Return to Spooky Season – Happy October

oct shadows

October 1st is only a few days away and it’s one big Halloween party all day, every day, around here. This season, I’m encouraging people to do two things, 1) be Green for Halloween, and 2) take the Halloween Pledge, a pledge to practice one old Halloween tradition and introduce a random new tradition into your celebrations this year.

Before I share the schedule of festivities coming in October, I have an exciting new development to report, Halloween Haiku has new message boards! You can access the forum by clicking on the spinning pumpkin on the right sidebar of the home page.

The forum hopefully will be a place where we can have a little fun together. There’s going to be Halloween trivia, scary movie trivia, along with random chat and silliness, and a special contest on Halloween Day.

pumpdance

Halloween 2019 Schedule

Monday Macabre

Every Monday, you’ll find spine-tingling haiku so scary, you’ll sleep with the light on

Tuesday Terror

Every Tuesday, we’ll be celebrating the best of horror cinema, dug up from the Hollywood Vaults

Wicked Art Wednesdays

Every Wednesday, I’ll be showcasing art from five of the most brilliant Halloween artists in the industry

Throwback Thursdays

Every Thursday, we’ll share in the memories of vintage Halloween and Halloween traditions

Friday Fright Nightcaps

Every Friday, you’ll find chilling adult cocktail recipes from the other side

Sinister Saturdays

Every Saturday, I’ll be serving up decadent desserts and savory Halloween recipes so sinful, you might need an exorcism on November 1st.

Poe Sundays

Grab a cup of tea, sit back, and read the chilling classics of the Master of the Macabre, Edgar Allan Poe

October 31^st – Halloween Haiku Challenge

On Halloween day, people will have the opportunity to post their own original, spooky haiku for a chance to win a prize bag, valued over $25 (more details to be announced).

31 Days of Halloween (on Social Media)

Instagram – Halloween Haiku Photo Challenge
Join us in posting cool pics to match the #HalloweenHaikuPhotoChallenge this October. Don’t worry about missing any days. It’s Halloween, you should be out having fun. You can post anytime, just remember to use: #HalloweenHaikuPhotoChallenge

Halloween Photo Challenge (1)

Twitterween
Halloween Haiku is a proud member of the Samhain Society, and I’ll be happily sharing the Halloween fun and festivities of my fellow community-goers. Everyone has been working so hard and I’m super stoked to join in the celebrations.

Pinterest
Check out our boards for more Halloween fun ideas and inspiration. We’ve got at least 5 new boards!

Wishing you all a fun, safe and memorable, haunting season!

Haiku of the Week

nighttime terrors
little souls full of dread
pumpkin lights

Horror’s Worst Vacations Ever

Happy September! School is back in session, summer is winding down, and that recent holiday in the sun is now a distant memory. Everyone knows vacations can sometimes be more stressful than relaxing. Between the airlines losing luggage and hotel rooms not looking anything like the brochure, to pricey tourist traps or flat out being robbed, the reality of exotic trips not living up to their expectations is a top reason why people just stay home. Let’s be honest, a lot of the disappointment could’ve been solved with better research and a Lonely Planet travel guide.

No matter how awful your trip was, just be glad you weren’t a character in an Eli Roth movie.

friday13

Camp Crystal Lake, Friday the 13^th (1980) dir. by Sean S. Cunningham

Years after a child’s accidental drowning, a group of young camp counselors prepare for the summer camp’s reopening, only to be stalked and murdered by an unseen force.

This one almost didn’t make the list because for all its posturing and preparation for summer visitors, Camp Crystal Lake never actually opened to the public. That’s right, no vacations were had, which is a good thing because after all those brutal murders, they never would have survived the Yelp reviews. The locals called it ‘Camp Blood’ for short. I mean, can you imagine the BBB rating on this place? “One star for the blood-stained bunk beds!” Never before has the mere uttering of a vacation destination sparked so much fear, because no one steps foot in a forest these days without hearing Jason’s theme ‘ki-ki-ki-ma-ma-ma‘ in their head.

Continue reading “Horror’s Worst Vacations Ever” →

Haiku of the Week

hostile strangers
kidnapped from your own bed
vacation nightmares

Worst Dads in Horror

Posting this blog a day late and a dollar short, just like dear ‘ole dad. If you were one of the millions who spent Father’s Day pining over your lost, non-existent volatile relationship with daddy dearest, cheer up, and be glad you weren’t the offspring of any of these bad dads of horror.

10. Satan – Rosemary’s Baby (1968)

It doesn’t really get much worse than having Satan for a dad. Sure, there are probably perks to being the Antichrist, but the trade-off is lifetime of micromanagement from mid-level staffers on daddy’s payroll. Satan’s coven rape, conspire, commit murder and drive the chosen mother-to-be to the brink of insanity, all to ensure Satan’s son is born on the exact date that will make him 33 years on the millennial, the same age as Jesus when he came into his own. Who would’ve guessed the devil would be so petty?

Rosemarys-Baby

Continue reading “Worst Dads in Horror” →

The Scariest Moms of Horror

I was supposed to post this on Mothers Day but I was too busy hanging out with my momma.

Moms have one job, protect their children. There’s a reason why you’re not supposed to mess with women with offspring. Ever heard of mama bears? Hell hath no fury like a pissed-off mum! Now, most moms are good moms, but all moms have the potential to be scary. If you manage to survive their wrath, these terrifying ladies of horror will keep you in therapy for years.

10. Mama/Spirit – Mama, 2013

Mama is a vengeful spirit who doesn’t know how to let go. When she finds two children alone in the woods after a tragic accident, she cares for them, in the only backwoods way that a dark, scary cursed ghost can. Years later, the girls are finally rescued and sent to live with their father’s twin brother and his wife, but unfortunately, Mama is not okay with the new living arrangements. It’s unfortunate this movie tried so hard to be twisty because the plot only ended up in knots, but at its heart, this is a classic ghost story with solid jump scares.

Continue reading “The Scariest Moms of Horror” →

Best of Irish Horror

For a country so rich in myths and folklore, Ireland doesn’t produce many horror films. Let’s hope someone is carving out some funds from the $250 million that the Irish Film Board received last year to help usher in more scary movies from the Emerald Isle. Until then, here are five great Irish horror films to watch this month.

Citadel (2012)

citadel

“Take a look at yourself. Everything about you, says victim.”

A grieving new father joins forces with a grumpy priest to protect his baby from being taken by feral children.

Nothing will prepare for the barrage of emotions you’ll feel, watching a grieving young man struggling to care for his baby, fight the broken system, and deal with his post-traumatic stress disorder, all while fending off a group of freaky feral children from trying to kidnap his child. Suspenseful and unsettling, in the same vein as the French thriller Them, sadly, The Citadel misses the opportunity to truly be a frightening horror film, nonetheless, I still recommend it for the outstanding performances from Aneurin Barnard and James Cosmos.’

citadel2

Continue reading “Best of Irish Horror” →

Haiku of the Week

it has landed
message from outer space
SOS

Special Valentine’s Day Poem – Saying Goodbye is Always Hard

Saying goodbye is always hard.
I don’t like the feel of it.
The soft caress of a lover’s embrace by a warm body next to mine.
Now, hard muscles turned to stone.

Saying goodbye is always hard.
I don’t like the sound of it.
A harmonious melody of a chorus of angels floating in the air.
Now, a cacophony of gnawing little teeth.

Saying goodbye is always hard.
I don’t like the smell of it.
Odors become memories burned in the mind, like the cologne I bought last Christmas.
Now, the metallic sickly sweet stench of blood.

Saying goodbye is always hard.
I don’t like the taste of it.
The taste of red wine with wild cherries, warm peaches and a hint of passionfruit.
Now, the cold, succulent, saltiness of raw meat.

Saying goodbye is always hard.
I don’t like the sight of it.
Pink cheeks flush a deeper red when crystal blue eyes catch mine.
Now, a blackened mass of exposed bone and rotting flesh.

Saying goodbye is always hard.
I don’t like the finality of it.
I should see, hear, smell, feel, and taste my love, whenever I want.
No. I’ll never say goodbye.

Best Horror Reboots/Remakes

January is almost over and few of us have kept our resolutions. Don’t worry, the year is still new and second chances can happen anytime. So, in keeping with that theme, here’s my picks for the best horror reboots/remakes.

Typically, I’m a big fan of the phrase “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. However, with the superior technological advances in both filmmaking and special effects, some reboots or remakes are pretty darn good, a few even surpass their predecessors. Let me know what you think.

10. Fright Night (1985/2011)

Yes, the characters aren’t half as charismatic as the original cast, but the acting talents of Colin Farrell, Anton Yelchin, Toni Collette and David Tennant are what keep Fright Night from being a bad remake. While the story itself hasn’t changed much, the remake loses most of its humor, in favor of a more sardonic style, making the film more of a thriller.

Biggest Changes: Setting location moves from main town, USA to a glitzy suburb of Las Vegas. No more camp, just blood-thirsty vampires.