Happy Halloween!

Do you celebrate Halloween? When I walk around the neighborhood, there are several houses that are decorated with skeletons and spiders and all sorts of fun things. While I appreciate everyone's displays, I was never one to do that myself. Part of it is sheer laziness, part of it is conditioning from a previous life where someone went overboard with cheap-looking displays. Oh, who am I fooling. It's a knee-jerk response to someone who overdid everything, which inspired the opposite in me. 

I have nothing against Halloween. I used to trick-or-treat. Heck, I write scary books, for heaven's sake! I love scary movies (not the slasher type, but the ghouls and ghosts and goblins and witches type). I have to say I was surprised when the school I sent my kids to was anti-Halloween. The kids weren't allowed to dress up or celebrate in any way, shape or form. I understood the school's rationale, and it wasn't worth making a fuss over, but I can't say I agreed with them.

There's a lot of that sort of sentiment going around these days - the "my thinking is the right way" kind of thing. Wouldn't it be boring if we all conformed to the same way of thinking?

But I digress. My favorite scary movie is the original THE HAUNTING. (Yes, you'll note that I included a reference in DARK SHADOWS). When the walls breathe? Gets me every time. Or the pounding moving down the hallways. Another favorite is THE UNINVITED. I loved the way Mary Meredith comes strolling down the stairs, and I was inspired to find out what mimosa smelled like after watching that movie. Yes, these are OLD, Black and White movies (quote from the Big Guy, "Who watches black and white movies?") During the advent of the slasher movies, HALLOWEEN got me. Scary stuff, but that was the ONLY slasher movie I ever liked. You know what other movie I really liked? THE SIXTH SENSE. Nice twist.

Then there are scary books. I have to tell you, after reading THE AMITYVILLE HORROR, I couldn't have that book in the same room with me. Only book to ever get to me, and I read a LOT of Stephen King books. Speaking of, I love reading Stephen King. Oh! Oh! When I saw the movie CARRIE in the theater, there was a big, tough jock a couple of seats ahead of me, and in the end? (if you saw it, you know what I'm talking about), he jumped out of his seat and slapped at it with his hands to chase the spooks away. That was as entertaining as the "shock scene." 

Are you a fan of the holiday? Do you have a favorite scary movie? Scary book? Let's compare notes. I'd love to find a new favorite!

Since it's Halloween, I'm sharing the new trailer with you one more time. It IS kinda spooky, after all. Have you read DARK SHADOWS, yet?