By KEVIN HOOVER
It’s here, it’s here—the best time of the year! October has finally arrived, and as the chilly fall temps roll in, pumpkin spice every-friggin’-thing permeates the air and Halloween stores begin to occupy the gutted husks of retail shops who’ve given up their ghosts, horror readers will find plenty of great new books to fill the time between watered-down cable TV versions of favorite horror films.
Morbidly Curious: A Scientist Explains Why We Can’t Look Away
Coltan Scrivner, PhD
Penguin Books
October 7th – Pre-order Now
What makes us peek at a car wreck or binge-watch true crime shows late into the night? Why are some of us drawn to horror movies while others shudder at the thought? In Morbidly Curious, scientist Coltan Scrivner takes readers on a thrilling journey into the psychology of morbid curiosity, uncovering why we can’t resist the macabre. From grisly serial killers to spine-chilling paranormal stories, Scrivner reveals the psychological forces that compel us to explore our darkest fears—and explains how this proclivity is more than just a quirk. It’s a powerful survival instinct, helping us mentally prepare for real-world threats, all from the safety of our imaginations.
Horror in Haddonfield: Halloween’s Untold Stories
Andrew Grevas
Fayetteville Mafia Press
October 7th – Pre-order Now
Happy Halloween, Michael. Horror in Haddonfield: Halloween’s Untold Stories, by Horror Obsessive founder and crackerjack fright geek Andrew Grevas, unmasks the secrets behind all thirteen of the films in horror’s oldest and longest running slasher franchise. Combining essays and interviews with the casts and creative teams, Grevas uncomplicates complicated timelines, dishes on the films that were planned but never made it to the screen and reveals never-heard-before stories about the making of the movies.
Vagabond: A Memoir
Tim Curry
Grand Central Publishing
October 14th – Pre-order Now
In his new memoir, Tim Curry takes readers behind-the-scenes of his rise to fame from his early beginnings as a military brat to his formative years in boarding school and university, to the moment when he hit the stage for the first time. He goes in-depth about what it was like to work on some of the most emblematic works of the 20th century, constantly switching between a camera and a live audience. He also explores the voicework that defined his later career and provided him with a chance to pivot after surviving a catastrophic stroke in 2012 that nearly took his life.
With the upcoming 50th anniversary of The Rocky Horror Picture Show and the 40th anniversary of Clue, there’s never been a better time for Tim to share his story with the world.
Joe Bob Goes to the Drive-In (Updated Edition)
Joe Bob Briggs
Dark Horse Books
October 14th – Pre-order Now
This brand-new, updated art book-sized hardcover edition of the long out-of-print collection by cult film host Joe Bob Briggs features new writing, movie reviews and fan letters not seen in over 40 years, plus new artwork by comic book artist Mike Norton and an introduction by Stephen King.
King Sorrow
Joe Hill
William Morrow
October 21st – Pre-order Now
Arthur Oakes is a reader, a dreamer and a student at Rackham College, Maine, renowned for its frosty winters, exceptional library and beautiful buildings. But his idyll—and burgeoning romance with Gwen Underfoot—is shattered when a local drug dealer and her partner corner him into one of the worst crimes he can imagine: stealing rare books from the college library.
Trapped and desperate, Arthur turns to his closest friends for comfort and help. Together they dream up a wild, fantastical scheme to free Arthur from the cruel trap in which he finds himself. Wealthy, irrepressible Colin Wren suggests using the unnerving Crane journal (bound in the skin of its author) to summon a dragon to do their bidding. The others—brave, beautiful Alison Shiner; the battling twins Donna and Donovan McBride; and brainy, bold Gwen—don’t hesitate to join Colin in an effort to smash reality and bring a creature of the impossible into our world.
*Purchases made through any included links will directly benefit independent bookstores and could result in compensation for RUE MORGUE. Release dates are subject to change.
