The Psychological Horror Genre

As it is almost Halloween, and many of the romance book lovers also love horror movies and/or slasher movies, I thought I’d talk about my love of the horror genre.

I’m picky when it comes to my horror, be it reading or watching. My go-to is psychological horror. Get Out, Psycho, The VVitch, Lighthouse, Midsommer, and even The Shining and Saw (the first one. Only the first one).

Slashers and torture porn (things like Saw II and Terrifier) are not my thing, however I love the original Scream. Just the first one, because the first one is very much “who is the killer? It’s him! No, wait it’s him! No wait—!” and then you’re mind blown by what you just saw. The only actual slasher movie that doesn’t have another genre really going for it is the original Nightmare on Elm Street, but I think the reason that I love that one so much is Robert Englund. He is the only Freddy that can wear the mask in my eyes.

As a teenager, and probably a pre-teen, I loved the movie Hitcher, and even today, I will rewatch my favorite episodes of The Twilight Zone over and over again. I believe this is where my love of psychological horror comes from.

Reading Recommendations

This will be a list of Halloween/autumn/monster/spooky season vibes of some kind that I have loved!

♠ Havenwood by Katherine Belle (autumn/Halloween)

♠ Ours for Halloween by Violet Taylor (demon/monster/Halloween)

♠ Snapdragons by January Rayne (tentacles/monster)

♠ The Nightmare’s Kiss by Skyla Gray (shadow monster)

♠ Honeysuckles by January Rayne (possessive/protective monster)

♠ Hayseed by Vera Valentine (monster/Halloween)

♠ Stitches by Violet Taylor (monster/Halloween)

♠ Crow / Grim / Jack / Jack 2 by Layla Fae (all separate novellas/very short/monster/Halloween)

♠ Scream for the Scarecrow by Violet Taylor (monster/Halloween)

♠ Slewfoot by Brom (autumn/spooky/demon/not a romance but highly recommended)

My Current Read

Breathing Underwater by Alex Flinn. I explained a bit about this book in my last blog post, and I’ll just continue from that point.

I like the book, and I can see why I didn’t give it a 5/5 when I first read it—I only gave it a 4. After reading it again, over a decade later, my life and my surroundings are entirely different than what they were when I first read this book. But would I give it a 5/5? As of right now, no. Still 4. However, I am only halfway through the book, and I believe the ending may change my mind on that and bump it up. We’ll see.

Recent Finds Unrelated to Reading

If you’re interested in fitness—and I’m not talking the people that are going to spew you BS—then I have a few people that will definitely interest you. I’ve actually been following two of these individuals for over a decade and one I found earlier this year.

♠ Dr. Mike from Renaissance Periodization. He’s on YouTube, and he also spends time with various podcasts here and there. He has a PhD in exercise science and frequently debunks all of the fitness myths out there with real science. He will give you real information on how to get what you want out of fitness, 100%. He’s also got hilarious videos where he covers other people’s workout routines and comments on things like 90s fitness trends and Kim Kardashian fitness. He also breaks down sets, reps, and eating in order to get the body you want with no BS products to sell you. The only product he will try to sell you is his own: The Renaissance Periodization app, which is a great way to keep track of routines and it will adjust your training itself as you adjust and improve.

♠ James Linker from Shredded Sports Science. He is also on YouTube and has a degree in exercise science as well. He has a variety of different types of videos, covering everything from laughable fitness routines from Instagram and videos covering the science of how to get what you want out of fitness. He breaks down how muscles work and what routines to cover if you’re looking to build certain parts of your body. He also does not sell BS products at all, and he has never been sponsored by any product, including anything that isn’t fitness related.

♠ Alan Roberts, also on YouTube. He specializes in treating morbid obesity, and he will make you want to be a better human being. I’m not talking about doing things like donating or volunteering; I’m talking about being a better person to your body and being the best version of yourself you can be physically and mentally. He currently does a lot of live videos, where he goes live two or three times per day on weekdays, but he also has a lot of older videos that are absolutely hilarious, as he comments on ridiculous fitness routines. He won’t try to sell you any product outside of his own, where he sells supplements to help those who deal with obesity or binge eating problems.

Recent TV Shows & Movies

As a lover of unsolved mysteries, I noticed that the Netflix show Unsolved Mysteries released a new season recently, but I haven’t watched any of it yet. I need to though, because it’s got a good paranormal one I want to see, and the previous season has a mothman episode that I haven’t seen yet.