This time of year there is so much to experience. Between Halloween themed events, movies, television shows, and video games, there just too much to cram into one month.
The team here at Boss Rush Network wanted to share some of our favorite spooky season entertainment with all of you! Check out our picks below.
James Bojaciuk
Frankenstein & The Bride of Frankenstein
You may feel you’ve almost seen Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein. The famous lines still echo in the cultural consciousness nearly 100 years later. The unforgettable make-up, designed by Jack Pierce, haunts us. Every Halloween, clips from the films appear in commercials or other movies.
But the two films deserve to be watched, together, in a dark room. The horror and humanity are just as powerful today. The performances of Boris Karloff, Colin Clive, Elsa Lanchester, and others are among their best and are still outstanding. James Whale’s work proves he still deserves to be listed among the best directors.
If you do nothing else this year, watch Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein. Watch them together, as two halves of a whole movie. Watch them, and shudder.
Arsenic and Old Lace
One of the funniest and most charming “horror” films of all time, set entirely on Halloween night. Mortimer Bewster has a very simple goal: stop at his family’s home, then leave for his honeymoon. But over the course of the night he has to deal with several serial killers, a drunken plastic surgeon, a policeman with literary ambitions, and a long-suffering taxi driver. Arsenic and Old Lace is gorgeously shot with rich, inky darkness that consumes the screen. Frank Capra, and the cast led by Cary Grant, find the perfect balance between comedy and horror: the stakes land, the tension rises, but the comedy carries on smoothly alongside both.
Now that the film has received an outstanding restoration from the Criterion Collection, this is the best time to watch it.
Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein
Frankenstein was among the first Universal Horror films. Abbott and Costello was nearly the last, the climax to nearly 20 years of Dracula, Frankenstein, and Wolf Man films. Despite being (partially) a comedy, Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein is universally considered one of the best in the series. Abbott and Costello may be fools, bumbling in and out of danger, but the danger is real and the monsters are never played for a laugh. As lingering plot threads are resolved, the monsters make a frightful (and, as Bela Lugosi stressed, a dignified) final exit.
Bringing together some of the best classic horror has to offer in one of the funniest movies of all time, Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein is one of the perfect Halloween movies.
The Secret Histories RPG & The Lady Afterwards
Cultist Simulator is one of the best horror games out there. While you are (largely) confined to manipulating cards on a table, it builds a complex horror setting around you as you play. Over the course of your runs, you discover a corrupting pantheon and their human acolytes. The Secret Histories RPG and its first adventure The Lady Afterwards, give you a new way in to the world: as active, fleshed out characters in your own right as you investigate the activities of strange beings in a world that is almost, but not quite, our own. Or is it? The rules, written by Lottie Bevan, are some of the tightest and best I’ve read for a tabletop game.
Call of the Sea
I am remarkably picky about the Cthulhu Mythos. The original stories, and the mythology as concocted by the first writers and their friends, are exceptional. But so much of what followed misses the mark. Call of the Sea is one of the very few works using the Mythos to land almost precisely in the right spot. Imagine if a Lucasarts adventure game was produced with modern production values, and imagine if it still had the same care put into its writing. The game features a gorgeous, watercolor world and fun, in-depth puzzles. In Call of the Sea, you play as a woman following in the footsteps of her husband’s expedition on a South Pacific island, but both of you are keeping terrible secrets…
Josh Martinez
The Simpsons’ Treehouse of Horror
I’m not necessarily a big fan of horror or even Halloween, for that matter. In fact, I’m totally fine skipping the entire holiday as a whole. You can call me the Grinch for Halloween. All that said, I do prefer sitcoms and their themed Halloween episodes. The show that does it the best is The Simpsons. I’ve long thought writing for The Simpsons is some of the best on television with the show’s earlier seasons shining the most. Every year, the animated sitcom puts on its Treehouse of Horror episode which spoofs various horror and science-fiction shows, movies, and books. I recently wrote about my five favorite episodes from this and that’s because I think everyone should watch at least some of these episodes every year. It’s well worth your time if you’re looking to take a break from the spooky and embrace the funny.
Michaela El-Ters
The Haunting of Hill House
I adore this show so much. I am admittedly not a huge fan of horror shows, but the writing in The Haunting of Hill House elevates it. Each episode focuses on a core character of a family and how they’re affected by the shared trauma they experienced decades prior. It’s this emphasis on the family and their lives that makes the show truly special. The horror elements are vehicles for the characters as they try to heal; it doesn’t exist just to scare the audience, and the distinction is important. The show also skirts the line between having scientific explanations for the “ghosts” people see while ironically being a ghost show. It’s been a couple of years since I watched it, but it’s a show I still think about pretty often, especially Episode 5 (if you know, you know) With creepy visuals, incredible cinematography, and gut-wrenching performances makes this one of the best horror shows ever. If you want something scary yet emotional and incredibly well-written, this is the show for you.
A Quiet Place
While A Quiet Place is somewhat tame in terms of the horror and gore elements, what elevates it is the ambiance and tension of each scene. The story revolves around a family trying to survive in a post-apocalyptic world from creatures that hunt by sound. This means there is little to no dialogue throughout the movie, as the characters all communicate via ASL (actress Millicent Simmonds is deaf and the rest of the cast learned sign language to enhance their performances alongside her, which is amazing!). The focus on the family’s survival and their relationships following the death of a loved one is the primary focus of the film, and it’s so well-done. The film’s sound design is top notch. The acting performances by Emily Blunt and John Krasinski, based purely on their facial expressions and eyes, is incredible. A Quiet Place is an innovative entry to the horror filmography, and it’s a must-watch.
Werewolf by Night
Released on Disney Plus last October as Michael Giacchino’s directorial debut, Werewolf by Night is a fresh entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Inspired by classic horror films, this special is shot in black-and-white while combining makeup and CG special effects seamlessly. The dialogue is sharp and witty (with plenty of gallow’s humor), and the story is refreshingly scaled back from Marvel’s usual outings. With dynamic camera angles and a macabre edge, Werewolf by Night is a blast. Don’t let the fact that this special is connected to the MCU intimidate you: Werewolf by Night is very much treated as its own entry, and the lack of connection to other stories works well here. I’m hopeful that Marvel will continue to produce one-off limited specials like this in the future because it was an absolute treat to watch.
Stranger Things (Season 1)
The town of Hawkins, Indiana, is turned upside down when Will Byers suddenly goes missing one November night. The season juggles several storylines involving Will’s friends and family desperately trying to find him, the police’s investigation into a nearby lab, a mysterious girl named Eleven, and teenagers at the high school as they get sucked into the conflict. It shouldn’t work, and yet the Duffer Brothers are masters at weaving each storyline together and giving each one enough screen time in each episode. The “monster” of the show is treated similar to the shark in Jaws, so it’s not completely visible until the end, which is great. It keeps the suspense high. I vividly remember watching this season the first time and being incredibly stressed out. Would they find Will in time? What about Barb? What is Eleven’s connection to the Upside Down? Say what you will about later seasons, but I stand by Season 1 of Stranger Things being an essentially perfect bit of storytelling.
Jai
7 Days to Die
Source: 7 Days to Die
Imagine running around in panic on the rooftop of an abandoned office building after 6 days of preparing for the zombie horde goes horribly wrong. Instead of hiding in a safely barricaded room waiting for the horde to pass, flying creatures are attacking you from above and zombies speed climb up the building walls like spiders at a pace that leaves you near screeching “NOOO” at the screen. Welcome to 7 Days to Die.
Set in the post-apocalyptic city of Navezgane, Arizona, 7 Days to Die is an open-world RPG overrun by zombies and foul creatures, where your sole goal is to survive as long as possible. What really makes the game standout is the combination of first-person shooter elements along with a unique crafting system full of scavenging for supplies, making clothes, making tools and stocking up on weapons.
While 7 Days to Die can be played solo, the real fun comes in when playing with friends as you try to come together in building a solid shelter that can withstand the hordes that increase in strength every seven days. And in some cases – finding yourself fighting not only against a friend turned rogue looter, but also against thirst, hunger, and a variety of physical injuries you can get from the unforgiving wasteland environment. I’m not a lover of horror or scary things, but this is one that gets my heart racing in a way I can’t help but enjoy going back to time and again (against my better judgment).
Available on Steam, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One
David Lasby
Castlevania
This animated series on Netflix opened my mind to anime and reconnected me with the world of Castelvana, a video game series I played often as a child. (I know, the show is more western animation than anime, but it opened my mind nonetheless).
The brutally violent and overtly sexual animation overlays deep storytelling that explores corruption in politics, abuse of power among religious leaders, and the cruelty of a world without empathy. Counterbalancing these forces is vampire slayer Trevor Belmont and magic-wielder Sypha Belnades.
There are four seasons of Castlevania on Netflix, the first two of which loosely follow the storylines of Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse. The show also draws inspiration from Symphony of the Night and Curse of Darkness. There is also a follow-up series, which was just released on Netflix, Castlevania: Nocturne, which follows Richter Belmont during the era of the French Revolution.
These shows are wildly entertaining–right from the start. Anyone like myself who has viewed animation as a medium for children and not adults will quickly realize how embarrassingly wrong they’ve been. Castlevania has all the blood, sex, and violence of adult shows while also offering deep and relevant critiques of our society. We may not face creatures of the night during the Feudal Era or the French Revolution, but we absolutely face cruel politicians today who bleed society dry through greed and corruption, caring more for fame and personal enrichment than the duties of office; for most Americans, we are no more remembered by our politicians in DC than the people of Wallachia are by the Church or Dracula himself.
What makes Castlevania stand above so many video game adaptations is that writer and creator Warren Ellis uses the source material as inspiration rather than as an unbreakable mold. The flexibility to use these iconic characters to tell fresh stories, sensitive to the threats and needs of the moment, liberates Castlevania from the failures of past video game adaptations. If you’re looking for a spooky, yet thought-provoking show to watch this Halloween season, check out Castlevania.
Andrew Millard
Attack The Block
I’m surprised that Joe Cornish’s Attack The Block hasn’t become a Halloween staple. If you haven’t heard of it, but enjoy Edgar Wright’s films, you’ll catch this movie’s vibe quickly. In fact, Nick Frost makes one of his most memorable roles outside of a Wright film for Attack The Block as a mid-level weed supplier. The plot follows a small crew of teenage thugs who run petty crime around their tenement tower. After attempting to rob a young nurse, something from the sky crashes nearby. Eager to gain clout, the crew rushes to collect whatever it was. What it was turns out to be an alien hound – and one of the best creature designs of the 2010s. The plot stays rightly focused on the crew as they quickly establish themselves as their apartment block’s best hope of warding off a small-scale invasion. One of my favorite things about this movie is that the alien hounds come with almost no explanation. More of them simply fall to Earth, ready to attack, well. . . the block. With a tight story, a great balance of humor and action, and memorable early performances from John Boyega and Jodie Whitaker, Attack The Block deserves a shot at joining your Halloween (or Guy Fawkes) season watchlist.
Stephanie
10 Cloverfield Lane
Eight years after Cloverfield dropped in theaters, the spiritual sequel, 10 Cloverfield Lane, premiered in 2016. Although I enjoyed the first movie in the franchise, there’s something bone-chillingly sinister about the different direction that 10 Cloverfield Lane took.
After a car crash, a young woman named Michelle (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) wakes up in an underground bunker with two men–Howard (John Goodman) and Emmett (John Gallagher Jr) who believe a catastrophic event has led the planet to be uninhabitable. Howard, who built this bunker, comes off as a kind hearted person who claims to have rescued Michelle; however, as time passes, bits of his rage and paranoia creep out. This leaves Michelle wondering if everything has been a lie, and she fights to escape to the surface–willing to challenge his claim that the air is “poisoned”. I won’t spoil the ending, but this thriller is great for those that can’t handle the more gory and nightmare-inducing horror films.
The Medium
The Medium, developed and published by the Bloober Team, was released in 2021 with a focus on psychological horror. You play as a medium named Marianne, working in 1999’s Poland. After losing her foster father, Marianne receives a phone call from a man named Thomas, claiming to know about her mysterious powers and beckons her to an abandoned resort in Niwa. What Marianne discovers in the resort is nothing short of blood and horror, and she must traverse both the human and spiritual realm to uncover the secrets that lie in waiting. There is plenty in The Medium to give you all the “spook” you need for Halloween; however, it doesn’t simply rely on cheap scares. You solve intricate puzzles due to the duality of the human and spiritual realm that your character can cross. The story is also well written, and it still is one of my favorite games today.
Mary Helen
Inscryption
One of my roommates introduced me to this game a few months ago and I quickly got hooked on it. The game itself is divided into three acts and for Halloween, I want to focus on the first act.
You are in a cabin in the woods playing through a card game. Your opponent is hidden in shadows. There’s horror elements throughout and the music and graphics really set a spooky aesthetic.
Choose Your Own Adventure: House of Danger
Who didn’t love the Choose Your Own Adventure books as a kid? Two of them have been turned into board games. Out of those, House of Danger is by far my favorite. As with the books that inspired them, they weave a story where anything can happen.
Will you survive long enough to escape the house? You’ll have to play to find out.
Psych: Yin Yang Trilogy
These episodes do have elements of psychological thrillers in them. The final episodes of seasons 3-5 join together to create a trilogy with a case that never quite seems to be complete.
Written as a joint effort between the show’s creator Steve Franks and James Roday Rodriguez, these episodes are often at the top of lists of favorite episodes.
Featured Image: Photo by Toni Cuenca
