Photo: Joshuer Horror isn’t just a genre; it’s an amalgamation of pop culture, cozy traditions, and things that go bump in the night. This year, we're taking our 31 Days of Horror across the entire cultural spectrum. We’ll be taking a look at movies that scare us, games that kept us paranoid, scary books we cozy up with under blankets, music that sets that spooky tone and seasonal food we’re craving–or strange food you’d have to tie us up and force feed us. Whether you’re looking for something truly terrifying or a cozy autumn haunt, come back every day this month for a new bite-sized review or spooky adjacent list. It’s been a hell of a spooky season. We’ve had a lot of fun bringing you a new horror feature every day. But it doesn’t have to end! Spooky can be a year-round thing.That’s why we compiled for you a list of some of our favorite horror movies, video games, and TV shows. This list couldn’t possibly be comprehensive, but we did try to curate for you a diverse list that looks at more than just horror genres. We realize these categories might be a bit vague or too specific–but part of the fun was finding movies that we loved that we could fit into this particular pattern. Next year we’ll have an entirely different set of categories, but you can use this list to have some scary fun on through into the new year. Slow Burn Jacob's Ladder (1990) A grieving Vietnam War veteran's grip on reality slowly unravels as he is plagued by horrifying hallucinations, forcing him to navigate a nightmarish descent akin to madness to uncover the truth. Director Adrian Lyne used low frame rates and actors physically shaking their heads to create the iconic, twitching, faceless figures that haunt Jacob–a visual aesthetic that is commonly used in horror to this day. - Antal Bokor Let the Right One In (2008) A frequently bullied boy in a freezing 1980s Swedish suburb forms an intimately deep, unsettling bond with his mysterious new neighbor who turns out to be a centuries-old vampire that chooses to look like a child to seem innocent. Unlike any other vampire movie I’ve seen at the time, it largely subverts traditional monster movie tropes with its quiet, atmospheric restraint over explicit carnage–and when there is carnage, it is largely out-of-focus, and framed in a way to seem heroic or convince the viewer that this ancient creature truly needs our help. A masterclass in genre subversion and slow burn horror. - Antal Bokor Penumbra: Overture (2007) After receiving a cryptic letter from his supposedly dead father, a physicist travels to the freezing wastelands of Greenland and becomes trapped in a decaying, abandoned subterranean mine system. While it has been criticized (rightly) for its combat, I always perceived it as clumsy and desperate–perfect for a horror game. You could consider this a rough draft for other seminal titles like Amnesia: The Dark Descent, but I think Frictional Games nailed the atmosphere and tension on their very first go. - Antal Bokor The Devil’s Backbone - (2001) I love Guillermo Del Toro’s twisted, beautiful mind, and The Devil’s Backbone pairs the horror of horrible people with impending doom and a truly creepy ghost story, and finishes it off with some delicious justice. – Marielle Bokor The Sixth Sense - (1999) The first time I watched this I was writing a college paper for my film class that was exploring Bruce Willis and changing gender roles in horror and action films. I had a lot of catching up to do there, but I loved the Sixth Sense for so many reasons. It really caught me with its story and delighted me with the twist, whether I’d already pondered the possibility or not. - Marielle Bokor Inside (2016) I have to admit, I still don’t know what happened in Inside exactly. I guess it’s an ongoing internet mystery. Which makes it perfect for our slow burn category. You play as a boy as he navigates what appears to be a strange dystopia that uses lobotomized (mindless) people for some nefarious reasons. Are you one of these controlled automaton people? Have you escaped to your freedom? None of these questions are answered, and instead you’re left with a big flesh ball at the end and loads more questions. It’s one of the most shocking, grotesque body-horror payoffs in gaming history, and it has a certain catharsis that makes it one of the most memorable I’ve ever played. - Antal Bokor Watcher -(2022) Nowadays slow burn horror is a bit hard to fins, especially with everyone’s attention span being reduced to a hair. But when a great slow burn horror emerges from the vast hordes of jumpscares and relentless gore, it’s like a breath of fresh frightening air. Watcher embraces that slow burn as it puts you in the shoes of a young woman in a new country where a serial killer just so happens to be prowling the streets.. Its methodical pace makes your skin crawl with ever passing gaslighting and makes your paranoia reach new heights until you just can’t take it and find yourself at one of the most satisfying endings in recent memory. You can check out our longer look at Watcher here! - Julian Ramirez Hunter Cosford Gory Gory Hallelujah Zombi 2 (1979) It’s not Romero, it’s so much gorier. Zombi 2 has the type of gore we’re accustomed to in the mainstream 47 years later but was shocking at the time. You’ll never look at sharks or eyeballs the same. - Aaron Cynic Dead Alive (1992) – There’s so many things that make this special, not the least of which is the priest shouting “I kick ass for the LORD!” but what really makes this Peter Jackson film shine is all the campy gore. People get mowed, beheaded, and …well, some people have sworn off custard after this movie. I’ll leave it at that. – Marielle Bokor Ready or Not, Ready or not 2: Here I come,(2019/2026) & Abigail (2024) Nobody loves human bodies exploding more than Radio Silence, the team behind these three movies. Seriously and literally, there are so many humans getting blown up it might as well be the Fourth of July. If you are hankering for people being turned into goop, check these out. - Julian Ramirez Dead Space (2023) Engineer Isaac Clarke boards the silent, derelict USG Ishimura only to discover its crew has been slaughtered and reanimated into grotesque, mutated monstrosities in this ground-up remake of the 2008 classic. While the original is a classic, this 2023 remake elevates the source material by adding an “intensity director” to make backtracking dangerous, and turns the USG Ishimura into one seamless interconnected ship. While aiming for center mass works against traditional enemies, the reanimated dead need to be dismembered with whatever available tools—which turn out to be futuristic sci-fi engineering and mining equipment that does the job better than even traditional weaponry. - Antal Bokor The Forest / Sons of the Forest (2018 / 2024) Thrust into a brutal fight for survival after a crash landing on a remote, densely wooded peninsula, players must scavenge, build, and defend themselves against terrifyingly intelligent tribes of cannibalistic mutants. The first game introduced a story into a sandbox survival game—which wasn’t as common back then as it is now. While aspects of the games can be seen as janky, the enemies are truly terrifying. Not because they’re relentless, but because they seem so real—the AI doesn’t just blindly attack, it stalks, observes, and even tests your perimeter defenses. They even mourn their dead, and are scared by effigies using their dead as building material. Next thing you know you’ll be collecting baskets of body parts for both defense and sustenance. And that’s not even mentioning the mutant monstrosities that start to appear the longer you play. Maxime Roedel Psycho Killer American Psycho (2000) Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale) is the quintessential type A investment banker. He’s driven, charming at times, competitive, meticulous, misogynistic, narcissistic, and sociopathic. He’s also a serial killer with an extremely high body count. Or maybe not. Or maybe he only killed some people. - Aaron Cynic Candyman - (1992) -It might not be fair to categorize Candyman this way, it fits for high body count. Set in our hometown here in Chicago, Candyman explores things like racism and classism at the same time it’s invoking urban legend and the way we scared ourselves as kids. Tony Todd is unforgettable as Candyman, and this is still one of my favorite movies. - Marielle Bokor Child’s Play (1988) When I was a kid, this came on cable at my grandparent’s house when we were in the den after a holiday meal. I remember reading the description and thinking “there’s no way a stupid doll killing people is gonna scare ME.” Friends, I was so wrong, and I’ve feared evil dolls ever since... – Marielle Bokor Arsenic and Old Lace (1944) - You might think, this isn’t horror! And you’re a little right, because while it take place on Halloween it’s technically listed as a “black comedy” but when you really think about it, our cute little aunties in the film are legit serial killers. Sorry if that’s spoilers but a movie this good simply can’t be spoiled and also, it came out 82 years ago. - Marielle Bokor Cabin Fever Cube (1997), Cube 2: Hypercube (2002) Seven strangers are trapped inside a labyrinth of rooms with no memory of how they arrived or knowledge of why they’re there. Many of the rooms are booby trapped, and navigating the cube requires puzzling through a mystery of numbers while dealing with both the traps and interpersonal tension and suspicions. - Aaron Cynic Evil Dead - (1981) True story: I was at a cabin in the woods in a huge thunderstorm the first time I saw the Evil Dead movies. Evil Dead is how I fell in love with horror, and I think it’s because it’s the perfect mix of absurd and scary with the perfect amount of campy gore on top. I love Bruce Campbell, I love the lore around the films, I love how absolutely ridiculous the movies increasingly get and yeah, this is in my top 5. - Marielle Bokor The Shining (1980) As a writer, I always thought that Jack Torrance had a pretty sweet opportunity. Just, don’t kill your family and you’re all set. But the damn pesky ghosts that inhabit the Overlook Hotel won’t let Jack work, causing a supernatural sort of cabin fever that drives him to madness and the desire to kill his wife and telepathic son. This is a legendary, foundational film by a legendary director whose extreme perfectionism was able to create a hotel that was physically impossible and visually striking—while also maintaining deep isolation and loneliness. Kubrick's pioneering use of the Steadicam as it glides behind telepathic Danny’s Big Wheel through the hotel's spatially impossible hallways will always be some of the most iconic horror put to celluloid. - Antal Bokor Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022) Taking place in not so much a cabin in the woods as a rich kid’s parents house in the woods, Bodies Bodies Bodies is a wonderfully annoying look at rich twenty-somethings devolving into pettiness and bloody murder. After a lackluster start to a game of Bodies Bodies Bodies (think murder mystery theatre) turns real when one of the party members (Pete Davidson of all people) winds up with their throat actually split wide open. What follows is kinda annoying, totally crummy people accusing each other of being the murderer. It's fun, annoying (seriously folks this movie is not for the faint of heart or gen z phobic) , and we get Lee Pace as an older burnout. - Julian Ramirez Jr Korpa Ghost in the Machine SOMA (2015) One of my absolute favorite horror experiences ever, it replaces gore and jump scares with deep, philosophical dread that will linger long after the credits roll. Grappling with the terrifying nature of consciousness duplication during the last days of humanity on a research station on the bottom of the ocean, it’s a perfect storm of dread and horror. It not only asks what it means to be human, it shows us the direct results of consciousness being crammed into barely working machines that are now convinced they are living people. The agonizing implications of its ending still haunt me. - Antal Bokor Pulse / Kairo (2001) A terrifyingly bleak, slow-burn apocalyptic nightmare that, while coming out of the early digital age, feels even more relevant today. Director Kiyoshi Kurosawa crafted this prophetic Japanese horror masterpiece about ghosts invading the world of the living through the dial-up internet. Pulse captured the crushing loneliness of the digital age long before it was cool to do so. People are quietly disappearing, leaving only black stains on the walls and forbidden rooms hastily sealed with red tape. Rather than relying on cheap scares, Kurosawa builds a suffocating atmosphere where the true horror isn't the ghosts themselves, but the overwhelming realization that human connection is fading into nothingness. - Antal Bokor System Shock 2 (1999) This is the first game to truly scare me, and that was mostly thanks to the terrifyingly insane SHODAN. Awakening from cryo-sleep aboard the derelict starship Von Braun, you find the crew slaughtered by a parasitic hive mind known as The Many. As a precursor to BioShock, it shares more than a few story beats. However, nothing in BioShock was ever as scary as SHODAN constantly taunting you, bolstered by the rest of the game's brilliant sound design—like the cybernetic midwives apologizing as they try to murder you. It creates an unparalleled atmosphere of deep-space isolation, body horror, and mystery as you unravel what happened. - Antal Bokor The Ring (2002) Imagine you were never allowed to see horror movies as a kid. Maybe you snuck one or two here and there, but that was me, and The Ring was the first horror movie I saw in a theater “legally.” Oh my God. There was something visceral about it and I related too hard to forbidden tapes and urban legends. The Ring scared the shit out of me and gave me the rush I’d been missing, and to this day I love it, Ringu and J-Horror. – Marielle Bokor Doki Doki Literature Club (2017) I reviewed this as part of a narrative game festival I covered, and I miraculously hadn’t heard about it before that. It hooked me in with its deep narrative, and pretty soon I couldn’t distinguish between the game itself and real life anymore. I stayed up too late playing this, and was beyond immersed, and I specifically remember having to keep the lights on for a few hours before bed when I was done. This should be a classic for all horror fans. - Marielle Bokor Umanoide Too Many Teeth Dawn of the Dead (1978) There still hasn’t been a zombie movie that has outdone Dawn of the Dead. George A. Romero didn’t just invent the modern zombie, he perfected it with this absolute masterpiece. While Night of the Living Dead was a masterclass in claustrophobia, Dawn of the Dead is an active apocalypse that shows society collapsing under the threat of the rising dead. A sprawling, neon-lit consumerist nightmare, it traps its survivors inside the Monroeville Mall in a brilliant, cynical satire that is also an incredibly effective horror movie. With a soundtrack by Italian legends Goblin, and produced by Dario Argento (Suspiria, Deep Red), Dawn of the Dead stands as perhaps the greatest zombie movie ever made. -Antal Bokor The Descent (2005) This movie is scary even before the monsters show up. An anxiety-inducing nightmare from the moment the spelunkers get in the cave, the subterranean creatures add a whole other dimension of panic. The film follows a group of women on an expedition into an uncharted Appalachian cave system, and The Descent perfectly captures the absolute terror of being trapped in the dark while being chased by horrible, people-eating creatures. - Antal Bokor Carrion (2020) As far as cathartic power fantasies go, Carrion wouldn't be the first, but it has a near-flawless execution. A "reverse horror" game, Carrion features you playing as the monster as you hunt down scientists in a mysterious research facility. Whatever it is they did, you know they had it coming. They’ll bring out big guns—including mechs—to stop you. But clever hiding, powerful upgrades, and being an unstoppable, amorphous mass of flesh filled with teeth really help you out as you rip through the facility, snatching terrified scientists, and consuming them to grow larger. - Antal Bokor G.T.F.O. (2021) I almost put this under slow burn, because it’s so hard that even with four people that you couldn’t really get freaked out by everything that’s there to scare you quicker if you wanted to. However, in remembering the things that do lurk in the dark, they’re all too pale, too moist, and have way, way too many teeth. You earn your scares in this game, and then they immediately kill you and your whole team and erase the last 4 hours of careful work getting down to them. -Marielle Bokor Logan Voss Cosmic Horror Coherence - (2013) While not as otherworldly as the meta category would suggest, Coherence is the very definition of the cosmos inflicting madness upon characters. When a ragtag bunch of friends get together for a dinner together, a passing comet begins wreaking havoc on reality. No aliens or monsters other than the passing rock and what some people will do to survive. Check out our full look at Coherence here! - Julian Ramirez Event Horizon (1997) One of the movies that served as a foundational text for sci-fi horror in video games and movies for the next couple of decades. Games like Dead Space and System Shock 2 probably owe some amount of creative inspiration to this Paul W.S. Anderson classic. A rescue ship is sent to investigate the lost experimental ship, the Event Horizon, after it literally traveled through hell—and brought something back with it. Anchored by a terrific performance by Sam Neill and a take-no-shit Laurence Fishburne. - Antal Bokor The Thing (1982) One of my favorite horror films ever, The Thing is a timeless masterpiece about a group of Antarctic researchers who have a run-in with an alien entity that can perfectly mimic other lifeforms. It’s a masterclass in tension, as you never know who is the creature and who isn’t. The creature is truly grotesque, and its legendary animatronic creations are as creative as they are horrifying. - Antal Bokor In the Mouth of Madness (1994) Probably one of the best, most unapologetic translations of pure cosmic horror put to film, it blurs the line between fiction and reality until the concept of sanity is removed and supplanted with a horrifying new reality. It follows the brilliant Sam Neill as an insurance investigator looking for the truth behind the disappearance of Stephen King-like author Sutter Cane. Not only do his works create obsessive fans, but they might actually lead to the end of the world. Thankfully, the Harry Potter books didn’t have the same effect. Do you read Sutter Cane? If not, there’s a movie! - Antal Bokor Bloodborne (2015) There are many types of fear, like that of the unknown. But there is also the fear of what we know. And Bloodborne not only shows you the unknowable horror, but makes you kill it to progress. Dripping in a dreadful atmosphere and full of monsters, it removes the veneer of reality to show you that the horror is on a literal cosmic scale about halfway through. The more you know of this world, the more terrifying it becomes—both in narrative and through gameplay. And it’s probably the best “souls” style game that FromSoftware has made. -Antal Bokor The X-Files (1993) Long before serialized prestige television took over, The X-Files was quietly delivering some of the most terrifying hours of broadcast network TV. While the overarching alien mythology hooked a generation, it’s the standalone "Monster-of-the-Week" episodes that earn it a permanent spot on this list. From the claustrophobic dread of the stretchy mutant Tooms in "Squeeze" to the deeply upsetting, famously banned-from-TV horror of "Home," the show simply wasn't afraid to push the boundaries of prime-time television. Anchored by the legendary skeptic-and-believer chemistry between Mulder and Scully, it perfectly balanced procedural investigation with genuine terror that had me sleeping with the lights on as a kid. Shows like Fringe came close, but nothing has ever been quite like the original run of The X-Files. - Antal Bokor Pluribus (2026) This is one of the scariest shows I’ve ever watched. It is essentially an invasion of the body snatchers that we willingly let right into our world, anchored by a brilliant, Emmy-winning performance from Rhea Seehorn. “The Others” aren’t terrifying, grotesque aliens, but smiling, gracious hosts designed perfectly to let your guard down. While we have way more questions than answers at this point, the first season of Pluribus is a masterful example of otherworldly horror. It captures the sheer existential dread of an entire civilization losing its identity, leaving behind a smiling apocalypse witnessed in horror by only two people, and accepted as a luxury by the few others left with their minds intact. - Antal Bokor Andy Makely Low fi The Blair Witch Project (1999) Another foundational film, it’s hard to overstate just how much this movie changed the horror landscape and created the blueprint for found-footage films going forward. It also should be praised for its early-internet, alternate-reality viral advertising that convinced most of my friends that this movie was based on real events, and that the filmmakers we were watching actually died in those Maryland woods. Its brilliance relies heavily on telling, and showing very little. The film uses the creeping dread of getting lost, and the agonizing, slow reality of a group of friends realizing that they’re not going to survive this. A brilliant bit of filmmaking that is impossible to replicate. - Antal Bokor Signalis (2022) If you miss the golden age of PS1-era survival horror, Signalis is a love letter written in blood and cosmic dread. It’s one of those games that captures the retro feeling without making itself a clone of a specific retro horror game. Developer rose-engine perfectly captures the punishing resource management and puzzle-solving of classic Resident Evil and Silent Hill, but wraps it in an incredibly oppressive retro-futuristic aesthetic. You play as Elster, a Replika android searching a ruined off-world mining facility for her lost human partner. What starts as a tense fight against corrupted androids quickly spirals into a mind-bending, Lovecraftian nightmare about memory, identity, and reality itself. It’s a masterclass in atmosphere that proves low-poly graphics can still deliver high-tier terror. - Antal Bokor Limbo (2010) Before developer Playdead perfected the art of silent, oppressive storytelling with Inside, they introduced us to the monochromatic nightmare of Limbo. What I first thought would be an artsy puzzle-platformer quickly turned into a bleak, brutal video game. Iconic, terrifying encounters like the giant spider solidified it as one of my favorites. In-game, you’re never told who you are, or why you’re doing what you’re doing—you’re just forced to keep moving right and survive whatever horrible fate is in store. It’s effortlessly scary, and it does it all with a monochrome, minimalist presentation. - Antal Bokor Aaron Blanco Tejedor Laughing Scared Club Dread (2004) At first glance Club Dread may seem like a bad spoof movie ala all the post Scary Movie parodies of the 2000s. But like a real spoof comedy, It's more of a pastiche of the genre than a long line of remember-when-this-happened-in-a-better-movie jokes. Taking place at a Jimmy Buffetesque theme resort, the guys from Broken Lizard craft a pretty fun murder mystery kill fest with raunch humor you’d expect from the Super Troopers crew. It does heavily take from things like I Know What You Did Last Summer 2, Sleepaway Camp, and a few others, but never feels lazy in its borrowing. Definitely of its time, but so is every other great comedy and horror. - Julian Ramirez Tucker & Dale vs. Evil (2010) Horror comedies don’t always work, beyond a few rare exceptions—especially one that leans into its gore as heavily as Tucker & Dale. It’s turned into the gold standard of how to do it right. It takes the “creepy backwoods hillbilly” trope and flips it around, giving us two incredibly sweet, well-meaning friends who are just trying to fix up their new vacation cabin. Enter some vacationing college kids, and you get a lot of accidental gore and a bloodbath that is entirely the fault of panicky, judgmental students. Anchored by the unbelievable chemistry between Tyler Labine and Alan Tudyk, it is a brilliant, blood-soaked comedy of errors that has a surprising amount of heart. - Antal Bokor Silent Night, Deadly Night 2 (1987) GARBAGE DAY! There’s a lot of lore behind this movie getting made, and it’s technically a reshoot of the first, maybe? I’m picky about my shitty B movies - they can’t intentionally try to be bad, but somehow this feels earnest, and stupid, and …scary? Maybe a little. It’s a fun watch. - Marielle Bokor Widow’s Bay (2026) An island community that is cursed and the hijinks that ensue isn't exactly what I thought I’d be adding to this list. I know most of this feature focuses on films and games, but a few Apple TV standouts absolutely deserve a mention. While this show could easily fit into our Cosmic Horror or Final Girl categories, it is so incredibly funny that it truly deserved its Best Comedy Series Emmy win. It’s essentially Parks and Recreation, but if Pawnee were cursed. There are so many standout moments I can’t possibly list them all here. It’s effortlessly funny, anchored by a great cast, and features a story that pushes boundaries most other series wouldn’t even consider. It’s just brilliant television. - Antal Bokor Unmasked Part 25 While we haven’t really reached chapter 25 of any horror franchise (no, the Aminitty series does not count), Unmasked imagines a world where a very, and i mean very, Jason-like murder named Jackson has reached his breaking point and is kinda done with all this killing nonsense. He’s met Shelly, a blind girl who sees him for who he truly is and he’s ready to settle down! Unmasked Part 25 is as dry as a comedy as an English film can get without forgetting the slasher gore you’d come to expect. It’s fun, very on the nose, and goes places you certainly would expect. - Julian Ramirez Shaun of the Dead (2004) I’m such a Romero zombie lover that I was actually not a fan of Shaun of the Dead originally. I thought it was taking the piss a little too much. But the truth is, I was wrong. And while Hot Fuzz is my favorite of the Cornetto Trilogy, it would not have been possible without the groundwork laid by Edgar Wright with Shaun of the Dead. Simon Pegg is brilliant as protagonist Shaun, and his chemistry with Nick Frost is undeniable. Hilarious, scary, gory, and everything in between, Shaun of the Dead is a fantastic film. - Antal Bokor Karina Karina Final Girl Alien: Isolation (2014) This is the only item I put on this list that I haven’t finished because it’s too scary. There’s a primal fear that the Xenomorph puts into me—a deep childhood leftover that makes Alien: Isolation a uniquely harrowing experience for me. However, it’s brilliant in its gameplay, pacing, and creature mechanics. The alien isn’t just performing pre-scripted jump scares; it’s driven by a complex AI system that actively hunts you, learns your behavior, and stalks the halls in a way that’s completely unscripted. It’s pure nightmare fuel that makes you feel like you're genuinely being hunted—because you are. -Antal Bokor Alien (1979) Ridley Scott did a great job showing us a feature that wasn’t just a gleaming utopia–but was actually dirty and lived in. The Nostromo was grimy, leaking, and industrial–full of blue collar workers, not snobby scientists. But then they answer a distress call, bring something on board (despite the established quarantine protocols!) and next thing you know the crew is being picked off by a relentless, terrifying murder machine. What follows is a masterclass in slow-burn claustrophobia and biomechanical dread, courtesy of H.R. Giger's legendary Xenomorph design While the Alien franchise has greatly expanded, this original film showed us just enough to be terrifying, and let our imaginations fill in the terrible gaps. Signourney Weaver plays Ellen Ripley who is the ultimate survivor. - Antal Bokor Barbarian (2022) This is one of those movies I kept hearing about but couldn’t imagine actually enjoying. So I bit the bullet and sat down—extremely skeptical—and proceeded to watch one of my favorite horror movies I’ve seen in decades. The less you know about it, the better. Director Zach Cregger (of The Whitest Kids U' Know fame!) takes audience expectations and smashes them repeatedly—and with nominal amounts of gore—in the face. It’s a movie that feels more genuine than most other modern horror. The mid-movie pivot is legendary for its tonal shift, turning full-blown horror into a bit of a black comedy before bringing it solidly back into horror territory—but ending with surprising poignancy. Absolutely brilliant. - Antal Bokor Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) Remember when I said I wasn’t allowed to watch horror movies? This movie is the reason. Me and my cousins watched it on Thanksgiving weekend as little kids, and the thought of a killer that could get you in your sleep just terrified me. Hiding under teh covers won’t help - it’ll just make it worse. Freddy still scares the bejesus out of me. – Marielle Bokor It Follows (2014) In horror movies, sex has always preceded violent death or other forms of horror. It Follows codifies this in the rules of the movie’s supernatural pursuer. The creature following is literally transmitted sexually. Not just an allegory for young people having sex, it’s an exercise in constant dread. Often you don’t know what to expect from the follower, and you’ll find yourself scanning the background of the film for any out-of-place people walking a little too purposefully. It also has a fantastic soundtrack by Disasterpeace. It’s a brilliant horror film that weaponizes the anxiety behind young love and sex, something that would feel far too on the nose if handled by anyone less capable than director David Robert Mitchell. - Antal Bokor

There’s no doubt that The Crow managed to capture the imaginations of many Gen Xers and Millennials, like myself. Perhaps it was the combination of the death of Brandon Lee–son of legendary martial artist Bruce Lee–and the fact that The Crow managed to capture the zeitgeist of the younger generation at the time. It was unique visually, and edgy in a way that just wasn’t the same. It also had a fantastic soundtrack. You can read about Aaron Cynic’s thoughts on it here. I’m not here to talk about that film. I’m here to talk about all of the other ones. From City of Angels to Wicked Prayer, and all the way to The Crow (2024). To sum up my thoughts: they’re exactly as bad as I was thinking they’d be. But all but one of them takes a fair shot at it. The Crow: City of Angels Kali: "Do you know how to fight?" Ashe Corven: "Do you know how to die?" Release Date: August 30, 1996 Director: Tim Pope Writer: David S. Goyer (Screenplay), based on characters by James O'Barr Budget: $13 million. Key Cast: Vincent Pérez (Ashe Corven), Mia Kirshner (Sarah), Richard Brooks (Judah Earl), Iggy Pop (Curve), Thomas Jane (Nemo), and Thuy Trang (Kali). Set in a hyper-stylized, smog-choked Los Angeles, the sequel follows mechanic Ashe Corven (Vincent Pérez) and his young son, Danny, who are brutally murdered after his son hears gunshots and witnesses a murder. Brought back from the dead and unkillable, Ashe is driven by vengeance to hunt down the gang responsible, including their leader: Judah Earl. Ashe is aided by a now-adult Sarah–the young girl from the first movie, played here by Mia Kirshner. She acts as a bit of a mentor after he comes back from the dead. City of Angels feels like a hyper-stylized corporate attempt at recapturing the magic of the original. Visually, it manages to capture some of the magic–but Vincent Pérez’s Ashe Corven comes off mostly goofy instead of cool, or menacing–something that will be a recurring trend in these sequels. The Crow: Salvation Phillip Dutton: "That was a fucking hollow point!" Alex Corvis: "I guess that it's true. Guns don't kill people." [pulls out a knife] "You think... you think maybe knives do?" Release Date: June 14, 2000 (Limited premiere), before a wider direct-to-video release. Director: Bharat Nalluri Writer: Chip Johannessen, based on characters by James O'Barr Budget: $10 million Key Cast: Eric Mabius (Alex Corvis), Kirsten Dunst (Erin Randall), Fred Ward (The Captain / John L. Book), Jodi Lyn O'Keefe (Lauren Randall), William Atherton (Nathan Randall), and Walton Goggins (Stan Roberts). Alex Corvis (Eric Mabius) is falsely convicted of the brutal stabbing of his girlfriend, Lauren Randall (Jodi Lyn O'Keefe). After spending three years on death row maintaining his innocence and insisting the true killer was a man with distinctive scars, Alex is executed in the electric chair. It’s an interesting twist to have the killing be a state-sanctioned one–which wasn’t an angle I expected. Alex gets resurrected, and discovers he is unkillable, with rapidly healing injuries. Aided by Lauren's sister, Erin (Kirsten Dunst), Alex begins hunting down the corrupt cops responsible, eventually uncovering a deep-rooted police conspiracy orchestrated by the sinister Captain John L. Book (Fred Ward). Eric Mabius would have been a great henchman or sidekick, but as Alex Corvis, he just comes off as a dork. The film itself has cinematography and visual aesthetics that stray far from the original’s gritty, surreal otherworldly depictions and instead look like something more made for TV. I have to give it credit for having the most original and interesting story out of the films, but it represents a major downturn in quality for The Crow films. The Crow: Wicked Prayer Luc Crash: "You can't kill me! I'm the Devil!" Jimmy Cuervo: "Well... I'm the Crow." Release Date: June 3, 2005 (One-week limited theatrical), July 19, 2005 (Direct-to-video) Director: Lance Mungia Writer: Lance Mungia, Jeff Most, and Sean Hood (Inspired by the novel The Crow: Wicked Prayer by Norman Partridge) Budget: Estimated at $8 million Key Cast: Edward Furlong (Jimmy Cuervo), David Boreanaz (Luc Crash / Death), Tara Reid (Lola Byrne), Emmanuelle Chriqui (Lily), Dennis Hopper (El Niño), Danny Trejo (Harold), and Macy Gray (Carman). In an impoverished Southwest desert town, ex-con Jimmy Cuervo (Edward Furlong) and his girlfriend, Lily (Emmanuelle Chriqui), are brutally murdered by a satanic biker gang known as the Four Horsemen. The gang is led by the charismatic and unhinged Luc Crash (David Boreanaz) and his clairvoyant magic-using lover, Lola Byrne (Tara Reid), who sacrifice the couple as part of a dark ritual to transform Luc into a demonic incarnation of the Antichrist. Seriously. Resurrected by the crow, Jimmy seeks vengeance against the gang, battling his way through their ranks–each one representing one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse played by Marcus Chong, Tito Ortiz, and Yuji Okumoto. Includes an appearance by a Satanic pimp with completely head-scratching over-the-top gangster dialogue named El Niño, played by the legendary Dennis Hopper. And while Hopper is known for his portrayal of crazy on film, this comes off more like an SNL skit. Oh man, who thought this was a good idea? I think I came across Wicked Prayer in a video rental store, and knew exactly the quality of its content by seeing the box art. I was mistaken. It’s far worse than the headliners “Edward Furlong” and “Tara Reid” would suggest. Furlong has no business being the protagonist, and that’s why Boreanaz and Reid take up more runtime. Though this is probably the worst performance by Boreanaz I’ve ever seen. He’s not just hammy–it’s awful, and makes the world worse for existing. The Crow (2024) Vincent Roeg: "You have no idea what hell awaits you." Eric: "Yeah. I do." Release Date: August 23, 2024 Director: Rupert Sanders Writers: Zach Baylin and William Schneider Budget: Approximately $50 million Key Cast: Bill Skarsgård (Eric), FKA twigs (Shelly), Danny Huston (Vincent Roeg), Sami Bouajila (Kronos), and Laura Birn (Marion). The reimagining follows Eric (Bill Skarsgård) and Shelly (FKA twigs), two troubled young lovers who meet in a criminal rehabilitation facility. After escaping together, Shelly’s past catches up with her as demonic, aristocratic Vincent Roeg (Danny Huston) is trying to find Shelly because of a video in her possession. Long story short, they’re both killed, and Eric is resurrected with the ability to survive fatal wounds, quickly heal, etc. This time he has a spirit guide in the afterlife named Kronos (Sami Bouajila). Roeg sacrifices innocent souls to unnaturally prolong his life, and Eric is sent to make things right. While this movie was a commercial disaster–only making $4.6 million during its opening weekend–it’s actually one of the better The Crow films. I’d almost argue it’s the best–even better than the original. But this Crow isn’t, and never could be, the same type of cultural touchstone that the original was. It does have some great, gory action sequences and a great performance by Skarsgård, Huston and FKA twigs. It’s a bummer it didn’t do well at the box office, but The Crow feels like something that is meant for the 90s. Final thoughts While I’ll never get those hours back, I don’t regret my time with these films. At least now I know my original instincts were correct. The first film was lightning in a bottle, and it’s hard to recapture the moment in time, soundtrack, visual style, and everything else all intersecting at once to make that happen. But I did notice one important fact while watching these films: all of the characters' names mean “Crow” or have Raven in them. There’s Eric Draven. dRAVEN, get it? But that’s the least offensive. There’s Vincent Pérez’s Ashe Corven, Eric Mabius as Alex Corvis, Edward Furlong as Jimmy Cuervo, and Bill Skarsgård as another Eric Draven. So to be a crow, you have to have some sort of Crow-adjacent name. I feel like Draven should be an outlier, despite being the first depicted on screen. I can’t help but think the avenging Crow spirit was like “mehhh, close enough!” Bonus: TV Show Despite finding a way to stream these episodes, I didn’t get a chance to watch this before this article was due. That means I’m going to do a feature on them for next year’s 31 Days–stay tuned.

Screenshot: Golf 5 Max I think I’m a secret golf video game enthusiast. It’s not something you can go around and announce to people in regular, polite conversation. Trust me. Even trying to explain to other gamers my love of, say, Neo Turf Masters gets blank stares and polite nods. It’s too bad, because there are some great golf games out there. I used to think they were just for dads, but now that I’m dad age I can tell you: they probably are. And while I was excited for Golf 5 Max, I actually ended up being a little disappointed. Golf 5 Max is a golf game that mixes modern and retro. It obviously takes a lot of inspiration from Neo Turf Masters—one of my favorite arcade golf games. It has a similar three-click swing style—you click once to start the swing, then there’s a second timed click to set your English, and a third to nail your power (which affects your accuracy)—but it uses a realistic simulator to drive the physics. It’s even billed as “arcade meets real physics” on its Steam store page. Screenshot: Golf 5 Max It has a roster of characters with RPG-style progression, a few game modes and seven courses to play on. The best thing about Golf 5 Max is that it’s actually fun to play. I’m a sucker for this particular style of arcade golf, while it might seem unusual for other golf video game enjoyers. The physics engine feels tough, but fair. While you have the ability to aim the ball, it’s down to click accuracy and timing to get the best (and most intended) shot. But failing a shot feels like it has a natural outcome—a ball sliced too far off course into a hazard, for example. But despite its claims of “real physics” don’t expect a hyper realistic, hyper simulated style of game. I can’t even say that it bridges the gap between the two—Golf 5 Max falls solidly into the “arcade” category. There is so much room for mastery that I haven’t even come close to the skill ceiling in my hours I sunk into it. And I effortlessly put hours into Golf 5 Max. Screenshot: Golf 5 Max There are a few things I have issues with though. First of all, I appreciate what developers LENYA DIGITAL and AAA Game Studios were trying to do with the character roster. There is certainly a diverse cast of characters, just like Neo Turf Masters. Unlike the retro game, Golf 5 Max’s characters have stats that you can level up: Power to hit further, Technique to master your spin, Consistency to stay in control, Accuracy to sharpen your aim, and Recovery to escape tricky situations. It will just take you a long time to grind through them. The character models themselves are also hideous. I can tell that there was a certain '70s retro style that Golf 5 Max was trying to capture, but it just never really translates as well as it could. Screenshot: Golf 5 Max There is also limited course variety. Seven courses might sound like a lot—and while they all look good with their own distinct visual style, the courses themselves have little variation. I’m trying to recall specific features from the different courses and beyond a few exceptions, it’s hard for me to tell. There are a few exceptional and fun holes, sure. But courses by and large are mundane. I do appreciate that some courses use vertical height generously. And hazards are well placed, most of the time. There are several game modes, though most are just slight variations on the “classic” mode. Birdie or Bust is a coin-op arcade way to play. Par allows you to continue without losing a credit, bogey loses you a credit and birdies net you extra play time—exactly as the Neo Turf Masters coin-op arcade would work. There’s also a time attack mode that requires you to stay within par or better to get bonus play time. There are online lobbies, which I didn’t get to test in this pre-release window, as well as a tournament mode that pits you against other players online with a leaderboard. Screenshot: Golf 5 Max Ultimately, Golf 5 Max is a great game with some frustrating compromises. The mechanics are rock-solid, and when you get into that rhythm of perfectly timing a three-click swing to land a brilliant approach shot, it nails the classic arcade feel I was hoping for. I wish it had more course variety, and while I’d love to see more in an update I’m afraid that might be a DLC thing. Despite ugly character models, and a grind to increase character stats, Golf 5 Max is a delight for retro and modern arcade golf fans. Just be prepared to accept that while the swing is pure arcade perfection, the rest of the package lands squarely in the rough.

Sir Patrick Stewart is dead. He was so many things, including (arguably) the best Star Trek Captain. And while I might have a different preference there, I do have to admit that Stewart’s portrayal of Captain Picard had a huge impact on my life. He was my space dad—imparting wisdom on a young me as I watched episodes of The Next Generation—sometimes as they aired originally, sometimes in reruns. To celebrate the life of Sir Patrick Stewart and the Captain that inspired so many, I wanted to share some of my favorite quotes of Picard’s—elevated by the gravitas of such a great actor. On Failure "It is possible to commit no mistakes and still lose. That is not a weakness. That is life." — TNG: "Peak Performance" On Injustice "With the first link, the chain is forged. The first speech censured, the first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied, chains us all irrevocably." — TNG: "The Drumhead" On Mortality "Someone once told me that time was a predator that stalked us all our lives. I rather believe that time is a companion who goes with us on the journey and reminds us to cherish every moment because it will never come again." — Star Trek Generations On Absolutes "There can be no justice so long as laws are absolute. Even life itself is an exercise in exceptions." — TNG: "Justice" On Living "Seize the time... Live now! Make now always the most precious time. Now will never come again." — TNG: "The Inner Light" On The Impossible "Things are only impossible until they're not." — TNG: "The Child"

via Paramount+ When I was little, I used to “watch” Star Trek: The Next Generation with my mom. And when I say watch, I mean it the way a little kid watches TV: in about five to ten minute chunks when things got interesting or someone was doing something unusual. I wouldn’t say I loved Star Trek the way I do now back then - I think I mostly tolerated it to “was mildly amused” by it from time to time. But I do remember that I wanted Jean Luc Picard to marry my mom. (Remember, I was little.) My mom was widowed, and as a single mom, had to do all the career woman things while she also did the mom things. And she did, brilliantly. Even when we didn’t have a lot, it felt like enough. But I always wanted her to marry someone cool who could help her. And I guess, for context, I saw a lot of my mom in Beverly Crusher. She was someone who’d lost a lot and had a lot on her plate, but was super capable, organized and important on the Enterprise. She was strict but fun, and, I even saw a lot of myself in Wesley Crusher. Jean Luc Picard, in my mind, was the perfect match for my mom because of how calm, smart, and refined he was. At the time I didn’t necessarily have the words for it. But he was decisive, and passionate, and seemed unafraid. He was someone to look up to. And someone who could confidently lead a starship and a little family all at once. Little flickers of TNG stayed with me until I really dove into TNG and the rest of Star Trek with my husband. Now, I could tell you minute details of every series in the franchise, and our entire living room is festooned with Trek memorabilia. We even have a horga’hn. Photograph via The Today Show. I guess I didn’t know too much about Patrick Stewart then, but I do now. I think I first came to admire his gravitas, and his Shakespearean knowledge. I thought it befit a captain of a starship to be played by someone who took things very, very seriously. And then I saw some blooper reels. Patrick Stewart wearing an impish grin, laughing at Frakes when he messed up his lines. Yelling “SHIT!” when he forgot his own, and laughing beside Gates McFadden. Scolding Michael Dorn for not moving on cue. I saw his performances in episodes like Inner Light, Darmok, and Measure of a Man, where he eloquently argued for Data to have human rights. Fiery passion, with grace and honor. And then I saw him talk about domestic violence. I saw him speak up for survivors, and talk about his struggles with his relationship with his father, and the then nameless disease he came back from the war with that takes so many lives and rips apart so many families - PTSD. I saw him advocate for mental health. I watched him live out allyship in his relationships. Fight for pit bulls and love on them himself, with his own named Number One even starring in Picard. via Paramount+ I saw the weight of his friendships with the cast, that brought them back for that wonderful final season of Picard, where we got to finally see our old friends again, back at the poker table, and back at the bar having some drinks having survived yet another life or death adventure, one last time. During the pandemic, I listened to that commanding yet gentle voice read a daily sonnet to quiet the fear clutching at the back of all our throats in lockdown. I listened to his audiobook when it came out, and saw his vulnerability as he admitted his past mistakes and what he’d learned from them. I saw him dress like a lobster and pal around with Ian McKellen. And while I’ve attended more than a few Star Trek conventions at this point (and conventions where tons of Trek stars have appeared) if I have one regret it’s that I didn’t get to meet the man in person. To thank him, for being so many things in his lifetime to look up to. Even if he never did marry my mom. Via @sirpatstew on X. RIP. “Seize the time. Live now. Make now always the most precious time. Now will never come again.” - Jean Luc Picard. “Inner Light”

Horror isn’t just a genre; it’s an amalgamation of pop culture, cozy traditions, and things that go bump in the night. This year, we're taking our 31 Days of Horror across the entire cultural spectrum. We’ll be taking a look at movies that scare us, games that kept us paranoid, scary books we cozy up with under blankets, music that sets that spooky tone and seasonal food we’re craving–or strange food you’d have to tie us up and force feed us. Whether you’re looking for something truly terrifying or a cozy autumn haunt, come back every day this month for a new bite-sized review or spooky adjacent list. Horror and Halloween aren’t entirely about just scaring yourself silly. They’re a tapestry of emotions carefully seeded across a landscape of the dark and macabre. Thirty-two years ago, despite the tragic death of Brandon Lee on set during filming, The Crow hit theaters. It’s dark and it’s bleak, but it’s also sleek film noir that to this day, feels like putting on a well-worn but well-kept leather jacket. It’s a graphic novel come to life on the big screen that tells a familiar and haunting story of love, loss, revenge, and ultimately, resting in peace. Rock star Eric Draven (Brandon Lee) is brutally murdered along with his wife Shelly Webster (Sofia Shinas) by a gang of thugs at the behest of crime boss Top Dollar (Michael Wincott) for attempting to stop evictions in their apartment building. A year later, Draven is resurrected by a crow and hunts the perpetrators of his and his fiancée’s murderers to avenge their deaths. All of this takes place in an exaggerated, near apocalyptic looking version of Detroit on Devil’s Night. In addition to intense, high-octane action sequences, we see the landscape of a very gothed out version of the city twisting and turning ostensibly through the eyes of a crow. At the time, most big action movies and thrillers had a very similar feel to them. Two of the biggest blockbusters of 1994 were True Lies and Speed. The Crow turned what felt like a very long standard on its head. Maybe it’s because I was a very young teenager just barely getting my feet wet in goth, punk, and metal subculture, but it was something I could connect with in a much deeper way than most other movies at the time. The movie was released with a soundtrack that’s truly epic and still serves as a wonderful time capsule that highlights some of the best metal, goth, and alternative music that was coming out in the early 90s. Eric Draven is out for justice and looking to put right an incredible tragic wrong inflicted on him and a person he loved, but he’s an emotional wreck and roller coaster while on the journey. He’s got superhuman powers – albeit limited to the beating hearts of the villains he wants to dispatch – but he’s not a superhero, and he’s often borderline psychotic. Brandon Lee played this part spectacularly, and there are quite a few scenes that have stuck with me more than three decades later. It’s a heartbreaking story set against a backdrop of a heartbreaking tragedy and thirty two years later, still stands up as one of the best movies of its era.

Horror isn’t just a genre; it’s an amalgamation of pop culture, cozy traditions, and things that go bump in the night. This year, we're taking our 31 Days of Horror across the entire cultural spectrum. We’ll be taking a look at movies that scare us, games that kept us paranoid, scary books we cozy up with under blankets, music that sets that spooky tone and seasonal food we’re craving–or strange food you’d have to tie us up and force feed us. Whether you’re looking for something truly terrifying or a cozy autumn haunt, come back every day this month for a new bite-sized review or spooky adjacent list. I know saying something is “the perfect” anything is a little bit fraught. It’s hard to satisfy everyone, and there’s so many different genres and individual taste to consider. Bold though it is to say this is the perfect Halloween Playlist, we’re gonna say it. Because this was the hard work of everyone at Culture Combine, and it crosses genre boundaries, spans decades, and includes deep cuts and pop culture favorites. You’ll find moody instrumentals, driving industrial, murder ballads, “oldies”, pop, piano and so much more. Somehow, it all makes sense together, and somehow, it’s melded into what we think is the perfect playlist for your Halloween party, your Halloween commute, your long Halloween shower, or your anything, really. Turn it up, get in the spirit, and have a blast with this one!

The release of a new LAIKA film brings two reoccurring themes to the forefront; a.) Nobody makes movies like this anymore and b.) the process is as interesting as the finished product. More or less. Wildwood does the same, but immediately elevates the discussion. Five minutes into the film and the process washes away like waves on the sand and all that is left is the story, the world-building and the performances. All of which are truly outstanding. Based on an original story by Colin Meloy of the Decemberists with original illustrations by Carson Ellis, Wildwood borrows themes from other well-known stories to present something wholly original. A brave girl must enter dangerous territory to save a loved one against dark and terrible odds. We've heard that song before, but not sung like this. It's a wild and wonderful pleasure to be sitting in a movie theater and NOT know what's going to happen next. There's a little bit of Labyrinth, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, Narnia, The Borrowers Down Under and The Lord of the Rings all mixed together here. And it works so very well. The film offers Talking Animals Wearing Clothes and "Peopling" so I'm already 100% on board. But then there's absolutely carnage in a brutal and intense final battle sequence. So you get your Owls In Waistcoats, but you also get your beheadings, stabbings, and bodies burning on battlefields. As an adult human being, I loved absolutely all of that. This film is animated, sure. But it is 1000% not for all kids. We talk a lot about writing a villains with a sympathetic backstory and sometimes that works, sometimes it doesn't. It works remarkably well here and the film benefits immensely from it. There is a lot to emotionally invest in here. Vocal performances are strong, across the board. But they're all so well cast that you don't hear the actor in the performance; you hear the character. Which is another sublime joy from the film. Wildwood is lush and beautiful. It wears its artistry with confidence and bold kinetic energy. The plot zips along to a satisfactory conclusion. And the world is so rich that it would take multiple viewings to see all the vibrant life happening on the borders of the movie screen. If you're nostalgic for a time when fantasy movies could carry you away to magical and beautiful worlds, Wildwood is here for your journey. I enthusiastically encourage you to take it in on the biggest screen that you can find. No after-credit scene but LAIKA helpfully adds a little behind-the-scenes in the credits, with a new song by the Decemberists and beautiful animation. What more could you want?

Horror isn’t just a genre; it’s an amalgamation of pop culture, cozy traditions, and things that go bump in the night. This year, we're taking our 31 Days of Horror across the entire cultural spectrum. We’ll be taking a look at movies that scare us, games that kept us paranoid, scary books we cozy up with under blankets, music that sets that spooky tone and seasonal food we’re craving–or strange food you’d have to tie us up and force feed us. Whether you’re looking for something truly terrifying or a cozy autumn haunt, come back every day this month for a new bite-sized review or spooky adjacent list. Screenshot: SOMA SOMA is Greek for “body” and while it’s an apt title, it’s also a bit ironic, as “body” is something SOMA plays fast and loose with. Taking the mechanics that made Penumbra: Overture and Amnesia: The Dark Descent hits, SOMA stays true to that formula while introducing a whole new level of body horror and existential dread. What makes a person a person? What happens when you copy consciousness? If you haven’t played SOMA, I highly recommend you just go and play it. Minor spoilers follow. SOMA is a first-person survival horror game in the same vein as Frictional’s other games like Penumbra: Overture and Amnesia: The Dark Descent. There is no combat: you run and hide from enemies. There is also the famous “tactile” feel that Frictional adds. You don’t just open a door, you pull it open. This helps put the player into the world, and therefore, closer to the horror. Screenshot: SOMA I think that SOMA excels because it uses gameplay mechanics to tell its story and they’re used in a way that’s impactful as part of the story. I’m talking about body swapping–that is, when you have to swap your consciousness from one body to another to progress. Well, more like copy than swap. In SOMA you play as Simon Jarrett. Dying in 2015, he scans a copy of his brain only to immediately wake up over a century later. Simon finds himself inside a strange, unfamiliar body, stuck on the bottom of the ocean in the ruins of Pathos-II, an underwater research laboratory–and the last remaining place on earth with humanity. At least what little is left of humanity. Simon has to navigate these new horrors while discovering the earth he knew is long destroyed, and his life under the ocean is full of confusing horrors. And to survive, ultimately, he has to choose to switch consciousness from one body to another. Screenshot: SOMA Body swapping in SOMA is done in a way to trick the player. Simon is told by a researcher named Catherine that each swap is basically a 50/50 coin toss–you’ll either find yourself the one who is swapped, or you’ll be the one left behind in the old body. At one point, Simon must "transfer" into a heavy diving suit to survive the abyss. When the new Simon wakes up, the player immediately takes control of him, leaving the old Simon asleep in the chair. Because the camera—the player's perspective—shifts to the new body, Frictional Games effectively tricks the player into believing the transfer worked. SOMA's mechanics deliberately gaslight the player into sharing Simon's blind denial. The true gut-punch comes moments later, when the game forces you to decide whether to euthanize the old Simon or leave him to eventually wake up completely alone in a locked room. Screenshot: SOMA There are, of course, traditional horror moments in SOMA. But the real horror is knowing you’re just a copy acting out humanity while humans have been wiped out on the surface, while the complex’s AI tries its best to “preserve” humanity by uploading human consciousness into mechanical constructs and mutating corpses–making horrific biomechanical anomalies. Add to that the crushing depth of the deep, dark ocean and I’ve never played a game that so isolates the player while taking away anything that can make them feel safe. It’s a masterclass in horror, and one of my absolute favorite games ever. s

Screenshot: Virtue and a Sledgehammer Sometimes life just makes you want to smash things. That's (somewhat) the premise behind the highly emotional, and very smash-y Virtue and a Sledgehammer. ​Virtue and a Sledgehammer is a third-person narratively driven catharsis simulator. In it you play as Pratelle, who returns to her hometown to find the people all replaced by robots that have their memories and emotions. The town holds all sorts of ugly and hard memories for Pratelle–about her relationship with her mother, friends, family, etc. Good thing Pratelle brought a sledgehammer. Screenshot: Virtue and a Sledgehammer ​Narratively, Virtue and a Sledgehammer is complicated. It mixes emotional family drama and that outcast, black sheep feeling we've all experienced to some degree. It relies heavily on cinematic sequences of interactive fiction to explore themes of family, tradition, trauma and the guilt that comes along with that. It explores some heavy subject matter like grief, loss of loved ones, abuse, suicide, euthanasia and other sensitive topics. The physical destruction therefore isn't always catharsis, it's emotionally complicated, as you smash machines with loved ones’ memories and the memories themselves. It's not just a power fantasy. Screenshot: Virtue and a Sledgehammer ​Highly stylish, Virtue and a Sledgehammer uses low poly graphics that are reminiscent of the fifth generation of consoles. Something about the combination of graphics and gameplay gave me serious Red Faction Guerrilla vibes. Especially because of the destruction potential–like the ability to destroy walls and most buildings in a single, well-placed strike. ​Since you're wielding a sledgehammer for the majority of the game, everything looks smashable. Not everything is. I can understand the limitations on a technical standpoint, but I was always bummed when my rampage was stopped by a parked car or a fence when I could take down buildings with ease. Screenshot: Virtue and a Sledgehammer ​There is combat in Virtue and a Sledgehammer–and while you'll be smashing robots that are trying to hurt you, some beg not to be hurt. Or taunt you to do it, if you dare. While the enemies swarm to you, the challenge comes in timing your swings. You can push, half-swing or full-swing. If you get overwhelmed and die, you can always choose to not give up and keep fighting through. ​While a sledgehammer might be a desirable substitute to traditional therapy, it won't solve Pratelle’s problems. Just smash them up. The entire game is a mood, and that mood is angry on the surface, but with so much human pain underneath. It's a beautiful game that I encourage everyone who has been labeled a misfit to play.

Horror isn’t just a genre; it’s an amalgamation of pop culture, cozy traditions, and things that go bump in the night. This year, we're taking our 31 Days of Horror across the entire cultural spectrum. We’ll be taking a look at movies that scare us, games that kept us paranoid, scary books we cozy up with under blankets, music that sets that spooky tone and seasonal food we’re craving–or strange food you’d have to tie us up and force feed us. Whether you’re looking for something truly terrifying or a cozy autumn haunt, come back every day this month for a new bite-sized review or spooky adjacent list. Depending on who you talk to or when they last saw it, there are people who will describe Doctor Who in a lot of different ways. Some will call it a low budget British sci-fi show. Some relegate it to a kids' show. Some consider it a legacy sci-fi series that is beloved not only in Britain, but all over the world. One thing to know about us here at Culture Combine - we LOVE Doctor Who. We're here for Classic Who, NuWho, and everything in between. In fact, we all regularly attend Chicago TARDIS on Black Friday weekend just to soak up the Dalek, Cyberman and Companions of it all (and it's a BLAST.) But this is Halloween, so what are we doing here? Well, since the very get-go, there's been some seriously scary things that the Doctor's had to face with his companions, and we're looking at the scariest episodes of this sci-fi classic in no particular order. There's both NuWho and Classic in this list, and they're all amazing. Don't take these lightly - some of them literally had us staying up late with the lights on just to recover. And whatever you do, don't blink. Midnight (Series 4, Episode 10) Midnight is simultaneously one of my favorite and least favorite episodes of Doctor Who. Not because it's too scary, which it kinda is as the Doctor not only faces an invisible antagonist -a fairly common trope of the series). Nor is it the confined setting that makes it a prime example of a Bottle Episode. Rather my slight disdain for the episode comes from another common plot point/cliche/whatever we're calling it this week: not listening to the smartest person in the room. The episode takes place on a heavily radiated planet with a top of the line resort. While his companion at the time Donna basks at the resort's spa, the Doctor finds himself on a shuttle tour to see a sapphire waterfall. On the trip a never truly seen entity takes over people on the tram, sending everyone into a panic as they try to survive and oust this invisible, conniving, and alluring threat. And there's the Doctor doing his damndest to get everyone through the situation...BUT NO ONE LISTENS. The mass frenzy has everyone pushing logic to the brink and while normally this would irritate me to no end, they way Russell T Davies manages to make everything make sense, even within the narrative, is astounding. My annoyance turns to fear as things seem to be at a breaking point, but of course this is an episode of Doctor Who, so everything turns out alright I guess, but nothing is as frightening as the Doctor's look of disappointment at the end of the episode. Blink (Series 3, episode 10) “Blink” is one of the most iconic episodes of the David Tennant era and introduces one of Dr Who’s most iconic villains of modern era Who. For me personally, it’s also probably the most frightening. Part of The Doctor's message to Sally Sparrow in "Blink." Via Wikipedia. The episode starts out in an unusually creepy way from most other episodes in the Tennant era. Sally Sparrow (Carey Mulligan), our main companion for the episode (despite only meeting the Doctor once, for just a moment) is exploring an abandoned and disheveled mansion at night when she comes upon a message written under the peeling wallpaper that reads “BEWARE.” As she strips apart the wallpaper, the message is a warning – for her – of the weeping angels. What follows is a slow burn of well-paced horror and complex timey-wimeyness that defines Doctor Who as a series, despite it being a “Doctor lite” episode. Sparrow is being stalked by the angels – creatures as old as the universe that feed off potential energy – “all the days you might have had, all your stolen moments.” Their greatest strength and weakness is that they exist in the abstract and turn to stone when observed. Even before I saw “Blink” for the first time, I’ve always felt unsettled by stone statues. They’re near the top of the list of things that creep me out the most, right next to porcelain dolls. What makes the angels one of the most powerful and scary villains in all the Whoverse is that they seem so common. Stone statues are literally everywhere we go, from giant effigies in big cities to tiny lawn ornaments. Despite The Doctor explaining that they’re “the most malevolent life form evolution has ever produced,” Blink slow rolls that power. They really do just creep up on our heroes at first. We learn very early that they’re responsible for The Doctor being stuck in 1969, but don’t see just how malevolent they are until midway through the episode. They’re also terribly hard to beat. How can anyone defeat an enemy that can grab you from behind before you notice, or even right in front of you should you blink? There are some fantastic moments of levity as well. Sally seeing the other video store clerk yelling at a movie saying “go to the police! Why doesn’t anyone go to the police” is a nice little meta moment for everyone who’s yelled at the obviously bad decisions characters make in pretty much any horror media. Larry Nightengale, the nerdy introverted video store clerk, provides good comic relief in his interactions with Sparrow. Since “Blink,” Doctor Who has brought the angels back multiple times and while in all of those episodes they’re still scary, their initial introduction remains one of the scariest moments in all the Whoverse. The God Complex (Series 6, episode 11) We open the episode with a policewoman named Lucy wandering the halls of a truly creepy old hotel worthy of comparison to The Overlook in The Shining. Lucy is terrified, opening doors seemingly at random. “You don’t know what’s going to be in your room until you see it. Then you realize it could never have been anything else,” she says internally while scribbling in a notebook. She adds that the moments of her “worship” are getting closer together and notes that she’s the last person left. The hairs on the back of my neck were standing on end in just those first two minutes of the episode, and they didn’t recede until the very end. The Eleventh Doctor (Matt Smith) and Amy and Rory Williams (Karen Gillan, Arthur Darvill) end up arriving to the hotel where they’re met by several other humans and an alien. The hotel is just a façade. Our characters are rather stuck inside an automated prison with an ancient alien minotaur that feeds off the faith they’re brainwashed into developing for the creature to cope with being trapped inside their greatest fears. There’s a lot in this episode that’s downright terrifying. Plenty of jumpscares, a room full of ventriloquist dolls and a guest appearance by a weeping angel, and lots of long shots of liminal space and odd angles. But the most horrific thing about The God Complex is being forced to watch characters lose their mind and will and giving themselves over completely to the creature with a maddened smile on their faces. It’s not just about being immersed in whatever frightens you the most, but the possibility of being so terrified that you’ll give up the very essence of who you are – your core beliefs, your faith – to escape. The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances (Series 1, Episode 9 and 10) Let’s start with one I bet you’d find on a lot of lists - no, not Blink – The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances. I watched this again with my husband back at Chicago TARDIS this past year. Aside from the very visceral fears brought about by a London under siege in a world war, and the introduction of a very impish and important character in Jack Harkness, you have the supremely terrifying phenomenon that is the empty child. This child never ceases his search for his Mummy, dressed in a schoolboy’s uniform with a gas mask secured to his face. He’s able to call on phones, come through in radio signals…and it’s terrifying. “Are you my Mummy?” This two-parter is full of twists and turns, including that there isn’t just one “empty child” and they may not be children at all. And though it’s also one of the sadder episodes, it’s also one of the episodes with the most hopeful ending, and that’s the kind of thing Doctor Who does best. Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead (Series 4, Episode 8/9) A giant library the size of a planet sounds like a vacation more than a nightmare to me. Unfortunately, that's not the way it goes for the Tenth Doctor when he goes there with none other than his best companion Donna Noble (obvi) This is a very important episode in the canon of the show as a whole, as it's the first time we meet (and the first time the Doctor meets) River Song. Why is that such a big deal? Spoilers, sweetie! For the time being, the Doctor's here because of a psychic message, and on arrival finds it quite empty, having been sealed for 100 years. But there's a warning: "others are coming" River's an archaeologist leading a team who is exploring the library, but she seems almost intimately familiar with him - just one eerie thing in this episode.This is also where we meet the Vashta Nerada, an alien species that acts as a collective (kind of like the Borg) and swarms people in an instant, leaving only their empty shell of bone behind. Yet there are those who remain, and echoes of the people they used to be. It turns out that the patrons of the library have been trapped somehow?What's even happening here? The answer is a lot more complicated than you'd expect, and when microscopic aliens who can reduce you to bare bones are lurking in the darkness, it's not gonna be a good time. Wild Blue Yonder, 60th Anniversary Special (2023) It feels like just yesterday I got freaked out thoroughly by this one, and I mean thoroughly enough I had to find something pleasant to do before I went to bed after this one. This was the second of the 60th anniversary specials, after "The Star Beast" which was...ok. Still, though I daren't admit it around the fandom at the time, I was excited to see Tennant again, because he's my Doctor. And Donna? Well, icing on the cake. I love the way she challenges him, and doesn't take any shit from him, but is also kinda best friends with him. It's such a great relationship. Anyway, the Doctor and Donna get stranded on an abandoned spaceship because TARDIS malfunction. The spaceship was already giving Event Horizon vibes, but then they find an old robot moving extremely slowly around the ship and almost nothing else. No signs of life, and only some unintelligible announcements that are followed by a reconfiguration of the ship. As they're trying to figure this out, they split up. Or do they? Because soon after the pair splits, they find...other versions of themselves. These versions are not anyone's friend, and they seem to have no concept of size and shape, and therefore warp their forms into hideous long limbed versions of the Doctor and Donna. But it's not enough that they're copying their physical form - they're also stealing their thoughts. The stakes are high, and it's hard to figure out who's who (or a Not-Thing, as the dopplegangers call themselves). But the Doctor and Donna are close enough to actually work it out and even lay a trap for the Not-Things, and they figure out the secrets of the ship and the Not-Things in time to stop back by Camden Market, where we get a last goodbye to NuWho favorite Wilfred Mott. Dalek (Series 1, Episode 6) This episode hails from the very first series of "NuWho" with Christopher Eccleston, someone we still wish had a lot longer playing The Doctor. And I suppose if you can read titles, you know some of what'll happen. The Doctor and Rose go to Utah for this one, where they meet a collector of alien artifacts who has some truly interesting things in the massive bunker deep beneath the soil. But it's not just dusty phasers. It turns out, he has a live alien in captivity. Naturally, as this is one of his most prized possessions, he goes to show it off, but it doesn't go as he planned. You see, the Dalek were all destroyed in the Time War, so they're no longer a threat. Or that's what even The Doctor thought. And even though he's weakened and being held captive, you can see the horror cross the Doctor's face as he immediately tries to destroy it. Not so fast though, because he's restrained and then also held captive by our collector and his friends, so he can be invasively studied and prodded. Meanwhile, Rose gets some one on one time with one of the most terrifying enemies the Doctor has ever faced. Only she doesn't know that. She takes pity on it, but when she touches its casing, it's able to absorb her DNA, re-energize and go on a killing spree, escaping its chains, repairing itself, and causing enough damage and mayhem to force our evil collector to release the Doctor to help stop it. There's a lot of reasons this return of the Daleks is scary, but one thing that struck me is the fear in the Doctor's eyes when he realizes the Daleks aren't all dead. There's also the insane abilities of the thing, though, and the way it manipulates Rose, overpowers her and immediately carries out its prime directive: to exterminate any life form that is not Dalek. I used to laugh at Dalek in the OG series as a kid. Why would anyone fear a monster that looks like a pepper grinder with plungers attached to it? But this episode, and this series in particular, start to strike that fear in your heart - the familiar dread of a foe that even the Doctor has nightmares about. Now let's turn our attention to Classic Who and some of its scariest episodes. We've got three picks for you here, but remember, these are serialized differently and so each episode is usually several hours long. Tomb of the Cybermen - Second Doctor, 1967 This classic episode was the third to feature the Cybermen and the first to show how scary they can be. I contend that even though they may look silly here, the Cybermen are at their absolute scariest. But as with most horror, the monsters aren't always the most monstrous entity, as the Brotherhood of Logicians (seriously) have plans to use the Cybermen for their own means. The first three episodes of this four-parter are tight and tense with the fourth falling off a bit—but if you've watched Classic Who, this happens sometimes. You have some great classic characters like Roy Stewart as the mute but massive Toberman. You also have Cybermen ready to assimilate people while saying “to struggle is futile” before the Borg were even a twinkle in Maurice Hurley’s eye. Terror of the Autons - Third Doctor, 1971 I'm so terribly sorry but WHAT THE FUCK. Come for the return of the Autons, stay for the Master. This serial features everyone’s favorite plastic-come-alive aliens: the Autons. Featured in this episode are killer chairs, faceless mannequins with guns for hands, and a murderous, Chucky-sized troll doll. The story is also notable for being the very first appearance of the Master (in a commanding performance by Roger Delgado), and it introduces companion Jo Grant. Coincidentally, Roy Stewart makes an appearance here, too—though he’s no Toberman this time around. The Ark in Space - Fourth Doctor, 1975 This 1975 serial is jokingly referred to by fans as the inspiration for Alien (1979). And while the atmosphere building in “The Ark in Space” is lacking, the threat itself sounds a lot like what would be in Ridley Scott’s film: an alien gets on board a ship and lays its eggs in a sleeping crew . Tom Baker is brilliant in this, along with a great performance by Elisabeth Sladen as Sarah Jane Smith. And despite the effect being bubble wrap painted green, seeing the parasite take over Commander Noah’s body is effective body horror.

Screenshot: Remothered: Red Nun's Legacy I’ve been playing survival horror games for a really long time. Arguably, since the birth of the genre since I first cut my teeth on games like the Alone in the Dark series before I even started playing Resident Evil. In this time I’ve played some great survival horror, and some terrible survival horror games. (Ironically, games in the Resident Evil franchise touch on both ends of that spectrum.) I would love to say that Remothered: Red Nun’s Legacy is a great survival horror game, but it’s just okay at its best, and frustrating at its worst. It’s October, so I knew I’d find myself sneaking around, hiding under couches and inside closets from bad things trying to find me and hurt me. It’s always some monster or crazy psycho. This particular flavor of aggressor is a nun, transformed into a blind, sound-reactive killer by whatever enigmatic forces power The Red Nun. Screenshot: Remothered: Red Nun's Legacy Remothered: Red Nun’s Legacy is the third game in the Remothered franchise, and while it promises to finally tie up the loose ends of the trilogy, I jumped into this entry with promises that I don’t need the previous two games before I could get into this one. And while that’s mostly true, I still felt like I was dropped into the middle of a series with no idea what’s happening. Remothered: Red Nun’s Legacy is a survival horror game played from a third-person perspective. You take control of Susan as she searches for her missing daughter. This search brings you to an evil residence full of nasty, mutated creatures and puzzles to solve involving statues and other unlikely keys. While there is a bit more combat in Red Nun’s Legacy, since you have the ability to use makeshift weapons to temporarily stun enemies, you’re still as helpless as ever. Run, sneak and hide as you delve deeper into the horror and uncover the truth of the Red Nun. I mean, if you care. Screenshot: Remothered: Red Nun's Legacy And that’s a lot of the problem. While Red Nun’s Legacy is a competent enough game, it did nothing to excite me or compel me to keep playing. The entire time I’m playing I couldn’t help but compare Red Nun’s Legacy to a more competent Resident Evil game. It’s like the “we have Resident Evil at home” meme. That’s not to say that Remothered: Red Nun’s Legacy is a bad game. It’s just an at-times boring one that brings few original ideas to the survival horror genre. From the setting to the types of bad things you see, they have all been depicted in one way or another. That’s not to discount the game’s atmosphere and creepiness. Screenshot: Remothered: Red Nun's Legacy It is definitely a scary game, and some creative work has gone into it. The enemy design and grotesque imagery do a lot of the heavy lifting to keep things unsettling, and the sound design is great—especially when you’re listening in the dark for a blind killer that reacts to every noise you make. Gameplay-wise, there’s something a bit off about Remothered: Red Nun’s Legacy, too. Moving around never feels quite as fun as it should, making the long stretches of sneaking tedious. The stealth just feels slow, and it doesn’t really add anything to the formula that other survival horror games haven’t already done. And there are few times when the tension is laid off enough to appreciate the down moments, making the pacing feel way off. I know inevitably someone’s going to love these games and hate my take on it. That’s fair. But Remothered: Red Nun’s Legacy isn’t a bad game, it’s just not a good game. And mediocrity sometimes is worse for a game.