Halloween movies

With Halloween just around the corner, why not start your weekend with a fright! Check out these DVD and Blu-Ray discs guaranteed to keep you up all night!

Okay, some of the films on our list aren’t actually frightening but they are perfect for this spooky time of year and they are all available at your public library. DVD and Blu-Ray rentals are $1 each and can be renewed up to two times without additional charges.

Crimson Peak directed by Guillermo del Toro

Crimson Peak is a truly terrifying ghost story for a modern audience. After a shocking tragedy, young Edith falls under the spell of Sir Thomas Sharpe, a charming business man who eventually convinces Edith to marry him and move back to his crumbling family mansion. But they aren’t the only two in Sharpe’s home. In order to survive, Edith must unravel the mysterious history of the Sharpe family through her encounters with blood-soaked apparitions. This American gothic romance film comes from the imaginative and slightly disturbing mind of Guillermo del Toro. Known for films such as Pan’s Labyrinth and Hellboy, del Toro is a master of the dark fantasy genre.

New DVD & New Blu-Ray Disc

Hotel Transylvania 2 directed by Genndy Tartakovsky

This is a frightfully fun animated comedy for the entire family! Everything seems to be going well at Hotel Transylvania and Dracula has become a doting grand-dad to his daughter Mavis’s half-human, half-vampire son, Dennis. Now that Dennis is a toddler and showing no signs of being a vampire, the only thing the Count can focus on is whether his redheaded grandson will become a creature of the night or move to the suburbs with his dad. With the help of some hairy and slimy monster friends, Dracula hopes his monster-in-training boot camp will make a true vampire out of Dennis.

New DVD & New Blu-Ray Disc

TrollHunter (foreign) directed by John M. Jacobsen

A trio of college students, armed with a video camera and a sense of adventure, try to discover the truth after a series of mysterious bear killings in the forests and mountains of Norway. The government insists there is nothing to worry about but a cantankerous old poacher proves to the students that they have been lied to all of their lives. They soon find exactly what they are searching for – trolls, just like the ones from their fairy tales. TrollHunter is an action-packed fantasy feast, subtitled in English.

DVD

It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown by Lee Mendelson

It seems that every Halloween Night, the Great Pumpkin flies through the sky in search of the greatest pumpkin patch around. When he finds it, the lucky kids who are waiting there for him are showered in presents and candy! Linus is a big believer but all of his friends think he is simply crazy! However, Charlie Brown's little sister Sally agrees to give up trick-or-treating to spend the evening sitting in a pumpkin patch waiting for The Great Pumpkin to arrive. This animated film is a family classic, perfect for children and adults alike.

JUV DVD PEA

Warm Bodies directed by Jonathan Levine

Halloween wouldn’t be complete without zombie movies! But how about a romantic zombie movie that feels a little bit like Romeo and Juliet? Set in the post-apocalyptic near-future, Warm Bodies is a gory yet clever film about the transformative power of love.

DVD

--Dominic M. Davis, Administrative Assistant

Scary books for grown-ups

‘Tis October, the month of all things that go bump in the night -- vampires, werewolves, witches, ghosts, shapeshifters, and the supernatural. Why not cozy up to one or more of these made-for-you adult fiction sure-to -be scary books while you sip on a cup of hot cider and nibble a couple cookies?

How about starting the week off with a dark fantasy of destiny, death, and the supernatural that will be sure to feel like a rollercoaster ride thru a haunted house? Then why not check out, literally, Wake of Vultures, by Lila Bowen. You won’t be disappointed. Nettie is haunted by the spirits, out on a quest with real monsters breathing down her neck.

Another book that will have you glued to your seat, The Cure, by J.G. Faherty, is by far one story that shouldn’t be read close to bedtime. You may find yourself up at 3:00 am, wondering whether you should go to sleep or drink lots of caffeinated beverages to keep you going all day. The lead character has the power to cure with just a touch, resurrect someone from the dead, and then go on a journey of retribution that will surely give you chills. Be sure to wear something warm.

The Suicide Motor Club by Christopher Buehlman  isn’t what you would guess it might be. Love an adrenaline rush, lots of suspense, surprising and scary all rolled into one great book? “Be grateful his brake lights never flashed. Be grateful his car was already full” and “the dead travel fast” are the takeaway messages of this chillinf novel. Come on and check it out before someone else beats you to it.

If you enjoy werewolves, shapeshifter types, trolls and the like, then Fire Touched, by Patricia Briggs would be a great book to read during this month of scary activities. Full of supernatural heroines, Mercy is one of the best. She will make you spellbound. This is an urban fantasy you won’t want to miss.

Last, but not least, on my list of scary, thrilling, and creepy stories is the one by Ezekiel Boone, entitled, The Hatching. This story is super scary, will make your skin crawl and is also addictively fun. The world is on the brink of an apocalyptic disaster as an ancient species, long dormant, is now very much awake. I think you might want to close the blinds, lock the doors, and keep all the lights on when you read this book, but then that’s just me. If you hear any noises in the basement, don’t go down there to check it out.

--Nicki Malave. Network Coordinator

New Nonfiction

The Edge of the Empire: A Journey to Britannia: From the Heart of Rome to Hadrian's Wall by Bronwen Riley.

Imagine yourself as a Roman traveler in the second century taking a journey to the remote northwestern outpost of Britannia. How do you get there? What do you see? What awaits you in Londonium and beyond? By taking a narrative approach at the journey from Rome to Hadrian’s Wall through the eyes of an ancient traveler, the author also explores the meanings and context of Britannia’s place in the Empire. New adult non-fiction 936.2 RI

Under the Big Black Sun: A Personal History of L.A. Punk by John Doe, Tom DeSavia, and other contributors.

There are plenty of books chronicling the early punk scenes in New York and London, but less so on Los Angeles. John Nommensen Duchac  (AKA John Doe) is a founding member of the band X. Began in 1977, X were influential as a first wave American punk band, punctuated by a rockabilly guitar edge. Doe, along with music industry man DeSavia put together the book with contributions from a number of L.A. punk contemporaries, including fellow X member Exene Cervenka, Henry Rollins of Black Flag, Jane Wiedlin and Charlotte Caffey from the Go-Go's, and Mike Watt from The Minutemen.

New adult non-fiction 781.66 UN

Textbook Amy Krouse Rosenthal by Amy Krouse Rosenthal.

From the author of the bestselling Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life, “Textbook” is written in an unconventional format with subject heading like Social Studies, Music, Language Arts, and Math. The author relates to those subject headings with stories and scenarios, and often humorous observations on those topics. Furthermore, the author is inviting her readers to interact with one another at https://www.textbookamykr.com/.

New adult non-fiction 818.607 RO

A Square Meal: A Culinary History of the Great Depression by Jane Ziegelman.

Prior to the great depression the attitude toward food in the Unites States was generally one of abundance. That all changed as the Great Depression wore on for a decade. Paradoxically, production was increasing, but many Americans were experiencing hunger. Attitudes towards assistance changed, but so did the distribution methods, and the food itself. New packaging and processing methods meant less waste. Meals became cheaper, quicker to prepare, and more utilitarian. A look at how the 1930s set us on a dietary path, and what it means for us today. New adult non-fiction 641.5973 ZI

--Bruce MacDonald