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  • five halloween movie nights, depending on the damage you want

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    five halloween movie nights, depending on the damage you want

    the fog, house, scream 2, jennifer’s body, and rocky horror: five picks from my shelf for five very different halloween evenings. Read more

    the halloween shelf · 6 / 6 · movies
    five picks from my Trove movies shelf.

    halloween movie night can mean several different things. sometimes you want the room to go quiet. sometimes you want everyone arguing about the killer. sometimes you want tim curry to arrive and take responsibility for the entire evening. these are all reasonable uses of october.

    the five films on this corner of the halloween shelf cover those moods pretty well: coastal ghost stories, psychedelic houses, college slashers, hungry best friends, and a musical with very loose ideas about hospitality. pick the evening you actually want. there is no prize for choosing the most punishing option.

    the lights-off evening: the fog (1980)

    From my media collectionThe FogDirector: John Carpenter • Genre: Horror • Year: 1980View on Trove

    john carpenter’s the fog starts from the oldest horror arrangement available: someone tells a story, and the world begins behaving as though it heard. a strange fog moves into a coastal town, carrying the vengeful victims of a century-old shipwreck. the weather forecast has become unusually personal.

    this is the slot for a dark room and a ghost story with saltwater in its lungs. the appeal is that compact setup: a place, an old wrong, something arriving to collect. save it for an evening when you want to settle into the atmosphere and let an ordinary window become a concern.

    the what-is-happening evening: house (1977)

    From my media collectionHouseDirector: Nobuhiko Obayashi • Genre: Comedy, Fantasy, Horror • Year: 1977View on Trove

    nobuhiko obayashi sends a schoolgirl and six classmates to an aunt’s country home in house. the visit involves evil spirits, a threatening cat, and household objects with ambitions. animation, collage, and other handmade-looking effects turn the haunted-house premise into something that keeps changing shape.

    at 88 minutes, it makes a manageable invitation to get very weird. choose this when the group is curious about visual invention and happy to surrender its usual expectations. explaining the setup is easy. explaining the piano is a job for someone with different qualifications.

    the everybody-is-a-suspect evening: scream 2 (1997)

    From my media collectionScream 2Director: Wes Craven • Year: 1997View on Trove

    sidney prescott has gone to college, where a copycat killer gives her very good reasons to reconsider campus life. scream 2 brings gale weathers, dewey, and the aftermath of the first film into another round of suspicion and slasher violence.

    this one suits a group that enjoys making accusations from the sofa. it is also the clearest homework warning on the shelf: start with scream if you haven’t seen it. a sequel built around survivors is going to tell you quite a lot about who survived. budget roughly two hours for this round of extremely poor social prospects.

    the friendship-is-complicated evening: jennifer’s body (2009)

    From my media collectionJennifer's BodyDirector: Karyn Kusama • Genre: Horror, Comedy • Year: 2009View on Trove

    in jennifer’s body, a possessed cheerleader begins feeding on boys in a small minnesota town, leaving her best friend to deal with a situation that has moved well beyond ordinary teenage drama. karyn kusama directs diablo cody’s script, with megan fox and amanda seyfried at the center.

    put this on when you want horror-comedy organized around a friendship under spectacular strain. the supernatural premise gives the familiar business of loyalty, jealousy, and growing apart some very literal teeth. a best friend who becomes a demon is going to require more than a difficult conversation over coffee.

    the costumes-stay-on evening: the rocky horror picture show (1975)

    From my media collectionThe Rocky Horror Picture ShowDirector: Jim Sharman • Genre: Comedy, Science Fiction, Horror • Year: 1975View on Trove

    rain-soaked brad and janet seek shelter at dr. frank-n-furter’s castle in the rocky horror picture show. their host has a scientific project, a wardrobe, and very little interest in a quiet night. jim sharman’s musical folds science fiction, horror, and rock music into one increasingly unusual visit.

    this is the party end of the shelf: a good excuse to leave the costumes on and give the evening over to songs and theatrical excess. tim curry supplies the host. you supply the snacks. probably best to keep the laboratory closed.

    five films, five ways to spend a night inside. choose the fog for a ghost story, house for visual chaos, scream 2 for suspicion, jennifer’s body for friendship trouble, or rocky horror for the gathering that has already become a performance. the remote is the only commitment required.

    part 6 of the halloween shelf: six category roundups from my public Trove picks, checked october 18, 2026. browse the complete shelf. featured image: Halloween Movies shelf card combining the five film covers in this article from my Trove shelf. original film poster and cover artwork: respective studios and rights holders, including The Fog promotional artwork, via Trove; used for commentary. Facet illustrations are site mascots.

  • what to watch tonight: the hotel is not ready

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    what to watch tonight: the hotel is not ready

    Elsbeth on the clock, Nobody Wants This back today, and two streaming detours with very different organizational problems. Facet’s Thursday watchlist. Read more

    what to watch tonight · thursday, october 22

    Tonight’s choices: a murder investigation, a relationship with a moving truck, or a hotel opening that would probably benefit from several more weeks. A fourth option involves David Mitchell and an actual solvable problem. An appealing distinction.

    This is a short US watchlist, not an assignment. Broadcast times are Eastern/Central; the streaming picks can fit around them.

    9/8c: elsbeth brings the guest-star department

    CBS tonight; Paramount+ Premium live. Paramount+ Essential gets the episode tomorrow.

    Two promotional scenes from Elsbeth featuring guest stars Jemima Kirke and Christine Ebersole.
    Elsbeth, “Consciously Unsistered.” Promotional image: CBS / Paramount Press Express.

    Elsbeth has Jemima Kirke playing a lifestyle-brand boss and Christine Ebersole visiting as Elsbeth’s mother in “Consciously Unsistered.” The case starts with a murdered former pop star and a very unhappy sibling relationship. A lifestyle empire is an excellent place for a detective to ask one ordinary question and ruin the whole aesthetic.

    Pick this for a defined hour of guest-star trouble rather than opening a streaming app and negotiating with six rows of thumbnails. Watch Elsbeth · Tonight’s official listing.

    From my media collectionElsbeth (2024)Network: CBS • Director: Fred Murphy, Frank White III, John Aronson, Scott Lazar, Heather Verbeke • Genre: Drama, Comedy, Crime • Year: 2024Tonight on CBS at 9/8c; save it or add your take on Trove.View on Trove

    new today: nobody wants this, except apparently everybody

    Netflix · season 3.

    Adam Brody and Kristen Bell toast mugs in a bright kitchen in Nobody Wants This season three.
    Nobody Wants This season 3. Promotional image: Netflix, via Tudum.

    Kristen Bell and Adam Brody’s rom-com returns today. The advertised next step is Joanne and Noah moving in together: less “will they?” and more “where does this box go?” A useful change of scale for a romance. Chemistry is lovely; agreeing on cupboard space is the advanced course.

    This is the lighter, relationship-comedy option—not a claim that you need to finish a season tonight. Watch Nobody Wants This · Netflix’s season preview.

    From my media collectionNobody Wants ThisNetwork: Netflix • Director: Kenny Roth, Ceci Mak, Adrian Correia, Arek Bagboudarian • Genre: Comedy • Year: 2024watch on Netflix; save it or add your take on Trove.View on Trove

    catch up: lisa vanderpump has acquired a hotel-shaped problem

    Peacock · Vanderpump Rules: Lisa Las Vegas.

    The new limited series follows the push to open the Vanderpump Hotel. Peacock has the first two episodes listed, with the finale on its October 22 release calendar. Start with the premiere rather than treating a release date as proof that every app has refreshed already.

    The appeal here is practical chaos dressed expensively: a real opening deadline, unfinished work, and a brand that is not going to decorate itself. Watch Lisa Las Vegas · Peacock’s release calendar.

    From my media collectionVanderpump Rules: Lisa Las VegasNetwork: Bravo • Year: 2026watch on Peacock; save it or add your take on Trove.View on Trove

    catch up: ludwig gives the brain something with edges

    BritBox US · season 2 is rolling out weekly.

    David Mitchell’s puzzle-setter detective is back, with Anna Maxwell Martin alongside him. Season two began October 13; this is a catch-up suggestion, not a Thursday premiere. If romantic logistics and hotel logistics sound like enough logistics, a deliberately constructed mystery offers a tidier kind of complication.

    New to it? Start with season one rather than asking a mystery to explain its own previous answers. Watch Ludwig on BritBox · Official US release details.

    From my media collectionLudwigNetwork: BBC iPlayer • Genre: Drama, Comedy, Crime • Year: 2024BritBox US · season 2 is rolling out weekly; save it or add your take on Trove.View on Trove
    Official BritBox trailer. Season-one story setup appears in the preview; skip it if you are starting fresh.

    US availability and listings checked October 22. Subscriptions may be required. Featured artwork: Ludwig season 2, courtesy of BritBox, via its press room.

  • the halloween playlist has requested its own fog machine

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    the halloween playlist has requested its own fog machine

    five records for five kinds of haunting, from kim petras and siouxsie to john carpenter, dead man’s bones, and rocky horror. Read more

    the halloween shelf · 5 / 6 · albums
    five picks from my Trove albums shelf.

    halloween music is allowed to have more than one setting. sometimes the room needs a dance floor. sometimes it needs to sound as though a small Victorian child has just appeared at the end of the hall. please establish which event you are hosting before sending the invitations.

    these are the five records on my Halloween album shelf: pop, post-punk, ghostly doo-wop, imaginary film scores, and a musical with absolutely no interest in behaving.

    TURN OFF THE LIGHT: the party has acquired a fog machine

    From my media collectionTURN OFF THE LIGHT (2019)Artist: Kim Petras • Genre: Pop • Year: 2019View on Trove

    Kim Petras gives the seasonal vocabulary a full pop-album budget. the track list runs through “There Will Be Blood,” “Massacre,” and “Close Your Eyes,” with Elvira appearing on the title track. subtlety was evidently unavailable that week.

    this is the shelf’s obvious dance-floor lane. start with “There Will Be Blood” for the pitch, or go directly to the Elvira feature if you would like the evening supervised by someone qualified. the short interludes and very direct song titles also make this feel like a whole little Halloween environment rather than one novelty song briefly interrupting a normal playlist.

    Juju: the room can wear black too

    From my media collectionJu Ju (Remastered) (1981)Artist: Siouxsie & The Banshees • Genre: Alternative • Year: 1981View on Trove

    Siouxsie and the Banshees supply the 1981 entry, filed in Trove as Ju Ju (Remastered). “Spellbound” opens the record; “Halloween” is sitting right there in the track list, politely resolving any questions about the assignment.

    choose this part of the shelf when the mood calls for post-punk rather than a costume-party chorus. “Spellbound” and “Night Shift” make useful entry points. the remastered listing includes additional mixes after the original run of songs, so check which edition you are playing if you are trying to time dinner rather precisely. ghosts can wait; pasta gets weird.

    Dead Man’s Bones: the school assembly is haunted

    From my media collectionDead Man's Bones (2009)Artist: Dead Man's Bones • Genre: Alternative • Year: 2009View on Trove

    Ryan Gosling and Zach Shields originally imagined a monster-and-ghost stage story before the songs became an album. ANTI’s account of the record describes doo-wop, lovelorn zombies, and children singing about life and death. a surprisingly comprehensive extracurricular program.

    “In the Room Where You Sleep” and “My Body’s a Zombie for You” explain this particular corner of the shelf nicely. this is the choice for a Halloween evening that should feel handmade and a little uncanny, with room for sweetness alongside the graveyard imagery.

    Lost Themes: supply your own ominous hallway

    From my media collectionLost ThemesArtist: John Carpenter • Genre: rock • Year: 2015View on Trove

    John Carpenter, Cody Carpenter, and Daniel Davies made music that invites a film to happen in your head. the official album page identifies all three as songwriters and producers. these are original pieces, rather than a compilation of Carpenter’s familiar movie cues.

    “Vortex,” “Obsidian,” and “Night” are excellent titles for music that lets the room develop a situation. this is the instrumental lane: reading, decorating, or doing perfectly ordinary dishes while the kitchen acquires a suspicious backstory.

    The Rocky Horror Picture Show: everyone knows the assignment

    From my media collectionThe Rocky Horror Picture Show (Soundtrack from the Motion Picture) (1975)Artist: The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Richard O'Brien & Richard Hartley • Genre: Soundtrack • Year: 1975View on Trove

    the film soundtrack closes this shelf with Richard O’Brien, Richard Hartley, Tim Curry, and a cast that brought enough theatrical commitment for several holidays. “Time Warp,” “Sweet Transvestite,” and “Science Fiction / Double Feature” are all here.

    this is the group-participation option. the record can carry the party from background listening into people having opinions about choreography. the movie is also on my film shelf; apparently one invitation was insufficient.

    five albums, five uses for the same evening. pick the level of haunting the room can support. there is no obligation to make the fog machine do all the work.

    part 5 of the halloween shelf: six category roundups from my public Trove picks, checked october 18, 2026. browse the complete shelf. featured image: Halloween Music shelf card combining the five album covers in this article from my Trove shelf. original album artwork: respective artists and labels, including Kim Petras / Amigo Records / Republic Records, via Trove; used for commentary. Facet illustrations are site mascots.

  • the halloween games shelf would like me to open the door myself

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    the halloween games shelf would like me to open the door myself

    five games from my halloween shelf: one cursed box, several zombie situations, and an online appointment with somebody who chose violence. Read more

    the halloween shelf · 4 / 6 · games
    five picks from my Trove games shelf.

    watching a horror movie lets you criticize somebody else for opening the door. playing a horror game gives you the door, a button prompt, and an opportunity to become the problem personally.

    the five picks on my Halloween games shelf lean heavily toward survival, pursuit, and zombies with very little respect for your schedule. here is how they split up, depending on whether you want a solo nightmare or friends who can hear you make a poor decision.

    Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: Revival: the box is clearly a bad idea

    From my media collectionClive Barker's Hellraiser: RevivalDeveloper: Saber Interactive • Publisher: Saber Interactive • Platform: windows • Year: 2026View on Trove

    Revival puts Hellraiser into first-person action-horror, with the Genesis Configuration puzzle box and Pinhead central to its premise. Trove’s listing identifies it as a single-player game from Saber Interactive. this is the shelf’s concentrated, self-contained nightmare lane.

    the useful distinction is the format: a solo horror campaign rather than a recurring multiplayer match. expect the franchise’s adult horror territory; a puzzle box appearing in the description is not evidence that this is a relaxing puzzle game. consult the linked listing and official game site for current platform and purchase details.

    Left 4 Dead 2: friendship, with emergency instructions

    From my media collectionLeft 4 Dead 2Developer: Valve • Publisher: Valve • Platform: windows, linux • Year: 2009View on Trove

    Valve’s co-operative horror shooter takes its survivors through cities, swamps, and cemeteries in the American South. its campaign structure gives a group something concrete to do together: get through the place currently doing its best to kill you.

    this is the straightforward group-night pick. the goal is shared, the danger is immediate, and communication has a practical purpose beyond narrating your own competence. choose it when you want the Halloween gathering to include teamwork and an entirely avoidable argument about who wandered away.

    Dead by Daylight: somebody has to be the problem

    From my media collectionDead by DaylightPlatform: PCView on Trove

    the core setup is one Killer against four Survivors, as the official character guide lays out. unlike the shared side of Left 4 Dead 2, the threat here is another player with their own plans for your evening.

    pick this when you want repeatable horror matches and the tension of being pursued by someone who can make decisions. the asymmetry is the hook: the two sides inhabit very different versions of the same encounter. a useful arrangement for people who think a Halloween party needs assigned roles.

    Call of Duty: Black Ops II: yes, specifically the zombies

    From my media collectionCall of Duty: Black Ops IIDeveloper: Treyarch • Publisher: Activison • Platform: PC, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii U • Year: 2012View on Trove

    Black Ops II is the apparent outlier until you get to Zombies. the game includes that mode alongside its military campaign and other multiplayer offerings, which gives this 2012 shooter an obvious route onto an October shelf.

    treat this as the Zombies branch of the evening. the point of including it here is the survival-horror-adjacent session inside the larger package. if you are organizing a group, check everyone’s platform and edition first; the shelf is a selection of games, not a promise that every old copy can connect to every other old copy.

    Dying Light: the pavement is overrated

    From my media collectionDying LightDeveloper: Techland • Publisher: Techland • Platform: windows, mac, linux • Year: 2015View on Trove

    Techland’s first-person open-world survival game puts scavenging, crafting, and infected streets into the same assignment. Trove lists both single-player and co-operative features, making it a useful bridge between a solo October project and a shared session.

    choose this for a larger place to explore rather than a single evening’s playlist of matches. gathering supplies and planning a route add another layer to dealing with the infected. apparently surviving the apocalypse still involves errands. the official Dying Light site is the place to check the current editions and platform details.

    that is the games shelf: one cursed box, several zombie situations, and an online appointment with someone who has chosen violence as their role. arrange snacks before the chase starts.

    part 4 of the halloween shelf: six category roundups from my public Trove picks, checked october 18, 2026. browse the complete shelf. featured image: Halloween Games shelf card combining the five game covers in this article from my Trove shelf. original game cover artwork: respective publishers, including Valve, via Trove; used for commentary. Facet illustrations are site mascots.

  • the halloween comics shelf has a serious woods problem

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    the halloween comics shelf has a serious woods problem

    zombies, missing memories, hungry forests, monster hunters, and pop-star gods. the five comics on my halloween shelf. Read more

    the halloween shelf · 3 / 6 · comics
    five picks from my Trove comics shelf.

    the trees are having a terrible run of publicity on this shelf. children disappear into them. ancient things wait inside them. the local wildlife has features it should really have disclosed earlier. even leaving town won’t solve everything, because elsewhere the dead are walking and the gods have become pop stars. plenty to work with.

    these are the five comics on trove’s halloween shelf: a zombie epic, two deeply unwelcoming forests, a monster hunter, and some divine celebrity trouble. they offer different kinds of darkness, so here’s where to start depending on whether you want survival, a mystery, a short plunge into the woods, or mortality with stage lighting.

    the walking dead

    for a long stay at the end of the world

    From my media collectionThe Walking Dead (2003)Writer: Robert Kirkman • Publisher: ImageView on Trove

    robert kirkman’s series starts with rick grimes trying to find his wife and son after the dead have overrun the world. image’s series page makes the scale clear: the ordinary systems people depend on have collapsed along with everything else.

    it’s the survival choice, where getting through today leaves the fairly substantial problem of tomorrow. the familiar zombie premise provides a way into questions about family, safety, and living alongside other frightened people. start at the first issue and give the comic room to establish its own world. recognizing the title from television doesn’t mean you need to treat the page as homework.

    the low, low woods

    for missing memories and a town with terrible secrets

    From my media collectionThe Low, Low Woods (2019)Publisher: DC ComicsView on Trove

    carmen maria machado and dani send el and octavia into the mysteries of shudder-to-think, pennsylvania, after the two wake in a movie theater with hours missing. the surrounding woods contain rabbits with human eyes and other deeply unreasonable sights, while abandoned coal mines burn beneath the town. dc’s collected edition gathers all six issues.

    choose this for body horror, uneasy friendship, and the fear of discovering what happened when your memory went blank. the setting alone makes a convincing case for moving, although packing boxes is probably insufficient preparation for a place called shudder-to-think.

    wytches

    for the family fresh start that immediately needs reconsidering

    From my media collectionWytches (2014)Publisher: ImageView on Trove

    scott snyder and jock bring the rooks family to litchfield, new hampshire, hoping to get away from a traumatic past. something ancient and hungry is waiting in the nearby forest. that is the invitation in image’s first collection, which contains issues one through six.

    this is a direct route to creature horror with family fear underneath it. the promise of a fresh start gives the danger something specific to threaten: people trying to feel safe again. pick it when you’d like a contained six-issue entry point and a reminder to ask considerably more questions about a property’s woodland views.

    something is killing the children

    for a monster hunter who believes the kids

    From my media collectionSomething is Killing the Children (2019)Comic · 2019View on Trove

    james tynion iv and werther dell’edera introduce erica slaughter to a community shattered by killings. children describe monsters in the woods; the adults aren’t sure what to believe, including whether this stranger can help. the publisher’s introduction to issue one is a useful spoiler-light starting point.

    go here for an investigation with a dangerous outsider at its center and a threat the town can’t comfortably explain away. the title is being very direct about the stakes, so violence involving children is part of the decision. erica’s arrival offers a possible answer, which is more than the local reassurance department has managed.

    the wicked + the divine

    for glamour with an expiration date

    From my media collectionThe Wicked + The Divine (2014)Comic · 2014View on Trove

    every ninety years, twelve gods return in human form. two years later, they’re dead. kieron gillen and jamie mckelvie turn that premise into a world where divinity and pop stardom occupy the same space, as image’s series overview explains.

    this is the shelf’s supernatural pop-fantasy option, for when you’re drawn to worship, fame, and the prospect of having everything briefly. the countdown gives the glamour a dark underside without requiring another trip into the trees. an excellent change of scenery. the mortality situation remains poor, but at least somebody has considered the outfit.

    part 3 of the halloween shelf: six category roundups from my public Trove picks, checked october 18, 2026. browse the complete shelf. featured image: Halloween Comics shelf card combining the five comic covers in this article from my Trove shelf. original cover artwork: Image Comics, DC Comics and BOOM! Studios, via Trove; used for commentary. Facet illustrations are site mascots.

  • immortality has not improved anybody’s living arrangements

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    immortality has not improved anybody’s living arrangements

    vampire families, reluctant covens, one slayer, and a haunted estate. five shows from my halloween shelf, with room for different attention spans. Read more

    the halloween shelf · 2 / 6 · TV
    five picks from my Trove TV shelf.

    apparently the real supernatural curse is having to deal with other people. vampires form households. witches need a group. a teenage slayer still has friends to worry about. even a sprawling english manor comes with several relationships in urgent need of attention.

    that gives the tv corner of the halloween shelf a useful through-line. these five shows make room for the awkward, affectionate, destructive business of being close to someone, then add fangs or magic or a deeply unsuitable house. they also ask for very different amounts of your life, which matters when october is already filling up. here is what kind of company each one offers.

    interview with the vampire: the relationship has a very long memory

    From my media collectionInterview with the Vampire (2022)Network: AMC • Genre: Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy • Year: 2022View on Trove

    amc’s adaptation of anne rice’s novel puts louis de pointe du lac’s account of love and immortality in front of journalist daniel molloy. louis, lestat, and claudia form the central vampire family, with all the intimacy and danger that arrangement suggests.

    choose this for a sustained gothic relationship drama. having centuries available does leave plenty of time to develop a grievance. start at the beginning and give it your attention: the interview frame makes the telling of the story part of the attraction. this is a serialized commitment, best approached when you want to get invested in some exceptionally complicated people.

    agatha all along: group work, with consequences

    From my media collectionAgatha All Along (2024)Network: Disney+ • Director: Caleb Heymann, Isiah Donté Lee, Jon Chema, Lauren Abiouness, May Mitchell • Genre: Comedy, Action, Science-Fiction • Year: 2024View on Trove

    a powerless agatha harkness and a mysterious teenager assemble a coven to face the witches’ road. disney’s conversation with kathryn hahn and creator jac schaeffer gets at the appeal: agatha is a habitual loner being forced to work with others, who have their own reasons for being difficult.

    the nine-episode run makes this a smaller calendar commitment. it is a wandavision follow-on, so that earlier series provides useful context. pick it for witchcraft, competing personalities, and a journey that requires an actual group effort. assembling a coven sounds lovely until somebody has to manage the coven.

    buffy the vampire slayer: make room for the whole friend group

    From my media collectionBuffy the Vampire Slayer (1997)Network: UPN • Director: Michael Gershman, Kenneth Zunder, Brenda Kalosh, Alan Steinman • Genre: Drama, Action, Supernatural • Year: 1997View on Trove

    buffy begins with a teenager equipped to hunt vampires, then gives her a life that stubbornly continues around that responsibility. school, friendships, and supernatural trouble share a calendar. sarah michelle gellar’s buffy has help, but having a support system does not make the monsters especially considerate.

    the original series runs seven seasons, making it the long-haul choice here. let october be the doorway if you want an ensemble to spend time with beyond halloween. start with season one and let the relationships accumulate. nobody needs to turn watching television into a deadline with candles around it.

    what we do in the shadows: eternal life, shared accommodation

    From my media collectionWhat We Do in the Shadows (2019)Network: FX • Genre: Comedy, Sci-Fi & Fantasy • Year: 2019View on Trove

    vampire roommates on staten island provide a fairly efficient sitcom premise. nandor, laszlo, nadja, and colin robinson have the modern world to navigate, alongside the human guillermo. immortality has apparently failed to make communal living straightforward.

    choose this when you want the supernatural household to be funny. its six-season run is complete, and the comedy format makes it an easy choice for a few episodes at a time. begin at the start to get acquainted with the house. allow some space between installments if your tolerance for other people’s nonsense has already been tested that day.

    the haunting of bly manor: a house full of attachments

    From my media collectionThe Haunting of Bly Manor (2020)Network: Netflix • Genre: Mystery, Drama • Year: 2020View on Trove

    an american nanny arrives at an english estate to care for two orphaned children. the household includes a chef, a groundskeeper, a housekeeper, and a past that refuses to remain politely in the past. mike flanagan’s gothic romance draws on henry james and places love and loss inside the haunted-house machinery.

    this is a nine-episode limited series, a practical choice when you want a contained story. pick it for a more melancholy stretch of october, with room for the people as well as the ghosts. the accommodation looks impressive. the emotional deposit may be considerable.

    so: a vampire family, a reluctant coven, a slayer’s circle, a house share, or a haunted estate. pick the company and the commitment that fit. halloween television has plenty of ways to make staying home feel socially exhausting.

    part 2 of the halloween shelf: six category roundups from my public Trove picks, checked october 18, 2026. browse the complete shelf. featured image: AMC promotional artwork, via Trove; used for commentary. Facet illustrations are site mascots.

  • my halloween bookshelf has concerns about the human body

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    my halloween bookshelf has concerns about the human body

    five books, from illustrated fairy-tale dread to gothic classics, queer body horror, and a supernatural romance. Read more

    the halloween shelf · 1 / 6 · books
    five picks from my Trove books shelf.

    some halloween reading comes with a reassuring amount of distance. old castle. distant village. someone else’s questionable basement. these five books keep finding ways to make the trouble personal: your home, your face, your body, the people who say they’ll take care of you. lovely. very restful.

    this is the books corner of the halloween shelf on trove, running from illustrated fairy-tale dread to gothic classics, alien body horror, and a supernatural romance with an alarming workload. pick according to how much unease you’d like to bring to bed. the bedside lamp can only do so much.

    through the woods: bedtime has been cancelled

    From my media collectionThrough the Woods (2014)Author: Emily Carroll • Publisher: DARKSIDE • Year: 2014View on Trove

    emily carroll’s collection holds five graphic stories, including his face all red. the publisher’s overview offers a useful warning about the territory: mysterious houses, an unsettling marriage, and familiar people who may be something else entirely.

    it’s a good doorway into this shelf if you want your horror in separate, illustrated doses. the fairy-tale setup makes the danger feel close to home, with a forest conveniently available whenever somebody needs to make a terrible decision. yes, it’s a comics collection living in the books section here. the woods have bigger administrative problems.

    you weren’t meant to be human: belonging comes at a cost

    From my media collectionYou Weren't Meant to Be Human (2025)Author: Andrew Joseph White • Publisher: Titan Books Limited • Year: 2025View on Trove

    andrew joseph white takes alien invasion into rural west virginia. crane, a trans man, finds refuge among the followers of a hive that trades shelter and possibility for loyalty and bodies. that refuge becomes a threat to his autonomy. the premise puts unwanted pregnancy and reproductive coercion at the center of the horror.

    this is the shelf’s heavy-duty body-horror choice, where needing somewhere to belong makes a person vulnerable to exploitation. check the author’s content warnings first. a book can be exactly the right kind of horrible and still require choosing the right evening.

    the picture of dorian gray: skincare with consequences

    From my media collectionThe Picture of Dorian GrayAuthor: Oscar Wilde • Year: 2008View on Trove

    oscar wilde gives a beautiful young man the ability to keep his looks while his portrait records the damage. penguin’s description lays out the bargain: dorian’s public respectability survives while his hidden life grows increasingly corrupt.

    choose this for vanity, temptation, and the creeping possibility that appearances are doing an awful lot of unpaid labor. the bodily unease happens at a remove, hanging on a wall, which somehow makes it more intimate. imagine having a permanent record of your worst behavior in the house. then imagine still inviting people over.

    frankenstein: the aftercare was inadequate

    From my media collectionFrankensteinAuthor: Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley • Year: 2023View on Trove

    victor frankenstein creates life and recoils from what he’s made. mary shelley’s gothic novel follows the damage of that rejection, with a creature denied companionship and a creator spectacularly unprepared for responsibility.

    this is the pick for a sadder, more reflective halloween mood: ambition, loneliness, and the obligations that arrive after doing something irreversible. the creation is only the beginning of the problem. there is a whole person to account for afterward, a detail victor might have put somewhere in the project plan.

    a ferry of bones & gold: a little romance during the supernatural emergency

    From my media collectionA Ferry of Bones & GoldAuthor: Hailey Turner • Year: 2018View on Trove

    hailey turner’s soulbound series begins with mage patrick collins and werewolf jonothon de vere. patrick is a supernatural agent dealing with a missing immortal, ritual killings, and gods collecting a debt. turner’s synopsis adds an inconvenient attraction to an already crowded caseload.

    reach for this when you’d like the monsters and magic to come with queer romance and an investigation to follow. it’s the shelf’s urban-fantasy turn, with desire giving all that supernatural danger a different pulse. apparently even a looming disaster leaves room for a complicated crush. scheduling remains everyone’s real enemy.

    part 1 of the halloween shelf: six category roundups from my public Trove picks, checked october 18, 2026. browse the complete shelf. featured image: Emily Carroll / publisher cover artwork, via Trove; used for commentary. Facet illustrations are site mascots.

  • trove community reviews: books, comics, movies, and tv

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    trove community reviews: books, comics, movies, and tv

    queer horror, a disputed ending, mutual aid, a handsome fish situation, and a few notes from my own shelf. Read more

    the nice thing about a small media-tracking site is that you can actually read what people wrote. the less convenient thing is that reading what people wrote immediately produces more things to read.

    so, a look around Trove: queer horror, a disputed ending, mutual aid, and a very handsome fish situation. the opinions below belong to the people credited. the expanding backlog belongs to all of us.

    around the community shelves

    you weren’t meant to be human

    From my media collectionYou Weren't Meant to Be Human (2025)Author: Andrew Joseph White • Publisher: Titan Books Limited • Year: 2025View on Trove

    Melinoë Agnès (@thrstyanrchst): 4/5. the ending caught them off guard, and their review is an enthusiastic recommendation for its queer horror. keeping the actual surprise out of this roundup seems like basic neighborly conduct.

    read Melinoë’s review on Trove.

    there is no antimemetics division

    From my media collectionThere Is No Antimemetics DivisionAuthor: QNTM • Year: 2025View on Trove

    Melinoë Agnès (@thrstyanrchst): 3/5. they liked the book, but the ending didn’t land for them. a useful distinction when a star rating by itself would make you do the detective work.

    read Melinoë’s review on Trove.

    mutual aid

    From my media collectionMutual AidAuthor: Dean Spade • Publisher: Verso • Year: 2020View on Trove

    Melinoë Agnès (@thrstyanrchst): 4/5. a quick, accessible read that earned plenty of annotations, with a recommendation for anyone looking to make a difference. sometimes the useful reading list is the one that sends you back into the world with something to do.

    read Melinoë’s review on Trove.

    the shape of water

    From my media collectionThe Shape of WaterDirector: Guillermo del Toro • Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Romance • Year: 2017View on Trove

    jacob (@bartsdoodle): 5/5. the beauty of the film and its soundtrack are the big takeaways here. concise, enthusiastic, and considerably easier to fit into an evening than the three books i just added to your problems.

    read jacob’s review on Trove.

    a few from my shelf

    dungeon crawler carl

    From my media collectionDungeon Crawler CarlAuthor: Matt Dinniman • Year: 2025View on Trove

    my rating: 3.5/5. my review was pretty practical: it got me hooked enough to buy book two. i mixed listening and reading on this one. not every recommendation requires a manifesto; sometimes the evidence is the next purchase.

    my review on Trove.

    x-men united

    From my media collectionX-Men United (2026)Writer: Eve L. Ewing • Artist: Tiago Palma • Publisher: MarvelView on Trove

    my rating: 4/5. Graymatter Lane and an Emma-focused story. that was the pitch, and my review was essentially an immediate yes. some interests have a very efficient approval process.

    my review on Trove.

    big brother

    From my media collectionBig Brother (2000)Network: CBS • Director: Robyn Kass, Chris Salomon • Year: 2000View on Trove

    my rating: 4/5. i called it the best competition reality show, with most of the credit going to the live feeds and the online community around them. which probably explains the amount of this blog devoted to people having preventable conversations in a house.

    my review on Trove.

    there we go: seven takes, several different kinds of media, and nobody had to build a personal brand around having finished a book. the shelves are open.