Student Lookout: Scary movies, Pride Pint Night and yoga in the redwoods

Happy Friday, friends,

Man, are those words music to my ears. What with the city workers’ strike, election coverage and candidate interviews, it’s been quite the week!

Anyways, I hope y’all have settled into the school year nicely. Maybe you’ve hit that groove that causes time to zip right on by, or maybe you’re still looking to establish a routine. Either way, it doesn’t matter. Soon enough, you’ll be approaching finals in June wondering where the year went!

If you are a student and haven’t signed up for your FREE Lookout membership yet, enter your phone number below to register. Not only will you get unlimited access to all of Lookout, but you’ll also receive Student Lookout text alerts every Friday with exclusive deals, local recommendations, puzzles and more. So what are you waiting for?

Let’s get to it, then …

Deals Download

Check out some highlighted discounts just for students:

• Burger: 10% off for students.
• Santa Cruz Cinema: $5 tickets on Tuesdays.
• Safeway: 5% student discount.
  

What’s the best student deal you’ve found? Shoot us an email to let us know at studentlookout@lookoutlocal.com.

Deal of the Month: SCG Fitness

SCG Fitness Santa Cruz is offering a free month of yoga this October. Yoga classes are on Sundays at 10:30 a.m.

➤ Want to share these deals with your friends? Have them sign up for Student Lookout texts with this link.

Eats on a budget

This one isn’t really a restaurant, per se, but the food item in question is good enough to deserve a spot here. Day’s Market
in Seabright doesn’t look like much from the outside. It’s a small store with snacks, booze and some ready-to-eat food, which is where the tamales come into play. Made by Pedro, whom you can find working there just about every day, these delicious bites contain your choice chicken with red salsa, chicken with green salsa, or cheese and jalapeño, the latter of which is my favorite. Pedro is one of the nicest guys out there, and his tamales mean business. If you head over there, tell him Max says hi!

If you love eating, cooking and reading about food, be sure to check out the work from our local food expert, Lily Belli. She recently reported on the memorandum of understanding between the City of Santa Cruz and the downtown farmers market, which is a huge step forward in establishing a permanent home for the market. Also, the pumpkin spice latte from Watsonville’s Honeylux Coffee earned her seal of approval, so any South County pumpkin spice fanatics should take note!

Inside Santa Cruz: Five fall must-dos this October

Recommended by newsroom intern Blaire Hobbs

Who doesn’t enjoy a scary movie? A lot of people, actually. Though as I’ve gotten older, I notice that those people generally go from the going-to-have-a-nightmare can’t watch to the you-call-those-special-effects? can’t watch. But for the rest of us who revel in both the jumpy adrenaline rush and the excessive blood spurts (not to mention bad acting), horror movies provide the perfect entertainment for a social gathering. Also, Halloween is coming up fast — you might find yourself the unsuspecting victim of a horror movie marathon.

I went on quite the scary movie binge a few years ago, which probably wasn’t the best for my psyche, but means that I can now provide you with a handpicked list of both well-produced and underrated scary movies! It was so hard to narrow down, but dig in and please let us know your thoughts!

1. “Parasite” — Don’t be daunted by subtitles with this Korean film. There’s a reason why it was the first ever non-English-language film to win an Academy Award. Some networks characterize this as a horror/comedy, but it’s really more thriller/dark dramedy. Either way, it will keep you guessing even after the credits roll.
2. “Us” — I would be remiss not to mention something local, but this Jordan Peele movie isn’t even a compromise. It’s so creepy. Everyone knows that clowns are creepy, and this movie plays off our (innate?) fears of curated carnival-like behavior, with the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk featuring prominently as a movie setting. But that’s not all that makes this movie so thrilling — the acting is phenomenal, and the plot is a model of good writing. Check out Peele’s other horror movies (“Get Out” and “Nope”) which reliably deliver the same chilling atmosphere and clever twists. Fun fact! I met Jordan Peele while he was filming “Us” in Santa Cruz. He’s very nice!
3. “The Shining” — It’s a classic, but more important, it’s worth the viewing. Enough said. And if you haven’t seen it, you can finally discover where so many popular quotes come from. Heeeeeeeeeere’s Johnny!
4. “The Village” — I adore this movie, and I’ve realized over the years that I might be alone in my appreciation, but it doesn’t stop me from recommending it time after time. It’s surreal and visually stunning. The acting is incredible. I was genuinely surprised by the ending. And like all M. Night Shyamalan films, it wrapped up nicely at the end, which always appeals to me. Check out some other Shyamalan films, like “The Sixth Sense,” “Signs” and “Old,” for some classic spooky viewing.
5. “Tucker & Dale vs. Evil” — This is not a horror movie. It is 100% comedy. But it outlines every horror movie trope with unexpected comedic finesse. And serves as a nice palate-cleanser for a Halloween movie marathon.
6. “Saw” — OK, I wouldn’t say this one is underrated, but it is well produced. More than that, it’s so clever. It was filmed in one small room, with two actors, and has the best twist known to cinema.
7. “Train to Busan” — I’m not one for classic monsters in my horror movies, but I felt the need to add at least one. In this film, zombies are the evil counterpart to our heroes — a dad-and-daughter pair. This movie is fast-paced with quite a few entertaining action sequences. But what makes this movie unique is that it’s set on a high-speed train (to Busan ,if you can believe it).
8. “Creep” — Here’s another movie that stars only two actors. It’s also set almost entirely on one property. But the documentary/found-footage style gives it an entirely different feel, not to mention the (almost) overwhelming jump-tastic data points a statistician would surely collect if they were counting the number and intensity of jump scares.
9. “Hush” — Speaking of jump scares ... I was on high alert for days after watching this film, which says a lot about the delivery. Convincing isn’t the half of it. Our protagonist is a deaf woman who finds herself the mouse in a cat-and-mouse game with her would-be murderer, who decides to test her other senses. You will be on the edge of your couch the whole time.

Puzzle Center

Can you identify this famous movie monster?

Around Town - Events

Did you know that we have an events calendar? BOLO, which stands for Be On the Lookout, is our hub for the best events in the county. See all the listings here.

Here are upcoming events we think students need to know about:

Saturday, 10-11:45 a.m.
Yoga in the Redwoods
Certainly convenient for the Slug readers — and particularly for those who also have an affinity for yoga — a free, soothing outdoor Saturday yoga session is right in your backyard. You might not have a ton of experience doing yoga, and that’s OK. This class is open to all levels of experience. End your weekend relaxed and rejuvenated.

Saturday and Sunday, 7-10 p.m.
Pride Pint Nights
If you haven’t checked out this recurring event yet, I highly encourage it. This part-celebration/part-fundraiser, organized by The Neighbor’s pub, donates a portion of the night’s profits to The Neighbor’s startup fund, which will go toward The Neighbor’s goal of opening an LGBTQ-centric pub in Santa Cruz. On these nights, there will be an outdoor market area featuring local artists, businesses and nonprofits, too!

Monday, 6-8 p.m.
Election forum: Santa Cruz City Council Districts 4 and 6 and state Assembly District 28
Come to Hotel Paradox or tune in via Zoom for Lookout’s final election forum on Monday. This time, you’ll hear from Santa Cruz City Council candidates and the candidates for state Assembly District 28. City council District 4 candidates Greg Hyver, Hector Marin and Scott Newsome will kick things off, followed by District 6 candidates Renée Golder and Sean Maxwell. State Assembly District 28 candidates Liz Lawler and Gail Pellerin will close out the event. This forum will be moderated by Lookout’s Community Voices opinion editor, Jody K. Biehl.

➤ Want more? If you’re still looking for great things to do, check out Wallace Baine’s Weekender here.

➤ More local jobs: Browse more open positions on the Lookout Job Board.

One last thing …

Did you know … that the Winchester Mystery House, located in San Jose, has no official room count? Architects, contractors and historians alike cannot agree on how many rooms exist, but it’s generally between 120 and 160. Sarah Winchester bought the mansion in 1884 and worked on it continuously for the next 36 years until her death in 1922. Married to Oliver Winchester of the Winchester Repeating Arms Company, Sarah was left with a great fortune when her husband died — a fortune accumulated during the Civil War (1861-65) when both North and South forces sought out the fastest-firing weapon available. After her baby daughter died as well, a medium told Sarah to go West, find a house, and never stop building. Why? To appease the spirits of the dead who died by the hands of those holding a Winchester rifle. Builders worked daily — through inclement weather, earthquakes, and fires — to eventually create what is now a massive labyrinth of twisting corridors, rooms within rooms, doors opening to a steep drop outside, and staircases to nowhere. Oh, and another thing: It’s probably haunted — by Sarah, her baby daughter, and by the thousands of restless spirits who were said to follow Sarah across the country. You can count the rooms yourself or just take a gander at the spectacular architecture through a Winchester Mystery House tour.

And on that note, it’s time we part ways once again.

Enjoy your weekend, and I’ll talk to y’all soon.

— Max

If you have recommendations on places we should feature next week, pass them along and we’ll send you a free Lookout T-shirt. Email your ideas to student@lookoutlocal.com.