Need a break from hardcore horror? Check out these spooky selections on Discovery+
Horror movies are my favorites, but since I watch so many of them (especially since launching The Horror Lounge), I sometimes need to take a break and partake of some gentler viewing options. It’s possible to do that and still keep it spooky, and Discovery+ proves it with their Ultimate Halloween Collection.
Discovery+ includes content from networks such as ID, HG TV, Travel Channel, and Food Network, which gives us a wide variety of streaming options. Surprisingly, these channels include shows that are perfect for Halloween, and there are a few I personally recommend.
Scariest House in America – Now in its second season, this HGTV series is hosted by
comedian Retta (Parks and Recreation). Retta visits a few scary homes in each region of the United States, then names one as the scariest. After that, she has to narrow those regional choices down to a single country-wide winner, and that house gets a makeover led by Alison Victoria.
These houses are all jaw-droppingly weird, and some are absolutely terrifying. Some are former jail houses or funeral homes, and many are infested by bats, snakes, etc. The home owners are exceptionally eager to show their weird houses, and a lot of them choose to lean heavily into the haunted aspect.
Retta is funny and entertaining, and her facial expressions are absolutely priceless as she reacts to the scarier aspects. My personal favorite thus far was in the first season, when one of the house choices looked like something the witch in Hansel and Gretal would live in. It had oddly curved walls, a giant key for the front door, a terrifying and dangerous cat walk, and even a one-person elevator that was the only access to the third floor.
Discovery+ also offers food-related Halloween fun
Halloween Wars – I have been watching Halloween Wars for years now, and it’s one of my favorite October traditions. In this fun show, teams of three people each compete to build the best display of assigned spooky subjects. Each team consists of a cake artist, a sugar artist, and a pumpkin carver, and they have team names like Poisonous Perfection, Howlers, Fright Squad, Creepers…you get the idea.
The show is hosted by Jonathan Bennett (who acts in a lot of Hallmark Christmas movies), and cake artists Shinmin Lee and Andrew Fuller are the judges for the current season. The judges and Bennett observe the teams working together while building their often elaborate edible Halloween show pieces, then check everything out up close, while also judging them on their flavors.
It is truly amazing to watch what these creators manage to build in a limited amount of time, especially with the constant threat of elimination hanging over them.
Halloween Baking Championship – Food Network’s other long-running Halloween competition series is Halloween Baking Championship. In it, ten bakers compete for a cash prize and the title of Halloween Baking Champion. Host John Henson gives them a theme to follow, sometimes odd ingredients that must be included, and then talks to them individually while they are frantically trying to create a winning confection.
Afterwards, judges Stephanie Boswell, Zac Young, and Aarti Sequeira then come onstage to critique, judge, and decide which competitor managed to bake the best looking AND best tasting work of art. There is a smaller competition first, then the bottom three people have to compete in a bake-off, which results in the lowest scoring one being eliminated. For the second round, the judges come out in fun, creative costumes.
A Very Haunted Renovation – Anna Camp (Scream 7, True Blood) hosts this HGTV home renovation series. The reno twist is that the house being renovated is haunted. Six designers are tasked with living in the home for a full month while working together to completely renovate it. They each face elimination challenges, and the one who lasts the longest wins $50,000.
The designers are joined by paranormal investigator Jack Osbourne (Portals to Hell), actress Cassandra Peterson (who is better known as horror host Elvira), horror director Eli Roth (Hostel), and actors Billy Porter (American Horror Story: Apocalypse) and Lulu Wilson (The Wrath of Becky).
Cabin in the Woods – Investigation Discovery was the original home for this true crime series, which comes to us from Blumhouse Television. Blumhouse is known for its horror movies, such as Get Out, Insidious, and The Black Phone, so super creepy territory is second nature for them.
Each of the six episodes examines a real-life crime that took place in a remote cabin. As an example, one episode is titled Cabin 13, and it explores a 1996 case at Babcock State Park in West Virginia.
On the night of April 30, 911 received a phone call from the Reverend James Michael Flippo, in which he said an intruder had killed his wife Cheryl by bludgeoning her with a stick of firewood. He claimed that he had been hit first, and was knocked unconscious.
Obviously, there is more to the story (and I'm sure you can guess who the killer actually was), but since that time, there have been claims of paranormal activity in the area.
Discovery+ is a streaming subscription platform, and you can receive a free 7-day trial subscription when you sign up through their website.
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