I love spooky season, aka fall, and one of my favorite ways to celebrate is by watching spooky shows and movies. Although I am spending less time on screens this year due to my chronic migraines, I’ve still found time to watch some shows. Here are my 3 favorites.
Agatha All Along
You know I showed up as soon as I heard “witches!” I loved the show that introduced us to Agatha Harkness, Wandavision, but this show was even better. It’s full of witchcraft, Tarot cards, and amazing actors like Kathryn Hahn and Aubrey Plaza–plus it’s full of queer representation! I haven’t had a sapphic witch show this good since the end of Motherland: Fort Salem.
This is a Marvel show, but you don’t need to know any other Marvel characters to enjoy it. It’s more supernatural than superhero with magic, curses, and legends. You follow Agatha, a witch who has lost her powers, as she gathers a coven to lead them down the Witches’ Road. The Road will test their knowledge of their craft, but if they survive, they will be granted something they want at the end. It’s inspired by movies like The Craft and does reference Wiccan spiritual beliefs like the Threefold Goddess (the Maiden, the Mother, and the Crone). The characters are complex with their own emotional journeys. Bring tissues.
I keep humming the song “Down the Witches’ Road.” I already want to watch it again. If you haven’t seen this yet, don’t wait! It’s hard to avoid spoilers but you’ll want to find out all the surprises for yourself.
Ghosts
I loved the original UK version of this show (which you can also watch, although it’s ended), but I wasn’t sure if I would like an American version. The good news is that the remake doesn’t try to copy the original but finds its own place. There are different characters and storylines, played by talented actors, although the premise remains the same.
The main character Allison finds out she has inherited an old mansion in the countryside from a distant relative. She and her husband decide to fix up the house and turn it into a bed and breakfast, so they can escape their jobs in the city. But soon after they arrive, she is injured and develops the ability to see ghosts. Hijinks ensue!
This is a lighthearted comedy despite the constant talk about death. The ghosts all come from different periods of history, so they have different viewpoints and levels of modern knowledge, and they often died in humorous ways. (For example, a scoutmaster died in the 1980s when he was struck during an archery demonstration.) Since they’re mostly bored in the afterlife, they pester the main character to entertain them with things like turning on the TV to their favorite shows and cooking food so they can smell it.
Check out both the UK and US versions!
What We Do in the Shadows
This mockumentary follows this lives of several old vampires as they navigate the modern world. You may have seen the popular movie with Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement from New Zealand. This is by the same team but set in New York. There are cameos by some of the original film characters, but it’s largely new people.
The show is always willing to do the most ridiculous thing in any situation. How do the vampires understand the changing world? Not well! Helping them is their human familiar, Guillermo, who is the real main character. He serves the vampires in hopes they will turn him, but he has his own secrets. And he often finds that trying to do anything with the vampires is like herding cats.
It’s queer, it’s culturally diverse, and sometimes it’s surprising how the vampires can accept progressive ideas even though they are hundreds of years old. (Although they also want to rule the world and kill humans indiscriminately.) Sometimes the casual violence can be disturbing (don’t get attached to any of the characters, although they may not stay dead…), but overall, it’s a fun show and I always laugh out loud.
What’s your favorite spooky show this season? I’m always looking for new things to try, although I can’t watch anything too scary or gross. (I skipped Grotesquerie.) And I am reading some spooky books, so look for more reviews coming soon!
