#31 days of horror recs

[madegeeky]

31 Days of Horror Recs: What we leave behind and what other people leave behind echo all around us

The Night House is one of those movies that really plays with the idea of space. About the empty spaces left behind when a loved one dies. About how those empty places can feel like a physical presence. About finding out that there's a huge gulf between the person you knew and the person they actually were. About how empty spaces are just waiting to be filled and, if we're not careful, they will fill with only the bad, leaving no room for anything good.

Bonus points for how complicated the main character's feelings are when it comes to her loss. She wields her grief and anger like a piece of broken glass, cutting those around her but injuring herself far worse than anyone else.

Synopsis: Reeling from the unexpected death of her husband, a woman begins to uncover her deceased husband's disturbing secrets in the lakeside home that he built for them.

[booksellergothic]

The First Day of Halloween!

Welcome to spooky season, friends and fiends. For the next month hopefully every day I will be posting recommendations for things to read, watch, or enjoy in other ways in this most wonderful of seasons.

Sadie "Mother Horror" Hartmann is one of the most enthusiastic horror fans I have come across in ages. Her Instagram https://www.instagram.com/mother.horror/ and the book curations service she co-owns, Night Worms, are great resources for those looking for the newest and scariest in the world of on the page scares. While our taste diverges in some areas (she is more interested in coming of age stories than I am), there is no question that if you are looking for lovingly curated, wide ranging, deep dive into the genre her first book 101 Horror Books To Read Before You are Murdered is a perfect place to start.

If you are interested in being tagged this month or at any point I post reviews or recommendations please let me know.

@piggledy-higgledy @imdeadtiredtm @joyfullymassivewhispers @caffiend-queen @dangertoozmanykids101 @toozmanykids @myoxisbroken @wrathkitty @punemy-spotted @stupendouslovegardener @sylviefromneptune @dianamolloy

[horrorhodgepodge]

Silent Hill [31 Days of Horror: Day 30; Movie Review]

Hey, fellow horror fans! 👻 Tonight, we’re descending into the fog-shrouded nightmare of “Silent Hill,” a video game adaptation that captures the eerie atmosphere and terrifying creatures of the iconic franchise. 🎮 A mother searches for her missing daughter in a mysterious town plagued by otherworldly horrors. 👻 This visually stunning and disturbing horror film is a must-see for fans of the games…

[mothmanatemysister]

Doing the whole '31 horror films in 31 days' for October. Figured I'd double some of my posts here for the void/later on instead of clogging up my Letterboxd (mostly so I can rant about Rec and the whole Tristana Medeiros thing because IT DRIVES ME CRAZY, but that is for later).

Day 1 I rewatched the first [REC] and man this movie must have been so much better before Covid. It's still one of the best found footage films (after you get past the slow burn of the first 45 minutes), but those characters come across as such whiny assholes now. You've been in quarantine for less than 5 minutes and nothing has happened yet, quit complaining. Angela keeps talking about "We need to show people what happened here" when one guy just got bit in the neck and they don't even know about the infection. That's it by that point. 2 hours in and they act like it's been 12 years. I've sat in Six Flags lines longer than that.

Pablo y Manu are top tier horror characters. I'm always flip-flopping on Angela; some scenes she's fine, in others she's basically a screaming dinner bell and doing crazy nonsense that makes no sense unless you knew it was a horror film. The final scene elevates the whole film to absolute perfection and it is 1000% more horrifying if you know Tristana's backstory. I don't think there are any scans of the REC comic floating around (I read a copy someone had at ComicCon way back when I was a kid), but if I can find any I'll link them because it's almost mandatory reading for the series. I don't think they ever go into what really happened to her in any of the films themselves (though synopses mention it)

Day 2 was In a Violent Nature and apart from one very silly scene, it's way better than people said. I really liked the whole slasher POV setup; that first scene was horrifying when you think of how many real-life serial killers have spoken about doing that exact thing.

The toy car scene was worth the watch alone. I get the sense that the movie was made by people who wanted films like Friday the 13th and Texas Chainsaw to be deeper than they were (since anything for Jason like that is always just barely implied). I liked the little moments we get with Johnny, everything from the toy car to him getting surprised made him feel more real as one of these archetypes.

That yoga scene though...it went from 'I like this concept, choosing between a horrific murder or jumping to a possible death/injury is a great setup' to 'well that's just silly' way too fast. The subtle kills were way better, like that lake one. Makes me wish they kept in the original lake kill for the F13 remake.

Using a randomizer on Letterboxd to pick which films I watch each day, so fingers crossed that I get something good tomorrow.

[supernaturalkickparty]

Back with another classic film for the 31 days of Horror, it's 1962's classic Whatever Happened to Baby Jane.

The film stars Joan Crawford and Bette Davis, both amazing actresses that were ahead of their time and were both poorly mistreated by Hollywood. I could go into the whole Hollywood scandle/feud of Bette and Joan but I won't because I just want to focus on how amazingly good this movie is.

The movie starts in early 1900's showing Baby Jane Hudson performing while her older sister Blanche is on the side lines, it then goes onto both of them in early 20's(1930 ish)now Hollywood actresses. Well Blanche has made a name for herself, Jane hasn't had much luck in Hollywood since she grew up and shed the Baby Jane persona.

A tragedy befalls Blanche, leaving her bound to a wheelchair and Jane left to care for her since both of their parents have passed away. Jane has grown bitter and resentful since the night of the accident, mistreating Blanche daily and extremely jealous of her still receiving fan mail after these years.

Feeling she still can be a star and bring back her old routine of Baby Jane Hudson, she sets an ad to hire a piano player for her "upcoming show"

One of my favorite scenes in the movie is Blanche rehearsing "I've written a letter to Daddy" because you see how desperate she is to regain that spark, that moment of happiness from her childhood

Fun facts about the movie: Bette's daughter, BD, plays the girl next door to Jane and Blanche.

Both Bette Davis and Joan Crawford had their own movies(Parachute Jumper, Ex-Lady, and Sadie McKee) featured in the movie as a way to show Jane and Blanche's different styles to acting and the rolls they had taken on as adults.

At first no one wanted to pick up the film due to Bette and Joan, Jack Warner commented on their age and claimed he wouldn't pay to see a film with the two of them.

[charliecharmeleon]

starting off #repostober strong with a self portrait doodle i do not remember drawing saved under the file name caca.png

(june 2016)

[sasa-chan]

So I've finally made my 31 Days of Christmas watch list. Funnily enough over half of the list consists of Christmas Horror films. Guess this December is going to be really scary.

Please let me know if you guys have any Christmas recs!

[richonneevents]

Richonne Fictober 2024 Rules, Guidelines, & Calendar

Richonne Fictober 2024 is a 31 day challenge for fanfiction writers/creators to write/create and publish a Richonne-centric story or related content everyday for the month of October.

Fics should be between 100 and 5,000 words. Rick and Michonne must be the main pairing. Richonne is an interracial pairing, so be mindful of tropes and language that perpetuates racism and misogynoir. Rick is a canonically disabled character, so be mindful of using tropes and language that is ableist. Fanartists should be mindful of not whitewashing Michonne, Andre, and RJ in their pieces.

Please tag @richonneevents and use the tag: #richonnefictober24

Be sure to tag your prompt and which day you are filling.

In addition to Richonne-centric fanfiction, creators are encouraged to make fanart; playlists; edits; moodboards; rec lists; graphics; podfics; gifsets; photo sets; fanvids etc.

WEEK 1

Day 1: Making Caramel / Candy Apples

Day 2: Seasonal Shopping (Clothes, decor, etc.)

Day 3: “The leaves are changing!”

Day 4: “Pumpkin spice...what?!”

Day 5: Autumn Breeze

WEEK 2

Day 6: Overcast Morning

Day 7: Bobbing for Apples

Day 8: Pumpkin Patch Visit

Day 9: Rainy Day

Day 10: Scarecrow

Day 11: Haunted Hayride / Haunted House

Day 12: Horror Movie Marathon

WEEK 3

Day 13: Jumping in A Leaf Pile

Day 14: Warm Apple Cider / Hot Chocolate etc

Day 15: Corn Maze

Day 16: By The Fire(place)

Day 17: Candles 

Day 18: Flannel

Day 19: Nestled Under Blankets

WEEK 4

Day 20: Festival 

Day 21: First Frost

Day 22: Kissing In The Rain

Day 23: Baking Pies

Day 24: Cemetery Stakeout 

Day 25: Black Cat

Day 26: Dead-End

WEEK 5

Day 27: Underneath The Sky

Day 28: Full Moon

Day 29: Carving Jack o’ Lanterns

Day 30: Costume Party

Day 31: Trick or Treat

[bylerween]

Happy Bylerween!

Happy spooky season, bylers. Thursday, October 26, is the first day of Byler Halloween Week (or as we like to call it, Bylerween). This is our masterpost of all of our links, mod posts and tagging system. Note: This post will be updated and added to as necessary!

Rules & Guidelines | Tagged

Daily Themes & Prompts

FAQ

Trigger Tagging System

Submissions & Posting

Bylerween Recs Info (self-promo encouraged!)

AO3 Collection | Bylerween Rec Collection Bookmarks

Answered Asks

Bylerween WIPs

Queued Posts

Bylerween Rec posts

Mod posts: Ayla | Jo | Lex | Sara | Rae

Mods: @howtobecomeadragon @lucasvenkman @foodiewithdahoodie @willelfanpage @ice-sculptures

Go to @bylerween-trick-or-treat for more info on how to participate on 10/31 (Day 6).

Theme tagging system under the cut:

Day 1

Ghosts & Hauntings Trapped in the Upside Down Haunted House

Day 2

Slashers, Gore & Body Horror Demogorgon, Demobats, & Flesh Monster Halloween Party

Day 3

Demons, Devils & Exorcisms Will’s S2 Possession Pumpkin Patch & Apple Orchard

Day 4

Psychological Horror Attacked by Vecna Sweater Weather

Day 5

Came Back Wrong Flayed!Mike/Flayed!Will Carnival Night

Day 6

Supernatural Creatures Trick or Treat, Freak (2x02) Trick or Treating

Day 7

Witches, Wizards & Necromancers D&D Renaissance Festival

Double Date Night

Fanart | Fanfic | Ficlet | Gifs | Playlist | Moodboard | Headcanon | Analysis | Edits | Fanvids | Memes | WIPs

[aahorrorfest]

Suggested themes

Happy almost spooky season! We’re so excited to see the interest in this fan event. 🎃

We know some people are already hard at work planning out their submissions, so we are following up with the event schedule and revised submission instructions that include a tumblr tag.

Event Schedule The event is organized by suggested theme. We’ll let you use your judgment on where your fic or art falls thematically—if you’re not sure, you can always submit it on the Halloween free day!

Day 1 (October 27): Horror Comedy Day 2 (October 28): Psychological Horror Day 3 (October 29): Slasher/Gory Horror Day 4 (October 30): Paranormal/Supernatural Horror Day 5 (Halloween!): Gothic Horror OR Free Day

How to Submit: You have two options to submit your work. You can post to our AO3 collection at https://archiveofourown.org/collections/AAHorrorFest24, or you can post to tumblr with the hashtag #aahorrorfest24 from October 27 - 31. We’ll be checking the collection and highlighting fan works throughout the week leading up to Halloween.

(Note: you must be 18 or older to submit to the collection.)

Late submissions? No problem! We’ll keep the collection open until November 15, but we encourage you to submit on or before the last week of October so we can promote your work during the event.

Finally, feel free to reach out if you’d like to join our 18+ Discord! We’ve got a friendly crew, a growing horror media rec list, and a space to bounce ideas off each other and share WIPs. (Also, a regular influx of pet photos.)

[madegeeky]

31 Days of Horror Recs: Cross ALL the genres

( @katrani asked for cross-genre horror that isn't comedy or thriller)

So, yeah, this is actually pretty hard. Horror is something that does work well across all genres but 1) it's still not done that often and 2) when it is done it's rarely done well. You mentioned superhero and romance specifically and while I don't have anything on my rec list, I do have two interesting ones that are worth checking out if you're interested in those genres specifically (they're at the end, marked with an *).

Character Study

Pearl - I've never seen a horror movie that is also just a hardcore character study before Pearl. It should be noted, character studies are absolutely not everyone's cup of tea but if you do like them, I think this is well worth the watch. More info on the full post.

Slice of Life

Most Beautiful Island - This is a weird one to have for a horror movie, I know. Slice of life is all about the mundane daily life where not much really goes on and that is almost the antithesis of a horror movie. I don't think this movie is 100% slice of life but I think it's as close as one could ever hope to get. More info on full post.

Teen Movie

Tragedy Girls - This feels like a weird genre to specify since I think there is a lot of horror that plays directly with teen movies, both on purpose and accidentally. However, this one very much leans into the the teen movie aspect of it in a way that makes it one of a kind. More info on full post.

*Romance (tragic)

Return of the Living Dead 3 - So, the basic premise is a girl dies and her boyfriend decides to bring her back to life as a zombie. (Somehow she comes out of it not a mindless murderous zombie like everyone else? I dunno, just roll with it.) But here's the thing, and the reason it ended up on this list: this isn't shown as romantic or sweet. The movie very explicitly shows that this was a cruel thing to do. The girl is suffering; she's in pain, her body feels all wrong, and she's starving and nothing she eats stops the starving feeling. She cries and begs her boyfriend multiple times to just let her go. It is fucked up. It is awful. And it was honestly so fascinating to watch.

*Superhero

Brightburn - Fuck, the premise to this is so good. It's basically: what if a kid was given all the powers of Superman and then told that he was better than everyone else? And the writers said, "He'd do some fucked up shit." It desperately desperately needed more than 90 minutes, though. However, if you're okay with something subpar but interesting, this is worth checking out.

[booksellergothic]

Halloween Day 20

And now hopefully back to our regular programming.

I like short stories, but they are far from my favorite form of writing, the only real exception being horror stories and particularly ghost stories. The tight format and structure needed gives the reader little chance to squirm away from their fears and gives the writer even less opportunity to get distracted from the job at hand - scaring a stranger.

the British Library Tales of the Weird series of anthologies are excellent in every way, from their choices of topic, the gorgeous covers, and their editors' deep searches for obscure scares. Of the ones i have read so far Glimpses of the Unknown is my favorite.

From the jacket :

"A figure emerges from a painting to pursue a bitter vengeance; a faithful butler continues to serve his master despite being shot dead days ago; the last words of a dying man haunt the airwaves, only to return via telegram to reveal his murderer.

From the vaults of the British Library comes a new anthology celebrating the best works of forgotten, never since republished, supernatural fiction from the early 20th century. Waiting within are malevolent spirits eager to possess the living and mysterious spectral guardians – a diverse host of phantoms exhumed from the rare pages of literary magazines and newspaper serials to thrill once more."

Let me know if you are interested in being added to my Halloween or general book review/rec taglist!

@dianamolloy @piggledy-higgledy @imdeadtiredtm @joyfullymassivewhispers @caffiend-queen @dangertoozmanykids101 @toozmanykids @myoxisbroken @wrathkitty @punemy-spotted @sillybillieandricky @stupendouslovegardener @sylviefromneptune @acidcasualties

[horrorhodgepodge]

Trick r Treat [31 Days of Horror: Day 31; Movie Review]

Hey, fellow horror fans! 👻 Tonight, we’re wrapping up our 31 Days of Horror with a Halloween classic that’s both spooky and fun. 🍬 “Trick ‘r Treat” is an anthology film that weaves together several interconnected stories set on Halloween night. 👻 From vengeful spirits to mischievous trick-or-treaters, this film is a celebration of all things Halloween, with a darkly humorous twist. 💀 What I…

[mothmanatemysister]

5: An American Werewold in London

2 Americans are backpacking across Europe and immediately disregard advice they get from creepy locals to stick to the road (which you think would be obvious even without a killer werewolf on the loose).

Jack is killed while his buddy David runs off, then gets bit when coming back after his concious kicks in. Tragedy and sick effects ensue.

The pacing of the film is all weird. I'm not sure if the tonal whiplash is meant to be funny or just off. David's friend tells him he's a werewolf and to kill himself, he has a breakdown, then he immediately kisses Alex and they have a day out. Then she gives him a full body count and it cuts to them in the shower? It's so fucking weird.

The transformation scene still holds up to this day. This is one of the few werewolf films where the 'curse of the werewolf' genuinely feels like a curse  upon someone. The brutal pain of changing and having your victims torment you brings so much to the archetype.

Unfortunately a lot of the film is boring padding, which isn't great for a straight horror (much less horror/comedy). I'm not usually one of those "The only good parts are the scenes with the monster/kill/godzilla/etc", but aside from the ghost scenes and that phonebooth scene, this is just one of those movies.

In the end, more people are killed by their own stupidity and bad driving than by the werewolf. Seems to be a theme with this subgenre.

6: [REC 2]

Sunday I rewatched [REC 2] since I've been thinking bout it since the first one. The quality jump between films, from the cameras to the acting and makeup, is insane.

I love the switch-ups in quality between the different camera types. It's kinda wild that this film has the closest depiction of a Fallout ghoul and a VATS kill we've ever gotten.

Like most sequels, it's a bit of a critique of the original. Whenever Father Owen tries the same shit that the Agent guy did in the original, everyone threatens to kick his ass. Instead of being stuck with moronic assholes the whole time, the ones we do end up with act that way because they're dumb kids who have no clue what's going on. There seems to be a little poke at the copy+paste Quarantine remake (2008 to this film's 2009) with how one character rushes off to get water immediately after getting infected. It's not rabies, it's demons.

This is the main film to piss me off with it's treatment of Tristana however. Spoilers and trigger warning for the next bit: CSA, religious abuse, child abuse, human experimentation.

"At 11, Tristana showed signs of possession". Strange way to say "was raped by a group of priests and received no medical care". I finally found a scan of Historias Inéditas, so I'll go more in depth when I do a full breakdown of her character, but suffice to say the priests are not the good guys in [REC] and I don't get why they're treated like they didn't cause the whole damn outbreak. Even though Tristana was possessed (and her possession was caused by the Church to begin with), if Albeldo hadn't experimented on her and countless children, the possession wouldn't have morphed into a physical plague. The series' refusal to acknowledge any of this and solely pin the blame on Tristana, a victim of the Church's actions, is extremely disturbing when you look at real life cases in the Catholic Church. At the very least, this film has Father Owen be the one giving the information, so it makes sense that he would be biased and continue with the coverup.

Angela's way better in this one than she was in the previous film (not screaming PABLOOOO every two seconds and beating the shit out of the annoying priest helps). Still think it's funny that she's always a better character when she's not-Angela than when she is. Also think it's funny that the priest dies because he doesn't understand that he can get blood from a freshly dead body. He is just so dumb through the whole thing.

The officers are no Manu God of Thunder or Pablo, but they're likable enough to carry the film until we get to the firefighter. He's the best character hands down- that slap!

The kids are designed to be annoying, but Tito brings it up to a new level. Watching a second time makes them all a bit more palatable, but seeing him drag his poor sister into everything (especially knowing her fate in the comic) means you'll be cheering when he's finally left the film.

This film may not be as scary as the first (I'd probably rank it 2nd/3rd in the series), but it's pretty decent overall and you can tell the filmmakers really love making these and coming up with batshit endings. The ending has a really weird gimmick that doesn't make sense once you think about it, but the scene is really well done overall. It's definitely worth a watch, especially if you liked the first.

[supernaturalkickparty]

Happy spooky season!

Today I'm starting off the 31 days of Horror with one of my very first monster/horror movies I remember seeing as a kid.

This 1954 classic story finds a group of scientists in the Amazon who encounter the creature while on an expedition.

The creature was played by two different actors, Ricou Ren Browning, who was the creature in the under water scenes, and Benjamin F. Chapman Jr who was the creature on land.

There's two sequels that follow this and while I do enjoy those as well, the first one holds a special place in my heart .

Ricou Ren Browning passed away earlier this year in February and Benjamin F. Chapman Jr passed away of February of 2008.

[rwrbficrecs]

Halloween Rec List Part 1 🎃👻

Here's the first part of the Halloween recs! Part 2 will be posted late November to cover all the new fics still coming out @halloweenhuh is currently posting works from their Halloween/Autumn themed fest, so be sure to give them a follow! Here's a link to their collection on AO3 🎃 Fics themed around Halloween and Autumn/Fall vibes 🍂:

but i can count on you to tell me the truth when (i’ve) been drinking and you’re wearing a mask by @anincompletelist

mistaken identities and halloween kisses

Halloween Calamity by @itsthemxze

Alex and Henry throw a Halloween party, but Alex has some strong opinions about Henry’s costume

Leave him Hen, he's a spice hater by greenandmoss

Alex learns to love the Spice Girls because of Henry's thighs

Lost and Found by milowren 

Alex and Henry are coworkers, Henry has a crush, and they end up at a haunted corn maze together a few nights before Halloween. Shenanigans ensue! Plus many horror movie references.

love bites by @coffeecatsme

Alex leaves love bites on Henry's neck right before a public Halloween party. The solution? Vampire costume.

stars by the pocketful by weather_stained

Though Henry opts out of June's Halloween party, Alex makes sure he doesn't spend the holiday alone.

The Last Day of October by ifigo

A reflection on Henry’s relationship with October 31st over the years

This Is Halloween by @bibliothesoph

Their first Halloween in the brownstone goes...not according to plan

Trick or Kiss by @hillerskas

Alex is throwing the Halloween party of the year and can't quite figure out why the Prince of England is haunting his every thought.

Where There Are Octobers by @iboatedhere 

31 Days of October themed FirstPrince prompts

For more spooky vibes! Fics featuring ghosts/vampires/demons/other supernatural & mythical beings etc 👻🧛🏻:

A Love That Haunts the Land by @14carrotghoul (necromancy & other supernatural things) 

Falling in love is the easy part. The supernatural consequences - not so much.

a slightly hysterical vampire fantasy moment by @cinnamoncoffees (vampires)

Alex doesn’t really think Henry is a vampire. He’s just his roommate. Because vampires aren’t real… right?

A Taste of You by @everwitch-magiks (vampires & other supernatural beings)

When Henry lets Alex take him home, he thinks he’s the only one who’s about to reveal his true nature. He’s wrong.

Ghosted by @tintagel-or-cockleshells (ghosts)

the fic where people are ghosts until they're not, dead until proven otherwise, and we take bets on how thin the veil is between the living and the dead.

Got a ticket for two by @clottedcreamfudge (demons)

Henry likes his apartment - he has done since the day he moved in a year ago. His flatmates themselves? Well, they're a little… strange.

(lord, save me) my drug is my baby by @coffeecatsme (vampires)

5 times Alex learns something new about Henry and 1 time Henry learns something new about Alex.

matchmaking from beyond the grave: a guide by arthur fox by @softest-cinnamon-roll (ghosts)

Alex can see the dead. Enter Arthur Fox who really thinks Alex should meet his son, Henry.

Out For A Bite by @everwitch-magiks (vampires)

He's heard whispers of this place, and more importantly of its patrons. He thinks he knows what this man is.

the beagle, the ghost and the wardrobe by @dumbpeachjuice (ghosts)

Henry’s new flat comes with one unexpected feature: it’s already inhabited. But not by a human. By a ghost.

🎃🎃🎃