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​During World War II while a woman waits to hear about her missing husband, she must protect her two young children who suffer from a rare disease that causes deadly photosensitivity.  Moving her family to a Gothic mansion on the English coast safe from war, she encounters a far more sinister enemy as paranormal activities spiral out of control.  The Others (2001, rated PG-13) starring Nicole Kidman, Alakina Mann, and James Bentley is a shockingly true to life ghost story!

Watch it on Hoopla today.

Follow the life of Mima, a singer in a popular group who leaves to pursue a life of acting in this Japanese anime movie. Her managers and handlers are continually murdered as she makes the transition though, leading to increased paranoia. Even worse, she begins to believe that she has a stalker as her paranoia and stress begin to change how she sees reality. The movie is a great look at the negative aspects of being famous and the physiological toll it can have on someone.

If you like psychological thrillers, this is one not to miss. Watch Perfect Blue (rated R) on Hoopla today.

In Japanese with English subtitles.

Strange events are happening at Eerie Elementary School (note the name of the school). Third graders Sam, Lucy, and Antonio find themselves in very scary situations as they work together to keep the school safe from the evil Orson Eerie. Their job as hall monitors is to protect the students of Eerie Elementary School by using their magic sashes. Mr. Nekobi, the janitor, knows what is happening and why, and aids the children with clever ideas. Illustrations of Orson Eerie show that obviously he is a scary, evil man!

Children who can suspend disbelief, believe that the physical Eerie Elementary School is alive, who likes "scary" books, and who are ready for unusual adventures will enjoy this series. Start with The School is Alive! (2014).

Each of the 10 books in the Eerie Elementary series by Jack Chabert is 90 pages with black and white drawings on each page. It is clear from the covers that the books are scary, strange, unusual…for sure. The final page of each book has discussion questions and sometimes craft ideas. Lexile range is 430-600.

Living with roommates is hard.  Living for hundreds of years with immature, dirty, narcissistic vampire roommates is even worse.  What We Do in the Shadows is a hilarious mockumentary (think The Office) focusing on the lives of four vampire housemates living in Staten Island as they try to deal with the changing world and fighting over who has to do the dishes.  Things become more complicated when one of their meals is turned into a vampire and brings the modern world even closer.

What We Do in the Shadows (2014, R) is one of my all-time favorite movies, never failing to make me laugh.  Each character is more outrageous than the last and the situations they find themselves in, even more so.  Director Taika Waititi, who is also a main character, brings a comedic quirk that is hard to explain but irresistible once you experience it.

If you enjoy the movie, check out the new TV show on Hulu by the same name.  Arguably even better than the movie, it's not to be missed. You can check out a Roku from our tech takeout for access to Hulu.

​This game will hit all the marks for fans of horror and H. P. Lovecraft.  In the game, you play Charles Reed, an ex-navy man and current hardboiled detective, who just arrived in the city of Oakmont.  The town flooded a decade ago and ever since strange events have been happening in the lives of the people who live in the town.  Life in Oakmont is even stranger as you discover that creatures lurk in almost every home.

Sinking City (2019, rated M for mature) is story-driven with half of your time spent in action and the other half spent hunting down clues and doing research through public records at places like the old newspaper offices and the library.  The other dynamic of the game that lends well to the Lovecraft theme is that of the sanity meter.  As your character looks upon the horrors that lurk in the shadows, he must be careful not to go insane himself.

Sinking City is available for checkout for PS4 and Xbox One systems.

​Stricken with grief after a tragic family loss, Dani Ardor goes on a spontaneous trip to Sweden with her boyfriend and his classmates.  Classmate Pelle is from Sweden and has invited his friends to join his family for their annual Midsommar festival to celebrate the changing of the seasons and give back to mother nature.  Unbeknownst to Dani and the rest of the group, the festival follows many sinister traditions that leave them questioning whether they should leave or stay.

Director Ari Aster has proven his place in the world of contemporary horror with his latest masterpiece.  Midsommar (2019, rated R) is at once a very unnerving and beautiful film, set in a very believable Swedish community with traditions and beliefs that feel just as real as they are unsettling.  The film features gorgeous cinematography, showcasing the beautiful landscape and transcendental music that lifts the viewer into another world full of wonder and intrigue.

While Midsommar is classified as a horror film, horror is more so the tool through which the movie's message is communicated: out with the old, in with the new.