Ten Gothic Movies or TV Series to Watch on Halloween, A Guest Post and Giveaway from M.C. Frank
Hello everyone! I’m so excited to be sharing the 10 best movies and TV series episodes to watch on a chilly October night with you!
Some of these choices are vintage films, some have a creepy fairytale feel to them, and there are a few classics thrown in for good measure. So sit back and enjoy this selection of my favorite get-into-a-Halloween-mood material, which I enjoy watching all year round. Hopefully you’ll agree with me on some, and maybe you’ll discover one or two new ones.
Edward Scissorhands
I love all of Burton’s movies that have this type of sad, silent boy as a main character. Edwards Scissorhands combines that with a quirky love story as well as a creepy plot. Excellent!
Jane Eyre
My top favorite Jane Eyre adaptation is the 2006 BBC TV series, which consists of four episodes, but I’ve watched pretty much every adaptation of the film that’s been made from 1936 or thereabouts to this day. This is the definitive gothic tale, and every adaptation has a different take on the creepy atmosphere, the passionate love story and the angst.
Rebecca
This is one of the vintage black-and-white films I was telling you about -that is, the Hitchcock version of Rebecca, which is the only one I’m willing to count, is). It’s more of an atmospheric movie, but the suspense lasts up until the very end, and the plot… well, on the off-chance you haven’t watched it yet, I don’t want to spoil you. And if you have, don’t you just adore it? You can’t wait until you rent it again, right? Right? I know I can’t.
Into The Woods
I discovered this recently, since it was only made into a film this year (or last year), but apparently it’s been around as a musical for a long time. The movie is exquisite, full of dark fairytale characters and plots, and the songs got stuck in my head and I re-watched it a couple of times trying to memorize the lyrics. So good!
Northanger Abbey
This is Jane Austen’s attempt at a gothic romance, which turns out to be more of a satire than anything else, BUT the movie versions of it have some very dark and mysterious scenes where, if you haven’t read the book, you’ve no idea what’s going to happen. It’s also very romantic, very funny and very smart. What more can you want?
This is Jane Austen’s attempt at a gothic romance, which turns out to be more of a satire than anything else, BUT the movie versions of it have some very dark and mysterious scenes where, if you haven’t read the book, you’ve no idea what’s going to happen. It’s also very romantic, very funny and very smart. What more can you want?
Charade
This is an Audrey Hepburn movie that scared the bejeezus out of me. And as soon as I finished it, I was in love. Let’s just say there’s murder and hidden identities and stolen treasure among other things in it. There’s also Cary Grant. Need I say anything else. I need not.
Teen Wolf
I started binge-watching this series a few months ago and was taken aback by its creepy feel. Although I’m not a super-fan of its teenage-hormone-ridden characters or plotline, I think it’s perfect for this time of year, or if you want to watch something that will completely immerse you in this atmosphere of things going bump in the night and danger lurking behind every corner, look no further. Besides, wolves. Who doesn’t love a hot teenage werewolf, right?
Supernatural
This one -another series- has everything. Ghosts, ghouls, you name it. It’s ‘supernatural’ after all… I admit I’ve skipped a few episodes of this one because I found them too scary, and also I’ve fast-forwarded more than a few scenes. But then again I scare easily. If you don’t, lots of people are crazy about this show.
This one -another series- has everything. Ghosts, ghouls, you name it. It’s ‘supernatural’ after all… I admit I’ve skipped a few episodes of this one because I found them too scary, and also I’ve fast-forwarded more than a few scenes. But then again I scare easily. If you don’t, lots of people are crazy about this show.
Sherlock
Now, let’s get down to business. If you’re not a Sherlock fan, well… you should be. Sherlock, for those who don’t know, is a murder-mystery/investigation type of show, which enjoys tearing our insides to pieces with season cliffhangers. But there’s an episode called The Hounds of Baskerville, which is really creepy, with weird sounds and fog and a monster dog. Needless to say, I love love love this series. You should, too. You do, don’t you?
Now, let’s get down to business. If you’re not a Sherlock fan, well… you should be. Sherlock, for those who don’t know, is a murder-mystery/investigation type of show, which enjoys tearing our insides to pieces with season cliffhangers. But there’s an episode called The Hounds of Baskerville, which is really creepy, with weird sounds and fog and a monster dog. Needless to say, I love love love this series. You should, too. You do, don’t you?
Marple and Poirot
I’ve kept my absolute favourite for last. Also, this is kind of a cheat, because these are two tv series. The one is called ‘Agatha Christie’s Marple’ and the other is ‘Agatha Christie’s Poirot’. The first is an ongoing series, with episodes added to it every few years, and Poirot is finished, I believe. Still there are plenty of scary, ghostly, murderous moments in most of the episodes. Nemesis stands out from ‘Marple’, a murder investigation where a group of seemingly unrelated people are invited on a creepy country tour. One of them is a murderer. The creepiest of them all, however (Mark Gatiss I’m looking at you) is an episode of ‘Poirot’ titled Haloween Party. There’s a witch roaming about, there’s a list of unresolved murders and there’s a little girl in a costume found face down in a bucket full of water, a bit apple floating next to her head. Yep. It’s that good.
I’ve kept my absolute favourite for last. Also, this is kind of a cheat, because these are two tv series. The one is called ‘Agatha Christie’s Marple’ and the other is ‘Agatha Christie’s Poirot’. The first is an ongoing series, with episodes added to it every few years, and Poirot is finished, I believe. Still there are plenty of scary, ghostly, murderous moments in most of the episodes. Nemesis stands out from ‘Marple’, a murder investigation where a group of seemingly unrelated people are invited on a creepy country tour. One of them is a murderer. The creepiest of them all, however (Mark Gatiss I’m looking at you) is an episode of ‘Poirot’ titled Haloween Party. There’s a witch roaming about, there’s a list of unresolved murders and there’s a little girl in a costume found face down in a bucket full of water, a bit apple floating next to her head. Yep. It’s that good.
So that’s my list of gothic/creepy Haloween films and series. What is yours?
M.C. Frank has been living in a world of stories ever since she can remember herself. She started writing them down when she could no longer stand the characters in her head screaming at her to give them life.
She has had two other books published in another language to great critical acclaim, both titles in the young adult genre. She has also had numerous articles published, including a regular short-story column in a local bimonthly magazine.
She likes to write romances, and then place them in brutal post-apocalyptic universes flooded with water or medieval forests plagued by greedy Sheriffs, but she also loves writing adventures and hopes to be able to explore the crafting of contemporary fiction next.
Recently she got her university degree in physics and is now free to pursue her love of reading and writing, as well as her freelance job of editor-in-chief. She currently lives with her husband in a home filled with candles, laptops and notebooks, where she rearranges her overflowing bookshelves every time she feels stressed -which is often, since she is currently editing her next novel, her NaNoWriMo (winning!) project of 2014.
She has had two other books published in another language to great critical acclaim, both titles in the young adult genre. She has also had numerous articles published, including a regular short-story column in a local bimonthly magazine.
She likes to write romances, and then place them in brutal post-apocalyptic universes flooded with water or medieval forests plagued by greedy Sheriffs, but she also loves writing adventures and hopes to be able to explore the crafting of contemporary fiction next.
Recently she got her university degree in physics and is now free to pursue her love of reading and writing, as well as her freelance job of editor-in-chief. She currently lives with her husband in a home filled with candles, laptops and notebooks, where she rearranges her overflowing bookshelves every time she feels stressed -which is often, since she is currently editing her next novel, her NaNoWriMo (winning!) project of 2014.
Find M.C. Frank:
Summary
The duke of Ashton sits at the Opera at Vauxhall Gardens, bored out of his mind, and plans murder.
He curses the day that brought the little governess, destitute and sad, at his door eight months ago, to upset his careless if a bit meaningless existence.
How could he have guessed the terrible, evil secrets she was hiding? And now that he knows all, the truth appears wilder, even more despicable than even he could have imagined. He hadn’t counted on losing his heart to her, of course, but he did.
What he doesn’t know is that a tendril of the shadows of madness and sin that followed Beatrice to his door is still out there, looking for something to devour.
The only one who can save him from the darkness is the girl herself, but he knows he’ll never see her again. He who once prided himself on his indifference to other human beings, feels his chest constrict with pain every time he even thinks of her.
Beatrice, smart, gentle, kind-hearted, lovely.
Ruined.
A perfect blend of darkness and light, this Regency retelling of Jane Eyre will break your heart as well as uplift it.
Goodreads | Amazon US/UK
The duke of Ashton sits at the Opera at Vauxhall Gardens, bored out of his mind, and plans murder.
He curses the day that brought the little governess, destitute and sad, at his door eight months ago, to upset his careless if a bit meaningless existence.
How could he have guessed the terrible, evil secrets she was hiding? And now that he knows all, the truth appears wilder, even more despicable than even he could have imagined. He hadn’t counted on losing his heart to her, of course, but he did.
What he doesn’t know is that a tendril of the shadows of madness and sin that followed Beatrice to his door is still out there, looking for something to devour.
The only one who can save him from the darkness is the girl herself, but he knows he’ll never see her again. He who once prided himself on his indifference to other human beings, feels his chest constrict with pain every time he even thinks of her.
Beatrice, smart, gentle, kind-hearted, lovely.
Ruined.
A perfect blend of darkness and light, this Regency retelling of Jane Eyre will break your heart as well as uplift it.
Goodreads | Amazon US/UK
Guys, if you tell M.C. Frank what is your favorite film to watch on Halloween, you will be entered in a giveaway for her Gothic novel, Ruined. Good luck!
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I asked M.C. what influenced her to write Ruined and here is what she is saying:
Influences for my novel, Ruined, were Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer, the best Regency writers the world has ever seen (Austen wrote Regency as a contemporary, but Heyer was a genius as well, so it’s really hard for me to choose between them. Besides, their styles differ greatly). Movies that inspired me were The Age of Innocence and The Governess, a little obscure film that stars Minnie Driver and took my breath away with its raw sensuality and deep emotions.
The list of movies I mention above was, of course, a great help in getting into that dark, gothic mood. I must have watched Northanger Abbey and Persuasion about a hundred times. Their underlying sadness as well as the calmness of their pacing helped the outlining and actual writing process a lot.
Thank you so much to Karina and Nocturnal Book Reviews for welcoming me on here. Karina, I love your blog and I’m really honored to be a very small part of it with this guest post! Looks like it’s Halloween all year round in here. I love it.
Happy Halloween, everyone!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
I asked M.C. what influenced her to write Ruined and here is what she is saying:
Influences for my novel, Ruined, were Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer, the best Regency writers the world has ever seen (Austen wrote Regency as a contemporary, but Heyer was a genius as well, so it’s really hard for me to choose between them. Besides, their styles differ greatly). Movies that inspired me were The Age of Innocence and The Governess, a little obscure film that stars Minnie Driver and took my breath away with its raw sensuality and deep emotions.
The list of movies I mention above was, of course, a great help in getting into that dark, gothic mood. I must have watched Northanger Abbey and Persuasion about a hundred times. Their underlying sadness as well as the calmness of their pacing helped the outlining and actual writing process a lot.
Thank you so much to Karina and Nocturnal Book Reviews for welcoming me on here. Karina, I love your blog and I’m really honored to be a very small part of it with this guest post! Looks like it’s Halloween all year round in here. I love it.
Happy Halloween, everyone!
