By Michelle Boon and Dara Poizner
Have you ever stared lovingly at your salted caramel mocha and asked it for a movie recommendation? The answer is probably not, but as usual, we’re here to help you overthink your choices with a listicle. There are not a lot of strictly “fall themed” shows and movies out there, but this is really more about ~the vibes~. So take it or leave it: here are some grlish fall faves.
Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew: Sex Education
If you’re still drinking iced drinks into the fall, it probably means you’re in denial that summer is over. That’s exactly how most kids feel when they return to school, which is where we first meet the students in Sex Education. Like a pumpkin cream cold brew embodies the transition from summer into fall, Sex Education is a show about transitions (mostly the transition into sexual maturity…gross, but true).
Aside from the school setting, the general feel of the English town where the Netflix original dramedy is set is very autumnal.
Decaf Cinnamon Dolce Latte: Little Women (2019)
Greta Gerwig’s adaptation of this classic tale is warm, sweet, and relaxing, much like a spiced latte sans-caffeine. The timeline alternates between childhood and adulthood, casting the former in a golden glow, and the latter in cold greys and blues. This feels like an encapsulation of the two sides of fall: warm leaves and carving pumpkins followed by the descent into a long, dark winter.
Little Women is currently available on Prime Video for any fall vibe, be it jovial or moody.
Apple Cinnamon Mule: Hocus Pocus
Adults go way harder for this family classic than the kiddos, so it gets a grown-up drink pairing. The Sanderson sisters and their disdain for children is, at times, relatable, and gives these loveable villains a menacing edge. Also, Bette Midler is the definition of Halloween camp. She is that witch.
Queue up Disney+, have a festive mule, and drunkenly sing along to “I Put a Spell on You.”
Pumpkin Chai: Modern Love
This anthology series based on the New York Times column of the same name is perfect for pumpkin spice lovers looking to branch out with a dash of chai. Some fall shows are cozy in their familiarity, but don’t miss out on something new because it’s different. Each episode has an indie feel with love stories that are messy, unresolved, unrequited, or just in their infancies.
With a healthy handful of happy endings thrown in, Modern Love is perfect for curling up on those chilly Sunday mornings, and is available for streaming on Prime Video.
Shot of Whiskey: Dark
Fall starts out cute, but as days get colder and greyer, you may feel like swapping out cocktails for straight hard liquor. Lean into the grey weather with Dark, a mesmerizing German sci-fi series where it is overcast in almost every episode. It’s a twisty narrative with timelines spanning several generations and gut-wrenching family drama. If family drama doesn’t make you want to drink, nothing will.
The complete three-season series is available on Netflix to binge on those glum fall days.
Salted Caramel Mocha: Tim Burton stop-motion (take your pick)
Cozy with a kick: not quite as basic as a PSL but not especially edgy either, the salted caramel mocha is a nice fit for one of Tim Burton’s two comforting-yet-spooky stop-motion animated films. Both Corpse Bride and The Nightmare Before Christmas make appropriate fall flick picks, but for different reasons. Corpse Bride is both wholesome and a little creepy: it’s a love story with a twist, the way salted caramel is a twist on a classic, sometimes too-sweet flavour.
If you want whipped cream on your SCM, go for The Nightmare Before Christmas. This video from The Take makes a very compelling argument that The Nightmare Before Christmas, as a Halloween-Christmas hybrid, is actually a Thanksgiving movie. Part of their logic is based on the American timeline (we live in Canada where Thanksgiving comes before Halloween) but the rest of the argument holds no matter where you live. Thanksgiving = pie, and pie = whipped cream. Case closed.
Corpse Bride is available on Netflix for the Halloween season and The Nightmare Before Christmas on Disney+.
Hot Apple Cider: The Mike Flanagan Haunting Cinematic Universe
In The Haunting of Bly Manor, the titular manor manages to be inviting despite being haunted (that kitchen is fab). Dani is a young au pair to two cute (by which I mean creepy) children at a grand (haunted) estate in the countryside of England. The sapphic love story and contemplative monologues veiled in spook are ideal for lovers of Halloween who may not be lovers of horror.
The Haunting of Hill House is considered the scarier older sister to Bly, and for some, too scary to watch. But the additional jump scares are like the addition of a cinnamon stick to your cider, a little something extra to get into the autumn or Halloween spirit. The dysfunctional Crain family slowly reconciling after a disturbing stay at Hill House, culminating in one tragic night, gives the show its emotional core, but of course it’s wrapped in horror. This series will warm your heart while giving it palpitations.
Both Hauntings are available to binge on Netflix.
Pumpkin Spice Latte: Gilmore Girls
You knew it was coming. Nevertheless, you shouldn’t let the fear of being basic keep you from rewatching Gilmore Girls. From the autumn leaves in the title card, to Rory’s first day of school at Chilton in the second episode, Gilmore Girls cements itself as a fall staple.
The small-town of Stars Hollow gives every episode a cozy fall quality, and it can be enjoyed shamelessly on Netflix.
grlish magazine 