Guest Post: Halloween Movie, TV & Youtube Recommendations from Veronika @ Regal Critiques

Hello everyone! Veronika here from The Regal Critiques, coming to give you a grand variety of movie, TV show and even YouTube recommendations for Halloween. I attempted to cater to everyone's tastes, so I brought some truly scary, some bloody, some hella dark, but also, some totally non-scary non gory recommendations, as well.  There are too many titles to talk about each of them individually, so I opted for selecting one, my most favorite, from each sub-category, and discussed why exactly I love it so much. BUT, as a simple list would probably make for a rather boring post, I'm going to add TONS OF gifs, basically, a gif from each movie, show or youtube vid. EVERYONE loves a good gif, right!? 

So seat belts on, y'all, we're about to embark on one of the most extensive lists of Halloween "watchable" recs EVER. Have fun. 💀 Titles link to IMDb. 

TV SHOWS

for those in need of something scary(-ish)
AMERICAN HORROR STORY

💀 IT IS AN ANTHOLOGY, so even though there are some small connections between the seasons, you can totally watch them out of order, and even leave out the ones you don't care about. 

💀 THE ACTING is A+, with actors like Jessica Lange, Kathy Bates, Sarah Paulson, Lily Rabe and Evan Peters playing some of the leading roles. 

💀 There's SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE in the series, basically - it has some gore, dark episodes, sort of scary scenes, weirdness, fantastic & complex characters, but also, sometimes humor.

💀 For those who are unfamiliar with the series: S1 - Murder House (ghoooosts), S2 - Asylum, S3 - Coven, S4 - Freak Show, S5 - Hotel (vampires & ghosts), S6 - Roanoke, S7 - Cult

💀 Each season is fine, but the first and second seasons are my favorites, whilst Hotel is probably my least favorite. 

Other title(s) worth mentioning:

• Wayward Pines (I only watched the first season, but that was COOL!)

for those in need of something mysterious

HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER

💀 DIVERSITY - Nearly all the main characters are diverse, e.g. there are black, bisexual, Asian and gay characters. 

💀 MYSTERY - There's basically a whole new centre mystery in every season with time jumps in each episode to keep the truth hidden from the viewers, and IT WORKS SO WELL. Of course, there's a main plot that's been going on from the first season, and these sub-plots fit into that perfectly.

💀 CASES - The characters go to law school, and they get some truly interesting cases and people to defend. Unfortunately, as the plot thickens, they have less and less such cases, but the first season in particular has tons of intriguing ones.

💀 SHIPS - Obviously, romance is NOT the main aspect of this show, but SOME OF THE SHIPS ARE REALLY GOOD. 

Other title(s) worth mentioning:

• Bates Motel

• The Lizzie Borden Chronicles

• A Series of Unfortunate Events

• Penny Dreadful

• Criminal Minds

for those in need of something funny, but gory
SCREAM QUEENS

💀 Unfortunately, the only show I know for this category, but IT IS SO GOOD, especially the first season, the second dragged at some parts.

💀 IT IS FUNNY, really, truly funny at parts and it makes fun of today's pop culture in a non-cringy way. 

💀 THE FASHION is reason enough to watch the show, to be honest. The outfits are gorgeous, and the whole show is just freaking aesthetically pleasing to watch, so much so that I actually have a pinterest board dedicated to stuff I think would fit well into the show. Yes, this board represents all the things I can't afford.

for those in need of an animated show
GRAVITY FALLS

💀 A+ GRAPHICS - Honestly, one of the most gorgeous animations I've ever seen. Every little detail is well-done and ah, just check out the first episode and you'll see for yourself what I mean. 

💀 FANTASTIC RELATIONSHIPS - Be it the stunning twin-bond between Dipper and Mabel, their friendship with others, or their relationship with their uncle Stan, every single relationship is portrayed SO REALISTICALLY. They argue, they disagree, they do not talk to each other at times, but they obviously love each other so very much.

💀 THERE IS A PIG. 'Nuff said.

💀 MYSTERIOUS. For a show that was aimed at kids originally, Gravity Falls packs some seriously shocking punches. ALSO, each episode basically has a new and super-intriguing... thing (?) revealed about Gravity Falls (as in, the town), like magical creatures or robot-making geniuses. I KNOW, SOUNDS TOO WEIRD, BUT IT'S FANTASTIC. 

Other title(s) worth mentioning:

• Over the Garden Wall

MOVIES.

slower build-up, but TENSION-filled
GET OUT

💀 THE ACTING took my breath away. Incredibly talented actors, incredible direction and just fantastic work all around. 

💀 PLOT TWISTS that were so so so SHOCKING, and shook me to my core. 

💀 TENSION, SO MUCH TENSION. Like the category title says - slower build up, but from the get go YOU KNOW that everything will go to shit, and the build-up is so so so well-done. 

Other title(s) worth mentioning:

• The Beguiled

• The Invitation

• Creep

• Shut In

• The Boy

• The Gift

• The Orphanage

more dark and/or mysterious than scary
IT

💀 HORROR, BUT WORKS FOR NON-HORROR FANS!? Okay, so I'm a huge fan of horror movies, and I looooved IT a lot, but I also know people who despise horror movies, yet, IT worked for them, too! SO, obviously, IT is generally liked by everyone, or so we should pretend for the sake of this post.

💀 THE! ACTING! IS! SO! GOOD! I'm not sure when was the last time I saw a movie with such young cast who a) were INCREDIBLY talented, and b) had great chemistry. I swear to god, I could totally imagine these guys hanging out IRL. 

💀 A GREAT ADAPTATION. I haven't read the book (sorry fans!), but the friend I watched the movie with is a HUGE Stephen King fan AND she is really critical, but even she was impressed by IT. 

💀 LONG, BUT DOESN'T FEEL LONG. IT is longer than two hours, yet, time seemed to fly by, because the plot was fast-paced and intriguing from the first scene to the last.

Other title(s) worth mentioning:

• Wild Tales

(this is an anthology about the darkness in everyday people who get pushed to the edge, and it is a freaking masterpiece)

• The Cure for Wellness

• The Purge: Anarhcy

• The Exorcism of Emily Rose

• Crimson Peak

• Gone Girl

(but read the book first, because book >>>>>>>>>>> movie)

• Heathers

actually scared the hell out of me

THE CONJURING

EVERYONE KNOWS THIS MOVIE, I THINK. But just in case:

💀 EPIC "GHOST-HUNTER" COUPLE who are actually based on a real-life couple, so that is fascination.

💀 On that note, both The Conjuring 1 & 2 are BASED ON REAL-LIFE EVENTS. I call bullshit on that, but, I guess, this depends on what you believe in lol.

💀 FANTASTIC ACTING. I mean, Vera Farmiga is a QUEEN, I love her, okay. 

💀 GREAT STORY-LINE. Actually has a plot, and a great one at that, y'all, doesn't just rely on the scares and shit. 

• Lights Out

• Sinister (& Sinister 2)

• The Gallows

• Jessabelle

(okay, to be honest, I think this wasn't very impressive?? but good enough for a quick horror movie)

• Dead Silence

not necessarily scary, but quite bloody

I don't want to highlight either of these, because they are SO DIFFERENT from each other - Goodnight Mommy is truly dark and twisted and plays onto a lot of fears people have, whilst The Hateful Eight is like a dark comedy. Both are great - though, I did like the latter more - and worth watching. HOWEVER, do NOT go and read a lot about GM, because MANY reviews spoil the twist, which is so not cool. 

• Goodnight Mommy

• The Hateful Eight

animated movies
MONSTER HOUSE

💀 I'll NEVER stop shouting about this movie, because it does not receive enough praise! 

💀 It is PERFECT for kids who like creepy things, but, for obvious reasons, can't watch horror yet. 

💀 AND for adults who like a great, interesting, UNIQUE movie that has good animation, characters AND IS FUNNY. 

• Corpse Bride

• ParaNorman

• The Book of Life

• The Nightmare Before Christmas

• Coraline

not scary titles that would still work for Halloween DESCENDANTS (and Descendants 2)

💀 DISNEY'S FIRST AWESOME TITLE IN YEARS!!

💀 MUSICAL! I mean, that's a plus for me, but if you dislike music-numbers in movies than probably not cool for you. BUT!! The songs are actually catchy, and closer to being "radio-friendly" than any other Disney songs, to be honest. 

💀 KENNY ORTEGA OF HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL DIRECTED THE MOVIES.

💀 INTERESTING CHARACTERS. The main characters are literally the descendants of 4 great villains - Maleficent, the Evil Queen, Jafar and Cruella de Vil - living imprisoned on an island with all the other villains and their kids.  

💀 Honestly, the production value is, obviously, lower than that of other movies from this list, but The Descendants are SO WORTH WATCHING!!

• Ghostbusters (2016)

• Nerve

• Practical Magic

• Death Becomes Her

• The Adams Family

• Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

• Jawbreaker

• Into the Woods

YOUTUBE

Buzzfeed Blue has a series called Buzzfeed Unsolved that has two different types of videos - supernatural and true crime. I highly prefer true crime, but both are really-fascinating to watch, to be honest. Also Shane and Ryan joke around a lot, so the atmosphere never gets too dark. 

Supernatural

S1 | S2

True Crime

S1 | S2

                                                       

Shane Dawnson has a huge variety of creepy videos on this playlist. These include unsolved cases, supernatural stories, deaths and conspiracy theories. Also, he has another type of "scary" videos where he goes on adventures with his friends, Drew and Garret, to haunted places and the likes. See those here. Now, I'm not going to lie - the closer you get to the current day, the more lukewarm the content gets, it definitely seems like he used up the best of his ideas. BUT I'd still recommend checking out his vids, because there are some truly dark and creepy vids in there. Just scroll around the playlist and click on whatever you're interested in.

QUESTION TIME!
Have you ever watched any of the listed shows/movies/youtubers? What did you think?? What's your absolute favorite thing to watch on Halloween? Also, could you give me & everyone else some more recs in ANY of the categories listed above?? WE'D LOVE TO HEAR YOUR VOICE. 

Monday Highlights #28

The idea is to just link your favourite blog post from the past week (for example a post you're very proud of or just had a lot of fun making) and then I, and hopefully others, can discover new blogs to follow and interact with and discover more posts from blogs we may already follow!

You can also find us on Goodreads (Ann and Clare), Facebook and Instagram to keep up with what we are reading.

Sunday Post 15th October 2017

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted at Caffeinated Book Reviewer, it's a chance to post a recap on the past week, show the books we have received and share what we plan for the coming week. Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews and Reading Reality and the aim is to show our newest books and to see what everyone else received for review, borrowed from libraries, bought in bookshops or downloaded on to their e-reader.

Last Week on the Blog:

• Monday Highlights #27
• How To Survive a Zombie Apocalypse
• Clare Reviews: S.T.A.G.S by M.A. Bennett
• Would Our Favourite Characters Survive a Horror Movie

Books We Got This Week:

All the Crooked Saints by Maggie Stiefvater: I have loved Stiefvater's other books so I've been eagerly anticipating this. I have already buddy read it with Vera @ Regal Critiques.

Turtles All the Way Down by John Green: OMG THE EXCITEMENT! I have so far read the first couple of pages and loved them and cant wait to dive into the rest of the story.

The Last Namsara by Kristen Ciccarelli: Dragons. This better be as badass as it seems because I have been disappointed in a few Dragon stories lately.

The Midnight Dance by Nikki Katz: I'm a huge fan of ballet so the front cover of this immediately drew me in. I'm not 100% sure of the plot but it does seem October appropriate so I can read it and find out soon!!
The Goblins of Bellwater by Molly Ringle: My Mum is a big Christina Rosetti fan so when I heard this was based on one of her poems I had to give it a try. I am really hoping to read this soon because it sounds very intriguing.
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson: I am currently reading this and really enjoying it. I had to get it because I loved We Have Always Lived in the Castle so much!

Reading Update:

Ann:

Clare:

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson: 5 stars, Just incredible. This is going down as an all time favourite and I've already shoved it at Ann! The relationship dynamics were amazing, the characters were dark and complex the story was likewise and the ENDING. I already want to reread this to pick up everything I missed. Also there's some great humour in there that made me laugh out loud. Which is rare.

Mass Effect Revelaion by Drew Karpyshyn: 3 stars, This was enjoyable but it's very much an opening book. There is a lot of time spent on world building and character creation - which is great for anyone coming in who hasn't played the games. But it did feel a bit info-dumpy at times.

Mass Effect Acension by Drew Karpyshyn: 4 stars, A definite improvement. The action picks up, there are some morally grey characters. Kahlee was a great character to read from the perspective of and had a much stronger voice than she did in the first novel.

Mass Effect Retribution by Drew Karpyshyn: 3.5 stars, OMG this book made me hate the Illusive Man so much. It's so interesting getting more in-depth with some of the peripheral or more mysterious characters from the game because it puts a different spin on so many things (which just makes me want to replay the games and see if any of my decisions change).

Mass Effect Deception by William C. Dietz: 2.5 stars, Definitely the weakest of the series. The writing is by no means bad but the author change is very apparent in the change of tone and the characters. I liked that everything was more or less wrapped up but wish this had been a stronger finish.

Mass Effect Andromeda by Jason M. Hough and K.C. Alexander: 3 stars, The characters in this were strong and it definitely put a new spin

The Stolen Throne by David Gaider: 4 stars, Strong enough that I think even someone who hasn't played Dragon Age would still enjoy this book. I really enjoyed reading the characters and discovering more of the Dragon Age world and will definitely continue the series soon.
All the Crooked Saints by Maggie Stiefvater: 4 stars, Enjoyable, great characters and an excellent atmosphere. This felt very original and whilst I didn't love it as much as The Raven Boys it was still a good read.
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn: 5 stars, Why oh why did I wait so long to read this? Everything that can be said about it has already been said by someone else I am sure but I loved the characters and the tension and want to read more by Flynn!!

You can also find us on Goodreads (Ann and Clare), Facebook and Instagram to keep up with what we are reading.

Would Our Faves Survive a Horrror Movie??

I don't know about you but I have found myself wondering whether I would survive a horror movie (the answer is a resounding NO I would definitely not). So just for fun Ann and I decided to take a selection of our favourite fictional characters and rate their chances in a horror movie situation!

Ann's Picks:

Jace (The Mortal Instruments)

Would do well in horror movies that DONT involve ghosts or zombies - because in his world they are not believed to exist and he wouldn't know how to deal with them. In other situations, however, I think he would do very well. He is well-trained and very skilled in combat!

Harry, Ron, Hermione (Harry Potter)

Hermione would be amazing at this. She would research whatever creature they were up against and then plan everything so failure would be impossible.

Ron would die.

Harry is very resilient so he stands a good chance. He managed to stand up to the Dark Lord many times with just a simple spell so I'm sure he could handle anything that came his way!

Elizabeth Bennett (Pride and Prejudice and Zombies)

Regular Pride and Prejudice Elizabeth doesn't stand a chance. But P&P&Z Lizzie!? She would do amazing in a zombie apocalypse - she would have her family fighting with her and she is well-trained. However I feel she would be less likely to succeed in other horror movie situations as she is lacking the knowledge.

Clare's Picks:

Gus and Hazel (The Fault in Our Stars)

I'll be honest - Turtles All the Way Down is staring at me right now so John Green books are heavily on my mind which inspired this pick. But I actually love it. OK so Gus would be useless but hilarious in any kind of horror situation. I can just see him throwing random wisdom at the poor monsters as they (increasingly bewildered) try to kill him. Hazel might fare better, but I think she stands a good chance of sacrificing herself if it would save someone else - especially Gus.

Frodo (Lord of the Rings)

I'm 90% sure that on his own Frodo couldn't survive a stroll to the shops. But with the whole LotR fellowship behind him? Totally. Sam would just carry Frodo right out the other side through the credits.

Westley and Buttercup (The Princess Bride)

Possibly one of my all time favourite books. OK so Westley is down for definite survival. 100%. The monster should run from him, he is not to be defeated. Buttercup.... I don't know. I was going to say her chances of survival were low but LOOK HOW FIERCE SHE IS! There's no way she would go down without a fight at the very least.

There are so many characters we didn't choose because their survival was so obvious (Katniss, Kaz, Inej etc.) but overall I'm pretty happy with the survival chances of (most of) our favourite characters! Let us know if your faves would survive and if you agree with our verdicts!!

You can also find us on Goodreads (Ann and Clare), Facebook and Instagram to keep up with what we are reading.

Clare Reviews: S.T.A.G.S by M.A. Bennett

Title: S.T.A.G.S

Author: M.A. Bennett

Format: E-Arc

Source: Received via Netgalley

Pages: 290

Star Rating: 2/5

Blurb: It is the autumn term and Greer MacDonald is struggling to settle into the sixth form at the exclusive St. Aidan the Great boarding school, known to its privileged pupils as S.T.A.G.S. Just when she despairs of making friends Greer receives a mysterious invitation with three words embossed upon on it: huntin' shootin' fishin'. When Greer learns that the invitation is to spend the half term weekend at the country manor of Henry de Warlencourt, the most popular and wealthy boy at S.T.A.G.S., she is as surprised as she is flattered.
But when Greer joins the other chosen few at the ancient and sprawling Longcross Hall, she realises that Henry's parents are not at home; the only adults present are a cohort of eerily compliant servants. The students are at the mercy of their capricious host, and, over the next three days, as the three bloodsports - hunting, shooting and fishing - become increasingly dark and twisted, Greer comes to the horrifying realisation that those being hunted are not wild game, but the very misfits Henry has brought with him from school...  

Have you ever just been so, SO excited for a book and then it really let you down? That was this book for me. A group of teenagers getting hunted in the woods sounded amazing. To read about anyway. But the execution of the idea was kind of... bland.

The characters had a lot of potential, they were diverse and flawed and selfish which was everything I was hoping for. Unfortunately, so much of their personality was revealed in the first few chapters. Having the narrator telling the story from the future looking back was an intriguing idea but it left me without the tension of wondering whether certain characters were who they seemed. They weren't. And we are told that so often that nothing they do holds any suspense.

Likewise much of the plot is revealed early on. On the very first page the main character talks about the death of a character. On the first page. And whilst she doesn't give all the details by any stretch - she gives enough that you can infer most of the rest. So I spent a lot of my time reading this just... waiting for that to happen. In some books knowing the ending from the start might not be so off-putting. But S.T.A.G.S needed that level of tension. It needed for me to be on the edge of my seat wondering who would make it out alive. Instead everything felt very inevitable.

In addition to this I had a lot of problems understanding the feasibility of the whole situation. Sure, rich people can and do sometimes get away with things. But this level of torture and murder would not go unnoticed. It's all very well saying they always choose victims from poor or "common" families who can't speak up - but that doesn't hold as true in a modern society. Especially with social media and just the media in general who would leap on this story if just one victim or victims family were to spill. Which I think they would. I know fiction doesn't have to be believable. But I like thrillers to be at least a little believable - that's what makes them so, so thrilling.

The narrator did have a very strong voice and the writing style was descriptive enough that I often felt like I was there with the characters. I would be intrigued to see what this author writes next and would definitely give it a try, although I will go in with lowered expectations this time. Perhaps if you go into the story expecting a psychological study of the teenagers in question - you would enjoy this. But if, like me, you expected action and excitement and a little bit of horror, then you'll be disappointed.

You can also find us on Goodreads (Ann and Clare), Facebook and Instagram to keep up with what we are reading.

How to Survive the Zombie Apocalypse (Featuring our Brother)

I'm sure we can all agree - the Zombie Apocalypse is right around the corner. You've seen the movies, you've read the books but are you truly prepared? I know I'm not, which is why I have enlisted the help our little brother Robert, the zombie expert, to come up with some quick and simple rules that will help you ready yourself - and I found some examples from my favourite zombie stories!

1. Find a Base

Robert Tip #1: Get somewhere high

You do NOT want to be surprised. Surprise zombies are the worst zombies. Any advantage you can get is good right? In The First Days by Rhiannon Frater the ones who survive are always up high. In forts, on hills, on top floors of apartment buildings. If you can see them coming they cant surprise you!

2. Don't Waste Ammo

Robert Tip#2: Only shoot them in the head NOT anywhere else

Kind of an obvious one I'm sure but the ONLY way to kill the undead is the head. Ammo is not a never ending resource - this is the apocalypse guys. Of course you could go all wise (Like the above Walking Dead gif) and use a sword. This also comes under Robert Tip #3: If you have a knife make sure you stab them in the head and make sure they are dead.

3. Don't Let Them Get Close

Robert Tip #4: Do not get bitten anywhere on your body

Sure this seems obvious but in how many zombie movies does someone get bitten and then try to cover it up in the hopes that they wont turn. If you get bitten - it's over. So simply do not let them get close. This circles back to rule number 1 as well - get up high, don't let them close.

4. Zombies Are Not Your Friends

No Robert tip for this one because this is all me. I've seen Warm Bodies, I know that makes it look like they can be cured with love? But they can't. Zombies are not your friends. And if you're friends are now zombies - they are not your friends.

5. Squad Goals

We're all better with friends. And if you have a badass zombie fighting team at your back? Your chances just went up. Plus you look way cooler. Just look at the Bennett sisters. Look at them. So stylish yet deadly.

And if you want some more Zombie tips check out these movies for some great rules to live by:

Zombieland (Actually has rules in it - also hugely funny)

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (For pure badassery and fun)

The Rezort (Its dark, it questions humanity, it genuinely made me jump - I also reviewed it here)

Warm Bodies (OK NOT rules to live by, remember to ignore it. But it IS a good movie)

Resident Evil (AND the games - will give you great examples of how to survive)

Dead Rising: Watchtower (Another one based on a game and it was actually way better than I expected it to be)

AND the Books:

This Is Not a Test by Courtney Summers (My absolute favourite and will give you strong feelings about Squad building)

The First Days by Rhiannon Frater (A little shaky in places but a really strong example of survival and some great characters)

The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan (OK I actually haven't read this yet BUT I am reading it this Halloween and everyone always recommends it)

Alice in Zombieland (Sadly has very little to do with Alice in Wonderland - misleading title - but the zombie fighting is pretty cool)

Enrule by Holly Sparks (Again this is actually one from my Halloween TBR. I met the author at YALC this year and she was so nice, and this sounds incredible)

I hope between us Robert and I have managed to prepare you a little for the inevitable Zombocalypse. Good luck out there and hope you're all having a wonderful Halloween month so far!

You can also find us on Goodreads (Ann and Clare), Facebook and Instagram to keep up with what we are reading.