Dear Weirdlings,
The ocean called to me this weekend. The waters seemingly dark and endless.
Around me on the beach, families lounged in the sun and san, children ran screaming with laughter as the foam tip of the water nipped at their feet.
I waded in, sucking in salty air at the sudden cold. The waves sucked, pulling me deeper as each wave drew itself out. So, I followed — up to my waist, then my neck.
The waters rolled around me, sometimes lifting me off my feet, sometimes growing like a beast, the height too tall, compelling me to plunge through or be swept into the spiral of its force.
All around the water impenetrable, impossible to know what swirled around my feet, what might lie deeper down, hidden under its dark weight.
Movies
Horror Fans Might be Better Mentally Prepped to Cope with Our New Reality (The Pitch)
Through conversations with a number of horror lovers, Abby Olcese explores the way the genre movies and books teaches us to face dark realities, helping to build emotional resilience.
TV
Ghost Stories Can Be Love Stories: The Haunting of Bly Manor (Once Weird)
The Haunting of Bly Manor, a new series on Netflix, frames itself with the campfire delight of telling ghost stories — disguising an underlying story of found family and love.
Games
Among Us Fans Are Creating Stories and Skits That Expand Its World (Polygon)
The multiplayer murder mystery game, Among Us, has achieved massive popularity in recent months, driven in part by the pandemic and the desire for human interaction. Some players are providing an added level of creativity by creating skits within the game or creating cosplays and fanfiction out of it.
New Non-Profit Wants to Help Preserve Video Games (Gamasutra)
Hit Save! is a new non-profit with the goal of preserving video games and their history — both in the U.S. and around the world.
Lore
The 9 Scariest Forests Around the World Plagued by Terrifying Legends (Matador Network)
Deep, dark forests have the power to be simultaneously alluring and and unseettling. The trees are full of mysteries, hidden things, secrets. Here are nine forests known for their terrifying legends.
Literature
13 Haunting Poems to Get You in the Mood for Halloween (Tor.com)
Poetry provides a rich atmospheric quality to the language that suites horror well. Here are a baker’s dozen of poems to give you the creeps you crave.
Six Horror Books About the Nastier Side of Suburbia (Tor Nightfire)
Suburbs are supposed to be safe places, the white picket fences signifying spaces where kids can roam and play on fields of green. However, like anywhere else, they contain their own darkness — which horror novels are bound to explore.
Short of the Week
Sitting by the campfire, a man begins to hear strange sounds coming from the woods. Is it just his dog? Or something else. Directed by Chris Cronin, “Oscar’s Bell” steadily builds to a terrifying end.
