Fright season is upon us and what better time to share some of my favourite creepy, unsettling, horror or horror-adjacent media? From movies, to books, and video games, I’ve collected 3 recommendations to bring some terror to your festive season!

Have a Halloween staple you want to share? Let me know! I’m always on the lookout for new finds! And with Halloween only two weeks away, what better time to share my Halloween playlist [here] featuring old classics, and reimagined ones like “Heads With Roll” from San Antonio based darkwave band, Haunt Me. May your evenings be ever frightful, and happy reading!

Film: Lord of Misrule (2023)

A priest begins a desperate search when her daughter goes missing during the local harvest festival. As she uncovers secrets from the town’s dark past, she must decide how much she’s willing to sacrifice to rescue the girl from the grip of evil.

The cinematography and sound design is stunning, I watched it twice in two days and immediately made a note to keep an eye out for the physical release. This is my new favourite horror movie, a title previously held by 2019’s The Mortuary Collection. Fantastic story, great reversal of roles and for all you monster enjoyers out there, Gallowgogg’s a treat. For the rest of us, Tuppence Middleton is strikingly pretty and Inesson’s deep voice is an absolute treat to listen to – the interactions between those two are very well done.

Criticism: the cast is overwhelmingly white

Book: Never Whistle At Night – An Anthology of Indigenous Dark Fiction

Many Indigenous people believe that one should never whistle at night. This belief takes many forms: for instance, Native Hawaiians believe it summons the Hukai’po, the spirits of ancient warriors, and Native Mexicans say it calls Lechuza, a witch that can transform into an owl. But what all these legends hold in common is the certainty that whistling at night can cause evil spirits to appear—and even follow you home.

My reactions ranged from “that’s a little creepy” to finishing a story and putting the book down (for a few days) to really mull over what I’d read. Has a story from Waubgeshig Rice, whose survival horror novel Moon of the Crusted Snow I read in 2023 and still think about regularly! 

I think White Hills (that one had me set the book down), Hunger (would make a very cool show), The Ones Who Killed Us and The Longest Street in the World were probably my favourite stories. Snakes are Born in the Dark was… the descriptions in that one from a body horror perspective were as excellent and off-putting as you could hope for!

I’ve heard a second collection of tales is being worked on, and I know I’ll be pre-ordering when available!

Video Game: Tales From Candleforth

Tales from Candleforth is a folk horror 2D point and click game with puzzles and escape room mechanics, that narrates the fairy tales from the village. The text contained in this ancient and evil book is now bleeding out, mixing the world of nightmares with the real one…

Released in April of 2024, Tales from Candleforth was a highly anticipated game for me – and lived entirely up to the excitement around it. In this beautiful hand-drawn game, you play as Sarah, a young girl whose world is turned upside when she awakes to find her grandmother, the local apothecary, has gone missing – and needs her help. The gameplay has you mirroring Sarah’s experiences of confusion, and how out of her depth she is, as you go along and solve the various puzzled required to collect ingredients for a potion your grandmother requested.

Mixing themes of family, horror, loyalty, and questioning what is real, Tales will see you through a fun, horror filled afternoon that will leave you wondering what the next tale out of Candleforth will be.

You can pick up Tales from Candleforth on Steam for $12 CAD.

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That’s all for this week! Until next time, stay cozy, and if you want to join your companions around the cauldron, signup for email updates below!