7 SHOWS to watch this HALLOWEEN (or anytime really)

Happy Halloween, peeps!

The last two months have been quite busy with many unexpected things happening, thanks to which I didn't have the chance to work on posts as much as I wanted.

Today felt like the perfect time to squash the procrastination with a blog post.

I'm a huge fan of anything horror related, so naturally I have a huge list of recommendations whenever people ask me about horror shows, movies and books.

That being said, I'm here to present ya my most beloved TV shows in that genre, ones I still think about to this day. Some of the titles mentioned might be spookier than the others, I'd try to include recommendations with different tropes and levels of scares.

I. Strangers from Hell | a.k.a. Hell is Other People | 타인은 지옥이다 (2019/20)

The show tells the story of a young man, Yoon Jong Woo (Im Si-wan) in his 20s who moves to Seoul after landing an internship in a company. While looking for a place to stay, he stumbles upon Eden Studio, an ominous cheap dormitory and decides to stay there as he is low on money. Though not thrilled about the quality of the place and its abnormal residents, including his next-door neighbor Seo Moon Jo (Lee Dong-wook), he decides to tolerate it until he saves enough money to move out. However, mysterious occurrences start occurring in the studio, causing Jong Woo to start fearing the studio's residents.

If you're a fan of psychological thrillers, this is one is guaranteed to mess with your head. Not gonna lie, I'm still haunted by SFH to this day, the acting range of Wookie (Lee Dong-wook) is absolutely phenomenal.

This drama has it all nailed down, from the great cast to the tension & haunting cinematography

II. BBC's Dracula (2020)

The series follows Dracula from his origins in Eastern Europe to his battles with Van Helsing's descendants and beyond.

"The Count Dracula legend transforms with new tales that flesh out the vampire's gory crimes—and bring his vulnerability into the light."

- Netflix

The show was so catchy, I binged it in such record time.

I loved this adaptation of Dracula with all its little twists and turns. Yet again brilliant cast, beautiful cinematography and sweet tension that keeps you on edge.

I'm still not over Agatha Van Helsing and Dracula's relationship, the complexity of it all. The ending of the show is hands down, my favorite.

III. Dracula (2013)

After being revived by a mysterious figure through the blood of a graveyard thief, Dracula (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) arrives in London posing as Alexander Grayson, an American entrepreneur who claims to bring modern science to Victorian society. In reality, he seeks revenge on the Order of the Dragon, a power-hungry organization who ruined his life centuries earlier. Abraham Van Helsing, who has freed Dracula from the prison the Order placed him in, is also out for revenge, and the two have formed an uneasy alliance. Their plans are complicated when Dracula becomes fascinated with Mina Murray (Jessica De Gouw), a woman who seems to be a reincarnation of his dead wife.

An older show, I know, I know. But this adaptation has literally been on my mind for years, so I can't help but mention it even in 2021.

I adored JRM as Dracula and the chemistry he had with Mina (Jessica). The storyline was catchy as hell and even though the show didn't get a second season, they still managed to end it in a way that spared my poor heart.

IV. Sell Your Haunted House | 대박부동산 (2021)

Hong Ji-ah (Jang Na-ra) is a real estate broker and an exorcist. She owns Daebak Real Estate which offers the service to clean out buildings in which ghosts frequent and people have died in. She inherited the ability to exorcise from her deceased mother. Oh In-beom (Jung Yong-hwa) is a con-artist who uses ghosts to earn money. He has a tragic past where his uncle died with no exact explanation why. Hong Ji-ah and Oh In-beom team up to solve the secret behind her mother and his uncle's deaths years ago.

If you're a fan of paranormal shows or looking for one that's not too scary but still gets to you, SYHH has you covered.

This drama combines humor, ghost encounters and emotional moments so well. Ji-ah is hands down one of my most favorite heroines, a true badass. The show grabbed my interest from episode one and quickly became a comfort show for me.

V. SurrealEstate (2021)

Real estate agent Luke Roman and an elite team of specialists handle the cases that no one else can: haunted and possessed houses that literally scare would-be buyers away.

Before I jump into my thoughts on this one, a little message to Syfy: "Good job for canceling yet another great show, dudes! At this point anyone watching your shows goes into them expecting you to cancel them after one season."

I gotta admit, I was a bit sceptical when I first saw the trailer for SurrealEstate, the timing was quite strange: I had just finished Sell Your Haunted House and Syfy announces a paranomal drama about selling haunted houses, so I couldn't help but worry they're trying to remake SYHH.

Though the shows are quite similar in their premise (I'd do a comparison, but I don't want to spoil things at all), SE still managed to win me over with its talanted cast (I loved the growth and depth to each member of Luke's team) catchy storyline and heartfelt moments. I found myself being excited to watch a new episode every week and when I found out few days ago that the show got canceled, I was truly heartbroken.

Megan and Luke were so damn cute together too.

GAH!

VI. Sweet Home

After an unexpected family tragedy, Cha Hyun-soo decided to leave his home and move into an apartment. Soon after, monsters begin trying to wipe out humanity. People inside the apartment are trapped inside the building, realizing that monsters are lurking everywhere outside. Hyun-soo and other residents shield themselves inside the building in hopes of surviving as long as they could.

Sweet Home is perfect for anyone that loves horror and apocalyptic stories.

The show has a super immersive storyline, great tension, amazing monsters (I'm always dreading watching shows/movies with monsters because I fear the effects would be cringey) and great cast (different types of characters, complexity to them and their choices).

VII. Lovecraft Country

Lovecraft Country follows Atticus Freeman as he joins up with his friend Letitia and his Uncle George to embark on a road trip across 1950s Jim Crow America in search of his missing father. This begins a struggle to survive terrifying monsters that could be ripped from a Lovecraft paperback.

Lovecraft Country deals with many heavy subjects and entails important messages. I adored Letitia's character, her strength and unstoppable energy. The show has an interesting storyline, amazing cast, each episode brings something new to the table. If you love horror, this one is definitely worth the watch.

These are my top 7 go-to comfort shows in the horror genre currently. I highly recommend every single one of them if you need something good to watch this Halloween, or anytime really.

Thank you for reading and until the next time!