Culture Trip – Week 4

Ahh Week 4 – not quite the dreaded Week 5, but still horrendously busy and the only thing that keeps you sane is the costume planning for every Halloween bop you can find.

We are here with a short run down of culture picks for this week! These will help you get in the spooky spirit and will definitely distract you from those pending deadlines…

Film – The Shining

As we move into the end Week 4, the only thing on people’s minds is where they will be for Halloween. What better way to start the celebration off with one of the most classic horror thriller movies ever: ‘The Shining’. With the endless number of pop culture references that have spawned from this movie, it is a Halloween season necessity. Having been reimagined in masterpieces like ‘The Simpsons’ or even ‘The Angry Birds Movie’, the iconic shots and ghosts from this movie are timeless.

REDRUM REDRUM REDRUM. Image Credit : Michelle Crees

Not only will the eerie longshots terrify you or the jump scares make you scream, the movie itself is quite relatable especially to a Cambridge student being driven to the brink of insanity by ‘all work and no play’. If you did not get that reference, then you must watch now to prevent embarrassment this week.

TV Series – What We Do in the Shadows

As November starts and week 5 looms, head to BBC iPlayer to forget this, get your Halloween started and watch the TV adaptation of ‘What We Do in the Shadows’. Directed by the one and only Taika Waititi, this comedy horror mockumentary series follows a group of centuries-old vampires grappling with the everyday modern world and the hardship of sharing a flat. Struggling with everyman problems such as not being able to enter a nightclub without being invited in or just the daylight, they find themselves constantly stuck in the worst situations, much like real life.

Edward Cullen who? Image Credit: screenshot via BBC Iplayer

On a happier note, this series is great to watch with your own flat or household while you prepare for the scariest day of all- week 5’s start!

Book – The Secret History

Do you really want to dive into dark academia this spooky season? Have you always wanted to be part of an elite club that dresses extraordinarily well and has some dark, dark secrets? Then this is the book for you! Although this book is a chunky one, it is definitely worth a push through as it has so many brilliant elements; suspense, secrets and surprises!

When Richard transfers to a new school, he joins an elite group who study Greek. They are hiding secrets, though, and it seems that their obsession with Greek and with each other will soon go beyond what anyone ever expected.

Obnoxiously long coat = acquired. Image Credit: Charlie Scott-Haynes

After reading this, you will be going to look for a floor-length coat, guaranteed!! You have our backing – it is for the aesthetic after all…

Album – lately i feel EVERYTHING

If you haven’t discovered the absolute bangers of Willow while scrolling endlessly through TikTok then you have been doing it wrong! Songs like t r a n s p a r e n t s o u l are favourites on the internet, but the whole album is definitely worth a listen. With a rocky, pop feel and a very relatable title this album is perfect as we brace ourselves for the oncoming Week 5.

Willow’s 2021 album. Image Credit: screenshot via Spotify

These songs might be perfect to add to that pre-party playlist to get the mood going, or maybe you are procrastinating that essay that is due tomorrow and want some music to dance around anxiously to. Either way…

There we have it! Our recommendations to get you through this week. Get watching!

Cover Image Credit: Gemma Penson