Description

PopaHALLics #111 HALL-oween
Time for vampires, spooky spirits, and movies with plot holes so big the wind moans through them like a ghost. Oh, and David Beckham and the brain, too.

Streaming:

• "El Conde," Netflix.  Former Chilean dictator Pinochet is actually a 250-year-old vampire who can't remember where he hid his money in this satiric arthouse flick. A French accountant nun will help him remember and/or stake him.
• "Trick r Treat," Max. This darkly comic horror anthology from the creator of "Krampus" tells four different, interwoven stories one Halloween night. With Brian Cox, Anna Paquin, and a creepy kid-sized spirit of Samhain, "Sam."
• "Beckham," Netflix. The life and career of soccer legend David Beckham is examined in this four-hour documentary from director/actor Fisher Stevens.
• "Something from Tiffany's," Prime. An engagement ring meant for someone else leads a woman (Zoey Deutch) to the person she was meant to be with in this rom-com. With Kendrick Sampson and Ray Nicholson, son of Jack.
• "Red Eye," Prime. This Hitchcockian thriller from horror maven West Craven  finds hotel manager Rachel McAdams happy to be seated next to a handsome stranger (Cillian Murphy) on a flight—until he reveals a nefarious plot.

Books:

• "Sunshine" by Robin McKinley. A young woman working as a baker becomes entangled in a vampire feud in this "near perfect fantasy" (Neil Gaiman).
• "The World Behind the World: Consciousness, Free Will, and the Limits of Science," by Erik Hoel. A scientist recognized by Forbes explores how the brain creates our conscious experiences—potentially revolutionizing neuroscience and the future of technology.

Music:
The Spooky Halloween Mix #111 playlist put together for us by Spotify's AI is scary good! It's perfect for your Halloween party or handing out candy to trick or treaters.

The Halloween-themed instrumentals in this episode are by our own Maestro of Musical Mayhem, that keyboardist who slays the 88s—Mike Bode! Fangs a lot, Mike.