Poe Sundays – The Tell-Tale Heart, 1953

In 1953, United Production Artists produced an 8-minute animation based on Edgar Allan Poe’s The Tell-Tale Heart. This surreal psychological horror short film, narrated by James Mason and distributed by Columbia Pictures, became the first animated film to earn an X rating in the UK. The reason? Well, that’s just what old stuffy white dudes do when someone makes a film about killing old stuffy white dudes for no reason.

Click here for more information on The Tell-Tale Heart from 1953.

Wicked Art Wednesdays – Jeffrey Smith

The theme for October is dystopian Halloween. This piece entitled The Guardian by Jeffrey Smith, creator of “Light Of Conscience” and “Persona Theater” series, captures the mood of the month.

The Guardian by Jeffrey Smith

Artist: Jeffrey Smith
Website/Studio: https://www.deviantart.com/ascending-storm
Social Media: https://instagram.com/ascendingstorm?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
Where to Purchase Goods:
https://www.inprnt.com/gallery/ascendingstorm/

31 Days of Halloween 2022

Happy October! After starting late this Halloween season, I’m now ready to post the schedule of this year’s 31 Days of Halloween Celebration. The theme this October is dystopian Halloween. With the doomsday clock ticking down, it’s probably way past time to think about how humankind plans to survive the apocalypse, in particular, how we’ll preserve our traditions and holidays, like Halloween.

Part of the month, we’ll have some fun with the dystopian Halloween-horror theme, but I have decided to mix in some good old-fashion Halloween traditional themes as well, cuz, I just love talking about those Halloween memories.

Have a safe and happy Halloween season!

31 Days of Halloween Schedule

Monday Macabre
Mondays are always dedicated to Haiku, but every Monday in October we’ll explore a dystopian Halloween.

Tuesday Terror
Every Tuesday, I’ll share my favorite scary movies that I believe make great Halloween season viewing.

Wicked Art Wednesdays
Every Wednesday, I’ll share some spooktacular Halloween art with an apocalyptic twist. I might even post some my own original Halloween pencil stencil art.

Throwback Thursdays
Preservation of Halloween traditions is important for several reasons. Every Thursday, let’s explore the origins of some Halloween traditions and muse over whether these traditions might survive the apocalypse.

Friday Fright Nightcaps
Ghosts aren’t the only ones who like to get sheet-faced on Halloween. Check back every Friday for Halloween season-inspired cocktails.

Sinister Saturdays
In the past few years, Sinister Saturdays have always been dedicated to food and Halloween recipes.  The problem was, besides my being the worst cook in America, people are simply reluctant to let you share their recipes online, even if you give them complete credit and link back to their website. So, in the true spirit of Sinister Saturdays, we’re just going to let the demons loose that day and see what they come up with.

Poe Sundays
This year’s tribute to the master of macabre, Edgar Allan Poe, will feature my thoughts on the best Poe adaptations on film.

4th Annual Halloween Haiku Challenge 2022
#Halloweenhaikuchallenge

Share your most original or scariest visual Halloween Haiku photos during October for a chance to win some prizes.

More details about the haiku contest will be announced on October 18th.

Join in the fun, and follow me @Halloweenhorrorhaiku on Instagram and @Halloweenkristy on Twitter

Monthly Haiku Corner – October

Years after the fall, survivors spend their days scavenging for food and other items to make apocalyptic life easier. Water is scarce and there hasn’t been a good harvest crop since the end of the war.

A man pours dirty water from a rusty cup into a small pot. He digs a little hole and turns to the small child beside him. She opens her tiny hand to reveal a bunch of pumpkin seeds. She drops them in the pot and covers them with dirt. “Happy Halloween!” the child says triumphantly. The man smiles at her. Hopefully a pumpkin will grow this time.

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

pumpkin seeds
water in a rusty cup
Halloween’s last hope

Haiku of the Week

Our theme this month has been creatures of the deep. Here’s a sneak peek at the theme for August.

snapping lobster claws
no man quarrells with a queen
sea witches revenge

Haiku inspired by the Sea Witch, artwork by Ubergank aka Linus Pettersson.

To view more spectacular artwork by Linus Pettersson, follow him on Artstation at: https://www.artstation.com/linuspettersson or https://www.deviantart.com/ubergank

Monthly Haiku Corner – July

Happy July 4th! Believe it or not, there are still many spots in world’s oceans that have not been explored. We still do not fully understand ocean’s wildlife and what hidden dangers may lurk at the bottom of the deepest, darkest trenches of the sea. Our theme this month is creatures of the deep. Be careful where you swim.

Haiku of the Week

The theme this month is a werewolf summer.

My poem is inspired by Joe Slucher’s artwork entitled Werewolf Camp.

Artwork by Joe Slucher

To view more artwork and purchase merchandise by the amazing fantasy and sci-fi illustrator Joe Slucher, please go here: https://www.joeslucher.com/

Haiku of the Week

During this last week in April, Halloween lovers reanimate after a long hibernation. Walpurgisnacht marks the halfway point to Halloween and revelers are planning for a ghoulish good time.

Our theme this month has been Zombie Spring.

trampled gardens
flowers covered in blood
spring of the undead

Haiku of the Week

Our theme this month is a zombie spring.

shattered honeycomb
beehive mentality
zombie swarm

Haiku of the Week

Our theme this month is love and death.

a hint of red rose
love, a deadly poison
til death do us part