If You Love (the Supernatural)

Ghosts and hauntings may seem like they belong firmly in fall, but there’s something about winter with its early nights and frigid air that can conjure up visions of spirits—just ask Charles Dickens. If you still want a chill up your spine as you sit by the fire, consider these offerings to get you through the long, dark months.

NOVELS

Neil Gaiman is a modern master of the macabre, and The Graveyard Book is a perfect introduction to the genre. Young Bod (short for Nobody) has spent his whole life in a graveyard being raised by the specters who inhabit it. While there’s much to discover in his ghostly home, Bod must also contend with the unexpected dangers of the living. The Graveyard Book also exists as a graphic novel series, adapted by P. Craig Russell.

Ghost-hunter Cas meets his match in the first of Kendare Blake's series, Anna Dressed in Blood. He knows it's his destiny to destroy ghosts—especially Anna, who, after her own violent murder, kills anyone who comes into her former home. So why does she suddenly spare Cas' life? 

In The Tenth Girl by Sara Faring, Mavi takes a position at an Argentinian finishing school for young ladies. But the job comes with some oddities. For one, the land the school is built on is said to be cursed, and a missing student and what appear to be demonic possessions make it hard to believe otherwise. 

If you like your horror in bite-sized pieces, then try the graphic novel Through the Woods. Author Emily Carroll twists five known fairy tales and legends into spooky stories and unsettling images sure to provide a few sleepless nights.

GAMES

Betrayal at House on the Hill is a must for paranormal fans. Players work together to explore a creaky, old mansion, building out rooms and overcoming eerie tasks along the way. It all culminates in the haunt, when one player becomes the traitor, determined to defeat their former allies. With 50 creepy scenarios (and monsters to match), the replay value is awesome.

In Mysterium, a group of mediums are asked to join a séance. It’s 1920s Scotland, and Mr. MacDowell is certain that his own Warwick Manor is haunted. One player is the ghost while the others try to figure out the circumstances surrounding their death.

MOVIES/SHOWS             

Shakespeare’s plays have been retold many times over in countless ways. Well, how about Romeo and Juliet with zombies? For that, check out Warm Bodies (based on a novel by Isaac Marion). A plague sees zombies—thoughtless and only after brains—on one side and the last humans—resolute to kill or be killed—on the other. Expect R isn’t like other zombies, and human Julie has a change of heart after R saves her from an attack. Perhaps they can fix the divide. 

Coraline (also originally a novel by Neil Gaiman) uncovers an alternate reality through a secret door. This new world seems to give her everything she craves, including attentive parents who look almost exactly like her always-busy ones back home. It all seems perfect—or is it? There’s something unnerving about these “other” parents, and it will be up to Coraline to save both worlds from them.

Now, if you’ve read this far and were hoping you could get some solid ghost content without the scares, don’t worry. Netflix’s Julie and the Phantoms will scratch that paranormal itch without feeling like you have to keep the lights on through the night. Over the course of nine episodes, teenage Julie finds her passion for music again with the help of three undead musicians. Touching and lighthearted, this show has the added benefit of an amazing soundtrack to play on repeat once you finish watching.