My Favorite Things: October

My Favorite Things” is a monthly segment where I share my personal and current favorites in seasonal products, health & beauty, food, decor, movies, TV, and more. Hope you enjoy these personal picks!

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Movies

Nightbooks

Scary story fan Alex must tell a spine-tingling tale every night, or stay trapped with his new friend in a wicked witch’s magical apartment forever.

A unique and suspenseful film that is a good watch for those that like something spooky but that’s not too scary. This movie is actually based on the horror-fantasy children’s book of the same name by J. A. White which I was not familiar with. The special effects are amazing and I like how the main character is an aspiring writer who has to use his stories to his advantage. The story really speaks to the underdog since the main character, Alex, is going through his own journey of self-discovery and learning to love what makes him unique. It’s an action-packed film with cool fantasy elements!

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Noroi: The Curse

A prominent paranormal journalist named Kobayashi goes missing shortly after completing a documentary. What begins as an investigation into strange noises soon evolves into the chilling mystery of a demonic entity named Kagutaba.

Two weeks after watching this film and I am still unsettled (which means the director did his job right). I’ve seen this film pop up on numerous must-watch J-Horror film lists and it definitely deserves the high ranking it gets. Following a documentary/found footage style theme the film is snippets of interviews, TV clips, and strange occurrences compiled by a journalist to solve a deadly curse. It’s very eerie and the film feels very quiet in a way that makes the audience feel uncomfotatable. You know something bad is about to happen but you aren’t sure when. It’s a very slow-moving horror film but worth the watch as the elements of suspense keep the viewer hooked into the movie.

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Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum

The crew of a horror web series travels to an abandoned asylum for a live broadcast. It soon encounters much more than expected as it moves deeper inside the nightmarish old building.

This was a hyped-up Korean horror film that I finally got to watch. It’s more of a found footage film as it’s filmed from the perspective of a web crew that investigates a haunted place where things quickly go wrong. It’s a bit slow-moving in the first half, but once it gets to the midway point that’s where the action kicks in. The spookiest parts of the film are in the third act and if you’ve seen the trailer for the movie you know exactly what I’m talking about. It’s eerie, entertaining, and full of many jumpscare moments.

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Descendants 1,2,3

In present-day Auradon, Ben, the benevolent teenage son of King Adam and Queen Belle, offers a chance of redemption for the troublemaking offspring of Disney’s classic villains: Cruella De Vil, Maleficent, the Evil Queen and Jafar.

Why did no one tell me these films were this good! I took a sick day from work one day as I was feeling unwell and binged watched all three Descendants movies in one go. I was shocked by how much I liked it. It was cool to watch a story from the perspective of the Disney villains and how their lives were affected after the goody guys got their happily ever after. They were fun, full of great songs (and spectacular choreography), and were thoroughly entertaining. if you enjoy a good Disney musical, add these films to your watch list.

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The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad

Two animated adaptations of classic literature make up this Disney film. In “The Wind in the Willows,” wealthy Mr. Toad yearns for all the newest fads. When he wants an automobile, Mr. Toad sets out to get one any way he can. In “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” gangly schoolmaster Ichabod Crane falls for the beautiful Katrina Van Tassel. Caught in a love triangle with Katrina and Brom Bones, Ichabod fears a local legend called the Headless Horseman.

I’ve always seen clips of Sleepy Hollow growing up, but I have never sat down to watch the whole thing. It made me miss Disney’s era of traditional hand-drawn animation, but I appreciated all of the little details. I didn’t realize that Sleepy Hollow had song elements in the film which was a surprise. The film truly captures the eerieness of the classic tale especially at the climatic parts of the story. Mr.Toad is another first watch and I found it to be too funny!

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TV

What We Do In The Shadows – Seasons 1 & 2

“What We Do in the Shadows” is a documentary-style look into the daily (or rather, nightly) lives of four vampires who’ve “lived” together for hundreds of years in Staten Island. The series follows the lives of three traditional vampires, Nandor, Laszlo, and Nadja; Colin Robinson, an energy vampire; and Guillermo, Nandor’s familiar. The series revolves around the centuries-old vampires interacting with the modern world and other supernatural beings.

I’ve finally gotten to watch this show! I understand the hype surrounding it and I agree that it is one of my favorite TV watches of 2021. I love the mockumentary style of the show which is carried over from the original movie it’s based on. The writing is so good and the comedy is golden. Each episode has made me laugh out loud numerous times and the characters are so entertaining. The fact that there is even an energy vampire is hilarious as I feel it’s relatable to something everyone has experienced at one time or another in their lives. This is a must-watch comedy!

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Cursed Films

The facts, myths and mysterious surrounding iconic films and franchises whose casts and crews have been struck by misfortune and tragedy, including “The Exorcist,” “Poltergeist,” “The Omen,” and others.

I signed up for a free trial of Shudder for Halloween season to check out some of their exclusives. One of the TV originals I watched was Cursed Films. Each episode follows the lore and legends surrounding a popular horror film and debunks them by giving a behind-the-scenes insight into what really happened these films were being made. If you the “making of” movies shows I recommend this series for those that have access to Shudder. It also makes you wonder how films get this so-called “cursed” status and the long-lasting effects it has on their audience and in the media.

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YouTube

A Black People’s History of Halloween

This is the first video I watched from Intelextual Media and I can’t wait to watch more videos. It was an informative and engaging video about how Black people have celebrated Halloween over time, supernatural folklore, and more. I learned a lot from this video!

K-DOC

I think this channel is snippets from a Korean reality show (I can’t remember the title at the moment). I always like to watch videos about views of the world from an expat’s perspective. K-Doc gives off a documentary feel to the people they interview/cover from many backgrounds and places around the globe.

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Music

The Feels by TWICE

TWICE is back doing what they do best. This pop track is their first English release and the melody is infectious (as well as the dance). It’s vibrant and a song that will have you singing along in no time! I also love the bass in the melody that gives a funky groove sound.

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Chillin’ Like A Villain’ by Descendants Cast

As I stated earlier in my post, I binged watched the whole Descendants film series and the OST is full of some amazing songs. One of my top three songs out of all the films is this track. It’s got a funky sound and makes you instantly want to dance. I’ve been singing this song all month long.

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World We Created by Giveon

I’m always looking for artists that are new to me. I believe I have heard a few of Giveon’s tracks before, but World We Created really stands out to me. I love the smooth R&B melody and his unique vocals. A great song for a chill mood or cruising in your car.

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What are some of your favorite things from October? Share your thoughts in the comment section below. 

*This post is in no way sponsored