Brynn's Adventures

Aug 02, 2026

Every August, without fail, I get summertime sadness.

Not the romanticized Lana Del Rey, driving down the coast in my convertible in huge designer sunglasses kind. More like standing outside on a hot summer day and thinking, okay so when can I wear pants and a sweater again?

I like summer, I’m not a total hater. I love to backpack and hike in the summer, jump into freezing alpine lakes, go camping, and basically all the other activities that require me to slather my entire body in sunscreen and bug spray. But with the rising temps, by August, I’ve had enough.

I’m ready for chilly mornings, making soup without sweating, peeping leaves and pumpkin flavoured everything. Fall is my favourite season and I do not like that it is so fleeting. Every year when fall and Halloween decor starts filling the stores in August and the internet is full of people complaining that it’s ‘too early’, I personally, am thrilled.

Plus, with the rise of the ‘Summerween’ trend, I finally feel like I’m not alone. Apparently there are tons of us who enjoy summer but are also spiritually ready for October by August 1st. I mean, summer slashers exist for a reason.

This year I’m feeling especially ready for the seasons to change.

Wildfire season has been devastating, and so many places across Western Canada could desperately use cooler temps and some actual rain. The smoke has been blowing across the mountains where I live recently, muting the views and turning the sky that post-apocalyptic shade of hazy orange. Some mornings almost feel like fall, with cool temperatures and an orange sky until lunchtime when it hits 32 degrees.

Obviously watching Halloweentown isn’t going to make it rain. But while we wait for cooler weather and hope for safer outdoor conditions, I’ve been trying to find small ways to make this August feel a little cozier.

Hello Aug-tober, and welcome to Spooky Sundays.

I’ve compiled a list of some of my favourite, and some new to me, movies that will slowly transition from summer horror into cozy fall weather and eventually, full Halloween mode. Two spooky-ish movies every weekend, until October 31st.

Sundays are the official movie nights, but I added Saturdays for anyone who is extra committed to the cause. You could always do a double feature as well.

So in the spirit of the old internet, where people simply shared things they liked because they thought someone else might like them too — here is my Spooky Sundays movie list.

August: Summerween

Weekend one: I know What You Did Last Summer & Scream (1996)

Weekend two: Fantastic Mr. Fox & The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

Weekend three: Friday the 13th & The Wicker Man

Weekend four: Midsommar & Jaws

September: Fall is in the air

Weekend one: Twilight & Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban

Weekend two: Dead Poets Society & The Backrooms

Weekend three: Coraline & A Scary Movie in Theatres (reader’s choice but keeping theatres alive!)

Weekend four: Obsession & Dealer’s choice (A great weekend to catch up on any you missed, re-watch a comfort movie, or spend six hours watching Gilmore Girls and pretending that counts as one movie)

October: Finally!

Weekend one: Halloweentown & Halloween (1978)

Weekend two: A Scary Movie in Theatres & Hocus Pocus

Weekend three: Sinister & The Lodge

Weekend four: Halloween (2018) – Halloween falls on a Saturday so there is no Sunday movie this week but I may recommend The Nightmare Before Christmas as a great transition or perhaps a remake of any of the classics you watched earlier in the schedule such as Scream or another Harry Potter.

And, OBVIOUSLY, Gilmore Girls should be sprinkled generously throughout the entire schedule. It is the parsley of fall media. Put it everywhere.

I love a little ritual around my favourite season, especially while I eagerly wait for it to arrive. I’m not saying you have to pretend August is October; my boyfriend is not thrilled that I’ve asked him to find the box of Halloween decor… You can still swim, camp, hike, and enjoy the last weeks of summer. Just do it with a horror movie queued up for later 😉

So to everyone else experiencing summertime sadness: you are not alone. Summer is lovely, and we are grateful for it.

But fall is coming.

And I have the tiny decorative pumpkins ready.