October Spooktacular '24

Happy Halloween!! Get ready for a bunch of spooky media that I enjoyed, which I'll detail after some personal updates and assorted game stuff.

This month, as foretold, was incredibly busy. Lots happened, from health scares (such as another emergency dentist visit... thankfully things were okay), to tons of work, to celebrations of many kinds, and much otherwise. One of the biggest things that happened is that my partner's little brother got married earlier in the month, but were forced to miss it due to our flight being delayed into oblivion... we were extremely upset we couldn't make it!! To ease the pain of missing such an important event, we ended up going to Disneyland with the funds recouped from the money we'd saved up/used for the trip and shared pictures with Chris' family so we could be together in spirit. It was much needed fun; here are a few pics from the experience!

One of the biggest reasons we went to Disney was to get some seasonal treats to lift our spirits! Here's a cute bat shortbread cookie. It had a mixture of orange and dark chocolate flavors, very tasty!

Do you know about Chuuby? He's the adorable mascot character from one of the newer park rides, "Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway," and this bucket had some sweet lil' apple cider donuts inside. Next to Chuuby is a fancy Caramel Apple Cold Brew that Chris got!

From outside the Haunted Mansion, here's the powdered vanilla sugar "bride" churro!! We got it to celebrate the wedding we missed. There was also a dark and milk chocolate "groom" churro, but I'd heard it wasn't as good... this one was DELICIOUS though!

Look how sweet this big ol' pumpkin is!

Here's the "Enchanted Pumpkin Stuff" from the Beauty and the Beast-themed eatery! It tasted like pumpkin pie in mousse form???

This was one of my favorite things - the "Transylvania Transfusion," a dark berry and cherry punch with real berries!! It was super refreshing when it got warmer during the day.

To recover after a particularly rough week, we visited our favorite shop - RATNEST - to deliver some homemade cookies and love to our friend Robbie and everyone working. I brought some of my old Pokemon games to replace their batteries, and a spooky thing happened...! While at the shop, I got a battery for Ruby version and checked it quickly while there - chose the boy, default name Landon, saved in the moving truck at the beginning of the game, and then turned it off. Robbie had it up on a tv screen to make sure it worked, and sure enough it did... however, when I got home and checked the game the following day, I saw this:

That's not the name I gave the file....... and when I booted it up, it was the girl character standing inside her bedroom??? NOT where I saved or the gender I chose, either. My previous save data had been lost when the battery dried up, so this was extremely unexpected. I think the strangest thing about this is that I've only ever used the name "ALIX" in all caps when playing.... I'm not really sure what happened here??

Another fun thing we did was celebrate Halloween time by going to "Boo at the Zoo" at our local zoo! Animals playing with pumpkins, trick or treating (for adults as well yessss), and a themed-up "Boo Bird" show featuring owls and vultures were some of the highlights of the event. Even though I go to our zoo often as a member, it felt fresh and new with all the decorations and special activities happening!

Here's a hornbill taking a fake snake out of a cauldron! So spooky!!

Games

My partner released a brand new little visual novel: AFTERLIFE! He put it together in a couple hours over the span of a few days to test out the Super Videotome engine, writing the story and composing the ambient track all on his own. It's free to play, very short, and perfect for the spooky season - please check it out!

In celebration of Halloween time, I played Silent Hill Origins! To my knowledge I hadn't finished it previously, so it was cool to start and finish it over just a couple of days. It's short and the story's only alright, but it felt like SH atmospherically. Aside from the latest SH games (Ascension and Short Message), this is my least favorite mainline entry, but I still got enjoyment from playing it.

These big ol' enemies (I called them "scooters") were the most intimidating because they would lunge at you and take a bunch of health! Stop that!!

Sonic X Shadow Generations is finally out! My copy came a few days late, but I'm loving all the Shadow fanservice in his campaign. I think the controls are convoluted and the levels are a little too long, plus the Generations overworld isn't fun to navigate, but I do enjoy Shadow's new powers and the additional story giving him a little more closure. Despite my gripes, I'm definitely thriving as a Shadow megafan.

I've started my Twitch playthrough of Visions of Mana!! Come see the most beautiful game I've ever played and enjoy the story with me on "Mana Mondays" for the next month! I have a playlist of VODs in case you missed the beginning, and they'll stay online after I finish so anyone can watch me play at their leisure.

Some of my art from when I was leading up to starting my playthroughs of Careena and Ramcoh!

Spooky Media!!!

Looking for something to watch this Halloween? Maybe this list of things I experienced can help you find a movie or show you'd be interested in!

Hocus Pocus - A classic, especially since there's a child dressed as Sonic the Hedgehog and many cute shots of the main cat character. It's a genuinely enjoyable Halloween-themed movie, perfect for the holiday!

Nope - A phenomenal take on aliens, with one of the coolest monster designs I've seen in film. Excellent acting, storytelling, and unsettling horror.

Halloween ('18 movie) - Another good one for Halloween day itself since it takes place on it! I far prefer this sequel to the original movie, and especially love its cinematography. If you can stomach slashers I recommend it!

The Changeling ('80 movie) - Good!! Fitting title, good spooky vibes, nice cinematography.

Salem's Lot ('79 miniseries) - Pretty good! I actually didn't realize this Stephen King story was about vampires. I like that they were able to build up the characters more thanks to being a mini series. It was cool to see something that fit the time period that was actually made then.

Salem's Lot ('24 movie) - After the miniseries gave us pertinent information about the story, I think I got a "lot" (heh) more out of this movie than what most people seemed to. It felt pretty different in tone to the series - not as slow-burn, more "let's get the vampires" action vibes - and I very much enjoyed it. I'm honestly surprised this movie received such bad reviews, but maybe it's because it doesn't give as much context or build up for its events?

Pet Sematary ('89 movie) - Chris didn't like it at all, but I thought it's decent! I liked the book better, but I love to see gratuitous shots of cute cats, and the old man's acting was quite good.

Misery - Oh-so-creepy and well directed. The premise of a "number one fan" going to the absolute bonkers extremes to bring a beloved series back was very well-acted. Also had cute piggy!!

Speak No Evil ('24 movie) - Way better than I expected! Good building of tension, good acting, very creepy. It's fun to meet others on vacation, but be careful who you trust!

Fallen ('98 movie) - Cinematography and story itself was interesting, but the writing needed some work... could've been better. Also: that song is never gonna leave my head!!

The Quiet Place Day One - I think the first film in this "series" is the best one, but I enjoyed this one! Lots of cat shots are a sure way to glue my eyes to the screen, but I do also appreciate how the relationship between the main characters was one of friendship instead of turning into romance like how so many of these go.

Double, Double Toil and Trouble - Maybe it's because I didn't grow up with the Mary Kate and Ashley movies, but I didn't think this was very good. The acting wasn't great, the story was lame, but it still fit the season.

The Last Man on Earth ('64 movie) - For as much as I respect Vincent Price as an actor, I didn't like this movie at all. Wayyyyy too slow.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice - A fitting sequel to the original, though I felt like the plot had too many threads in it at times. Pretty decent overall.

Haunted Mansion ('23 movie) - Super cute!! I enjoyed this so much last year that I wanted to see it again when I needed a pick-me-up. Seeing New Orleans at a glance - a place of friends and family - brought me some joy.

Resolution - The premise's description belies the real focus of the film: telling a story. As a storyteller of many mediums myself, I was very surprised and intrigued throughout.

Something in the Dirt - This really shows how it is in Los Angeles! This film is interesting - conceived and shot during the lockdowns in 2020, and the main pair of actors in the film are the writer and director. Well acted, natural humor, and interesting premise... also the same pair behind the movie Resolution!

Wendell and Wild - A great movie with incredibly beautiful stop-motion animation! Creative, fun, and filled with love.

I Walked with a Zombie - Film from 1943, interesting to see a take on zombies that actually comes from the Voodoo mysticism instead of what they've become known for in modern society. Nothing to do with the plot, but I thought the "love interest" was dreadful.

It Comes at Night - Slow, and honestly not a lot happens, but I think this movie shines when you realize that there's more going on in the background than you might catch at first glance. Overall it was okay.

Candyman ('21 movie) - A sequel to the '92 film of the same name, I like this movie much better than its predecessor. While the story of the Candyman is rooted in fantasy, the heart of the story itself is grounded in real-life horrors.

The Blair Witch Project ('99 movie) - I've seen this one before, but I'm still not really a fan of it. While it's a decent found footage movie, I only recommend it if you like movies with a quiet (until the people start screaming at each other??) and very slow buildup.

Child's Play ('88 movie) - This is the original movie in the "Chucky" film series, it's my first time seeing it! It's very silly, and a lot less gory than I'd expected considering it's a "slasher."

Crimson Peak - I hadn't seen this since it was in theaters. Very pretty to look at and absolutely gorgeous costumes, but - and I know it's the point - I don't like the twist so the movie kinda leaves a sour taste in my mouth.

The Innkeepers - Bad!!! Extremely slow with unlikeable characters and no payoff.

Return to Halloweentown - I just wanted something lighthearted and this movie worked for that. This is the only other movie besides the first one that's even remotely worth revisiting (they're all pretty silly regardless).

The Frighteners - Scamming people with ghosts is a funny concept, but most of this movie didn't really do it for me. The "comedy" didn't hit me very well.

Lake Mungo - Australian film. I saw this twice - once by myself, once with Chris - and it was very good! This documentary-style film was told sincerely and mimicked the look of real documentaries perfectly. Great ghost story vibes.

One Missed Call ('03 movie) - Japanese film. Super enjoyable! Very creepy and fun film, made me nostalgic for the 2000's.

Dark Water ('02 movie) - Japanese film. Pretty good. Some scenes felt a few minutes too long and the finale felt weirdly rushed, but the story was built pretty well.

Pulse ('01 movie) - Japanese film. Good vibes, but also ??? The premise gave me totally different expectations from what the movie actually showed, which isn't bad at all. Very weird (positive) and intriguing film.

Noroi - Japanese film, meaning "curse." We bought a copy of this from RATNEST just to see it again and it's soooo good. Perfect vibes without being outright "scary" (to me at least, though I don't really get scared by horror films). This is a big fave to watch around this time of year because it does such a good job of sharing its supernatural mystery!

Occult - Japanese film. Another great film by Noroi's director, Koji Shiraishi. The vibes at the beginning were amazing, but when the story shifted into something that felt much more real, that's when the true terror began. Despite the "ghost" effects being low-budget, it's very haunting. We also bought a copy of it from RATNEST!

Ju-On: The Grudge - Japanese film. Did you know this is actually the third movie in the Ju-On series?? It wasn't bad, but I felt like it had way too many characters featured than it needed to focus on.

The Grudge ('04 movie) - We saw this back-to-back with the Japanese version. This is the US remake of a combo of Ju-On: the Grudge AND the Curse, with the same director! I actually prefer this to the Japanese versions because of how well it presents the stories. It's not one I go out of my way to watch every year, but I like seeing it every once in awhile.

Seance ('00 movie) - Japanese film. Oohh this one was really good. Quiet, yet watching each decision fall into place had me flailing my arms and yelling WHYYY. Also gets points for creepy bagpipes!

Cure - Japanese film. Pretty decent, though I was probably a little too tired to fully soak it in. Same director as a couple other films we watched this year (Kiyoshi Kurosawa), and while it was very well done, was probably my least favorite of his (still good though!!).

Retribution ('06 movie) - Japanese film. Good!! I liked how the story played out and the spooky vibes. I enjoy stories that have more going on than it lets on, filled with twists and turns. The ghost not actually being scary was also very funny to me.

Don't Look Up ('06 movie) - Japanese film, also known as "Ghost Actress" in Japanese, it was alright. Much shorter than any of the other films we saw, but it didn't feel like it needed to be longer. It wasn't bad, but it didn't really grab me like the other movies we watched.

The Hallow - Irish film. Man, this COULD have been good! An Irish folk horror story featuring creatures from the woods - a story totally up my alley - unfortunately suffers the boring script and lackluster characters.

Sorry, Right Number - An episode from the TV show "Tales from the Darkside," I thought its premise was neat and enjoyed it for what it was. Chris and I now point finger guns at each other and say "ooga booga" as a result.

Happy Halloween, Scooby Doo! - I watched this because it promised The Scarecrow (from Batman), Elvira, and Bill Nye, and it certainly had them. Not my favorite Scooby movie; the slang that was injected into the script made it feel very of its time and overall it wasn't super interesting to me... it was just okay.

Boo to You Too! Winnie the Pooh - Sweet and short little Halloween story featuring Pooh bear and friends. Very in the spirit of the holiday!

The Skeleton Dance - A timeless short, perfect for a tiny hit of spookiness. I have a sweater with the dancing skeletons on it, which you can see part of in one pics from Disney!

Garfield's Halloween Adventure - I'm not really a fan of Garfield, but I needed something short and not too overwhelming in the moment. Easy to find online and decent if you want something Halloween-themed.

It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown - Why are these kids so mean to each other??? I've never been a fan of Charlie Brown, but I do appreciate the cute animated dances.

The Bad Guys Haunted Heist - Quick lil' Halloween-y short filled with silly spooky gags and sweet animation.

Cossette no Shouzou - An anime OVA with only 3 episodes, and Chris was right on when he guessed it was from the same director as the Monogatari series - it's very artsy in its presentation. Not a super interesting story, but pretty to look at.

Here comes November!