This month marks the 6th anniversary of Halloween Horror Haiku. While, I’ve stepped back this year to focus on work and my health, I do still post new haiku once a month and on special occasions.
I want to thank everyone for stopping by to check out my blog. Originally, I was going to do a traditional haiku challenge and run a contest for a few weeks, but time constraints keep me from posting as often as I’d like this month. So, instead, I’m holding a flash haiku challenge for 24 hours, starting at 12pm PST on April 30th until 12pm PST on May 1st.
Since April 30th also marks the official halfway point to Halloween and Walpurgisnacht or Witch’s Night, our themes for the contest will be Halfway to Halloween or Witch’s Night. Your original haiku must feature one of the two themes to qualify. Traditional haiku rules apply. Good luck!
SUBMISSIONS:
Only 3 haiku permitted per contestant. You may post here in the comments section or on Instagram or Threads. Don’t forget to use #halloweenhaikuchallenge in your social media posts AND tag me! @halloweenhorrorhaiku
1st Place Winner wins a Halloween prize pack, retail valued at $50 (see contents below). 2nd and 3rd place winners will win a Halloween Disney Pin from 2022 season and their choice from the Halloween Grab Bag. I’m emptying the grab bag, so this is a great chance to nab a Disney Halloween pin collectible for free!
1st Place Winner Halloween Prize Pack: Wilton Jack-O-Lantern Pumpkin Halloween Non-stick Cake Pan (1); choice of a collectible Haunted Mansion Bride pin, Mickey Halloween Pin, or Mickey and Minnie Halloween pin set from 2023 season (1); Disney Halloween magnet from 2022 season (1) and some Spooksieboo springtime spooky stickers.
2nd & 3rd Place Winners: 1 Collectible Disney Halloween Pin and a grab bag item, plus some Spooksieboo springtime spooky stickers.
Thanks again for all your love and support! Only a few more months until the unofficial 2024 Halloween season is upon us! It’s gonna be big. I can feel it!
I always love March because it gives me a chance to mention my favorite spooky creature, the headless horseman. You mean the guy from that story with Ichabod? Yes, that guy! The Legend of Sleepy Hollow written by Washington Irving was most likely inspired by the legendary Dullahan, a menacing spectre of Irish lore, that travels the countrysides of Ireland and Scotland, collecting souls of the recently departed.
The Dullahan is a demonic fairy or wicked hobgoblin, often accompanied by a wailing banshee, and typically depicted riding a black horse, carrying his head under one arm and a whip made of boney human spine in the hand of the other. When the Dullahan calls out your name, death is nigh. It’s also said that just hearing or seeing the Dullahan is an omen that a death in the family is immenient.
Sometimes, the headless horseman is drives a silent black carriage, known as the coiste bodhar (Ireland) or the hell wain (Scotland), which is led by six black horses and emerges out of nowhere from the dark night sky. Legend says once the death coach sets out, it can never return empty, but if you carry even a single gold coin in your pocket, you have nothing to fear, for supposedly, any item made of real gold can send the Dullahan away. However, if you steal the entire pot of fairies’ gold, well…look to the skies.
Of all the Irish legends, the story of the Dullahan is by far the scariest, again, inspiring the legendary Headless Horseman of Sleepy Hollow and countless other stories, books, movies, comics, video games, you name it. There are four movies featuring the Dullahan or coiste bodhar, the banshee, and other creatures that I absolutely adore and highly recommend. Be sure to move these into your queue:
Walt Disney’s Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad, 1949
Tim Burton’s Sleepy Hollow, 1999
Darby O’Gill and the Little People
The Phantom Carriage, 1921 (silent)
St Patrick’s day may have past, but we can keep the mythical stories of Irish folklore alive all year long.
Cannibal horror has been around since the pre-code days of Hollywood with films like Sweeney Todd and Doctor X. Once the Motion Picture Production Code was passed in 1930, the taboo subject was once again off the table. Then, in the 1970s, the subgenre came roaring back to life when Italian film directors cooked up a period in horror, known as the cannibal boom.
Despite any commercial success or artistic merits in filmmaking, many of these movies were exploitation films that took extreme gore and sexual violence to another level. Controversial films like Cannibal Holocaust and Cannibal Ferox were banned in several countries for scenes depicting bigotry, xenophobia, racism, sexism, sexual violence, and animal cruelty. In fact, not long after its release, Cannibal Holocaust director Ruggero Deodato was arrested on murder charges and accused of making a snuff film. All the actors had to appear in court before the judge to prove they were very much alive, but that did little to save the cast and crew’s reputation, as the public learned many animal killings in the film were real. Shock films are one thing, but ripping the heads of turtles? Human beings can do better. It’s for this reason, I choose to leave these films off my list.
1. Raw
2. Bones and All*
3. Ravenous
4. Fresh
5. Bone Tomahawk
6. Texas Chainsaw Massacre, 1974
7. Wrong Turn
8. Parents*
9. Hannibal
10. Delicatessen
*These titles reflect February’s theme of cannibals in love.
Valentines is the epitome of an overcommercialized holiday. It imposes on parents, encourages sexual stereotypes, enables predatory behavior, and obstracizes the lonely, making them feel worse than they already do. Cue the horror fans, who have basically hijacked February to be our second Halloween. Nothing wrong with love, enjoy your flowers. My couples advice though, stay clear of small intimate restaurants next to dark alleys. This month’s theme is cannibals in love.
nibbling hunger romantic dinner for two cannibals in love
Time gets the best of all of us, but if starting anew can happen any day of the year, why do we wait for January? Do we really need time’s permission to change? The only thing it’s time to do is toss out old thinking. The theme this January is about rebirth.
shedding old skin talons ripping through the flesh birth of a monster
I’ve been taking my time and thinking about my goals for this year. No big resolutions to reveal, only a promise to myself to write more spooky stories and find ways to hold myself accountable. I suppose I could walk a little more, eat more salads, and be kinder to all people, including myself, but’s the closest to resolutions that you’ll hear me say.
It was fun to post themed haiku last year, even when I strayed from my original idea of posting connecting haiku into bonafide story. Great idea in the beginning, but I struggled a lot due to work constraints. Nevertheless, I’m quite proud of the fact that I wrote new, original haiku every week for a year.
This year, I’m determined to blog a little less and only post a Monthly Haiku Corner with a spooky haiku each month. I’ll continue to post themed haiku for holidays, special events, or whenever inspiration strikes, and of course, I will still post horror movie lists, for all those looking for recommendations, because these are my first loves and I enjoy blogging about them.
As always, I wish everyone good health, love, joy, happiness, and prosperity throughout 2024.
Happy Friday! Christmas Day is three days away and whether you’re done shopping or just getting started, you need some good movies to take your mind off the stress of the horrordays! You gotta hand it to Santa and Krampus, these two guys are quite decisive about that naughty and nice list. You’re on one or the other, but never both! So, to celebrate Creepmas, and, in keeping with our Merry & Fright theme of traditional Christmas with spooky vibes, I compiled a list of holiday horror where we can cheer on the good guys and the bad guys who get chopped up into tiny pieces!
Nightmare Before Christmas Gremlins Krampus Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale Deadly Games A Christmas Horror Story Silent Night, Deadly Night Black Christmas (1974 version)
Happy December! The theme this month is Merry and Fright. One of the many things I love about December is the chance for a second Halloween! Work was a little crazy last month and November got away from me. I knew it was going to be an off month and so I used the time to reset because I love posting about haunted holidays. Who doesn’t love a good dark and scary Creepmas?!
Merry and Fright is for the people who love both Halloween and Christmas. These two holidays are close cousins, completely opposite, yet so similar in nature, they can be celebrated in the same way. Merry and Fright is traditional Christmas, but a little dark, little creepy, little kitschy, and little scary.
Yes, Christmas, like Halloween, tends to be overcommercialized but if we continue to spread love, kindness, understanding, and goodwill, along with education of the traditions and history of the holiday, we’re gonna be okay.
Which reminds me…here, Christmas is not Jesus’ birthday, but it IS the chosen date to represent ALL religious and pagan holidays and traditions. It’s a hodge podge and that means it’s okay to say Merry Christmas, it’s okay to say Happy Holidays, and celebrate all traditions, including putting up the pagan Christmas tree, lighting the Hanukkah menorah, lighting the Kwanzaa Kinara, waiting around for Sinterklaus, ringing a bell for Krampus, and throwing a birthday party for little Jesús. I don’t have time for hate, end of story….nor racism, prejudice, bigotry, nationalism, extremism, or sexism, so please don’t bring it.
The world is full of bad guys, war and strife enough as it is, so I’m trying to create a safe space for everyone who loves Christmas and Halloween. My holiday gift to you will be fun, frivolity, holiday haiku, holiday horror, holiday spirits, games, contests, free prizes, and gift-giving guides for those looking for the dark and spooky items for those special loved ones. So keep tuning in all month long.
Title: Talk to Me Director: Danny and Michael Philippou Starring: Sophia Wilde, Marcus Johnson, Alexandra Johnson, Joe Bird and Miranda Otto Distributed by: A24 Running Time: 1hr 35min
When a group of Australian friends become addicted to conjuring spirits using the embalmed hand of a satanic medium, they quickly learn the dangers of opening doors to the spirit world.
The movie starts out with a grieving Mia (Sophia Wilde), hot off her mom’s funeral, begging her BFF Jade (Alexandra Johnson) to go to a party, so they can experience some fun and excitement. She’s particularly close with Jade and Jade’s younger brother Riley (Joe Bird), even Jade’s mom, played by Miranda Otto (of LOTR and Sabrina fame) who is hip to the kids and their little white lies, but this struggling single mom is also a busy nurse who gets called back to hospital leaving the trio alone to go sneak off to the party.
It’s unclear at this point if Mia has had time to process her mom’s death but she’s obviously a muddled mess of emotions and prime target for what’s about to happen.
Each teen takes their turn, first, they’re strapped to a chair and tied down tight by the biggest member of their group (if that ain’t a red flag I dunno what is), next, they light a candle, grab hold of the embalmed hand and say one of two commands, “talk to me” or “I let you in”. What follows is 90 seconds of madness.
What should be a terrifying event (see every other horror movie ever made about conjuring the dead), these kids instead get a huge thrill out of being possessed. In some ways, the movie likens it to getting high. Spirits take control of the teens’ bodies and say the wildest shit. Some spirits are good, some spirits are bad, some spirits are horny and make out with the dog, and some spirits are recently deceased family members who have committed suicide for unknown reasons.
Mia instantly becomes obsessed with touching the hand, desperate to communicate with her dead mother again. Despite objections from Jade, and the other more hardened members of their friendship circle, Mia’s quest blinds her to the dangers so much that she drags young Riley with her to friend Hayley’s house for another go. This time, giving permission, that she doesn’t actually have, allowing Riley to partake in the fun, but playtime is over.
Mia’s weakened emotional state and the group’s bending of the rules, attract the attention of a demonic spirit and this one’s not letting go of Riley.
In Talk to Me, there is a clear separation between the living and the spirit world, but it matters not because these kids don’t pay attention to rules or respect the dead. This is horror movie version of fuck around and find out.
Mia’s life begins to quickly unravel, until she basically becomes a conduit for evil demons looking for a soul. Mia hallucinates and even allows spirits to possess Jade’s boyfriend, in what becomes just one of a very long line of frustrating scenes as we watch Mia’s choices go from bad to worse until the unthinkable happens.
My initial thoughts were Talk to Me wasn’t as scary as it could have been, but I began to appreciate the film after a second viewing and its contributions towards horror.
First, there’s the amazing and very realistic portrayl of Gen Z. As I stated before, these kids reveled in being possessed, rather than get scared. I dont know if it’s social media, bad parenting, or shitty education system, all of which seem to be a worldwide problem, but this generation is missing some serious critical thinking skills. The desire for instant thrills, gratification, and lack of self preservation to the point they’re messing with the dead is bonkers. Like any good A24 movie, I’m sure there was subtext and hints all over the movie that clued audiences into what was happening, but the performances are so spectacular that we can’t do anything but zero in on what’s happening to Mia, and then Riley.
Riley, oh my gosh, if there’s a victim of the year award in film, hands down it belongs to this character. Your heart will break, your skin will crawl, you’ll feel pain just by looking ar him. It’s horrific, and it’s one of the many reasons I’m highly recommending everyone spend $ to rent on Amazon Prime on Halloween night.
Scariest scenes: Any scene involving the possessed Riley in the hospital and his torture scene.
Halloween Horror Haiku 
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