Hurray for Halloween!
To help you prepare, I’ve collected lots of horrible goodies this week.
What’s going to be truly horrible, however, is November. I’ll be trying to write the detailed outlines of two books for a minimum of 50,000 words.
I’ll keep sending my newsletters, but they are likely to be shorter than usual in November.
This week, however, I have harrowing music and celestial horrors in my round up at the bottom of this email, but the real treat is this week’s main feature!
I’ve been working on this all year, searching for the best horror and/or horror adjacent short films on the web.
Get in the Halloween mood by diving into:
The 3rd Horror-ish Film Festival
Part 1: Dread
- We’re starting with an Austrian dark comedy. A young couple decide to get rid of their old washing machine, leading to some uncomfortable encounters. The sense of escalating dread in this 22 minute film is fantastic! The Washing Machine
- Then it’s time for a dark comedy that’s fun. Enjoy 4 minutes of Swiss silence in Hand in Hand
- If you need some fresh air after that, come join me for a walk in the woods. But listen. There’s a reason your parents always warned you not to go splashing through puddles… Two Puddles
- And for God’s sake stop playing with that light switch! Significant Other
- I’ve selected mostly newer films this year, but I’d like to finish part 1 of the festival with this classic that knows how to make a splash: One Last Dive
Intermission: Delusions
- Welcome weirdos, this bit of the festival is for you! First off, some stop motion magic. Not really horror, but delightfully horrible nonetheless. This is a bit wistful and sad, so might kill your buzz if that’s not your thing, Rambo. For everyone else: Listen To Me Sing
- This one is hard to describe. Maybe “eating very good magic mushrooms and then watching a Simpsons Treehouse of Horror while your family has left and you don’t know where they are.” Sounds good? Ghost Dogs
- I loved this one. This is a two-minute palate cleanser, made solely from stock video and auto-readers. Reminded me a bit of some of Chris Morris’ stranger Jam* sketches: Relax
Part 2: and Disaster
- Time to increase the pressure for the second half of the festival. I hope you’re ready? Don’t worry, a nurse is standing by, should it be too much. This nine minute short is getting made into a feature film, so watch it here first! The Blue Door
- Next up is another creepy classic: The Cat With Hands
- Then a modern classic of disorientation to soften you up further. This one is gorgeous, confusing and packed full of delicious dread: Sudden Light
12: Before we head back to some jump scares. This one is also being turned into a feature, so, er, listen to it here first! They Hear It
- The sound on this one is not great, you may need to turn up the volume, otherwise it’s short, sweet and very effective: Fear Wish
- We’re finishing the festival with a film inside a film, and you’re going to love it. Welcome to The Backrooms Found Footage… and goodbye.
In Case You Missed It This Week:
Read!
If you’re not already signed up to Mark Stay’s newsletter, then you won’t have heard about his latest free read, which is a comic! Sign up to the newsletter to get The Wish Demon!
Look!
Just in time for Halloween NASA have created more gorgeous Galaxy of Horror B-Movie style posters for various exo-planets. Check them out here!
Listen!
I missed Birds In Row when their first album came out, but I’ve just discovered their new second album, Gris Klein. I’m rubbish at genres, so I’m calling this the lovechild of Fugazi and At The Drive In, wearing a Deafheaven tshirt. Very exciting!
Enjoy!
(Excerpted from my newsletter dated 29th October, 2022. Sign up for the full, up-to-date experience!)
