The internet is swarming with gift guides from several outlets. With the holiday season in full swing, it makes sense. Gift guides are a fantastic way to get signaled toward cool, new things you otherwise might not have come across. Here, in the spirit of giving, is a curated guide of some of the coolest stuff to give this holiday season. It’s a diverse list, though odds are, there’s something on here worth checking out.
Nina Nesseth’s Nightmare Fuel is this generation’s Men, Women, and Chain Saws. An exploration of fear through a psychological and physiological lens, Nesseth explores not only how horror movies make us afraid, but the psychological impulses behind why. Any fan of the genre is guaranteed to walk away enriched, and as an added bonus, our own Mary Beth McAndrews is featured. Academic yet accessible, it’s a bookshelf staple for every horror lover out there.
Every October, cinephiles can count on Criterion to announce and release a new slate of must-own genre titles. This past October was one of their best, with the collection releasing Eve’s Bayou, Lost Highway, and perhaps most importantly, Cure. Their 4K release of Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s serial killer opus is the best Cure has ever been. Even decades after release, it remains as dreadfully haunting and painfully sad as ever. It’s an absolute must-own. Whether you’ve seen it or not, this is a movie worth owning (and treasuring) forever.
Located in Kissimmee, Florida, artist Dayris Felix has what might reasonably be the cutest ghost prints ever created. With several to choose from (for reference, I own the picnic print), these inimitable ghosties are the perfect way to add cute couture to any space. Printed on 11×8.5” matte photo paper, they look incredible, and your heart will swell a few sizes knowing you’ve supported an independent artist.
To be frank, my interest in collecting physical media is pretty recent. I never had the space (or income) to really cultivate a solid collection before, though now I make it a habit of slowly yet steadily growing my collection. It’s tough, in no small part because the production and recycling of physical media are pretty devastating to the environment. Still, it’s the best way to ensure this media lasts. With the shift toward streaming and the prevailing interest in tax write-offs, there’s no guarantee digital media will be around forever. Owning a tangible copy is the only surefire way to ensure this media remains accessible.
As a burgeoning collector myself, I was pretty thrown to find that some of my purchases weren’t actually accessible on the Blu-ray player I already own. Luckily, my PlayStation allows me to stream region-free (and 4K, whoop!), but for the new collector in your life, it’s worth ensuring they have the hardware to actually watch their favorite flicks. I’m not a member of Geek Squad, so I can’t necessarily single any one out, though the above-linked player (so I’ve heard) is a pretty good introductory model. It’ll save your loved ones from 30 minutes of painful, existential unraveling, thinking their new copy of Battle Royale won’t actually play.
This one was gifted to me earlier this year, and believe me, despite all the work I’ve put into cultivating my hodgepodge space of eclecticism and horror, this blanket is all anyone wants to talk about. It’s soft, it’s big, and it’s the perfect medley of cute and terrifying. Let the spirit of Black Phillip seduce you and live deliciously with this incredible freaking blanket.
There are plenty of titles worth owning from Arrow Films’ line of restored horror offerings. Their Deep Red 4K limited edition set is an absolute masterclass in film preservation. Their Pulse release is gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous. In fact, for Giallo and J-horror fans, no one out there is doing physical media quite like Arrow. Yet, alongside several international offerings, they’re in the game of preserving and restoring classic slashers, and few if any have done it better. Among the most important is their release of Larry Stewart’s The Initiation. One of the best, most surreal slashers of the time, it’s a crowning achievement of what slashers could be. With Arrow’s release, it’s never looked or sounded better.
I think The Quarry stands to fundamentally change the way audiences perceive interactive narrative experiences. Truthfully, the game is a remarkable achievement in both accessibility and player-governed narratology. Melding cinematic experiences with the consequential ripples of player choice, The Quarry is unlike any other game that’s come before it. Supermassive Games achieved something profound here. While it won’t work nearly as well as single-player experience, there’s no gaming parallel quite like getting a few friends or family members together and trying to survive a night of Hell with some former Disney Channel stars. It’s unmatched and uniquely forward-thinking. It’s one of 2022’s lone must-play offerings. If you haven’t already, it’s high time to experience the terror of The Quarry.
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