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Published: 01 October 2024
It actually struck me earlier as I was heading out for one of my regular runs a little later than usual. Well, not-so-regular as of late. The other thing that struck me was that I've been kicking that can down the road for over a fortnight. As someone who ran diligently over the summer at least three times a week for over 10k a time, I've certainly been taking it easy for a little as the weather has got worse. But, I digress.
The main thing that hit me was that the nights are definitely drawing in. I left the house at around 18:30 and it was practically dark by the time I got back in. It truly is starting to feel like Autumn as the calendar turns over to the beginning of October.
Despite the weather and the less hours of daylight, it actually happens to be my favourite time of the year. You see, I am a little of the pagan/Wiccan persuasion. For us Samhain, or The Day of the Dead/Halloween at the end of the month, is actually our new year. The Wheel of the Year will have turned full circle and it's a time of honouring our dead ancestors as well as a time for reflecting over what we've done over the past year. It's also a time of releasing, as best we can, any negativity we have accumulated over the past year and focusing on a fresh start as we enter a new cycle.
On top of the deeper spiritual meanings of Samhain for me as a Wiccan, Spooky Season is also just pretty darn cool! I'm quite the fan of horror as a genre and October gives me a great excuse to go all-in and indulge in that.
Last year, I discovered a new author I enjoyed in Meredith R. Lyons. I read her Ghost Tamer novel[1] and it was absolutely fantastic. I was actually looking for some cheap scares but the book delivered something much deeper. Thoroughly worth a read if you're even mildly into horror fiction.
This year, though, I believe I'll be going back to an author I've read previously that I know will deliver some darker horror vibes. I'm currently eyeing up Camp Firwood by Boris Bacic[2]. I read a previous book of his, Suicide Town[3], that was as disturbing as the name suggests. He actually started his path to being an author writing fiction over at the /r/NoSleep reddit sub, so anyone into NoSleep/Creepypasta-type content will feel quite at home.
Last year, I got together with a handful of friends and we watched a horror film every week in October. We certainly picked some good ones. Smile (2022)[4], Talk to Me (2022)[5], and The Autopsy of Jane Doe (2016)[6] were the ones I most remember.
I'm not sure which ones I'll watch this year. I see a sequel to Smile, Smile 2 (2024)[7], is hitting cinemas on 18th October. I thought the first was a pretty solid horror flick so it may be well worth going to see. There's a few others I had on the shortlist from last year that we didn't get around to watching that might be worth a look too, such as Lake Mungo (2008)[8] and Gerald's Game (2017)[9]
Lastly, there's always a couple of podcasts that I enjoy at this time of the year. The first being CreepyPod[10]:
During October they release a podcast every day until the 31st with narrated listener-contributed stories. While a few can be hit-or-miss, the majority I really enjoy and the narration is always top notch.
The second podcast I'll be keeping up with this October is the BBC's Uncanny[11]:
Uncanny Podcast - Episodes - BBC
The host Danny Robins will also be releasing a "Halloween advent calendar" of sorts, with a short episode everyday of listener-contributed stories. If you've not listened to Uncanny before, it's well worth going back through the archive as it's certainly an interesting series that's more investigative in nature.
I think these things will mostly cover my Spooky Season needs! Feel free to drop me a line with any suggestions you may have for films, books, etc. as I'm always looking for more.
I hope everyone has a great October.
[1] Ghost Tamer by Meredith R. Lyons - Goodreads
[2] Camp Firwood by Boris Bacic - Goodreads
[3] Suicide Town by Boris Bacic - Goodreads
[6] The Autopsy of Jane Doe (2016) - IMDb
[9] Gerald's Game (2017) - IMDb
[11] Uncanny Podcast - Episodes - BBC
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