Horror’s Best Cryptkeepers and Graveyard Ghouls

As Cemetery Appreciation month comes to a close, this is the last weekend to enjoy spring flowers peeking out between the tombstones, but don’t worry, you can still enjoy these scary movies featuring the scariest cryptkeepers, creepy coroners, grave diggers, and murderous morticians all year round!

Horror’s Best Cryptkeepers and Graveyard Ghouls

12. Coroners Tommy and Austin from Autopsy of Jane Doe, 2016

Not all coroners in horror movies are bad people. Some just don’t know when to stop poking around in someone else’s cursed business, despite clear warnings to do so.

11. Ernie from Return of the Living Dead, 1985

Say what you want about Burt’s long-standing pal Ernie’s willingness to help destroy evidence that he started the zombie apocalypse, but any BFF willing to help you shoot the rabid weasels first instead of burning them alive in his crematorium and then fight off brain-eating zombies is a keeper!

10. Francesco Dellamorte from Cemetery Man, 1994

Fighting zombies and searching for love is full-time job for a Cemetery man with few friends. Between the stress of the job and losing the new love of his life, reality starts to slip for this lonely grave warden, who turns his attention to killing town locals instead.

9. Raymond of The Mortuary Assistant, 2025

Honestly, I haven’t finished this one yet, but setting up your morgue assistant to spend the rest of their life fighting demons is a pretty shitty thing to do, not to mention all the labor laws that were broken!

8. Leslie of Mortuary, 2005

By the time unsuspecting Leslie moves her family across the nation to take over as doomed mortician in a small town mortuary with cursed past history, the property had already been overrun by demonic forces. Poor lady had no chance, but there was no reason to torture her by showing off her lack of culinary skills.

7. Cryptkeeper from Tales of the Crypt, 1972

Dull but mysterious, this 1970s British very much alive Cryptkeeper helped a group of strangers get lost in the catacombs and showed them creepy visions of theirs death, only for them to figure out, they’re already home.

6. The Coroner from Play Dead, 2022

Word of advice, if you aren’t dead yet, don’t pretend to be so and get yourself locked up in the morgue. These places are a lot more secure than they look and besides, it’s not the dead who will be after you.

5. Montgomery Dark & Sam from The Mortuary Collection, 2019

Cunning Montgomery Dark is the second mortician on the list to post a help wanted sign in the window looking for a replacement. He weaved a web of spooky tales to ensnare his new protégé, but sinister Sam has a few secrets of her own.

4. Mortician William “JB” Bludworth from Final Destination series

Mysterious and a tad bit nilihilistic, Mr. Bludworth knows death, personally, but what he knows better than anyone is that there is no escaping death’s plan. Death always finds a way. 

3. Mr. Simms, Tales from the Hood, 1995

Three hoodlums find out the hard way that death ain’t not joke, when a creepy funeral owner leads them through the parlor and down to the caskets to retrieve their cursed contraband, but the patiently sinister Mr. Simms as it turns out, has been waiting for them for a very long time.

2. The Tall Man from Phantasm, 1979

Honestly, the Tall Man is the scariest cryptkeeper on this list, a once mild-mannered mortician has morphed into the one of horror’s most sinister inter-dimensional time-traveling supervillains, with his wicked flying spheres that cause violent death and destruction and creepy little minions to do his bidding.

The Tall man is on a neverending quest to become the Lord of the Dead and this geriatric creep will stop at nothing to achieve his goals. Men, women, children, he’s out to collect the souls of every living creature on the planet and then some. With the ability to command legions of Hell’s undead, Death should just move over and give The Tall Man the title.

1. Cryptkeeper from Demon Knight, Bordello of Blood and Tales of the Crypt series, 1980-1990s

Across 93 episodes and two feature horror films, this legendary wisecracking teller of terrors is no mere narrator, he’s our demon guide through the depths of hell and is more than happy to show what death has in store for us. Based off the long-standing EC comics from the 1950s with same name, there is no smarter, spookier and funnier horror host than the Cryptkeeper.

His wit and charm edged out the Tall Man to be named best of our list, but don’t think that means the Cryptkeeper isn’t a scary dude. With untold supernatural powers of his own, this undead ghoul has the ability to cause mortal danger to any boils and ghouls who haven’t  learned their moral lesson. Be kind and respectful of your fellow humans and the undead or you will spend your eternity in agonizing pain and misery.

Monthly Haiku Corner – April 2026

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

Be safe out there.

Monthly Haiku Corner – March 2026

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

Be safe out there.

Monthly Haiku Corner – February 2026

This year, I’m returning to my roots and posting simple horror haiku.

snow moon, dark chaos

snow moon bears witness
murder, rape, and dark chaos
heartbroken fools

Monthly Haiku Corner – January 2026

This year, I’m returning to my roots and posting simple horror haiku.

ICE cold hands
shocking murder in plain sight
dead of winter

Happy New Year 2026!

Welcome January! Welcome back old friends and new guests! This is a safe place for people who love Halloween, Horror, and Haiku, unless you’re a nazi, bigot, religious fruitcake, scammer, and an otherwise intolerant hater. I hope this message is perfectly f’n clear. A country with such a huge lying govrmnent needs citizens who speak the truth.

As my blog enters its 8th year in existence, I find myself at a crossroads in continuing a minor blog that I cannot dedicate much time to and needing a outlet for my feelings and a place to fuel my creativity. I’ve decided the latter is more important in this current climate.

There will be no gimmicks this year however, no contests, no themes per say, just Halloween, horror, and haiku. I like to celebrate holidays, celebratory events, and significant days, particularly those pertaining to the Arts, so I will continue to do so with haiku.

I quit almost all social media except BlueSky and Pinterest, where I’ve got lots of cool boards to share. Please stop by! I also keep a Reddit page, but there’s no activity there. Happy to engage though!

I thank those who stop by and read my writings. There’s still freedom in America. It will be business as usual. So, channel your inner Lord of the Rings character and let’s make 2026 unforgettable!

Dickens Sundays – Ghost of Christmas Present

Every holiday season, I share the wise words of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.

When the Ghost of Christmas Present appeared before Scrooge, the spirit showed Scrooge the repercussions of his actions and how much he hurt those closest to him, including his faithful employee Bob Cratchit and family, his good-natured but very ill son, Tiny Tim.

Scrooge and Ghost of Christmas Present by legendary artist Greg Hildebrandt

“Come in!” exclaimed the Ghost. “Come in! and know me better, man!”

Scrooge entered timidly, and hung his head before this Spirit. He was not the dogged Scrooge he had been; and, though the Spirit’s eyes were clear and kind, he did not like to meet them.

“I am the Ghost of Christmas Present,” said the Spirit. “Look upon me!”

Scrooge reverently did so. It was clothed in one simple green robe, or mantle, bordered with white fur. This garment hung so loosely on the figure, that its capacious breast was bare, as if disdaining to be warded or concealed by any artifice. Its feet, observable beneath the ample folds of the garment, were also bare; and on its head it wore no other covering than a holly wreath, set here and there with shining icicles. Its dark brown curls were long and free; free as its genial face, its sparkling eye, its open hand, its cheery voice, its unconstrained demeanour, and its joyful air. Girded round its middle was an antique scabbard; but no sword was in it, and the ancient sheath was eaten up with rust.

Dickens Sundays – Ghost of Christmas Past

Every holiday season, I share the wise words of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.

Dickens’ was a champion of the poor and unfortunate, particularly children. Having grown up destitute himself and enduring the abuse and ills of the labor houses, Dickens knew firsthand of the timeless topics he wrote about.

The Ghost of Christmas Past was the first of Jacob Marley’s three mercurial warnings to the cruel, greedy miser Ebenezer Scrooge to change to his lifestyle or endure a hellish afterlife like his old partner.

She turned back time to show Ebenezer his past, how happy he once was, how in love he once was, but the young Scrooge allowed ambition and greed to rule his life and lost everyone he loved so dearly.

“These are the shadows of the things that have been, that they are what they are, do not blame me!”

Dickens Sunday – Jacob Marley

Back in Victorian times, people practiced strong Christmas traditions, including telling ghost stories. Charles Dickens wrote the most famous Christmas ghost story of all time and I like to celebrate it every year.

Ebenezer Scrooge was a crusty old mean rich white guy who liked to take out his selfish grievances out of the lowest and poorest of society, which included his own employees. The ghost of Scrooge’s former business partner Jacob Marley shows up one night with a warning for old miser, change your wicked ways or suffer eternity in chains just like him.

Christmas Ghost by Pat Nicolle, Giclee Wall Art

“I wear the chain I forged in life… It made it link by link, and yard by yard.”

Ebenezer Scrooge and Marley’s Ghost by Ye Curiosity Shoppe

10 Gifts for Kaiju Lovers

Earlier this fall, Toho Co., Ltd. celebrated the 70th anniversary of Godzilla, King of the Monsters. I wanted to do something a little better than a birthday shout-out to one of my favorite SciFi creatures, so I came up with a list of cool gifts for Kaiju lovers this holiday season.

Most of these are collector items, so if you’re looking for kids toys or less serious items, maybe try your local toy store. There’s no particular order to the list either, nor do I have any affiliation to any companies. My gift giving guides are always simply to help like-minded fans find awesome collectible gifts to buy for their loved ones.

10 Gifts for Kaiju Lovers

Godzilla Enamel Pins by Tom Whalen and others from Mondo Shop, $10

Enamel Pins make great stocking stuffers and Mondo Shop has several monsters, not just Godzilla.

Godzilla Classic 2026 Wall Calendar from DateWorks over at Calendars.com, $18

Why celebrate one month when you can celebrate the kaiju king all 12 months!

Kaiju Believe T-shirt from Tee No Evil, $30

I believe!

Kaiju Believe from Tee No Evil

Bandai’s Godzilla Store Limited Movie Monster Series Action Figurine from Godzilla.com, $32

Figure based off 1964 movie Mothra vs. Godzilla.

Pre-order Godzilla x Misfit Fiend T-shirt and Exclusive Apparel from Godzilla.com, $32

Two legendary icons brought together. This t-shirt is sure to become its own icon.

Godzilla Minus One Blu-ray Deluxe Japan Collector’s Edition, from Godzilla.com $65

An amazing collector’s boxset for this  incredible reboot film, which showed big studios how to properly make a Godzilla film and brought in a whole new generation of fans.

Godzilla: The First 70 Years Art Book (Hardcover) from authors Steve Ryfle and Ed Godziszewski, published over at Abrams Books, $75

Written with love by kaiju super fan, Steve Ryfle, this is no mere coffee table book. A legendary giant needs a giant book to cover 70 years of narrative and visual history featuring exclusive behind the scenes photography, production materials, and other artwork.

Officially licensed original artwork from Spoke Art and Ghost X Ghost. Artist and Prices vary.

From the 70 Years of Godzilla exhibition featuring artists from around the globe in conjunction with Spoke Art Gallery and Ghost X Ghost, you can find poster size prints for your wall.

Matt Taylor “Godzilla ’54” 24″ x 36″ print, $70

Dawn of the Monsters Video Game from 13am Games, prices vary by system

“Dawn of the Monsters is a co-operative kaiju beat ’em up out for Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4 and 5, Dawn of the Monsters is a co-operative kaiju beat ’em up out for Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One and Series X, and Stadia.”

Perfect for gamers and anyone who wants a little more interactive kaiju experience. I haven’t played myself to be honest but I hear this game is the most fun. You get to play as a kaiju!

Godzilla: The Showa-Era Films, 1954–1975 Collector’s Blu-Ray Set, from The Criterion Collection, $225

Godzilla and friends get The Criterion treatment with this one of kind Collector’s boxset featuring remastered original cuts of all the monster kaiju films, from the beginning to when the big studios started to rule the world.

Criterion films specializes in preserving only the best of the best in film history, and Godzilla is the best, he’s the king of the monster films! This is the most incredible boxset I’ve ever seen!