Category: new years

Haunted Holidays are Here!

Welcome, December!


After giving it some thought, I changed this month’s theme to Haunted Holidays. I realized I was creating two different themed plans in December and I wanted to take a little bit more time to plan out my approach to writing haiku next year, so…Blood and Ice will be next month’s theme.

This December is all about the haunted holidays! Back in the day, people told ghost stories during Christmastime and I would love to bring that tradition back. I encourage everyone to create, write, or find a short ghost tale to tell on Christmas eve, and if you’re having trouble, might I recommend simply retelling the classic timeless tale from Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol. Scrooge is the hero we need right now!

Scrooge art by Carter Goodwich

December Fun

Here’s a look at some of the shenanigans I have planned this month:

  • Haunted holidays haiku every Monday
  • Brand new gift-giving guides for Halloween and horror fans
  • New recipes for christmassy cocktails
  • Haunted Holidays Photo Challenge
  • Christmas gift-giving countdown (Details TBA)

I’m kicking off the celebrations with a daily photo challenge. You may post both traditional or haunted photos or artwork. Jump in any time, even if you skip a day, or 5, but, if you can post all 25 days in December, I’ll enter your name into the cauldron for a drawing to win a haunted holidays prize pack.

No purchase is necessary for any of the upcoming contests, but you must be following my blog and be friends with me on at least one of my social media pages (listed below) for a chance to win! Please see official contest rules for more details.

To join in on the fun, follow me @Halloweenhorrorhaiku on Instagram and @Halloweenkristy on Twitter or r/Halloweenhaiku on Reddit.

I wish you a season filled with amusement, inspiration, love, and joy. Please be safe and stay healthy. Remember to take some time for yourself, relax and recharge, so you don’t burn out or lose your damn mind by January.

Krampus postcard, circa pre-1920

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.

frightnight

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Happy New Years!

It’s hard to believe that 2019 is already here. The holidays were such a blur. Just yesterday, we were celebrating Halloween, and now, it’s ten months away. If you’ve been stopping by weekly, I thank you for your support. If you’ve just stumbled upon this little blog for the first time, I welcome you.

I’m not big on resolutions, but I do anticipate to do bigger and better things than the previous year, so now, there’s only conjuring up the willpower to pull off the ideas that I have in my head. This year, you can expect more Halloween haikus, chilling stories, awesome horror movie lists, spooky artist showcases, and all the Halloween or spooky related stuff that we can dig up.

Halloween is bigger and more important than ever. The pagan ways are finding their roots again in a new generation of believers, and I believe Halloween is huge part of that revival. Halloweenophiles are growing in numbers and sharing their ideas with the rest of the world. Countries where Halloween didn’t previously exist, are now showing signs of celebrations. Plus, it’s the only holiday where fans like to keep the party going all year long. Every day is Halloween, we just go a little crazy in October.

I wish you all good fortune, peace and happiness this year. Keep believing in the magic of Halloween.

~ Halloween Kristy