Happy Summerween 🎃

Halloween tracks, Halloweentown, + summer horror recs

Hey, Spooksters! It’s June 22 and that means it’s Summerween! 

I’m familiar with the halfway point to Halloween, which is in late April close to Walpurgis. (Which, as an aside, is another time of year where the veil between worlds is supposedly very thin, just like Halloween.) However, I hadn’t heard of Summerween before my brother and Dukes of Horror Podcast co-host, Screw Loose, clued me in to it a few days ago. It’s from the show Gravity Falls, which I’ve never seen. 

Well, you know me. I’ll take any reason to let my spooky flag fly 👻

In honor of this most venerable of spooky holidays we recorded a special Summerween episode, which you can listen to below, where we create our perfect Halloween playlist and discuss the made for TV Disney classic, Halloweentown.

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Summer Horror Recs

I can’t think of a better way to celebrate than consuming summer horror, so here are a few book and movie recommendations. There is a surprising amount of summer horror out there, and it was harder than expected to curate this list. In the end I’ve chosen the titles I like the best, or, ones that I haven’t seen or read yet but am looking forward to.

So grab a bowl of candy and bottle of cider (maybe scrounge a leftover pumpkin beer from the back of the fridge 👀) and curl up with these summer horror recommendations!

Summer Horror Movies

The Cabin in the Woods: There are so many horror movies that take place in cabins. While Cabin in the Woods didn’t start this trope, it did redefine it. This was a recent rewatch for me, and it still holds up. Go in blind if you haven’t seen it before - this is one you don’t want spoiled.

The Ritual: After a terrible tragedy, four friends go hiking in the woods of Sweden, but they get more than the beautiful views and tranquility that they originally bargained for. A great piece of folk horror, and honestly one of my favorite horror movies.

Texas Chainsaw Massacre: Though I respect it as a founder of the horror genre, TCM isn’t one of my favorites. I’ve watched it twice recently for an upcoming episode of The Dukes of Horror, and likely won’t ever watch it again. However, it was one of the first titles that popped into mind when I thought of summer horror. You can practically feel the oppressive heat.

Midsommar: Horror doesn’t get more summery than Ari Aster’s Midsommar! While most horror films set their grisly happenings in the dark of night, Midsommar has every sordid detail take place in the bright light of day. Truly a masterpiece.

Summer Horror Books

The Ruins by Scott Smith: Five friends go on an ill-fated trip in the jungles of Mexico. Truly one of the best horror novels I’ve ever read. The lack of chapters gives you no relief, just like the characters.

The Troop by Nick Cutter: A group of boy scouts are camping in the Canadian wilderness when they are exposed to something terrible. I haven’t read this book yet, but it’s one I’m really looking forward to. I put it off for a while because I wasn’t sure I would be able to handle it (be sure to check trigger warnings!), but I’ve decided to give it a try because of how often it’s recommended. 

Summer Sons by Lee Mandelo: It’s right there in the title, isn’t it? This is another one I haven’t read, but I recently enjoyed The Woods All Black by the same author, and this one, dripping in swampy southern heat, sounds just perfect for a summer horror read.

So how are you planning on celebrating Summerween? Got any good summer horror recs? Let me know in the comments 🎃