Happy October! We are a haunted nation, full of demons masquerading as god’s children, in places we never dreamed, doing things we don’t want to imagine.
Resist evil.
October’s full moon is the first supermoon of the year, a harvest moon, named for time of year when crops are plentiful. Too bad no one is around to pick them.
screams that no one hears
beware of those haunted souls
nation full of ghosts
Be safe out there.
Spooky Sundays are all about reading, relaxing, and recharging our brooms.
Darkness is gothic poem of apocalyptic dream where the world succumbs to darkness, despair, and death after the sun and the stars are extinguished.
The poem was likely inspired by climate event known as The Year without a Summer in 1816, when an ash cloud from an Indonesian volcanic eruption spread across Europe killing crops and causing by food shortages. The poem is metaphor for humans losing hope for goodness and light when darkness takes hold. Seemed fitting poetry for current events.
Darkness
by Lord George Gordon Byron
(July 1816)
I had a dream, which was not all a dream.
The bright sun was extinguish’d, and the stars
Did wander darkling in the eternal space,
Rayless, and pathless, and the icy earth
  Swung blind and blackening in the moonÂless air;Â
Morn came and went–and came, and brought no day,
And men forgot their passions in the dread
Of this their desolation; and all hearts
Were chill’d into a selfish prayer for light:
  And they did live by watchfires–and the thrones,
The palaces of crowned kings–the huts,
The habitations of all things which dwell,
Were burnt for beacons; cities were consumed,
And men were gather’d round their blazing homes
To look once more into each other’s face;
  Happy were those who dwelt within the eye
Of the volcanos, and their mountain-torch:
A fearful hope was all the world contain’d;
Forests were set on fire–but hour by hour
  They fell and faded–and the crackling trunks
Extinguish’d with a crash–and all was black.
The brows of men by the despairing light
Wore an unearthly aspect, as by fits
The flashes fell upon them; some lay down
  And hid their eyes and wept; and some did rest
Their chins upon their clenched hands, and smiled;
And others hurried to and fro, and fed
Their funeral piles with fuel, and look’d up
With mad disquietude on the dull sky,Â
The pall of a past world; and then again
With curses cast them down upon the dust,
And gnash’d their teeth and howl’d: the wild birds shriek’d
And, terrified, did flutter on the ground,
And flap their useless wings; the wildest brutes
Came tame and tremulous; and vipers crawl’d
And twined themselves among the multitude,
Hissing, but stingless–were slain for food.
And War, which for a moment was no more,
Did glut himself again:–a meal was bought
With blood, and each sate sullenly apart
Gorging himself in gloom: no love was left;
All earth was but one thought–and that was death
Immediate and inglorious; and the pang
Of famine fed upon all entrails–men
Died, and their bones were tombless as their flesh;
The meagre by the meagre were devour’d,
Even dogs assail’d their masters, all save one,
And he was faithful to a Gorse, and kept
The birds and beasts and famish’d men at bay,
Till hunger clung them, or the dropping dead
Lured their lank jaws; himself sought out no food,
But with a piteous and perpetual moan,
And a quick desolate cry, licking the hand
Which answer’d not with a caress–he died.
The crowd was famish’d by degrees; but two
Of an enormous city did survive,
And they were enemies: they met beside
The dying embers of an altar-place
Where had been heap’d a mass of holy things
For an unholy usage; they raked up,
And shivering scraped with their cold skeleton hands
The feeble ashes, and their feeble breath
Blew for a little life, and made a flame
Which was a mockery; then they lifted up
Their eyes as it grew lighter, and beheld
Each other’s aspects–saw, and shriek’d, and died–
Even of their mutual hideousness they
Unknowing who he was upon whose brow
Famine had written Fiend. The world was void,
The populous and the powerful was a lump,
Seasonless, herbless, treeless, manless, lifeless,
A lump of death–a chaos of hard clay.
The rivers, lakes, and ocean all stood still,
And nothing stirr’d within their silent depths;
Ships sailorless lay rotting on the sea,
And their masts fell down piecemeal: as they dropp’d
They slept on the abyss without a surge
The waves were dead; the tides were in their grave,
The moon, their mistress, had expired before;
The winds were wither’d in the stagnant air,
And the clouds perish’d; Darkness had no need
Of aid from them–She was the Universe.
~~~~~
To read more poems from Lord Byron, check out the Poetry Foundation.
Happy Friday! It’s the return of Friday Fright Nightcaps! In honor of this month’s theme Haunted Halloween, I present the Ghastly Spritzer. Who doesn’t love a nice smooth fizzy cocktail!
Ingredients:
1 oz. Malibu coconut rum
2 oz. vodka
1.5 oz. pineapple juice
3 oz. sparkling water
ice
This drink wildly interchangeable. Too weak, add more vodka. Too strong, add more pineapple juice. Too sweet, add more sparkling water, I used a flavored La Croix but honestly the Malibu drowned out the flavor in sparkling water.
Also, I missed Random Acts of Poetry Day on October 1st, so I’m sliding in a suggestion to check out this great book from Everyman’s Library and edited by John Hollander entitled “Poems Bewitched and Haunted” a collection of classic spooky poems and short stories.
Gothic scares from literary greats like Dickinson, Goethe, Horace, and Poe. Must read for Halloween!
Happy October! It’s been a busy summer. I admit that keeping up with a blog this year has been challenging. On one hand I love it, I love sharing Halloween haiku and other spooky stuff, but truth is I simply don’t have the time to blog like I used to.
I also know times are tough and depressing. It’s not going to get better anytime soon, we need Halloween! We need to celebrate our culture and traditions more than ever and we need to make new memories! Good memories! You never know when that may be the only thing you have. So after careful consideration, I will again be celebrating all 31 days of Halloween this year.
There will be two themes this month, Haunted Halloween and Halloween Happy. Americans are a haunted people, but we all deserve life. Halloween is for everyone. Full stop. The holiday combines both ancient pagan and religious ceremonies. The original purpose was to chase away the demons and bad ghosts that crossed over the spirit realm because of the thin veil between the living and the spirit world.
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 2025
Monday Macabre
Every Monday, I’ll be posting a brand new Halloween Haiku, honoring the theme of Haunted Halloween.
Trick or Treat Tuesdays
Check in on Tuesdays for some online 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.
Timeless Thursdays
Every Thursday, let’s travel back in time and revisit some of the greatest Halloween music ever made on the corporeal plane.
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.
Eat, drink and be scary!
7th Annual Halloween Haiku Challenge
#Halloweenhaikuchallenge2025
Due to time constraints, this year’s contest will start at midnight on October 30th through Halloween day. Winner 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!🎃
Death of Unicorn opens this weekend and reminds me that there are dozens of great horror movies about fantastical creatures from our most beloved children’s tales. These movies aren’t just fractured fairy tales, no, some of these are gruesome horror gems, worthy of an ogre’s eye.
Most supernatural creautures have the ability to disconcern bad people from the good people in ways we wish we could (it would be so useful these days). Supernatural justice is swift, decisive, and irreversible. In most cases, 1000% deserving. It’s perhaps the whole reason why some of us love horror movies.
Warning for jump scare junkies, my list runs the gambit of horror subgenres, so grab the popcorn, turn out the lights, and forget what the Grimm Brothers taught you about mythical beings.
The Company of Wolves – A dark provocative, twisted retelling of Red Riding Hood with werewolves, set in 18th century. This is British goth horror at its finest, directed by the legendary Neil Jordan and starring Angela Lansbury as grandma, of course! One of my all-time faves!
The Ritual – Probably the best true horror film on this list. Four college grads still mourning the tragic loss of their friend, head out to hike the Scandinavian wild in search of inner peace and find ancient evil instead. I’m not going to give away the mythological creature cuz it’s so good when you figure it out.
Spring – One of best rom-horror ever made. It’s suprisingly tender story of a young man who finds love with a mysterious woman in Italy while mourning the recent loss of his mother. This sweet romantic tale starring Lou Taylor Pucci and Nadia Hilker, sometimes makes you forget you’re watching a scary film.
Pan’s Labyrinth – Guillermo Del Toro’s
magnum opus features classic elements of horror, war drama, and fairy tales. Del Toro himself considers it a parable. Set in Francoist Spain, the story of young girl who falls into a dark labyrinth filled with terrifying magical creatures is the greatest example of dark fantasy/horror and an absolute must watch movie.
Gretel & Hansel – This might be the scariest retelling of the classic children’s tale ever produced. Directed by Osgood Perkins, the movie is heavy on atmosphere and mood, rather than action (at least until the end) and focuses on the untapped power of Gretel battling the evil witch, who is seriously got to be one of the scariest witches of all time on film.
Antlers – An original story about a troubled little boy harboring a dark secret and the sad ordinary people trying to help before finding themselves sucked into deadly world of a wendigo. Everyday man Jesse Plemons leads an all-star cast in this underrated horror gem, produced by Guillermo Del Toro and David S. Goyer. Acting, production quality, story, and scares are top notch. I believe the wendigo is one of the scariest mythical creatures and have longed for a good adaptation of the folklore. This is the best so far.
Troll Hunter – Norweigan horror film about a group of college students who set out to do a documentary of a legendary bear hunter Hans. After an attack, Hans is forced to reveal the truth that he’s not actually out looking for bears, he’s hunting trolls! This thoroughly original mockumentary style horror is utterly brilliant in the way it brings the fictional creature to life with such seriousness, I now wonder what’s out there in the deep dark woods.
The Hallow – Dark fantasy horror about a conservationist who travels to remote Ireland with his wife and baby, only to meet hostile locals who warn the man about the region’s Hallow, fairies, banshees, and baby-stealing fae. It doesn’t take long before the couple are battling the Hallow’s underworld to save their child. Out of all mythical beings, fairies are the most ambiguous. Some are good, some are bad, some are mischievous. Corin Hardy’s directorial debut is one of best and scariest fantasy horrors depicting bad fairies.
The Lure – Insanely odd Polish fantasy film about two mermaids who crawl out of the ocean to join a rock band in a club during the 1980s. It might be light on scares, but the cringe factor is a ten and it’s total trip.
Leprechaun – This is best of 90s campy slasher horror starring pre-Friends ingenue Jennifer Aniston and Warwick Davis having ridiculous fun portraying the devilishly witty leprechaun who doesn’t let any humans get in his way while chasing his gold. Anything that can launch an 8 film franchise, whether they’re good or not, is gold in my book!
Happy March! Today’s full moon is a Worm Moon, a blood moon, and there’s been no shortage of bad blood around here. I admit to being on a rampage of sorts lately. Who needs horror movies when you can turn on CNN!
While the misery is palpable, I must remember to lean on my love for Halloween, horror, and haiku to save me from the insanity. I’m committed to creating my art every full moon and on special occasions, like St. Patrick’s Day coming up on March 17th.
March is my favorite non-Ber month. It’s a magical month full of mystery, fun, and my favorite mythological supernatural creatures of all time, such as the frightening Dullahan aka the Headless Horseman, mischievous leprechauns, enchanted fairies, scary or not, and of course, the wailing banshee, a ghastly female entity known to roam the countrysides of Ireland whose cries serve as warnings for legendary families of impending death and doom.
It seems those keening spectres have made their way to America. Will anyone listen?
disturb the silence
warnings of death and mayhem
when the banshees cry
The last Ber month is a magical month filled with love, laughter, and good cheer, but it’s also a little spooky. There are ghosts, elves, strange dark creatures, and of course, the longest darkest night of the year. Winter solstice happens on December 21st and there’s still plenty of spooky fun to be had this month.
The theme this month is Wicked Wonderland, and I’ll be sharing brand new haunted haiku on Mondays, gift-giving guides for Halloween and horror fans, excerpts from Charles Dicken’s classic A Christmas Carol every Sunday, recipes for a couple of christmassy cocktails, daily Wicked Wonderland art and photo challenge over on Instagram and social media, and closer to the end of month, I’ll hold the Holiday Haiku Challenge, with a chance to win some cool prizes!
We’re kicking off the celebrations with an art and photo challenge over on Instagram. Jump in any time, even if you miss a day or two, let’s see those wicked holiday pics! See picture below for the prompts. Don’t forget to tag me in your posts and use #wickedwonderlandphotochallenge
To join in on the fun, follow me http://www.halloweenhorrorhaiku.com or @Halloweenhorrorhaiku on Instagram and Threads. I’m also on Blue Sky now at halloweenhaiku.bsky.social
Hello! Today is Shop Small Business Saturday. This new annual tradition of supporting the mom and pop local businesses in your own town follows Black Friday every year. Today, I’m celebrating the last day of November with one of my favorite small businesses.
Backstitch Bruja
It’s been a joy to watch Yvette’s business grow from a small online shop into a real brick and mortar store in San Dimas, CA. This busy entrepreneur still makes time to travel around to Halloween and horror conventions and spooky events around the SoCal area. Follow her on Instagram for details on appearances.
This is just a small taste of what’s offered up this Creepmas season. It seems that everything pictured is still in stock, but merch moves quickly at Backstitch Bruja.
But don’t fret if something sells out. If you can be patient, get yourself a Backstitch Bruja giftcard. They usually restock.
Haunting Holidays and Merry Creepmas to all!
Spooky Sundays are all about reading, relaxing, and recharging our brooms. Work is definitely getting in the way of celebrating my favorite holiday, but I managed to get all my posts up. Looking forward to this last week in October. Gonna carve my pumpkin, enjoy some more spooky classic movies and hopefully read some awesome entries for the Halloween Haiku Challenge. Four days left til Halloween! Here’s a visual recap of this past week.
Horror films have captivated audiences since before Universal’s wild heyday of Horror during the 1930s. Each era has had great scary films and some so good, they spawned sequels and created franchises. Jaws, a 1975 horror adventure from a new young director Steven Spielberg gave birth to the summer blockbuster! In fact, thanks to horror, some amazing technical achievements have been discoverd, like new camera and lighting tricks and, make-up, and special fx. Horror films are truly the backbone of Hollywood.
I personally have been a horror film fan for over 40 years and I pride myself on having seen a majority of scary films and always look forward to those I’ve havent found yet. But there’s just one thing I haven’t been able to figure out, and that’s which era had the best horror. Was it Universal’s monster era or the SciFi greatness of the 50s, or how about the great slasher films of the 80s? It’s so hard to choose! Help me out!
Halloween Horror Haiku 
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