Creepy ghost stories 👻, 'V/H/S/Halloween' delivers the goods 📼, My grandmother's house is haunted, & more!

Happy October everyone! Obviously, most of us celebrate the horror life year-round but there is just something a little bit more spine-tingling about October. We decided to kick off the best month of the year by talking about ghost stories!

What's neat about ghost stories is that there is no right or wrong way to tell them. Every culture has their own type of ghost story. Some are meant to scare, some to educate, and others even bring a little joy. From 13 Ghosts to Casper to Poltergeist, this week's newsletter has a bit of something for lovers of the supernatural!

BOO! →

CLICK HERE FOR ISSUE 063’S LETTERBOXD LIST

IN THE NEWS
by Brett Petersel | Bluesky | Instagram | Letterboxd

🎭 Regal Movies celebrates with 31 Screams On Screen
October is shaping up in the theater ecosystem! Regal Movies has announced their lineup for their 31 Screams On Screen campaign, with tickets costing only $8.99 (USD). which includes such classics as The Funhouse, Wes Craven’s New Nightmare, Army of Darkness, and more. Head over to the Regal Movies website for more details.

📺 Pluto TV's “Halloween Hits“ scares up some goodies for October
Pluto TV is introducing a new, special category, “Halloween Hits“, to its app that will feature new categories to keep viewers busy throughout the month of October. A few of these new channels include Pluto TV Terror, Pluto TV Paranormal, and Pluto TV Horror. Over 75 horror films will be added during the month!

🎃 Chattanooga Film Festival's Frightening Ass Movie Marathon Returns
Returning for its third year, the Frightening Ass Movie Marathon lines up an all-killer-no-filler triple feature of underseen horror gems presented virtually for attendees to enjoy from the comfort of their own homes on 10/13. A ticket purchase includes limited-time access to an exclusive Discord server where you can chat in real time with fellow ticket holders during the marathon. Double Secret Cinema Society members with DSSS and CFF BFF tiers will also have their monthly screening prior to the marathon on the same day.

GORE-MET PAIRINGS 
by Sarah Stubbs | Bluesky | Instagram | Letterboxd

MACABRE DAILY: HIGHLIGHTS

💀 The Macabre Daily podcast welcomed Ted Raimi and Ryan Samuel Carr to talk about their latest CREEPSHOW comic (link)
💀 @scaredsane reviews Contraian Publishing's queer vampire love short story collection, "BLOOD, SWEAT, & QUEERS" (link)
💀 TWO "V/H/S/HALLOWEEN" interviews with R.H. Norman, Micheline Pitt-Norman, Sarah Nicklin, and Powell Robinson (R.H. and Micheline link and Powell R. link)
💀 Macabre Daily was onsite in Austin for FANTASTIC FEST and we have LOADS of coverage! (link)
💀 Interview with "EVIL DEAD" composer, Joe LoDuca, as he takes EVIL DEAD IN CONCERT on tour! (link)

TRAILERVILLE

DOUBLE TROUBLE 
by Bee Delores | Bluesky | Instagram | Letterboxd
by Sarah Stubbs | Bluesky | Instagram | Letterboxd

William Castle's 13 Ghosts is guaranteed to make my skin crawl. It's right up there with The Old Dark House, The Haunting, and The Uninvited for telling effectively creepy haunted house stories that only get better with age. When Cyrus (Donald Woods) and his family inherit a sweeping estate, they move into the house only to learn that it really is haunted by 12 ghosts hoping to claim a 13th victim. But they won't be scared off that easily - mostly because they've learned a massive fortune is hidden somewhere within the home's walls. With a script written by Robb White (House on Haunted Hill, The Tingler), the film makes great use of light and shadow, space, and the terrors evoked from unexplained noises and dancing shadows. White knows exactly how to strike unholy fear into the audience. Even now, the film manages to crawl under the fingernails. [written by Bee]

The late '90s and early aughts brought about the inception and success of Dark Castle Entertainment. From 1998 to 2003, their goal was to remake the films of William Castle. Among the two they did in this period, is a personal favorite, Thir13en Ghosts (2001). When talking about ghostly films and looking to pair a film with 13 Ghosts, there is no better film in my opinion. The film has a similar storyline to the original but it gives far more lore to the ghosts themselves. Instead of relying on Castle's love of audience gimmicks, Thir13en Ghosts leans more into jump scares and a bit of gore. A fun fact about this film is that James Gunn (Guardians of the Galaxy, Superman (2025), Slither) did uncredited rewrites for the screenplay. The first time I saw this was with a guy in high school who was not at all a horror fan and I think it kept him mostly off of horror for a long time. I still love this movie and think it's a great example of pre-9/11 early aughts horror (the film was mostly finished by 9/11 and released in October 2001). [written by Sarah]

RIYL: POLTERGEIST (1982)

Tobe Hooper's 1982 classic Poltergeist is one of the greatest horror films to ever grace both the big and small screen. Since its release, many films have tried to capture the same energy, which is impossible. While there's nothing like Poltergeist, we chose other films that you may enjoy. Check out our list on Letterboxd.

WHAT TO WATCH

MY GRANDMOTHER’S HOUSE IS HAUNTED by Bee Delores | Bluesky | Instagram | Letterboxd

The Folklore of “Old Rufus” & the Legless Little Boy

In 2019, I mounted an extensive investigation for Bloody Disgusting about my late grandmother's house. To this day, I will never step foot inside that house because of the stories I was told, what I saw there, and what my grandfather Elmer said just weeks before he died. For this project, I visited the local historical society where they keep old newspaper articles, records of families, and other tidbits about events (sometimes tragic) that have happened in the county - often dating back to the 19th Century and beyond. I rifled through boxes of content to confirm or disprove some of the stories I heard growing up.

I also researched the ownership of the house and property all the way back to the 18th Century, and pinpointed when the home was originally built (and when additional construction took place decades later). To flesh out the story even more, I found the phone numbers of previous tenants who grew up in that house, who were now in their 70s, to get their perspective about the ghosts that continue haunting the place. After weeks of work, I compiled all the information I could find, cultivating interviews with family members like my mom, uncle, and brother, into a timeline of events.

You can check out the (dare I say, impressive) project on Bloody Disgusting to get all the terrifying details about an old-man ghost named Rufus and a legless little boy.

Happy Halloween!

FAVORITE GHOST HORROR MOVIES

Whether friendly or evil, we chose a number of ghost horror movies that'll either warm your heart or scare you to death! Check out the list on Letterboxd.

TIMEWARP
by Bee Delores | Bluesky | Instagram | Letterboxd

The Halloween Tree: A Powerful Meditation on Death and Fear

I didn't understand how heavy The Halloween Tree is until a few years ago. An essential in my Halloween rotation, the 1993 animated film left a deep, indelible mark on me as a kid. What I remembered most was just four kids going on a terrifying adventure together. I'd completely overlooked its prevalent theme of death and overcoming your fears. Upon revisiting it again, I'm struck by its mature script (courtesy of acclaimed author Ray Bradbury, who wrote the 1972 book of the same name) and exploration of dying at a very young age and the outward ripples it causes. With textured and vibrant animation, it's alluring to children but hits even harder as an adult.

The story follows Pip, or Pipkin (Kevin Smets), and his best friends. On Halloween night, Pip is whisked away from his house by an ambulance. The gang - Jenny (Annie Barker), Ralphie (Alex Greenwald), Tom (Edan Gross), and Wally (Andrew Keegan) - witness his emergency departure after noticing that he didn't even decorate for Halloween. As they make their way to the hospital, they notice Pip (or a very life-like visage of him) entering a creepy mansion. When they knock, they're greeted by a devilish man named Mr. Moundshroud (Leonard Nimoy), who apparently has a crucial deadline to meet that evening. To say he's inconvenienced is an understatement.

When Pip's ghost reveals itself, Moundshroud introduces the group to the Halloween tree looming outside. Every branch carries jack o'lanterns with varying faces carved into them, each seemingly carrying the souls of the departed living. Close to the tippy top, there's one that looks eerily similar to Pip, who rips it from its branch and falls into a pile of leaves below before vanishing across space and time. As it turns out, Mr. Moundshroud needs that jack o'lantern in order to contain Pip's spirit for the rest of forever and exploits the group to help him catch him.

The film structures itself almost like an anthology. Moundshroud transports the kids to different eras to teach them about the roots of Halloween. The sections are based on the kids' costumes - Jenny (witch), Wally (monster), Tom (skeleton), and Ralphie (mummy) - with ancient Egyptian and Greek cultures among their journey's destinations. One of the group is burdened with trying to save Pip in each chapter. It reads like a much-needed crash course that contextualizes modern day celebrations of the holiday.

The trek also sees Jenny, Wally, Ralphie, and Tom coming to terms with Pip's death. Nearly every conversation delivers a 1-2 sucker punch to the jaw; i still can't believe this is (technically) a children's movie. But I'd argue the gateway horror/fantasy film is essential viewing for any age, especially in 2025. We need to hold onto the whimsy of our youth, but also never forget the horrors of the world outside and what it means to have a chosen family. We need people in our corner now more than ever.

With Bradbury doing a voiceover to move the plot along, the story eventually climaxes with the ultimate sacrifice. I won't spoil the inspiring ending, in case you haven't see it yet. But it's a wholesome and timeless tale about camaraderie, compassion, and determination in the face of evil. As it's officially scary season, it's time to check it out or rewatch it. Hopefully, you find some deeper layers to the story you may have missed, just like I did.

THE HORRORVERSE TEAM

Check out our Screaming Soon list on Letterboxd for the latest release information and what’s coming out in theaters and/or on demand.