5 spooky reads perfect for a dark and stormy night

(BPT) – As Halloween approaches, it’s the perfect time to curl up in front of a crackling fire on a dark and stormy night with a spooky read. Here are five spine-tingling books from National Geographic and Disney. They won’t scare you … much.Go to Hell By Erika EngelhauptThroughout history and across cultures, people have long been spellbound by what lies beyond our worldly realm. Now, in this first-of-its-kind travel guide, National Geographic invites readers to explore the world’s strangest and most hellish destinations. Filled to the brim with intrigue, lore, and plenty of brimstone and fire, readers can now add “hell” to their travel bucket list and embark on an unforgettable journey into Earth’s most mysterious and mythical places, including legendary portals to the underworld, “hells on Earth,” and our planet’s most otherworldly destinations.Art of Coloring: The Haunted Mansion by Disney BooksThe legendary Haunted Mansion attraction and its ghoulish residents come (back) to life in this bewitching adult coloring book.Scare up some fun coloring your way through whimsically macabre artwork of the ride’s grim grinning ghosts, scenes, and iconography. From Madame Leota, the Bride, and the Hatbox Ghost, to the Stretching Room, the Endless Hallway, the Graveyard, and beyond, there’s chilling fun for everyone—if you dare to venture inside.Witches Run Amok: The Oral History of Disney’s Hocus Pocus by Shannon CarlinHocus Pocus is a movie that has few, if any, equals; it manages to span a generational divide, uniting boomers and zoomers in their nostalgic love for the boundary-pushing supernatural comedy that, in some ways, seemed a little too risqué for its original intended audience of millennial kids. So how did a movie that didn’t catch an initial spark end up casting such a spell on mainstream culture? Witches Run Amok answers that question and more, through interviews from the cast and creative team behind the heartwarming Halloween staple. The book is a love letter to Hocus Pocus’s millions of devoted fans and a fascinating read for anyone who wants to understand how the Disney movie became a pop culture phenomenon.The X-Files: Perihelion by Claudia GrayFox Mulder and Dana Scully are still reeling from the death of their son William as they struggle to find purpose away from the X-Files. Though their current relationship is tenuous, they hope to seize their second chance to be a family, despite the many questions surrounding Scully’s pregnancy.Then the FBI asks for their help on a case that hits all too close to home: a serial killer in the Washington, DC, area is targeting pregnant women. The killer appears to possess an uncanny power over electricity, which is enough for the Bureau to re-open the X-Files—if Mulder and Scully are willing. They cautiously agree, committed to finding justice for the killer’s victims. But their return to the FBI sparks the interest of a shadowy cabal, the heirs to the now-dead Syndicate, and Mulder and Scully soon discover that what at first seemed to be just another X-File is connected to a worldwide threat on an unprecedented scale … one with their own future at its heart.Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas Visual Companion by David A. BossertA deep-dive reflection on the making of Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas, this enchanting coffee table book features new interviews with the filmmakers and rare images from the Disney and Burton art collections.Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas was crafted as a piece of art: a visual masterpiece that blended together the genius of Tim Burton’s simple story and endearing characters with Danny Elfman’s eclectic music, Henry Selick’s stop-motion brilliance, Caroline Thompson’s heartfelt script, and the painstaking efforts of hundreds of artists, animators, and technicians—all wrapped in a world that only Burton could conjure up. Paired with stunning and never-before-released art and photography, this book transports readers into a one-of-a-kind retrospective journey detailing how Nightmare was thoughtfully crafted and all the ways in which the fan community worldwide has embraced the film ever since. This beautiful volume serves as the must-have book for fans of the film, artists and art collectors, and anyone who appreciates some frightfully good movie magic.Celebrate Halloween this year with these spooky books. The trick is, they’re the real treat!