It was hard to “celebrate” Poe-tober this year. “Creepy and dark” has been 2020’s entire mood, so it didn’t feel like much of an escape. In-person events didn’t happen and my heart wasn’t in it. But, still, here’s what I did for this year’s Poe-tober. It’s possible I’ve missed things
Books:
- The Turn of the Screw—Henry James—3.5*
- The Masque of the Red Death—Edgar Allan Poe—4.5*
- The Turn of the Key—Ruth Ware—4*
- Rebecca—Daphne du Maurier—5*
- Mexican Gothic—Silvia Moreno-Garcia—3*
- The Yellow Wallpaper—Charlotte Perkins Gilman—5*
The two early shorts (The Turn of the Screw, The Masque of the Red Death) and re-reads were best (Rebecca, The Yellow Wallpaper). The newer novels I read were just ok.
Movies:
- Us (2019) – 4*
- The Turn of the Screw (2009 BBC Movie) – 3*
- The Trouble with Harry (1955) – 3*
- The Little Stranger (2018) – 3*
- The Haunting of Bly Manor (2020 Netflix Series) – 4*
This is the first year I haven’t done a rewatch. The Trouble with Harry is a Hitchcock film but it wasn’t scary at all. Us was ok as long as I didn’t think too hard about the plotholes. The Haunting of Bly Manor was pretty good if you don’t compare it to its predecessor (2018’s The Haunting of Hill House).
TV:
- Halloween Baking Championship
- Halloween Wars
I’m a sucker for a baking competition.
Events/Other:
- Death and Mystery at the City Hotel (Gadsby’s Tavern virtual event)
- A lot of wandering Old Town and Del Ray for decorations
- Assembled a Disney Haunted Mansion jigsaw puzzle
I missed in-person events this year, but we took advantage of some lovely weather to enjoy the over-the-top decorations around the neighborhood.
