Terrifying Tales
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| The original Creepypasta! |
To this very day I can honestly proclaim that I still find a lot of the short stories within to be absolutely terrific for anyone looking to get into the Halloween mindset. Even though there are some relatively benign bits such as "The Hearse Song" and the unforgettably iconic "The Hook" there is also some truly unsettling stuff the anthology provides such as "Me Tie Dough-ty Walker" "The Thing" and "The Haunted House" that I'm frankly amazed were ever allowed to be consumed by a mostly child audience of readers.
Littered throughout the books is some awesomely scary images (illustrated by the amazing Stephen Gammell) such as rotted corpses, severed heads, and monstrous wolves that only adds to the charm. If you find yourself with a group of people to read this to, it even comes with some instructions on how to build atmosphere among the listeners, how to show the images in the book, and when to throw out the appropriate scream for added effect.
Overall it's one of my favorite traditions, and is usually the way I kick off the month. Even though they've been few and far between, I love whenever I get the opportunity to read a tale or two among friends. If you've never read this series I highly recommend it!
My traditional literature choices don't stop there either. I like to read a lot, and when it comes to the horror genre I do admit that I tend to stick with the classics. Although I have read the likes of Bram Stoker's Dracula and Mary Shelly's Frankenstein, those novels (while great reads) are also quite large and would unfortunately take up too much of the month. Instead I like to keep to anthologies and short stories so that I can get through multiple tales, and nowhere is this better than with the short story collections of H.P. Lovecraft and Edgar Allen Poe. Next to the Scary Stories collection, these two are also first on the list for giving the annual read through, and for good reason. The atmosphere that these two build in their narratives (be it in a short story or full-fledged novella) always seemingly know when to describe something and when not to describe something. There seems to be a keen awareness that sometimes the best approach is to let the reader do all the work and conjure up whatever they want in their own minds, scarring themselves in the process. Lovecraft is quite genius with this in such tales as "The Lurking Fear" or "The Unnamable" while Allen Poe manages to disturb with "The Oval Portrait" and "The Murders in the Rue Morgue." I'll admit some aspects of the writing feel a tad dated, but they still deliver the scares where it counts.
Nightmares Realized
This tradition is a fairly current one in regards to all the others, but one I embrace it with much the same enthusiasm as reading a good horror story. Even though I've never really considered myself a frequent of Creepypasta, I do enjoy a fair amount of the material made. For the last two years I've enjoyed listening to the audio versions of these tales, and I've gotta say that they're absolutely to die for!The website Chilling Tales for Dark Nights is frankly something that sits right up my alley for this time of year and should probably be on your radar too. If you're looking for some quality work, these guys are no slouch. The stories are quick enough to get through, and all of them are impressively well read/acted. If you consider yourself a creative (and are looking to get a horror story out there for people to consume) you can even submit a story to these guys, and if they like it enough they may just make it their next project!
As for recommendations, I could honestly say that almost any of them are a great place to start. Some of my personal favorites though are "A Scarecrow" "I Told You to Smile" "I'm At Your Bedroom Window" "A Knock on the Window" "The Russian Sleep Experiment" and "The Tangi Bridge." Of course there are tons more, with numerous being added almost daily, so if anything else just have at it. I know I have!
Family Fright Fest
Not everything on my to do list is outright scary. Sometimes it's nice to take a break from all the heavy horror and just enjoy some of the classic family films of Halloween. While I do try to stick to the classics such as Charlie Brown and The Great Pumpkin, Hocus Pocus, and The Nightmare Before Christmas, I do like to watch some older Halloween specials that most seem to either have forgotten, or don't know of. |
| The whole movie is filled with kickass imagery like this! |
The Halloween Tree tells the tale of a small group of friends getting together for a festive night of trick or treating. When the group comes up one shy, they realize they're missing their buddy Pipkin, the greatest kid who ever lived. Turns out that Pipkin is suffering from appendicitis and needed to be taken to the hospital. He leaves a note for his friends though, asking them to begin Halloween without him and that he'll meet up with them later. As the group traverses the town, they come across the mansion of Mr. Carapace Clavicle Moundshroud. Outside of his mansion sits a gigantic tree decorated with hundreds of jack-o-lanterns, with ones that not only suspiciously resemble themselves, but also Pipkin.
When Pipkin rejoins with the group he isn't quite himself. He appears to be the ghost of Pipkin, and he steals the jack-o-lantern that looks like him from Mr. Moundshroud's Halloween Tree. What follows next is a journey through history (trust me, it makes sense when you watch it) with Moundshroud and the children as they search for Pipkin, and learn about the true meaning of the Halloween holiday.
Starring the likes of Leonard Nimoy, along with narration from Ray Bradbury himself, The Halloween Tree is a must watch for me every year. The only other family film that I absolutely love to watch at Halloween is Ernest: Scarred Stupid, and while I will concede that the Ernest films are not exactly for everyone, it has been a personal favorite of mine since I was six years old. Even after all these years I still find Jim Varney's work as Ernest to be incredibly hilarious and downright endearing. Most films today only wish that they could have as lovable an idiot as Ernest P. Worrell. Sure the special effects were dated even by 1991 standards, but somehow it all just works. Maybe it's some form of blind nostalgia in my case, but I just adore this movie regardless of its almost overwhelmingly thick cheese factor!
Screaming Scores
October just isn't complete to me without having some sort of soundtrack for it. Of course I indulge in such obvious bits like Michael Jackson's "Thriller" or Rocky Horror's "Time Warp", but there are so many more that just work perfectly for Samhain's special day. For instance, practically any music video from the band Tool or Maryln Manson is appropriate for getting that much needed super-creep factor for Halloween. The ones I recommend most (as well as sitting as my personal favorite videos of Tool's) are "Sober" "Schism" and "Parabola." All three videos artfully and almost gleefully dive head-first into sheer what-the-hell territory, and I don't think I could love them anymore than already do! As for Mason, you can pretty much take your pick from the litter, but I think I enjoy "The Beautiful People" and "The Dope Show" most when it comes to seeking out the spooky vibes.Other songs I like to include or give a listen to are "Brains!" "Death Death (Devil, Devil, Devil, Evil, Evil, Song)" and "When You're Evil" from Voltaire. Some of the more fun tracks from I.C.P. such as as "House of Horrors" and "The Boogy Man" put a smile on my face and help to break some of the tension from the Tool videos as well. For the Lovecraft fans out there who may be looking for a good theme there is Metallica's "The Thing That Should Not Be." One of my current favorite tracks though is none other than an a-Capella version of Iron Maiden's "Fear of the Dark" from the group Van Canto. I still consider Maiden's version to be superior, but for some reason Van Canto just makes it awesome and sexy! Smashing Pumpkins also gets an honorable mention with a couple of their videos, such as "Ava Adore" and "Bullet with Butterfly Wings." While the argument could be levied at me that all of these songs/videos are not explicitly Halloween songs, I do feel that they speak to a mindset I get into when Halloween night draws closer, so they end up on the list anyway. Besides, these are my traditions and I'll be the one to quantify and do whatever I damn well please with them!
Sinful Celluloids
It wouldn't be much of a Halloween experience without having movies on the list. I could literally spend pages just listing the movies I watch in October, but I'm not going to waste your's or my time like that. Some of the exceptional ones though I'd like to take a moment to detail. Some of these films never got the love that I feel they deserved. Even though some of these titles have gone on to become cult classics, I feel it is important to clarify why some of them are so loved not only by me, but by so many others.First up is none other than John Carpenter's Apocalypse Trilogy (The Thing, Prince of Darkness, and In the Mouth of Madness) as a great way to kick off the month in movies. Every single one of these pictures is a stellar experience in their own right (with The Thing standing as my personal favorite) and I find it a downright shame that each of them were never the success I felt they should have been. Each flick essentially flopped at the box office, and it's only been over the recent years that people have really begun to realize how awesome this thematic trilogy really was. To this day I still consider the ending for Prince of Darkness to be one of the best I've ever seen. For those who may be wondering why these pieces are referred to as the Apocalypse Trilogy it is because each of them is linked in the theme of the world coming to an end in some way. Without a doubt I consider the entire trilogy as a must-watch-collection of horror classics. Now and forever John Carpenter is one of my all-time favorite horror movie directors.
Next is The Crow from director Alex Proyas, based of the graphic novel of the same name by James O'Barr. While I can't say that this one was a flop, it has fallen somewhat into obscurity over the years. As actor Brandon Lee's last performance, it is equally powerful and touching as it is visceral and enthralling. The Crow tells the story of rock musician Eric Draven and his fiance Shelly Webster. The night before their wedding (set to be Halloween) they are brutally murdered by local thugs from the neighborhood. One year later Eric finds himself awoken from his grave by a mysterious crow, and possessing super human abilities. With the pain of his murder still freshly echoing in his mind he decides to exact revenge against those responsible.
For a long time now The Crow has been a personal favorite flick of mine, and I would actually go so far as to say that it is one of my all-time favorite films period. Sure, I will say that it's now somewhat dated in terms of special effects, but the themes of love and revenge within the story still ring very true today. Talks of a remake have been going on for a while, and frankly I hope it never manifests. This movie is fine just the way it is, and for action buffs/slight romantics looking for something with a little more punch on Halloween certainly can't go wrong with watching this bad boy from beyond the grave.
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| This is Halloween! |
There really is not a better way to sum up the glory of Trick r Treat than to simply say that it is one of the greatest Halloween films ever in my eyes. This bloody beauty sadly got the shaft from Warner Bros and ended up as a straight to DVD affair, and it unfortunately has gone under so many people's radar. The pedigree here is spectacular, with guys such as Bryan Singer producing, Michael Doughterty writing/directing, along with superb practical effects artistry, this is a much watch for those who are looking for that one movie that essentially encapsulates everything great about Halloween.
I could gush on and on about Trick r Treat, but I'm sure you all want to know what else I recommend for a witching hour spook-fest. In regards to other often overlooked classics I look to Event Horizon for those desiring some gloriously gory sci-fi horror fun. I do concede that it's a bit on the hokey side, but I feel it's one of the best sci-fi pictures to feature a Lovecraftian twist. It's also home to one of my all-time fav movie lines "Hell is but a word. A reality is much much worse." Tim Burton's Sleepy Hollow is also a regular for my October marathon as well as the Hellraiser series, especially the films Hellseeker and Inferno.
Ghoulish Games
As for games, I tend to fluctuate on that one from year to year, but I do like to have at least one horror gaming experience for the month. This year I did a special Halloween session in a Maid RPG campaign that I'm currently GMing (transcribes for that one are forthcoming) and I pretty much went full John Carpenter on my players. I won't spoil the details, but it was one of the most gratifying games I've run in a while, and all the players seemed to agree that it was a great Halloween themed addition to the game. Provided my current group keeps together, I would like to make it a regular thing running a Halloween game every year.I've also taken to playing the simple, but very fulfilling game Five Nights at Freddy's for the PC. While I don't own the game proper, I have turned out several play-throughs on a friend's computer and I've gotta say that it is a very effective title. Who would think that such a basic premise like watching a Chucky-Cheese rip-off restaurant would be rife with such great horror gaming? For the past few years though I would take the time to play through either the Silent Hill or Fatal Frame games, but I tragically just haven't had the time to dedicate to them as I should. Still they are great games for the season that fit perfectly for any looking to get rocked.
Others that I would recommend are the Clock Tower games (particularly the original for the SNES) and it's spiritual successor game Haunting Ground. These games build tremendous atmosphere and don't rely on the common (and much overused) jump scares that most other games employ. For a quick, but very esoteric romp the new P.T. is also a great run, and I do mean it when I say it's esoteric. Unless you're willing to think a tad out of the box you're not going to get the most out of your playtime, but trust me when I say that it's worth it.
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