Looking Back

My favourite film, book, and video game of 2023.

And just like that, 2023’s (almost) over. A year where I published my first book and a year where I read, watched, and played some memorable stories. As we enter 2024, I wanted to look back and share a couple of favourites.

If you have anything I should check out, let me know. If you’re new here, consider subscribing or following me elsewhere. I’ve got some exciting stuff planned for the year ahead I wouldn’t want you to miss.

Otherwise, thanks so much for reading, for supporting horror, and happy new year!

Favourite Film | Talk To Me

I loved Talk To Me. Set in Adelaide, Australia, it tells the story of a group of friends who come across a severed, embalmed hand that can be used to contact the dead. It’s creepy, fun, and, when it needs to get serious, doesn’t hold back in its look at desperation, grief, and loneliness.

Beyond that, there are a few specifics that I felt made Talk To Me special:

First, horror movies set in the present day have to acknowledge our culture of constant connection, endless social feeds, and wanting to capture everything on camera. Sometimes that can fall flat or feel forced but, in the case of Talk To Me (likely helped by the fact the film’s creators are YouTubers themselves), it’s done right.

Second, I loved how it flirted with the idea that something that should be disturbing, scary, and dangerous could be thrilling and addictive. It felt fresh, and led to a two minute scene against a soundtrack of Richard Carter’s Le Monde that’s been lodged in my mind since.

Favourite Book | The Devil All The Time

I talked about Donald Ray Pollock’s The Devil All The Time on Instagram and Substack Notes recently, saying that it’s Southern Gothic at its best in that it highlights humans at their worst.

Set in rural Ohio and West Virginia, it jumps between different characters and storylines, offering an unflinching and haunting look at humanity’s underbelly in the process. The way those storylines overlap, the way they’re written, and the hopelessness of it all creates a feeling that the Devil truly is at work all the time, and there’s nothing you can do but watch.

Though I watched the movie a while back, it’s still the only Pollock work I’ve read. I don’t imagine it being the last.

While it’s gripping and one that I highly recommend, be aware that this book doesn’t hold back. It’s violent, ugly, and disturbing. Not one for the faint of heart.

Favourite Video Game | What Remains of Edith Finch

With a playtime of only a couple of hours, a haunting soundtrack, and a release date stretching back almost seven years, I don’t know why I left playing What Remains of Edith Finch for so long.

Set up as more of an interactive story than a game, it has you explore the Finch House, room by room, short story by short story, to uncover what happened to those who lived there and why you’re the family’s only surviving member. It’s creative, surreal, and one of the most thoughtful experiences I’ve had with gaming.

While it’s not one that’s scary, it is one that’s subtle, layered with existential unease that’s led by emotion, crafted with careful nods to cosmic horror.

In an interview at the time of its release, the game’s developer Ian Dallas said What Remains of Edith Finch originally set out to be “a game about the sublime horror of nature,” looking to writers like H.P. Lovecraft and Laird Barron for inspiration. I found it to be a moving look at memories, misfortune, and the generational curses that pass within family.

Before you go

One of the best ways to support an author is to buy their books, so I’m going to shamelessly share that you can buy my debut novel, Buried By Sunset, by clicking the button below. If you’re based in the US, the Kindle version is on sale for just $0.99 until January 4th here.

If you want to connect, I live in other corners of the internet, though I’m trying to figure out what those should be. I keep an Instagram updated and tweet every now and then but, given how bleak the current X experience is, that could change. You can also find me on TikTok.

/ JJW