Happy Spooktober! In celebration of the season I have put together a special narration of my short powerful paranormal romance The Ghost Beside Me.
You can listen to the introduction here for free but there’s more…
If you sign up to become either a Rock Star or Royal Rockstar you’ll be able to access a longer version while also being entered into a draw to win a signed paperback version of the book. This is all part of my Spooky Season Sign-Up Special which runs until Halloween.
Details…
Time for a special promotion to celebrate the month of October!
Seeing as I’m supposed to be a horror author and I generally enjoy the season of spookiness I have decided to run a promotion to celebrate.
If you sign up to either of my Patreon tiers this month, I’ll send you a free digital copy of my spooky paranormal romance The Ghost Beside Me.
All existing Patrons and those who do sign up to either tier will then all be entered into a draw to receive a signed paperback copy that I’ll happily mail to you wherever you are in the world and if you can provide me with a mailing address.
Happy Spooky Season!
Like last time we shall start with a slasher that has a unique voice and chilling story full of twists. It’s a little more than a slasher and really feels like an early Stephen King novel. A new lady in town realizes she has a lot of similarities to four others who have gone missing. Thrills, chills and spills ensue. Full Review here.
‘Dead End’ certainly doesn’t hold back with the creepiness when it comes to clowns and the wider conspiracy that unfolds in a short read following two detectives as they try to hunt down a killer. The writing style plays with the reader’s imagination perfectly in what is the first of a great series. Full Review Here.
We’re sticking with the shorter read formula here with a breezy paranormal romance that carries a slight adult edge. A para-sceptic is dared to spend the night in an abandoned manor house which then turns into a friendship story that becomes a little more. Perfect for spooky season. Full Review here.
An urban exploration horror based on a real place? Sign me up because this chilling story was both terrifying and awesome. The whole abandoned asylum horror sub-genre is one of my favorites and this one has a kind of found footage feel. Defintley worth a look for spooky season chills. Full Review here.
“There are more than shadows lurking in the darkness of those trees.”
And if you’re looking for your shadow filled mystery intertwined vampire fix then look no further than ‘Darke Blood’. A new guy arrives in town, he soon finds out what lurks within those shadows then he aligns with some forces for good and together they must save the day. There’s action, twists, turns and a whole load of spooky season atmosphere.
After seeing the title of this book and then reading the first line of the blurb, I was hooked and I also wasn’t disappointed in this atmospheric, slightly dystopian small town tale. There’s some elements of darkness and good use of metaphor about life and survival while also being perfect for spooky season.
Of course this season brings with it the plethora of slasher films like ‘Halloween’ and ‘Friday the 13th’ so if you like them, you’ll love ‘Evil Eye’. Set on a remote island during a hurricane, there’s a masked killer stalking those left behind. Perfect for this time of year. Full review here.
For those who enjoy shorter reads that all link together, this is the one for you. Each story of ‘Fear Farm’ starts with that slow creepifying burn which then flows into much quicker tempo producing those spooky season thrills and spills. Well worth a read for anyone looking to be thrilled. Full review here.
Although to me ‘Don’t Lose Your Head’ is an all-year-round type of dark read it will definitely haunt you in deep and unique type of way. Conscience and repercussion take centre stage in this story that I couldn’t put down and there are plenty of themes within that perfectly align for this time of year – atmosphere and creepy visuals are a plenty in this one. Full Review Here.
It probably doesn’t get any darker than the apocalypse and Brooklynn Dean delivers it on a lavish plate full of prose, depth and darkness in a story that will keep you glued. This one is perfect for spooky season but again definitely an all-year-round type of read. Full Review Here.
Without vampires there would be no spooky season and my go-to indie vampire story is the ‘Nocturnal’ series starting with this part one. A unique blend of chase and discovery take a young lady on one hell of journey down the sometimes gory but always satisfying rabbit hole of vampire horror. Full review here.
I’ve always got time for a little space horror especially when it is this good and chilling. A stranded and down on their luck crew of the I.S.S. Mordrake discover a seemingly abandoned vessel floating in the depths of space. What they discover takes the reader on an awesome ride. Full Review Here.
You’ll have to excuse the blatant self promotion here but there isn’t a ghost story on this list and considering how well this book is doing of recent, I thought I’d give it a little plug. ‘Ghost’ is a unique short read making it low commitment which is part of the appeal. All you need is a free evening and you’ll probably get through the whole thing. Here’s a recent review.
Thanks for stopping by and check back soon for some more reads that are perfect for spooky season!
For a short book Sarah Jayne Harry has managed to deliver a satisfying story with a range of themes with an easy to read writing style. There’s a young adult vibe from the very start as ‘Charlotte’; a paranormal sceptic is dared to spend the night in an abandoned manor house. It’s spooky and descriptive from sight to smell and we even get a harrowing backstory of the place – some elements of this book do go to dark places and this is mentioned beforehand but only for a short while and it’s not exploitative but necessary for plot and eventual resolve. On this night our main character and narrator comes across ‘Lewis’ a ghost which she befriends. This friendship in turn becomes something more.
We also see ‘Charlotte’s’ home life where her over protective and abusive Father casts a shadow over everything while the pressure of succeeding in school is ever present. There are other characters in this story, even if they are smaller parts they contribute to the wider picture. Soon this picture culminates with a choice or suggestion that ‘Lewis’ makes and an ending perfect for the genre. I would have liked to of seen perhaps a little more between ‘Lewis’ and ‘Charlotte’ but for a short read which most will complete in one sitting, it makes for a perfect spooky season experience.
4 Stars – Reviews left via Goodreads and Amazon
I regret forgetting to include this film in part 1 and arguably Final Destination has one of the most original premises there is in horror. In Final Destination there is no murderer running around yielding a knife or wearing a mask, there’s no ancient curse or ghostly apparitions. The killer in Final Destination is real. That killer isn’t a character but the inevitability of death and the plan it has for you. Just what happens if somehow you skip that plan? Well that’s what this film is about in all of it’s early 2000’s glory but even today this one holds up quite well. I’ll happily admit the premonition part of Final Destination shaped my work – the MC dreams his death and so therefore avoids it – this inspired my own story telling as the MC from my debut novel ‘Open Evening’ experiences a similar vision.
Final Destination and the tone it captures is something that has a place in my heart. Yes it’s a little absurd but the concept is both terrifying and wholly original. Those early 2000’s horror flicks make for some great viewing, trust me and this one is perfect for spooky season.
Okay now before you leave I know that Scary Movie is predominantly a comedy but it’s a genius comedy that still holds up rather well-ish today. Those Wayans brothers know how to make a comedy and consider the film a spoof/ meshing of ‘Scream’, ‘I know what you did last summer’ and the plethora of other teen thrillers of the time. The cast is stellar with many familiar faces and some moving onto bigger better heights thereafter (Anna Farris) so if you want something that’ll make you laugh out loud then try Scary Movie – they don’t make them like this any more. Plus even though it’s mainly comedy there are some spooky bits also…
This film ‘effed my shizzle’ up and by that I mean why the hell hadn’t I discovered it beforehand? Well apparently this one released in the mid 2000’s and seemingly passed everyone by. Why? I do not know but the film which is a factual re-telling of how they ‘caught’ the Zodiac killer (google it) is incredibly intricate, chilling and gripping. It focuses on the investigation and one man who moves up from newspaper cartoonist to full on book writer as he deciphers the Zodiac killer’s coding to pretty much solve the case. It’s quite a long watch but well worth it! And did I mention it’s kind of chilling also!
Now some of you may know I love a conspiracy theory, preferably the unsolved one’s and Devil’s Pass is a kind of found footage film that starts off rather well – probably why I’ve included it. Back in the early 1950’s a group nine people skiing out in the remote Russian mountains go missing and their remains are found in rather harrowing circumstances – that’s the true story part. This film does an incredible job of documenting what is now known as the ‘Dylatov Pass’ and those making the film decide to take a trip to the incident site through unpredictable cold weather to find out what happens. I mean would you bother? Predictably things start to go ‘wrong’ and well the film then unfolds. The truth is, I thought the ending to this film was dog shit, but the first three quarters pulled me in and so therefore it’s worth a look. If not just google Dylatov Pass Incident and thank me later.
Although some will argue this film isn’t a full on horror and more of an extended version of the Goonies and partially I would agree it still makes for some incredible spooky season viewing. I love IT part 1 because of the story it tells between the ‘Loser’s club’ – a group of kids who aren’t popular and don’t have a lot going for them but they find each other. Of course there’s a demon clown running around killing kids also not to mention the wonderful photography and setting of Maine – Stephen King really does know what he’s doing! Although the running time is longer, it has nothing on the book so go check it out. Fun fact: I saw this film 3 times in the cinema. That’ll tell you how good I think it is…
Brendan Fraser is probably a name you haven’t heard of or for at least a very long time and I believe this film might be his best one. The truth is I saw this when I was 10 years old in the cinema and it’s rated in the UK at 12. Somehow I got in with my parents and brother, not only did this film partially terrify me but it also captivated me with gripping action, wonderful characters and a pretty well rounded story. The Mummy strikes the balance between thrilling and chilling with an ancient curse, gun toting action, archaeology adventure and Rachel Weisz. It has a cinematic charm paired with a wonderful musical score that I still listen to today – yeah I have a thing about film music… Trust me this one is perfect for Spooky season!
Well thanks for joining me for another Spooky Season Movie Recommendation post. You know at the very end of the month on Halloween you can expect to see my paranormal romance available for Free!
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