To me, nothing is better than waking up to rainy weather, making a cup of coffee and cozying up on the couch to binge-watch a good show or movie. These are some of my favorite films that excite me for fall.
“Harry Potter”
The “Harry Potter” movies always remind me of autumn, especially when the students first arrive at their school, Hogwarts, and enjoy the “start-of-the-term” feast. This event closely resembles Thanksgiving with pumpkins, corn, chicken legs and amazing-looking desserts on display.
The movie also features many rainy and snowy scenes that depict the fall weather. Along with the seasonal scenes and food, the storyline and plot of the “Harry Potter” series is unmatchable.
There is adventure, magic and mystery in these films, drawing in viewers of all ages and keeping them wanting more.
“Gilmore Girls”
Another favorite fall series of mine is “Gilmore Girls” which follows a young girl, Rory Gilmore and her single mother, Lorelai Gilmore. The show centers around Rory and Lorelai’s friendship as mother and daughter in a small town with a friendly community.
Cliff Morales, UO sophomore, is a passionate viewer of Gilmore Girls and is the person who introduced me to the series.
“The scenery, the set design and the characters are very easy to associate with the fall,” Morales said. “The show brings me comfort because of the consistency of the characters … it has a good reflection of community.”
The show features the characters in warm clothes that are typically fall colors such as orange or red.
“Wednesday”
In addition, Tim Burton’s “Wednesday” is an eight-episode series on Netflix for those wanting a shorter series to binge during the spooky season.
The show, “Wednesday” is a spin-off of the classic Halloween movie “The Addams Family” that follows the teenage Wednesday Addams as she navigates Nevermore Academy. The school is seen as a sanctuary for supernatural students, and Wednesday finds herself in the middle of a murder mystery. With the help of her new friends and her spontaneous visions, she uncovers the deep-rooted history of her ancestors in the town of Jericho.
Jenna Ortega, who plays Wednesday, does an amazing job portraying a spooky character that is initially seen as cold and harsh. Yet as the film series unravels, the viewer can come to understand that she has many layers.
Her character development throughout the show allows the viewer to feel more attached to Wednesday and has us all asking, no, begging Tim Burton to release the next season.
“American Horror Story”
Another spooky watch for the holiday season is “American Horror Story” also commonly referred to as AHS.
This show features a new plotline with recurring actors playing different characters each season. For instance, “Season 2: Asylum” is about a mental institution and “Season 3: Coven” is about witchcraft.
The show also incorporates different types of horror such as gothic horror displayed in the themes and psychological horror portrayed within the character’s thought processes.
In “Season 7: Cult”, both horror types are displayed. The main character Ally believes she is going insane while she is stalked by killer clowns. Ally is gaslit and feels as if she is going crazy as she is tormented by a cult group.
I haven’t seen many episodes of this show, but the ones I have witnessed never fail to send a chill down my spine and leave me pondering the concept of the show for the next week.
Emily Hall, UO Sophomore, has seen various seasons of AHS and is a big advocate of it during the fall time.
“American Horror Story has a lot to do with ghosts and spirits and there is typically a haunted place in each season,” Hall said. “It is kind of a comfort show, strangely enough, because the characters are just so complex, and you can relate to certain parts of them.”
Hall also explained that AHS typically has a Halloween episode where spirits can leave the place they are restricted to and haunt people from their previous life. Details like this make this suspenseful show one of the best watches during the fall season.