Sean Tuohy and Daniel Ford rounded up their frightful favorites for your Halloween reading and viewing pleasure! Feel free to share your own suggestions in the comments section or tweet us @WritersBone.

“Trick ‘r Treat”

Sean Tuohy: If one film could sum up the Halloween spirit and scare the hell out of you, “Trick ‘r Treat” is it. Five stories featuring deadly ghost from the past, vampires, and creepy monster children, play out over Halloween night. It’ll haunt your dreams long after Halloween is over.

Seven Sins by Karen Runge

Daniel Ford: Sean hit the nail on the head when he called Runge’s collection of short stories “deeply unsettling but overwhelmingly enjoyable.” Every story makes your skin crawl, but you can’t help but marvel at Runge’s sharp, artistic prose.

“The Witch”

ST: “The Witch” features classic New England horror mixed with the supernatural that will take you on a journey through despair and horror. Following a family of Pilgrims during the 1600s, the film examines how a family can slowly crumble under a growing pressure. Unsettling and masterfully done, “The Witch” will keep you glued to the screen (even if you have your hands over your eyes).

Perfect Days by Raphael Montes

DF: You’ll never look at your luggage the same way again.

“Night of the Creeps”

ST: Master director Fred Dekker—of “Monster Squad” fame—combines a hardboiled detective story, a monster tale, and a love story in this classic ‘80s horror film. After an alien slug is let loose on a college campus, it's up to a chain-smoking detective and a nerd with a broken heart to save the day.

“The Slutty Pumpkin”

DF: “How I Met Your Mother” may have had a divisive end, but you there's no denying that this show was great once upon a time. This episode encapsulates everything that made the show must-watchable when it was on its game: Lily and Marshall’s “they’re so cute and in love it makes you want to hurl” relationship, Barney’s witty, yet sexist, machismo, and, of course, Ted Mosby’s sweet, deluded pursuit of his one true love. Throw in Robin getting dumped by a guy wearing lederhosen, and this episode is just about perfect.

“The Devil’s Backbone”

ST: Taking place during the Spanish Civil War, this creepy ghost story looks to find the human elements in the supernatural. Boys at an orphanage must confront a ghost haunting them within the walls, and then must fight the evil forces of war trying to get in.

Get in Trouble by Kelly Link

DF: Kelly Link’s stellar short story collection ended up becoming a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, named one of the best books of the year by Time, and earned rave reviews from critics and readers alike. Not bad for a collection that features demonic houses, iBoyfriends, haunted spaceships, and plenty of weird.

The Murdery Delicious Blood Stone Secret by Peter Sherwood

DF: The first two books in Peter Sherwood's Murdery Delicious series provided plenty of thrills, humor, and delectable recipes, and the ghostly finale is no exception. The Chalmers brothers "breezy summer getaway at their newly restored ancestral home" predictably goes awry, and the Chalmers brood must survive the perils of Blood Stone Manor! As Sherwood suggests, "Do peer past the gate, won't you?"

The Troop by Nick Cutter

ST: Part Lord of the Flies, part “28 Days Later,” all horror. This novel follows a group of Boy Scouts who must fight a deadly virus that threatens to kill them all.

“The One With the Halloween Party”

DF: The only thing better than Chandler’s usual snark is Chandler being sarcastic while he’s wearing a bright pink bunny costume. Also, Joey’s Chandler impression is aces.

"Epidemiology"

DF: Zombie attack!!!! (*Sniff* Miss you, "Community.")

The Rising: Deliverance by Brian Keene

ST: When the world is overrun by demon zombies, a father teams up with a priest and woman with a haunted past to save his son. The book is filled with gore and moments that will make you wince, but you'll learn that the real monsters in this tale are the humans.

The Captive Condition by Kevin Keating

DF: As I said in last October’s “Books That Should Be On Your Radar,” every character in this novel receives a fate that I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemies. Oh, that sound you hear is likely Keating pounding the final nail in your coffin. Enjoy!

The Disappearance At Devil’s Rock by Paul Tremblay

ST: Much like Daniel warned, this novel will keep you awake at night and have you jumping at every bump and shadow.

DF: *Checks closest for creepy crawlers* Damn you, Tremblay.

The Night of the Four Horror Authors

Four horror authors in one place means four times the horror! Listen to our interview with Joe Hill, Kat Howard, Thomas Olde Heuvelt, and Paul Tremblay.

The Boneyard Archives

By Daniel Ford

Thanksgiving always seemed to bring out the best in the writers of my favorite television shows. All of my top 10 lists for a variety of shows includes at least one Thanksgiving episode.

Here are 15 episodes the Writer’s Bone crew is thankful for. All of us wish you a Happy Thanksgiving that features plenty of wine, food, and novel material!

The One With The Thanksgivings On Thanksgivings

I remember working at ShopRite on the day before Thanksgiving and thinking I’d never love the holiday ever again. Cranky customers, endless lines, and eight hours of standing and bagging were enough to break my typically cheerful demeanor (that cackling you hear is my mother who is surprised to learn I was ever cheerful as a teenager). However, one of the early Thansgiving episodes of “Friends” was playing on the television in the break room. I sat down with my prepackaged turkey sub and laughed at the gang’s football game for the 30 minutes I got to spend outside my own chaotic reality. As Stephanie Schaefer said in her post compiling her favorite “Friends” episode, the show “simply never goes out of style.” That statement is even truer when it comes to their Thanksgiving episodes, which always brought the heart and laughs in equal measure. Of course, we couldn’t choose just one, so…

“I Can’t Pardon A Turkey!”

It’s a well-known fact that I’m a complete homer for “The West Wing.” My younger brother and I would watch multiple seasons during our Thanksgiving breaks when we were in school. One Thanksgiving Day, we resolved to watch the show all night. We hadn’t anticipated how much apple pie we were going to consume, so we didn’t make it much further than an episode and a half. Re-watching the holiday episodes always make me think of him and the amount of time we spent hanging out with the show in the background. The following two scenes never fail to elicit a laugh no matter what kind of day I’m having.

A Side of Slapsgiving

For all the misgivings I have about how the creators of “How I Met Your Mother” ended the series, I can’t argue with the simple brilliance of “Slapsgiving” and “Slapsgiving 2: Revenge of the Slap.”

The Thanksgiving of Misfit Toys

The way this scene escalates is brilliant. Diane’s plea for peace is rudely interrupted as expected, and the skirmish turns into outright war. The best part is that the loveable losers end up smiling, laughing, and toasting at the end. Like most episodes, the group learns they are in this life together regardless of what tortured hijinks they inflict on each other. Vera catching a pie in the face in the final scene is nothing short of inspired.

A Walton Thanksgiving Reunion

As much as I loved the original show, I’ve always had a special place in my heart for this reunion episode of “The Waltons.” It may have had something to do with John Boy becoming a television news anchor.

A No-Nuclear Family Thanksgiving

Remember family comedies that featured a family that actually liked each other? I’m guessing the “Modern Family” crew would have left their hippy parents in jail for several seasons. I recently watched a few episodes of “Family Ties” and was pleasantly surprised that the acting, writing, and gags hold up rather well. Let that be a lesson to today’s comedies that characters can actually be likeable to attract viewers.

All in the Thanksgiving

This is why you don’t talk about religion at Thanksgiving. Or politics. Or anything other than, “Pass the stuffing.”

A Garfield Thanksgiving

Not as good as the Garfield Christmas special, but anything involving everyone’s favorite orange cat and food is well worth a watch.

Tofurkey

I forgot how much I enjoyed “Everybody Loves Raymond.” I should phrase that differently. I forgot how much I enjoyed hearing my father’s belly laughs watching this show. Peter Boyle was at his best playing a crotchety old man (also see his performance in “While You Were Sleeping”). If anyone tried to pull this with my family, there would be fatalities (although, we’d probably still choke down the “bird”).

Cranberry Sauce à la Bart

You think Sean would let me post this without including a clip from “The Simpsons?” The cranberry sauce sliding out of the can makes me laugh every time.

For posts from The Boneyard, check out our full archive.

Halloween Hijinks: A Frightfully Fun Collection of Books and Movies