Team Arcadia’s favourite atmospheric recs perfect for spooky season 🍂

The weather’s starting to change, and Halloween is just around the corner, so it’s time for some magical, mood-changing recommendations from team Arcadia!

TOP RECOMMENDATIONS FROM TEAM ARCADIA

Anne, Editor

I love horror-comedy; I recently rewatched Sean of the Dead (a classic!) but my pick this year is Ready or Not, which is both hilarious and very scary: the night Grace marries Adam, she’s introduced to his family’s weird rite of passage… family game night. Grace choses hide and seek and runs off to secret herself away while her new  in-laws begin arming themselves. Yep: the game is real, and Grace’s marital life – and real life – are suddenly on the line. It’s Monster-in-Law meets Heathers and fully awesome.

Ella, Publicity

My Halloween pick this year is a full rewatch of Dexter – it’s so tense and gripping, and somehow has you rooting for the bad guy. It’s also right at the top of the gore level I can handle (though I must confess I cover my eyes when the chain saw comes out..!)

Alex, Marketing

I am a massive whimp when it comes to horror so instead I lean into the atmospheric and magical vibe of autumn. October to me means the perfect time to rewatch YA classics like Twilight, as well as When Harry Met Sally (not magical but perfect for autumn – all those roll-neck jumpers!). For books, I’m a big fan of dark academia this time of year, like Babel by R. F. Kuang and The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake.

Gaby, Editor

I love autumn so can’t wait to dive into my spooky season TBR, featuring everything from T. Kingfisher’s A House with Good Bones and M.L Rio’s The Graveyard Shift to Ali Hazelwood’s Bride and Sangu Mandanna’s The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches. I also grew up watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer, so will be embracing the Halloween spirit with a rewatch of my favourite episode, ‘Once More, With Feeling’ (if you know, you know)!

TOP ARCADIA HALLOWEEN BOOK RECS

The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch, Melinda Taub

Pride & Prejudice but not quite as you know it. Lizzy and Darcy and Jane and Bingley are still roaming around, misunderstanding each other and falling in love, but they’re in the background while misunderstood, high-spirited sister Lydia takes the stage and discovers magic. Sweet, beautifully written and profoundly fun, it’ll change the way you read Austen forever. Best enjoyed with a cat, magical or otherwise, on your lap.

The Unmaking of June Farrow, Adrienne Young

The Farrow family lives under the imprecations of a strange curse – their pasts and futures can be changed. June vows not to fall in love, so she won’t pass the curse on… but then she opens the door in her mind, and all bets are off. Lyrical, thoughtful and compelling, this one deserves to be read under a fluffy blanket in a single sitting.

The Wishing Game, Meg Shaffer

It’s almost surprising to realise, once finishing The Wishing Game, that there’s no actual magic in the novel. The Wishing Game has all the hallmarks of magical realism – dusty books, a quest, a gentle romance and a lot of wish-fulfilment – just minus the magical bit. Read this surrounded by your favourite books and candles.

The Queen, Nick Cutter

October is THE season for horror, so it’d be remiss not to mention our brand new gooey horror novel from Nick Cutter! Margaret and Charity have always been best friends. They know everything about one another, or at least that’s what Margaret thought until Charity disappears… Best read alone in the dark for maximum scare factor!

Silver Nitrate, Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Silvia has a book for every kind of reader, but especially those that love Halloween. Silver Nitrate is a deliciously creepy meld of fantasy and horror, with Hollywood glamour and Nazi magicians! Think black magic, occultism and cult horror movies meet Mexico City noir. After all, magic isn’t only the stuff of movies…