Hi hello and welcome to day 10 of Blogtober 2019! If you don't know what Blogtober is or are curious as to what I'll be posting throughout the month, feel free to check out my Preparing for Blogtober 2019 post to find out what it's all about! Today, I'll be doing the Horror Film Book Tag from Royal Reader. Be sure to go and check out the original post and read Princess' answers! I'm so excited to be doing this tag today as I am an avid horror film watcher and the spoopy season is ripe with films to choose from. Fear Fest on AMC is my personal favorite because I love me some straight up blood and gore horror films, but I also love to watch the Hocus Pocus marathons on ABC Family or Freeform or whatever it is now. As an added challenge, I'll also be including my favorite film in the genre that each prompt provides so you'll be getting a book and a film with every prompt! I hope to introduce you to some new books and horror films or even reintroduce you to some old favorites! Let's get spooky!
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1. The Zombie Apocalypse: A book you would save when civilization ends
Vicious by V.E. Schwab. This is not surprising at all as this is my favorite book of all-time and it would absolutely end up being the battered and worn copy that I pulled out of my backpack to read over and over again when we had down time from running from hordes of undead.
My film recommendation is Train to Busan! This is one that I put off watching for so long and when I finally watched it, I was so glad I did. Well, in between bouts of sobbing my brains out and wondering why I decided to watch it. But it's such a fantastic zombie film and it's really unlike any of the American zombie films I think I've ever seen. I would highly recommend this to anyone and everyone who hasn't seen it or is looking for a fresh take on the zombie film genre!
2. The Vampire: A book you would stake through the heart (in whatever sense)
Zenith by Sasha Alsberg and Lindsay Cummings. While I am a sucker for a good cover (let's be honest this new cover is much better) I just can't vouch for what's on the inside of this book. I have a whole review for this (feel free to check it out!) so I won't go into too much detail as to why this is a 1 star read for me, but yeah, I would stake this through the heart just on the sheer amount of betrayal I felt while reading this book. Sad, but true.
For my vampire film recommendation, I chose Underworld! This movie was a huge part of my life for so long, oh my goodness. I remember being so young when I watched this that my mom had to tell me to close my eyes at certain parts because she thought they were too gory and scary for me. Spoiler alert, I was 11 and absolutely a grown-up. But this is just the vampire film for me. I was so in love with Selene that I even got my hair cut like her and I wanted to dress up like her SO BAD but an 11 year old in full leather? Probably not. I would highly recommend this film and the sequel, and possibly Underworld: Rise of the Lycans simply because I love Lucian and I was so excited to see his story finally. The other films...probably not so much, unfortunately. But the first three, absolutely!
3. The Haunted House: A book that still haunts you
The Roanoke Girls by Amy Engel. Even thinking about this book still gives me chills. I had no idea what I was getting into when I was reading this and it was completely different from what I thought it was. I remember basically reading a good portion of this book with my jaw on the floor because I just could not believe that this book was going the places it was going. If you're interested in checking out my thoughts on it, I have a review up on my blog! But please be warned that this book is dark and probably not suitable for younger readers. It probably wasn't suitable for me.
My first choice for a haunted house film would have to be Thirteen Ghosts. It was a tough tie between this and another film (which I will definitely be mentioning momentarily) but this one has stayed at the top of my favorites list ever since I first saw it. There's a ghost in here that still scares me to this day and I feel like the entire film is just a great choice for anyone looking for a haunted house film to watch during the spoopy season! Runners up would be The Haunting, House on Haunted Hill, Insidious, and The Others. Any of those would be a great choice!
4. The Psychological Thriller: A book with a twist you did not see coming
Riley Sager is my go-to author for plot twists and thrillers. I don't know how he does it, but with all three of his books that I've read so far, all three have been twists that I just had no idea were coming. And it's not just the plot twists that I enjoy, it's also his writing and how he creates such fantastically creepy worlds that you can't help but get lost in. If you're looking for a thriller read to get you through this spooky season, I highly recommend any of these books above!
Picking a good psychological thriller was much harder than I thought it would be! But I remembered The Uninvited and how much I enjoyed it when I first saw it, and even now all these years later. This film definitely had a plot twist that I didn't see coming and I still love it after watching it dozens of times. A few other recommendations for psychological thriller films are 1408, Secret Window, The Shining, The Others, and Seven.
5. The Creepy Doll: A book that seems innocent but isn’t
Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire. This is basically about a home for children that have come back from their portal worlds. Think going down a rabbit hole, stepping through the back of a wardrobe, going under the bed and getting lost in the shadows- you know, just kid things. But you would think that this is a nice book about kids coming back to the real world and sharing their adventures and such, but everything goes back to normal. Absolutely not, my friends. This book is the start of a series of novellas that will rip out your heart and steal all of the tears from your eyeballs. But I promise, you will enjoy every single word that you read. If you're interested in reading my full thoughts on this, feel free to check out my review!
I feel like I should recommend Annabelle or something like that since the prompt is Creepy Doll, but I'll pass and recommend something else. The Descent is one of my all-time favorite films (my husband cannot stand this movie anymore because I watch it so often but he still watches it with me anyway and I love him for being supportive of my obsessive movie rewatching habits) and it's one that seems simple and innocent at first, but slowly becomes a terrifying fight for survival. A group of friends goes cave diving and tries to be the first ones to discover a new cave system. Sounds cool and innocent, right? Nope! I won't spoil it but this film is fantastic and I highly recommend it if you haven't seen it before.
6. The Monster: A book you could barely tackle/defeat (in whatever sense)
Not surprising probably but I just could not read It by Stephen King. I think I'm just intimidated by how large the book is and I feel like I'll never actually be able to read it. Hopefully one day I'll be able to sit down and tackle this beast but for now, it will sit on my shelf unread.
I'm not going to say much about The Ritual. I'm simply going to say go watch this.
7. The Comedy-Horror: A book with mixed genres that worked (or didn’t)
There's Someone Inside Your House by Stephanie Perkins. I haven't read any of the contemporary books from this author, but this really felt like it was written by an author that typically writes in a different genre. It was cheesy and full of horror film tropes and the "twist" was...really bad, honestly. It was an entertaining read but it definitely didn't work for me, sadly.
Even if this isn't considered horror-comedy, I don't even care because this film is hilarious. It's literally making fun of basic horror tropes and I absolutely love this film so much. If you haven't seen it, I definitely recommend it as it's one of the best horror films I have ever watched. The twist is insane and the final like, half an hour or so is just perfection. Please go watch this!
8. The (Cliched) Teen Horror: A book you found super cliched/stereotypical
Okay, hear me out on this one. I don't think this is necessarily cliched/stereotypical in a bad way. I love the "new girl in town tries to befriend the mean girls group" cliche and how it just gets turned on its head and throws you right into some crazy exorcisim stuff and it's just an absolute thrill ride once the book picks up. I've read all of the books in the series and while I did like them all, I will never forget my first time reading this and all of the feelings I had while reading this. It's a wonderful reading experience that I will never forget!
9. The Demonic Possession: A book so gripping you needed an exorcist to escape it
Neverworld Wake by Marisha Pessl. This was my first experience with a Marisha Pessl book and by the end, I was crying pretty hard. It was just a beautiful reading experience that I just could not get enough of and I didn't want to stop reading once I had started. This is one of those books that I wish I could read for the first time all over again because I loved how many different emotions I went through while reading and not many books have been able to do that to me.
I love this film so much I can't even properly explain it. I used to be able to quote the entire thing because I watched it so often. And I had a crush on Megan Fox so like, obviously I loved this film. To this day, my husband will throw out random quotes at me so we can go back and forth and if that's not a supportive partner, I don't know what is. But yes, I love this so much and even if you think it might be cheesy or trashy, that's totally fine but I'm crossing you out.
10. The Science Fiction: A precious book you would permanently sacrifice to aliens for the good of mankind
It would be so incredibly difficult to let this book go as I've just recently started to read the trilogy and love it with all of my black heart, but it does say a precious book and this book is very precious to me. As are the characters within the book. Especially my cinnamon roll, Kell Maresh.
Doing kind of an older film for a science fiction recommendation and going with Event Horizon! This film is...well, it's something. I didn't really know what to expect going into watching this and by the end, I was absolutely speechless. If you're not opposed to watching an older science fiction horror film, this is at the top of my list to recommend!
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And that's it for the Horror Film Book Tag! I had so much fun doing this and adding the challenge of finding a horror film that fit the prompt. I hope I introduced you to some new books or films or maybe sparked a memory and reminded you of an old favorite. I would love to know some of your favorite horror films that you love to watch during October so please leave some of your recommendations in the comments below! Thanks for stopping by and I'll scare ya later!
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1. The Zombie Apocalypse: A book you would save when civilization ends
Vicious by V.E. Schwab. This is not surprising at all as this is my favorite book of all-time and it would absolutely end up being the battered and worn copy that I pulled out of my backpack to read over and over again when we had down time from running from hordes of undead.
My film recommendation is Train to Busan! This is one that I put off watching for so long and when I finally watched it, I was so glad I did. Well, in between bouts of sobbing my brains out and wondering why I decided to watch it. But it's such a fantastic zombie film and it's really unlike any of the American zombie films I think I've ever seen. I would highly recommend this to anyone and everyone who hasn't seen it or is looking for a fresh take on the zombie film genre!
2. The Vampire: A book you would stake through the heart (in whatever sense)
Zenith by Sasha Alsberg and Lindsay Cummings. While I am a sucker for a good cover (let's be honest this new cover is much better) I just can't vouch for what's on the inside of this book. I have a whole review for this (feel free to check it out!) so I won't go into too much detail as to why this is a 1 star read for me, but yeah, I would stake this through the heart just on the sheer amount of betrayal I felt while reading this book. Sad, but true.
For my vampire film recommendation, I chose Underworld! This movie was a huge part of my life for so long, oh my goodness. I remember being so young when I watched this that my mom had to tell me to close my eyes at certain parts because she thought they were too gory and scary for me. Spoiler alert, I was 11 and absolutely a grown-up. But this is just the vampire film for me. I was so in love with Selene that I even got my hair cut like her and I wanted to dress up like her SO BAD but an 11 year old in full leather? Probably not. I would highly recommend this film and the sequel, and possibly Underworld: Rise of the Lycans simply because I love Lucian and I was so excited to see his story finally. The other films...probably not so much, unfortunately. But the first three, absolutely!
3. The Haunted House: A book that still haunts you
The Roanoke Girls by Amy Engel. Even thinking about this book still gives me chills. I had no idea what I was getting into when I was reading this and it was completely different from what I thought it was. I remember basically reading a good portion of this book with my jaw on the floor because I just could not believe that this book was going the places it was going. If you're interested in checking out my thoughts on it, I have a review up on my blog! But please be warned that this book is dark and probably not suitable for younger readers. It probably wasn't suitable for me.
My first choice for a haunted house film would have to be Thirteen Ghosts. It was a tough tie between this and another film (which I will definitely be mentioning momentarily) but this one has stayed at the top of my favorites list ever since I first saw it. There's a ghost in here that still scares me to this day and I feel like the entire film is just a great choice for anyone looking for a haunted house film to watch during the spoopy season! Runners up would be The Haunting, House on Haunted Hill, Insidious, and The Others. Any of those would be a great choice!
4. The Psychological Thriller: A book with a twist you did not see coming
Riley Sager is my go-to author for plot twists and thrillers. I don't know how he does it, but with all three of his books that I've read so far, all three have been twists that I just had no idea were coming. And it's not just the plot twists that I enjoy, it's also his writing and how he creates such fantastically creepy worlds that you can't help but get lost in. If you're looking for a thriller read to get you through this spooky season, I highly recommend any of these books above!
Picking a good psychological thriller was much harder than I thought it would be! But I remembered The Uninvited and how much I enjoyed it when I first saw it, and even now all these years later. This film definitely had a plot twist that I didn't see coming and I still love it after watching it dozens of times. A few other recommendations for psychological thriller films are 1408, Secret Window, The Shining, The Others, and Seven.
5. The Creepy Doll: A book that seems innocent but isn’t
Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire. This is basically about a home for children that have come back from their portal worlds. Think going down a rabbit hole, stepping through the back of a wardrobe, going under the bed and getting lost in the shadows- you know, just kid things. But you would think that this is a nice book about kids coming back to the real world and sharing their adventures and such, but everything goes back to normal. Absolutely not, my friends. This book is the start of a series of novellas that will rip out your heart and steal all of the tears from your eyeballs. But I promise, you will enjoy every single word that you read. If you're interested in reading my full thoughts on this, feel free to check out my review!
I feel like I should recommend Annabelle or something like that since the prompt is Creepy Doll, but I'll pass and recommend something else. The Descent is one of my all-time favorite films (my husband cannot stand this movie anymore because I watch it so often but he still watches it with me anyway and I love him for being supportive of my obsessive movie rewatching habits) and it's one that seems simple and innocent at first, but slowly becomes a terrifying fight for survival. A group of friends goes cave diving and tries to be the first ones to discover a new cave system. Sounds cool and innocent, right? Nope! I won't spoil it but this film is fantastic and I highly recommend it if you haven't seen it before.
6. The Monster: A book you could barely tackle/defeat (in whatever sense)
Not surprising probably but I just could not read It by Stephen King. I think I'm just intimidated by how large the book is and I feel like I'll never actually be able to read it. Hopefully one day I'll be able to sit down and tackle this beast but for now, it will sit on my shelf unread.
I'm not going to say much about The Ritual. I'm simply going to say go watch this.
7. The Comedy-Horror: A book with mixed genres that worked (or didn’t)
There's Someone Inside Your House by Stephanie Perkins. I haven't read any of the contemporary books from this author, but this really felt like it was written by an author that typically writes in a different genre. It was cheesy and full of horror film tropes and the "twist" was...really bad, honestly. It was an entertaining read but it definitely didn't work for me, sadly.
Even if this isn't considered horror-comedy, I don't even care because this film is hilarious. It's literally making fun of basic horror tropes and I absolutely love this film so much. If you haven't seen it, I definitely recommend it as it's one of the best horror films I have ever watched. The twist is insane and the final like, half an hour or so is just perfection. Please go watch this!
8. The (Cliched) Teen Horror: A book you found super cliched/stereotypical
Okay, hear me out on this one. I don't think this is necessarily cliched/stereotypical in a bad way. I love the "new girl in town tries to befriend the mean girls group" cliche and how it just gets turned on its head and throws you right into some crazy exorcisim stuff and it's just an absolute thrill ride once the book picks up. I've read all of the books in the series and while I did like them all, I will never forget my first time reading this and all of the feelings I had while reading this. It's a wonderful reading experience that I will never forget!
9. The Demonic Possession: A book so gripping you needed an exorcist to escape it
Neverworld Wake by Marisha Pessl. This was my first experience with a Marisha Pessl book and by the end, I was crying pretty hard. It was just a beautiful reading experience that I just could not get enough of and I didn't want to stop reading once I had started. This is one of those books that I wish I could read for the first time all over again because I loved how many different emotions I went through while reading and not many books have been able to do that to me.
I love this film so much I can't even properly explain it. I used to be able to quote the entire thing because I watched it so often. And I had a crush on Megan Fox so like, obviously I loved this film. To this day, my husband will throw out random quotes at me so we can go back and forth and if that's not a supportive partner, I don't know what is. But yes, I love this so much and even if you think it might be cheesy or trashy, that's totally fine but I'm crossing you out.
10. The Science Fiction: A precious book you would permanently sacrifice to aliens for the good of mankind
It would be so incredibly difficult to let this book go as I've just recently started to read the trilogy and love it with all of my black heart, but it does say a precious book and this book is very precious to me. As are the characters within the book. Especially my cinnamon roll, Kell Maresh.
Doing kind of an older film for a science fiction recommendation and going with Event Horizon! This film is...well, it's something. I didn't really know what to expect going into watching this and by the end, I was absolutely speechless. If you're not opposed to watching an older science fiction horror film, this is at the top of my list to recommend!
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And that's it for the Horror Film Book Tag! I had so much fun doing this and adding the challenge of finding a horror film that fit the prompt. I hope I introduced you to some new books or films or maybe sparked a memory and reminded you of an old favorite. I would love to know some of your favorite horror films that you love to watch during October so please leave some of your recommendations in the comments below! Thanks for stopping by and I'll scare ya later!
