S to J.F.K airport in New York from Berlin, Germany. Right away, we know something's wrong. One of the flight attendants let another know that he thinks there's something in the ground floor of the plane behind the latch door. Initially, the other flight attendant dismisses him and says that she didn't see or hear anything after opening the latch, but is quickly proved wrong when a large, strong figure bangs against the closed door. The large figure turns out to be a Strigoi that was snuck onto the plane to New York City. Dr. Ephraim Goodweather, an epidemiologist from the Center for Controlled Disease (CDC) is assigned to investigate a possible virus on the plane, as there has been no response or movement from the passengers and the personnel since the plane landed on the wrong side of the plane field. The good doctor and his partner Dr. Martinez find that there is indeed something that plagued all 206 passengers, but not anything they had ever seen the likes of before then. This show was made an older audience so I would also encourage discretion when going into this show. I'm currently on the last episode of season 1 (of which there are only thirteen episodes anyway) so I don't know how much I like it, but I can say that it has captured my intrigue so I will continue watching it for now.
The following item is another book/movie duo that is great for all ages: Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children: This isn't so much a horror story as it is one of mystery and thrill. The photographs that can be found throughout the book may be disturbing at times, but they just add the spooky element to the book. Young Jacob moves to Wales after the disappearance (or maybe death, I don't quite remember) of his grandfather and goes off exploring the area surrounding his temporary home and finds a large house in ruins. He later finds out that it was once the home of a group of orphans who exhibited peculiarities. He also discovers that somehow, despite the fact that they lived (and presumably should have died) decades prior, they still live in the very house he found in ruins. This is a fun read and will be even more enjoyable to read during the holiday.
The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer: I gave this book three stars, but I thoroughly enjoyed the mystery aspect of the story so I am recommending this one, though I warn you- I read this quite a ways back- but I remember that it could be frustrating at times. Hence the three stars, I guess. Here's a synopsis from Goodreads because I don't remember all of the details: Mara Dyer believes life can't get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there. It can. She believes there must be more to the accident she can't remember that killed her friends and left her strangely unharmed. There is. She doesn't believe that after everything she's been through, she can fall in love. She's wrong.
Last, but certainly not least, is Jane Eyre. This classic by Charlotte Bronte is a perfect Halloween read. Orphaned as a child, Jane has felt an outcast her whole young life. Her courage is tested once again when she arrives at Thornfield Hall, where she has been hired by the brooding, proud Edward Rochester to care for his ward Adèle. Jane finds herself drawn to his troubled yet kind spirit. She falls in love. Hard. But there is a terrifying secret inside the gloomy, forbidding Thornfield Hall. Is Rochester hiding from Jane? Will Jane be left heartbroken and exiled once again?
That's my list for this Halloween. Happy reading and viewing!
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