'Shocktober' Media Recommendations 2025
- Jay Weaver
- Oct 31
- 3 min read
The Conjuring Franchise (Warner Bros, 2013-25)
For as much as I’m a fan of the Godzilla franchise, I’ll admit that The Conjuring is the better extended universe following two fantasy characters with Vera Farmiga in a leading role. You might not agree with me, but we probably share the view that one franchise is the obvious choice over the other as a recommendation for Halloween. The Conjuring movies are played extremely straight in their premises and execution, which makes for fun and easy viewings compared to other horrors, like the next in this list, and it makes for a new interpretation of an extended universe that doesn’t follow superheroes – unless we're counting priests, mediums, and Jesus. The films also make for a bizarre and fascinating viewpoint on the power – and threat – of religion, where Christian faith is a scarce but powerful tool to fight evil and prevent it from harming other Christians… and seemingly no one else. With enough style and substance to feel comfortable but not boring, and brisk but not underwhelming, you have the perfect franchise for a Halloween marathon with friends.
Devilman Crybaby (Science Saru, 2018)
Whether you’re looking for something eclectic to explore with your artsy friends one evening, something fun and visceral to enjoy for Halloween, or something sexy to put on for a spookier Netflix and chill, Devilman Crybaby could cover most bases (or get you through most bases). Masaaki Yuasa – the series’ director – has spun a beautiful and harrowing anime out of Go Nagai’s original manga that builds on, reinterprets, and subverts the imagery and themes of Hideaki Anno’s Neon Genesis Evangelion less than half the runtime. The series follows Akira as he discovers Japan’s secret underworld of crime, prejudice, and devils before becoming half devil himself – as the titular Devilman – and dealing with the repercussions of that. The show boasts an exhilarating electronic soundtrack and a surreally minimalist art style that entices you throughout and harmonises the viewer’s stress with the characters’. The show decisively makes you just vulnerable enough – through its heart-pumping moments and eccentric presentation – to feel a vast spectrum of emotions and engage with a wide remit of politics and existentialism.
Bring Her Back (Sony Pictures, 2025)
Following on from their extremely fun and cathartic outing in 2022, the Philippou brothers have transitioned to craft one of the most uncomfortable and harrowing cinema experiences I have had in a very long time. Bring Her Back’s allure rests mostly in its intense character drama and creative implementation of viscera. Where Talk to Me built on the tropes of American horror films, following extroverted and energetic teenagers and/or young adults, Bring Her Back sees the ex-RackaRacka hosts elevate elevated horror and European flicks. Bring Her Back boasts an excellent story best left unspoiled, and it boasts many of the quiet, cold, and distant qualities that made Rec, The Martyrs, Hereditary, and Frontière(s) so impactful.
I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream (Harlan Ellison, 1967)
It normally takes me a month or two to finish a book; thus, recommending one to finish before Halloween isn’t the best idea. However, Harlan Ellison’s seminal I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream, whilst worth reading in any context, can be finished within a single evening. The short story explores the existential threat of artificial intelligence through a unique work of science fiction horror. Am, the focal AI, hates humanity more than anything else in the universe and seeks to punish five individuals for eternity. This hate is so reinforced that Harlan Ellison himself sought to involve himself as the voice actor for Am in the 1995 videogame with the sole intention of making the character sound angrier and more hateful. Am’s initially ludicrous justification for this hatred debases into a condemning and pertinent judgement of the ways that we operate and organise ourselves day-to-day. Finishing I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream feels like an illumination of why there’s a target on the back of your head painted by other people, aliens, or Cortana and Siri. It also feels like an hour well spent.
Comments