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Best of 2025

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Best in Show

Two pieces of intertwined media completely floored me this year. I want to carve out a special section for Re: Dracula and Dracula — the former being an incredible way to experience the latter

This was my first time reading Dracula, and now I understand why books are called Classics. All the "classics" I read in school were "classics" because everyone read them in school. Dracula is a capital "c" Classic because it reached out from the 19th-century and made my blood run cold. This book is electric and surprising in ways that have not been tarnished or eclipsed in the last 130 years. I got to read a few other genre-creators this year — Neuromancer, The King in Yellow — and it feels damn good to know there are stories this good out there.

The audio drama Re: Dracula elevates everything about Dracula with incredible performances and a brilliant release schedule. Each chapter is released on the day it's dated in the book. This lead to some maddeningly tense weeks of silence and frantic days of back-to-back entries. I cannot recommend it enough and I cannot wait for Re: Frankenstein.

Movies

Best 1%: Wake Up Dead Man

I love a good mystery story and Knives Out continues to deliver. Josh O'Connor plays one of the best performed and written religious figures since Game of Throne's High Sparrow. I hope that Rian Johnson makes good on his threat: "I'm going to keep making these until Daniel blocks me on his phone."

Video Games

Best 1%: Dredge (2023)

Lots of indie games play matchmaker between two genres, but it's special when the resulting marriage rivals the romance of Pride and Prejudice. A rivetting cosmic horror scaffolded on a fishing game — Dredge delivers a delightful range of serene and tense gameplay. The brilliance comes from Black Salt Games delivering a buffet of chilling folk tales whether you play for 20 minutes or dive in for an all-night session. I especially want to recommend the Pale Reach DLC — whose horror rivaled five wonderful years of Rime of the Frostmaiden.

Books

Tabletop

Television