BASIC Studios

The Ink-Stained Archivist welcomes you to the Library of the Lost—where, for each lost soul, a story might be found. 

 

Oh my, but you’re no stranger, are you? We’ve met before on a night not unlike this one: the world awash in howling wind and swirling mist. Of course, I recognize my old friend, my favorite fanatic of the forbidden and fascinating. For those of you unfamiliar with her riveting repertoire, please allow me the great honor of introducing our resident Monster Mama. 

 

Greetings, Guardian of Wisdom. My many thanks for the invitation to your beloved library. The books and scrolls within these walls are teeming with a heady mix of magic and knowledge; a studious scribe such as yourself has truly cultivated an incredible bounty. Once more, I am much obliged!

 

It is my pleasure! Please do make yourself at home in these hallowed halls. 

 

But where are my manners? Dearest mother of the macabre, mistress of the monstrous, would you care for a seasonal refreshment? My feline friends and I have prepared for you a smorgasbord of autumnal delicacies: delicious caramel apples, bone-warming mulled cider, a hearty root vegetable soup, freshly baked cornbread, roasted pumpkin seeds, and every pie you might imagine! 

 

Oh, your lovely little familiars are so thoughtful, as are you, most assiduous wordsmith! I pray that my own offerings will be a welcome addition to this hearty feast: a few candlesticks, enchanted to never burn low; these quills, crafted from my precious ravens; this bottle of ink, harvested from the bog squid, which we might use to write our lists; and a few treats for your precious kitties. 

 

What wondrous contributions to our seasonal celebration, indeed! We’re surely ushering in the harvest months in style.  

 

Before I forget, wanderer, do shift your attention to this conveniently located “hiring” notice. If you or another creative spirit in your inner circle are interested in joining our ranks as a Writer, Artist, Video Editor, or Web Manager, please peruse our LinkedIn page or scan that new-fangled and mind-boggling QR code shown below. But do forgive me! I have so abruptly interrupted you, dearest Monster Mama.

Where were we? 

 

How right you are to remind the masses about that wonderful professional opportunity. Now then! I believe we were preparing to discuss the upcoming autumn. Dearest friend, do tell, where shall we begin our tale-telling? Oh…hello there, little monsters! Are you ready for us to begin?

 

As you might’ve gathered, we’re both great lovers of the eclectic and ethereal. Our imaginations bloom as the year wanes. Autumn truly is our golden age, isn’t it, Monster Mama? 

That it certainly is! The harvest season is riddled with mystery and hauntings that enthrall even the most cautious soul.

 

And so, the Monster Mama and I thought, “Well, what better way to celebrate it than to curate for our beloved readers a series of posts centered on the witchy and whimsical?” 

 

But more on that later. For now, please enjoy this Spooky Season starter kit. Recommendations for seasonally appropriate films, music, books, TV shows, and more await you, dear wanderer! 

 

Music, my little monsters, is its very own language, one that goes beyond the words of modern-day tongues. Sometimes songs use lyrics to express a feeling, while others use melodic notes to relay their intentions. The same constant is this: messages can be conveyed through a series of beats and emotions. Here are a few spooky suggestions that might help set the mood for an unnerving autumnal season. We hope you enjoy them as much as we do!    

 

Spooky & Autumnal Playlist Recommendations 
🔮Season of the Witch – Lana Del Rey

🔮Seven Devils – Florence + The Machine

🔮Panic Room – Au/Ra

🔮Vampire – Olivia Rodrigo

🔮I’m In Love with a Monster – Fifth Harmony

🔮Disturbia – Rihanna

🔮Witches – Alice Phoebe Lou

🔮Sally’s Song – Amy Lee

🔮Toxic – Britney Spears

🔮Abracadabra – Lady Gaga

🔮Superstition – Stevie Wonder

🔮Do You Believe in Magic – Aly & AJ (cover)

🔮Heathens – Twenty One Pilots

🔮Werewolves of London – Warren Zevon

🔮Ghostbusters – Ray Parker Jr.

🔮all the good girls go to hell – Billie Eilish

🔮Black Magic – Magic Wands

🔮BITE – Troye Sivan

🔮This Is the Hunt – Ruelle

🔮Me and the Devil – Soap&Skin

🔮Thriller – Michael Jackson

🔮Calling All the Monsters – China Anne McClain

🔮Heads Will Roll – Yeah Yeah Yeahs

🔮Black Magic – Jaymes Young  

🔮Somebody’s Watching Me – Rockwell

🔮Witch Image – Ghost

🔮Zombie – The Cranberries

🔮Killer Queen – Queen

🔮Decode – Paramore

🔮Love Potion No. 9 – The Clovers

🔮Rhiannon – Fleetwood Mac

🔮October Skies – Mumford & Sons

🔮Meet Me in the Woods – Lord Huron

🔮In a Week – Hozier

🔮Autumn Town Leaves – Iron & Wine

🔮Doomsday – Lizzy McAlpine

🔮October Passed Me By – girl in red

🔮Elizabeth – Ghost

🔮I Put a Spell on You – Creedence Clearwater Revival

🔮Devil in Disguise – Marino

🔮Ghost Riders in the Sky – Johnny Cash

🔮Hunter’s Moon – Ghost

🔮Teeth – 5 Seconds of Summer

🔮This Is Halloween – Danny Elfman (The Nightmare Before Christmas)

As the Archivist of this storied library, I find that I’m quite fond of the written word. The classics listed here, in particular, haunt the minds and hearts of those who have pored over their pages, and for that reason I offer them to you, darling wanderer. The more contemporary tomes I’ve suggested should not be overlooked, as they, too, hold their own on any bookshelf. Do consider adding a few of these to your autumnal reading list… if you dare. 

Chilling Reads, Both Classic and Contemporary 

🍁Dracula by Bram Stoker

🍁Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

🍁The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

🍁These Fleeting Shadows by Kate Alice Marshall 

🍁The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving

🍁The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury

🍁Our Hideous Progeny by C.E. McGill 

🍁”The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe

🍁The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris

🍁The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins

🍁What We Harvest by Ann Fraistat

🍁Carmilla by J. Sheridan Le Fanu

🍁The Initial Insult by Mindy McGinnis 

🍁The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

🍁Gallant by V.E. Schwab

🍁The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux

🍁The Other Side of Mrs. Wood by Lucy Barker

🍁Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice

🍁The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson

 

I’ll admit that I don’t much enjoy traditional televised programming—I’m the Archivist, after all. My glory resides in books, art, and the motley curiosities of the world. Still, even I partake in the occasional supernatural spectacle. Here are a few of our favorites, gathered for your festive viewing pleasure.

Terrifyingly Fun Television Series

🪄Sabrina the Teenage Witch

🪄Witches of East End

🪄Buffy the Vampire Slayer

🪄Charmed

🪄A Discovery of Witches

🪄American Horror Story

🪄The Vampire Diaries 

🪄Bewitched

🪄My Babysitter’s a Vampire 

🪄Wednesday

🪄Chilling Adventures of Sabrina

🪄True Blood

🪄Supernatural

🪄Being Human (BBC version)

🪄Tales From the Crypt

🪄Castlevania

🪄Scream Queens 

🪄Beetlejuice (cartoon) 

 

While our lovely Archivist harbors an undying love for all the written word offers, most of my little monsters are aware of my own adoration for visual media.  After my five-part “Monsters in Media” series, it should come as no surprise that your Monster Mama is a lover of film. Below are some seasonal favorites to spice up your autumn!  

Spooky & Whimsical Films

🎃Scream (1996)

🎃Sleepy Hollow (1999)

🎃Jeepers Creepers (2001)

🎃Sinners (2025)

🎃Night of the Living Dead (1968) 

🎃Friday the 13th (1980)

🎃A Quiet Place (2018)

🎃The Conjuring (2013)

🎃Poltergeist (1982)

🎃Signs (2002)

🎃The Craft (1996)

🎃A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

🎃Halloween (1978)

🎃Halloween (2018)

🎃Practical Magic (1998)

🎃The Witches of Eastwick (1987) 

🎃Ghostbusters (1984) 

🎃Beetlejuice (1988)

🎃The Addams Family (1991)

🎃Addams Family Values (1993)

🎃Hotel Transylvania (2013)

🎃Casper (1995)

🎃The Little Vampire (2000)

🎃Halloweentown (1997)

🎃The Haunted Mansion (2003)

🎃Twitches (2005)

🎃The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

🎃Hocus Pocus (1993)

🎃The Others (2001)

🎃Paranormal Activity (2007)

🎃The Ring (2002)

🎃Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust (2000)

🎃Saw (2004)

🎃Thirteen Ghosts (2001)

🎃Gothika (2003)

🎃Ghost Ship (2002)

🎃The Crow (1994)

🎃Jennifer’s Body (2009)

🎃Legion (2010)

🎃Underworld (2003)

🎃Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992)

🎃Crimson Peak (2015)

🎃Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)

🎃Coco (2017) 

🎃Corpse Bride (2005) 

🎃Phantom of the Megaplex (2000) 

🎃The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)

🎃Carrie (1976) 

🎃The Scream Team (2002) 

 

Now that the Monster Mama and I have shared our most favorite recommendations with our beloved monsters and wanderers, the time has arrived for us to reveal our autumnal schemes. Yes, you read it correctly: in honor of the season, the Monster Mama and I are embarking on a magical thirteen-part series. Fittingly titled, “Season of the Witch,” after the famous tune, this series will dissect and discuss various witches from across pop culture. If you’re as obsessed with Practical Magic, Charmed, The Craft, Halloweentown, Bewitched, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and other such mystical marvels as we are, you’ll want to keep a keen eye on the Myths and Mischief social media pages. 

 

Which reminds me, my little monsters: please like and follow if you want to keep up with this series! We are so excited to hear from you all—and if you have other recommendations, don’t hesitate to let us know below!