Horror Movies & Series

Really looking for movies in a similar vain to:

Killing of a Sacred Deer

Midsommar

Hereditary

The Witch

It Comes at Night

It Follows (realize it’s not a24)

The classic horror jump scare/slasher movies usually don’t do it for me as much (although I don’t mind elements like that). Generally seem to be drawn to movies with some “deeper meaning” or theme interwoven into the movie. Especially in the way that midsommar/hereditary use emotions life grief

Ideally it’s something that leaves you pretty deeply uncomfortable and is a bit twisted. Ideally came out in the last 20 years as well but any and all suggestions are welcome :)

Edit haven’t seen all the a24 horrors so you’re free to suggest more of those too

I just finished Midnight Mass and I gotta say...Hamish Linklater should be Father Karras.

I would also like to see some of his usual cast return, but then again idk. Furthermore, I would like to see perhaps a clashing of religions perhaps like what we saw with Sheriff Hassan. And maybe some Come Closer (a horror novel) vibes where we get some perspective from the possessed.

What do you guys think??

These are some reviews of the latest books I've finished for the Bingo challenge. I've been on a bit of a horror theme recently, or if not theme, then three scary books.

Bingo Square: Set in a Small Town - Pet Sematary by Stephen King

Score: 3.5 out of 5

I'm really conflicted about this book. I went in, knowing very little about it, only that many considered it the most frightening and disturbing book they ever read. Certainly the darkest book by Stephen King.

Having finished it, I would agree that it's very dark and disturbing. However, I didn't find it very scary.

I found it a slow paced book. There is so much about the life of the main character, Louis Creed and his family. I get why that's necessary because you need to understand and sympathize with what he goes through and result of his actions would have less impact if the book got right to the climax without that context.

But still, there were times when I was feeling a bit bored with the early parts of the book. I didn't particularly like the characters that much. In fact, I kind of wonder if Pet Sematary was written today, would more time be devoted to making the characters a bit more likable?

On the other hand, this book is incredible in it's depiction of grief and it's meditations on death. I thought that was done very well and the characterization was also very good. Stephen King has a way about writing dialogue and interactions that feel incredibly real.

I think that - regardless of what I think, this book will stand the test of time very well. It is seminal. But at the same time, for me - I was hoping for a bit more of the strange otherness and horror.

One thing I reflected on that did disappoint me, was the way the burial ground became a 'force' towards the end. I think there was something more sinister and frightening about the idea of Jud taking Louis to the burial ground - knowing it could all go horribly wrong, just because he could.

Bingo Square: Reference Material - Starling House by Alex E. Harrow

Score: 3.5 out of 5

Starling House by Alix E Harrow is a haunted house story where the house isn't really haunted - it's the people who are haunted.

The book received some pretty high praise since it was published so I was surprised and disappointed with what I read. The book starts with an intriguing mystery with gothic themes set in the South of America. And while it starts with promise, it slowly starts to morph into a YA novel.

The story follows Opal, a young woman looking after her teenage brother in a small dead-end town, struggling to survive. They live in a hotel room, living off what Opal can make/steal and dealing with the trauma of nearly dying in a car accident that killed their mother. Opal has mysterious dreams that draw towards Starling House, a big gothic mansion that everyone in the town fears and loathes.

The story touches on generational trauma, slavery, capitalism, greed, loss and guilt but never really engages them. We are repeatedly reminded of the dead mom and that Opal's mom was "a fighter" and how miserable the town is.

There's also a lot of odd pop culture references, where Opal mentions that something is "like a video game" or a character is "like a Bond villain" and how she can't believe that she's in a "haunted house with ghosts." There's also a romance element that feels like it's just there, because. It doesn't feel genuine at all. The object of Opal's affection is a character that's irritable, weird and misanthropic and could only be attractive if you're a girl in a gothic novel

The redeeming qualities is the atmospheric in that it's actually really evocative and there are some clever and unique inclusions to the book. Illustrations, foot notes, and even a wikipedia entry. Overall, the book tries to say something about generational trauma. It also moves a decent pace so those qualities redeem some of the other issues I had with it.

Bingo Square: Alliterative Title - The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

Score: 4.75 out of 5

What can one say about a classic of gothic horror like The Haunting of Hill House?

What really surprised me was that it wasn't particularly similar to Dracula or Edgar Allan Poe. Instead it's a surprisingly intimate journey of the main character, Eleanor Vance. Her inner monologue is our window into her experiences at Hill House and boy, is it ever a strange window.

The book doesn't have the usual scares found in gothic horror. Instead its a claustrophobic, slow build to the fear of isolation, madness, and ultimately - the psychological destruction of the main character.

When I started reading it, I was a little nonplussed by Eleanor. Her flights of fancy, her contradictory assertions, and the overall slow reveal of the house. I kept waiting for some dramatic climax where things go horribly wrong for the occupants of the house. But then I realized that Eleanor was much deeper than I gave credit.

This changed my perspective and I began to wonder, is it the house that's haunted or is it Eleanor that's haunting the house? Ultimately, we'll never know the truth but that's the beauty of the book. It gives us a profoundly troubled character who is dealing with decades of trauma and puts them into situation where the unreal and real can become mixed up.

There are many other interesting themes to investigate as well. The possible sexual ambiguity of her relationship with Theodora, the whole analogy for a marriage breaking apart, the traumatic and abusive relationship with her mother... there is so much to digest.

I will say, the scene with Eleanor and Theo in the room while they hear the voices in the next room was one of the scariest things I ever read.

Hello, I'm back with the 4th part of my 50 states, 50 horror books series. Two years ago I started a reading journey to read a horror book that takes place in each state. I originally found this idea on instagram and made it a goal to only include reads from that point on. It has been really interesting to see how geography effects the story for each state. Here are my reviews of states 31-40 alphabetically - this is easily the group in which I had the highest ratings across the board, but my other posts certainly show that I didn't just give every book 3+ stars.

New Mexico
The Haunted Forest Tour - Jeff Strand & James Moore

Horror sub-genre: Creature horror

Plot: A strange and terrible forest with monsters springs up in the middle of the New Mexico desert. Investors decide to run tours through the newly created horror zone, because capitalism. Things go poorly.

Review: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
This book was insane. I saw someone here on Horrlit describe it as Jurassic Park meets Cabin in the Woods, and that's literally the book. If you want your horror stories to be spooky, but with little gore, this book is not for you. If you want a ridiculous gore-fest with crazy creatures and some humor along the way, then you will really enjoy it.

Other New Mexico books I've read: Man, Fuck This House (Brian Asman), Shutter (Ramona Emerson), Something is Killing the Children (James Tynion IV), I Know What You Did Last Summer (Lois Duncan)

Other New Mexico books I considered, but didn't get to: American Elsewhere (Robert Jackson Bennett), The Haunted (Bentley Little)

New York
The Lesser Dead - Christopher Buehlman

Horror sub-genre: Vampires, Creepy children

Plot: Joey Peacock is a 40-something vampire (in the body of a 14 year old) that narrates a dark and twisty tale of vampires in 1970s New York City.

Review: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This is definitely my favorite vampire book that I've ever read and slots easily into my top 5 reads of the challenge. Buehlman manages to create a fully-developed world with engaging characters, while also writing a terrifying horror novel. It's best to go into this with as little info as possible, so I'll just say go read it. If you're an audiobook person I highly recommend that as well, because the author's narration is top-notch.

Other New York books I've read: The Chill (Scott Carson), Head Like a Hole (Andrew Van Wey), The Sun Down Motel (Simone St. James), Camp 1985 (Matthew Corr), Ghostwritten (Ronald Malfi), Infidel (Pornsak Pichetshote), Hex (Thomas Olde Heuvelt - moved to NY in English translation), Nestlings (Nat Cassidy), Night Film (Marisha Pessl), Zone One (Colson Whitehead), The Fisherman (John Langan).... and many more because there are a million horror books that take place in New York state

North Carolina
The Hollow Places - T. Kingfisher

Horror sub-genre: Alternate dimensions, creepy creatures, animal horror

Plot: Kara discovers a mysterious portal in the back wall of her uncle's eclectic shop. As she begins to explore, she finds a bunker with the words "Pray they are hungry" and discovers there are creatures that seem to be able to hear thoughts and feed on fear.

Review: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Kingfisher seems to be an extremely divisive author on this sub, but I really like her books and this one is easily my favorite. Her main characters are generally middle-aged women, and to me it's a breath of fresh air in the horror genre to find someone telling different types of stories. This book has a little of everything - alternate dimensions, contemporary real-world problems, two highly entertaining and likeable main characters, and one giant river otter. There are so many great ideas that Kingfisher pours into this book to ratchet up the tension, mystery, and fear.

Other North Carolina books I've read: The Twisted Ones & A House with Good Bones (T. Kingfisher), When the Reckoning Comes (LaTanya McQueen), Joyland (Stephen King)

Other North Carolina books I considered, but didn't get to: Usher's Passing (Robert McCammon), Coyote Rage (Owl Goingback)

North Dakota
The Only Good Indians - Stephen Graham Jones

Horror sub-genre: Psychological horror, Indigenous folklore, Creature horror

Plot: Four men committed a crime against nature when they were younger, and now an elk entity stalks them one-by-one looking for revenge

Review: ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2
This book has gotten a lot of hype, and for good reason. It is unique, and visceral, and super creepy. Stephen Graham Jones has quickly become one of my favorite authors, and this book is an excellent showcase of his writing style. The book is divided into 3 main acts, and each could be their own whole story. I know opinion of the third act is divided, and I agree it's the weakest section, but that's only because the first two are so strong and terrifying. There are so many scenes from this book that I still think about on the regular. Highly recommend.

Other North Dakota books I considered, but didn't get to: Frostbite (Angela Sylvaine), The Shadows (Alex North)

Ohio
Horrorstor - Grady Hendrix

Horror sub-genre: Haunted house store

Plot: The workers of the Orsk furniture store (an Ikea stand-in) in Cleveland are fed up with coming into the store each morning and finding things misplaced, broken, and intentionally damaged. Some of the employees believe there are intruders hiding out, and others think there are ghosts, so a small group stay overnight to find the culprits.

Review: ⭐⭐⭐1/2
This was my first Grady Hendrix book and I was entertained. I don't think it was the strongest craftmanship throughout, but a haunted Ikea made for a great atmosphere and some surprises along the way. I was amused and it led me to seek out more of Hendrix's work. I read it on e-book, but I hear the physical copy is made to look like an old-school magazine/catalog, which sounds fun.

Other Ohio books I've read: 20th Anniversary Screening (Jeff Strand), A Hunter Called Night (Tim Waggoner)

Oklahoma
The Hatak Witches - Devin Mihesuah

Horror sub-genre: Indigenous folklore, Crime/Mystery

Plot: When a security guard is killed and another injured at a museum, detectives struggle to figure out the secret behind a unique locked-door mystery. While they search for clues as to why the killer stole indigenous bones, they find the answer might not be entirely human.

Review: ⭐⭐⭐1/2
This detective story centers around the stories and myths of Indigenous people, and is written by an acclaimed Choctaw historian. While it is clear the author wants to inform while also trying their hand at fiction, the mini lectures that broke the action never bothered me. I felt it was a rare case of learning things, while also enjoying a spooky book. If you want a run-of-the-mill detective story, you probably won't enjoy this one. However, as someone who enjoyed the sudden X-Files nature of this investigative tale I would recommend it to someone looking for something different to read.

Other Oklahoma books I've read: Revival & The Outsider (Stephen King)

Oregon
The Loop - Jeremy Robert Johnson

Horror sub-genre: Zombie horror, apocalyptic

Plot: The Loop is essentially a slasher/apocalyptic book - similar to zombie stories, but not exactly zombies - and it's quite gory. Teenagers in a small town are infected by... something... that makes them incredibly violent. The people that remain uninfected are left to their own devices to evade these horrifying versions of their classmates and try to find a way out of the situation.

Review: ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2
Look - is this the best book ever? No. Does it have some flaws? Yes. Did I still give it 4.5 stars? Heck yea I did. Some aspects have a distinct YA feel, but that's mostly due to the main characters being teens. Johnson creates believable teenage characters and a flawed, but interesting main trio. I started listening to this book on audio, but found I couldn't wait until I was back in the car to finish, so I got it in print to read it faster. This book has the pacing of fast zombie movies like Train to Busan or World War Z, and I couldn't put it down.

Other Oregon books I've read: The Restless Ones (Abe Moss), Nailbiter Returns (Joshua Williamson)

Other Oregon books I considered, but didn't get to: The Dead and the Dark (Courtney Gould), Fever House (Keith Rosson), Black Tide (KC Jones), The Devil Crept In (Ania Ahlborn), The Devil's Wake (Tananarive Due & Steven Barnes), Meddling Kids (Edgar Cantero)

Pennsylvania
Jackal - Erin E. Adams

Horror sub-genre: Creature horror, mystery, small-town horror, societal horror

Plot: Liz Rocher reluctantly goes back home to her small town for her best friend's wedding. Growing up as one of the only Black kids in school wasn't easy, and she's been avoiding a return to Johnstown for most of her adult life. During the wedding her goddaughter goes missing, and Liz starts digging up some old memories. In her attempt to find the girl, Liz begins to uncover some dark secrets of the town, and how, for years, Black girls have been going missing in the woods, and usually wind up dead. It's a race against time for Liz as struggles to fight her own demons, and those of the town.

Review: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I absolutely loved this book. Adams has created an engaging mystery with fleshed out characters and a healthy dose of horror. There are a lot of moving pieces in this story, but the author manages to successfully combine a supernatural terror with the real-life horrors of racism and town segregation. Liz is an engaging character that makes a reluctant hero and amateur detective, and doesn't always stay one step ahead of the town villains. I received this as an e-book advanced copy, but I enjoyed it so much I will probably buy my own physical copy.

Other Pennsylvania books I've read: Boys in the Valley (Philip Fracassi), Black River Orchard (Chuck Wendig), They Never Learn (Layne Fargo), Ghost Road Blues - DNF (Jonathan Mayberry), Christine (Stephen King)

Other Pennsylvania books I considered, but didn't get to: Ghoul (Brian Keene), From a Buick 8 (Stephen King), The Book of Accidents (Chuck Wendig)

Rhode Island
The Call of Cthulhu - H.P. Lovecraft

Horror sub-genre: Cosmic horror

Plot: One of the features of the Cthulhu mythos, this story details the failings of the human mind when confronted with a horrifying cosmic entity

Review: ⭐⭐
I appreciate what Lovecraft did for the horror genre and generally like cosmic horror. That being said, I don't care for his writing style and can't get past the pervasive racism in his stories. I gave this two stars, rather than one, due to its influence on the genre as a whole, but I did not enjoy it.

Other Rhode Island books I've read: Horror Movie (Paul Tremblay), Bunny - DNF (Mona Awad)

Other Rhode Island books I considered, but didn't get to: The Red Tree (Caitlin Kiernan), Plain Bad Heroines (Emily Danforth)

South Carolina
The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires - Grady Hendrix

Horror sub-genres: Vampires, Societal horror, Small-town horror

Plot: A group of housewives have a true-crime/mystery book club in their affluent and very Southern-traditional 1990s neighborhood. One of the ladies begins to think that their new neighbor is hurting children, and might actually be a vampire.

Review: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I absolutely loved this book. Hendrix creates two different horrors in this story - the vampire, of course, but also the rampant sexism and racism of this time and place. The husbands in this story are awful, but that's sort of the point. There's no badass "final girl" in this book, just women supporting women under extreme circumstances. This is one of my favorite horror stories of the last few years, and make no mistake it IS a horror novel. While it's not a slasher, that are some definite moments of terror and a bit of gore, but it would also be a great entry point for someone getting into the genre. This book was excellent, but it stressed me out, ya'll.

Other South Carolina books I've read: The Institute (Stephen King)

Other South Carolina books I considered, but didn't get to: Lost Gods (Brom), other Grady Hendrix books

That's all for now, folks. Thanks for reading and I'll be back to finish the challenge soon.

Mine is the Roanoke. For me this is the most horrifying seasons of American Horror Story due to its unsettling atmosphere, intense storyline, and a mix of supernatural and psychological horror elements. The season's unique format, which includes a documentary-style narrative, adds to the eerie and immersive experience.

This season makes me don't wanna go on a hike on the woods anymore. You know I love watching horror movies but this season makes me feel weak and has stopped me form watching a horror movie for quite sometime.

Hello! I'm back with the third part of my series reviewing my challenge of 50 States, 50 Horror books. Today we're taking a look at the next group of 10 (Massachusetts - New Jersey). I completed this challenge over 2 years, so if you're wondering why I skipped some obvious choices, it's usually because I've already read them and/or just wanted to branch out and try new things.

Massachusetts
The Summer Job - Adam Cesare

Horror sub-genre: Cult, Mystery, Small-town horror

Plot: Claire is looking for change, so when her roommate finds her a job at a hotel in the isolated town of Mission, Massachusetts it seems like the perfect answer. Unfortunately, the town is on the brink of war between two factions - both with sinister plans.

Review: ⭐
I've enjoyed Cesare's work previously - especially Clown in a Cornfield, but I did not like this book at all. It had some interesting ideas, especially with there being potentially two rival cults pushing for power in a small town. Unfortunately, literally none of these were ever explained or resolved and you end the book with more questions than answers. Also, while I know it's a horror book, it features some truly ugly violence and one of the worst animal deaths I've ever had the misfortune to read. Gruesome, gross, and not that good of a story. This was my least favorite book of the challenge.

Other books from Massachusetts I've read: The Haunting of Hill House (Shirley Jackson), A Head Full of Ghosts (Paul Tremblay), NOS4A2 and Locke & Key, Vol. 1 (Joe Hill), All Hallows (DNF)(Christopher Golden)

Michigan
Lakewood - Megan Giddings

Horror sub-genre: Societal horror, Thriller

Plot: When Lena's grandmother dies, Lena becomes the lead caretaker and sole breadwinner for her and her ailing mother. She receives an invitation to become a test subject at a mysterious lab and is faced with a choice of how far she'll go to help her family.

Review: ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2
The book description mentions Lakewood being a cross between The Handmaid's Tale and the story of Henrietta Lacks, and I think that's a pretty apt comparison. The story raises a lot of hypothetical questions and brings in current issues in society that ultimately work both as a commentary for the world around us and a tense horror/thriller. Lena is a really smart and engaging character stuck in a no-win situation, and it's easy for the reader to root for her. I really liked this book, with my only critique being that it started a bit slow for such a short story.

Other books from Michigan I've read: Bird Box (Josh Malerman), Clown in a Cornfield (Adam Cesare)

Minnesota
Those Who Came Before - J.H. Moncrieff

Horror sub-genre: Folk horror

Plot: Reese Wallace goes on a camping trip with a few friends to Strong Lake. After cutting down a strange tree, the trip is cut short when the rest of the group is brutally murdered, leading to Reese being the sole survivor and prime suspect. While investigating the scene, Detective Greyeyes finds a mysterious arrowhead that she can't seem to get out of her mind.

Review: ⭐⭐⭐
This was one of the earliest books I read for the challenge, and I'm honestly having a hard time remembering too many details. I wrote down reviews for most of my challenge books on Storygraph/Goodreads, but maybe it says something about the story that it's kind of slipped my mind. This book is part Indigenous folk horror, part detective mystery, and a little bit of gruesome horror in the beginning.

Other books from Minnesota I've read: The Institute, Duma Key (Stephen King)

Mississippi
Dark Corner - Brandon Massey

Horror sub-genre: Vampires, Small-town horror

Plot: David Hunter, the son of a recently, (presumably) deceased famous author, moves to his father's home town in hopes of learning more about the man he didn't know very well. At the same time, a vampire moves into the creepy house on the hill.

Review: ⭐⭐⭐
Did the plot sound familiar to you? What if I told you that this young man met a young, scholarly woman in the park that instantly became his love interest and then the two of them met a kindly older man, and the three characters band together to fight off the new vampiric threat...? Am I actually describing 'Salem's Lot? No, which makes this a thinly-veiled plagiaristic attempt, a not-so-secret homage, or a surprise re-telling of the famous King book. I will say it veers off in the last third of the story, but I could not get past the blatant similarities without some criticism. I did end up enjoying it and liked a lot of Massey's character work, but the copycat nature and the fact that it was about 150 pages too long, made me dock it down to three stars.

Missouri
Crota - Owl Goingback

Horror sub-genre: Creature horror

Plot: When an earthquake hits a small town in Missouri, it shakes loose a long-sealed cave and awakens an old monster.

Review: ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2
This was a really great monster novel - it's basically Jaws on land. A small town sheriff struggles to uncover the mystery of a series of gruesome murders of both people and local farm animals. Meanwhile, the game warden/local Medicine Man realizes a mythical beast from the beginning of time may have just woken up and is both angry and hungry. I really liked this one, but took off half a star because there is literally 1 woman in this whole book, and she's in maybe 3 scenes. I just feel he could've done a little better there. Otherwise, really entertaining though.

Other Missouri books I considered (but didn't get to): Dark Places, Gone Girl (Gillian Flynn), Mr. Shivers (Robert Jackson Bennett)

Montana
Those Who Wish Me Dead - Michael Koryta

Horror sub-genre: Thriller, Wilderness survival

Plot: Fourteen-year-old Jace is swimming at a local quarry when he witnesses a brutal murder. To protect him before the trial, he enters the witness protection program and is sent to a wilderness camp disguised as just another troubled teen learning survival skills. Unbeknownst to him, the murderous Blackwell Brothers are killing everyone in their path to Jace and are closer than he thinks.

Review: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
I'll admit it's a stretch to call this a horror book, but I had a hard time finding a Montana book and had access to it on audiobook. That being said, I really enjoyed this fast-paced thriller. The Montana wilderness is a main character in the story, and there were a lot of great human characters as well. Where it edges into horror is with the brutality of the Blackwell Brothers - they are super creepy and the audiobook narrator did a particularly great job with all of the different voices, so I definitely recommend that route if it's a method you're into.

Other Missouri books I've read: Swift to Chase (Laird Barron)
Other Missouri books I considered (but didn't get to): Winter Moon (Dean Koontz), The Final Girl Support Group (Grady Hendrix)

Nebraska
There's Someone Inside Your House - Stephanie Perkins

Horror sub-genre: YA, Slasher, Mystery

Plot: Makani has moved from beautiful Hawaii to the middle-of-nowhere Nebraska with her grandmother, and is slowly settling in with new friends and hobbies. Unfortunately the students of her new high school are being picked off one-by-one in increasingly disturbing and gruesome ways.

Review: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
I just really like a fun slasher horror - books, movies, it doesn't matter - I'm probably going to enjoy it if it's halfway decent. This book, however, was more than halfway decent and I enjoyed the characters and mystery. It's definitely a YA book, with all the usual tropes that come with that, but I had a really fun time reading it.

Other Nebraska books I considered (but didn't get to): Devil's Call (J. Danielle Dorn), Pack (Mike Bockoven), 1922 (Stephen King)

Nevada
American Vampire, Vol. 2 - Scott Snyder, Rafael Albuquerque

Horror sub-genre: Graphic novel, Vampires, Historical Fiction

Plot: It's 1935 and Las Vegas is transforming from a small town into a wild boomtown with the opening of the Hoover Dam approaching. Meanwhile, Police Chief McCogan is faced with a new threat when the bodies of the Dam's businessmen end up drained of blood.

Review: ⭐⭐1/2
The first volume was about a 1920s socialite that was brutalized and turned into a vampire, who then went on seeking revenge on those that hurt her. I really enjoyed that volume and was looking forward to the second chapter, but this was a huge let down. I'm normally a fan of Albuquerque's artwork, but it was hard to decipher and the convoluted story didn't help. This one was unfortunately a miss.

Other Nevada books I've read: The Stand (Stephen King),
Other Nevada books I considered (but didn't get to): We Sold Our Souls (Grady Hendrix), Prey (Michael Crichton), Desperation (Stephen King)

New Hampshire
The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon - Stephen King

Horror sub-genre: Lost in the wilderness

Plot: Trisha McFarland was only packed for a day-trip with her mom and brother - she brought a few meager supplies and her portable radio. She strays off the pass as the other two are arguing and soon becomes incredibly lost. With only the comfort of her Red Sox games on the radio, the 9-year-old makes her way through the woods as she tries to survive days alone off the Appalachian Trail.

Review: ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2
This short novel by Stephen King is an excellent story about a young girl lost in the New England woods. While simple in concept, King crafts a great character to follow throughout the ordeal and an interesting coping mechanism to deal with her trauma - listening to her beloved Red Sox on her walkman, the only connection she has to the outside world. As a person who also loves the Red Sox, and remembers watching the players discussed in the book, I particularly enjoyed this plotline, but you don't need to be a Sox fan or even a baseball fan to enjoy the novel. King is always great at writing kids, and Tom Gordon is no exception.

Other New Hampshire books I've read: NOS4A2 (Joe Hill), Wytches (Scott Snyder)
Other New Hampshire books I considered (but didn't get to): The Night Strangers (Chris Bohjalian), Eric LaRocca books, The Dead Zone (Stephen King), Sign Here (Claudia Lux)

New Jersey
The Doll-Master and Other Tales of Terror - Joyce Carol Oates

Horror sub-genre: Anthology, Societal Horror, Human monsters

Plot/Reviews (6 short stories) ⭐⭐⭐
The Doll Master - A young man starts collecting dolls after his cousin dies of leukemia, but all is not as it seems. Super creepy with just enough mystery about what the main character is doing.

Soldier - Told from the perspective of a man on trial for shooting an unarmed Black teenager. This one is well written, but very disturbing.

Gun Accident - A young girl house sitting for her teacher is attacked by intruders. Also very well written and very disturbing.

Equatorial - A woman on vacation in Ecuador with her husband questions their relationship and if he is plotting to get her out of the way for a new woman.  This one fell a bit flat for me.

Big Momma - A lonely girl finds comfort in her new friend's family, but they might not all be as sunshine and roses as they appear. This one was also a bit flat for me as it was obvious what was going on from the beginning.

Mystery, Inc. - A bookseller plots the demise of a rival store owner. This one was pretty strong, but went on way too long for the last act. A novella that should have just been a short story.

Other New Jersey books I've read: Creepers (David Morrell)
Other New Jersey books I considered (but didn't get to): Hidden Pictures (Jason Rekulak), Midnight Mass (F. Paul Wilson), The Jersey Devil (Hunter Shea), The Silence (Tim Lebbon), The Night Will Find Us (Matthew Lyons)

For me it's gotta be House 2: The Second Story. The grandpa. The pug bug. The crystal skull. It's all just so classic. There's many other horrors that bring me comfort, for example; Creepshow 2, The Twilight Zone (both the movie and especially the show), The Frighteners, Pet Semetary, Sleepaway Camp, and The Return of the Living Dead. All of which I love. House 2 is my choice though for how adventurous the story is and how it's just so bizarre but likeable.

I'm curious what your pick is for most comforting horror movie and also why?

My favorite Hellraiser film, which I'm sure is probably not a very popular or common opinion among many Hellraiser fans. I find it's by far the most entertaining and while the series certainly went more mainstream with this entry, it did so in a good way and it still feels like it adheres to the mythos and still very much has the Clive Barker authenticity to it. It was clearly tailored to be more geared towards the Freddy/Jason/Michael/Chucky audience and tonally it's more akin to Tales From The Crypt meets early 90s MTV, but still very much feels like an authentic Hellraiser film (and certainly far moreso than nearly all of the non-theatrical sequels). It's not only very entertaining but I find it's the only really rewatchable Hellraiser film as well, as the first two although good movies are somewhat low on the rewatchability for me and I have to be in a certain type of mood for them. But this one, it's always a good and enjoyable watch no matter the occasion, whether viewed in conjunction with the rest of the saga, as part of my Halloween Horror playlist every October or just as something to kick back to on a Friday or Saturday night after a long work week.

Some fans were disappointed Julia didn't become the main antagonist of the series as was the original plan but I have a hard time imagining her being the series' lead villain and think they made the right move by finally have Pinhead take center stage and develop him far more this time. Exploring a villain's backstory can be hostile waters, but it's thankfully handled well here. I enjoyed learning so much about Elliott Spencer's backstory and felt the aspect of Pinhead and Spencer as two entities with Spencer being benign and Pinhead essentially being a completely evil, bloodthirsty alter ego independently manifested was a clever idea that was handled well and gave Pinhead more substance than the average Horror villain with the new man vs. monster duality he had in this film. While the film definitely attempts to make Pinhead into the new Freddy Krueger, I felt they made the wise decision to never have him come off as silly or jokey, and he's by far at his most menacing and demonic in this film. He never comes off as silly or hammy unlike Freddy did in so many of the Elm Street sequels.

Other high points of the film for me were the characters of Joey and Terri. Joey is such an underrated heroine and I was always so disappointed she never returned for more entries and is never even so much as mentioned or referenced ever again after this. In the patheon of strong Horror heroines she certainly has her place and dare I say it, I like her better than Kirsty. Doug Bradley getting to shine not only as Pinhead in arguably his finest performance in the role but also as Captain Elliott Spencer, playing two seperate characters who are different yet the same, and he pulls it off with such ease. There's great moments throughout such as Pinhead's rebirth from the Pillar Of Souls, the fun nightclub massacre and the Cenobites' pursuit of Joey in the streets, the controversial church sequence and the trippy climax. Barring Camerahead I actually dug the new Cenobites including the CD one, who while silly is also kind of cool, but they felt underutilized here. And who doesn't dig the awesome title song from Motorhead?

It's not perfect, with some occasionally corny dialogue here and there, some bad acting from some of the supporting actors and some of the visual effects haven't aged well. And yes, the infamous Camerahead Cenobite who stinks things up when he's in the film (which is thankfully not all that much). But none of these ruin the film for me or override it's many strengths, and I always have such a good time with it. It's a bit of a departure from the tone and style of the first two but in a good way and it still very much feels like Hellraiser proper. I find it impressive how the first three movies despite how pretty different they are still manage to feel like they belong in the same universe and canon. This felt like the last entry that tried to have tight continuity with what had come before before it became so scattershot after this. A Hellraiser film with an actual budget and production quality to it, with how incredibly cheap, low-rent and downright amateurish some of the non-theatrical sequels got, with Revelations being an especially egregious offender. It's still a somewhat polarizing film among Hellraiser fans, and it's one I'll always be happy to count myself among it's defenders.

Since Duskmourn is just on the horizon, I wanted to start compiling a list of movies to watch before it comes out. It has some obvious inspirations like Ghostbusters and video game franchises like Silent Hill or Evil Within, but I was curious what y'all think would be material that'd help familiarize someone with the the vibes of the setting. They could showcase the tropes of the genre particularly well or just be very enjoyable.

I figure slasher movies (Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm Street and Halloween) and movies involving torture (Saw, Hellraiser) would be safe bets but I'm not sure which else would be good to watch.

Movies I've seen that I feel fit the bill:
The Shining
Hellraiser (don't remember which one)
Scream
Friday the 13th
Monster House
Ghostbusters (1984) and Afterlife
The Conjuring 1 and 2
It (2017)

Alien (didn't include initially because I thought it'd be too sci-fi)

The Ritual (didn't include initially because i thought it'd be too folk horror)

Edit: Thank y'all so much for all the responses! I've got a ton of spine tingling options. I watched The Ring last night and it was excellent and I'm excited for more.

What are your favorite horror movies and TV series with a cozy or atmospheric vibe? I'm not asking about pure comfort watches, but films with an eerie yet inviting atmosphere. Maybe it's a gloomy, atmospheric setting, a familiar and nostalgic small town, or a story that feels like a community banding together despite the spooky elements. Or maybe, for no reason you can explain, you just feel cozy.

Here's what I find cozy: autumnal vibes, snowy winter landscapes gloomy and grey atmospheres, classic gothic horror elements, and anything that takes place around Halloween, Thanksgiving, or Christmas. I will start by listing some of my favorites:

• Terrifier 2 (2022)

• Halloween (1978)

• Black Christmas (1974)

• Thanksgiving (2023)

• Trick ’r Treat (2007)

• Spontaneous (2020)

• Fear Street Trilogy (2021)

• The Mortuary Collection (2019)

• The Lodge (2019)

• Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (2019)

• Better Watch Out (2016)

• Sinister (2012)

• Krampus (2015)

• Crimson Peak (2015)

• The Blackcoats Daughter (2015)

• The Grudge (2004)

• The Ring (2002)

• Don't Be Afraid of the Dark (2010)

• The Woman in Black (2012)

• Ginger Snaps (2000)

• Scream (1996)

• What Lies Beneath (2000)

• Misery (1990)

• The Thing (1982)

• The Shining (1980)

• The Exorcist (1973)

• The House of the Devil (2009)

• Mama (2013)

• Sleepy Hollow (1999)

• The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)

• Storm of the Century (1999)

• All of Mike Flanagan's TV series, especially Midnight Mass (2021) and The Haunting of Bly Manor (2020)

• Chapelwaite (2021)

• Slasher- Season 2 (2017)

• Scream (TV series, 2015)

• Archive 81 (2022)

If you could delve into the backstory of a horror movie side character, who would it be?

For me, it would be Regan's mother, Chris MacNeil, from The Exorcist. She's a fascinating character, and I'd love to see more about her life before and after the possession. What drove her to be such a strong, resilient woman, and how did she cope with the aftermath of the horrifying events?

Also I'd love to watch the backstory of Jack Torrance (The Shining) I think it would be so interesting..

What about you? Whose backstory intrigues you?

What are some movies that have 'textbook' gray midget big-brained aliens that fly in UFOs? Most alien horror movies subvert aliens in some way. From all the ones I've seen, Alien (the movie) is a highly subversive and high-concept movie so it doesn't fit the bill. Predator is more action than horror. Killer Klowns isn't subversive but it is dumb and campy in the worst ways in my opinion. Nope, the most recent one I've seen (I finally saw it last year) is a crazy high concept and has nothing to do with aliens past the first half when they realize it's a straight-up Evangelion Angel.(the movie is too good to spoil!)

Any recommendations to scratch this itch?

Examples: The Exorcist, Evil Dead, 30 Days of Night, Nightmare on Elm Street. I just watched Abigail which nails this imo. It's one of my favorite horror tropes.

What other movies do this?

Hello All. I'm currently suffering from severe exhaustion and cannot keep up with TV series lol so I'm on a horror binge. I'm looking for decent horror movies that are new-ish and specifically NOT zombie or poltergeist/possession related. I'm not a fan of zombies and possession ones just freak me out lol.

I watch them alone (well, with my dog) so exorcisms are too much alone!

I recently watched The Menu (not horror really but loved the humour), Bodies Bodies Bodies (was ok, nothing special) and ... Something else that I can't remember. I am very tired..

Also I don't want subtitles please because I am just so tired I don't wanna have to read. Usually they're grand but right now just no ...

My favourite horror movies involve a good story, dark humour (though not crucial, I just love a bit of dark humour), suspense and everything else horror brings. I'm not against slasher movies, eerie ones like Amelie for example. I love all American Horror Story seasons so I'm open to most (other than what I mentioned)

I've seen all the oldie classics like The Shining, Ring, Grudge etc.

It doesn't have to be specifically on any particular streaming platform - any is fine!

EDIT: THANK YOU SO MUCH for all of these amazing suggestions! I've never had so many replies to a post so i can't respond to everyone so just a general thank you to all of you guys xxx Please help me get some good ones to watch :)

SECOND EDIT: I'm blown away with all of your super helpful and great suggestions! So far - from the comment's I've gotten through - a few notable movies appear to be the most recommended: It Follows, The Night House, Smile, Autopsy of Jane Do (I think this looks great) and Happy Death Day.

I'll keep reading through and thank you again!

In my personal opinion, The Exorcist and Kubrick's The Shining are the scariest movies, however, they both have sequels now. I am wondering what stand alone horror movie you find incredibly scary that does not have a sequel, because it seems like they are a rare breed?

Tonight I was rewatching one of my favorite shark movies, Deep Blue Sea, and every time I always cheered at the fact that my favorite character, Preacher (LL Cool J), survived till the very end, and even killed the last big shark.

The first time I ever watched the film, although I really liked Preacher, I always had this sinking feeling that he was inevitably going to die at some point near or at the climax. Despite my expectations, he narrowly evades death multiple times and is one of the last survivors of the film, which has always been one of the reasons I’ve so much enjoyed rewatching this film over the years.

So, now it makes me wonder what other horror movie characters were expected to die, but, thankfully, never did. What other characters out there did you have no doubt when watching the film for the first would not survive but were pleasantly proven wrong?

So this is a long shot but I distinctly remember watching this movie one night after I was supposed to be asleep and one scene in particular has really stuck with me that still pops into my brain every once in a while.

The scene that I remember is where it’s some guy in a motel or hotel room with I think maybe a prostitute or some woman that he had kidnapped.. she was laying on that bed and I think she was tied up but not positive.. and at one point the guy jumps on the bed and takes a bite out of her cheek/face like it was an apple and then spits it out.. does anyone know what movie this could possibly be?

I want to say it seemed like it was an 80s movie and honestly I don’t know it was classified as a horror movie.. but that scene literally traumatized me and imprinted in my brain to where I still can see it in my brain almost 30 years later.

Thanks in advance!

I'm thinking of movies like The Wailing, or even TV shows like The Outsider, where there is some kind of crime and the characters approach it very much like an everyday investigator would do, but with more of a horror element (supernatural or not) than a thriller or mystery would have.

I just watched ‘Living Dark’ and it inspired this post!! Boy do the guys scream and scream in this film!! What are your stand out movies for excessive screaming?

What horror movies are ever so loved by most horror fans, but make you roll your eyes at the mere mention? I must say that the scariest films ever lists usually have a bunch for me. I Saw The TV Glow pissed me off earlier. I'm just glad his chest was hairy

Think of Freddy Krueger, Jason Voorhees, Michael Myers, Leatherface, Chucky, Jigsaw, Mary Shaw, Art the Clown, and (possibly, although it's a stretch, Roman from Scream).

Would most superheroes if they learned of them or came across these sorts of characters consider them as supervillains or something else? Would standard supervillains consider those characters as supervillains?

Like I hear people screaming at the screen "Just do this, Just do that" constantly, but for some reason I find it very easy to suspend my disbelief, unless its just...unbelievably absurd.

But like evil dead rise. Sure I could constantly complain about the fact the kid is just wandering inside a chamber underneath the parking lot for no good reason. Why he would even start playing the recording in the first place. But who cares really. I am just so entertained.

I have seen basically nothing so far. I used to hate horror movies but recently watched the ring and really enjoyed all the creepiness! What are some other horror movie I should try? There’s so many it’s hard to decide where to start. The scarier the better for me! I’d appreciate any and all help for a scary movie night

I've always enjoyed horror movies, but I find horror games to be on a whole different level. Even if it's a story I would find mediocre in a movie, when I'm playing a horror game, the fear feels so real that I often just want to curl up in a ball and avoid progressing.

In movies, I'm just a spectator, but in games, being an active participant makes the terror hit so much harder. The immersion, the creepy atmosphere, and the jump scares all make it nearly impossible for me to engage without getting completely spooked.

Does anyone else feel this way? Do you have horror games in mind that are especially scary because they are games?