This isn’t your average Friday Five… it’s the Halloween edition! A blend of good vibes, spooky stories, brilliant music and real moments of human connection (because not everything has to be scary).
South Africa (31 October 2025) – It’s Halloween, and while the world is busy with ghosts, ghouls, and pumpkin-spiced everything (America, we’re looking at you), I’m sitting here doing what I love most… sharing the good stuff.
So yes, today’s Friday Five has a bit of a spooky twist! Thrilling series, chilling films, hauntingly good music and a few moments that might just give you goosebumps (but not in a scary way).
If you’re new here, welcome to my happy place. The Friday Five is my go-to guide for all the good things. Movies, series, music, books, restaurants and everything in between. It’s where I get to share the things that made me smile, think or just feel a little more alive during the week. It’s one of my favourite features on Good Things Guy because it’s a space where I can give you my honest opinions about all the lekker things I get to experience. I’m often invited to movie premieres, early screenings, incredible events or even handed access to shows before they hit your screens. And this is my weekly column where I get to share it all with you… the good, the surprising, the spooky and the seriously fun.
So, grab a coffee (or a cauldron of something stronger), light a candle, and settle in. This Halloween Friday Five is packed with thrills, chills and all the good things worth your time.
🎬 Movies That Will Give You A Thrill
🍼 The Hand That Rocks the Cradle (2025)
Let’s start with a remake… because of course Hollywood loves a good comeback story. The Hand That Rocks the Cradle (2025) is a modern retelling of the 1992 psychological thriller. This time, Mary Elizabeth Winstead plays Claire, a mother who hires a nanny, Polly (played by Maika Monroe), who seems perfect… until she isn’t.
Directed by Michelle Garza Cervera, the remake taps into modern anxieties. Motherhood, cell phones and the quiet terror of realising someone’s infiltrated your life. And while the acting is genuinely brilliant, it just doesn’t quite live up to the original.
The good thing is it inspired me to go back and rewatch the 1992 version, which is still an absolute masterpiece. So maybe that’s the real win here.
🍿🍿 for the remake
🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿 for the original
Both now streaming on Disney+
🛥️ The Woman in Cabin 10
The Woman in Cabin 10 is one of those thrillers that keeps you second-guessing yourself (well, it did for me). Based on Ruth Ware’s best-selling novel, it follows a journalist who witnesses what appears to be a woman being thrown overboard from a luxury yacht. But when she raises the alarm, the crew insists everyone’s accounted for. No missing passengers. No witnesses.
I loved it. It’s not going to redefine the genre but it’s the perfect easy-watch mystery for a night in. Tense, atmospheric and visually stunning. The Norwegian backdrop is breathtaking and the confined setting builds just the right level of unease.
🍿🍿🍿🍿
Now streaming on Netflix
📺 Series You Need To See
👨🏻⚖️ Murdaugh: Death in the Family
This one is dark. And brilliant. Murdaugh: Death in the Family is a limited series based on the shocking true story of the Murdaugh family in South Carolina, a once-powerful dynasty undone by greed, corruption and violence.
Inspired by Mandy Matney’s Murdaugh Murders Podcast, this scripted series takes things to a cinematic level. The performances are unreal… Jason Clarke as Alex Murdaugh and Patricia Arquette as Maggie Murdaugh are magnetic.
I was hooked from the first five minutes. It’s beautifully made, chilling and a must-watch if you love character-driven true crime.
🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿
Now streaming on Disney+
🎈 It: Welcome to Derry
And now, for the Halloween-perfect pick of the week… It: Welcome to Derry.
Set decades before the Losers’ Club ever faced Pennywise, this prequel dives into the town’s cursed past. It’s 1962, and the evil that feeds on fear is just starting to take shape. I got early access to the first five episodes (thank you HBO) and I can confidently say it’s everything you’d want in a prequel.
It’s unsettling, clever and packed with Easter eggs for Stephen King fans. The atmosphere is so rich you can practically feel the dread seeping through the screen. If you loved It (2017) and It: Chapter Two, this is your next obsession.
🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿
Now streaming on HBO | Showmax
🎧 Music For You
🎶 “Gone, Gone, Gone” – David Guetta, Teddy Swims & Tones and I
A 90s-inspired house anthem that’s all heart. Teddy’s voice is unmatched and Tones adds that perfect dash of edge. It’s pure feel-good energy.
🎶 “Almost” – Lewis Capaldi
Lewis is back and my heart is full. “Almost” feels like every emotion you’ve ever been too scared to say out loud, wrapped in melody. It’s raw, it’s honest and it’s exactly what we’ve missed from him.
🎶 “Let You Go” – Demi Lovato
A pop anthem through and through. And Demi’s vocals are fire. It’s upbeat, powerful and currently living rent-free on my playlist (yes, sandwiched between Taylor Swift and Guetta). I’ve added 2 versions of the song below:
I’ve curated all of these (and a few extras) into a playlist on Apple Music. Sorry Spotify fam, I’m team Apple. But trust me, you’ll want this playlist on repeat.
☀️ Places to Go
This past weekend, the Sun City GM’s Kasi Ride took place – an incredible event that celebrates sport, connection and mental health awareness. This year, the resort handed out 7,500 free tickets, opening the event to the local community. It’s a day filled with running, walking, and cycling but also food, music and so much heart.
I joined the ride myself and clocked over 45 kilometres, surrounded by people from all walks of life, all pedalling for a shared cause — mental health awareness.
I spoke to Brett Hoppe, General Manager of Sun City, “This day is about more than sport. It’s about giving our community space to come together and speak openly about mental health.”
It’s proof that good things happen when communities move, literally and figuratively, together.
View this post on Instagram
💬 One More Thing
As October draws its final breath (can you believe it’s November tomorrow?!), I can’t help but sit with the weight of this year.
And I know I’m not the only one.
2025 has been… a lot. For many, it’s felt heavier than expected. Financial pressure has crept in quietly. Work has been demanding. The pace of life hasn’t slowed down, even when we needed it to. And in between all that noise, so many people have been fighting silent battles that no one else sees… the ones that don’t make headlines or Instagram stories but still take up all the space in someone’s heart.
I’ve had countless conversations lately, with friends, colleagues, even strangers, and a common thread keeps appearing: exhaustion. Emotional, physical, mental. Everyone’s just trying to keep their heads above water. And yet, in those same conversations, there’s something else too… hope. A tiny, stubborn flicker that says we’re still here.
We’re still showing up.
We’re still trying.
So, as we inch closer to that familiar “December vibe”, I want to remind you to slow down a little. To soften where you can. To be kind.
Kindness isn’t grand gestures or performative posts. It’s the small stuff, checking in on a friend you haven’t heard from in a while, smiling at the person who looks like they’re having a rough day, letting someone into your lane when traffic’s been bladdy awful. It’s saying, “I see you,” even when you don’t have all the right words. Those tiny moments of compassion have ripple effects far bigger than we realise.
And if you’re the one struggling, please hear this: the story isn’t over yet. Whatever this year has been, however bruised or messy it feels, it’s not the ending. There’s still time for joy. Still time for laughter. Still time for love and small miracles and late-night conversations that remind you why you’re here. You’ve made it this far… and that alone is worth celebrating.
So, take a deep breath. You’ve made it through October… one of the toughest months of the year for many. That’s no small thing. That’s resilience.
And as Halloween fades and the Christmas lights begin to appear (they are already in stores), remember this: good things are still happening. You’re part of them. You always have been.
Wishing you only good (and slightly spooky) things!
Okay. Love you. Bye.
by 