With Halloween creeping closer every day, it shouldn’t be too surprising to see people getting excited. How do you get into the spooky spirit? For some, it is haunted houses and costumes galore and for others, it is thematic snacks, and ghost stories between friends.
Even with all the excitement in the air, we still need to be wary as COVID is still prevalent, even if it is not as surprising or deadly as it was this time last year. Additionally, the flu has come back with a vengeance this year. Reduce your risk of spending the holiday seasons in bed sick by preparing for Halloween from the safety of your home or the homes of other vaccinated friends. If you are looking for ways to do this, then check out some of our favorite suggestions below:
Movie Marathons
Horror movie marathons are time-honored traditions amongst those who enjoy a good spook from behind the safety of a screen. When a haunted house feels too real and stories feel too detached, a good set of horror movies can elicit chills, thrills, and laughs, depending on what series you turn to.
If chills are the way you want to go, then look at The Exorcist. With 6 movies and a television show, you are shown horrifying stories of possession through generations, demons, and grudge-hauntings that will make you want to keep the lights on at night for sure. You can watch them in release order or in chronological order, but either way is good to prepare for the next film in the series coming out in 2023.
If thrills are more your style, the Halloween film franchise is filled with great jump scares and screams. The series has reached the ultimate horror number this year when it came out with its 13th film, so there is plenty of screen and scream time for those who are interested!
Sometimes, you just need a laugh, even if it is a creepy one. If you need a funny Halloween movie Beetlejuice or the Addams Family are considered to be family classics, keeping the adult jokes and gore low while still enjoying the freakiness of the season. If you are looking for horror comedies for adults, Cabin in the Woods will put you on the edge of your seat with laughter and fear.
Scary Books
If you like to unwind with a good book, you can use that to get into the Halloween spirit too. There are many classic horror writers that, rightfully, deserve extra attention during October for their frightful storytelling, but other fantastically chilling works can sometimes get looked over.
Haunted Healthcare is a book series that covers the paranormal experiences of medical professionals. Written by EMT/paranormal investigator Richard Estep, Haunted Healthcare dives into stories of personal hauntings, experiences, and other spine-tingling tales that have happened in “the hallways of some of the world’s most haunted medical facilities”.
If true crime is more to your taste, then Medical Monsters might pique your interest. Author Robert Keller deep dives into the stories of 20 medical serial killers and the dark deeds they committed. He has multiple other series that cover serial killers or individual true crime tales from all over the world, so make space on your bookshelf!
Spooky Podcasts
If you are prepping for a party, cooking, or sewing a costume, you might find a book or a movie to be too distracting. Horror podcasts are a great help on that front! Listen to people talk about true crime, hauntings, paranormal experiences, and more as we get closer to our own haunting season.
The Magnus Archives are a great spot to start for people who want to feel involved in the story itself, not just as though they are hearing a retelling. This podcast goes through the supernatural files in a long-forgotten archive as they get recorded and piled together for future investigators. Not all stories have a clear ending, but they do often come with a warning or two to keep you awake at night.
Let’s Not Meet is a true horror podcast that goes into the stories of those who made it out of harrowing tales alive. From stalkers to serial killers to strangers with weapons, this podcast goes through fascinating true stories that bring the horrors of true crime a little closer to home.
If you like true crime and paranormal tales, And That’s Why We Drink is a great mix of both. Each week, the hosts cover a true crime and a paranormal story, give funny anecdotes, and talk about their own experiences. It is a great mix of a feel-good podcast that makes you feel as though you are chatting with friends and a horror podcast that lets you walk away feeling a little less safe than you were a moment ago.
Of course, there are many ways to celebrate this haunted season, but your health and welfare should always come first. Take the beginning of the season slowly and safely so that you are able to enjoy the end of it entirely!
If you are looking to help people enjoy holidays and other festivities in good health, then check out our job board here. We have all kinds of healthcare opportunities available, but if there is something specific that you are looking for and it is not on our website, then send us an updated resume here and we will connect with you soon to learn more!
