Before we get started, I should let you all know that I don’t generally love the horror genre. I don’t see many traditional horror movies (Jason, Freddy, etc.) or read Stephen King, so don’t expect to see much of that here. I like my Halloween entertainment to include suspense, humor, and just a little horror.
Books
- Northanger Abbey
by Jane Austen. This is a parody of the Gothic novels that were popular in Jane Austen’s time. Not only does it have a hint of romance, but it is hilarious. I also enjoyed this free audio version read by Elizabeth Klett.
- Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz (Scary Stories Box Set: Scary Stories, More Scary Stories, and Scary Stories 3
): What kid of my generation (Hand me my cane, son.) didn’t love these growing up? Makes me want to go find my copy right now! This leads me to think of….
- I Know What You Did Last Summer
: This is probably more suspense than horror, but I wanted to throw it in anyway.
- Frankenstein
by Mary Shelley: Okay, so this is not technically a Halloween book, but the monster theme certainly translates.
- Dracula
by Bram Stoker: Same deal as Frankenstein.
- Holidays with Jane: Trick or Sweet
Of course, I’m going to pimp this collection. I wrote a fun Halloween mashup of Mansfield Park and A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Movies
- Date Movie
: A parody of every movie genre ever, including the Scream franchise.
- Dead Again
: Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson do suspense. And the score is fantastic. Need I say more? Oh, it’s on Amazon Prime at the moment.
- Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein
: More Kenneth Branagh. This movie is true to the original.
TV Shows
Back in the day, I wasn’t into the fantasy genre at all. Well, those days are over. These three TV shows are now in my Top 10 Favorite TV Shows, and they are all fantasy with a hint or horror.
- Buffy the Vampire Slayer
: Granted, this show has a lot of brooding teenagers and a really broody vampire, but there’s also Spike. #TeamSpike!
- Supernatural
: Travel through a world of monsters, mythology, and totally bastardized biblical stories with Sam and Dean. #TeamFreeWill!
- The Walking Dead
: #TeamCarol! Carol is my favorite character ever! I need to do a character study post on her. I love her, but little Daryl never hurts. Also, never root for the horses. It never ends well for them.
TV Episodes
While these shows aren’t exactly in the fantasy or horror genres, they have some fun Halloween-themed episodes.
Psych
“South Park:
- “Pinkeye”: See Wendy in her Chewbacca Costume and an homage to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” video by Chef.
- “Spookyfish”: the second Halloween special
- “Korn’s Groovy Pirate Ghost Mystery”: Enjoy an homage to Scooby-Doo
- “Hell on Earth”: Two words: Biggie Smalls.
- “A Nightmare on Facetime”
- Etc.
- “Halloween
“
- “Fear, Itself
“: Theme-wise, this is my favorite Halloween episode ever. It says a lot about the nature of fear and how to overcome it.
- Etc.
The Office
- “Halloween”: Season 2, episode 5
- “Employee Transfer”: Season 5, episode 6
- Season 6, episode 8
- “Costume Contest”: Season 7, episode 6
- “Spooked”: Season 8, episode 5
- “Here Comes Treble”: Season 9
- “The Middle Earth Paradigm”: Sheldon dresses as the Doppler Effect. Nuff said.
- “The Good Guy Fluctuation”: “Bazinga, punk. Now we’re even.”