The Weekend Reset: Scary Movies, Scary Stories, and Scary Games

It’s Friday. Looking for something to switch up your weekend, or to give you an excuse to relax a little? That’s what the Weekend Reset is for. Each week we’ll pull together five things to get your weekend started. Could be something to read or watch, something to eat or listen to, or even something to do. Enjoy the weekend fellas.

 

WATCH: A Classic Scary Movie

This Sunday marks Halloween. And what better way to celebrate than to curl up with a warm beverage (see below!) and a classic scary movie? The Shining. The Exorcist. Scream. Halloween. The Ring.  Don’t Look Now. Friday the 13th. Evil Dead. The Descent. There’s a classic horror movie out there for everyone.

 

DRINK: Hot Mulled Cider

Fall is a time for cardigans, a time for blankets — and a time for cider. Coming inside after a walk on a crisp fall day to a warm mug of cider is deeply comforting, as is curling up with hot cider on the couch to read a good book or watch a spooky movie. The great thing about mulled cider is its wildly easy to make: all you need is a gallon of cider, some spices, and an orange, and maybe some booze if you want to make a spiked version. The Kitchn’s recipes call for a slow cooker, but you can just as easily let this simmer in a pot on the stove instead. The best part? Making mulled cider makes your home smell amazing. Photo by Chelsea shapouri on Unsplash.

 

ANALOG PLAY: Eldritch Horror

If you’re looking for a spooky board game marathon with friends, Eldritch Horror is your ticket. In Eldritch Horror, you and friends take on the role of paranormal investigators tasked with taking down Lovecraftian monsters known as Ancient Ones. This is a roleplaying-lite style game, one in which you’ll move around a map building strength, battling mini-bosses, and finding clues. One of my all-time favorites, though I’ll be the first to admit: it is INVOLVED. Games can last 4-8 hours depending on how many people are playing.  If you’re looking for a similar experience but with less of a time commitment, try Arkham Horror: The Card Game, which takes the Eldritch/Arkham system and implements it in card-based scenarios that are only around an hour or so.

 

DIGITAL PLAY: Age of Empires 4

The Age of Empires series made a name for itself in the ’90s  by taking the grand historical strategy of Civilization and marrying it with the fast-paced real-time gameplay of Starcraft, but then the series lay dormant for over fifteen years. It’s been a long time coming, but Age of Empires 4 has finally arrived, and it’s fantastic, building significantly on the style and conventions of the still-popular, twenty-year-old Age of Empires 2. If you love managing economies and research and unit production so that you can crush your enemies in sweeping, epic historical battles, this is the game for you. Out now on PC and Xbox Game Pass for PC.

 

READ: The Turn of the Screw

Henry James’ novella The Turn of the Screw is, bar none, the scariest story I’ve ever read. I revisit it every Halloween, and it never fails to scare the bejesus out of me. The tale of a nanny taking care of two mysterious, creepy children, this story was the template for both The Others and The Haunting of Bly Manor and establishes many of the gothic horror tropes we know today. Utterly terrifying and marvelously written. A Halloween tradition.

About the author: Michael Robin is an LA-based television writer and tutoring company co-Founder. When he’s not working away on his latest pilot script, you can find him scuba diving, hosting Shabbat dinners, or goofing off with his goldendoodle, Biggie Lebowski.