Pumpkin spice lattes. Scarecrows. Jack-o’-lanterns. Fuzzy sweaters. These are all well known autumn staples. Another staple, arguably the most festive, are movies and TV shows. One of FHHS’  librarians, Mr. Hetko states “A lot of people like things that are kind of cozy, y’know or comforting in some way. Or are scary.” Unsure about what to watch this spooky season? Check out some of these movies and series recommendations that are cozy, scary and everything in between. 

Comforting Movies

A Nightmare Before Christmas

Cinema Studies teacher, and The Beacon’s go-to person for film inspiration, Ms. Morrison, shares her personal favorites. “A Nightmare Before Christmas is one that my ten year old daughter requests a lot … even though we know it, there’s something, like, very comforting about that movie. But then the question is, is that a Christmas movie or is that a Halloween movie?” 

Continuing with the theme of comfort and coziness, when asked about 3 necessities when curled up on the couch ready to watch her favorite fall movie or show, Morrison responded, “I would like to be cuddled up with a blanket [with] Goldfish crisps. I’m gonna go even further. They have a salt and vinegar flavor, and they’re a little dry so you need a little Seltzer, maybe.” 

She later adds, “I think alone time can be the third thing,” as she prefers silence over talking when watching a movie. 

Similarly, Mr. Hetko responded that he would like a cozy chair with comfortable cushions, slippers and warm tea – peppermint or something with cinnamon for the fall vibes.

Spooky Movies

Misery

Morrison also makes recommendations catered to those who prefer spooky movies. “In the vein of Halloween, the next movie we’re (her cinema studies class) doing is called Misery and it is considered a horror/thriller. I would highly recommend Misery, it’s a very simple story to understand and there’s a lot of scary aspects to the plot.” 

She highlights a more niche aspect of the movie. “I like movies when the monster is a person. I think that’s scarier than a monster being sort of like a Freddy Krueger . But I like the idea that the monsters could be the guy that’s next to you on the bus or the teacher.” 

The Talented Mr. Ripley

Morrison describes this movie as “a [thriller] movie from the 90s and it’s a thriller … and it’s a lot about identity.”

“There are moments of fear. Not jump scares, but anticipating suspense,” she says.

The Exorcist

If you are craving an especially horrifying movie, Morrison describes The Exorcist as “a classic horror; it’s about a girl and the devil takes over the girl. It’s a very famous film.”

She recounts a childhood memory regarding this film, as she watched this movie with her father. “And after we watched it, I’ll never forget, he said ‘I gotta go pick up your mom’ and he left me alone. And I’ll just never forget the feeling of like, the images of the exorcist are very jarring, very disturbing, and it’s a little girl and I was a little girl who just watched it and then he left. And I just remember, I have an image of sitting on the couch and being like I’m scared, like I’m really scared.”

Silence of the Lambs

Morrison states that similar to The Exorcist, The Silence of the Lambs has a lot of very disturbing images. She expresses the long-lasting impact that this movie may have. “Some of the imagery also made me ill. And it’s scary, like it’s a really scary thriller. But some of the images you can’t like blink ‘em away they say, right, like you can’t just say I didn’t see that. I saw that.”

Ms. Morrison reveals that she has only watched The Silence of the Lambs once more after she saw it in theaters and decided afterwards that she did not want to see those disturbing images again. “I saw them once. I remember them. I gotta put that to bed. Like I don’t wanna see them again.” This movie is perfect for consumers who want a horrifying movie with disturbing images for the fall season. 

TV Shows/ Series 

English teacher, Mr. Katsiaris mentions a number of media for the fall season from dystopian literature to slasher movies. He also gave a great many recommendations for the best series to watch during the fall, stating that it’s not hot during the fall and one can binge watch longer shows. 

Agatha All Along

Mr. Katsiaris recommended this Marvel miniseries as it includes an interesting take on the character, everything about witches combined and addresses witches in history. On the topic of witches, Mr. Katsiaris also brought up the idea of witches in the music industry. He declared “Taylor Swift is secretly a witch and I would join her in her witchcraft.”

Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story

Mr. Katsiaris recommended a number of true crime series. Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story is an anthology series about two brothers who were convicted for the murder of their parents. Despite the brothers having been in jail for over 30 years, this case is still spoken about and this series first came out on Netflix in September of 2024. 

Dahmer

Dahmer is another Netflix true crime series regarding homicide. It covers the life of Jeffrey Dahmer, a serial killer who murdered over a dozen teenage boys and men from 1978 to 1991 when he confessed to his crimes. 

American Horror Story

As the fall season is often correlated with spooky and horror-related media, Mr. Katsiaris recommends American Horror Story, a 12 season, binge-worthy horror series that can be found on Hulu. 

Gilmore Girls

Mr. Katsiaris recommends Gilmore Girls as it involves personal connection and addresses a single-parent household, in which the mother, Lorelai, seems to be living through her daughter. The story has well-developed characters. Mr. Katsiaris later states that a good show is a show that has good developed characters. Gilmore Girls is an example of this.

Honorable Mentions

• Criminal Minds- A 17 season drama series that revolves around a group of profilers that work in the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit
• Abbott Elementary- A 4 season sitcom revolving around a group of elementary school teachers
• Little Women- Considered a staple by many, although Mr. Katsiaris  stated that he has difficulty watching this adaptation. 

Mr. Hetko also recommended some books to read during fall for the readers.

• For a spooky read, he recommended The Weight of Blood by Tiffany D. Jackson, he states that it involves a lot of cliffhangers at the end of chapters and as an author Jackson does suspense very well
• For a cozier, nostalgic read he recommends The Golden Compass Series by Philip Pullman, which is a bit of a throwback that involves fantasy, adventure and an animal companion
• As a general recommendation, Mr. Hetko highlights that the library has book displays, this month a book from the Hakim’s Odyssey series. This is a graphic nonfiction series that tells the story of a man who left Syria for Europe due to the civil war. The art was done by a French Illustrator who gained knowledge of Hakim’s journey through multiple interviews with him and a translator. 

Try out some of these recommendations for fall media, whether you prefer spooky or cozy there is a series or movie for you.