Halloween Day

Most of Halloween day was comfortably familiar.

The first thing I did was to put the finishing touches on a blog post.  Then I watched some of the “Halloween” marathon on AMC, and “Burnt Offerings” on TCM.

I dressed up in a Halloween outfit, consisting of the t-shirt I bought recently, black pants, and spider earrings.  The spider came out of the hook, but luckily I fixed it.

Of course, Sis and I had to see a couple of movies.  They’re two of my favorites, “Subspecies” and “The Changeling”.

We assembled a few treats – creamy four cheese Rice a Roni, butterscotch pudding, and apple cider.

Looking back, there was a lot to do this year, with 4 pumpkins to carve, plus making mounds of puree.

I also watched a scary series called “Hammer House of Horror”.  About half of it was good; the endings were pretty intense.

In other news, I finally found the “Fear Finder”!  It’s a tradition for us to pick up this haunted attraction newspaper.  We were crushed when we couldn’t find it last season.

Anyhow, we had a great time.  Hope you did too.

By the way, thank you for reading my blog.  Take care, and have a nice year!

Carved Pumpkin

For the third year in a row, we carved pumpkins.  However, this time our organic pumpkins were grown from seed.

I carved this one all by myself.

Happy Halloween!

Haunted Hamlet: Book Review

A body in a haunted house leads Zoe to several mysterious deaths that occurred on that property in “Haunted Hamlet:  A Zoe Donovan Mystery (Volume 9)” by Kathi Daley.

I was going to stay away from Halloween books by this author, but when the back cover mentioned a ghost hunter, I couldn’t resist.  I’m glad I did, because there’s more Halloween in these pages than last time.  Besides that, I liked it when Zoe rescues the animals.

However, I don’t agree that Halloween is a children’s holiday.  In addition, some of the in-between scenes were boring.

Despite these problems, I enjoyed reading this paperback.

Roasted Pumpkin Nachos

I love to snack on these nachos!

Sis discovered this recipe from the magazine “Taste of Home:  Halloween”, 2014, page 49.

Here it is online:

Roasted Pumpkin Nachos 

We divided the chores.  I sliced the squash in half; peeled and cubed it.  Sis also diced, and assembled the ingredients.

We used organic butternut squash in place of pumpkin, because I didn’t roast the pumpkin before freezing it.  Other changes included reduced sodium beans, and 4 cups of cheese instead of 3.

The sweet squash was perfect for this dish.  Nevertheless, I’ll try it with pumpkin next time.

Halloween Finds: Walmart

My lucky streak continued with jewelry.  Most of the time, I can barely see one piece I like.  This year, I discovered two pairs.  Here are my finds from Walmart:

These spider and skeleton hand earrings are subtle but interesting.

Exorcism: The Possession of Gail Bowers – Movie Review

A girl is possessed after playing with an Ouija board in “Exorcism:  The Possession of Gail Bowers”.

This movie had some terrifying moments, as well as being gross at times (especially the bath scene).  A couple of parts were even funny.  I didn’t care for the sexual stuff, though.  Furthermore, I saw nothing new for most of the main exorcism.  On the other hand, the ending more than made up for it.

This film and “The Exorcist” have something in common, as they were based on the same true story.  That alone was enough to scare me spitless!

Halloween Finds: Meijer

For the most part, I don’t usually come across many Halloween items I want.  Happily, I scored this year.  Some of my finds from Meijer included:

  

I fell in love with this grim reaper decoration.  Half of the reason was the saying; it’s funny and scary at the same time!

I couldn’t resist a pair of Halloween socks, especially with smiling pumpkins on them.

  

The graphic t-shirt was expensive, but worth every penny.  The slogan is catchy too.

A cute motto printed on a towel.

Halloween Stories: Book Review

Cia Leah shares four stories about Halloween in “The Creepy Collection – Halloween Stories”.

Halloween definitely played a role in this Kindle e-book.  Furthermore, the stories were interesting and different.  The first and third tales had elements of the supernatural.  Besides that, the last two included some romance.  My favorite was “Halloween Myth”.

Here’s the breakdown:

• “The Halloween Veil” – A neighbor demands the Halloween veil from an heir.
• “Halloween Hill” – A couple throwing a Halloween party receives scary notes.
• “Halloween Myth” – The skeleton of Halloween visits a new home owner.
• “Deadly Halloween” – A killer stalks the Halloween Lady.

In conclusion, I finally found a Halloween collection where Halloween is at the heart of each story.  That makes these stories first-rate in my book!

The Spell: Movie Review

In “The Spell”, strange things happen around a misfit girl.

I caught this movie on cable, and was immediately hooked.  Lee Grant was very believable as the mother of Rita, an unpopular girl.  Besides that, Susan Myers showed that she can be both childish and menacing as Rita.

One of the best scenes was the perfectly grotesque death of the mother’s friend.  However, the only problem I had with the film was that one conversation between the parents didn’t serve any purpose other than to see Rita eavesdropping.

I wish this picture was on DVD.  I’d snap it up!

Pumpkin Spice Latte

Last year, I tried my first Pumpkin Spice Latte.  Sadly, it tasted just like coffee with a little cinnamon on top. 

This time, I decided to give it another chance.  Thank goodness I did, because it was delicious.  Its pumpkin flavor satisfied all my Halloween cravings.

I see now why everyone raves about it!

Haunted House Adventures: The First Time

When I was very small, my family went to our first haunted house.

We traveled to a two-story house run by the Jaycees.  Blood-like stains soaked the door.  During the tour, a mad doctor almost operated on Bro.  That made Dad smile.  Besides that, Frankenstein knelt before me and said something reassuring, because I was frightened.  I ignored him, and walked away.  Finally, the Devil was on hand to say goodbye to us.  Dad waved bye.

That’s the last time we went together as a family.

Halloween Hijinks: Book Review

An animal control officer discovers a corpse during the Halloween season in “Halloween Hijinks:  A Zoe Donovan Mystery (Volume 1)” by Kathi Daley.

While this book had some details about Halloween, it also contained too much football.  Still, the mystery part was interesting, even when it tied in with the sport.  Besides that, I loved the scene when Zoe breaks into a real haunted house.

In conclusion, I wouldn’t read this paperback again.  However, if you’re into football, then this may be the book for you.

The Candy Bowls

We used to have two monster hand candy bowls.  The first one was a clearance item from Franks Nursery and Crafts.  In the beginning, it worked just fine when we reached out to it.  Its sayings changed from “You want some candy?” to “Trick or Treat” to “Happy Halloween”. 

Unfortunately, it went haywire on us.  It spoke up even when we weren’t in the area.  Eventually, we bought a new one from Target, because the first bowl’s hand wouldn’t bend properly. 

Well, everything was ok for a while.  Then that bowl started to act up.  It talked a lot, especially during a horror movie.  In the end, we had no choice but to turn it off.

I could say that one was defective, but how about two?  Personally, I think someone wants to speak to us…

The Conjuring: Movie Review

The Warrens investigate a house infested with an evil presence in “The Conjuring”.

This movie was so scary!  That doll really disturbed me, because of my brother’s spirit dolls.  The demon was also pretty creepy.

The only thing I didn’t like about the film was the slow build-up after the opening sequence.  The first time I watched it I wondered whether the reviews may have exaggerated the fright factor.  Fortunately, this true story was worth the wait.

Sis left the light on at night for several days afterward.  As for me, I hope that this never happens to us. 

Terrible Cookies

Two years ago, Sis and I decided to make Halloween cookies.  We bought some cookie cutters, and followed the recipe on the back of the packaging.  Well, that didn’t work out.

Rolling out the dough was a nightmare.  I don’t know why, because the recipe said that we shouldn’t refrigerate it.  In the end, Dad finished the job.  When he asked me why I wanted to prepare the dessert, I told him that this was supposed to be fun.  He gave me a dark look, and said that he would buy the cookies next time.

These cookies may look good, but they really were tasteless!

Tales for the Midnight Hour: Book Review

Read these seventeen horror stories if you dare in “Tales for the Midnight Hour” by J. B. Stamper. 

I bought this young adult book a long time ago at the mall.  All the tales pack a punch.  My favorites are:

• “The Furry Collar” – Two girls hear weird noises during a sleepover.
• “The Ten Claws” – A monster terrorizes a village.
• “The Jigsaw Puzzle” – A girl spends an evening putting together a strange puzzle.
• “The Egyptian Coffin” – A destructive man guards Egyptian artifacts.
• “The Train Through Transylvania” – A family travels through vampire country.
• “The Tunnel Of Terror” – A girl takes an amusement ride to fear.

I checked out Amazon, and found 3 sequels.  I can’t wait to read them!

The Calendar

When I was younger, I didn’t think much about poltergeists.  Then the calendar turned on me…

One minute, I stood in our kitchen, minding my own business.  Suddenly, the calendar tore itself off the refrigerator.  It flew down and to my left like a skier on a slope.  After that, it stopped.  For a moment, it hovered above the kitchen floor.  Then it dropped.

It landed almost two feet from the fridge, and more than a foot from me.  I stared at it, and thought “What?!”

I guess someone doesn’t like me. 

Not the original refrigerator or calendar, but only where they used to be.

A Halloween Hello

Hello!  For this spellbinding Halloween season, I’ve unearthed some more spooky stuff.

Once again, I’ll be reviewing a few movies.  These selected films include:

• “The Conjuring”
• “The Spell”

Reading books is also on the list of activities.  One of the chosen is “Halloween Hijinks”.

Plus, I’ll reminiscence about the past and share scary true stories.

Before you know it, it’ll be Halloween!