“October Country” that is how Ray Bradbury described us.
“October Country . . . that country where it is always turning late in the year. That country where the hills are fog and the rivers are mist; where noons go quickly, dusks and twilights linger, and mid-nights stay. That country composed in the main of cellars, sub-cellars, coal-bins, closets, attics, and pantries faced away from the sun. That country whose people are autumn people, thinking only autumn thoughts. Whose people passing at night on the empty walks sound like rain. . . .” ~ Ray Bradbury
October is where we find the spark that relights our fires after long hot summer. Fall fills us with creavity, joy, and wonder. It’s the time when communities come together and share in the spirit of Halloween. October is a mysterious month, supernatural even. Yet, it’s a truthful month. It brings the harvest. It warns us of the winter to come. It’s where we go to time travel and discover our innocence. It’s not just a shift in the colors but a shift in mood. Embrace the magic.
October is mere hours away and to celebrate this month’s theme of pumpkin apocalypse and welcome back the Halloween season with some of the spookiest pumpkin scenes in horror.
Stsrting with my personal fave from Disney’s Adventures of Icabod and Mr. Toad, 1949. The Headless Horseman wore a fiery pumpkin head on top his shoulders and terrified the poor ‘ole school master Icabod Crane by chasing him down and throwing his own head at him. It’s one of the most iconic scenes in animation and pretty darn scary for Disney.
Disney’s Adventures of Icabod and Mr. Toad, 1949
Who can forget the 1952 Disney classic Trick or Treat, when Witch Hazel casts a spell on Donald Duck’s pumpkin causing it to dance around and sing. Head on over to Disney Plus to view the whole classic animation in its entirety.
Horror films are meant to scare us, whereas spooky family films are meant to delight us. It’s all about the intention, right? Which is why horror fans everywhere took a doubletake at Eli Roth’s scary kids film, The House With a Clock in the Walls.
The horror maestro traded in his trademark blood and gore for a whimsical Halloween tale with an incredible production design featuring a magical haunted house filled with secrets and crazed jack-o-lanterns who spew their pumpkin guts on you.
Enough with the kid films, we want killer pumpkins!
Carved 2024
If you didnt see the logo plastered all over the posters, no one would have ever guessed this stoner horror-comedy was a Hulu production. It wasn’t the greatest movie, but the scene where the pumpkin creature exacting revenge by slaughtering most of the participants of a pumpkin carving contest is alone worth a watch.
Tales of Halloween, 2015
Starring several horror icons, this spooky anthology features ten terrorific tales set on Halloween night, directed by a who’s who in horror. I adore this film, it has Adrienne Barbeau as segment DJ, killer ghosts, naughty trick or treaters, aliens vs axe murderers, demons, witches, but no creature is scarier than the killer pumpkin from hell in Neil Marshall’s horror short Bad Seed.
Trick ‘r Treat, 2007
Michael Dougherty’s directorial debut is four Halloween stories connected by a mysterious trick or treat demon named Lil’ Sam. Candy is good enough keep Sam at bay, just as long as you don’t break any of the rules of Halloween. In one of the movie’s scariest scenes, we learn there are consequences to making Lil’ Sam angry. You will never blow out a pumpkin before midnight again after watching this movie.
Trick ‘r Treat never received a decent theatrical release, but instead of falling into obscurity, it became an instant cult horror classic. This October, the movie will get a re-release for two nights only.
It’s one of my favorite horror films of all time and instantly invokes the true spirit of Halloween. A must watch for any Halloween and horror fan.
Back in Celtic times, it was believed that evil spirits take advantage of the thinning veil between our two worlds to pass through and terrorize humans, thus began the practice of holding huge bonfires, where the light warded off evil spirits. The Celts also started the tradition of wearing scary masks and costumes, done to trick evil spirits into thinking they were fellow demons, which brings us to Halloween 2020. The way this year is going, I suspect there’ll be whole lotta spirits crossing over to make mischief on Halloween night!
This is why it’s more important than ever to uphold our Halloween traditions by decorating our homes, wearing costumes, and carving pumpkins. Silly superstition, you say? Do you really want to take that chance? We can’t even keep toilet paper stocked and you think we can fight the living dead?! Trust me, if everyone does those three things, we will stave off the zombie apocalypse for another year.
If you’re looking for Covid-safe, fun activities for Halloween season, check out my post Halloween at Home: Fun Alternatives to Going Out and be sure to come back here every day this October for spooky fun and a chance to win some cool prizes.
This Halloween season, remember to reach out to loved ones and friends to wish them a Happy Halloween and be safe. If you do go out to haunts, parties, or trick-or-treating, please, please be safe, wear your masks, and practice good social distancing.
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