Spooky Sundays > Sunday Scaries

The best way to start your week is with a scary movie and a baked good

Seven years ago, my husband Chris and I stumbled into a little tradition. It began when we started inviting a small crew of friends over every Sunday for a home-baked treat and a movie.

As it happened, more Sundays than not, the movie ended up being a scary one, not just because of my genre preferences but also because watching horror films at home with friends achieves the perfect “ideal hang” balance of a little commentary, a little laughter and a little courage in numbers.

After a few months of these regular meetings, our friend Mike texted us one morning asking “Are you doing Spooky Sunday again this weekend?” and thus the term was coined.

The number of attendants changes week to week, depending on who’s available or in town. Sometimes it’s just one guest. Sometimes it’s twenty. But two things are constant:

1. I will bake something and

2. A scary movie will be watched.

Gradually over the years, word about Spooky Sunday has spread, and more and more folks have expressed interest in joining in. While our actual living room may not be big enough for all of you, it got me thinking that certainly there’s plenty of comfortable seats with back support in my internet living room.

So here we are! You’re cordially invited to the first Substack edition of Spooky Sunday! To help you face the work week to come, I’ll provide you with a scary movie, a little light-hearted commentary and the recipe for an accompanying (and occasionally themed!) baked good!

I’ve got a real good inaugural combo for you today!

The movie: The Awakening (2011)

What It’s About: Set in the wake of post-WWI England, Florence Cathcart is a notorious debunker of the supernatural who’s called to a remote all-boys boarding school to investigate a so-called haunting that’s claimed the life of a student.

Who’s Good in It: Reeeally solid cast all-around, but special commendations are in order for the always fantastic Rebecca Hall (who could’ve easily helmed a Poirot-esque series of supernatural mysteries featuring the unflappable Florence Cathcart) and Imelda Staunton, who gives a deeply sympathetic turn as a tender-hearted housekeeper.

Scene With The Best Spooky Vibe: The cold open depicts an incredibly eerie (albeit charlatanic) seance complete with a rapidly rotting raven carcass, a blonde-wigged apparition and a thoroughly humiliated team of “Spiritualists.”

Scene That Will Spook Your Whole Damn Ass Off: There is a scene involving a dollhouse that will chill you to the very bone. The British really have a knack for restrained moments of horror.

Stray Thoughts: I appreciate that the first two acts of the movie function like a classic Agatha Christie whodunit. There’s more to fear from humanity than the paranormal in this one, though rest assured you won’t feel cheated out of a good ghost story.

Now, on to the baked good. Much like the title of this Sunday’s film, this treat will surely keep you awake through all its twists and turns.

The Baked Good: Espresso Brownies

These are my go-to treat whenever company is coming and I need to whip up a snack real fast! They’re very adaptable when it comes to mix-ins so go wild!

Ingredients:

-1/2 cup all-purpose flour

-1/3 cup dark cocoa powder

-1 cup sugar

-1/4 tsp baking powder

-1/4 tsp fine salt

-2 eggs

-1/4 cup vegetable oil

-1/4 cup melted butter

-1 tsp espresso powder

-1 tsp vanilla extract

-1/2 cup chocolate chips

-Flaky sea salt for garnish

Instructions:

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees

-Whisk together eggs, vanilla, espresso powder and salt til the espresso powder is mostly dissolved.

-Add sugar and whisk for 1-2 minutes

-Add oil and butter and mix to combine

-Add the rest of the dry ingredients and mix til just combined.

-Sprinkle with chocolate chips and flaky sea salt (optional)

-Pour into a greased 8X8 pan (lining it with aluminum foil is helpful) and bake on the middle rack at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

-Take them straight from the oven and put them on a heat safe pot holder in your fridge (at least 8 inches away from any meat, eggs or dairy) and let them cool for 30 minutes before cutting and serving.

Enjoy friends! Wishing you a restful Spooky Sunday and best of luck with whatever ghosties and ghoulies you might face this week!