Spooky Staff Picks: Halloween Reads and Watches to Enjoy

There’s only 3 weeks until Halloween, so this week’s Staff Picks feature some spooky choices to help get you in the spirit. Plus, one decidedly not scary pick in case you’d rather not lose any sleep.

A close-up of a person lying on the floor with a smile, looking upward, capturing a moment of joy or relaxation.

Other Mommy

The novel this movie is based on, Incidents Around the House by Josh Malerman, was one of the few I’ve read that had me feeling genuinely afraid, so I’m pretty hopeful that this movie won’t mess it up. Director Rob Savage has previously proven that he knows how to bring the scares in movies like Host and Dashcam, and Jessica Chastain is a reliably great actress, so consider me cautiously optimistic. – Sean Farrell

Source: JustWatch

A close-up of a face partially obscured by smudged glass, featuring pale skin and dark shadows.

The Lesser Dead by Christopher Buehlman

Best experienced by listening to the audiobook narrated by the author! In this gritty and highly descriptive book vampires are real and some of them live in NYC’s abandoned subway systems. Set in 1978, this book oozes the feel of the late 70s through punk clubs, discotheques, art parties, and the hustle and bustle of NYC. All is going well for the clan of vampires until they see a group of children vampires hunting in the subways at night. No one is safe, not even the long undead as this book races to a truly shocking end. I will definitely be reading more by this author! – Kara Buono

Two men enjoying a fishing trip outdoors, smiling at each other with fishing rods in their hands.

Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing

Seinfeld tried to but failed hilariously (Seinfeld is the only sitcom I can watch, over & over) but the BBC has done it – made a Show About Nothing, and I’m loving it! Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing, available on BBC iPlayer (with a VPN) and YouTube. Started in 2018 with series currently available up to 2025, it is probably the most soothing, therapeutic, thoroughly charming and addictive show about “two old blokes going fishing” that you could ever imagine. There is a danger of learning some angling tips, viewing some very beautiful English countryside and learning some heart-healthy recipies and really bad jokes but, apart from that, it truly is the best use of half an hour in these otherwise hectic, noisy and exaggerated times that we live in, perfect with a cup of tea. And it really is about nothing! Plus Ted the dog is a joy to watch. – Bonita Risley

Two stylized characters with contrasting expressions, one with dark hair and the other with blonde hair and sunglasses, set against a nighttime backdrop featuring a town and mountains.

Be Still My Unbeating Heart by Josh Winning

Mentally stuck in the 80s, gay vampire Bastian and his cat familiar Whitby are on holiday in Italy when they stumble upon a fresh corpse that looks to have been attacked by one of his kind. While the species has recently “come out of the coffin” ala True Blood, the general public isn’t always very accepting, and so the local constabulary quickly puts Bastian on house arrest for the crime. Of course he’s innocent, but he can’t prove it locked up in his rented apartment, and so he’ll have to convince handsome detective Nico, assigned to watch him, to help find the real killer… and maybe a little romance while they’re at it. Some surprisingly dark horror moments separate this otherwise predictable but charming cozy romance from others in the genre and the lead characters quickly grow on the reader. Not the most original story, but a fun, sweet read for those who don’t want too many scares in their Halloween season. – SF

Neither the Library nor its staff receive compensation for inclusion on this list or for links to external services.

Cover photo by Sašo Tušar on Unsplash.