Written in Blood 2025
An introduction to my new yearly tradition
It’s that familiar time of year once again.
Dying green leaves turn every shade of the rainbow as they pass on to the next world leaving nature’s prettiest ornaments behind, the shops are filling up with faux skeletons, pumpkin spice and cinder toffee; it’s not quite frigid yet but there is a warning chill to the air as Summer is laid in state.
The month of October and its best part: Halloween has been my favourite time of year for as long as I can remember, it’s a time of year full of traditions for me: traditional films, traditional food and drink and best of all? The tradition of playing some of the finest horror games ever made.
I’ve been planning the content and structure of my posts this month ever since June when I became certain that I would remain on Substack for the long-haul.
For the rest of this month I will be writing retrospective reviews of a franchise that’s very close to my heart: one that I always sink back into at this chilly, morbid, beautiful time of year. Getting these reviews out in time and revisiting these games will be quite an ordeal, so I’m going to be switching up my schedule a little; you should now expect an episode to land every Saturday and Sunday and for Wednesday posts to be shorter think piece-style topics.
If you love Halloween as much as I do, then this is the place for you this October.
So join me in the first annual series of Written In Blood: a month-long Scanlines’ Journal celebration of everything ghouls, ghosts, guts and gore.
Episode 1’s two halves will be releasing this weekend… but about which game?
A short while ago, I posted this picture as a note, well? Let’s get all that muck cleaned off the third game…
I’ll see you in the mansion.
