Westend Manor

Goblins on the doorstep,

     Phantoms in the air,

Owls on witches’ gate posts,

     Giving stare for stare.

 

Cats on flying broomsticks,

     Bats against the moon,

Stirring round of fate-cakes,

     With a solemn spoon.

 

Whirling apple parings,

     Figures draped in sheets,

Dodging, disappearing,

     Up and down the streets.

 

Jack-o’-lanterns grinning,

     Shadows on a screen,

Shrieks and starts and laughter -

     This is Halloween!

 

- Dorothy Brown Thompson

More images from Westend Manor here.

Now Playing: Galactic Ghosts

Some Sunday music.

By MC Ralampago 498.

Click below...

31 Books Of Halloween

A really neat feature over at Jenna's IG account:  Thirty-one of her favorite Halloween-centric books of all varietals.  She'll be posting for the rest of September and October.  

Some images from her recent postings are below.

Click here for her IG.

That Cheese Plate

Cheese is a glorious thing in this house (and the Universe).

Really neat seasonal pairings below:

Blue + Twix

Brie + Candy Corn

Manchego + Reese’s

Aged Gouda + Caramel Popcorn

Triple Crème Brie + KitKats

Goat Brie + Crunch Bars

Sharp Cheddar + Butterfingers

Gruyère + Snickers

Chèvre + Twizzlers

Click here for her IG.

The Order Of The Halloween Tree

A photo series tribute to Ray Bradbury's classic tale.

This series comes to an end with Chapter 6:  Ralph Bengstrum 

Ralph stood in his Mummy costume, stunned, watching the last shadows go.

“Is that why I’m dressed like a mummy?” He fingered the bandages. He touched his clay-wrinkled ancient face. “Is that what my part of Halloween is all about?”

“All, boy, all,” murmured Moundshroud. “The Egyptians, why, they built to last. Ten thousand years they planned for. Tombs, boys, tombs. Graves.  Mummies. Bones. Death, death. Death was at the very heart, gizzard, light, soul, and body of their life! Tombs and more tombs with secret passages, so none might be found, so grave robbers could not borrow souls and toys and gold. You are a mummy, boy, because that was how they dressed for Eternity.  Spun up in a cocoon of threads, they hoped to come forth like lovely butterflies in some far dear loving world. Know your cocoon, boy. Touch the strange stuffs.”

 

“Why,” said Ralph the Mummy, blinking at the smoky walls and old hieroglyphics. “Every day was Halloween to them!"

Trailer - Out There: Crimes Of The Paranormal

This looks REALLY interesting.

Click below...

Graverobber Unholy Rye Whiskey

It's baaaack! Friday, September 13 will mark the resurrection of Graverobber Unholy Rye Whiskey (750ml, 80 proof, $34.99), a wickedly delicious spirit crafted with maple syrup tapped from mature maple trees grown amid a colonial era graveyard on New Hampshire's Great Hill Farm — right down the road from Tamworth Distilling.

Revived due to popular demand just in time for Halloween, the sinister sipper is now available in a larger and scarier bottle – year-round! Previously, it was a limited-edition annual release hand-bottled at 200 ml and sold out quickly every year. Tamworth Distilling, known for its innovations and unique flavor inspirations, refined and upgraded processes to bring this highly sought after whiskey to a bigger audience.

Brave imbibers are encouraged to order a bottle if they dare…. Graverobber Unholy Rye is available now  for pre-sale, and will be on shelves in New Hampshire state liquor stores soon after. 

Click here for their site.

Memories Of Halloweens Past

Received a really terrific memory from fellow haunter Jeff (from the always-awesome Ragged Grin Haunt).  

Jeff shared, "My Halloween memories could fill volumes. Trick-or-treating in a town that celebrated and valued the holiday, building and designing the youth group haunt in my church basement, my big brother babysitting me while working at the local Jaycee's haunted house, and one of his female classmates dressing me up as a hobo and walking the queue line at 7 years old asking for change in exchange for fresh eyeballs. All of these experiences would instill and shape the love for the holiday that I hold so dear to this day. 

One thing however stands out that I will forever remember, the Scarecrow. My father was a hardworking, salt of the earth, gruff sort of man. Stern, but always fair. But "Big Harry", as he was called, had a mischievous side that not many got to see. His was a difficult upbringing.  He was the third oldest son in a family of eight kids, his two older brothers drinkers and troublemakers.  My father quit school in the 10th grade to go to work and learn construction because both of his parents became ill. By the time he escaped Clarington, PA for a construction gig in Pittsburgh, he had seen all of his younger siblings graduate and find purpose. For years I sat puzzled as my aunts and uncles referred to him as "Had" for reasons I wouldn't understand until my teens. But the Scarecrow - Dad liked to have fun where he could, "one could only put up with so much seriousness," so one of my earliest memories of Halloween was helping, basically handing him stuff, while he built a scarecrow from old work pants, boots, and a red flannel shirt stuffed with bagged leaves. A burlap sack with one eye cut out and an old wide brimmed hat finished the deal along with some old work gloves.  And soon, Patch the scarecrow sat in an old rocker on the front porch about a week before October 31st. As the big night approached (school parties, etc.), I became aware that my parents were occasionally discussing the event while in the kitchen over dinner prep, dishes, etc. and laughter often ensued. Come Halloween night, I would abruptly and vividly discover why.  Dad would routinely wear green work pants and a consistent rotation of plaid flannel shirts to work, always the same brand, colors, and patterns, bought from the same store, and always tannish Red Wing boots on his feet. When I left to join my friends and a parent on the sidewalk to begin this most spooky of events... Patch stood up to see me off.  I nearly landed on the roof and many on the sidewalk shrieked in shock. 

My dad...was cool! 

I would learn that Dad had gotten the idea from a coworker and thought it would be a fun thing for he and I to do...and he could scare the piss out of me and everyone else in the process. Sometimes it was him, sometimes just a bag of leaves and clothes. Sometimes the dummy was laying half askew in the lawn and his "twin" would sneak out from the sides of the house. Then one year, long past my first encounter with Patch, there were two chairs.  Then after a few more years only one, and eventually none. One of my last conversations with my father revolved around that first year and how much fun we had in ensuing Halloweens. Having been adopted and looking nothing like my parents and extended family, I'll always cherish the few, undeniable similarities between father and son, so vastly different, but alike in tangible, powerful ways as well. 

Long after Big Harry passed and I had my own kids, my oldest son would help me build, I believe, an even scarier version of Patch...red plaid shirt, green work pants...with a wry smile and one visible eye. 

Many swore he moved as well."

Thanks, Jeff!  Really appreciate you sharing that about your dad.  It's a wonderful memory.

For anyone interested in submitting, you can email me at pumpkinrot @ gmail . com (remove the spaces, of course!)

And click here to see past entries!

The Woods

"[When] we got home, we immediately called our local sheriff… a few days went by, and he showed up to let me know that we were not imagining things, and someone really did chase us. I asked what they found and who it was. He looked down at the ground and then looked up, and said, ‘I'm not going to tell you what we found or who it was because if I do, you will never hike anywhere again. What we found was not normal and will not happen up here again.’ I never found out what they found or who it was. I never hiked that section of the trail again, and it completely burnt last year."

Image source.

Text source.

Do They Know It's Halloween?

Neat little song and video Jenna introduced me to that I never knew existed.

From the North American Hallowe'en Prevention Initiative.

Click below...

Smoking Cauldron DIY

Click below (and make sure to watch the video at the bottom of the link)...

Teaser: Wolf Man

The official teaser for Universal's WOLF MAN.  I'm excited.  Same director as THE INVISIBLE MAN (which I loved).  So I'm really hopeful.  Though I'm worried about the lack of fur in the trailer.  I like my wolfmen with fur. 

That sounds terrible.

Click below...

Bloodshot

Image by The Nuge.

The Order Of The Halloween Tree

A photo series tribute to Ray Bradbury's classic tale.

Chapter 5:  Hackles Nibley
 
“Mr. Moundshroud, is that you!” cried Tom.

For towering forty feet above them in the sky, an immense scythe in his hands, was this cowled figure, its face in midnight fogs.

The blade swung down: hisssssss!
 
“Mr. Moundshroud, let us be!”

“Shut up.” Someone knocked Toms elbow. Mr. Moundshroud lay on the earth beside him. “That’s not me. That’s—”

“Samhain!” cried the voice in the fog. “God of the Dead! I harvest thus, and so!”
Sssss-whoooshhhh!
 
“All those who died this year are here! And for their sins, this night, are turned to beasts!”
Sssssswooommmmmmm!

“Please,” whimpered Ralph-the-Mummy.

“Sssssssttttt! The scythe zippered Hackles Nibley’s spine, ripping his costume in a long tear, knocking his own small scythe free of his hands.

“Beasts!”

And the harvest wheat, flailed up, spun round on the wind, shrieking its souls, all those who had died in the past twelve months, rained to earth.

The Art Of Pam Wishbow

Such an amazing style.

Click here for her shop.

and here for her IG.

Memories Of Halloweens Past

The next entry for this nostalgic blog series comes from my gal Jenna.  I've had the pleasure of seeing this neat item up close, so it was really wonderful hearing about its backstory.

Jenna writes "Over the years people have often asked me, 'Why do you like Halloween so much?' or 'Why do you like such scary things?'  I don't really have an answer for them. Truthfully, I have always found myself drawn to darker interests. Poe and R.L. Stine in grade school. The Twilight Zone and heavy metal in middle school. But when thinking about my favorite memory of Halloweens past (thanks to Mr. Macabre), my thoughts kept coming back to a very non-scary subject: My Grandmother, from now on referred to as Grandie (a nickname of her own creation). She is decidedly not spooky, or scary, and does not relate to my love of horror movies and dark art, but she was formative for my love of Halloween. 

Grandie and my Grandfather lived out in the country, not far from the previously mentioned Hex Hollow. In fact, my first haunted hayride as a kid was the local fire hall hayride that took you though Hex Hollow the week or so before Halloween.

She was Martha before Martha - making loads of homemade candy, Golden Grahams smores bars, and soft pumpkin cookies with caramel frosting in the days leading up to the High Holiday. The house was filled with decorations - a sound activated laughing witch (long gone), tons of paper Hallmark party goods, and a unique ceramic pumpkin that she would save for me to put together (once I was old enough to be trusted not to break it). 

This particular decoration encompasses all the imagery I love and associate with Halloween - ghosts, a spooky tree, a cemetery, and a jack-o-lantern. Each year, I would arrange the ghosts around the tree, always in the same places, like a ritual. The tombstone and the jack-o-lantern were my absolute favorites, and would go in the very front, so that I could take them out and hold them whenever I wanted.  It wasn't truly Halloween until this pumpkin was on display. 

Grandie is still with us and turned 98 this year. Knowing my love of Halloween, she handed down her recipes and decorations over the years as she downsized and moved into a retirement community. I think the ceramic pumpkin was the first decoration she gave me when she moved - she knew how much I loved it. Now I am the one decorating and hosting for Halloween, and though she doesn't always understand the darker decor, she loves seeing how we spend our holiday, and will forever be an important part of my Halloween."

For anyone interested in submitting, you can email me at pumpkinrot @ gmail . com (remove the spaces, of course!)

And click here to see past entries!

Now Playing: Haunted

This entire album by Caleb R.K. Williams is primo.  Would be perfect as a soundscape for a Home Haunt too, something with blue light and dark shadows, and lots of tombstones.  Seems to only be available on Bandcamp.  

Click below...

Final Girl Blog

Looking forward to seeing what the Halloween season brings for this blog from the golden age of blogging.

Click below for the always-funny Final Girl blog.

Now Playing: Psycho House Horror Ambience

Click below for a really nice soundscape tribute to the classic film...

Sweetbriar Studio Art

Some neat designs here.

Click here for the Etsy shop.

Autumn-Feeling Morning

67 degrees and breezy here.

Happy Labor Day, everyone.

The Skeleton Key Returns

It's September 1st, and for the past 13 years that meant the return of the seasonal Halloween blog The Skeleton Key.  Checking in on this wonderful blog has always been a fantastic part of the Halloween season... even more so in these past few years as Halloween blogs are becoming more and more scarce.

Click below for K.O.'s The Skeleton Key blog...

Strega Liqueur

The sky is purple, the flare of a match behind a cupped hand is gold; the liquor is green, bright green, made from a thousand herbs, made from altars. Those who know enough to drink Chartreuse at Mardi Gras are lucky, because the distilled essence of the town burns in their bellies. Chartreuse glows in the dark, and if you drink enough of it, your eyes will turn bright green.

- Poppy Z. Brite, Lost Souls

Since the days back in the 90s when I was reading the horror novels of Poppy Z. Brite, I always made sure I had a bottle of Chartreuse liqueur around.  Over the years, I loosened up that tradition and allowed my one bottle to wither away, unaware that demand for this odd green spirit had soared while the Carthusian monks who produce it refused to increase production.  Word spread online about this shortage, and it became impossible to find. 

A week ago, Jenna surprised me with a yellow liqueur called Strega, with a neat Witch design on the bottle.  According to the manufacturer:  The life of Strega Liqueur began in 1860 evoking the old legend that places the city of Benevento as the former seat of witches’ rites. It is stated, in fact, that witches, from all over the world, gathered at night around a magical walnut, and that they had created a magic potion that united forever couples that drank it.  Turns out this thoughtful and impromptu gift has a very familiar flavor.  Despite being yellow, the combination of herbs and spices has made this liqueur taste extremely similar to the mysterious Chartreuse mentioned in those old horror novels. 

So until the demand diminishes or the Carthusian monks produce more, we'll keep a bottle of the Witch around.  Not sure if Poppy Z. Brite would approve of the substitution, but these are desperate times.