One of our first dates was to watch It (2017). I’d already seen and read The Shining (and love them both equally for their differences!), but when she lent me It (which I didn’t finish for another 2 years), I became a Stephen King fan.

Both of them helped me get back into reading and now, I’m trying to catch up with everything.

So, from comics to classics, here are 13 not-so-unlucky things I read this spooky season!

The comics

Archie Horror

1. Jughead: The Hunger - Run Like The Wolf (vol 1, issues 1-3+one-shot) by Frank Tieri

2. Jughead: The Hunger - Welcome Home, Jughead Jones (vol 2, issues 4-8) by Frank Tieri

3. Jughead: The Hunger - FrankenMoose Meets WolfJug (vol 3, issues 9-13) by Frank Tieri

4. Vampironica: First Blood (vol 1, issues 1-5) by Greg and Megan Smallwood

5. Jughead: The Hunger vs Vampironica (issues 1-5) by Frank Tieri

I hope you don’t mind but I’m going to talk about these all together.

As you might know, if you follow me on Twitter or read my article on here about dumbass heroes, I’m a big Riverdale fan and as a result, I’ve been trying to get into Archie comics.

There are so many interpretations and so many issues of any comic series, whether it’s Archie or Marvel or DC, and can it be overwhelming to the point where you think, “There’s too much, where do I start? Why should I bother?”

Well, you won’t have that problem with Archie Horror. This twisted spin-off of the all-American comics throws its iconic teenage characters into parallel worlds where vampires, werewolves and witches exist.

I love the idea of putting characters we know into what-if scenarios (like Marvel’s What If and DC’s Elseworlds imprints). You don’t have to spend time establishing anyone and you’re already invested in them but it doesn’t matter what you do with them or if they die because it doesn’t affect the canon and it’s just fun to play around with.

Now, in this case, making the eternally hungry Jughead a werewolf and the ever-vicious Veronica a vampire makes total sense to me. Like, it’s an inspired idea and I think they might be some of the best comics I’ve ever read. And I’m not just saying that because writer Frank Tieri followed me on Twitter (before I even knew he was on Twitter!)

Both Jughead: The Hunger and Vampironica are not only properly gruesome thanks to the incredible illustrations, but have compelling and thrilling storylines full of dark wit.

They’re also self-aware of others in their genres, poking fun at the likes of Teen Wolf and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. But as well as revelling in the cliches, stereotypes and tropes of the horror genre, both runs include fun twists and additions to the mythology.

And then they crossover! You see, every title in the Archie Horror imprint is/was independent from each other. So, vampires don’t exist in The Hunger and werewolves don’t exist in Vampironica but there’s a reason for it (and now, I’m just giving you the synopsis which you can Google yourselves) and in the versus event, it becomes like Marvel and DC by introducing a multiverse. The sort of madness that can only happen in comics and it’s so satisfying if you’ve read both runs.

But you don’t have to read any other Archie or Archie Horror title before getting your grubby mitts on these! In fact, I don’t think you need to be a Riverdale or even aware of Archie Comics to enjoy them. I think they’re accessible for anyone who likes horror or horror-comedy for that matter. And there’s not many of them so you can catch up easily! Just maybe don’t do what I did and buy them all at once - I spent nearly £50 to complete The Hunger and Vampironica!

6. Blossoms 666 (issue 1) by Cullen Bunn

7. Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (vol 1) by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa

So, within The Hunger and Vampironica volumes were previews of other Archie Horror titles that I’m yet to buy. They were only short issues so I don’t have much to say except Blossoms 666 fits into the playful tone of The Hunger and Vampironica and I hope if there’s another crossover event, the satan worshipping twins Cheryl and Jason are added to the multiverse.

On the other hand, Sabrina is in a world of her own. The first issue of Chilling Adventures is vastly different from the others and the series it inspired. There’s some self-awareness but it takes itself more seriously than the others I’ve talked about. And the almost gothic art style makes it just terrifying to look at.

Finally, I want to give a shout out to the OG Archie Horror title that introduced me to the imprint in the first place - Afterlife with Archie, where the town with pep is a zombie apocalypse. I’ve only read the first volume last year but it’s as scary as Sabrina and self-aware as the rest. It really defined what the imprint would become and might even bring a tear to your eye in some parts!

P.S. Here’s me and my girlfriend dressed up as Varchie (Archie and Veronica) for Halloween last year before I even read Vampironica!

The classics

8. Dracula by Bram Stoker

Back in August I was in Whitby and visited the Abbey and church graveyard where part of this novel is set. It was so foggy you could barely see and it’s exactly the atmosphere I imagined Stoker had in mind writing Dracula.

Obviously, I know the story, it’s embedded in our culture and having seen the BBC series earlier this year, I was able to follow the plot readily which I usually struggle to do with older books because of the language and phrasing but for 123 years old, Stoker’s Dracula is remarkably modern and probably why it continues to be relevant.

Being so familiar I didn’t expect to be so gripped but there’s stuff in the novel that I’ve not seen before and I found myself just as curious as the characters.

The epistolary format breaks it up nicely and gives you so many perspectives of the titular monster. And like any effective monster, (Jaws the shark, Michael Myers, the Alien from Alien) Dracula works best when he’s on the periphery, a threatening presence that doesn’t overshadow the characters we come to care for through their diaries. Too much and he’s not scary as he is today simply by oversaturation.

I’m glad to be able to tick off this classic. Often I find myself disappointed or underwhelmed because the story is so commonplace, but good ol’ Bram surprised me and I can see how this blew people’s minds in the late 19th century and revolutionised genre fiction...

Women

As part of my goal to read some horror classics, I made an effort to include those written by women. The OG Frankenstein was going to be on this list but I ran out of time! Maybe next year?

9. Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

Okay, not exactly horror but the themes of mental health, growing up, death and legacy are scary enough to be included.

Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë’s only finished and deeply polarising novel, is the Godmother of gothic fiction.

I didn’t read it at school like a lot of people so my first encounter with the material was a stage adaptation earlier this year at the Royal Exchange. It was one of the last things I saw in a theatre (there were 3-weeks in a row just before lockdown where I went to 3 different shows at 3 different venues) and I fell in love with the story and the characters.

It’s all about generational trauma, families haunted by their past and whether their children will follow in their footsteps or join together and end the bitter feuds. There’s a happy ending to the harrowing tale, but no-one warned me it was incest! That’s the most unsettling part! But I can see how it inspired last month’s reading, Twilight - Heathcliff and Cathy are even described as vampires! Another horror connection for you.

Now, I’m not going to lie, listening to this gave me a headache, especially keeping on top of who was who. All the characters rotate the same three surnames and who’s telling the story changes without warning. One person will be retelling someone else’s retelling and it goes several levels deep before you’ve forgotten whose perspective it’s all supposed to be coming from.

Personally, I see Nelly the housekeeper as the main narrator. She happens to be present for everything important and she’s a snitch! Honestly, if she didn’t grass on everyone no one would be the wiser...but also nothing would happen.

All the characters are fucked and flawed in some way and I think killing off the leading lady and making Heatchcliff, “dark-skinned” possibly of Indian descent, a sympathetic villain but also the protagonist is probably why this novel was so controversial at the time. But really it was way ahead of its time. I mean, a non-white main character? Non-chronological storytelling?

But even so, the verbose language is very much 1847. So, if you’re like me and you struggle, I’d recommend the audiobook. Voices you recognise make classics easier to digest and when I saw Sex Education’s Aimee Lou Wood was doing Wuthering Heights, it convinced me to finally pay for Audible. But it was worth it because she does a terrific job creating distinctive voices for all the characters.

Some of my thoughts as I read Dracula.

10. Carmilla by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

...But did you know there was a vampire book before Dracula? Dracula is considered the masterwork of vampire fiction, but Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu’s Carmilla predates it by 26 years! Not only that, but Carmilla herself is the prototype for the lesbian vampire. But her sexuality is never explicitly acknowledged as an antagonistic trait as it would become in later works. She expresses romantic and sexual desires towards the protagonist, Laura, which are reciprocated! You could argue Carmilla seduces Laura with her vampiric wiles, but when she is inevitably destroyed in the end, Laura seems sad about it and never gets over the trauma of watching her die.

That’s just my interpretation anyway! As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, I’m always seeking out representation, whether it’s intentional or not. And even before “reading” Carmilla, I’ve had respect for it because of that and it’s a major influence on my own lesbian vampire novel.

Oh, by the way, I’m air-quoting “reading” because technically, I listened to the Audible version of this. Like I said, I struggle to read older books and when I saw David Tennant was part of the voice cast for this dramatisation, you’re damn right I used my free trial credit for it!

As Carmilla is a novella that was originally published as part of a serial, it’s only 2 and a half hours long so perfect for...I was going to say journey, but you should be staying at home! (Unless you’re going to work, which is where I listened to this) But even there you’re not safe and Carmilla taps into that paranoid fear.

It’s a simple story with an epistolary first-person perspective like Dracula that puts you in the shoes of the vampire’s victim and I’d recommend it to any horror reader just so they can be that annoying person who says they’ve read the book that came before Dracula.

11. The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

This is another definitive piece of gothic fiction which is nothing like its adaptation.

I only just caught up with the Netflix series, I’m late to the party I know, but the only thing it has in common with this book really are the names of the characters and how they’re running away from their pasts.

This is the prototypical ghost story. A group of young people are invited to the titular Hill House by a paranormal investigator to find out if it’s haunted and you’re left wondering if what they experienced was just in their minds.

My favourite horror stories are psychological, delving into the psyches of its characters and connecting them to and maybe even explaining the supernatural events around them. And even though this book is iconic for many reasons, I didn’t expect Shirley Jackson to go so emotionally deep and make me care about this Eleanor in 200-odd pages as much as I did for Nell in 10 hours of TV.

There aren't necessarily any big scares in Hill House, the majority of the novel is just the characters talking and actually joking about their situation. But I’m a sucker for dialogue and getting to know characters and I found these wealthy 1950s Americans relatable and so when creepy things occurred, I was there with them.

My only complaint is that there isn’t more and clearly, Mike Flanagan felt the same and even though his show takes this premise and runs with it, he obviously has respect for this.

Stephen King

Finally, it wouldn’t be spooky season without the Master of Horror, my favourite author, Stephen King! Unsurprisingly, The Haunting of Hill House is one of his favourite books and how he breaks up his chapters is taken from Shirley Jackson.

This time last year I read the epic It. And earlier this year, I read his take on vampires in Salem’s Lot and The Institute.

12. Misery by Stephen King

This Halloween, I went for the relatable/cathartic Misery. Another self-insert story about a writer who is trapped with a monster. But unlike The Shining’s Jack Torrance, isolation does Paul Sheldon good and I’m with him. I too have written more than usual during this pandemic and if it’s not too big-headed to say, some of my best stuff!

Misery poses, quite obviously, that it’s easier to write with no distractions. But also suggests that the best artists suffer for their art.

I’m on the fence about that one. I think suffering can give you great ideas but I can only write when I feel good. Like, I can’t write when I’m miserable but I can write about when I was and it’s healing. But when Paul Sheldon is asked to write about his experiences as Annie Wilkes’ hostage, forced to continue a series he’s sick of writing that resurrects her favourite character, he refuses because he doesn’t want to relive it...even though it taught him how to be a better writer. And maybe Paul will change his mind over time because King himself has written about his darker times. Whereas The Shining I mentioned above was written when he was an alcoholic and has a pessimistic ending where Jack dies a villain, the sequel Doctor Sleep (adapted by The Haunting of Hill House’s Mike Flanagan no less!) sees his son Danny redeem the sins of his father and beat his addiction.

I’m getting off track but Misery might beat The Shining and Doctor Sleep in my rankings of King’s books. I know that might be obvious to some and I’m probably biased because I relate to the (white male) protagonist - the scene where he’s forced to burn the only copy of his new book which he’s spent 2 years writing made me squirm more than any of the leg mutilation - but, and I know I’ve said this already too, it’s truly gripping.

For a book that’s set primarily in one room and mostly the thoughts of a bed-bound writer, that only helps to put you in his broken feet and drug-induced mindset. You feel just as nervous and scared of Annie as Paul and like Umbridge in Harry Potter, she’s more menacing than any other King monster simply because she’s human. This is the first King book I’ve read without any supernatural or sci-fi elements but the horror is very real when it’s coming from an unpredictable, wild force like nurse turned baby-killer Annie.

Also, the movie adaptation, which takes you out of the room and adds some stuff, actually nails it on the head and Kathy Bates’ Oscar-winning performance is astounding and Annie brought to life.

13. Cycle of the Werewolf by Stephen King

Last but not least, I went full circle and read the illustrated version of Cycle of the Werewolf which is basically a graphic novel. And boy is it graphic. Bernie Wrightson’s images really flesh out King’s descriptions.

The story is broken up into months of the year and at first, you might think they’re just unconnected mini tales set in the same village but then (don’t worry I won’t spoil it), you see how they all come together. There’s a whodunit angle and that felt unique.

It’s not very long but I think you’ll tear through it to see how the werewolf tears through people.