The Weekly Wow List: 10/17/25

We’re halfway through October which means Halloween is nearly here! Whether you’re looking for something to put into the spooky spirit or…… not, we have a new batch of staff picks for you!

King Sorrow by Joe Hill

The acclaimed and successful author of books like NOS4A2 and The Fireman (and son of Stephen King) returns this Tuesday with another horror epic, this time following college friends who summon a dragon as a last-ditch effort to save one of their group from a more down-to-Earth threat. When they learn that in return they must make a sacrifice to the creature every year, lest it turn on them instead, they find themselves trapped in a horrific bargain with no clear path of escape. Hill has proven every bit as engaging an author as his father but with a voice all his own, and I have loved all of his books so far, so I have been eagerly awaiting this all year. Advance praise from Ruth Ware, Tanarive Due, Alan Moore, and Paul Tremblay, along with starred reviews from Library Journal, Publishers Weekly, Booklist, and Kirkus all indicate that it will have been worth the wait. – Sean Farrell

Black Phone 2

The original, based on a story by Joe Hill, was a tense, dark thriller with supernatural elements. This sequel looks to take the ghostly goings-on and move them more firmly into the foreground, spinning a very different but still quite scary story by doing so. Critical reception has been very positive so far, so this could make for a perfect Halloween-season trip to the movies! – SF

We Are All Guilty Here by Karin Slaughter

Karin Slaughter delivers another gripping thriller in the Will Trent series with We Are All Guilty Here. When a murder rocks a remote Georgia town, Will, Sara, and their team must navigate dark secrets and hidden motives to catch the killer — all while facing their own challenges. New to the series? No problem — this book stands on its own, though longtime fans will appreciate the deeper look at Will and Sara’s evolving story. – Erin Brown

The Outdoor Theater

If at the start of this year you had told me that one of my favorite things to watch would wind up being a YouTube channel that leaves piles of food in the woods and records the animals who come by to nibble on it, I wouldn’t have believed you. But something about The Outdoor Theater’s content is especially compelling to me this year. Sure, it’s cool to get an up-close look at North American wildlife, but I think it’s also just pleasant to sit and enjoy something so calm for approximately 20 minutes, possibly while sipping on a hot chocolate and with my own windows open to the world right outside them on a quiet afternoon. Whatever the reason, I can’t get enough. – SF

Guts & Glory

Special effects make-up artist extraordinaire Greg Nicotero executive produces and hosts this new reality competition show that is unlike anything I’ve seen before. At one point Nicotero describes it to the contestants as a cross between The Blair Witch Project and Survivor and that seems reasonably accurate, though perhaps with a touch of Fear Factor thrown in for good measure. The two episodes that have aired thus far don’t make it clear exactly what anyone is playing for, how they get eliminated, or what the objective is, but that only adds to what makes it such compelling TV. – SF