I’m not ashamed to admit, Halloween is my favorite holiday. By the time September hits, I’m already digging out my Halloween decorations and wishing for it to be October. Every year I spend the month of October reading and watching horror and fright-filled books and movies. Figuring out what to try, that’s always the rough part. With all the spooky stories out there nowadays, how are you supposed to choose what to spend your time on? So if you’re in need of some spooky, scary, Halloween books and movies to enjoy this October, look no further than this list right here. All of these books and movies can be found right here at Salina Public Library, so whether you are looking for ghosts and ghouls, vampires or jump scares, we have got you covered this spooky season. Here are 31 Frights for 31 Nights of October:
A supernatural reimagining of the Donner Party story follows a group of wagon-train pioneers who navigate sanity-testing misfortunes, including the mysterious death of a little boy and a series of disappearances that cause a beautiful member of the group to be accused of witchcraft.
It Follows is a supernatural horror film that follows Jay, a young woman who becomes the target of a relentless curse after a seemingly innocent encounter. The curse takes the form of a mysterious entity that can look like anyone and slowly walks toward its victim. As Jay and her friends attempt to understand and outrun the entity, they confront the terror of being constantly pursued by something that can’t be easily escaped.
3. How to Sell A Haunted House by Grady Hendrix
Forced to return to the small Southern town where she grew up to sell her late parents’ house, Louise discovers that her and her brother’s old grudges pale in comparison to the terror that still lurks within its walls.
M3GAN is a sci-fi horror film about a lifelike AI doll named M3GAN, created by a robotics engineer, Gemma, to be a child’s perfect companion. After Gemma becomes the guardian of her orphaned niece, Cady, she introduces her to M3GAN, who quickly bonds with Cady. Designed to protect and care for her, M3GAN begins to take her role too seriously, developing violent tendencies toward anyone who threatens Cady’s well-being.
After discovering the double identity of the wealthy Transylvanian nobleman, Count Dracula, a small group of people vow to rid the world of the evil vampire.
A Quiet Place is a post-apocalyptic horror film set in a world where blind, deadly creatures with hypersensitive hearing have wiped out most of humanity. The story follows the Abbott family, who live in near-total silence to avoid attracting the monsters.
7. Our Share of Night by Mariana Enriquez
In 1981, a young father and son set out on a road trip across Argentina, devastated by the mysterious death of the wife and mother they both loved. United in grief, the pair travels to her family home near Iguazú Falls, where they must confront the horrific legacy she has bequeathed. For the woman they are grieving came from a family like no other–a centuries-old secret society called the Order that pursues eternal life through ghastly rituals.
Practical Magic is a romantic fantasy film about two witch sisters, Sally and Gillian Owens, who grow up in a family cursed in love. Raised by their aunts in a small town where they are ostracized for their magical abilities, the sisters face the family curse: any man they fall in love with is doomed to an untimely death.
Twenty-three stories chronicle the experiences of people who have answered an ad for an artist’s retreat, believing that they will find a peaceful refuge, only to find themselves isolated and trapped in a cavernous old theater.
As Above, So Below is a found-footage horror film that follows a group of explorers as they venture into the catacombs beneath Paris in search of the fabled Philosopher’s Stone. Led by archaeologist Scarlett Marlowe, the team descends into the underground tunnels, but they soon encounter far more than they bargained for.
11. Tender is the Flesh by Augustina Bazterrica
Tender Is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica is a dystopian horror novel set in a world where animals are wiped out by a deadly virus, making animal meat inedible. In response, society turns to human meat, which is legalized and industrialized for consumption. The story follows Marcos, an employee at a human slaughterhouse, who becomes increasingly disillusioned with this new world order.
Ready or Not is a dark horror-comedy about Grace, a newlywed who marries into the wealthy and eccentric Le Domas family. On her wedding night, Grace is asked to participate in a bizarre family tradition: playing a game of hide-and-seek.
13. Something is Killing the Children Vol. 1 by James Tynion IV & Werther Dell’Edera
In sleepy Archer’s Peak, Wisconsin, children have begun to go missing. When the mysterious, battle-ready Erica Slaughter arrives in town, she reveals that terrifying creatures are behind the disappearances. Throughout this action-packed, blood-soaked, horror graphic novel series, Erica takes on the task of dispatching these monsters — which is a much larger task than she ever could have realized.
14. The Loneliest Boy in the World (2022)
The Loneliest Boy in the World is a quirky horror-comedy that follows Oliver, a socially awkward and isolated young man who struggles with loneliness after the death of his mother. In an effort to make friends, Oliver digs up corpses from a nearby cemetery and brings them home, treating them as his new “family.”
15. Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Helping a cult horror director shoot the missing scene from his magic film that was never finished to lift a curse, sound editor Montserrat and her best friend Tristan start seeing strange things and must unravel the mystery of this film and the obscure occultist who once roamed their city.
16. Pearl (2022)
Pearl is a psychological horror film and a prequel to X, set in 1918. It follows Pearl, a young woman living on her family’s isolated farm while dreaming of stardom and escape from her oppressive life.
17. Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist
Twelve-year-old Oskar is obsessed by the murder that’s taken place in his neighborhood. Then he meets the new girl from next door. She’s a bit weird, though. And she only comes out at night.
18. Us (2019)
Us is a psychological horror film directed by Jordan Peele, centered on Adelaide Wilson and her family, who are terrorized by their doppelgängers while on vacation. The doppelgängers, known as “the Tethered,” emerge from underground and violently confront their above-ground counterparts.
Looking for excitement, Coraline ventures through a mysterious door into a world that is similar, yet disturbingly different from her own, where she must challenge a gruesome entity in order to save herself, her parents, and the souls of three others.
The Sixth Sense is a psychological thriller directed by M. Night Shyamalan that follows a young boy named Cole Sear, who possesses a unique ability: he can see and communicate with the dead. Struggling with his terrifying visions, Cole seeks help from Dr. Malcolm Crowe, a child psychologist who is determined to assist him.
21. The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
Anthropologist and ghost hunter Dr. John Montague invites three strangers to stay in haunted Hill House for the summer. One of the guests is 32-year-old Eleanor, for whom three months in a haunted house is preferable to caring for her invalid mother. Soon, Eleanor begins to see and hear things that the other guests cannot. Is it all in her imagination, or is she the only one who can perceive the evil that lurks in Hill House?
22. Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022)
Bodies Bodies Bodies is a satirical slasher film that follows a group of wealthy young friends who gather at a remote mansion during a hurricane for a party. To pass the time, they play a game called “Bodies Bodies Bodies,” which involves one player pretending to be a killer while the others try to figure out who it is.
23. The Night Eaters Book 1: She Eats the Night by Marjorie M. Liu and Sana Takeda
Chinese American twins, Milly and Billy, are having a tough time. On top of the multiple failures in their personal and professional lives, they’re struggling to keep their restaurant afloat. Luckily their parents, Ipo and Keon, are in town for their annual visit. When Ipo forces them to help her clean up the house next door—a hellish and run-down ruin that was the scene of a grisly murder—the twins are in for a nasty surprise. A night of terror, gore, and supernatural mayhem reveals that there is much more to Ipo and her children than meets the eye.
24. The Craft (1996)
The Craft is a supernatural horror film that follows a group of three high school girls—Nancy, Bonnie, and Rochelle—who befriend a new girl, Sarah, who possesses latent psychic abilities. The four girls form a coven and explore witchcraft, using their powers to take revenge on bullies and improve their lives.
25. The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones
Seamlessly blending classic horror and a dramatic narrative with sharp social commentary, The Only Good Indians follows four American Indian men after a disturbing event from their youth puts them in a desperate struggle for their lives. Tracked by an entity bent on revenge, these childhood friends are helpless as the culture and traditions they left behind catch up to them in a violent, vengeful way.
Hocus Pocus is a family-friendly Halloween film that follows a group of teenagers who accidentally resurrect three witches—Winifred, Sarah, and Mary Sanderson—after lighting a magical candle on Halloween night in Salem, Massachusetts. The Sanderson sisters, who were executed in the 17th century for witchcraft, return to reclaim their youth by sucking the life out of children.
27. House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski
A family relocates to a small house on Ash Tree Lane and discovers that the inside of their new home seems to be without boundaries.
28. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
The Silence of the Lambs is a psychological thriller that follows FBI trainee Clarice Starling as she is assigned to interview the infamous imprisoned cannibalistic serial killer Dr. Hannibal Lecter. Tasked with gaining insights into the mind of another serial killer, known as “Buffalo Bill,” who is abducting young women, Clarice must navigate the complex and manipulative nature of Lecter to extract crucial information.
29. Ghost Story by Peter Straub
Questions arise concerning the connections between a strangely detached young girl’s captivity in a seedy Florida motel, a death that occurs at a party for a visiting actress, and a young California instructor’s obsession with one of his students.
Ring by Koji Suzuki follows journalist Kazuyuki Asakawa, who investigates a mysterious videotape that causes viewers to die seven days after watching it. After his niece becomes one of the victims, Kazuyuki becomes determined to uncover the origins of the tape and the dark force behind it.
Halloweentown (1998) is a family-friendly fantasy film that follows 13-year-old Marnie Piper, who discovers she comes from a family of witches. On Halloween, Marnie learns about her magical heritage when her estranged grandmother, Aggie, arrives to invite her to Halloweentown, a whimsical realm where supernatural creatures live.
About The Author: Ben
Ben is the Information Services Programs Coordinator, putting together the adult programs and crafts at Salina Public Library. After falling in love with theatre in high school, he went on to complete a BFA in Theatre with a focus on Stage Management from Emporia State University. He is an avid reader who enjoys Fantasy/Sci-Fi, Plays, Classics, and LGBTQ+ Fiction/Nonfiction. When not at the library, Ben enjoys watching true crime shows and comedies, trying out new recipes, seeing live theatre, crafts/sewing, and spending time with his partner.
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