Few forces in the FiXT universe radiate as much energy as Summer Garfield who joins us to discuss her immense love of all things Godzilla….
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FiXT Labs: Graphic Designer Summer Garfield & Her Love of Godzilla (and All Things Kaiju)
Today we’re hanging out with FiXT Distribution Manager Alex Smolyaninov. He’s the guy making sure Louder Than Life 2025 in Louisville, Kentucky, may be over, but for the FiXT staff, it feels like the start of a new chapter. For the first time in the label’s history, two of its artists took the stage at one of the country’s biggest rock festivals: The Browning electrifying the “Kingdom Stage” on Saturday, and ENMY tearing up the “Big Bourbon Stage” on Sunday. This is a big moment for us at FiXT.
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FiXT Unleashed: The Browning & ENMY Bring Rave-Metal & Electronic Rock to Louder Than Life with FiXT Publicist Leasia Korbel
Running a label like FiXT might keep President James Rhodes busy year-round, but when October rolls around, it’s all about family, fun, and spooky traditions. From pumpkin carving to movie nights, James takes Halloween as a chance to slow down, enjoy the season, and make memories with his loved ones. We caught up with him to talk about how he celebrates, what movies make the annual watch list, and the family traditions that keep the spirit of Halloween alive.
We decorate the house with a spread of Halloween items but my favorite tradition is everyone in the family doing pumpkin carving each year. And I highly recommend https://www.zombiepumpkins.com/ for great patterns! We take photos of our creations each year. Here are a few of my favorites over the years:
When our kids were littler we took them trick or treating each year and made sure they had exciting costumes (Godzilla, Chewbacca, Bee, Parrot, Pirate, Dorothy, Chicken in a Suit, Sia, a Tootsie Roll, and many more!) as well as us trying to dress up and do something fun too – from Negan from The Walking Dead to Mario, Zelda, Tony Stark (Iron Man), a Mummy or even Rowsdower from the amazing MST3K film episode for The Final Sacrifice!
The biggest part of Halloween as a kid was just scoring a ton of candy!
Our biggest Halloween must-watch tradition is the Halloween is Grinch Night (1977) animated film from Dr. Seuss which you can watch in full on YouTube here:
We’re a bit more into lighthearted classics as a family but we do enjoy some scarier films too. Some family favorites we watch each year include: Ghostbusters, Hocus Pocus, Poltergeist, as well as getting little into some of The Conjuring movies.
Ghostbusters – a good mixture of fun and comedy mixed with scary!
Yep – here’s more photos of some we’ve done:
As the crisp autumn air rolls in and the shadows grow longer, Halloween arrives: a night of eerie thrills, candy-fueled chaos, and the perfect soundtrack for the macabre. Few artists embody cinematic darkness and futuristic dread like Klayton, the mind behind Celldweller. From crafting industrial soundscapes to building entire story worlds through music, Klayton’s work has always thrived on atmosphere. This Halloween, we dove into both his family traditions and his musical inspirations for the season.
The result? A glimpse into the mind of a producer who balances high-tech horror, childhood nostalgia, and the chaos of candy duty.
Definitely the treats.
There’s definitely a sugar rush aspect, which we try to keep under control as much as possible but it’s more about the kids picking out their fav video game character costumes to run around in.
Well my covers of John Carpenter’s “Halloween” & Charlie Clouser’s “Hello Zep” from the Saw franchise are good starts. “When Your Walls Fall” is sufficiently creepy. I’ve done quite a bit of stuff for my FreqGen project that are soundscapes that would be perfect to bring that “Someone’s going to jump out and eat my brains” vibe.
As a kid it was the cheapest stuff my parents could afford, so way less about who i was and more about being fortunate to have a costume at all. When I could choose, it was always Frankenstein’s monster, The Mummy, Dracula… The classic horror Monsters. I feel like in 2025 I’m always in my Halloween costume 24/7/365 🙂
When candy is involved, everything else goes to the wayside (including music – lol)
A Xenomorph embodies most of those elements for me. Again, “When Your Walls Fall” feels like a good theme song for an Alien stalking a Colonial Marine.
I really tied Flatliners to Halloween. The opening creepy choirs and Kiefer Sutherland’s opening line “Today is a good day to die…” just brings back all the Halloween feels. PS can never go wrong with a Reese’s product. Just sayin’ 🙂
Ghostbusters. I mean really – who ARE you gonna call??
In the 80s, before the controversy it was Michael Jackson’s Thriller
Halloween – John Carpenter
Pretty quickly. Most times it takes me a while to bring a track into focus but that one was such a classic – I just heard immediately what I could do. I wanted to respect the track and at the same time bring my sound to it. I did that so long ago that if I were to do it again now, it would probably sound completely different. For me it captured a moment in time and I’m glad people still rock out to it.
Pretty quickly. Most times it takes me a while to bring a track into focus but that one was such a classic – I just heard immediately what I could do. I wanted to respect the track and at the There was a time when it would have been “Watching Flatliners with a bag full of Reese’s sticks in my hand.” Now it’s “Trying to stay awake through “The Nightmare Before Christmas” while my kids down handfuls of candy while jumping on my head.” Good times. 🙂
Halloween isn’t just about scares: it’s about creativity, storytelling, and shared experiences. Through the lens of Celldweller, it becomes a celebration of cinematic horror, musical innovation, and even the mundane chaos of family life. Whether Klayton is crafting a synth-laden soundtrack or making sure the little ones get their candy fix, it’s clear that the dark, inventive spirit of Halloween is alive in both his music and his home.
Happy Birthday Brady Reis!
Most people get cake and balloons on their birthday. Brady Reis of ENMY gets pumpkins, ghosts, costumes, and a nation-wide excuse for candy overload. That’s right, ENMY’s lead singer was born on Halloween, making him the ultimate “Halloween Birthday Boy.” While fans are out trick-or-treating, Brady’s celebrating with his own brand of spooky fun (and probably some extra candy). We sat down with him to talk about what it’s like sharing your birthday with one of the world’s most haunted holidays and of course — which bandmate would survive a horror movie.
A Halloween birthday definitely beats a Christmas birthday! All ghosts, goblins, and candy are welcome at my party. I enjoy when I have birthday parties that people come dressed up in their costumes, it definitely puts a twist on things. Actually, when I was born my god parents showed up in their Tarzan and Jane outfits.
I’ve got at least one picture of a birthday party that my mom took of a bunch of kids in the basement dressed up. All of the food was Halloween themed and we played games where you’d stick your hand into a box to guess what the item was. Spaghetti or worms, jello or brains, all that good stuff haha. I remember playing pin the head on the Skelton as well. My mom was always super crafty so she would make custom cakes for me and my siblings, mine were just a little cooler, Frankenstein heads, cemeteries, etc. 🤘🏼
If I’m out with other people I accept trick or treat greetings but if I have friends around, they’re quick to inform anyone that it’s also my birthday, so shout out to them!
I’m probably the one who’s most likely to hog the candy, sticking a few extras in my pocket. I’m a big fan of KitKats, 100 Grand, Rolos, Snickers, Oreos and if there’s a spooky house that I know has the giant candy bars you better believe I’m goin in!
I’m not sure but I’ve always been curious about that! I will say growing up I was never a fan of “The Monster Mash” whether it was because of the goofy style of it or the Frankenstein sound clips added to it, something just always rubbed me the wrong way haha. Put on some Alakline Trio, Misfits, or Type O Negative and I’ll be much happier!
I don’t really have much of a tradition when it comes to my birthday but over the years my close friends usually invite me over to watch b-side horror movies (the worse the better) or standards like Return of the living dead, Phantasm, Poltergeist.
The first that comes to mind is Freddie Mercury just because his outfits are iconic, or a Justin Hawkins (The Darkness) jumpsuit maybe?
I think we could lean into it pretty hard, especially with some of the interludes between songs, pulling clips from different movies or having sections that are homages to horror movie themes. I’m just imagining having our local venue decked out in Halloween decorations, coffins and skeletons, steaming cauldrons with signature drinks, that’s not a bad idea!
I think playing with Rammstein, Avenged Sevenfold, or Ghost would be high on the list but if not those, I’d say playing more festivals like Louder Than Life. I don’t know… Welcome to Rockville or Shiprocked?
As the candles flicker and shadows dance, Brady Reis reigns supreme as ENMY’s official Halloween Birthday Boy. Beware, fans: behind the cake and confetti lurk tricks, treats, and maybe a few eerie surprises in ENMY’s next moves. After all, not every frontman can claim to celebrate their birthday while keeping an eye out for ghosts… and still shred like a monster on stage.
Step inside if you dare, beyond the cobwebbed doors of Travis Brockett’s House of Horror lies a movie marathon dripping with terror, suspense, and just enough campy gore to make you laugh while you scream. Travis’s favorite list of Halloween movies is here, the kind of films that creep into your brain, crawl under your skin, and make you question whether that shadow in the corner is really just your jacket.
These aren’t just casual “pop some popcorn and forget it” picks, these are movies designed to haunt, to thrill, and to keep the lights on long after the credits roll. Whether you’re a horror connoisseur or a seasonal dabbler, Travis’s favorite fright flicks will guarantee your October nights are filled with chills, thrills, and maybe a nervous glance over your shoulder.
So grab your candy stash, lock the doors, and prepare to be pleasantly unsettled.
I am a diehard fan of the A Nightmare on Elm Street movies. The first one was one of the first horror movies I watched as a child and it scared the hell out of me. I know a lot of people think they start to fall apart as they go on but I love the whole series.
I think in very recent memory, movies like Weapons, Sinners, Bring Her Back, and Speak No Evil (Foreign – 2022) all have locked in a place for me.
I am a huge fan of the Scream franchise as I really think it brought slashers “back from the dead.” I enjoy the Child’s Play universe and of more recent movies, the Terrifier movies are really enjoyable.
Drag Me to Hell is probably one of my favorites in the supernatural genre. I love Sam Raimi and this one was just so good. When Evil Lurks is a recent one that is just flat out scary and has some of the best horror scenes I have seen in the last few years.
I loved Cabin in the Woods because going in, you thought you were just getting another Evil I don’t think you can talk about laughs with horror without talking about Shaun of the Dead. That is an all-time favorite. I also really enjoyed the Happy Death Day movies as well because they had the comedic bit of Groundhog Day.
I don’t think you can talk about laughs with horror without talking about Shaun of the Dead. That is an all-time favorite. I also really enjoyed the Happy Death Day movies as well because they had the comedic bit of Groundhog Day.
I have two that come to mind. I always watch Killer Klowns from Outer Space. It has been a favorite ever since I was a kid. The other would be Halloween 3: Season of the Witch. This movie got a lot of flack, mostly because Michael Myers isn’t in it. But I just love the movie.
Gear up for FiXT Vice President Kurtis Redden’s favorite time of the year. If you’ve worked with Kurtis long enough, you know.
Forget Christmas. Forget Easter. Forget summer fun. It’s Halloween baby.
When the shadows grow long and the night air carries an unshakable chill, true horror fans know it’s time to settle in for a night of terror. Kurtis Redden’s House of Horror is not for the faint of heart, this list of Kurtis’s favorite Halloween movies. From classic slashers to psychological thrillers, supernatural haunts, and hidden gems of the macabre, these are the films that define a season of fear. Whether you’re a die-hard horror aficionado like Kurtis or just dipping your toes into the dark, these favorites of his will make your Halloween unforgettable…
So, lights off. Door locked. Grab that blankie. From slashers to supernatural scares, Kurtis Redden’s picks are for those brave enough to watch… and hopefully survive.
When I think of the true “classics” of horror, my mind always goes back to the Universal Monsters. Dracula, The Wolf Man, The Creature from the Black Lagoon, Frankenstein’s Monster—those films are foundational, and the characters have stood the test of time. I’d also say John Carpenter’s original Halloween belongs in that conversation. It’s a seasonal staple that still sets the bar for slasher horror.
As for what I’ve watched this year, I’ve been lucky to see some really strong modern entries: Weapons, Together, 28 Years Later, Bring Her Back, Clown in a Cornfield, and Sinners—all excellent films that prove the genre is alive and thriving.
Evil Dead 2 is my favorite movie of all time. Next question.
If you’re after a movie that will leave you squirming with dread and full of anxiety, I can’t recommend The Coffee Table enough. Don’t look up a single thing about it—just watch. There’s also a low-budget film called Vulcanizadora. It won’t be for everyone, but once the story clicked for me it left me with a deep, gnawing sense of dread that stuck.
Of course, everyone knows the iconic slashers, but if you want to dig a little deeper, here are a few that often get overlooked: Intruder, The Burning, Slumber Party Massacre 2, and my personal favorite, Tourist Trap. These films don’t always get the spotlight, but they each bring something strange, creative, and unforgettable to the table.
Step softly, for Chantal’s House of Horror is not built of bricks and shadows, but of whispers, candlelight, and the pages of books that breathe when no one is looking. This is no carnival funhouse of cheap screams and rubber masks, this is a place where dread lingers in silence, where the unknown presses in at the edges of perception, and where the most terrifying things are never fully seen.
Her favorite stories and films are not the kind that make you jump, but the kind that stay with you long after the lights are out, the kind that twist through your dreams and return in the hush before dawn. From gothic halls echoing with secrets to eldritch horrors that refuse to be named, these are the tales that call to her when October arrives.
As much as I’d love to profess my love for Creature from the Black Lagoon, The Invisible Man, and the other Universal Monsters (totally no favoritism here, promise), I’m going to leave them on their own little display case for now. When I think of classic horror movies, slow burn stories alongside Vincent Price’s voice and narrations immediately come to mind: House of Wax (1953), House on Haunted Hill (1959), and the Poe film adaptations – The Masque of the Red Death (1964) and House of Usher (1960). I keep these right alongside The Haunting (1963) for some of that gradually creeping “home alone with something not quite right” feeling.
While not “classic” classics, I’d also consider John Carpenter’s The Fog (1980), Phantasm (1979), and Suspiria (1977) worth honorable mention. Ghost pirate zombies, strange mysteries, and some Italian supernatural spooks, just for a little extra flavor. (And for anyone curious… yes: I have seen the remakes, continuations, and reimaginings of each and every one of these.)
I always keep a quiet ear out for anything that might be particularly spooky, but my Halloween-specific rotation is catered to a very specific flavor: blood, ectoplasm, and a little bit of witch’s brew (spiced, mulled apple cider). That in mind, the things here aren’t my more “regular” disturbing, psychological, or cosmic fare, but a few more recent adds would be more or less what you might expect for the season: the Hell House LLC series, Terrifier series – and I’m so glad there’s more than one now, All Hallows’ Eve, Host, and any of the VHS anthologies.
The less you know about it, the better, but I’m going to frontload this with Lake Mungo and a huge asterisk: don’t go into this movie expecting a horror movie, or you’ll be disappointed. Wait for an afternoon or night when you want to watch a documentary, then watch it like you would any other. If you go into it with that framing, you’ll have a very different experience that might stick around for longer than you thought, or wanted. There’s also a post-credits scene, so don’t think that roll means it’s over. 😉
If you’re looking for something that doesn’t require just the right set-up to watch, though, I do have a mix of other psychological shenanigans and thrillers: The Void is delightfully cosmic flavored with a bit of body horror, Triangle is one of those movies that you’ll end up watching twice, while Last Shift (which I prefer to its remake, Malum) and Pontypool will both try to worm their way into your skull. You have no idea how much restraint I used to not put Event Horizon on this– oops, how’d that get there?
Slashers and their many permutations are one of my favorite horror junkfoods; you know, when you don’t want to twist your brain into a pretzel with the unfathomable, but still want something to go with your slushie. I do still have a special place for Scream, Friday the 13th, Halloween, and A Nightmare on Elm Street, but I’m going to give you some of my junkier junk food instead.
From the more whimsical side of things, there’s the Puppet Master series. Sitting somewhere between slashers and a little something else, I’ve always loved the puppet work for these movies. If theater’s more your speed, Stage Fright (1987) might have a setting to tickle your fancy (and has a killer in a barn owl mask. Win-win), or the original Candyman (1992) with it’s slower, more methodical burn, and diabolically sweeter angle. And while you can’t go wrong with screaming, tripping, mess-fests like Hatchet or Urban Legend (1998), I’d recommend hitting up Drive Thru (2007) for a different kind of killer clown and a side of sass. I’m being completely serious, too. That movie’s become a long-running guilty pleasure.
While it’s not a slasher per-se, more of a thriller, I’d also love to throw out an honorable mention here to The Curve. College loopholes and Matthew Lillard being diabolical. That’s all you need to know.
Some of my favorite horror movies are the kind that take their time. They don’t just rush you with jump scares or a ghost going on an absolute rampage, they’re a little more quiet. They take their time to wiggle their way under your skin so they can make it crawl while you’re trying to fall asleep.
I think the curses would be the fun place to start. Noroi: The Curse finds itself on a lot of top lists, so it’s not some obscure piece of nightmare fuel, but I think it’s very well earned that spot. It has a tendency to linger and poke long after the credits roll, and I both love and hate it for that. Exhuma hits in a pretty similar way as well, for those days where you want some more demonic spectacle with your bloodline curses. In the Mouth of Madness slowly pulls back the veil between us and the cosmic, upsetting sanity’s balance, and Unrest (does anyone else remember Horrorfest’s “8 Films to Die For”?) sinks its way into your bones in some weird ways.
My highlight here, though, goes to a lesser known Stephen King story adaptation: The Mangler. I won’t spoil it for you, but go look up what an industrial mangle looks like. Did your stomach just lurch a little? Good. (Also read the short story if you get the chance – your imagination makes it so much worse.)
For Halloween, specifically, Pumpkinhead (the first one) has been a staple since I was in middle school. I’ve always loved that gangly, alien creature and how uncomfortably expressive it is. I think that’s kind of my running thing with monster flicks, too, the uncanny or “uncomfortable the longer you think about it” kind of weasel their way toward the top of my list pretty often to sit alongside really cool practical effects work. The main “monster” – you’ll understand the quotes if you’ve seen it – in The Ruins is another one of those, as are some of the designs throughout the Southbound anthology. The glowing-toothed fuzzy gorilla meatballs from Attack the Block are also super fun, if you like things to have a more fun and less terror angle.
The creature in most recent memory that got me for a little while, though, would have to be the organism from Splinter. It hits all the right notes in my book: terrifying concept, unsettling execution, and just enough of a bonus body horror twist for me to say that you probably don’t want to be eating if you’re watching it. (Or do. I can’t stop you.)
I’m going to do a little dance around that pit of Deadites over there and see if I can dig up something a little… different. Like the totally not Evil Dead flavored Braindead (or Dead Alive, depending on where you live). That movie is worth watching for the lawnmower scene alone, but doubles as a good way to expand on any existing Ash-appropriate quote bank. The Reanimator movies are, while my obligatory Lovecraftian inclusion, also a blast and always in my regular rotation. (And to anyone who now has that theme pulsing through their head… I’m not sorry.)
For those times where undead viscera and gallons of blood isn’t on the menu, though, Waxwork is an absolute classic and The Frighteners casually skirts the intersection of camp, comedy, and almost entirely family friendly (in that same way Beetlejuice is). I’ll also give Rigor Mortis an honorary shout out while we’re here: it gets very dark in places, but once you see the ghost fighting sequences, you’ll understand why I’m setting it here, on an offering plate, with some snacks.
I’m going to apologize just a little here, because I don’t watch as many horror comedies as I do movies that’re so bad they’re funny, but there are a few that I like to throw at the unsuspecting. Tucker & Dale vs. Evil tends to sit at the top of the list because of its twist on the “murderous hillfolk” stereotypes and horror movie fans’ tendency for overanalysis. It’s dumb, goofy fun.
On the much, much darker side of humor, though, there are two in particular that come to mind: Black Sheep, which I warn gets both very dark and very gross in places, but also has pseudo weresheep, and Rubber, which is… about a murderous tire with psychic abilities. Don’t think about it too much, and the tire can’t remotely detonate you in front of a bunch of bored people with binoculars.
This might be a case of me being away from my usual horror groups around the time it came out, but A Wounded Fawn is the first title that comes to mind. It’s a bit art housey, but the crossover of serial killer and mythology helps it stay interesting. Definitely not something that everyone’s going to like – in fact, it’s almost definitely a love it or hate it kind of movie – but I think it’s kind of neat.
In a different vein: Zydrate comes in a little glass vial, and my bonus honorable mention here goes to Repo! The Genetic Opera (not to be confused with Repo Men, which is a more “serious” take on the same movie). It’s a musical, it’s dark, it’s bloody, and it has this grungy tech goth Italian renaissance vibe that I haven’t really been able to find anywhere else. If you can find it streaming somewhere, give it a poke, but don’t go blaming me for any earworms.
There are four movies that are a compulsive must every October, and are strangely more family friendly than everything else I’ve pulled out of the movie shelf here: Hocus Pocus, Little Monsters, Sleepy Hollow… and Cry Baby Lane.
I probably need to explain that last one a little: it’s an old, made-for-TV movie that aired on Nickelodeon back in October of 2000. The movie aired once, and then promptly became lost media until around 2011. For me and a few friends, this movie was the equivalent of living out a creepypasta: we’d seen it, but no one we knew believed it’d aired on a kid’s network, because the plot was “a bit too dark”, until it’d been recovered. It now gets one annual play as a sort of victory lap that we weren’t crazy. If you’re curious, and have some time to burn, the stories around trying to find this thing are super interesting~
I’ll let you know as soon as I find one that does. 😉
With cosmic horror, it’s never really about seeing the vast cyclopean wastes, impossible architecture, or monsters scuttling between shadows – that’s all set dressing. What makes it scary is a combination of how small any one being is reduced to by the greater machinations of things that couldn’t care less, and the way in which it tends to give just enough to convince us to scare ourselves. Environments and monsters can both be very frightening things, but what our own minds come up with in order to fill gaps in our knowledge or perception of something is almost always worse than the thing itself; the combination of tension, dread, and being drip fed little breadcrumbs of insight is devious and wickedly effective.
I’m more likely to think of full descriptions of the horrors and locales as fascinating than scary, but if you hit me with a description as limited as “it smelled of unopened rooms, and made the sound of rabbits screaming”, it’s going to get a much different, more apprehensive, response as my brain’s scrambling to make it make visual sense. (And if you know what that approximate quote’s from, you’ve earned yourself a cookie.)
Graham Masterton’s Walkers. I don’t think anything ever made me afraid to go out for walks before or since. Teenage me borrowed that book from my mom’s collection, read it, and promptly couldn’t be anywhere near brick or concrete surfaces without straining my ears for out of place noises for a solid few days after finishing the book. The phrase “tomato puree” has also taken on a permanent, all new meaning to me that will never go away.
“Best”s and “favorite”s are two things I’m never all that great at, so I’ll toss you a small handful. The aforementioned Graham Masterton is one of my frequent go-tos, but James Herbert and Robert R. McCammon are also excellent masters of atmosphere alongside their surreal tales. Both Lovecraft and Robert W. Chambers also fit the list in their own ways, but I’ll keep them more in my list of obvious honorable mentions. 😉
While Walkers is definitely a top contender (because I don’t know how no one’s tried to yet), I don’t think there’s a direct “perfect” adaptation I’d want to see. I would, however, love to see what someone would do by taking aspects of Chambers’ The King in Yellow and seeing how they’d be adapted to the screen. It’s a short piece, but go read Cassilda’s Song and tell me that the gears don’t start turning for some strange Carcosean adventure. Or don’t – wouldn’t want to go spreading The Sign’s all-consuming influence too far.