Snow's Halloween Essentials

Heya! So, it's almost my second favorite time of the year again: Halloween! I just love everything about the holiday: the costumes, the movies, the costumes, the high-energy atmosphere, and did I mention the costumes?

(I'm a steampunk Alice in Wonderland this year. Super excite.)

But whenever Halloween's just around the corner, I like to go back and look at some of my favorite things pertaining the the holiday: the creepy TV shows and movies, books, music! So today I'm just going to share with you some of my Halloween essentials.

Movies

Now, I'm not a horror movie kind of gal (I scare really easy), but I like myself some family friendly movies, with only a few exceptions. So here are my must-see Halloween movies.

Coraline

OK, so while Coraline is supposed to be family-friendly, though be warned that if you're a parent looking for a spoopy movie to watch with your kids, I remember getting a little scared watching the movie as a kid when it came out in theaters. So, yeah, it can scare young kids. For that reason, though, it's also a good watch for adults. Coraline can get really creepy, and I always find myself noticing something different when re-watching it, so it's always worth a watch when Halloween's just around the corner.

Corpse Bride

Corpse Bride is a classic, and has always been a favorite of mine that I rewatch every Halloween. It's a creepy but heartwarming story that gets me every time, and I love meeting all the characters and exploring the underworld full of skeletons, zombies, and ghosts. Plus, the idea of a dead woman still trying to find love despite he deadness is really sad. I can't help but feel bad for Emily and hope that one day, she'll find herself an equally loving and dead husband.

Ghostbusters

This is more of an adult movie than a family movie, though it can still be enjoyed by kids. Bill Murray is always a fun actor, and the humor is always great. The fact that a god actually has to ask if someone else is a god cracks me up every time, and the final showdown with a giant marshmallow man was probably the only true way to put something as marvelous as the original Ghostbusters to an end.

The Book of Life

Before anyone points this out: yes, I know The Book of Life is not a Halloween movie. Rather, it's a movie celebrating the Day of the Dead, which do have a lot of cultural differences. But the Day of the Dead is a holiday that I've always found myself interested in, and getting to learn more and more about it is amazing, especially when I get to learn about it from a movie as clever and memorable as this one. The characters are fun and relatable and the world building is fantastic. I'd definitely give this one a watch, especially with the whole family.

The Nightmare Before Christmas

Now, I'm going to be 100% with you right now and say that I have a very unpopular opinion about this movie: I- I just- I just don't like it. I personally find the songs to be dull and always get bored around the middle of the movie, so I've never even finished it. BUT, as I said, I realize that this is a very unpopular opinion, and recognize that it is now a classic and important part of our culture and how we celebrate Halloween. Even during the summer, I can't turn around without seeing someone wearing a Jack Skelington cap. So while I don't personally enjoy the movie, I can appreciate it and recognize the fact that it's a big part of some people's lives. Chances are, you're going to be part of the 99% of people that absolutely adore this movie, so go ahead and watch it for Halloween! Or Christmas! Whatever works better for you!

Monster House

Monster House is a little lower on people's radar in terms of Halloween movies, but I've personally always loved it. Some of the characters may have been just a tad bit annoying (it is a kids' movie, after all), but I always found the story about the old man and his house really interesting and sad.

I also haven't watched this one in a while, though, so it could be nostalgia factor kicking in, but... Well, I don't care. I like it, and I need to rewatch it soon.

Hocus Pocus

Hocus Pocus recently become a cult classic, which is something I actually never saw coming when it was first released. I mean, yes, I loved the movie when it came out, but I never expected it to become the Halloween staple it is now. I'm glad that it got as much attention as it did, though, because the movie's a real ride and super fun to watch.

Zombieland

OK, one of the R rated films on this list, but... but, how could I not absolutely love it? It's hilarious, the characters are relatable, and the setting is exactly how I imagine a zombie-apocolypsed US would be like.

My favorite character was always Tallahassee. He kind of reminds me of my dad, just a tad bit. I could see him trying to be a total badass in everything he does but still getting obsessed with something as totally innocent and inconsequential as Twinkies, which ended up being one of my favorite running gags in any movie ever.

Blair Witch Project

The Blair Witch Project is one of the few straight-up horror films that I've always found myself strangely fascinated with. Now, it scares the hell out of me, don't get me wrong (I am a cry-baby scaredy-cat, after all), but I've always thought found-footage films are really cool (one of those unpopular opinions of mine). I didn't watch the second movie, but I also saw the recent third entry in the franchise and thought that it was fantastic and chilling in all of the most uncomfortable ways. So, I'm probably going to have some people disagreeing with me here, but I'd totally watch Blair Witch Project for some scary fun.

TV Shows

There's nothing like spending some quality time with my little brother and sister to watch some creepy TV shows the week leading up to Halloween. Or just watching them on my own time. Either way, here's some shows that'll fit the spoopy mood.

Ghost Hunt

Ghost Hunt is one of my favorite lesser-known animes. There were days when I was watching this show that I would seriously get freaked out, to the point that I would get paranoid even a school. Now, yes, I'm a cry-baby scaredy-cat, but I still think that the show can be at the very least creepy and unsettling at times.

Great show. I'd recommend watching it with a party of teen to adult weebs.

Courage the Cowardly Dog

Courage has a reputation for being what is quote possibly considered the most terrifying kids' TV show ever. The art itself is creepy, and each new episode comes with its own scary villain and/or messed up story.
The setting itself is pretty spooky, too: just a house, stuck in the middle of nowhere, where anything could happen to the old couple and their dog living there...

Supernatural

Fortunately, you don't have to be a kid to appreciate Supernatural; on the contrary, it's main demographic is teens to adults, so this is something that an older audience can easily enjoy. I'll admit I've only finished the first three (or was it four...?) seasons, but what I've watched so far has been tons of fun. Dean and Sam are just adorkable, and I love learning about all the cool creatures that are introduced each episode.

Plus- it's really memey. Maybe it spawns more teen and preteen memes, but it's still a fun show. I'd at least check it out, if nothing else.

Hell Girl

Hell girl is not only terrifying in its concept, but it also poses some really interesting points and questions about humanity in general. It's something I'd recommend watching if you want something dark and creepy, especially if you're into anime and just have a hard time finding one that actually makes you uncomfortable. In that case, I'd also recommend Aku no Hana, but that anime honestly makes me uncomfortable in a bad way, sooooo.....
Hell Girl. Watch it, if you haven't.

Mushishi

Mushishi is an artistic masterpiece that I'd recommend to anyone, but especially around Halloween. It's not necessarily scary or creepy, but it can have some eerie undertones, and the stories presented in each episode revolve around Mushi, which are spirit-like creatures, so it fits the Halloween asthetic really well. Plus, the animation is just gorgeous.

Give it a go if you haven't already. You won't regret it.

The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy

How could a show about two kids tricking the Grim Reaper himself into being their life-long companion not be at least a little dark and twisted? Billy and Mandy is one of those shows that, when I look back on it now, makes me wonder how the hell it made it passed the Cartoon Network censorts, because I'm pretty sure there would have been quite a few parents concerned about their kids if they watched it. Still, it's tons of fun to watch. I even watch the messed up Christmas episode with my sister any time the Holidays come around, even though it's probably more Halloween-ish with its heavily vampire-driven plot.

Invader Zim

This is yet another one of those shows that I am genuinely surprised was supposed to be aimed at children, because it was seriously messed up. Dark Harvest is infamous for being what is possibly the most terrifying episode of any kids' cartoon yet, and the rest of the show can be pretty dang screwed up, too. The things I have seen in this cartoon. The things

Totally hype for the movie.

Shiki

Shiki is one of those rare animes that manages to be both terrifying and mature about its dark subject matter, and it actually delves into showing you the vampires' side of the story, from what I hear (as I unfortunately never got the chance to finish it). It's very atmospheric and creepy, and the art style is very unique, so I'd definitely recommend giving this one a go if you don't have a problem with gore.

Goosebumps

On top of being a book series that I'd recommend people read, Goosebumps was also made into a TV show, with each episode revolving around a different book in the series. This show used to air in marathon after marathon around Halloween when I was a kid, so I have some really fond memories. I'd also imagine it'd be a good show to put in if young kids are wanting to watch something scary but you don't want them to watch anything too bad.

Scooby Doo

How could I exclude this classic? There are many, many incarnations of the Scooby Doo franchise, and you could watch almost any of them to fill the Halloween mood with the fun mysteries and monster chasing.
I don't really have much to say, since basically everyone knows this series, so just go watch it or any of the movies if you want something lighthearted and fun.
Just stay away from the live-action movies. *Shudder*




Ghost Adventures

How could I end this segment without adding at least one ghost hunting show to this list?

Ghost Adventures was an integral part of my childhood and my fascination with the supernatural (because, yes, I do have one). Zak, Nick, and Aaron are just adorable, running around, cussing at ghosts, and freaking out at the slightest thing. I just love the crew. Aaron, especially, is just too precious.

Poor Aaron.

Poor, sweet, innocent Aaron.

Music

During the Halloween season, I always try to put together a playlist of spoopy tunes to get myself into the spooky mood. I always love jamming out to these songs, whether I'm doing some cleaning or just driving from place to place. Now, I am of the opinion that actual Halloween songs are tacky and gross, so I go more for stuff that feels or sounds like it fits the mood, or just has a theme that works well with the Halloween aesthetic.
Also: No Thriller. Sorry. :/

Haunted and Spanish Doll
by Poe

Poe honestly excels at making music that you could easily slide into playlist of Halloween tunes. She knows how to use sound effects to their fullest potential, and she knows how to actually use auto tune correctly- as in, only using it when it adds something to the song. She already has a very beautiful and strong voice, and distorting it for certain segments of the song is just unnerving.

I also know that this album and a lot of the songs in it such as Haunted and Spanish Doll are really personal to her, since it talks a lot about her grieving process after losing her father, and I think that that just makes the songs all the more hauntingly beautiful.

And creepy. You can't forget those creepy outros to the songs.

A Little Piece of Heaven

by Avenged Sevenfold

Ah, A Little Piece of Heaven. I'll admit that I kind of forgot this song even existed for a while, before I was putting together my Halloween playlist and realized that this thing wasn't on it. The song is an absolute abomination, to be honest, and I love it; it's like a really messed up version of Corpse Bride.

So here's the run-down: Guy decides that his love for his girlfriend has been far too strong for far too long, so he stabs her fifty fucking times, implies cannibalism of said girlfriend's eyeballs, implies preservation of dead girlfriend's body, and even implies necrophilia. Girlfriend becomes zombie woman and subjects boyfriend to the same thing. Boyfriend now sees that what he did was really fucked up, so he becomes a zombie, too, marries her, and they go on a murder spree together for the rest of their unnatural lives.

Still a better love story than Twilight.

...

Don't play this one at any parties with kids.

Just don't.

The Bottom
by Sick Puppies

I always, without fail, remember to put this one on my Halloween soundtrack. I used to think it was about becoming zombies, though now I am more prone to think that it's more about delving into insanity is an apocalyptic setting, or something to that effect. Either way, it's a sick tune, and the bass gets me pumped every time I listen to it. I would also add Howard's Tale by the same band, because, while the song isn't in the Halloween-spirit, per say, it is also extremely unsettling music-wise and content-wise.

The Bird and the Worm
by The Used
This song is honestly perfect for the Halloween spirit, complete with sound effects, creepy giggling mixed in with the vocals, and the occasional old music box sneaking its way into the song. It fits relatively well with Halloween, theme-wise, since it does touch on insanity and the helplessness of death.
Good song, I spam this even when it isn't Halloween.

Pet and/or Counting Bodies Like Sheep to the Rhythm of the War Drum

by A Perfect Circle

Counting Bodies is technically just a super awesome remix of Pet, so they are basically the same song but with a few differences in tone and arrangement. While it's actually an anti-government song above all else, the way that these two versions are played presents things in a very dark light. You'll have to just listen to them to understand what I'm saying because, honestly, I don't know how to explain in. I guess, to simplify it: this doesn't fit Halloween theme-wise, but it sure as hell does music-wise.

(I was lucky enough to be able to see Counting Bodies in concert and it was amazing.)

Moon Trace

by Lindsey Stirling

This is a good listen around Halloween for a few reasons, really. The first being that the song itself is made by everyone's favorite hip-hop/dubstep violinist, so there are no lyrics and the song is therefore open for interpretation in terms of theme. The second being that the song opens up with heavy breathing and a heartbeat, and it only uses that to set up a tense mood for the rest of the song. Third, the music video is basically an homage to Michael Jackson's Thriller, complete with dancing zombies and everything. And while I personally never understood why, Thriller always has been on most people's Halloween playlists.

Lighthouse
by The Hush Sound

This one may seem like an odd choice at first, since the song is all piano and seems really calming, but when you sit down and listen to the lyrics, there's a little more to it than you initially think. I at first thought that it was just a cute little love song but soon found that it evolved into something a little more somber, or sinister, depending on how you look at it. The song itself is very open to interpretation, but I got the distinct impression that ghost girl got pretty jealous of seeing a nice couple and decided to subject our leading lady and her man to the same cruel fate as her.

It's a fun song to listen to and theorize about, so feel free to take a listen and come up with your own interpretation.

Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)

by Eurythmics, Emily Browning, or Marilyn Manson

Eurythmics made the song first, and it was such a hit that it's has two covers that I absolutely adore, one by Marilyn Manson (who terrifies me to no end, and I pray to God every night that he doesn't kill me), and the other by Emily Browning. (Now, I may personally prefer Emily's version of the song, but I assure you that it has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that this version of the song is a part of my favorite movie, Suckerpunch's, soundtrack. Nothing at all.)
The original song is strangely unsettling in and of itself, but later incarnations of the song seemed to want to crank up that creepy factor. Marilyn Manson doesn't even need to try since he's Marilyn fucking Manson, and anything that comes out of his mouth just screams that someone's going to die, while Emily's version of the song ups the dramatics and relies a lot on sound effects.
I just love this song. It's great. Get at least one version on your Halloween soundtrack right now.

Walking on Air
by Kerli

Walking on Air sounds creepy enough song-wise (what with the music box-like tune), but when you go and watch the music video, you can clearly see that it's some sort of creepy homage to Alice in Wonderland, with a fridge that is on fire and oven that's icy, zero-gravity tears, a bed made of rocks, and a creepy singing marionette. And, if you still don't believe me, stick to the end of the video.

There are literally people out there that think Kerli is part of the Illuminati because of this music video.

tldr: Pretty sure this is where Mealnie Martinez got a lot of her ideas from.

Books

If you're ever alone and get the time, there's very little better than just settling down on your bed or at a table and reading a nice book. So here are some nice books to read around this time.

May Bird and the Ever After 
by Jodi Lynn Anderson
Ah, my favorite childhood book series! If you've been reading my blog, then you already know I love this trilogy from my "Books That Need TV Shows/Movies" post, and there's a reason for this. But there's also a reason why you should read it specifically around Halloween: the setting. May is pulled into a world full of ghouls and ghosts and even the Boogey Man, so it was definitely written with a relatively dark theme for a kids' book in mind.
So, yeah. Go read this, if not for Halloween, then just for yourself. I find myself enjoying it even now as an adult.

Harry Potter 
by J. K. Rowling

OK, this is less on the scary side of Halloween and more of the magical and spirited side. Harry Potter's had a big impact on most people's childhood, so if you want to read something about wizards and giants and the occasional werewolf, go pick up basically any book from the series.

Edgar Allan Poe

You can pick up almost any of Poe's more well-known works and be in for some fun. The Raven, The Masque of the Red Death, Fall of the House of Usher, The Tale-Tell Heart! All of this and more come to me just off the top of my head. Poe was an excellent writer that I've always admired, and reading any of his short stories or poems will always having you sitting on the edge of your seat with anticipation and discomfort and just about a half a million other emotions all at once.
He's not my favorite author for no reason.

Stephen King

Another unpopular opinion: I do not like a lot of Stephen King's work. Not to say that I don't respect him as an author, but I realized when I read my first book by him (Salem's Lot) that he tends to put in a way more detail than is necessary. That said, however, he is basically hailed as the King (bu dum tis) of horror novels, so he's a pretty well-respected and beloved guy in terms of horror. Some of his most popular works are Pet Cemetery, The Shining, and It, so I'd recommend reading one of those first if you wanted to pick up some of his work.

Games
Sometimes it's nice to just sit back and engross yourself in something terrifying by becoming active in it. So here are a few games that could get you into the Halloween mood.

Until Dawn

This game was huge last year, and for a good reason. While I only liked, like, two or three of the characters because most of them were, frankly, awful people, that's kind of part of the horror trope. And the twist of the game focuses on some legends that you don't get to hear much about unless you're really into mythology or something. So it was pretty fun and refreshing.

Fran Bow

Fran Bow is... really messed up and weird, I'm not going to lie. It starts off super gory and over-the-top horror and just kind of slowly transforms into this strange Alice In Wonderland-esque story that is honestly really, really strange, but the story is still fun and the art is pretty dark and unique, so I'd say it's worth a play.

Layers of Fear

Layers of Fear takes its time with you, but it really is one of the most horrifying psychological horror games I've seen. Being trapped in the mind of a deranged artist is just as uncomfortable as it sounds, and things only get more and more disconcerting and surreal as you carry on in the game and learn about everything the character has done.

The Letter

One of the more recent games on this list, The Letter is a visual novel with a few basic games added for the player. I, surprised, always used to get freaked out about those stupid chainmail letter I'd get in my inbox when I was a kid, so playing a game like this was like all of my childhood fears come true.

The art is beautiful and, when it wants to be, disgusting and terrifying, and I actually really liked the majority of the characters (except for Becca, because screw Becca), and these are things that are really essential to a visual novel.

Now, it does have a little more romantic/friendship drama than some people liked, so be aware of that, but also know that it's a scary game with fun characters and a lot of different possible endings.

Yomawari
Yomawari is one of those cool indie games that I would love for the art alone, even if it wasn't just fun on its own. There's just something unsettling about the atmosphere, and the art makes everything look cute and terrifying at the same time. Something about the quietness of the game just draws you in, so it's a good game to play around Halloween.



Pocket Mirror

Pocket Mirror was an interesting game with gorgeous art, and there were a few parts of the game that made me genuinely scared, though some parts of it are kind of Alice in Wonderland-ish. The last two acts, though, if I remember correctly, are quite terrifying in their own right. Above all else, though, it's just a cool indie game that I think you should check it out, whether it be for Halloween or not.

Nancy Drew

As a girl who always loves playing the role of detective, I always find the puzzles both challenging and fun.

I especially found The Legend of the Crystal Skull, The Haunting of Castle Malloy, and Shadow on Water's Edge to have some very creepy atmospheres, though Blackmore Manor also looks like it could be on of the scarier ones in the series. Go ahead and give one of the games in the series a go if you want to play detective. They're generally quite cheap, and god knows they've given me hours of entertainment.

The Legend of Zelda: 
Majora's Mask or Twilight Princess

The only console games on this list, and also the ones I would probably recommend to people of all ages. Zelda is something that both children and adults can enjoy, and Majora's Mask and Twilight Princess are both strikingly dark additions to the usually child'friendly audience. Majora's Mask is often referred to as one of the best Zelda games by fans for it exploration of darker themes, and wile Twilight Princess isn't typically held with the same reverence, I've always enjoyed it and its dark atmosphere. If you like any Zelda games and have the proper consols, I'd at least give one of these two a try.

So, have fun out there, whether you're tick or treating or are the one handing out the candy to kids with blankets on their heads! Happy Halloween!

Why I Can't Wait for The Ancient Magus' Bride (The anime)

So, even though I'm not currently paying for Crunchyroll services (not enough money for it at the moment), they've still got my email, and they're still sending messages to it nonstop. It's all promotional stuff, of course, so I ignore them for the most part, but I noticed a month ago that they kept sending me emails about a movie night or something for an anime called The Ancient Magus' Bride. I promptly deleted the emails, though I suppose that the name stuck in my mind, because come September, I get an email saying something alone the lines of "The Ancient Magus' Bride Announces New Character, Fairy King Oberon!", to which I thought, "Wow, Crunchyroll must have a really serious hard-on for this anime if it's making announcements about a new side character."

So, curiosity got the best of me, and I watched a couple of trailers. Which led to me watching the two of the three prologue episodes that are still available on Crunchyroll. Which led to me reading the manga. Which got me instantly hooked and absolutely pissed at myself for not taking up their offer on that movie night thing.

The story of the Ancient Magus' Bride begins with our main character, Chise, at the auction house. She is a rare kind of human called a Slay Vega, who absorbs immense magical energy and can see and interact with creatures that most other people can't, things like faeries, goblins, and elves. As such, a dejected Chise is the "item" being put on auction. She's been shuffled around from one home that doesn't love her to another for all her life, and all she wishes is for whoever buys her to at least want her and be able to use her in some way. There, she is bought for a whopping five million pounds by Elias, a magus who possesses qualities of both a fairy and a human. And, you know, he has some sort of animal skull for a head. Can't forget that.

Elias then tells Chise that she will be his apprentice and whisks her away to his home in Britain, where he teaches her how to hone her abilities and become a magus. And, he tells her at the end of a very exhausting first day, he intends to marry her, too.

So, yes, this is an unconventional romance story between a being that is hundreds if not thousands of years old and a fifteen year-old girl. And I know that sounds like it's creepy, but... honestly, it still is, even when you try not to think of it like that, especially when their relationship sometimes shifts into something more father-daughter-like. Or when you stop to think about the fact that he actually bought her at a slave auction, or-

OK, let's stop thinking about why this relationship may or may not be creepy. He hardly ever mentions marrying her again past the first chapter.

Though I still do wish she was at least eighteen its'socreepy

At least the mangaka seems aware of how creepy this may come off as.

Creepy implications of the main pairing aside, the story is quite unique, and Chise and Elias are both very dynamic characters who grow from their interactions with one another as the story progresses. Chise, once dejected a not having any will to do anything for herself, grows to love her life and those around her and eventually strives to preserve her frail life as best she can while simultaneously looking out for those around her. Meanwhile, Elias, who doesn't understand human emotions, learns from Chise just what it is to be human slowly throughout the series. He learns of loneliness and jealousy and anger, among many other named emotions, but the one that they never say aloud that we know he feels most around her is "love".

Add in a diverse and fun cast of side characters, and you've got yourself a pretty decent and dynamic palette of characters to deal with. Especially when you have a setting where magic and non-human creatures exist.

Oberon and Titania, for example, are fun when we get to see them; the leannan si in love with an old man is a tragic but compelling character; Lindenbaum, the dragon keeper in Iceland, is always a treat when we get to spend time with him. You can tell that the author of the manga had fun with creating the world and all of its characters.

My personal favorite by far is Ruth, Chise's black grim familiar and brother figure. His relationship with Chise is, in my opinion, a perfect way to convey a relationship between to characters that, while not siblings by blood, certainly act like and care for each other like siblings.

He cares for her and looks out for her, worries about her and protects her, and while she's always at the top of his priority list, they are both simply contented with being around and looking out for one another. They're sweet. Not my OTP, but definitely my BROTP.

That said, however, my experience with the manga has been a little dulled compared to how it could be due to the fact that, well, I'm not a big fan of manga.

I know, I'm an anime fan but don't like manga? What the heck?

I simply find it a little hard to follow, particularly in action-packed series or any point in which there is action, so when characters go throwing around magic and such, I get a little confused as to what is going on. Escpecially when it's in black and white. My vision's bad enough as it is. And then there a panels where I can't really tell what's going on, and I'll have to go back and reread.

Like in chapter two, where Chise and Elias are going out to town. It took me a while to figure out that the man that suddenly appeared next to Chise was Elias using a glammour to appear human.

I'm not sure if that's poor planning or just because I'm dumb, but either way, manga just isn't really the right type of media for me.

Though, looking at this again, I'm sure it's poor page planning. You can clearly see that Elias is to her right, so why is Chise turning to her left to see the newly transformed Elias? It just looked like she turned around to see a stranger on the other side of her.

Either way, I get confused, an it just puts a slight damper on my experience.

Which is exactly why I'm looking forward to this anime adaptation coming out next month. I'll be able to watch this without the struggles that come to me while reading mangas. From what I've seen in the trailers and first two prequel episodes, too, the animations looks beautiful and fluid and perfectly captures the magical feel on the series, something that isn't easily achieved in black and white. I can't wait to see elves dancing, with flowers springing at their feet. I can't wait to see the ancient gods of winter roaming the woods on the first night of yule. I can't wait to see mischievous fairies try to drag an unsuspecting Chise into the fairy realm.  And I just can't wait to see my bae Ruth's sad backstory, or the leannan si's tragedy unfold, or the arc with the dragon poachers and the auction house on screen.

This is a story that, in my opinion, is made to be on screen, and I simply can't wait for it.

You have a great day! Bye~~