October Spooktacular '25

Happy Halloween! This month is always a constant celebration for Halloween in my world, but there's a TON that's also happened outside of that! Read on to see what's up for me, as well as the mega movie marathon Chris and I have been enjoying the past 31 days - perhaps you'll find something to enjoy yourself tonight!


Assorted Happenings

Feels like I've gotten far too many tricks over treats this month. We started out with a horrible bug invasion that lasted for about a week (thankfully it seems like we were able to take care of it), have had car problems, persisting dental issues (which still haven't been taken care of due to things out of my control, but shall soon!), among other things I won't go into... but thankfully it's not all bad. Both my and Chris' parents sent very loving care packages filled with thoughtful treats, I got to celebrate my little sister's birthday with her in person (and introduce my niece to zoo animals for the first time), and even went to the Boo at the Zoo event with Chris!

My friend Event Horizon has put out yet another banger: Phaethon's Melody! Inspired by the ZZZ character Vivian Banshee, I was honored to make some art to support her work yet again. I love how she arranged the vocal chops to form a groovy beat!


Games

I shared some Halloween-y themed games from itch during one of my recent streams, all free to enjoy if you wanted something to play in the spirit of the season! My picks include Pepo (which I also streamed during Summerween - I can't get enough of it!), Sugar Ghouls!, and The Annual Ghost Town Pumpkin Festival!

Another game I played onstream was the obscure PS2 title Michigan: Report from Hell, which actually takes place in Chicago and was for some reason never released in the USA despite the story happening within it?? It's a bizarre little game where you take the role of a camera operator on the scene of some strange monsters appearing around the city, and while I can't call it "good" I did find it goofy in a fun way. Thanks to Suda for this one.

The finale of my Halloween-y Twitch streams included a playthrough of The Typing of the Dead! This is a typing game overlay to the classic lightgun arcade shooter "The House of the Dead," which I also love. I really like how ridiculously zany it gets!

I had the opportunity to try Atlyss, which feels like an especially low-key MMO filled with cute creatures!! I'm really happy with the creature I made, and have had a really nice time playing with my partner and some friends (shoutout to Azalea and Wooper).

That's me!!

  • Chris finished Pokemon Ruby just in time for me to begin the newly-released Pokemon Legends Z-A... and I really love it!! I've been offline for a while to avoid spoilers and I'm very grateful I have been. Something I appreciate is how you have a lot of control over how the gameplay is paced (after the very long tutorial). I personally don't care for trainer battling as much, but even though that's a core part of the story, you have other things that you can do like research tasks and detective missions. I love being able to interact with Pokemon and the world without it always being battle-oriented! I think the "Legends" offshoots may be my favorite kinds of Pokemon games just because of how it changes up the gameplay; the way the world itself opens up a little over time is clever and helps the flow of everything too. The biggest downside for Z-A is its writing: I think the story's main characters are mostly written in a way that makes them less interesting than they could've been or even downright unlikeable, but I do like how a good deal of the side quests are written and especially the incidental dialogue you find around town.

    • We ordered our copy from the Pokemon Center, so it came with an adorable free pin - we got Totodile, who just so happened to be the starter I chose while playing too!

    Graphic Novels

    Witchlight by Jessi Zabarsky was recommended by my dear friend Elizabeth, and it was such a joy! It's filled with warmth and wonderful girls, with lovely art featuring simple character designs and beautiful patterned textures across its pages.

    Hellaween by Moss Lawton is delightfully Halloween-y, featuring a young witch and her two besties - a vampire and a werewolf - as they enjoy each other's company in the days leading up to the holiday. I love the art style and color direction!! Definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a fun read to get into the spirit of things!

    It's not Halloween-y, but I finally caught back up on the Sonic the Hedgehog comics! I was about 20 issues behind, and the Chaotix 30th Anniversary special had just come out, so it was a good time for it. I greatly enjoy the stories told in the comics and am stoked I can keep up with everything again!


    Halloween Movie Marathon

    Looking for something to watch this spooky evening? Here's a bunch of things I experienced this month which may help you find something new to enjoy!

    (gif from Blood the Last Vampire, listed below)

  • Nosferatu (2024) - Utterly gorgeous cinematography that had me losing my mind over it the entire movie through. Very tense and haunting, what a great movie!!

  • Sinners (2025) - I'd been wanting to see this for months and I'm extremely glad I saved it to watch for Halloween, I LOVED it!! Excellent blend of music and fantasy, really fun and beautifully shot movie.

  • Hell House LLC (2015) - I tend to enjoy mockumentary-style horror, but this one fell pretty flat for me. It didn't feel compelling, probably because the characters were very obnoxious to me.

  • Cult (2013) - Another banger found footage horror movie from Shiraishi about 3 actresses on a paranormal TV show investigating an exorcism. If you've seen his other movies like this you'll be prepared for how "special" the special effects look - I personally loved it! This was made alongside two other directors for a Japanese horror movie-making challenge, and my favorite of the three.

  • The Crone (2013) - Second of the Japanese horror movies challenge, and totally awful. Didn't have any redeeming qualities and was poorly directed and acted.

  • Talk to the Dead (2013) - Third of the Japanese horror movies challenge, and I enjoyed it! I think figuring out ways of connecting to loved ones in the afterlife via cell phones - and what caveats might be necessary to necessitate it - is a neat concept.

  • The Vourdalak (2023) - A beautiful dark fairytale-like movie about what it's like to be French and lost in a forest. I'm a big fan of the way the "vourdalak" is brought to life onscreen, and was invested in every moment.

  • The Wolf Man (2025) - This is a remake of the original Universal monster movie, which is... really weird?? Because it's meant to "reboot" the series, but it leaves it with nowhere to go. It didn't feel necessary and it wasn't good.

  • Underworld (2003) - I really wanted to like this one, but I found it pretty boring and FAR too long. The main character could've been so cool if every one of her actions wasn't driven by trying to impress some boy crush. Poorly mixed audio made it a bit annoying to watch.

  • Pontypool (2008) - Canadian horror with a good first half and poorly-implemented second half. The concept was interesting for what was actually going on but it feels like they couldn't figure out a way to make it work unfortunately.

  • Oddity (2024) - Decent Irish horror, though easy to guess "twists."

  • Strange Darling (2024) - Intriguing way of telling its story, twisty and twisted. Not exactly horror in the spooky kinda scary way, but absolutely a cautionary tale of being careful who you put trust in.

  • Broadcast Signal Intrusion (2021) - More conspiracy than "spooky" but still enjoyable, it was nice to see a setting I'm intimately familiar with (which enhanced my enjoyment). It's a movie that Chris and I discussed a lot afterward and found a lot of meaning in how everything was portrayed shot - a super cool experience!! I also knew exactly what the main two influences were, and that added to my delight.

  • Daguerrotype (2016) - A French-Japanese collaboration. Promising build-up, but disappointing not-actually-horror result... I wanted to like this one, but felt like it wasn't as good as I hoped.

  • Shirome (2010) - Another excellent mockumentary from Shiraishi. The thing that really clenches this one is that the reactions from the main cast are genuine. I also recognized the idol group from singing one of my favorite Pokemon anime endings!

  • Chime (2024) - Pretty open-ended for interpretation, but... I found it a bit boring overall. It felt like it was trying too hard?

  • Blood the Last Vampire (2000) - Anime movie that was extremely cool and beautifully animated, plus the story takes place on Halloween!! This movie felt way ahead of its time, especially as the first film to use entirely digital animation. Something especially cool about this movie is that Quentin Tarantino approached Production I.G. to make an animated scene in Kill Bill as a result of watching it!

  • Curve (2016) - A nine-minute short film. Feed the pit.

  • Under the Blossoming Cherry Trees (1975) - I honestly didn't like anything about this one, more gross than scary. Despite one brief spooky-ish happening at the very end, it didn't feel very Halloween-y either.

  • Rebecca (1940) - A classic from Alfred Hitchcock, good but not exactly supernatural. The way the character Rebecca haunts the story is very cleverly done though!

  • The Screaming Skull (1958) - Now this has the kind of "spooky" I was looking for!! Perfect for when you want something lighthearted and perfect for the holiday. I laughed a lot during this one - when it promises to pay for your funeral in case you "die of fright" from watching, you know you're in for a good time.

  • The Wicker Man (1973) - More about a weird cult island than anything supernatural. There was a lot of content I wasn't expecting which wasn't my favorite, but overall this movie had really cool vibes. The music was really neat and fitting too.

  • Don't Look Now (1973) - Meh. I liked the premise about a psychic being able to see the main couple's dead daughter, but it didn't really hold my attention. There was a weirdly long scene that didn't have anything to do with anything? The end's twist was the only interesting thing about the movie.

  • Loft (2005) - Another meh. They set up a bunch of neat little creepy things that it felt like they didn't follow through with.

  • White Zombie (1932) - Bad. Not even the amazing Bela Lugosi could save this. Not worth the hour of watch time.

  • The Wailing (2016) - SO good. The two (nearly three) hours of build-up was so worth it for the final five minutes. Creepy and interesting the whole way through.

  • Ghost Cat Anzu (2024) - This was genuinely one of the most gorgeous animated movies I've ever seen. Each character has a simple and cute design, and is rotoscoped into beautifully painted backgrounds. Magical and endearing!

  • P.O.V - A Cursed Film (2012) - Not my favorite of this genre, but still an intriguing watch. I enjoyed the film within a film elements they played with.

  • The Haunting (1963) - The house is alive!! I think I enjoyed this one more than Chris did - I liked the teeny lil' spooky elements throughout the movie and how they sold the idea of a truly haunted house. Interesting that the film is more psych-horror than the original book apparently was.

  • The Endless (2017) - Not actually scary, but still good. Works perfectly with the movie Resolution (2012) (which we saw last year) by the same directors and would benefit seeing it back-to-back. Really cool!

  • Weapons (2025) - I was impressed by this one! Interesting premise with great storytelling, with strange little mysteries that slowly come together into a bigger picture. This might affect you more if you work with kids or are a parent.

  • Talk to Me (2022) - I didn't enjoy this movie overall, but liked its ending. You know it's an Australian horror film because instead of having deer crossing the road, they have kangaroos.

  • Synchronic (2019) - Good!! Another one from Moorhead and Benson (who did previously mentioned The Endless), not exactly spooky but sets up a compelling mystery. Tangentially related to the other films as well.

  • Fright Night (1985)- A silly movie about the vampire who just moved in next door. Going to a TV host who stars in horror movies for advice to destroy an actual monster is such a fun concept.

  • Tigers Are Not Afraid (2017) - Incredibly bleak but excellently told, the horror felt real in this one. A genuine dark fairy tale.

  • Shutter (2004) - The original Thai version of the story, and very well told. Love the little hints that something isn't quite right, and how it unveils certain aspects to be more and more insidious.

  • The Possessed (2016) - Chinese horror film that was actually shelved just as it was set to release, yet ultimately still made it out to be seen by the public. Moves at a slow pace, but has a good twist.

  • The Unseeable (2006) - Thai. I enjoyed this one a lot more than I expected - I love ghost stories! The ending gets goofy, but I like how it all falls together.

  • Silk (2006) - Taiwanese. Same wacky vibes of a Syfy channel movie, yet entertaining and kept my attention throughout. It felt like they really wanted to combine science with the supernatural.

  • You Are Not My Mother (2021) - Irish folk horror, a good fairytale-like story that takes place on Halloween. Straightforward overall, but that's not a bad thing; it's brimming with satisfyingly creepy vibes.

  • The Company of Wolves (1985) - There are so many animals in this one!!! Many little stories told by the ways of tales from a grandmother to grandchild, all featuring werewolves, and act as a means to share Little Red Riding Hood in another perspective. I appreciated the practical effects used.

  • Abandoned Mine (2012) - Takes place on Halloween! It was very meh overall for me though... I appreciate that they tried to do some twists, but I just wasn't invested enough to enjoy it.

  • Viy (1967) - A Soviet horror story with delightful spooky visuals and witchy happenings. I haven't seem much from this region of the world so it was really wonderful to see something so unlike what I'm familiar with. I enjoyed the atmosphere quite a bit.

  • I Downloaded a Ghost (2002) - A goofy Canadian flick about downloading a ghost in the early days of the internet. This was my first time viewing it, but it definitely feels like something I could have grown up with. It's cute enough and really neat to see a very young Elliot Page, and makes for fine family-friendly fun.

  • Ginger Snaps (2000) - Canadian dark comedy about two sisters coming of age and werewolves. I wasn't really a fan of this one personally - it was edgy in ways that didn't land for me.

  • The Veldt (1987) - Another Soviet horror movie that adapted a bunch of different Ray Bradbury short stories to make something of its own. Some of the parts worked better than others to mesh into the greater story, and I didn't find it very "spooky," but I did think it interesting.

  • Thir13en Ghosts (2001) - Over-the-top with camera flashes and gore, very of its time for how it presented its story. Unfortunately, this cult classic film wasn't as entertaining to me as I hoped for and I didn't care for it very much.

  • The Taking of Deborah Logan (2014) - This one hit especially hard as someone who's lost family to Alzheimer's. The horror was extremely well done, with lots of crossover from the terrors of living with this disease into the ghostly happenings that creep into the picture.

  • The Imp (1981) - Cantonese horror, this movie was fun!! Great moodiness that reminded me so much of older horror movies, with great shots and LOTS of pyrotechnics and fog effects.

  • Silent Hill (2006) - This is a forever favorite of mine. The director so loved the video game series that he did everything he could to get it adapted. As a huge fan of the series myself, and despite Red Pyramid Thing being there for no real reason other than being an iconic monster in the series, I really like how this movie turned out overall because I can see where that love was put into the screenplay and directing. It makes for a very nice tribute to the games, and has the most perfect of mood and vibes to match.

  • Night of the Living Dead (1990) - I much prefer this remake to the original movie. Fantastic line delivery and great acting makes for characters with strong personalities makes this movie super engaging, which funny enough makes it feel somewhat short as a result?? It's good!

    Time to fully embrace Autumn!

    November's gonna be - you probably guessed it - busy for me! It's the season of good food and preparing for upcoming holidays, which I'm hoping to heal up quickly to enjoy (I'm having a big surgery this upcoming Tuesday, November 4th). But for now, I'm going to enjoy a spooktacular celebration with my sweetheart by making chicken and pumpkin mac & cheese casserole, roasted broccolini, and lots of sweet cupcakes. Thanks for reading, and I hope this big ol' list of haunted fun leads you to something you enjoy!

    Celebrating Day of the Dead this weekend by putting this art I made of my beloved cockatiel Kittytiel at my local zoo's pet ofrenda

    • Neko