Happy October 2024!

Happy October! I can’t believe we’re celebrating our 6th Halloween season! This year, work has been crazy busy and finding the time to keep up with blogging is a huge challenge, but I’m not quitting yet!

Although, I’m going to scale back a bit, I will still be celebrating all 31 days of Halloween. Our theme this month is Halloween Vintage Classic, bringing together two of my favorite things in the whole world, vintage style Halloween decorations and old black and white spooky movies.

Be sure to check back every day this October for cool, fun, and inspirational Halloween, horror, and haiku.

HALLOWEEN SCHEDULE 2024

Monday Macabre

Every Monday, I’ll be posting a brand new Halloween Haiku, honoring the theme of Halloween Vintage Classic.

Trick or Treat Tuesdays

Play spooky games and win spooky prizes! Every Tuesday, head over to Instagram for some fun and a chance to win some cool Halloween stickers and pins.

Wicked Art Wednesdays

Every Wednesday, I’ll showcase original Halloween art that most represents our theme of “Halloween Vintage Classic” from the world’s most talented artists.

Thursday Time Travels

Every Thursday, let’s travel back in time and revisit some great black and white haunted classic movies.

Friday Fright Nightcaps

It’s the return of Friday Fright Nightcaps and we’re gonna put the boos in booze!

Sinister Saturdays

Saturday nights are alright for fighting. It’s election year in the USA and what better way to get ready for November than by voting for your favorite scary movies!

Spooky Sundays

Spooky Sundays are for reading, relaxing, and recharging our brooms.

6th Annual Halloween Haiku Challenge
#Halloweenhaikuchallenge

Due to time constraints, I’ll be running a shorter challenge this year, starting in the last week in October, with me choosing a winner on Halloween night. More details to come, but for now, sharpen those pencils or pull up a blank page; I can’t wait to see those Halloween haiku!

Don’t forget to follow Halloweenhorrorhaiku on social media: Instagram, Threads, and Pinterest.

Have a Happy Halloween season, everyone!

Friday Fright Nightcaps – Revenge of Frankenstein Cocktail

Happy Frankenstein Friday! Time for another Friday Fright Nightcap! Tonight, we celebrate Universal monster Dr. Frankstein with a classy cocktail stitched together with a bunch of different ingredients, just like his creations!

Ingredients:
2 oz. Midori
1 oz. vodka
1 oz. white rum
1 1/2 oz. Sprite
.5 oz. St-Germain elderflower liqueur

Mix ingredients well. Garnish with Maraschino cherries or fresh fruit. Serve chilled.

You can stream Universal’s Frankenstein, 1931, on Peacock, with a paid subscription.

Friday Fright Nightcaps – Terror-misu Martini

Happy Friday! Time for another Friday Fright Nightcap! Tonight, we celebrate Universal monster The Wolfman with my kooky version of a tiramisu martini.

Ingredients:
.5 oz. crema de caco or chocolate liqueur
.5 oz Bailey’s Irish Cream
.5 oz. ameretto
1 oz. shot of espresso or coffee
1 oz. Kahlua
1.5 oz. vodka

Pour ingredients into shaker and shake well. Pour into chocolate coated glass. Best when served chilled.

You can stream Universal’s The Wolfman 1941, on Prime Video, with a Prime subscription.

Friday Fright Nightcaps – Bloody Sangria

Happy Friday the 13th! Time for another Friday Fright Nightcap! Tonight, we celebrate Friday the 13th and Universal’s monster Dracula, with everyone’s favorite winetail, the Bloody Sangria!

Ingredients:
2 bottles of red wine (Red blends and Cabernets work best)
1/2 cup – spiced rum
1 can – Sprite (or Tangerine LaCroix)
1/2 cup – sugar
Assorted sliced fresh fruit

Mixing Instructions: Pour ingredients into a large jug and stir well. Refrigerate overnight.

If you’re trimming down or cutting out sugar, try switching out Sprite with Tangerine La Croix and only use 1/4 cup of sugar.

You can stream Universal’s Dracula, 1931, for free on Prime Video, with a Prime subscription.

Friday Fright Nightcaps – Mummy’s Revival

Happy Friday! It’s the return of Friday Fright Nightcaps! Every Friday in October, I post a drink recipe in honor of one of my favorite Universal classic monsters movies. This week is a little concoction called Mummy’s Revival.

I’ll be honest, this recipe is a little sweet. I’m not sure if it’s the coffee or the sugar that can wake the dead, but this is a nice drink to come home to.

Ingredients:

.05 oz -1 oz espresso or dark coffee
1 oz. vodka
1 oz Kahlua
1 oz Bailey’s S’mores or Pumpkin Spice

Garnish:
Chocolate Syrup
Whipped cream for topping

Mixing Instructions:
Mix ingredients well into a shaker. Next, pour into a glass coated with chocolate syrup. Top with whipped cream.

If it’s too sweet, try 1 oz of espresso over coffee. Best when served chilled.

You can stream Universal’s The Mummy, 1932, for free on Prime Video, with a Prime subscription.

Halloween Schedule 2023

**PROGRAM UPDATE 10-07-23: Due to a malfunctioning oven, I will not be able whip up recipes for Sinister Saturdays as promised. So instead, I’ll do something little more in my wheelhouse, scary movie reviews. Every Saturday in October will now be dedicated to reviewing a scary paranormal movie.**

Happy Autumn! Don’t be scared, but October is exactly one week away!

Earlier this year, Halloween Horror Haiku celebrated its 5th anniversary. I can’t believe it’s been 5 years already. It hasn’t always been easy, especially these days when work consumes most of my life, but I’m still enjoying writing haiku and sharing in the spirit of Halloween. That’s why instead of easing up, I’m forging ahead with a 31-day plan to celebrate Halloween 2023!

Be sure to check in every day in October for cool, fun, and inspirational Halloween artwork, haiku, poems, stories, and PRIZES!!! That’s right, I’m giving away a ton of cool prizes this year, but you must be a follower of Halloween Horror Haiku, either here on WordPress or Instagram (click the links to join me).

HALLOWEEN SCHEDULE 2023

Monday Macabre

Our theme this month is A Haunted Halloween. What’s Halloween without a visit to a haunted house? New haiku will be posted every Monday and will connect to tell an overarching story.

Trick or Treat Tuesdays

Play spooky games and win spooky prizes, every Tuesday this October.

Wicked Art Wednesdays

Every Wednesday, I’ll showcase original Halloween art that most represents our theme of “A Haunted Halloween” from the world’s most talented artists.

Thursday Terror

Every Thursday, let’s travel back and revisit the scariest films to come out of the golden age of Hammer Horror.

Friday Fright Nightcaps

What did the ghost say to the bartender? More boos, please!
Grab your cauldron, it’s the return of Friday Fright Nightcaps!

Sinister Saturdays

Join me in my own personal dungeon in hell, y’all might know as the kitchen, as I share some spooook-tacular recipes to die for every Saturday, and post pics and videos of my follies. This could be the scariest day on the schedule, folks (definitely the funniest)!

Spooky Sundays

Spooky Sundays are for reading, relaxing, and recharging our brooms.

5th Annual Halloween Haiku Challenge
#Halloweenhaikuchallenge

Share your most original or scariest Halloween Haiku during the month of October for a chance to win a witchy prize pack!

I’ve got a great grand prize for the top winner this year and lots of cool stickers for runner-ups. More details will be announced!

Don’t forget to follow Halloweenhorrorhaiku on social media: Instagram, Threads, and Pinterest.

Have a faboooooo-lous Halloween season, everyone!

Happy New Year, 2023!

Welcome, January! I don’t do resolutions because I can never keep any promises. Life simply gets in the way sometimes and adapting is name of the game. That’s not to say I don’t make changes. Truth is, I’ve been thinking of quitting this blog for some time, but later this spring will mark my blog’s 5th anniversary and I’m proud of my little creations. So, I’m going to stick it out another year and see where the road leads.

Blogging hasn’t always been easy. Last year was a dismal time. I have not been able find the balance in work-to-home life after the pandemic. The first two years of blogging seemed promising. Then, I realized there was another Halloween Haiku writer who returned from a long hiatus and insisted in creating a competition. It was awkward and weird. Totally killed my inspiration. I ignore that person and exist in my own space because my haiku are original. I never claimed to do anything first, especially where a 3,000 year-old art form is concerned.

My real enemy is social media. I added “horror” to my blog name to differentiate between any other halloween haikus, no matter when they started. I thought I would gain more followers doing that. The unpleasant reality is my blog is a little too niche, even for fans of Halloween, horror, or haiku. Thus, I’ve failed to make any kind of mark. I don’t have the time to keep up Halloween trends, nor the skills to run entertaining or informative social media accounts. If you’ve noticed, I stepped back from Meta (Facebook) and Twitter altogether. While I’m happy to be part of The Samhain Society, it seems my lot in life is to always be the square in a circle. But, hey, this is no pity party. I am GenX. Being alone ain’t nothing new.

So, here I am, giving blogging in 2023 a chance. This year I’m going back to basics, just writing haiku. Halloween and horror haiku to be specific. Trying something new though, all my haiku will connect to tell a story that fits a monthly theme. Actually, I did it in December 2022. Every Monthly Haiku Corner, I will announce the theme and give readers a little background blurb. From there, a tale will unfold week after week and by the end of the year, I should have 12 different micro stories, told in haiku format. Occasionally, I’ll post some other stuff too, a horror movie list for those looking for recommendations, a Friday Fright Nightcap here, a Wicked Art Wednesday showcase there, but mostly, it will be all about the Halloween and horror haiku.

I wish everyone all the best this year. May 2023 be good to you. Be safe and have fun. May you find love and inspiration this year, and of course, good health, joy, happiness, and prosperity.

Friday Fright Nightcaps

Happy Yule! Christmas is hours away and this week has been a whirlwind of work, shopping, chores, cooking, and more. I’m now on vacation until January. Time to relax and unwind.

Now, I know there’s a crazy blizzard happening in the midwest and backeast, but it’s actually really nice in SoCal right now, so I decided on mixing something tropical and Christmassy and came up with the Cranberry Mint Martini.

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup Cranberry juice
1/2 cup Vodka
1-1.5 oz. Peppermint Liqueur

This refreshing holiday cocktail is so crisp and clear, you can see right through it.

Friday Fright Nightcaps – Xmas Edition: Peppermint Madness Martini

Candy cane lovers, indulge your sweet tooth with this dessert holiday cocktail, Peppermint Madness Martini.

Ingredients:
1 cup Peppermint Ice Cream
12 oz. Peppermint Mocha Creamer
2 oz. Peppermint Liqueur
4-6 oz. Vodka
3 oz. Malibu or Coconut Rum

Add all in blender with a little bit of ice and mix well. Serve cold with a candy cane.

Optional rim garnishment:
Red sugar
Crushed candy canes

You can tone down the sugar and thicken it up by replacing the creamer with heavy whipping cream. Also, add a bit more vodka and leave off the garnish.

Friday Fright Nightcaps – Spiced Apple Cider (Crock-pot recipe)

I love this time of year because I can make this simple yet amazingly delicious spiced apple cider recipes. This one is great because it can be served with or without alcohol. I like to use Captain Morgan Spiced Rum because sometimes the cider turns out a little fruity and it balances nicely.