Halloween Haunts 2013: Halloween as a Kid by Michael J. McCann

Halloween Haunts 2013: Halloween as a Kid by Michael J. McCann

When I was a kid, the excitement leading up to Halloween night was second only to that of Christmas Eve. The leaves had fallen and made a wonderful noise when you tramped through them; summer was a memory but hockey season had begun; and it was cold out there with just a costume, but somehow as a kid I never noticed. The really rich kids had store-bought costumes, but I had more fun dreaming up my own. My mom and dad were always great sports: helping me out and proclaiming that this year's costume was even scarier than last year's.…
Halloween Haunts: Stoker Spotlight Interview with Rocky Wood

Halloween Haunts: Stoker Spotlight Interview with Rocky Wood

Rocky Wood is the recipient of the Bram Stoker Award® for Superior Achievement in a Graphic Novel for Witch Hunts: A Graphic History of the Burning Times co-written with Lisa Morton and drawn by Greg Chapman. 1. How would you describe Witch Hunts: A Graphic History of the Burning Times? It's a warning about the dangers of ignorance and intolerance. We've taken the historical background of the witch-hunting era and put it in context for readers. They are entertained as they learn - the get to meet some of the nasty individuals who drove this evil period in history and…
Halloween Haunts 2013: A Feast of Fear by Frazer Lee

Halloween Haunts 2013: A Feast of Fear by Frazer Lee

Halloween is hungry, thirsty work. All those seasonal book signings and live readings can really take it out of you, not to mention the effort it requires to fish all of the bodies out of the moat in time for the traditional midnight game of “wake the dead.” It is an industrious time where family comes together to create costumes, to transform the house into a set from a horror movie—and to cook up a feast. Ah yes, the feasting; for an army of the undead cannot march on an empty stomach. In fact, October truly begins in my home…
Halloween Haunts 2013: ‘Tis the Season by Ed Erdelac

Halloween Haunts 2013: ‘Tis the Season by Ed Erdelac

  The Halloween season is upon us, when the trees shed their leaves like scraps of yellow-orange construction paper that shuffle beneath your feet, every pumpkin spreads a butter-yellow grin, and every porch light becomes an invitation to fill your bucket with candy. I must admit, at the risk of sending the gentle reader clicking off to some other corner of the web, Christmas is my favorite holiday, but Halloween is a close second. But I got to thinking, one of the things I always looked forward to on Christmas as a kid were the proliferation of holiday-themed animated specials…
Halloween Haunts 2013: Comment Ça? Rencontrez Dracula en Français pour (Dracula: Entre l’Amor et la Morte)—A Film Review by James Dorr

Halloween Haunts 2013: Comment Ça? Rencontrez Dracula en Français pour (Dracula: Entre l’Amor et la Morte)—A Film Review by James Dorr

Dracula in French?  And Canadian French to boot?  And with songs!  Yes, all that and more is available to those who enjoy a delightful shiver on seeing a bat’s silhouette against a full moon, as nights grow chill and days shorten to herald the coming of Halloween. And it’s on DVD, “inspiré du roman de Bram Stoker, le spectacle musical Dracula:  Entre L’Amour et La Mort.”  Yes, the musical version of Dracula -- in French. Actually produced in Quebec where it ran from January 13 to December 16 2006 (with the DVD version filmed in November that year according to…
Halloween Haunts 2013: Stoker Spotlight on Marge Simon

Halloween Haunts 2013: Stoker Spotlight on Marge Simon

Marge Simon is the recipient of the Bram Stoker Award® for Superior Achievement in Poetry for Vampires, Zombies, and Wanton Souls.  1. How would you describe Vampires, Zombies, and Wanton Souls? A concoction of poetic and artistic supernatural works that strikes terror even in the hearts of the staunchest horror fan. "In her eyes, an ephemeral light, and her stomach screamed for flesh" doesn't begin to share the dreadful fun. 2. Tell us about what inspired you to write Vampires, Zombies, and Wanton Souls. This collection was an extension of the first book, The Mad Hattery (a Stoker finalist).  Inspired…
Halloween Haunts 2013: Night Terrors by Heather L Reid

Halloween Haunts 2013: Night Terrors by Heather L Reid

Nightmares are the stuff of dreams­­-the subtle edge of darkness that creeps across the sleeping mind, evoking inner demons to dance macabre behind the shuttered windows of the soul. I don’t remember when they started, the dreams of faceless entities, of black figures standing by my bed whispering in the deep shadows of my childhood room. Sometimes I would wake from their dark grasp and find my six-year-old self standing at the end of my parent’s bed, or in the kitchen, or walking down the hallway. Other times I would suffer from sleep paralysis, trapped between dream and reality, a…
Halloween Haunts 2013: Beware of the Jersey Devil by Carol MacAllister

Halloween Haunts 2013: Beware of the Jersey Devil by Carol MacAllister

October 31st - Halloween night: A lonely drifter wanders on a dark sandy road through the scrubby New Jersey Pine Barrens. Clouds mask the full October moon. A screech is heard from a stand of pine. Running footsteps cut through dried leaves. Night air turns chill. Heavy breathing rumbles. Something demonic approaches the drifter who trembles with fright. Earlier words echo in his thoughts: Beware of the Jersey Devil. And, the legend continues for nearly 300 years. Mrs. Leeds, so the story goes, wanted no more children. While delivering her 13th child, she shouted, "I am tired of children. Let…
Halloween Haunts 2013: Stoker Spotlight on Lucy Snyder

Halloween Haunts 2013: Stoker Spotlight on Lucy Snyder

Lucy Snyder is the recipient of the Bram Stoker Award® for Superior Achievement in Short Fiction for her story "Magdala Amygdala." 1. How would you describe "Magdala Amygdala"? I'd describe it as a soft apocalypse story. I used it to explore the natures of self-identity and memory along with the fears of disease and loss of self. I also employ an unreliable narrator to provide the reader with a story that can be interpreted in a variety of different ways. For instance, I never actually specify the gender of the protagonist, although practically everyone reads the narrator as female, presumably…
Halloween Haunts 2013: Why I Write Horror by Carl Alves

Halloween Haunts 2013: Why I Write Horror by Carl Alves

I read pretty much every genre with the exception of Romance and Westerns. Nothing against them, just not my cup of tea. Although there are many things I find enjoyable about other genres, especially fantasy and science fiction, which are more or less cousins to the horror genre, when it is done right there is nothing better than horror. Horror has the ability to hit a nerve than penetrates the psyche unlike anything else in the world of entertainment. That is the reason why horror movies do well at the box office no matter how ridiculous the plot, or how…
An Interview with Amber Benson (Part 2)

An Interview with Amber Benson (Part 2)

By JG Faherty Read Part 1 Last month, actress and author Amber Benson talked to us about YA horror, literacy, her love of gory books and movies, and her writing process. This month we hit on those topics some more, plus some new ones as well. JG: Why do you think horror/dark fiction strikes such a chord with teen readers? AB: I think human beings like to be scared - and doing it within the framework of a book is the safest way to work up the adrenaline. JG: How do you keep in touch with the YA audience? While…
An Interview with Richard Christy (Part 2)

An Interview with Richard Christy (Part 2)

by JG Faherty, for the Horror Writers Association Newsletter Read Part 1 Last month metal drummer extraordinaire and horror fanatic Richard Christy and I spoke about his love of horror movies and novels, his metal band Charred Walls of the Damned, and writing songs vs. writing screenplays or novels. This month, the interview continues, with an emphasis on Halloween, naturally! JG: Let's talk about Halloween. I know it's your favorite holiday, and it's a safe bet that most people reading this interview feel the same way. What is it about Halloween that you like the best? RC: I think it…
Halloween Haunts 2013: Halloween Hootenanny! By Greg McWhorter

Halloween Haunts 2013: Halloween Hootenanny! By Greg McWhorter

Enter the Crypt of Forgotten Screamers! WwwwAAaaaRRrrrrGGgghhHHHh!!!!! It’s Halloween time again and that means you must have something appropriate spinning on the turntable, ‘natch. I don’t know about you, but I like to get my holiday discs out for aural pleasure to match the feeling of the season. Halloween is the best time to do this with all the great rock’n’roll themed spooks and howls. For this article, I decided to dig deep and unearth some forgotten Halloween oriented discs that you might want to give another spin. I’ve left out all the big names and well-known records like “Monster…
Halloween Haunts 2013: Stoker Spotlight on Gene O’Neill

Halloween Haunts 2013: Stoker Spotlight on Gene O’Neill

Gene O’Neill is the recipient of the Bram Stoker Award® for Superior Achievement in Long Fiction for his book The Blue Heron. 1. How would you describe The Blue Heron? The Blue Heron is a dark thriller, with perhaps a slight hint of fantasy. 2. Tell us about what inspired you to write The Blue Heron? I'd just finished writing Rusting Chickens. And I remembered an old Marine Corps incident. Also, a couple of writer friends suggested, I should write more about my military background. 3. What most attracts you to writing dark fiction? I studied psychology in college and have…
Halloween Haunts 2013: Halloween in the Hudson Valley by JG Faherty

Halloween Haunts 2013: Halloween in the Hudson Valley by JG Faherty

Halloween has always held a special place in my heart, even before I ever thought about becoming a horror and science fiction writer. While there is never one single reason a person can trace to a love of all things spooky, without doubt one of the factors in my own personal horror-mania has to be that I grew up in one of the most haunted places in the country, a region where Halloween isn't just a holiday, but a part of life. I'm talking about the lower Hudson Valley of New York. Stretching from Manhattan to Albany County, there are…
Halloween Haunts 2013: Candy Corn Memories by Amy Grech

Halloween Haunts 2013: Candy Corn Memories by Amy Grech

Halloween has always been my favorite holiday. Growing up, I relished Halloween’s approach even more than Christmas. Santa had nothing on Halloween with Jack o'Lanterns, costumes and candy… Every year the crisp October air prompted my father to take my twin brother, mother and me to the local farm on Long Island to choose the biggest pumpkin we could find for the momentous occasion. That same night, after the dinner dishes had been cleared, Dad would put some old newspaper on the kitchen table, and hand my brother and me black magic markers and together we would draw a scary…
Halloween Haunts 2013: More Than Just Candy by David B. Riley

Halloween Haunts 2013: More Than Just Candy by David B. Riley

One of my most vivid childhood memories was of a haunted house in the neighborhood when I was young. It was the artificial variety. The guys who ran it where most likely high school students—certainly way older than me and my friends. These guys went all out. They had grave stones in the yard. Some dead guy hanging from a tree (and he was active, meaning he moved), lightning, and spooky music. It worked. It was really scary, at least to a little kid. Oh, did I mention the monster that reached out from the bushes and grabbed your feet?…
Halloween Haunts 2013: Why Do You Write That Stuff? by Thomas Smith

Halloween Haunts 2013: Why Do You Write That Stuff? by Thomas Smith

Why do we do it? Why do folks like Mike Dellosso, Brian Keene, Elizabeth Massie, Kevin Lucia, me, and any number of other writers look at the dark side of the literature spectrum? Why write horror novels when there are so many other kinds of things to write? Maybe the first line from this Associated Press story will give you a better idea. “A Louisiana man is accused of decapitating and dismembering his disabled 7-year-old son and leaving the boy’s head near the street so the child’s mother would see it – a killing that brought seasoned police officers to…
Halloween Haunts 2013: Anti-Christ Devil Children by J. Thorn

Halloween Haunts 2013: Anti-Christ Devil Children by J. Thorn

Fans of horror and dark fantasy love Halloween. There’s a reason people watch frightening films or walk through “haunted houses” to be terrorized by college students dressed as zombies: There is something incredibly exciting and entertaining about being scared. Not “being chased by a crazy man with a knife” type of scared, but rather, the kind of fear that you know is artificial but COULD be real. Edgar Allen Poe and H.P. Lovecraft are often cited influences of many authors and that is true for me as well. However, the biggest name in the history of horror is not lost…
Halloween Haunts 2013: That’s My Boy by Matthew Warner

Halloween Haunts 2013: That’s My Boy by Matthew Warner

Every day when he comes home from preschool, my four-year-old son, Owen, proceeds to creep us out with his artistic creations. Here are some of my favorites (with appropriate captions):                   “Follow me,” the cat said as it led me through the house of mirrors. After a while, I looked down and realized my legs were attached directly to my head. Worse, I was bald.                   Despite the warnings, I gazed directly into the creature’s eyes. Its forbidden name appeared on the wall and…