The perfect spooky movies and series to watch this fall (Sandman sneak peak!)

By Al Rivers and Alexandria Nagy

**Warning: includes discussion of blood and horror**

As temperatures get colder, autumn leaves fall, and Halloween approaches, these spooky movies are perfect to watch bundled in a blanket by a fireplace this fall.

Blue Period (fantasy/animation)

A newly released fantasy anime based on Tsubasa Yamaguchi's 2020 Manga Taisho Grand Prize-winning manga, “Blue Period” follows popular high schooler Yatora Yaguchi, who is bored with life.

Finding inspiration from a painting, Yaguchi is thrusted into the exciting world of art, violence, peril, and scary creatures. A perfect fall watch for anime enjoyers!

Free Guy (action/science fiction)

“Free Guy” is an American science fiction action thriller about Guy, a non-player character (NPC) in an open-world game, Free City.

He works and has fun, but suddenly a woman dubbed “Molotov Girl” catches Guy's attention by singing his favorite song, and he begins to become a free thinker. Taking a pair of sunglasses from a player, he transforms into a whole new person. This fun, action-packed comedy prompts introspection about the future!

Old (thriller)

An American thriller film based on the French-Swiss graphic novel, Sandcastle by Pierre Oscar Levy and Frederik Peeters. Guy and Prisca Cappa take their children on vacation to a tropical resort as a final family outing before their divorce.

At the resort, Guy and Prisca receive complimentary drinks, and the children befriend the resort staff. The following day, the manager invites them and a few other guests to a secluded beach, but as the kids play hide and seek, they find a dead body the size of one of their companions. What will happen next? It's a thriller that leaves your heart racing!

Saw (horror)

A splatter film franchise created by Australian filmmakers James Wan and Leigh Whannell.

The first eight films primarily revolve around the fictional serial killer, the "Jigsaw Killer'' or simply "Jigsaw.” The victims of Jigsaw are subjected to torture games and puzzles.

While not the most groundbreaking horror film, it's an exciting, gory, psychological thriller with an excellent performance by Carey Elwes.

American Horror Story (horror)

An anthology series centering on different characters and settings, including a house with a murderous past, an insane asylum, a witch coven, a freak show circus, a haunted hotel, a possessed farmhouse, a cult, the apocalypse, a slasher summer camp, and a bleak beach town and desert valley.

Haunting of Hill House (horror/thriller)

Flashing between the past and the present, a fractured family confronts haunting memories of their old home and the horrific events that drove them from it.

The Haunting of Hill House is fantastic, genuinely creepy, and affecting. It is a rare horror that makes you cry for the characters. Look out for the Easter eggs; spooky~ ghosts hidden in many of the shots!

Squid Game (thriller)

Hundreds of indebted individuals at the bottom of society in South Korea accept a strange invitation to compete in children's games. Inside, a tempting cash prize awaits, but with deadly high stakes.

If you pick up Squid Game, you are in for a roller coaster of emotions with commentary on the state of humanity and our economic systems.

Sandman (genre) Sneak peek: Trailer

Sandman is a TV show about Dream (the Sandman) who is one of the seven Endless (like death, desire and more). The show blends mythology and horror, commencing with Dreams being summoned and caught by a group of mortals hoping to capture death. Once free, new troubles may arise.

Krystal Wu is an English teacher at Catlin Gabel School (CGS) and a fan of Sandman. In Wu's opinion, the type of aspects that make a horror movie a hit are that they have to be thought-provoking, memorable, appropriately jumpy, and with limited gore.

Even though she isn't a fan of being spooked, her top three scary movie recommendations are Get out, Seven, and the Ring because of their cultural nuance and conversational aspects.

"I couldn't sleep the night after watching," Wu commented. If a horror hater has a few favorites, they have to be good, right?

Even with all this dislike for horror movies, Wu is excited for the new Sandman tv show, even if it's a bit spooky. To her, the teaser looks creepy and sound; she adds that it's a good read because it's disturbing and a different world that makes you reflect on your planet.

At the same time, it has a very out-there art style and diverse characters. You feel almost transported into the story. Let's hope it's as fun as the graphic novel!

Halloween is almost here, get hooked on Blue Period, Free Guy, Old, Saw, American Horror Story, the Haunting of Hill House, and Squid Game--and get hype for Sandman!