Getting into the Halloween Mood

Demon-hunting, the fragility of heads, and werewolf problems

Happy almost Halloween!

I’d like to say the weather is chilly and the leaves are falling and I’m sipping on a hot drink. However, Texas, as usual, is clinging to its relationship with summer like a stalker ex-boyfriend. So, with highs still reaching the 90s, I’ve had to channel the Halloween mood through TV, movies, and books, and I thought I’d share some of those today.

For those who read last month’s newsletter, you’ll recognize some of these from my horror reading and movie syllabi that I created for myself. Some have been wins and some, not so much.

If you’re in the mood for some demon-hunting brothers…

Supernatural (2005-2020)

I think I mentioned in a previous newsletter that I’ve recently started watching the TV show Supernatural. I wasn’t hooked immediately, but once I got into the back half of season one, I was all in. I’m now in season 4 and am obsessed.

I love the two leads Dean and Sam and their brotherly bond. (They’re not hard to look at either, just sayin’.) I love that the show isn’t afraid to go dark and straight into the heart of horror but also keeps a wry sense of humor. I can go from feeling wound up and tense in one scene to literally laughing out loud in another. There was one episode with a giant, depressed teddy bear that was so absurd yet somehow pulled off funny, creepy, and entertaining without being dumb. That takes some writing skill. They also do a great job of mixing in monster-of-the-week type episodes with the episodes that speak to the bigger series or season story arc. It’s a good balance.

So if you liked Buffy the Vampire Slayer and like a mix of horror and humor (and somehow missed seeing this show when it first came out like I did) give it a try. But know: it is horror. I asked a horror-averse but suspense-loving friend what she thought of the show (because as a horror-lover, my gauge on what’s scary is skewed) and she declared it “too scary” for her. So know thyself.

Frailty (2001)

Hey, look! Another story of two brothers fighting demons with their dad (or are they?) —but that’s about all this one has in common with Supernatural. There is no humor in Frailty, but there is some stellar acting and some great twists.

The story opens with a man (Matthew McConaughey) walking into an FBI office in Dallas to recount the story of his childhood and how it ties into some recent murders. Much of the movie is told in flashbacks to their childhood when he and his brother were raised by their dad. They had a good childhood up until the point that dear ol’ dad wakes them up one night, telling him God has sent him a message, and now they must kill demons to save the world. One catch, the “demons” are real people in their area that they’re going to have to kill. The younger brother is on board with this plan and believes the mission-from-God narrative, the older brother is basically like “WTF, dad has become a serial killer and I need to stop him!”

This movie did a great job with the slow build of tension and it keeps you guessing. Also, the question it plays with is a favorite story question of mine in horror/thriller movies. I won’t say what it is since it could hint at a spoiler.

I really enjoyed this movie (and remembered, while I was watching, that I had seen it probably when it came out but had forgotten 95% of it. Thanks, crappy memory! I can enjoy movies like I haven’t watched them before, lol.)

What was extra interesting (and unplanned) was watching this movie while I’m in the middle of watching Supernatural because both have the dad and two sons demon-hunting but take the stories in wildly different directions. It ended up being a nice pairing.

The Omen (1976)

Not demon-hunting brothers but demonic children! Somehow in all my horror-watching growing up (and growing up Catholic no less!) I missed watching The Omen. I have fixed that now, but sadly, this one didn’t do it for me.

I can appreciate the mood and imagery, and this probably would’ve been much scarier to me if I’d watched it when I was younger and didn’t already know the story through pop-cultural osmosis, but it came across as dated to me. I like 70s horror movies and many hold up (The Exorcist still freaks me the hell out ←ha, hell), but this one just seemed to take itself SO SERIOUSLY. So instead of feeling scary, it made me roll my eyes. Oh well. I’ve heard the new prequel, The First Omen, is worth watching though.

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If you are worried about losing your head…

Spontaneous (2020)

One of my favorite genre mashups is horror/romance, but they can be hard to find, so when I saw this one mentioned on a recommendations list, I thought I’d give it a try.

Spontaneous is about…spontaneous combustion. Mara and Dylan are trying to survive the normal trials of high school when, uh oh, one of their fellow students explodes in class. Like literally. When it turns out that this spontaneous combustion situation is contagious, but seemingly only to teenagers, and more people start exploding, doctors step in to try to help and isolate the teens. While this external thing is happening, Mara and Dylan fall for each other.

My dear romance readers, I’m not going to lead you down a path blindly. Note the subtitle up there. This is a “love story” not a “romance.” You know what that means. I, however, didn’t see that going in, so though I enjoyed many aspects of this movie—the sweetness of the relationship, the dialogue, the ridiculousness of people randomly exploding—I was ultimately disappointed by this one. But if you just want a quirky movie with YA vibes that isn’t scary for Halloween, this could fit the bill.

Heads Will Roll by Josh Winning

And speaking of heads…the title of this book is not a metaphor. :)

Willow is an actress who’s recently been canceled over a tweet, so she’s going to an off-the-grid summer camp for adults to get away for a while. (That sounds like a good idea, right??? No signal. In the woods with random strangers. Totally safe. But if characters didn’t make bad decisions, we wouldn’t have horror novels.) There Willow meets a group of fellow campers who are there for their own reasons (which are kept private upfront so it adds some mystery). There are camp games and therapy-like sessions around the fire, but soon, someone dies and the horror begins. Someone is after their heads, literally, and a summer camp slasher ensues.

This one had a cinematic slasher vibe (so don’t come here looking for deep characterization), but it was a fun time and didn’t take itself too seriously. I also liked that the story tackled some of the issues involved with cancel culture.

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If you just want some retro werewolf fun…

An American Werewolf in London (1981)

If you just want some retro horror with a sense of humor, An American Werewolf in London can scratch that itch. This is another classic that I somehow missed, but unlike The Omen, this one didn’t take itself seriously at all yet still retained its horror vibe. (This was directed by John Landis, the director of Animal House, and you can feel those humor roots.)

Two college friends, Jack and David, have gone to the UK to do some hiking. They pop into a pub one night and the locals aren’t welcoming, but they tell them to “stay on the road” when they go back out. Of course, we’re in a horror movie, kids, so what do our characters do? They ignore that advice and are attacked by a werewolf.

Jack dies in the attack (but shows up later in memorable form) and David ends up in the hospital with a pesky full-moon condition. The title tells you what happens next.

This was straight-up delightful. It won the first Oscar for makeup effects ever handed out, and the effects are impressive, especially for 1981. But what I liked most was the tongue-in-cheek humor it held throughout while still being scary. There’s a scene in an X-rated movie theatre that was *chef’s kiss* with the juxtaposition of violence and humor. There was also a mini-romance woven in. So, two thumbs up to this one!

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Alright, that’s what I’ve got for you today. I hope you’ve found something to enhance your own Halloween mood!

I’d love to hear what your favorites are to watch or read this time of year. Or, if you’re horror-averse, tell me what your go-to Halloween traditions are instead!