13 Days of Halloween

Halloween is quickly approaching. Wondering how to spend the rest of the spookiest time of the year? The following are 13 suggestions if you are looking for a good horror/thriller fix. 

Books

The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix

Ever wondered what happened to the final girl in films like Scream and Nightmare on Elm Street after it ends? That is what you get in the novel The Final Girl Support Group. The novel follows a group of women who are survivors of massacres and are publicly dubbed final girls. They meet monthly to discuss their trauma. During one of the monthly meetings, the women find out that one of their members, Adrienne, was murdered. All the women are affected by this, but one of them, Lynnette, thinks this is the beginning of something sinister. Can Lynnette get the women to prepare for a potential threat, or will they think Lynnette’s paranoia is getting the best of her?

Why Read: It explores our fascination with horror, especially when it pertains to murder, whether it is real life or fictional. Society tends to remember the murders more than the victims, but this novel takes the opposite approach and focuses on what happened to the survivors. This leaves readers with a unique choice. Is Lynnette’s paranoia and fear in the book a good reason to doubt her sanity? The book will leave readers itching to find out more. 

Japanese Gothic by Kylie Lee Baker

Japanese Gothic deals with two different characters across timelines: Lee Turner is from the year 2026 and has fled from America and gone to his father’s home in Japan after killing his roommate. Sen is a young girl in 1877 Japan, trying to become a samurai. Both live in the same house across centuries. However, Sen and Lee find a closet door that bridges between timelines and allows them to visit and communicate with each other. Will going back and forth throughout time change Lee and Sen’s destiny?

Why Read: Both main characters are unreliable narrators, but the twist is that their unreliability is not malicious. Both characters have memory issues, which makes you wonder if the horrors they are experiencing are real or just a figment of their imagination. 

We Are For The Dark by Gretchen McNeil

Father Ryan, who used to be in the FBI, is tasked with investigating the disappearance of a fellow priest on a remote island. 

Why Read: Religion is sacred to people. People want to believe that their religion is pure, wholesome, and brings hope into the world. But what if you find out your religion is more sinister than it appears? That is what Father Ryan has to figure out as he mingles with the strange inhabitants on the remote island. 

(Mostly) Human Resources by Grace Viall

Alexys in HR works daily to manage her Wardens (monster hunters). However, it is now mandated that people in HR have to do a field test to gain an understanding of what their Wardens go through so they can be of better service to them. When one of Alexys’s wardens goes off script to chase after an unknown creature without her permission, Alexys has to put aside her fear and chase after her wayward warden before he gets himself killed. 

Why Read: Considering that Alexys spends the majority of her time behind her desk, it is intriguing to see someone without fighting experience or full knowledge of monsters wander off into the wilderness to save someone. Is she noble for her efforts, or just plain crazy? That is for the reader to discover. 

Foresyth Conservatory by A.L. Stirling

Dahlia, who is a bookkeeper, is visited by the Meister of the prestigious academy, Foresyth Conservatory. The Meister knows that Dahlia runs a side hustle as a tarot card reader, and wants her to use her tarot readings to find a murderer at his school. However, Dahlia isn’t a true believer in the cards and relies on her skills of deduction during her readings. She is initially hesitant to take the Meister’s offer, but when he offers her a chance to pay off her debt and become the academic she always wanted to be, how can Dahlia say no? 

Why Read: The book makes you wonder if following your search for knowledge is healthy, or if our sense of curiosity can lead us to our demise. 

Korean Dramas

All of Us Are Dead

A high school becomes ground zero for the zombie apocalypse.

Why Watch: It is an interesting dichotomy. You have to watch students try to survive the zombie outbreak with people who bully them and teachers who have turned a blind eye to the violence that students inflict on each other. It makes you wonder if a life-or-death situation can make people work together, or if it will leave them to their unfortunate end due to a lack of cooperation. 

Sweet Home

A sudden outbreak causes people to start looking like grotesque, bloodthirsty monsters. 

Why Watch: The story focuses on an apartment complex where neighbors who barely know each other have to work together. It is interesting to see each of their reactions to the outbreak, especially since they have no clue what causes it. Everyone suspects each other of turning into monsters, so no one fully trusts one another. 

Belgian TV Series

Into The Night

A cosmic event has turned the sun’s rays deadly.

Why Watch: The story focuses on airplane passengers who are midflight when they hear about the natural disaster affecting the globe. They have to constantly refuel and fly the plane to stay ahead of the sunrise. It creates tension and fear because you don’t know how feasible it is for the passengers to keep flying, and you wonder if the sunlight will win in the end. 

Argentinian TV Series

The Eternaut

A group of survivors has to figure out how to live in an environment where toxic snowfall kills millions upon contact. 

Why Watch: It is horrifying in the sense that the survivors don’t know why the snowfall is happening. Most types of communication have been cut off. Is it climate change? Biological attack? Supernatural event? Alien invasion? It is interesting to watch the group of survivors trying to find their way to safety with little information. 

American TV Series

The Twilight Zone (1959-1964)

An anthology series where each episode has characters dealing with sci-fi and/or horror events. 

Why Watch: Many of the episodes reflect upon the human condition, which can be horrifying, since you can relate to what the characters are going through.

Each episode is standalone. Notable episodes: 

It’s A Good Life (Season 3, episode 8): A boy is the omnipotent ruler of a small Midwest town where everyone fears him, including his parents. One small transgression against the tiny ruler can lead to devastation of the entire town. It is a reflection of real-life politics where people fear to speak up against the calamity caused by a ruler. It is ironic in the sense that people want to keep their ruler happy even though they live in constant fear of any perceived indiscretion, no matter how small. 

The Midnight Sun (Season 3, Episode 10): Several people try to survive in a nearly empty New York ever since the Earth drifted closer to the Sun, resulting in the temperature dramatically increasing. Climate change has been a constant worry over the last few decades. This episode is chilling because it makes you wonder what would happen if no one does anything about the drastic weather changes we are having. 

Nightmare at 20,000 Feet (Season 5, Episode 3): A man on a flight tries to inform everyone that a monster is attacking the plane, but no one believes him. It makes you wonder if perception is reality and if sometimes people have a gift to see things that others can’t. 

The Obsolete Man (Season 2, Episode 29): In a totalitarian state, everyone whose job is deemed unnecessary is killed. The episode focuses on a librarian who tries to plead his case that his job shouldn’t be considered obsolete. Considering we are in the age of AI and ever-expanding technology, it is something that people are currently afraid of: becoming jobless and having no way to support themselves. It feels kind of prophetic that an episode from decades ago is so relevant now. 

Anime

The Summer Hikaru Died

Yoshiki is the only one who realizes that his best friend Hikaru is dead and has been taken over by a spirit who is actively trying to take over Hikaru’s life. 

Why Watch: It is scary to watch something take hold of your dead friend. Yoshiki constantly wonders if he should do something to destroy the spirit in Hikaru’s body. However, he hesitates. He knows that the spirit is controlling his friend’s body, but Yoshiki doesn’t want to see fake Hikaru disappear. The fake Hikaru contains all of Hikaru’s memories and mannerisms. It makes Yoshiki wonder if it is better to have a part of Hikaru left or no one at all. 

Another

A boy, Kouichi, transfers to a new school and notices that his classmates are acting weird. They completely ignore one of their classmates, Mei, to trick a curse that has been plaguing their school for decades. 

Why Watch: It is interesting to watch because you have an outsider arriving in the midst of a curse taking place. From Kouichi’s perspective, he believes his classmates are bullies who ostracize one of their own. However, while watching, you begin to wonder if it is really the class being malicious or if they have the right to be fearful of the curse and their attempts to appease it in any way possible. 

Mieruko-chan

A girl suddenly gains the ability to see ghosts and spirits. 

Why Watch: It is a different take on a person gaining supernatural powers. When our protagonist, Miko, discovers this new uncomfortable ability, she is internally scared, but she wills herself to keep a poker face when the ghosts/spirits are around. Her theory is that if she acts like she can’t see them, they won’t interact with her. It is thrilling to see whether her methods work or if she will eventually succumb to the constant supernatural presence around her. 

I hope these give you the type of scares and thrills that you are looking for this Halloween season. Let me know in the comments which ones you like. Also mention other books, anime, and TV series I might have missed. I am always on the lookout for more horror content to consume.