There’s no doubt that The Crow managed to capture the imaginations of many Gen Xers and Millennials, like myself. Perhaps it was the combination of the death of Brandon Lee–son of legendary martial artist Bruce Lee–and the fact that The Crow managed to capture the zeitgeist of the younger generation at the time. It was unique visually, and edgy in a way that just wasn’t the same. It also had a fantastic soundtrack. You can read about Aaron Cynic’s thoughts on it here. I’m not

I think I’m a secret golf video game enthusiast. It’s not something you can go around and announce to people in regular, polite conversation. Trust me. Even trying to explain to other gamers my love of, say, Neo Turf Masters gets blank stares and polite nods. It’s too bad, because there are some great golf games out there. I used to think they were just for dads, but now that I’m dad age I can tell you: they probably are.

Sir Patrick Stewart is dead. He was so many things, including (arguably) the best Star Trek Captain. And while I might have a different preference there, I do have to admit that Stewart’s portrayal of Captain Picard had a huge impact on my life. He was my space dad—imparting wisdom on a young me as I watched episodes of The Next Generation—sometimes as they aired originally, sometimes in reruns.

Horror and Halloween aren’t entirely about just scaring yourself silly. They’re a tapestry of emotions carefully seeded across a landscape of the dark and macabre. Thirty-two years ago, despite the tragic death of Brandon Lee on set during filming, The Crow hit theaters.

And while I’ve attended more than a few Star Trek conventions at this point (and conventions where tons of Trek stars have appeared) if I have one regret it’s that I didn’t get to meet the man in person. To thank him, for being so many things in his lifetime to look up to. Even if he never did marry my mom.

I know saying something is “the perfect” anything is a little bit fraught. It’s hard to satisfy everyone, and there’s so many different genres and individual taste to consider. Bold though it is to say this is the perfect Halloween Playlist, we’re gonna say it. Because this was the hard work of everyone at Culture Combine, and it crosses genre boundaries, spans decades, and includes deep cuts and pop culture favorites.