October Horoscope by Mariya Kurbatova

It's time to get spooky with our October Horoscope!

I've had several friends express a similar sentiment this year: it doesn't quite feel like Halloween. Maybe because here in Arkansas, we’ve only seen below-sweltering temperatures for a few days -- not quite conducive for seasonal sweaters. Maybe because it costs, like, thirty dollars a head now to visit the pumpkin patch. Maybe because the world is scary enough without all the inflated severed heads and cotton cobwebs. Still, Halloween remains a favorite holiday for many, and to squeeze at least a drop of boo-rific holiday spirit from your souls, I've compiled a personalized Halloween film guide, astrologically selected for maximum delights and frights.

Aries 

Near Dark: The director of my favorite film, “Point Break,” also directed this Gothic Western about a young man who's sucked into a clan of nomadic vampires. Interestingly, this film never states the word “vampire.” A lesson to be learned there: what goes unsaid in your life? What are the words you can omit? 

Taurus

Vampire’s Kiss: This Nic Cage vampire flick features some of the most overwrought acting you’ve ever seen, and perhaps the world’s most gruesome scene featuring plastic fangs. A fun fact: Christian Bale based his performance in “American Psycho” off Cage’s campiness. A lesson here — what unexpected sources can you draw inspiration from this month? Let the weirdest things influence you to create something beautiful.

Gemini 

Corpse Bride: In this creepy kids’ classic, a Victorian man named Victor betrothed to a woman named Victoria accidentally proposes marriage to a corpse and ends up stuck in the underworld. One of my favorite things about this movie is that it's a musical, featuring some absolutely jazzy bangers. It's a digestible — and fun — way for kids — and adults — to confront and process death. From this movie, you can learn to not disregard the darker parts of life, but rather approach them playfully. What darkness can you make light of?

Cancer 

The Monkey: Based on a Stephen King short story, this film traces a family's cursed history with a wind-up monkey. Fun piece of trivia — the creepy monkey from Toy Story 3 is also inspired by King’s piece, and the Toy Story one has the clanging cymbals of King's original. Disney copyrighted that version, so “The Monkey”’s monkey makes do with drumsticks. Perhaps this anecdote can remind you: any good idea you've got, hop on it! Anything unutilized will be taken by the next hungry mouth.

Leo

An American Werewolf in London: In this movie, two American friends are attacked on the moors of Britain. One dies, and comes back to haunt the other. A lesson to be learned here for the month: what’s haunting you? Or rather, who’s haunting you? Become cognizant of all the old voices who still trail after you.

Virgo 

Orphan: In this film, a family adopts an orphan, a sweet little girl. Things soon turn dark. This movie can teach you that it is often the ones closest to us who pose the biggest threat. This is a good month to reexamine your personal relationships. 

Libra

Frogs: In this film, a young environmentalist visits the swampy island estate of an aging millionaire. With the old man’s family gathered for a birthday celebration, gruesome things involving alligators, spiders, and yes, frogs, soon take hold. A lesson can be had here about nature’s wrath. This month, scrutinize your local ecosystem — what signs, lessons, and even warnings can you glean?

Scorpio 

Twilight: A tale as old as time: a cryptid love triangle, an epic soundtrack, a blue tint, sleepy weepy Washington weather. “Twilight,” hated, reviled, still relevant almost two decades later, reintroduced a generation to the vampire mythos. From it, you can learn this month the lesson of timelessness. What old traditions do you draw on to inform the present moment?

Capricorn 

Nightmare Before Christmas: This Tim Burton classic follows Jack Skellington, a skeleton, on his holiday misadventures after he trips down into Christmasland and decides to take over Santa’s job. This movie remains relevant from October’s start to December’s end, spanning the whole season from before Halloween to after Christmas  -- a reminder for you that good things are still ahead. There is much to look forward to this month, and next, and next.

Sagittarius

Werewolves Within: The guy from “Detroiters” and “I Think You Should Leave” teams up with the hot lady from the AT&T commercials to solve a small-town werewolf murder mystery. This movie is half slasher and half comedy, a delightful mash of genres. Combining two unexpected things yields great results; what opposing parts of your life ought to meld into one? 

Aquarius 

Us: In “Us,” a world of tethers — secret scary doubles — exists parallel to ours. Perhaps this can be an apt metaphor for how you think about your own life: who lives in your close quarters that you never acknowledge? How can you close that gap? 

Pisces 

28 Days Later: Cillian Murphy plays a young man waking up cluelessly into the aftermath of a zombie apocalypse. He bands with other survivors, and learns a crucial lesson, that maybe humans are the real monsters. This movie brought about the fast-zombie renaissance — they usually were previously depicted as slow and lumbering.  Take inspiration this month: what slow-moving parts of your life deserve to be sped up a bit?