Haiku of the Week

Part III of the Deadly Love Spell haiku series.

unintended love
face the consequences
married to the doom

Monthly Haiku Corner – February 2023

The theme this month is Deadly Love Spell. All the haiku posted every Monday will connect to tell the tale of an unlucky soul who uses magic to mend their broken heart.

witches potions
broken hearts can be mended
unlucky in love

Haunted Holidays are Here!

Welcome, December!

After giving it some thought, I changed this month’s theme to Haunted Holidays. I realized I was creating two different themed plans in December and I wanted to take a little bit more time to plan out my approach to writing haiku next year, so…Blood and Ice will be next month’s theme.

This December is all about the haunted holidays! Back in the day, people told ghost stories during Christmastime and I would love to bring that tradition back. I encourage everyone to create, write, or find a short ghost tale to tell on Christmas eve, and if you’re having trouble, might I recommend simply retelling the classic timeless tale from Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol. Scrooge is the hero we need right now!

December Fun

Here’s a look at some of the shenanigans I have planned this month:

Haunted holidays haiku every Monday
Brand new gift-giving guides for Halloween and horror fans
New recipes for christmassy cocktails
Haunted Holidays Photo Challenge
Christmas gift-giving countdown (Details TBA)

I’m kicking off the celebrations with a daily photo challenge. You may post both traditional or haunted photos or artwork. Jump in any time, even if you skip a day, or 5, but, if you can post all 25 days in December, I’ll enter your name into the cauldron for a drawing to win a haunted holidays prize pack.

No purchase is necessary for any of the upcoming contests, but you must be following my blog and be friends with me on at least one of my social media pages (listed below) for a chance to win! Please see official contest rules for more details.

To join in on the fun, follow me @Halloweenhorrorhaiku on Instagram and @Halloweenkristy on Twitter or r/Halloweenhaiku on Reddit.

I wish you a season filled with amusement, inspiration, love, and joy. Please be safe and stay healthy. Remember to take some time for yourself, relax and recharge, so you don’t burn out or lose your damn mind by January.

Poe Sundays – The Masque of the Red Death

Every Sunday in October is Poe Sunday, the day we celebrate the Master of Macabre, Edgar Allan Poe. This year, I’ll suggest the best movie adaptations of Poe’s work.

In the lingering post-pandemic era of Covid-19, Roger Corman’s 1964 gothic horror triumph, The Masque of the Red Death has never seemed more relevant. Vincent Price’s sadistic portrayal of Prospero, the greedy devil-worshipping medieval ruler who tortured his peasant villagers and gave shelter to his wealthy courtiers from a plague, only to learn you can’t hide from death, is a chilling sublime performance that cemented his legacy as a horror legend.

Corman weaved two tales from Edgar Allan Poe, Masque of the Red Death and Hop-Frog to create this cult-classic and it’s one of his best. While he and screenwriters Charles Beaumont and R. Wright Campbell took several liberties with the stories, I find this adaption is the closest to any of Poe’s works.

Haiku of the week

Monday Macabre is all about the scares during the October, but this year, we’re tapping into the psychological fear of dystopian Halloween horror.

Humans wear the scariest masks. Their desperate power grabs will not only destroy our beloved holiday, but civilized society along with it.

scary masks of death
nuclear Halloween
trick or treat no more

Poe Sundays – Extraordinary Tales

Every Sunday in October is Poe Sunday, the day we celebrate the Master of Macabre, Edgar Allan Poe. This year, I’ll suggest the best movie adaptations of Poe’s work.

Raul Garcia writes and directs this dark animated anthology of Edgar Allan Poe’s most beloved gothic tales, featuring both new voiceover and original pre-recorded narration from horror’s most legendary actors and directors. It’s colorful surrealist animation and perfectly ghastly for Poe lovers to watch on Halloween night.

Haiku of the Week

Monday Macabre is all about the scares during October, but this year, we’re tapping into the psychological fear of dystopian Halloween horror.

Imagine living in a dark world where you absolutely cannot go out on Halloween night. A world filled with violence, run by evil dictators and religious autocrats who shut down society and ban Halloween traditions because they’re trying stamp out all pagan beliefs. This new frightening world is a lot closer than you think.

neon pumpkins
devils night curfew in effect
Halloween lockdown

Poe Sundays – House of Usher

Every Sunday in October is Poe Sunday, the day we celebrate the Master of Macabre, Edgar Allan Poe. This year, I’ll suggest the best movie adaptations of Poe’s work.

Atmospheric and spooky, House of Usher may be the best most faithful Poe story adaption that director Roger Corman ever created. Vincent Price, Mark Damon, and Myrna Fahey, earnestly chew through Richard Matheson’s screenplay so well, gothic drama oozing out of their pores in every scene, until that thrilling legendary cinematic end.

Wicked Art Wednesdays – Kellen Carranza

The theme this month is Dystopian Halloween. What Halloween traditions survive a post-apocalyptic landscape will be up to the survivors. For some of us, Halloween is instilled in our soul. We’ll easily find a way to celebrate the dead. That’s what comes to mind when I found this awesome spooky art from Kellen Carranza.

Halloween Dias De Los Muertos Sci Fi Chica Tattoos Pumpkin Skulls and Sneakers

Artist: Kellen Carranza
Company/Studio/Website:
https://www.artstation.com/artofkellencarranza
Where to Purchase Goods:
https://www.designbyhumans.com/shop/KellenC/

Haiku of the Week

It’s been 90 years since the fall. Food is scarce and crops are bad. A short life is still life. How long does it take for the soil to return fruitful harvest after a nuclear holocaust? What lengths should a farm go to to protect what’s theirs?

poisoned stalks of corn
90 years after the fall
the scarecrow

Monday Macabre is all about the scares during October, but this year, we’re tapping into the psychological fear of dystopian Halloween horror. My haiku is inspired by this ghoulish robot scarecrow.