That eerie chill in the air means it’s time to crack open a favorite spooky read, get cozy and watch beloved fearsome flicks, or venture out onto crisp and crunching pathways to enjoy your favorite autumn activities. Our team shares their seasonal recommendations and ways to treat yourself during the spooky season.
🕷️ Allison Winters is watching “Wednesday” on Netflix
My scare tolerance is low, and both seasons of the Netflix hit series are just creepy enough for my taste. Maybe it’s because I was once Wednesday Addams for Halloween as a kid?
🎃 Chris Beeth is going to the MN Zoo’s “Jack O’Lantern Spectacular” event
It’s a treat every season to see the thousands of hand-carved jack o’lanterns displayed throughout the Minnesota Zoo. Fun and festive for all ages, this autumnal event always inspires and delights! Extra points for any pumpkins barfing pumpkin seeds.
🍖 Ellen Larson is reading “Tender is the Flesh” by Agustina Bazterrica
This book was originally translated from Spanish and is a dystopian horror story about a world where a virus contaminates all animal meat, leading to legal cannibalism.
🧛🏻 Grace Rose is watching “What We Do in the Shadows” (the movie)
This hilarious New Zealand movie directed by Taika Waititi inspired the hit FX tv show by the same name. It’s a mockumentary about three vampire roommates.
Halle Orr is watching “Halloweentown”
Halloweentown is a fictional Disney movie filmed in a real town in Oregon. It is a magical town where witches, goblins and vampires live normal lives but also contend with evil forces. A young girl discovers she comes from a family of witches and is transported to the magical Halloweentown to save it from evil.
🩻 Jake Ricker is watching “The Nightmare Before Christmas”
My kids’ two favorite holidays are Halloween and Christmas, so why not mash those together into one incredibly creative, stop-motion musical? It’s an underappreciated classic and a must-watch during the holiday season, though each viewer can choose which holiday season is a better fit.
🔮 Jenny Alvermann is reading “The Bewitching” by Silva Moreno-Garcia
Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s newest novel is a deliciously creepy, multigenerational horror saga that weaves together the supernatural hauntings of three women from New England to Mexico, spanning the turn of the century to the 1990s. It’s twisty, dark, folkloric and witchy – a perfectly vibey read for spooky season.
⚰️ Mila Jester is watching “Monster: The Ed Gein Story” on Netflix
This biographical crime drama goes through the life of the infamous graverobber and murderer Ed Gein. The show gives an overview of Gein’s life before, during and after all of his crimes.
👻 Rachel Sosnowchik is listening to the podcast “Spooked”
Spooked (affiliated with another great podcast, “Snap Judgement”) features regular people telling stories about their encounters with the ghostly and unexplainable. They put a lot of work into sharing stories from cultures across the world, so I get to learn about myths and ghost stories from other countries while also giving myself a little scare.
🍬 Sara Swenson is watching “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown”
I’m not one for scary movies, so I’m looking forward to introducing my daughters to this classic (and local!) Halloween tale.