October is a scary month and I’m not saying this because of Halloween. Midterm season approaches us fast, the sun sets annoyingly early and the cold breeze reminds us the weather will only get colder for the rest of the semester. Why wouldn’t you be scared? But, the festive fall feelings and Halloween traditions associated with October may make up for the weather and busy school schedules.
Growing up, my family had the niche tradition of watching a movie released in 1949, “The Adventures Of Ichabod And Mr. Toad” and eating fresh-baked pumpkin seeds until our mouths were filled with salt. As college students, it’s time for us to make new October traditions with friends and close ones. Here are some spooky shows, movies and activities worth saving for a night with friends or roommates.
Games
I’m writing this from the study with a candlestick… kidding, but I’m not kidding when I say my favorite spooky game to play is Clue. If you haven’t heard of Clue, it’s a fictional mystery game where players are tasked with finding which player is the “murderer.” It’s a good distraction from midterms and very wholesome. For similar mystery games, I suggest Mysterium, Mystery of the Abbey or Alchemists. If a more immersive experience is what you seek, try an escape room or visit the Doubletap Beercade if you’re of legal drinking age. The Doubletap Beercade echoes 80s-themed mystery shows like “Stranger Things.” They have all types of games, including Pac-Man and Mario Kart.
For more fun activities, get creative with your friends. Prepare some snacks and write your own short stories. Whoever’s story is deemed the scariest wins a prize. For inspiration, look to stories like “The Girl With The Green Ribbon,” “The Tell-Tale Heart” or “The Landlady.” Another DIY game is a spooky scavenger hunt with handmade Edgar Allan Poe quotes as clues. If you’re attempting to do all of these activities in the same night, you might as well throw in a costume contest. If you and your guests are of legal drinking age, hide mystery jello shots around your apartment that read “you’ve been cursed” and other silly dares.
Halloween TV series
I’m a huge fan of holiday-themed shows, especially October ones. There’s witchy shows, like “American Horror Story: Coven,” “Wednesday Addams,” “Sabrina the Teenage Witch,” “Agatha All Along” and “A Discovery of Witches.” If I could describe what it felt like to watch “Coven” for the first time on one mid-October evening, I would say I was equally disturbed and amazed. “Wednesday” I enjoyed because it’s spooky, but not too gruesome. “Agatha” took me by surprise. The show follows a witch trying to regain her powers, but what’s intriguing to me is the potential sexual or romantic tension between the main character Agatha, played by Kathryn Hahn and her nemesis, played by Aubrey Plaza.
More classic and quirky TV series include “Dexter,” “The Walking Dead,” “The Vampire Diaries,” “Gilmore Girls,” “Only Murders in the Building,” “Gravity Falls,” “Stranger Things,” “The Addams Family,” “Pretty Little Liars” and my favorite, the Halloween episodes of “Modern Family.” I love Halloween or fall-themed shows because of their eccentricity, especially “Gravity Falls.” The hit cartoon shows twins Dipper and Mabel Pines experience some strange occurrences when they move in with their great-uncle Stan in the mysterious town of Gravity Falls. The detailed plot, weird characters that seem like they could only find you in a dream and the moral undertones of the show are what I think makes it so special.
Halloween Movies
Halloween or spooky movies might be the best part of the fall season. While you don’t have to watch a movie from the 1950s like my family does, one of these movies is sure to satisfy your cravings for fall traditions and thrillers.
For the adrenaline junkies, some movies that are just as psychologically scary as they are physically include “Jennifer’s Body,” “1922 Stephen King,” “Hereditary,” “Midsommar,” “Smile,” “Saw,” “Suspiria,” “The Taking of Deborah Logan,” “Hush,” “Vivarium,” “Annihilation,” “Bird Box,” “The Human Centipede,” “The Conjuring” series, “Get Out” and “Us.”
“Jennifer’s Body” is a classic movie from the 2000s. It has dark messages, but from the confusing friendship between Needy and Jennifer, to iconic lines such as “hell is a teenage girl,” many see this movie as iconic. Differently, one movie that shook me to my core was “Us” by Jordan Peele. In this psychological horror, “Us” centers around a family that seems to have evil doppelgängers, but nothing is what it seems. I truly recommend “Us” to any horror fan or anyone who wants a scary movie to watch with friends. It’s fresh, interesting and it leaves you questioning everything to the point of thinking of conspiracy theories.
For more funny and lighthearted spooky movies, I suggest “Hocus Pocus,” “Beetlejuice,” “Corpse Bride,” “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” “Halloween Town,” “Coraline,” “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown,” “The Princess and the Frog,” “Coco,” “Twitches,” “Bodies Bodies Bodies,” “Practical Magic,” “Twilight” or “Knives Out.”
The original “Knives Out” movie is another one of my family’s favorites. The characters are casted perfectly and it encapsulates mystery without taking it too seriously. I’ve probably watched it 10 times at least.
I hope you found something that aides your search in curing the October blues and celebrating fall, however you like. Who knows, maybe you can start a new tradition with friends this year using these suggestions.
