Why don't mummies take time off? They are afraid to unwind. Unlike mummies, I hope all of you find some time to unwind and indulge in a bit of escapism this Halloween. Sit tight and put on your spook-tacles because this week’s installment of To Watch and Watch For has you covered!
Poor Things and The Lobster director Yorgos Lanthimos’s new film, Bugonia, arrives in theaters this Friday. Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons star in this misanthropic black comedy in which two conspiracists kidnap a pharmaceutical CEO, believing she is an alien sent to destroy Earth. The premise alone hints at the paranoid and delusional elements of our real world it’s responding to, making the film a must-watch for anyone even mildly curious about conspiracy theories. Also appearing in this film is Stavvy, so for any Cum Town fans, you have one more reason to check this out.
Dig into some gothic horror this Halloween with author C.G. Drews’ new novel, Hazelthorn. Evander has lived on the Hazelthorn estate his whole life, and once his billionaire guardian dies, he inherits this immense property and must find out who the killer is. But in a botanical-themed horror twist, the overgrown garden grows a hunger of its own, and Evander must discover the bloodthirsty truth behind the estate before it's too late.
Horrorcore rapper Sematary is unsurprisingly coming out with a new mixtape this Halloween, titled HAUNT-O-HOLIXXX. Fans of witch house, drill and trap can expect a characteristically noisy and blatantly edgy collection of tracks, like much of Bloody Angel. This time around, the feature list is stacked: Ghost Mountain and Hackle from the Haunted Mound collective, xaviersobased, smokedope2016 and genre pioneer Wicca Phase Springs Eternal. Though most of his recent singles have been pretty limp, recent snippets have shown Sematary back in his element, hyping the mixtape up to be a pretty exciting return-to-form and on-theme soundtrack for Halloween.
The Book Thing of Baltimore is hosting its 2nd annual Booktoberfest Fundraiser this Thursday. Other than promising a good time for book lovers with silent auctions, live jazz entertainment and bookish fun, it is held in support of the non-profit organization. Show up to support a store that has put more than a million books into the hands of those who want them for the past 26 years!
Check out the full list below for more:
To watch…
Bugonia, directed by Yorgos Lanthimos — Oct. 31
Depeche Mode: M, directed by Fernando Frias — Oct. 28
Hazbin Hotel Season 2, created by Vivienne “VivziePop” Medrano — Oct. 29
Stitch Head, directed by Steve Hudson — Oct. 29
Baahubali: The Epic, directed by S.S. Rajamouli — Oct. 31
To read…
Hazelthorn, by C.G. Drews — Oct. 28
Dead and Alive, by Zadie Smith — Oct. 28
The Devil Is a Southpaw, by Brandon Hobson — Oct. 28
The Everlasting, by Alix E. Harrow — Oct. 28
Wreck, by Catherine Newman — Oct. 28
To listen…
HAUNT-O-HOLIXXX, by Sematary — Oct. 31
Anything Instead of Anything, by rozey — Oct. 30
Everybody Scream, by Florence + The Machine — Oct. 31
FLYGOD IS AN AWESOME GOD 3, by Westside Gunn — Oct. 31
ICONOCLASTS, by Anna von Hausswolff — Oct. 31
Live events…
The Book Thing Booktoberfest Fundraiser — Oct. 30 at 6:30 p.m. at Peabody Heights Brewery
- Tickets paid in advance are $35; tickets bought on the 30th are $40 (excluding processing fees).
Totes & Tarot: A Special Collections Halloween Event — Oct. 29 from 6–8 p.m. at Special Collections, M-Level, Brody Learning Commons
- This event is free.
Shakespeare in Harlem — Oct. 30 to Nov. 9 at 7:30 p.m. at UMBC Proscenium Theatre
- Tickets are $15 for the general public and $10 for seniors.
BROS Battle of the Bands — Nov. 1 at 8 p.m. at Baltimore Rock Opera Society
- This event is free.
