The Freak Show

We can’t talk about autumn without referring to Hallowe’en. It’s spooky season and costume party season — culminating in the epitome of revelry on the night of nights: October thirty-first. Whether you’re throwing a party, queuing up a horror-movie marathon or building a chilling ambience to creep your housemates out at night (don’t tell them I said that,) you’re in the right place.

Books: because the book is always better.

It, by Stephen King: Out of a total twenty-seven people, I spoke to three who knew that the namesake film was based on a book. Stephen King is one of, if not the most prolific horror writers of our time, and this massive tome is well worth the hours of reading.

Not Good For Maidens, by Tori Bovalino: Come down, come down to the Scarborough Fair! This witchy British-folklore reimagining follows a girl and her family as a hidden goblin market tears them apart in chaotic revelry. Don’t be fooled by the plump fruits and the promises of pleasure beyond your wildest dreams. The market is death itself.

The Loneliest Girl In The Universe, by Lauren James: This read lulls you like nothing else. The first half seems innocent, setting the reader up for a happy storybook ending — until it doesn’t. In the middle of outer space, with nobody but two captains, a bitter story of betrayal and exploitation explodes as powerfully as the stars around them.

City and Colour

Even the staunchest critics of autumn have to admit that there’s nothing quite like a city on fire. When every deciduous tree in sight flares into every imaginable sunset hue, when the streets fill with leaves and pumpkins and tacky décor, when the soft scents of cinnamon and nutmeg permeate the downtown air — that’s what we live for.

Books: the up-all-night reads.

Forging Silver Into Stars, by Brigid Kemmerer: A tale from three different points of view is always difficult to pull off, but Kemmerer does it in style. With everything from castles, courts, royal competitions to forbidden LGBTQ romance, this book has it all.

The Girl Who Fell Beneath The Sea, by Axie Oh: Set in an East Asian fantasy world, a girl sacrifices herself to a malevolent god in order to save her brother, only to find that the god himself is nothing as he seems. The lush, lyrical writing is the cherry on top of the dense world’s already stunning tone.

Tess of the Road, by Rachel Hartman: Bonus, not that you would need one to enjoy this book: the author is a Vancouverite! Blending one of the most well-thought-out worlds of the modern fantasy era with a totally new approach to the quickly-saturating fantasy lexicon, this book was one of my favorite reads of the past few years. (The sequel is also in print, and though I never say this, it’s worth buying both!)

Playlist: unsettling, terrifying or danceable — it’s all here.

UNDREAM - Freak

Bobby Krlic - Chorus of Sirens

Falling in Reverse - I’m Not A Vampire (Revamped)

Timmy Trumpet, Carnage - Freaks

Benjamin Wallfisch - Paper Boat

Movies & shows: don’t stay up too late — you’ll want to be asleep when they come…

Midsommar (2019): This is one of the most effective horror films of all time. It doesn’t throw overdramatized screams and excessive gore at you, instead building a crawling sense of uneasiness within you that remains until long after the end credits.

Get Out (2017): Another more cerebral pick. Subtle brainwashing, domineering and slave-complex notes round this out as an essential watch.

Black Mirror (2011-): What lies beyond the furthest reaches of our technological knowledge? Horrible things are bound to happen when humans begin to mess with forces they don’t understand.

Playlist: nothing says Vancouver café better than pumpkin spice and indie pop.

Avant Gardener by Courtney Barnett

AnDroGay by Boyish

Cotton Candy by spill tab

Pretend by Juliana Madrid she’s all i wanna be by Tate McRae

Movies & shows: we’ve had enough of romance. It’s time to lose ourselves in another world.

Arcane (2021): The new school of adult animation approaches. This modern dystopia set in an alternate world has been universally lauded as one of animation’s new classics.

Green Snake (2021): This modern interpretation of a Chinese folklore tale presents some of the most well-choreographed action scenes in the history of 3D animation. The prequel (White Snake) is significantly harder to find, but it’s also worth a watch.

Shadow and Bone (2021): Read the books first! This gripping fantasy show blends the old guard of Welsh and Old English fantasy with a modern, more culturally diverse perspective.