October 2024 Recommended Reading and Viewing

[Coír Draoi Ceítien]

Fall has officially begun, as has the witching season. In honor of that, and as an annual tradition, I present to you a work of classic horror, both in book and film, to hold you over. Sure, there are lots more out there, and you should check them out too this season, but let these recommendations serve as a starting point!


Reading: Psycho (1959) by Robert Bloch

This novel is the best-known work by veteran horror author and screenwriter Bloch, so much so that pretty much all of his other works have remained out of print for a few decades (until recently, when small press Valancourt Books has acquired the rights to reprint several significant titles). It's a comparatively short but fun title, an early dive into the psyche of a serial killer before the genre became extremely popular and filled with morbid content. Time may have softened the subversiveness of the text, but it's good to experience a cornerstone of pop culture in its original form and context.

Trade: https://www.amazon.com/Psycho-Novel-Robert-Bloch/dp/1590203356/
Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/Psycho-Novel-Robert-Bloch-ebook/dp/B07MXD9L2M/



Viewing: Psycho (Alfred Hitchcock, 1960)

The novel is a great piece of fiction, in my opinion, but what really cemented it in the popular consciousness is its film adaptation under the direction of the legendary Hitchcock, with its schizophrenic title credits from Saul Bass, film noir black-and-white cinematography from John L. Russell and all-string soundtrack from Bernard Hermann, as well as its famous cast (including Anthony Perkins in a watershed role as Norman Bates) and twists both mid-film and at the end. A landmark in cinema considered one of Hitchcock's best works, it still holds up on repeated viewing, both for its contribution to the horror genre and as a piece of sophisticated suspense.

DVD: https://www.amazon.com/Psycho-Anthony-Perkins/dp/B0087ZG7UW/
Blu-Ray: https://www.amazon.com/Psycho-Blu-ray-Anthony-Perkins/dp/B08CPLDRQH/
4K: https://www.amazon.com/Psycho-4K-Ultra-Blu-ray-Digital/dp/B08Y49Y66T/
Amazon Video: https://www.amazon.com/Psycho-Anthony-Perkins/dp/B009CGRGDC/


I hope that fills your October, at least as a start. Happy Halloween!