Featured Halloween Posts
Aug 20
Some hotel guests leave behind a toothbrush, a forgotten charger, or a pair of socks. According to American ghost lore, a few guests never leave at all. Across the United States, historic hotels have accumulated stories of apparitions, unexplained footsteps, mysterious voices, doors opening by themselves, and long-dead residents who supposedly continue to wander familiar …
Aug 13
The 1960s were one of the most transformative decades in horror movie history. At the beginning of the decade, Gothic castles, supernatural curses, and traditional monsters were still familiar territory. By the end, horror had become much more unsettling. Killers could operate from roadside motels. Ordinary neighbors could belong to sinister cults. The dead could …
Aug 12
Halloween movie night can mean very different things depending on who is holding the remote. For some people, October demands Michael Myers, haunted houses, demonic possessions, and movies frightening enough to make every creak in the hallway suspicious. For others, Halloween is about witches, pumpkins, friendly ghosts, Gothic fantasy, stop-motion animation, and the comforting nostalgia …
Aug 10
The 1990s occupy a fascinating place in horror history. The decade began with psychological thrillers, Stephen King adaptations, and the tail end of the slasher boom, then gradually moved toward self-aware horror, international terror, supernatural mysteries, and the found-footage revolution. Some of the decade’s greatest horror movies barely resemble one another. Misery traps its audience …
Aug 09
The 1980s were one of the most important decades in horror movie history. Slashers exploded in popularity. Practical-effects artists transformed bodies into creatures before audiences’ eyes. Freddy Krueger invaded dreams. Jason Voorhees became associated with summer-camp terror. The Cenobites opened the doors to a darker kind of supernatural horror, while filmmakers such as Stanley Kubrick, …
Aug 08
Halloween treats do not have to be complicated to steal the show. A bowl of candy is always welcome, but a few homemade creations can turn an ordinary snack table into one of the most memorable parts of your Halloween party. Better yet, some of the cutest Halloween foods start with familiar ingredients like strawberries, …
Aug 04
Your baby’s first Halloween is one of those milestones that practically begs for photos. They may be far too young to understand jack-o’-lanterns, trick-or-treating, or why everyone suddenly decided to dress like witches and skeletons, but that doesn’t make their first Halloween any less special. For newborns, the best Halloween costumes are usually the simplest …
Aug 02
Choosing a Halloween costume should be part of the fun—not an October 30th emergency. The good news is that memorable Halloween costumes do not necessarily require expensive store-bought outfits or professional special-effects skills. Some of the best looks can be created with clothes already hanging in your closet, a little face paint, cardboard, thrift-store finds, …
Jan 01
More than a century after he first crept across the screen, Count Orlok remains one of horror cinema’s most unforgettable monsters. Bald, corpse-like, claw-fingered, and unmistakably inhuman, the vampire at the center of F.W. Murnau’s Nosferatu looks nothing like the charming, aristocratic bloodsuckers that would dominate later vampire movies. Released in 1922, Nosferatu: A Symphony …
Oct 19
The 1980s were practically built for Halloween. Synthesizers became darker, music videos became more theatrical, heavy metal embraced monsters and the occult, goth and post-punk flourished, and horror movies produced some unforgettable soundtrack songs. The decade gave us everything from Michael Jackson transforming into a monster in “Thriller” to Oingo Boingo throwing a “Dead Man’s …
