And here we are a week into October and it already feels like the Halloween season is just going by way too fast. It’s time to really kick this thing into gear and be in the moment with as many scary movies, television specials or spooky somethings as possible until the end of the month.

This is serious business, people. We are IN IT.

For those of you who have been following, the theme of this year’s list of Friday Night Frights has consisted of Horror Movie Part 2’s (in one case, a Two). And tonight’s entry is arguably no different. I say arguably because some may find it a bit sacrilege that anyone could consider this 1985 film to be an actual follow up to the 1939 cinematic musical original The Wizard of Oz. A movie that is a timeless, child friendly and magical stone cold classic held dearly by many generations including yours truly. And it’s one that I ahem return to annually. The other arguable aspect is whether or not Return to Oz could be considered a horror movie.

Well my friends, here we are with some arguments.

Before you ask, no it did not occur to me to cheat this whole countdown thing and consider Castlevania Anniversary Collection as games #8-#1. Well, I mean I guess just typing that means it did but either way you must have seen this one coming: A compilation of 7 classic titles (as well as the never before released Kid Dracula), in both their North American and Japanese incarnations, along with a cool History of Castlevania digital "book.” All at a pretty great price and ready to be played on the big screen or in handheld mode during those private moments. Sounds pretty rad, c’mon ever since the NES original, Simon Belmont cracking that whip across the foreheads of countless mummies, bats, fishmen, ghouls and old man Drac himself has been a go to staple for players looking for a spooky fix. So this collection must be an absolutely essential, perfect way to play these legendary titles during the Halloween season right?

Essential? I’d say yes. Perfect, mmm…not quite.

This ten games to play on Switch Halloween Countdown isn’t necessarily a ranking from worst to best. But if it were, Friday the 13th: The Game would have likely taken the top spot at #1. However here we are, getting to it ASAP as a result of two types of highly sensitive time uh…sensitivities. The first is the unfortunate reality that the meat of this game relies on an online component which will be shutting down at the end of this calendar year, December 31st, 2023. But the second is the exciting (and arguably more crucial) fact that we have an actual Friday the 13th to look forward to this Halloween season!

That’s less than two weeks away!

The past few Halloweens over at the Comic Book Heroes podcast (hosted by myself and good friend Rob Van Brunt), we’ve made exceptions to our nerd rule and chosen Horror movies to yap about. Mostly because Halloween is awesome but also because October 31st just happens to be Rob’s Birthday! This month leading up to our new spooky episode, I’ll be reposting those shows beginning with this one from 2022 featuring Joel Schumacher’s 1987 blood sucking take on teenage mutant ninja vampires: The Lost Boys!

Click here to listen!

It’s a cold, overcast morning here in the bay area. The sidewalks are covered with fallen, dried up leaves and cawing sounds from crows the size of small dogs fill the air. The perfect atmosphere for, yep you guessed it: Hitting the art supply and hardware stores for those last minute Halloween craft decoration projects and throwing some pumpkin bread into the oven.

With the Fall season officially here as of last weekend, I’m calling it: Anyone reading this site is gonna be up to their sweet little candy corns in Halloween related posts. And for the next however long it takes to finish, I’ll be counting down my top ten spooky games to play on Nintendo’s hybrid console. First up is a title anyone who grew up at a time when they could still go to a mall or pizza parlor and be welcomed by that warm glow of multiple arcade cabinet screens will likely be familiar with, only now updated with a fresh coat of high definition pixel paint.

*cue the creepy organ music*

The House of the Dead Remake.

I can clearly remember my first time seeing Creepshow 2. It was back in the sixth grade and a friend of mine managed to talk the guy who worked at our tiny neighborhood video store into letting us rent it. This despite the fact that it was rated R and we were only 11 years old. We took it back to his place since his parents weren’t home (my friend, not the video store guy) and popped it into the VCR. We were clearly doing something “bad” which only heightened that viewing. It also meant that even if the movie ended up not being any good (spoiler alert, it’s pretty good) it was still going to be fun. Oh and there’s also that minor detail about it being one of my earliest memories of seeing a woman topless.

Nintendo is of course synonymous with game systems and software but any child of the 80’s will clearly remember staring at that red logo branded across just about every type of merchandise imaginable. Comic books, action figures, lunch boxes, breakfast cereal…you name it. And like any responsible adult, I’ve still got a pretty solid collection displayed and readily accessible. Today’s example is one that I clearly remember taking home from a Toys R Us at the ripe old age of eight. Back when video games remained locked inside of your imagination until you took a little slip with the receipt stapled to it back to the bullet proof glass window behind the cash register.

Rob and Ray return to throw our thoughts at the highly divisive penultimate installment in the DC cinematic universe before James Gunn hits a big ol’ reset button. And Batwinging along with these nerds is Michael Keaton once again donning the cape and cowl for the first time since before the great dial up internet days!

Click Here to Listen

I’ve got a serious soft spot for the original Pet Sematary. I can clearly remember counting down the days until the end of August when it would finally premiere on HBO back in 1989 (this also ended up being the night before I’d start the 4th grade). There was something about it that I was completely drawn to from the second it started. The simple yet beautifully atmospheric score along with the gorgeous location that it was shot in. The somber performances, not to mention the dread of the story itself. Every element added together really created an impeccable tone, making it one of those movies that I throw on every now and then simply enjoying a sense of “being there.”

I couldn’t get enough of it, I wanted more and 3 years later, was about to experience that whole “be careful what you wish for” thing.