Comfort-Spooky Reads for Halloween

Cameron CapelloOctober 26, 2023

“When you are scared, but you do it anyway, that's brave.”If you’re anything like me, October means an annual rewatch of a long list of comfort-spooky movies. “Hocus Pocus,” “Halloweentown,” “Twitches”… but one movie in particular has captured my heart since the first time I saw it. “Coraline.” The 2009 stop-motion movie stars Dakota Fanning as the voice of Coraline Jones, an eleven-year-old who finds herself in another world through a small portal in her new house. What starts off as a fun adventure to a world seemingly better than her own quickly turns into a sinister experience that has her fighting to protect herself and her family. It is one of the most gorgeous movies I’ve ever seen, and I’ve been desperate for something that captures the eerie perfection of “Coraline.”

Comfort-spooky books

Here’s a list of books that have the same creepy energy that this cult classic does. “Gallant” by V.E. Schwab Haunted houses, secret portals, and a Merilance School for Girls that Olivia Prior is desperate to run away from. One of my favorite YA books from last year! “Carmilla” By J. Sheridan LeFanu Did you think Dracula was the first vampire? “Carmilla” is 25 years older than Bram Stoker’s book and it stars Carmilla, a female vampire who captures the attention of a young woman.“Temple Alley Summer” by Sachiko Kashiwaba and Avery Fischer Udagawa and Miho Satake A little cuter than “Coraline,” but still has a ghost or two. Kazu knows something odd is going on when he sees a girl in a white kimono sneak out of his house in the middle of the night, and then again sitting at a desk in his classroom. Something strange is afoot and it’s up to Kazu to find out what. “The Ghost Bride” By Yangsze Choo If you’re interested in something a little more adult, look no further. Li Lan, the daughter of a respectable Chinese family in colonial Malaysia, hopes for a favorable marriage, but her father has lost his fortune, and she has few suitors. Instead, the wealthy Lim family urges her to become a “ghost bride” for their son, who has recently died under mysterious circumstances. Rarely practiced, a traditional ghost marriage is used to placate a restless spirit. Such a union would guarantee Li Lan a home for the rest of her days, but at what price?“Howl's Moving Castle” by Diana Wynne Jones Also an incredible adaptation by Studio Ghibli, “Howl’s Moving Castle” is an iconic story about beauty, friendship, and love. When Sophie finds herself under a horrid spell that transforms her into an old lady, she must travel to the notorious ever-moving castle in the hills, the Wizard Howl's castle, to break the curse, but she might find something else along the way. “A Darker Shade of Magic” by V. E. Schwab Did someone say parallel dimensions? V.E. Schwab strikes again with another hallmark fantasy series about a world split into colors and one thief’s ability to smuggle between them. Action-packed and sprinkled with romance, it’s the perfect fantasy to dip your feet into after watching “Coraline.” type: embedded-entry-inline id: 37P0fVoAFlKmCh10BimBSM

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Comfort-Spooky Reads for Halloween

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