As a fan of thrillers and horror, you get accustomed to a certain level of scare. You build a tolerance to jumpy moments and you roll your eyes at cliches, constantly daring writers and directors to deliver something new. To that end, I think we're all pretty expert these days in the realm of the bleak post-apocalyptic struggle. And yet, McCarthy's The Road remains. For me, even years after reading I still remember a couple hairy situations the characters find themselves in - and I think that's telling. 
 I've been meaning to watch the movie for years now, so maybe this October is the perfect time to finally knock it out. (It's on Netflix in the US!)