Category: Uncategorized

Happy Spring

This pic is not a very Halloweenish or scary, but hey, I love me some cherry blossoms and I’ve been playing around Starryai, so I hope you like pic.

Next month is the halfway point to Halloween and I’m going to honoring the 5 year anniversary of Halloween Horror Haiku. There much to celebrate and I’m excited to share what’s in store.

Spring is the season of birth and vitality and with it comes renewed spirit. I’m writing more these days and I hope to share new haiku and stories soon. There’s been celebrity deaths lately that kinda shook me, most Lance Riddick, who was some phenomenal in The Wire. I don’t personally know these people, but as a fan, losing heroes really knocks you for loop and reminds you of your own mortality. We’re not going to be here forever and there’s only so much we can do with our one life. I don’t have a whole lot to be proud of, so I’m determined to change that. Even a broken mind like mine deserves a shot at happiness, so wish me luck and please know, I’m rooting for you too!

Have a great spring, 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.

Haiku of the Week

Happy Halloween! I can’t believe it’s already here. This season felt very short. Everything just went by so fast. Our theme this month was dystopian Halloween and I was properly scared thinking of a world with no Halloween, no trick-or-treating, no costumes, no nothing. It scared me so much, I’ve decided that November’s theme is going to a Halloween Encore. That’s right, we’re doing Halloween again in November! Don’t put those decorations away tomorrow, cuz we’re celebrating a second

haunted bomb shelter
Halloween party of one
October’s over

Friday Fright Nightcaps – Choco-Pumpkitini

Happy Friday! This week is Wolf Awareness week and since I’ve been honoring Universal classic monsters every Friday, I found the perfect recipe to reshape into my own fangalicious cocktail, paying tribute to the children of the full moon. I call this one the Choco-Pumpkitini.

I’ve been posting Friday Fright Nightcaps on social media this month because I’m getting home late. Follow me @Halloweenhorrorhaiku on Instagram and @Halloweenkristy on Twitter

Tuesday Terror – Best Post-Apocalyptic Zombie Movies/TV

Survival horror more often than not features one of the scariest creatures man ever devised, the zombie, aka the living dead, the walking dead, the reanimated, flesh-eating ghouls, whatever you wanna call them. And, talk about insult to injury, starving to death wasn’t torturous enough, we still gotta keep up our cardio in a world with no Twinkies or Cheetos.

Well, thanks to Hollywood, there’s no shortage of post-apocalytic “docu-horror” to show us how to navigate a wasteland full of mindless predators, voracious zombies, and the earth’s harshest conditions.

This was a tough list to make, so I had two perimeters: 1) survival skills and/or great advice on how to survive; and 2) those movies that showed complete breakdown in society.

Zombie films have always been more about surviving other people than the undead. I think that’s why zombies became so mainstream, our world became more bleak and hostile and threat of apocalypse has never been more prominent. It’s probably worth revisting some of these movies for some pointers.

Zombies or not, I certaintly hope it never comes to this, because I love Halloween stuff too much to lose it!

Happy Halloween!

Throwback Thursdays – Bobbing for Apples

Will apple bobbing be a Halloween tradition that survives the apocalypse?

Past:

Apple bobbing dates back to antiquity and is commonly associated with the Celtic festival Samhain, where apples were a sign of abundance, fertility, and good harvest. The game goes like this, several apples are placed into a tub filled with water, then, children or adults, with hands bound behind their backs, try to catch apples with their teeth. There were several variations of the game, including one called Snap Apple where the apple hangs from a string tied to the ceiling. Eventually, apple bobbing became a fun courting act between young ladies and potential suitors, particularly in regions of the United Kingdom. A young lady would drop her apple, representing the man she most desired, into a barrel and attempt to bite the apple by dunking her head into or near the water. Catching the apple in one try meant the romance was destined to succeed, while more than three tries meant the relationship was doomed. Hard to believe that’s how many a marriage started before the 1900s, but there you have it. Young women even put their apples under their pillows the night before for extra luck.

Halloween Postcard circa 1912

Present:

Health and safety concerns pretty much keep bobbing for apples a thing in the past. The fear of catching Covid, Influenza, or some other illness from contaminated water is high and parents of small children especially fear drowning, not to mention the high possibility of eye injuries from accidental scratches or infections. This game is more dangerous nowadays than it ever was in the past. Most instances of apple bobbing events happen during private parties or fall festivals and more often than not, involve schoolchildren. No young lads want to mess up their coiffeurs and any ladies looking for a soulmate will find that match.com is a far easier and safer way to attract a good man.

Photo by Polly Castor

Future:

Whether due to the radioactive contamination from the fallout of a nuclear war or worldwide freshwater shortages due to climate change, it’s hard to imagine the earth will be fertile enough in the future to grow orchards full of apple trees needed for apple bobbing. Soil and water would both be irradiated in the event of a nuclear explosion, so, growing any crops at all will be a challenge. Given the high chance of scarcity of food during the apocalypse, I don’t anticipate apple bobbing to be a Halloween tradition that survives. Still, only one apple is truly needed to play, so, all hope is not completely lost. Let me know your thoughts in the comments or hit me up on social media.

Happy Halloween!

Barren apple tree

Happy 4th Anniversary HHH!

Today marks the halfway point to Halloween and it’s also the observed 4th Anniversary of Halloween Horror Haiku!

Halloween Horror Haiku 4th Anniversary

A busy work schedule eats into a lot of my time and focus this year. As a result, I haven’t been posting as much as I’d like, but my little blog is still kicking and I hope to continue to grow. I’ve added horror movies into our celebrations and still committed to being a nice chill place for people who enjoy Halloween, horror, and haiku.

Happy 4th Anniversary HHH

4th Anniversary Contest

Anyone who publicly posts the happy anniversary to Halloween Horror Haiku image above, or an image of their own design, here or on social media, anytime this weekend, will be entered into a free drawing to win a Halloween Horror prize pack.
Halloween Prize Pack:

The Conjuring Blu-Ray DVD (1 sealed copy)
Halloween Dish Towels from Target’s Hyde & EEK! Boutique (1 set)
DEI Candy Corn Socks (1 pair)
Trick ‘r Treat Pumpkin Ornament (1)
Evil Dead Sticker (1)
Camp Horror enamel pin (1)
Misc. spooky stickers

Halloween Horror Haiku 4th Anniversary Prize Pack

I’ll pick a random winner from the drawing pool on Sunday evening and announce the winner by 9:00pm PT on Monday, May 2nd. Don’t forget to tag me on social media so I see your posts.

Again, I want to thank my supporters, readers, and anyone who stops by this blog. I appreciate your time and energy. Here’s to another great year of Halloween Horror Haiku.🎃