Friday Fright Nightcaps – The Bride’s Nighcap

Happy Friday! Tonight’s Friday Fright Nightcap is The Bride’s Nightcap, a Midori and pear vodka cocktail in celebration of Frankenstein Friday.

Ingredients:

2 oz. Midori
2 oz. pear vodka
.5 oz. Malibu (or white rum)
.5 oz. Key West lime juice (or lime juice)
4 oz. lemonade

I got a little exotic using Malibu and  Key West lime juice. Honestly, regular white rum and lime juice will work too. It’s a little sweet if you don’t add the lime juice and Isuppose regular vodka is fine too. F*** it, use what you got. Midori is the star of the show no matter how you dice it.

This is my last post in October. Such a bittersweet moment. I thank everyone who stopped by all 31 days this Halloween season!

Please don’t drink and drive. Be safe out there!

Happy Halloween!

Loving these haiku entries!

Be safe out there!

Halloween 2025

7th Annual Halloween Haiku Challenge 2025

Share your most original or haunted Halloween Haiku on October 31st for a chance to win a Haunted prize pack.

You must be a WordPress follower to particpate and a US resident. Post your haiku in comments section below. All comments must be approved first so it may not show up right away. I’ll do my best to approve as soon as I see them.

Only 1 haiku are permitted per contestant, US residents only. If I see more than 1 haiku from the same participant or a foreign entry, while I thank you for joining our challenge, these entries won’t qualify for a prize.

Grand Prize – 1st Place Winner will receive Haunted prize pack, which includes Drew Rausch vintage cat postcard print, Disney’s Haunted Mansion collectible pin, and their choice of either The Conjuring I & II Blu-rays, Annabelle Blu-ray film set, or It 2-Film Collection on Blu-ray. This prize pack is worth well over $50.

Second & Third Place Prize: Winners will have a chance to pick a small prize from the prize pool (typically pins, patches, and Halloween stickers).

The contest starts and ends midnight to midnight Pacific time on October 31th through November 1st, 2025. Winners will be announced on November 2, 2025, here and social media.

Please see Contest Rules and Eligibility page more details.

Have a Happy Halloween season, everyone! Be safe out there!🎃

Timeless Thursday –  Fave Horror Soundtracks

It’s Timeless Thursday and we’re jamming out with the greatest horror soundtracks of all time.

It should be no surprise that the three most recognizable horror themes  are “Halloween Theme – Main Title” by John Carpenter followed by Mike Oldfield’s “Tubular Bells” from The Exorcist, and the “Jaws” score by John Williams.

But, did you know the best selling horror soundtrack of all time is Dracula 2000? According to Loudwire Dracula 2000 soundtrack earns an estimated $1.7 million in royalties from 445 million plays on Spotify, thanks to the headbanging power songs from System of a Down, Saliva, Disturbed, Static-X, Powerman 5000, Taproot and the biggest driver of them all ‘One Step Closer’ by Linkin Park.

The second best selling horror soundtrack is Tim Burton’s Nigtmare Before Christmas with music by Danny Elfman. The best song off that album, is “This is Halloween” by Danny Elfman.



Rumor has it that Kiefer Sutherland originally turned down his role in 1987’s vampire hit The Lost Boys, but changed his mind upon hearing INXS and Jimmy Barnes would be doing music for the soundtrack. There’s so many cool songs on this soundtrack, it’s easily one of my all time faves. Who can forget Tim Cappello’s I Still Believe which he got to perform on the boardwalk for a scene in the movie.

Another of my favorite spooky songs comes from the 1992 Candyman soundtrack. It’s carnival fervor dream turned nightmare and the epitome of the sound of innocence being stolen by evil forces.

Lots of folks love Italian disco rock band Goblin’s score for Dario Argento’s supernatural thriller Suspira, and it is an amazing soundtrack for certain, but my favorite score from them actually comes from George A. Romero’s zombie masterpiece Dawn of the Dead from 1978.

No theater goer will forget the opening scene of Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining, which featured one of the most memorable scores in movie history with a segment from  “Dies Irae” from “Symphonie fantastique” by Hector Berlioz, performed by composers Wendy Carlos and Rachel Elkind. Omnious and haunting, the music immediately sets the tone of one of the greatest horror films ever produced.

I hope you have a chance to check out one of these great horror films. Happy Halloween!🎃

Songs copyright by respective owners.  No copyright infringement intended. This is fan appreciation and critique. Reposting video under the “fair use” privilege of U.S. Copyright law. These videos still could be removed at anytime. Please email me at Halloweenkristy@gmail.com to report broken links.

Wicked Art Wednesdays 2025 – Tiki Art by Doug Horne

Happy Wicked Art Wednesday! I was feeling a like need a little more tiki artin our lives so today’s artist is the world renowned tiki creator Doug Horne.

Artist: Doug Horne
Company/Studio:

Where to Purchase Goods: Several tiki sites sell Doug Horne’s tiki art and exclusive tiki mugs.  https://www.etsy.com/shop/DougHorneArt

Outer Limits Doug Horne

Why we love it: Phoenix born Doug Horne, who now resides in Long Beach, CA, has been creating tiki art and tiki mugs for generations. We love his pop culture monsters tiki mash ups. Doug also creates art for tiki bars around the globe. Chances are you may have seen his work up close while sipping on Mai Tais

Social Media: https://www.instagram.com/doug_horne_art/?hl=en

Trick or Treat Tuesday Best of Haunted House Horror

We’re 3 days away from Halloween and for a big treat on this Trick of Treat Tuesday, I’m sharing my favorite Haunted House Horror.

The Changeling, 1980
Poltergeist, 1982
Hereditary, 2018
House of Haunted Hill, 1959
13 Ghosts, 1960
The Innocents, 1961
The Haunting, 1963
The Amityville Horror, 1979
Legend of Hell House, 1973
Burnt Offerings, 1976
The Others, 2001
Woman in Black, 2012
Stir of Echoes, 1999
Crimson Peak, 2015

It’s always hard to put together these lists. All the films are so good. There are a lot of classic horror films from the 60s and 70s on my list and I hope people will give them a watch.

I personally feel The Changeling starring George C Scott from 1980 is one of the scariest haunted house films ever made.

House from The Changeling

Scott plays composer John Russell grieving the death of wife and son. He moves from New York to Seattle to start over and moves into a house haunted by the ghost of a little boy who died mysteriously.

These movies will certainly spook anyone staying in on Halloween night and films like House on Haunted Hill or Poltergeist play nicely in the background at parties too.

Honorable Mentions:

Paranormal Activity
House of Usher
Horror House
We’re Still Here
House, 1985
The House that Dripped Blood
House by the Cemetery

Happy Halloween! Stay safe out there!

Monday Macabre, Week Four 2025

Happy Halloweek! Posting a special Halloween haunted haiku for Monday Macabre.

voices on the wind
spooky scares all week long
thin spirit veil

Spooky Sundays: William Shakespeare – Song of the Witches from Macbeth, Act IV, scene 1

Spooky Sundays are all about reading, relaxing, and recharging our brooms.

Macbeth, Act 4 scene 1, is fondly referred as the song of the witches or even the witches’ sonnet. This charm is so simple we teach it to children, but few have actully read the whole spell in its entirety.

William Shakespeare

Song of the Witches from Macbeth, Act IV, scene 1
by William Shakespeare
(circa 1605-1606)

Thunder. Enter the three Witches.

FIRST WITCH 
 Thrice the brinded cat hath mewed.
SECOND WITCH 
 Thrice, and once the hedge-pig whined.
THIRD WITCH 
 Harpier cries “’Tis time, ’tis time!”
FIRST WITCH 
 Round about the cauldron go;
 In the poisoned entrails throw.
 Toad, that under cold stone
 Days and nights has thirty-one
 Sweltered venom sleeping got,
 Boil thou first i’ th’ charmèd pot.

⌜The Witches circle the cauldron.⌝

ALL 
 Double, double toil and trouble;
 Fire burn, and cauldron bubble.
SECOND WITCH 
 Fillet of a fenny snake
 In the cauldron boil and bake.
 Eye of newt and toe of frog,
 Wool of bat and tongue of dog,
 Adder’s fork and blindworm’s sting,

Lizard’s leg and howlet’s wing,
 For a charm of powerful trouble,
 Like a hell-broth boil and bubble.
ALL 
 Double, double toil and trouble;
 Fire burn, and cauldron bubble.
THIRD WITCH 
 Scale of dragon, tooth of wolf,
 Witch’s mummy, maw and gulf
 Of the ravined salt-sea shark,
 Root of hemlock digged i’ th’ dark,
 Liver of blaspheming Jew,
 Gall of goat and slips of yew
 Slivered in the moon’s eclipse,
 Nose of Turk and Tartar’s lips,
 Finger of birth-strangled babe
 Ditch-delivered by a drab,
 Make the gruel thick and slab.
 Add thereto a tiger’s chaudron
 For th’ ingredience of our cauldron.
ALL 
 Double, double toil and trouble;
 Fire burn, and cauldron bubble.
SECOND WITCH 
 Cool it with a baboon’s blood.
 Then the charm is firm and good.

Enter Hecate ⌜to⌝ the other three Witches.

HECATE
O, well done! I commend your pains,
And everyone shall share i’ th’ gains.
And now about the cauldron sing
Like elves and fairies in a ring,
Enchanting all that you put in.

Music and a song: “Black Spirits,” etc. Hecate exits.

SECOND WITCH
By the pricking of my thumbs,
Something wicked this way comes.
Open, locks,
Whoever knocks.



Enter Macbeth.

Macbeth, the Three Witches and Hecate by John Boydell, 1805

There are many famous artworks depicting Macbeth’s visit to the Weird Sisters to learn of his future to secure his right to be king. This one by John Boydell shows Hecate, goddess of witchcraft, who appears later to chastise the witches for meddling in Macbeth’s fate without her unapproval.

~~~~~

To learn more about the Bard of Avon William Shakespeare and read his other works, please visit https://www.shakespeare-online.com/

Sinister Saturday – Halloween (Box)Cake (Nailed it?)

Sinister Saturdays are turning out to be a showcase for my failed baking attempts.

And, this Saturday is no different!😄

Overbaked red velvet tombstone cakes

Yes, I used box cake. Middle finger to the haters. But the box cake wasn’t the reason why my Red Velvet Tombstone Cakes were a little well done, it’s just my inability to pull pan out of the oven when the box says!

They looked alright, but were dry as a bone and when I flipped them over, the cakes didn’t retain the pan designs.

I did however manage to bake another cake in my my lovely Wiltern  pumpkin pan and it turned out kinda nice.

First thing you need for box cake is box mix and I prefer Duncan Hines Perfectly Moist Red Velvet cake mix. This is the easiest cake mix, only 3 other ingredients are needed to bake the cake, 1 cup of water, half cup of oil, and 3 eggs.

Follow the instructions and you’ll get a nice fluffy red velvet cake.

Next, you add 4-5 drops of orange food coloring into buttercream frosting to get that nice classy orange color. If you want it brighter, I suggest using 2-3 more drops of orange and 1 drop of red.  Next, spread frosting all over your cake.

Lastly, you add Halloween style sprinkles and viola, Halloween Cake!

It was a bummer the Red Velvet Tombstone Cakes didn’t turn out, but I was happy with the pumpkin cake pan version.

Happy Halloween!

Friday Fright Nightcaps – Blue Ghost Margarita

Happy Friday! Tonight’s Friday Fright Nightcap is a Blue Ghost Margarita.

I love the taste of Blue Curacao and I’m disraught over the demolishment of the people’s house. That’s our White House goddamit! It doesn’t belong to stupid conmen! Haunted. Haunted. Haunted. That is how I describe our great nation as it descends into authoritatian chaos, so yes, this is a fitting cocktail to end the week.

Ingredients

2 oz blanco tequila
1 oz blue curaçao liqueur
1 oz fresh lime juice
½ oz simple syrup
½ oz Grenadine syrup (opt)
ice to chill (opt)

Garnish/Rim:
Course Salt
Lime wedge

Pour ingredients into a glass and mix well.

This is a sweet margarita, so I recommend using course salt to rim the glass as opposed to sugar. Also, using Grenadine is optional. It doesn’t make that much difference.

Whether or not you like your margaritas chilled is also very much a preference. You’ll notice the little pumpkin ice in my pics. I live in SoCal, it’s always hot. We like chilled drinks, but to each their own.

Sorry for venting earlier, obviously I need another drink. Big party weekend. Please don’t drink and drive. Be safe out there.

Happy Halloween!