Happy Halloween!

I’m a mixed bag of emotions today. Happy that my favorite day of the year has arrived, this is what we’ve been counting down to, of course, but the last day in October is also a bittersweet day. I feel like I didnt celebrate in the way that I wanted. It’s always a bummer to celebrate Halloween season with a US presidential election looming, but this year was particularly sickening. Mostly, work is just kinda killing me. I didn’t even carve my own pumpkin yet! <gasp>

It’s time to say goodbye to our favorite month, our favorite holiday, our favorite time of the year. While the Fall season is in full swing and finally there’s some cooler temps out in SoCal so it actually feels like Autumn, that too is winding down. Christmas crept into retail stores while we were picking out pumpkins. I’m not even ready for that, so I will once again stretch out Halloween through November, before introducing a brand new haunted vampire theme for the month. I’m leaving my decorations up, I’m watching more classic horror movies, I will carve that pumpkin, and I’ll help my fellow Halloween lovers suffering from withdrawals by providing Halloween content, as we barrel into the wicked wonderland.

Truthfully, this website never stops Halloween. We do celebrate all year long but it’s just extra during October. Thank you for stopping by this season. I’m stoked to read all the haiku for this year’s Halloween Haiku Challenge 2024 and pick a winner tonight. Stay tuned for more bloodcurdling fun this November and a brand new haunted holiday season in December. Happy Halloween!

Trick or Treat 2024!

Wicked Art Wednesdays 2024 – Alex Ross

Today, we celebrate the one and only art master Alex Ross, as a special tribute to Halloween, with a look at his beautiful magnificent drawings of the beloved Universal monsters.

Artist: Alex Ross
Company/Studio: Alex Ross Art

Where to Purchase Goods: https://www.alexrossart.com

Social Media: https://www.instagram.com/thealexrossart

Why we love it: Alex Ross’ influence on comic book artists is unparalleled. The man’s technical artistry is awe-inspiring, with his ability to show realism and the emotional depth of characters truly makes them come alive.

I could just sit here all day describing him with good adjectives. Mr. Ross is simply a marvel. One doesn’t just look at his art, they have feelings.

Trick or Treat Tuesdays – Chocolate Candies Guessing Game

It’s our last Trick or Treat Tuesday in October with another candy guessing game.

There are between 1 and 75 chocolate candies in this jar. Guess how many and win a prize!

Rules: First person to post the correct number or closest to the exact number of chocolate candies in this pictured small square 16 oz. jar, here on WordPress or Instagram, wins their pick of one prize from the Halloween prize bag (see pics below) and some Halloween stickers.

Please see Contest Rules and Eligibility Page for more details. Sorry, contests only open to US residents this year.

Another closer look from the top.

Monday Macabre

Posting a special Halloween haiku every week for Monday Macabre.

Beware on Devil’s night
always check your candy
Halloween killer

Spooky Sundays – Week 4

Spooky Sundays are all about reading, relaxing, and recharging our brooms. Work is definitely getting in the way of celebrating my favorite holiday, but I managed to get all my posts up. Looking forward to this last week in October. Gonna carve my pumpkin, enjoy some more spooky classic movies and hopefully read some awesome entries for the Halloween Haiku Challenge. Four days left til Halloween! Here’s a visual recap of this past week.

Sinister Saturdays – Best Era for Horror Films

Horror films have captivated audiences since before Universal’s wild heyday of Horror during the 1930s. Each era has had great scary films and some so good, they spawned sequels and created franchises. Jaws, a 1975 horror adventure from a new young director Steven Spielberg gave birth to the summer blockbuster! In fact, thanks to horror, some amazing technical achievements have been discoverd, like new camera and lighting tricks and, make-up, and special fx. Horror films are truly the backbone of Hollywood.

I personally have been a horror film fan for over 40 years and I pride myself on having seen a majority of scary films and always look forward to those I’ve havent found yet. But there’s just one thing I haven’t been able to figure out, and that’s which era had the best horror. Was it Universal’s monster era or the SciFi greatness of the 50s, or how about the great slasher films of the 80s? It’s so hard to choose! Help me out!

Friday Fright Nightcaps – Frankie’s Martini

Happy Frankenstein Friday! Today’s drink is a tribute to Universal’s classic monster movie Frankenstein, with my version of a melon martini.

Ingredients:

3-4 oz. Midori Liqueur
.05 oz tequila
.05 oz. vanilla vodka
.05 oz. triple sec
1 tsp. lime juice
Splash of cream of coconut

Mix ingredients well. Serve chilled.

Garnish rim with salt and cherries.

You can catch Universal’s Frankenstein on Amazon Prime this month.

Thursday Time Travels – Young Frankenstein

Title: Young Frankenstein
Director: Mel Brooks
Screenwriter(s): Gene Wilder, Mel Brooks
Starring: Gene Wilder, Teri Garr, Peter Boyle, Marty Feldman, Madeline Kahn, Cloris Leachman
Distributed by: 20th Century Fox
Year: 1974 Run Time: 1 hr 47 minutes

Tomorrow is Frankenstein Friday. Last Friday before Halloween in October is always dedicated to Mary Shelley’s novel about a mad scientist and his undead monsterous creation. So, in tribute and in keeping with our theme of Halloween Classic, today’s Thursday Time Travel is Mel Brook’s Young Frankenstein.

Newly engaged Dr. Frederick Frankenstein, grandson of the mad scientist Dr. Victor Frankensten, learns he’s inherited his family’s estate in Transylvania. Embarrassed by his family’s legacy, Dr. “Fronkenstein” travels to Europe, where he meets his late grandfather’s staff, hunchbaked assistant named “eye-gore”, the lovely Inga, and scary housekeeper Frau Blucher.

When Frederick finds Victor’s secret laboratory and private journals, the doctor attempts to perform his own experiments on a reanimated dead corpse.

Mel Brook’s hilarious parody of the old Universal monster films of the 30s and 40s was shot in black and white and consistently shows up on all the top comedy lists of all-time. In 2003, it was deemed culturally, historically, and aestethically significant by the United States National Preservation Board and selected for preservation in the Library of Congress National Film Registry.

You can find Young Frankenstein on Amazon Prime this October.

Halloween Haiku Challenge 2024

Halloween Haiku Challenge 2024
#Halloweenhaikuchallenge

Share your most original or scariest Halloween Haiku during the last week of October for a chance to win a Halloween classic grand prize!

Only 3 haiku are permitted per contestant. Pick your best 3 and post. If I see more than 3 from the same participant, they won’t count. Three is the magic number.

SUBMISSIONS

You must be a WordPress or Instagram follower to particpate. Two ways to enter a submission this year 1) post your haiku in comments section below, or 2) Tag me on Instagram and use the following #halloweenhaikuchallenge

PRIZES

Grand Prize – 1st Place Winner will receive Halloween Classic prize pack, which includes a vintage style Halloween patch (not pictured), some vintage style Halloween stickers, a Drew Rausch ‘I Support Halloween’ pin, and a Disney’s Huey, Dewey, and Louie Halloween Trick or Treat Ornament. This prize pack is worth over $50.

Second & Third Place Prize: Winners choose a Halloween pin and some buttons or stickers from this year’s prize pool.

DEADLINE

The contest starts at 3pm PT on October 24th and ends at midnight, the witching hour, on October 31st, 2024. Winners will be announced on November 1, 2024, here and on social media.

Please see Contest Rules and Eligibility Page more details.

Wicked Art Wednesdays 2024 – Johanna Parker

Known for her whimsical folk art, Johanna Parker turned her love for Halloween into a successful, thriving world-wide business.

Artist: Johanna Parker
Company/Studio: Johanna Parker Design
Website: https://www.johannaparkerdesign.com/

Where to Purchase Goods: https://www.johannaparkerdesign.com/store

Social Media: https://www.instagram.com/jparkerdesign/

Why we love it: Johanna Parker’s name is synonymous with Halloween folk art and vintage Halloween replicas. She often partners with top retail and wholesalers, where her art and designs are featured on everything from art and clothing to Halloween decorations and home goods.