Ghost Upon the Floor

A woman working at the Tim Horton's coffee and bakery shop suggested that I do this to my hot apple cider. Never had I heard about doing such a thing before- adding whipped cream and caramel to top off the hot cider. Tasted like a caramel apple, she said. And it did, to my delighted surprise.

My apologies for the brief post tonight- today was personally not a good day. Although earlier was fantastic- we ventured out to an October cemetery and I am preparing quite the post for tomorrow evening.

"It was, as I have said, a fine autumnal day; the sky was clear and serene, and nature wore that rich and golden livery which we always associate with the idea of abundance. The forests had put on their sober brown and yellow, while some trees of the tenderer kind had been nipped by the frosts into brilliant dyes of orange, purple, and scarlet." 

 -Washington Irving, "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow"

 While doing my cemetery photo wandering this weekend, which I am readying to begin posting tomorrow, I had the random thought of how much I wanted to read Washington Irving's original tale of Ichabod Crane and the Headless Horseman. Always enamored with the tale, the above passage struck me as so beautifully representative of the glory of this season we are in.

 I was impressed with many things at Spirit Halloween Superstore this year. The life size Frankenstein, Regan from The Exorcist and Scream killer were fun, and the giant black mug I picked up, with "Vampire Blood" written on the side, is very enjoyable, indeed.

 But there is something about these tombstones that appeal to me. On my first trip, I made a note to come back for them on a later visit.

When I went to pick them up, the only thing that prevented me from doing so is the fact that the backs of these stones aren't painted. Though they easily could be painted, and also very well could be placed in an area of my cemetery that wouldn't show the blank white back, the fact these stones seemed unfinished stopped me from picking them up-- at least for now. I may give in and buy one or both later on (although the $24.99 price tag is a bit steep.) Whatever complaints I may have about the unfinished quality of the backs, I want to stress that I remain fascinated and absolutely impressed with these designs, and the overall product. The imagery-- the angels, the angel of death, the weeping shrouded figure-- is original for Spirit, and executed wonderfully.

And now for something a bit light-hearted. These photos of people at Nightmare Fear Factory in Niagara Falls, Canada have been making the viral rounds on the Internet. Shot of a number of visitors at a certain point in the haunted house attraction, these show some of the-- shall we say, interesting-- reactions humans have to express their fear. I don't know if I find other people frightened amusing, but what does interest me most about this is wondering what, exactly, is in the bottom corner of the room that would elicit such good reactions.

 Seems like a possibly decent horror writer's workshop prompt to me.

When I was thinking of what to write this evening, as I just begin decorating the house outside and in, the thought of what I like to have as a backdrop for my decorating (however late) came to mind.

 Whether I'm getting out the orange stands of lights, fog machine or tombstones, I have some essential needs for a soundtrack: horror movies. And not just any horror movies-- for this ghost, having John Carpenter's "Halloween" playing on the TV, followed by something older, something black and white and flickering like Bela Lugosi in "Dracula" is called for. And these are just two of many which will do.

 No matter how many times sequels, remakes or re-imaginings are made of "Halloween," film will never achieve, in my humble opinion, the October orange effect of Jamie Lee Curtis' Laurie Strode walking the autumn streets of Haddonfield with a pumpkin, to Carpenter's genius score. And no matter how often the character of Count Dracula graces the silver screen, films like Lugosi's will always carry a dreamy, nightmarish authority that I've always found something of a comfort in. These films, seen so many times, remain vibrant and needed for the season-- even if only in the background as we begin to decorate, or fall asleep to at night.

Each start of October for the last few years, I've felt a desire to reread what may very well be my favorite novel of Ray Bradbury's-- "The Halloween Tree." A writer of science-fiction, the paranormal and tales not so comfortably labeled (but always with an October bent), Bradbury's seemingly young adult novel follows the lives of several young friends on Halloween night. "It was a small town by a small river and a small lake in a small northern part of a Midwest state," begins Bradbury's novel, which is no small literary feat.

 Throughout the boys' night, they come to know and understand the origins of All Hallow's Eve, as they are taken on a fantastical tour through history of humanity's ability to deal with the harvest, the darkness, the coming death. The passages in the novel, as the boys literally travel the history of Halloween night and are confronted with their own mortality, are simply beautiful. Rarely has Halloween been so perfectly captured, described, explored than in this book.

 And while the inevitable animated adaptation is not in so many ways the novel-- it is a very respectable job. Narrated by Leonard Nemoy and with a script by Bradbury himself, the adaptation, rarely shown and hard to find on VHS even on the internet, does the work proud.

 I think I'll go find my copy, and crack the spine.

Tonight, a short film. I submit for your approval "The Closet," a short heart-thumper I found a while back, and made a note to save this for a post on a rainy night. What always impresses me most about short films like this is the fear they can create with so little-- time, money, effects. I do believe this one does a pretty good job bringing the fear.



YouTube User: DayWaltFearFactory