A Real Horror Show
Look I know. Right now, the moldering dead and their cabal of ghouls are dancing on the graves of all our ancestors, who fought in this perpetual struggle for equity and justice. Our job now is to continue that fight to make sure everything that we imagine to be possible becomes reality. Now, we have to take care of each other and ourselves. I know; the pain and fear is rumbling in the pits of my stomach, too. The way forward is a fight, but our fight is fueled by love and truth rather than hatred and fear. It’s going to be a long slog and so many of us are tired. We have to keep going despite the fact that Hell is empty and all the devils are here. The overrun of demons makes it even more imperative that we continue keep our spirits up and find the fun where we can.
My fun is fall. I love fall. I love the sound of crunching leaves, the crisp air, apples, apple cider donuts. Hell, I love pumpkin spice. Halloween is my most favorite holiday of all. I flatly refuse to allow this bleeping terrible pandemic and this ashy administration to wreck my Halloween joy. Since I care about my fun and yours, please join me in the resisting the ruination of this pagan joy fest by taking in a few of my humble suggestions to make your Halloween right.
One last thing, don’t forget to vote early. If you can’t vote early, then make your plan for November 3. Trick or Treat? It’s really up to you. Vote.
For the Children
I shared two of my most favorite childhood Halloween shows with my littlest loon and he enjoyed them as much as I did (and still do). Mama was so proud.
Come for Catherine O’Hara and stay for the legendary Gilda Radner.
Garfield’s Halloween Adventure
Candy, Candy Candy. The Lou Rawls soundtrack to this classic and still “slaps” as the kids say.
For the Readers
This list could be ridiculously long, but I’m trying to practice brevity. I’ve loved curling up with a good scary book since I was a kid. The hot Georgia summer I scared myself silly reading my grandma’s copy of Salem’s Lot is forever etched in my consciousness.
Jonathan Maberry’s Pine Deep Trilogy
The sins of the past and present eat a tiny town whole. Best read in daylight hours.
A chilling collection of short stories that will make your hair stand on end darkness or daylight.
For the Listeners
Clearly my misguided religion is scaring myself silly. These podcasts ensured my prayers were answered.
I listened to this in broad daylight and it still did not help. Episode after episode of real deal fright.
I am obsessed with this podcast. Each episode is a smart, hilarious exploration of horror. Movies, TV books. They’ve got you covered.
For Film Buffs
Good horror movies, especially supernatural horror movies, are hard to find. That said, movies that deliver on atmosphere and creeping dread are always my favorites.
I can’t express how deeply disturbed I was by this movie. I couldn’t shake the residue of dread this movie left on me. It stayed with me for weeks. The fact that he pulled Hands Across America from the deep recesses of my childhood memories is diabolical.
I still have an irrational fear of cube shaped puzzles and Cenobites materializing out of nowhere
For Binge Watchers
I am a great fan of the TV anthology. I am very happy to see that anthologies are back in vogue.
This massive collection of 3-minute horror shorts on Hulu was a pleasant surprise. “The Retreat,” “Mime,” and “Reborn” are three of the best.
My favorite 80s horror TV anthology series. The “Trick or Treat” pilot episode and the Halloween Candy episode are required Halloween viewing. You can find the episodes on Prime and Youtube.
Horrible Mention
Another pleasant surprise. The second (and final) season was just as good as the first.
This movie is everything. A visually stunning homage to those weird late 60s/early 70s horror movies that I adore.
This timely documentary about the history of black horror and black people in horror films is a gem. You can find it on Shudder. It is based on by Robin R. Means Coleman’s fantastic book of the same name.
The campy, British, Hammer Brothers’ movies are a Halloween (actually year round) tradition for me and my mom. “The Horror of Dracula” is a classic. Come for Peter Cushing and stay for Christopher Lee.
A voluminous collection of short horror stories and poems written by black women. Curl up and dig in to find your favorites.
Whatever Happened to Baby Jane
I love this movie. Joan Crawford. Bette Davis. Creeping dread for days. A perennial classic.