Books
1) A Child Alone With Strangers by Philip Fracassi
This book starts with an attempted murder-suicide when a father throws himself and his own son in front of a bus, and just does not let up. It is an incredibly well-written thrill ride from beginning to end, and nobody has read it (except me). This needs to change asap.
2) The Blighted Stars by Megan E O'Keefe
I found out about this one from Digg, where it was billed as The Last of Us plus The Expanse, and it was an instant purchase. I blazed through the first book, but the second one is kind of on hold because of life/work stuff that I won't go into. There's space opera, there's romance, and there's...fungus? This book is supposed to be a romance, but it takes a backseat to a fascinating plot and great characters.
3) Age of Vice by Deepti Kapoor
Admittedly, I read this in the beginning of the year, so I forget a lot of what happens with this one, but I remember it being excellent.
4) American Gun by Cameron McWhirter & Zusha Elinson
This book is a very detailed and fascinating history of the AR-15 from its invention in the 50s to its messy deployment in Vietnam, well into its role as a weapon of mass murder in the present day. This book is riveting
5) Dreambound by Dan Frey
Do you hate Harry Potter and think YA fantasy is stupid and annoying? If so, this is the perfect book for you. Frey plays his cards close to his chest as you try to figure out if the main character is a total asshole or not, but the book became exactly what I was hoping for in the last third or quarter of it and I was very satisfied.
6) A Guest in This House by Emily Carroll
"Emily Carroll has a new book out??? Oh shiiiiiit!" was my reaction when I learned that this book existed. I could love this book for the art alone, but the story is creepy in its own right.
Movies
1) New Religion (Japanese, 2023); When Evil Lurks (Argentinian, 2023) -- TIE
Don't ask me to choose between these two films. Any movie that makes me yell "Whaaaat the--!!!???" at my TV is a winner, and both of these films achieved that.
New Religion is a deeply disturbing movie about a sex worker who takes on a sinister new client after the bizarre suicide of her young daughter, and it reminded me very much of Possessor (2021). It's a slow, creepy movie that sneaks up on you and takes you to some unexpected places. I absolutely loved it.
When Evil Lurks is not your typical Bonk-You-Over-The-Head-With-Jesus possession movie. It imagines demonic possession as a contagious disease, and there's a perfectly executed setup early in the movie that demonstrates its central concept that had me screaming at the TV. I expected something to happen, and I was very happy with what I got.
2) The Unbinding (2023)
Yet another possession movie, except this one is an actual documentary about a cursed object. Two hikers do something really, really dumb, and require the assistance of two paranormal investigators to help fix what they did. "Don't Touch That, You Don't Know Where It's Been" is a very important life lesson.
3) Becky (2022), Wrath of Becky (2023)
A group of escaped convicts mess with the wrong middle schooler. At a certain point, you know that the hunters have become the hunted, and one of my favorite "oh how the turns have tabled" moments ever happens in this movie. Becky don't take no shit, and her insatiable appetite for the total annihilation of her enemies makes this a lot of fun to watch. NOTE: I enjoyed Becky more than Wrath of Becky because by that point, we know that Becky is an exterminating angel and the tension of the story is gone. It's worth watching anyway, but just keep in mind that one movie is slightly better imho than the other.
4) Children of Paradise (French; 1945)
I love French movies in general, and this 3-hour+ movie gave me the same feeling as Seven Samurai: This film is simply a joy to watch. The characters are great, the drama is great, and the film feels like a 19th century novel. It is that good.
5) Sleep (German, 2021)
I bought this blind on Arrow Video, and the consensus among my friends I showed it to was that I had struck gold. A teenage girl investigates a mysterious hotel that appears in her comatose mother's dreams. This film is a magical realist thriller involving dark pasts that people would rather forget, interspersed with fairy tale elements. Very, very highly recommended.
Games
1) GTFO
This is the best Aliens experience you can have, and I mean that it is infinitely better than the actual Aliens games. GTFO is extremely punishing and extremely satisfying. I have, I think, almost 250 hours in this game and I am very sad that it has just received its final update.
2) Chained Echoes / Sea of Stars
If your favorite SNES RPG is Final Fantasy VI, play Chained Echoes first.
If your favorite SNES RPG is Chrono Trigger, play Sea of Stars first.
Both of these are excellent (and short!), and which one you like better will be entirely based on which classic RPG you enjoy more.
This game is utterly perfect. It's more of a thriller game than a horror game, as there are no scares and no combat. Your goal is to save as many people as possible by solving Saw-like puzzles, and you only get one chance. The story is good, the puzzles are very hard, and it looks like a long-lost PSX game.
Blasphemous was my favorite Dark Souls-style game that was not made by From Software, and Blasphemous II promised to be more of that. I am very happy to say that it delivered.
5) World of Horror / Against the Storm
Do you like Junji Ito? Do you wish there was a Junji Ito game? Then World of Horror is for you. WOH looks like a 2-bit old Mac-era RPG adventure game with janky combat and weird shit going on. You pick your starting character, your background, and which Eldritch God you wish to face, and you are tasked with solving 4 or 5 (depending on your difficulty) eerie mysteries, and along the way you fight random monsters and face random choices in a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure style. Your neighbor asks for your opinion on his artwork. Do you take a closer look? *You have attracted the attention of Something Truly Evil*
I bought Against the Storm back in January, and it is only in the past few months that I really began to understand how to play it (after taking a long break from it). It's a roguelike fantasy citybuilding game where you have to establish a series of small settlements by building up your economy, and fulfilling orders from the Queen, all while contending with a severe storm that saps your resources and lowers villagers' morale. What I love about the game is that it provides clear objectives and allows the game to end in victory, because I usually have no idea what I'm doing in citybuilding games and I get bored very easily. AtS solves both of those problems, and I love it.
Music
2023 was a great year for new music. Here are some of the best:
1) HEALTH - Rat Wars
Coming in clutch with a Dec 7th release, HEALTH dropped an industrial metal album that is as perfect for me as a man-shaped hole in Amigara Fault. The opening track is just a slow, heavy melody of quiet intensity of the kind where, as you listen to it, you know that something is going to happen. Bonus: The Youtube video for DEMIGODS is just a collection of footage of Command & Conquer FMVs.
2) Paramore - This is Why
This one hit me early and hard after something bad happened in my life, and through this year, as I've listened to it, I think I enjoy the second half of the album more than the first. "Crave" is by far my favorite track on the album, with "Liar" close behind.
3) Kesha - Gag Order
"MiSaNtHrOpE, what the hell are you doing listening to Kesha?????" This album exploded into my life. I bought it on Bandcamp not thirty seconds into the opening track. This album is raw, it matched what was going on in my life at the time of its release perfectly, and I could not help but fall in love with it.
4) Hayley Williams - Petals For Armor / Flowers For Vases
I've had these albums for a while, and all this time I've thought they were kinda boring or not for me. Oh man was I wrong. After repeated listens, I finally understand "Roses/Lotus/Violet/Iris", and "Pure Love" is the perfect romance song for me.
5) Sleep Token - Take Me Back to Eden
As I said above, I like my metal on the slower side, with steadily building intensity. Sleep Token delivers exactly what I want with the title track, and "The Apparition". Sleep Token have earned themselves a permanent spot on my massive playlist.
6) Marsh - Endless
When you are just looking to chill out, put this on. I would like to direct you here to two tracks: "Blue" and "Sleep"
BONUS: Argy & Goom Gum - Pantheon
