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Curious Cat Learns About Students’ Favorite Halloween Movies

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Halloween may be over, but we’re still celebrating spooky season! This week, we asked students, “What’s your favorite film to watch around Halloween”

Cole Jackson says "Hereditary"

Cole Jackson ’24

 

Brooklyn Phang says "The Nightmare Before Christmas"

Brooklyn Phang ’25

 

Carissa Van Veen says "Girl vs. Monster"

Carissa Van Veen ’25

 

Be on the look out for our team when you’re studying in Falvey, because we’re always giving treats to anyone who answers our weekly questions!

 


Rebecca AmrickRebecca Amrick is a first-year graduate student in the English Department and a Graduate Assistant at Falvey Library.

 

 

 

Jadyn Piotrowski ’26 VSB is a Communication & Marketing Student Assistant at Falvey Library.

 

 


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Weekend Recs: Spooky Season (2023 Edition)

Happy Friday, Wildcats! Falvey Library is delivering you another semester of Weekend Recs, a blog dedicated to filling you in on what to read, listen to, and watch over the weekend. Annie, a graduate assistant from the Communication department, scours the internet, peruses the news, and digs through book stacks to find new, relevant, and thought-provoking content that will challenge you and prepare you for the upcoming week. 

We’re 6 days into October, which means we’re well into spooky season (there are “31 Nights of Halloween,” according to Freeform). Last year, I kicked October off with some quintessential spooky season recommendations. As a lifelong Halloween lover, I’d like to keep the tradition going with some updated recs to get you in the mood for all things Halloween.

If you have 5 minutes and 28 seconds…and want to laugh a little, watch this Halloween SNL sketch from last year. (Note: the video is rated about PG.)

If you have 26 minutes and 4 seconds…and want a throwback to your childhood Halloween parties, listen to this Halloween playlist.

If you have 58 minutes and 6 seconds…and love listening to podcasts, listen to Let’s Read’s latest Halloween-themed episode. Let’s Read is always the place to go for creepy narrations, and this episode does not disappoint.

If you have 1 hour and 20 minutes…and think M. Night Shyamalan movies are so bad that they’re good, watch Devil, available in Falvey’s DVD Collection. In this film, five people get trapped in an elevator in Philly, but (gasp) one of them is the literal devil. It’s one of those cheesy films that is somehow still enjoyable (Shyamalan’s specialty).

If you have 1 hour and 33 minutes…and don’t like scary movies, watch Paranorman, available in Falvey’s DVD Collection. This LAIKA film (famous for films like Coraline and Kubo and the Two Strings) is the perfect amount of spooky for those who don’t like horror.

If you have 1 hour and 51 minutes…and want to experience a scary movie with a crowd of people, watch The Exorcist: Believer in theaters (premiering tonight). It’s hard to beat the original, as it still really holds up, but this should be a fun in-theater viewing experience.

Bonus: if you want to catch-up with the 1973 original, watch The Exorcist, available in Falvey’s DVD Collection.

If you have 4 hours…and want to get frightened with some friends, go to The Bates Motel & Haunted Hayride. It’s not too far from Villanova, and it has a hayride, corn maze, and haunted house, enough to leave any of your easy-frightened friends jump.

If you have 8 hours…and want to read a classic horror novel, read Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House, available at Falvey. This book has everything to get you in the mood for Halloween, including haunted mansions and paranormal investigators.

Bonus: if you want to be frightened and a bit emotionally devastated, watch Mike Flanagan’s The Haunting of Hill House Netflix Original series, a loose adaptation of Jackson’s book. Anything directed by Mike Flanagan is perfect for spooky season, but this show is truly some of his best work (including a beautiful 17-minute long take in the sixth episode).

If you have 10 hours…and prefer novella anthologies, read horror legend Stephen King’s Full Dark, No Stars, available at Falvey. This book contains 4 shorter novellas, including the recognizable “1922,” which also received a Netflix Original adaptation. It’s ominous, unsettling, and the perfect book for spooky season.

Bonus: if you want more Stephen King, Falvey also has some of his other spine-chilling books, including The Shining, Carrie, Misery, Cujo, and Christine, and if you want to look more into King’s terrifying world building over years, check out The Stephen King Universe: A Guide to the Worlds of the King of Horror.


Annie Stockmal is a second-year graduate student in the Communication Department and Graduate Assistant in Falvey Library.

 


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TBT: A Handy Guide to Your Future

By Kallie Stahl 

Image of the book cover "How to tell fortunes by the hand."

Image courtesy of the Villanova University Digital Library.


Looking for a quick read during fall break? Celebrate spooky season and check out this handbook by A. Anderson. Published in 1898, How To Tell Fortunes by the Hand explains the rules of fortunetelling for readers. Learn more about the art of palmistry—Explore the full manual here.

Don’t miss your chance to see more mystical materials at Distinctive Collections Annual Halloween Event on Monday, Oct. 31, at 1 p.m. in front of Holy Grounds (First Floor, Falvey Library). On display will be Special Collection’s spookiest material along with a ghoulish game and treats.


Kallie Stahl ’17 MA is Communication and Marketing Specialist at Falvey Memorial Library.

 

 


 


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Weekend Recs: Spooky Season

 

Happy Friday, Wildcats! Falvey Library is delivering you another semester of Weekend Recs, a blog dedicated to filling you in on what to read, listen to, and watch over the weekend. Annie, a graduate assistant from the Communication department, scours the internet, peruses the news, and digs through book stacks to find new, relevant, and thought-provoking content that will challenge you and prepare you for the upcoming week. 

It might not be Halloween yet, but as far as I’m concerned (and according to Freeform‘s “31 Nights of Halloween” programming), the first day of October marks the beginning of spooky season. Even if you hate spooky things, the season still brings sweater weather, pumpkin-flavored treats, and Fall Break with it. Plus, I am a firm believer that there is at least one Tim Burton movie out there for everyone. For a whole week without classes, as Fall Break begins tomorrow, here are some recs to help you get in the spirit of the season.

If you have 15 seconds…and want to reminisce on spooky season in the 2000s, watch this TikTok. Halloweentown marathons and spooky Kid Cuisines definitely make me nostalgic.

If you have 28 minutes…and think the characters in horror movies always make the worst decisions, watch this Youtube video about how to survive the recent vampire flick The Invitation, (beware: there are spoilers), and check out the rest of the channel for other videos on how to survive all of your favorite scary movies.

If you have 45 minutes…and are in the mood for a scary podcast that might send shivers down your spine, listen to a Let’s Read episode. This episode is Halloween-themed, but scroll through the channel to find stories with a number of different spooky twists, including ghosts, stalkers, murderers, and cryptids.

If you have 1 hour…and want to try out some Halloween-inspired recipes, try a recipe from this cookbook. They may be a bit silly, but they look delicious and might get you into the Halloween spirit.

Bonus: if you’re looking for a simple dessert you can try out in your dorm kitchen, check out this Halloween cookie-cake recipe from TikTok.

If you have 1 hour and 45 minutes…and want to give yourself a dose of nostalgia, watch Hocus Pocus 2 on Disney+. Hocus Pocus is one of the most iconic Halloween movies of all-time, and I have high hopes for the sequel.

If you have 4 hours…and want to experience an interactive cult classic (or live out your The Perks of Being a Wallflower fantasy), find a screening of The Rocky Horror Picture Show near you. Philly is a great Rocky Horror hub in October, and if you’ve never been to a live screening, it’s quite the experience. I know I will be at the Oct. 15 screening at the Colonial Theater in Phoenixville.

If you have another 4 hours…and want to get your steps for the day in…visit a local corn maze with some friends. If you’re heading out West toward Lancaster, Cherry Crest Adventure Farm has been one of the highest rated mazes in recent years. I have personally gone to Wilcox Farms, located in Boyertown, (and gotten lost in their previous corn mazes).

Bonus: if you want to get some steps in and get scared while doing so, visit a local scary Halloween attraction. Field of Screams is a major attraction that typically garners a crowd, and The Valley of Fear is usually pretty fun, especially if you have some squeamish friends.

If you have 6 hours…and want to learn about some Halloween history, read Nicholas Roger’s Halloween: From Pagan Ritual to Party Night. This one is for all my history buffs.

If you have 8 hours…and want to brush-up on the classic thrillers, read Stephen King’s The Shining or virtually any other Stephen King novel. (Misery is also a good, less supernatural option). Hearing his name in the month of October may seem cliche to some, but there is a good reason that he is a horror household name.

Bonus: put DCDE’s Halloween Haunts event on your calendar for Oct. 31. The event will feature some of the most festive items from Distinctive Collections and some delicious (free) Halloween treats.


Annie Stockmal is a graduate student in the Communication Department and graduate assistant in Falvey Library.


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Flip or Flick: The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Jekyll and hyde movie poster

Photo courtesy of IMDB

By Allie Reczek

When we think of Halloween stories and the terrifying characters associated with them, we tend to think of witches, zombies, vampires, or even the horrid Frankenstein’s monster. However, the story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is not like these frightening stories at all. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, written by Robert Louis Stevenson, is a Gothic novella published in 1886. The main character, Dr. Henry Jekyll, is known as a brilliant scientist, currently questioning the internal psyche of man. He is incredibly handsome and widely respected by all who know him.

During one of Jekyll’s experiments to understand the good and bad inside of us all, he develops a potion to transform humans into their evil counterparts. Taking it himself, Jekyll becomes Mr. Hyde—gruesome to look at and dangerous to the core. He commits murder while in the body of Hyde, but eventually transforms back to the good Jekyll after consuming another potion. After repeated voluntary transformations, Jekyll becomes unable to control when he becomes Hyde, even without taking his experimental concoction. Knowing that soon he will be Hyde forever and people will be after him for his crimes, Jekyll decides that there is nothing else he can do but take his own life. 

There are several movies based off of this novella, however the 1931 version directed by Rouben Mamoulian and starring Fredric March is widely considered to be the best adaptation. Despite its 90% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, this movie takes a different approach to this story. Many of the supporting characters in the movie are not included in the novella and vice versa. In the movie, Jekyll is about to marry his fiancée, Muriel Carew, but after unsuccessful attempts to stay as Jekyll, he decides that he has to let her go. When he is Hyde, he murders dance hall girl, Ivy Pearson, after she rejects him and fears his horrifying appearance. Unlike in the novella, instead of Jekyll ending his own life and leaving a suicide note, he is shot and killed while he is Hyde. Although this was a movie made in the 30s, I was surprised at how realistic the transformation from Jekyll to Hyde appeared. Even without the movie magic of 21st century films, this adaptation did a great job at maintaining an engaging storyline that I am sure terrified audiences when first released. 

So… Flip or Flick? 

Flip! While the movie should not be overlooked, I think the book did a better job at explaining this horror story. This novella explores the idea of good and evil, allowing readers to question if we can ever overpower the evil inside us all or if it is only a matter of time before it takes over. Through its classic 19th century European stylistic writing and thought-provoking ending, this book is a perfect fit for anyone looking for a psychological thriller this Halloween season. This story reminds us that it is not witches, zombies, or vampires that are scary, but rather it is what is inside of us that is truly the scariest thing of all. 

 


Allie Reczek headshot

 

Allie Reczek ’22 CLAS is a current senior at Villanova, majoring in Psychology with minors in Communications and Sociology. She works in Falvey Library as a Marketing and Communications Assistant.


 

 


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Spine-chilling thrillers at Falvey

I’m Daniella Snyder, a second-year graduate student at Villanova University, and your ‘Cat in Falvey Library’s Stacks. I’ll be posting about academics– from research to study habits and everything in between– and how the Falvey Library can play a large role in your success here on campus!

The weather is getting colder, the leaves are changing colors, and everyone is drinking a pumpkin spice latte.

That’s right, Wildcats…it’s spooky season.

While I love a good corn maze or apple picking adventure, my favorite fall tradition is curling up with a comfy blanket, some hot apple cider, and a pile of spine-chilling thrillers to read and watch. Nothing gets me in the Halloween spirit more.

You should plan your own fall movie marathon or binge-reading day with the help of Falvey. We have a wide variety of books and movies that you can check out and enjoy with your fellow Halloween lovers. Here are some of my personal favorites.

BOOKS: 

Christine – Stephen King

Stephen King’s tale of a possessed 1958 Plymouth Fury. Arnie buys an old Plymouth that has mystical powers to possess and destroy. She purrs like a kitten…but watch out when she roars.

Dracula – Bram Stoker

Is a description really needed? Nonetheless, the novel centers around a “young English solicitor who finds himself at the center of a series of horrifying incidents during a business visit to Count Dracula’s castle in Transylvania.”

American Psycho – Bret Easton Ellis

The novel, recounted by the main character, Patrick Bateman, tells readers of his days spent on Wall Street and evenings torturing and killing his murder victims.

The Exorcist – William Peter Blatty

This novel remains one of the most “controversial ever written” and went on to become a literary phenomenon: It spent fifty-seven weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, seventeen consecutively at number one (Amazon). Inspired by a true story of a child’s demonic possession in the 1940s, William Peter Blatty created an iconic novel that focuses on Regan, the eleven-year-old daughter of a movie actress residing in Washington, D.C. A small group of overwhelmed yet determined individuals must rescue Regan from her unspeakable fate, and the drama that ensues is gripping and unfailingly terrifying.

The Haunting of Hill House – Shirley Jackson

Four “seekers” look for haunting evidence at the abandoned old mansion called Hill House. Their stay begins as a spooky encounter, but the house is gathering its powers and will choose one of them to make its own. After you read the book, watch the Netflix series.

Coraline – Neil Gaiman

Looking for excitement, Coraline ventures through a mysterious door into a world that is similar, yet disturbingly different from her own, where she must challenge a gruesome entity in order to save herself, her parents, and the souls of three others.

 

 

 

FILMS:

The Birds

Melanie Daniels meets Mitch Brenner in a San Francisco pet store and decides to follow him home. She brings with her the gift of two love birds and they strike up a romance. One day birds start attacking children at Mitch’s sisters party. A huge assault starts on the town by attacking birds.

The Silence of the Lambs

A psychopath is murdering young women across the Midwest. Believing that it takes one to know one, the FBI sends Agent Clarice Starling to interview a demented prisoner, Dr. Hannibal Lecter. Lecter is willing to provide clues to the killer’s actions if Clarice will feed his morbid curiosity by telling him about her own complicated life.

Get Out

A young black man meets his white girlfriend’s parents at their estate, only to find out that the situation is much more sinister than it appears.

Cujo 

Vic and Donna Trenton struggle to repair their crumbling marriage. Their young son, Tad, befriends a hulking, lovable, 200-pound St. Bernard named Cujo. With Vic away on business, Donna and Tad take their rundown car to be fixed at the remote farm of their mechanic. As their Pinto dies, Cujo appears. But the once docile dog has undergone a hideous transformation, and becomes a slavering, demonic, implacable killer possessed by almost supernatural strength, not to mention cunning.


Daniella Snyder dressed as “Robin” from Season 3 of Stranger Things for Halloween this year. She also wants to thank Kallie Stahl, Communication and Marketing Specialist, for her valuable contributions to this blog post!


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Last Modified: October 30, 2019

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