Congratulations to Adele Gardner! She’s our Halloween Haiku Challenge Winner for 2026!
Adele submitted her winning haiku on Bluesky. Adele’s also an artist, poet, and writer and it looks like she has a brand new book of poetry out called Halloween Dreams. Publishing is an amazing achievement. Let’s go show her some support!
There were only a few entries this year, as expected. I appreciate those who did participate. You’re all awesome! Thank you all for helping me keep the Halloween spirit alive this year!
As tradition, I usually only post a few times in November. I typically take time to reset and prepare for the haunted holidays in December. Being this is an important election week here in America, I might be annoyingly active on Bluesky for another few days and then go dark. See you all next month! I wish you all Happy Autumn!🍃🍂🍁🎃
We celebrate all 31 days in October and before I share the Halloween schedule this year, I just wanted to say a few words.
Sharing our cultural traditions helps preserve them and embracing our communities makes us stronger and breaks down barriers between human beings. This is the time of year when people do the most for each other, and the Halloween season is all about community.
Spirit Halloween’s charitable org Spirit of the Children celebrates 20 years!
So, I want to encourage people to go out and get involved in community events. Go to an art show, holiday fair or school carnival, visit a haunted maze, go to the theater to watch a spooky play or movie, invite some neighbors over on Halloween night and pass out candy together. Start a new tradition.
Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles, CA just opened a new horror movie exhibition.
I’m also going to repeat something I said last year because I believe in it so much:
Don’t let anyone tell you how to do Halloween. Decorate or not. Wear a costume or not. We can be scary and sweet. We can be spooky and cute. Let the teenagers trick or treat. Kids collecting candy are too occupied to do anything else. I truly believe Halloween makes people happy. It’s about community. We need our communities more than ever. It’s the only thing that can save America now.
Be sure to check back every day this October for cool, fun, and inspirational Halloween, horror, and haiku.
HALLOWEEN SCHEDULE 2026
Monday Macabre
Every Monday, I’ll be posting a brand new Halloween Haiku.
Trick or Treat Tuesdays
Check in on Tuesdays for some trivia fun. I’ve got treats and I’ve got tricks!
Wicked Art Wednesdays
Every Wednesday, I’ll showcase the amazing and unique talents of Halloween artists from around the globe. Real art, not ai made.
TimelessThursdays
Every Thursday, let’s travel back in time and revisit the spookiest toys and games.
Friday Fright Nightcaps
Bubble bubble, drink away trouble. It’s the return of Friday Fright Nightcaps!
Sinister Saturdays
Decadent desserts from the darkside. I’m not much of a cook, so this could get truly evil.
Spooky Sundays
Spooky Sundays are for reading, relaxing, and recharging our brooms.
The Halloween Haiku Challenge returns for one day only this October. The contest starts midnight on October 30th through Halloween day and a winner will be chosen on November 1st.
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 Pinterest and Blue Sky.
Have a Happy Halloween season, everyone! Be safe out there!🎃
Summerween might be ending next week, but where I live, I’m not so sure the temperatures are coming down.🥵
Truth is, I envy those who can walk out their front door and experience a fall that I only see in pictures. To have mother nature showering you with inspiration, inviting you into the dreamscape and awakening your soul with the crisp morning air…. it’s kinda the only thing I dream of right now. But that’s a whole ‘nother story.
The point is September feels less like Fall out west more and more each year. Climate change is real, and this is a reminder to all to treat the planet more kindly, because it’s the only one with pumpkins, and we can’t have Halloween without pumpkins! Full stop!
dried out fall leaves chocolate melting in the sun SoCal halloween
Midsummer Scream never fails to get me excited for the Halloween season! More on my MSS experiences later but today I’m ready to kick off the unofficial start to Halloween 2026!
It’s two weeks til the ‘Ber months, our favorite time of the year. This is what we’ve been waiting 8 long months for! Four months of festive holidays, cooler temperatures and the smiles and laughter that can shape a community. Halloween is the one of the few holidays truly for everyone. It’s a season for the people, by the people. People’s creativity and passions are what fuel the love for Halloween and keeping hope alive and making people laugh is no small feat in these dark times.
Seeing as I likely have two more months of 90 degree weather giving me brain fog, I decided to lean in and accept my cheesy haiku, because we deserve all the humor we can find.🎃
summer full of dread ‘ber months are returning soon just like your smile
Have a spook-tacular Halloween season! Be safe out there.
Wow, the summer heat this July is no joke! This is the part of the year when I’m most miserable…hot, tired, cranky and longing for the Halloween season.
As my little pumpkin plant struggles to grow, I can’t help but think how climate change is slowly destroying our planet and worry it won’t be long before it affects our human traditions. Will there be less pumpkins? Smaller pumpkins? No pumpkins at all?
The only relief is the cooler temps of dark summer nights. Who doesnt love sitting under the moonlight with a tall glass of lemonade, watching old 50s scifi horrors, Them! The Blob, Godzilla, Invasion of the Body Snatchers.
I’m not sure I would’ve loved anything about the 1950s except hiding out all adternoon in a Saturday matinee. Some say it was a simpler time but it was also filled racism, suspicion, and hatred. No thank you. Truth is, our monster films were the mirrors of society for voices often too scared to speak during that time. This is perhaps the best reason why I love old horror and creature features. This was a time when movie magic was born from real human creativity, crafted by skilled hands, and reflecting the best of the human spirit. Horror films today still show us who the real villains in society are and it isn’t the creatures. We should never lose sight of this.
summer moon above shadows dance across the screen old creature features
I cannot believe it’s been 8 years. I know, I haven’t been writing much in the last year. It’s been tough to find time, and honestly, to even feel creative some days, with so much negativity and uncertainty in the world. I hate what’s happening to our country and loathe the evil criminals in charge. Who needs scary movies when the real life horrors are neverending.
But, as I stated many times, this isn’t a political blog, it’s a Halloween blog, and a safe space for like-minded individuals. I just want to celebrate and share my love for Halloween, horror and all things spooky.
Save the earth! It’s the only planet with pumpkins!
My haiku comes straight out of my own little noggin. There’s no AI use here for my poetry or words. These poems, good and bad, are all mine and I’ve got receipts! I’m honestly a little scared about how AI might affect Halloween 2026. Sometimes it’s cool and sometimes it’s slop. At first, I gave it a chance, but I’m beginning to see the danger it poses, especially to the climate. So, I’ve decided to go AI free this Halloween season!
The one thing I’ve been slacking on this year is movie lists. If you’re looking for horror movie suggestions, I make lists that I’ve curated myself, meaning I spent hours watching and rewatching to see if I want to add said movie to my list. Last year was a banner year for horror and my own list of favorite horror movies has expanded. I’m gonna put a new spooky list up soon so check back!
Gladys from Zach Cregger’s Weapons played by Oscar winner Amy Madigan
I want to thank you for stopping by my little blog and giving your attention, time and energy. I hope you enjoyed reading my haiku and my old blog posts, some of which still hold up, like the one below:
April is the halfway point to Halloween! It’s also Earth Month. The easiest way to celebrate both is too plant new pumpkins for the upcoming Halloween season!
blue skies and white clouds planting jack o lanterns from seed to smile
March has been a little rough, but I have a new haiku to share, celebrating both St. Patrick’s Day and the recent horror show that is the United States. Not everything that glitters is gold.
beware the trickster whose only concern is gold death is imminent
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