HAPPY HALLOWEEN to all my friends! If you're looking for some online resources to help "set the mood" for the holiday, I have compiled a list of favourite/useful links. This is not meant to be comprehensive, just a place (or places) to start. I began collecting these (mostly free) Halloween resources several years ago, but try to add & update a bit every year, so please check it out. Enjoy!
Lost In The Web:
Happy Holiday
The Book of Halloween (period book recounting origins & traditional celebrations in the UK & Europe): http://www.sacred-texts.com/pag/boh/boh02.htm
Links to sites discussing history & customs of Halloween: http://www.everythinghalloween.com/traditions/index.html
HalloweenHistory.org: http://www.halloweenhistory.org/
History & customs of Halloween: http://wilstar.com/holidays/hallown.htm
Myths, Monsters, & Devils (addresses anti-Halloween propaganda): http://www.featherlessbiped.com/halloween/hallows.htm
The History Channel's Halloween page, articles & vids, including the well-known “Haunted History of Halloween”: http://www.history.com/topics/halloween
Halloween traditions from around the world: http://www.jackolanterns.net/traditions.htm
If you prefer to learn via the A/V circuit, here are a bunch of Halloween History videos on YouTube:
Some
General Halloween websites:
Halloween.com (chat forums, links, crafts, etc.; tries to be comprehensive & utd) - http://www.halloween.com
HalloweenMagazine.com (general info/tips/cards/links): http://www.halloweenmagazine.com/
The Halloween Database (links to the scary/ paranormal side of Halloween, both commercial & “real.”: http://www.halloweendatabase.com/ (may be rather out of date)
Halloween Online (how-to articles, news, product reviews): http://www.halloween-online.com/
365 Halloween.com: http://www.365halloween.com/blog/
Kindred Spirits: A few exceptional Halloween themed/ loving blogs I've stumbled across. Ravensblight (Discovery of the year for 2014! Free graphics, paper toys, music, vids, short fiction, games, everything you might want): http://www.ravensblight.com
Doo Wacka Doodles (blog of artist & Halloween lover Belle Dee): http://doowackadoodles.blogspot.com/
Season of Shadows (a little out of date, but lots of great home haunting pix): http://seasonofshadows.com/home.htm
Spirit of Halloween blog (really great picture blog): http://spiritofhalloween.blogspot.com/
Old Fashion Halloween Blog (mostly crafting ideas): http://oldfashionhalloween.blogspot.com/
Nostalgic Halloween (original art w/ period components; period pix): http://anostalgichalloween.blogspot.com/
Countdown to Halloween (blog ring hq): http://www.countdowntohalloween.com/
Halloween Forum (ALL things Halloweeny, especially other Halloween nuts): http://www.halloweenforum.com/
Happy Haunting!
In the Haunted House (commercial haunted houses)
HorrorFind bills itself as the most complete listing in/for the country: http://www.horrorfind.com/Haunted_Houses/ A few back-ups: http://www.hauntworld.com/ (easy to search; has a lot of extras like forums & haunting tips) or http://www.hauntedhouse.com/search/Haunted_Attraction_Directory/ (some Canadian listings; a little out of date)
A site devoted to commercial houses, dark rides, & their tricks : http://www.halloweenproductions.com/
The best commercial haunted house I've ever been in: http://www.edgeofhell.com/
DoomBuggies (a site devoted to Disney's Haunted Mansion ride/s): http://www.doombuggies.com/
I DO believe in Spooks! I DO! I DO!
(TRULY haunted places. NOTE: reader submissions on sites NOT verified!):
The Shadowlands: world-wide haunted places & mysterious creatures: http://www.theshadowlands.net/places/
Real Haunted Houses (“working hard to create the most complete library of haunted houses, spooky stories, ghostly tales and all things paranormal”): http://www.realhaunts.com/ & HauntedPlaces: http://www.hauntedplaces.org/
Haunted Places in the Twin Cities: (2004) http://twincities.citysearch.com/roundup/40468/
or About.com http://minneapolis.about.com/od/lifestyles/tp/hauntedplaces.htm ;
or for ghost hunters/paranormal investigators: http://twincitiesparanormalsociety.com/
Most Haunted MN: City Pages (2010) http://blogs.citypages.com/blotter/2010/10/minnesotas_most.php ;
MN Monthly (2012) http://www.minnesotamonthly.com/media/Minnesota-Monthly/October-2012/Minnesota-Scary/ ;
Prairie Ghosts: http://www.prairieghosts.com/hauntmn.html (great site for midwestern ghost stories & haunted places in general. Poor grammar & typos abound, but you can tell they really care about the subject.)
Historic Hauntings (A Collection of Articles on Ghosts, Hauntings and the Unknown): http://www.prairieghosts.com/haunt_history.html
Haunt Your Own Home
The Monster List of Halloween DIY projects: http://www.halloweenmonsterlist.info/ (last update 2010, but still lots of useful info & NOT commercial)
How to make a Haunted House: http://familycrafts.about.com/cs/mischalloween/a/091100a.htm
The Yard Haunter: http://www.yardhaunter.com/
The Horror Dome Professional/Commercial Props: http://www.thehorrordome.com
Witch Crafty (a Pinterest Board of ideas I’d like to try sometime): http://www.pinterest.com/themadblonde/halloween-crafts-decor-ideas/
Devilish Dreams (Halloween décor items too rich for my blood, but…): http://www.pinterest.com/themadblonde/halloween-decor-i-wish-i-could-afford/
Ghost Lit (If you like your ghost stories a less local & more literary, here are stories to read online):
Classic Horror “largest” collection of classic horror stories on the ‘net.” http://www.underworldtales.com/classic.htm
31 Days Hath October/Oct 13 ("links to a handful of amazing free stories by sickeningly talented current writers"): http://31hathoctober.wordpress.com/2014/10/13/oct13/
The Haunters & the Haunted 57 ghost stories from literary works, folklore and myth: http://www.bartleby.com/166/
Victorian Ghost Stories (a nice little selection): http://www.lang.nagoya-u.ac.jp/~matsuoka/ghost-stories.html
Amalgamated Brotherhood of Spooks library (a good variety & some hard-to-find stories): http://www.amalgamatedspooks.com/library.html
The Ghost Stories of M.R. James: http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/8486 or http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/9629 (Ghost Stories of an Antiquary) or http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/20387 (A Thin Ghost & Others)
The Moonlit Road (Strange Tales of the American South, text/audio/video): http://themoonlitroad.com/
The Little Colonel's Halloween (a fictional account of a period Halloween celebration; a chapter in the book The Little Colonel's Holidays by Annie Fellows Johnston. FYI, some period sentiments may be inappropriate by modern standards): http://www.littlecolonel.com/books/Holidays/Chapter11.htm
Hardcover Horrors: I usually restrict this post to things you can find online, but if you’ve just GOT to have a new book of Halloween stories IN YOUR HANDS this year, may I recommend this anthology from Cemetary Dance October Dreams 2: A Celebration of Halloween http://cemeterydance.com/page/CDP/PROD/chizmar18
Mad About Halloween: If you’d like to see me reading an excerpt from one of my own ghost stories (last year at WFC), you can catch “Ghost Light” here: http://youtu.be/qWfyGGw2HlY
Dark Poetry
Poets.org (poets’ graves, poet costumes, a Haunted House of Poetry—ok, that deserves its own link: http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/21947 , & of course, ghost & vampire poems): http://www.poets.org/page.php/prmID/417
Dark Poems: http://thingsthatgoboo.com/scarypoems/darkpoems.htm
About.com “a selection of classic poems about ghosts, goblins & spirits”: http://poetry.about.com/od/ourpoemcollections/a/halloweenpoems.htm
Halloween poetry & spooky rhymes for kids: http://www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/halloween/poems-rhymes/
Short-But-Sweet (Pinterest Board of vintage postcards & Halloween verse): http://www.pinterest.com/themadblonde/halloween-poems/
Something Visual That's Not Too Abysmal
Over the years I’ve discovered so many wonderful vids that it’s become impossible to compile them in a single post. Fortunately, I was able to find most of my faves on YouTube, so I've organised a series of playlists, where, with just one little extra step, you can watch to your heart's content.
Instant Gratification (stuff to watch online):
Halloween TV & Movie Treats:
Halloween Swing:
Rare & rude (a music vid of “The Walls Keep Talking” that is, sadly, a product of its time, so the post remains unlisted): http://youtu.be/l7dujEEJ0bA
Halloween Classic Cartoons:
Found
Favourites (a few that could not be found on YouTube):
Midnight Frolics 1938: http://journeytojohnsbrain.blogspot.com/2009/10/halloween-midnight-frolics.html
Hair-raising Hare 1946: http://www.supercartoons.net/cartoon/659/bugs-bunny-hair-raising-hare.html
Bewitched Bunny (Bugs Bunny) 1954: http://www.ulozto.net/live/x5XjAQV/bugs-bunny-bewitched-bunny-1954-avi
Hyde and Hare (Bugs Bunny) 1955: http://www.supercartoons.net/cartoon/698/hyde-and-hare.html
Broomstick Bunny (Bugs Bunny) 1956: http://www.supercartoons.net/cartoon/685/broom-stick-bunny.html
A-Haunting We Will Go (Daffy Duck) 1958: http://www.supercartoons.net/cartoon/841/daffy-duck-a-haunting-we-will-go.html
Transylvania 6500 (Bugs Bunny) 1963: http://www.supercartoons.net/cartoon/989/bugs-bunny-transylvania-6-5000.html
And of course, the Animaniacs (6 themed segments): http://rarehalloweenvideos.blogspot.com/2013/10/1997-animaniacs-spooky-stuff.html
Disney Halloween Treats (a few classic clips from the Kingdom):
Halloween Animated Shorts:
Halloween Song Vids:
K & K's Haunted Home (if you ever wanted to see how scary OUR house gets in October):
Home-Screen Horror:
A Horror movie fansite w/ list of the best 100 ever as of 2010: http://www.best-horror-movies.com/100-best-horror-films.html
A list of lists of horror movie choices for different occasions: http://www.bellaonline.com/subjects/8287.asp
Author Brian Showers posted ten annual lists of Halloween film recommendations, 2003- 2012: http://www.brianjshowers.com/articles_halloweenfilm2012.html (for earlier years, just replace the url year digits)
Lots of film buffs & Halloween lovers have chimed in on this blog for THEIR holiday movie picks: http://americanfrankenstein.blogspot.com/2010/10/halloween-movie-picks-they-came-from.html
& like all good horror movies, it has a few sequels: http://americanfrankenstein.blogspot.com/2010/10/bride-of-halloween-movie-picks-three.html & http://americanfrankenstein.blogspot.com/2010/10/son-of-halloween-movie-picks-two-black.html
Lights Out
If you like Old Time Radio, there is a wonderful webgroup here: http://timespast.ning.com/ , & if you choose to join you can find an AMAZING collection of Halloween radio shows, ghost stories, & horror-themed radio programmes (available only to group members, but well worth joining if you like OTR).
Or keep it simple & visit OTR Halloween Holidaze on YouTube for well over 100 Halloween radio shows: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL32A09183FFD69338
& OTR Horror: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL301A9C2AE8D55411
Or for streaming shows, Horror Old Time Radio (has commercials): http://www.live365.com/stations/radiobones or
Shadowy Realms (“Tales of Suspense, Mystery, & the Macabre”): http://www.shadowyrealms.com/
Monster Mood Music:
Evil Online:
Smithsonian Folkways (a holiday playlist of traditional, world, & family-friendly holiday tunes as well as ghost tales): http://www.folkways.si.edu/radio/halloween_playlist/index.html
Weirdsville Radio (3 different channels): http://www.neverendingwonder.com/halloween.htm
The 13th Track (online music & ordering info for Halloween recordings) http://www.13thtrack.com/
Haunted Radio Podcast (not just music): http://www.hauntedradiopodcast.com/
Cult Radio a Go-Go: http://www.cultradioagogo.com/
Boogeyman Radio (scores, punk, metal, & more): http://www.live365.com/stations/slasherfest?play=1
Back to YouTube for more Big Band/Swing songs: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTjAk3ZhXfOl1P-f2-C3tDrf8PEfBi53y
31 Days of Halloween Mixtapes: http://31daysofhalloweenmixtapes.tumblr.com/
"Spook Party" & "Ghoul-Arama" (two super-ghoul original mixes complete w/ cover art for your own cd)- http://scarstuff.blogspot.com/2006/04/various-ghouls-spook-party-scar-stuff.html
& of course there are all sorts of treasures to unearth @ http://www.archive.org/
If you’re on Spotify, look for themadblonde; I've got a few good lists bookmarked there.
Make Your Own Spooky Music: (Halloween musical suggestions for your own mixes)
Billboard’s Top Ten Halloween Songs: http://www.billboard.com/articles/list/513466/the-top-10-halloween-songs
30 Halloween Songs So Good They’ll Raise the Dead (most have video links): http://kroq.cbslocal.com/2011/10/12/thirty-halloween-songs-so-good-theyll-raise-the-dead/
Top 10 Fave Ghost Songs of writer Cat Winters (not your obvious choices): http://evie-bookish.blogspot.com/2013/10/in-shadow-of-blackbirds-by-cat-winters.html (you’ll need to scroll down the page)
& back to Pinterest for the Ultimate Party Playlist: http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/music-for-halloween-party-playlist-ultimate-spotify-196118
Classical Creeps: http://music.minnesota.publicradio.org/features/0010_halloween/playlist.shtml
& a Spooky Playlist from the Classical Voice: https://www.sfcv.org/article/spooky-playlist-for-halloween
Top 10 Spooky country songs: http://countrymusic.about.com/od/toppicks/tp/10SpookyCntry.htm or http://www.twangnation.com/2009/10/28/10-spooky-gothic-country-halloween-songs/ (gothic country)
Free downloadable midi & wav files: http://www.theholidayspot.com/halloween/music.htm
Sing Your Own Spooky Song
Pumpkin carols: http://www.paganlibrary.com/music_poetry/peanuts_pumpkin_carols.php
Two MadBlonde Filk Contributions to the Pumpkin Carol oeuvre:
Elegant Entertaining: http://www.perfectentertaining.com/halloween/
Silly Snacks: http://www.masterstech-home.com/The_Kitchen/Recipes/Recipe_Indices/Seasonal_Recipe_Indices/HalloweenRecipesIndex.html or http://allrecipes.com/features/holidays/halloween
Ghoul Treats: http://www.razzledazzlerecipes.com/halloween/goulish.htm
Plenty of Pumpkin recipes: http://www.pumpkinnook.com/cookbook.htm#recipe
Wanda's Halloween Cookbook: http://www.halloweenkitchen.com/
Of Pinterest to me: http://www.pinterest.com/themadblonde/halloween-food/
Strong Spirits (Martha Stewart): http://www.marthastewart.com/275515/halloween-cocktails-and-drink-recipes/@center/1006805/halloween-recipes
Best Boos (Halloween Cocktail Boards on Pinterest): http://www.pinterest.com/purplepumpkin15/halloween-drinks/
or my own modest collection http://www.pinterest.com/themadblonde/halloween-cocktails/
A Slice of Orange (pumpkin carving sites)
The Pumpkin Nook (last update 2013): http://www.pumpkinnook.com/hween/carve.htm
Pumpkin Carving 101 (history & all the basics): http://www.pumpkincarving101.com/
Pumpkin Masters: http://www.pumpkinmasters.com/pumpkin-carving-101.asp (commercial, free patterns & tutorials)
Tips for creating a new pattern: http://wls.wwco.com/garden/patterns.html
Slideshow: How to Carve Like a Pro: http://www.seriouseats.com/2010/10/pumpkin-carving-with-the-maniac-pumpkin-carve.html
The best, most serious, & complete discussion/assortment of really effective carving tools I've ever seen: http://www.stoneykins.com/Shop.html
YouTube carving & decorating tutorials (for those on the video learning curve):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJ9z0HOqD4I&list=PLScZAeX7S9teavwfZs6D5Vmr1wQhb3CAt
Virtual pumpkin carving:
Basic Cartoon Carve It (intuitive & easy to use; may give you a warning when you open it but I’ve been using it for years, no issues): http://www.ncs-tech.org/pub/carve_pumpkin.swf
Carve, add message, & Email it: http://www.theoworlds.com/halloween/
Carve &/or paint it & post in online gallery: http://spookathon.com/halloween/pumpkin-carver.php
Choose pre-drawn features to create pumpkin face (may be glitchy): http://www.thepumpkinfarm.com/carve_pumpkin.html
Dressed to Kill
Costume ideas/planning site links, including several for wheelchair users: http://www.costumepage.org/hallocst.html
WikiHow Halloween Costumes (the gamut): http://www.wikihow.com/Category:Halloween-Costumes
Some really clever & easy last-minute DIY costume ideas: http://www.buzzfeed.com/angelamv/31-insanely-clever-last-minute-halloween-costumes
Take Back Halloween (Costume Guide for Women with Imagination): http://takebackhalloween.org/
Geeky DIY ideas (some of which are quite quick & cheap): http://www.uproxx.com/gammasquad/2012/10/geeky-cheap-halloween-costumes/#page/15
Many easy ideas including costumes for those in chairs: http://www.robinsfyi.com/holidays/halloween/costumes.htm
Costume Idea Zone (a few creative suggestions, categories for couples & groups): http://www.costumeideazone.com/
Blue Collar Black Tie costumes made easy (simple execution, variety, group ideas): http://bluecollar-blacktie.com/halloween-costumes-made-easy/
Easy 3-colour face paint costume ideas (loads slowly): http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/family/33402089.html?elr=KArksUUUU
Instant Eek Ideas (Martha Stewart): http://www.marthastewart.com/portal/site/mslo/menuitem.3a0656639de62ad593598e10d373a0a0/?vgnextoid=59bac137bf22f010VgnVCM1000003d370a0aRCRD&rsc=related
& tongue in cheek: http://members.tripod.com/disneyitis/LATE_H_COSTUMES.HTM
Art in the Blood (my fave Halloween artists)
Paintings of John Atkinson Grimshaw: http://john-atkinson-grimshaw.chez-alice.fr/Page1.htmThe Haunted Studio (Lewis Barrett Lehrman): http://www.hauntedstudio.com/Gallery1.htm
Best Halloween art ever by Lori Preusch: http://www.dandelionpress.com/shop/spellbound
Haunted Memories (commercial site selling “changing” portraits): http://www.changingportraits.com/newgallery.htm
Stiff as a Board (Halloween Images Boards on Pinterest)
Illustrations http://www.pinterest.com/katdeblois/halloween-illustrated/
Vintage Post Cards (over 1K): http://www.pinterest.com/kitskyy/halloween-postcards-cards/
Halloween Ads & Magazine Covers: http://www.pinterest.com/marcinantiques/halloween-ads-magazine-covers/
Halloween Pin-Ups: http://www.pinterest.com/jonesnpics/halloween-pin-ups/
Halloween Landscapes: http://www.pinterest.com/GhostyBlack/halloween-landscape/
Halloween Gallery (a miscellany): http://www.pinterest.com/melsyk/halloween-gallery/
The Pumpkin Patch: http://www.pinterest.com/cvizenor/pumpkin-patch/
Personal Pinspirations: http://www.pinterest.com/themadblonde/halloween/
Frightening Fun
Halloween Mountain (free online games, including Halloween Hangman): http://www.halloweenmountain.com/
Halloween Escape (haunted house/puzzle solving game; may be glitchy): http://www.addictinggames.com/puzzle-games/halloweenescape.jsp
Monsterise Your Name: http://www.i-mockery.com/halloween/bag/monster-initial-generator.php
& finally, for a little light reading, two very funny Onion stories that capture the holiday spirit: Mysterious Crate: http://www.theonion.com/articles/mysterious-crate-arrives-from-london,17923/
Creepy Mansion sales down: http://www.theonion.com/articles/realtors-blame-housing-market-for-slump-in-creepym,2471/
Hope some of these might come in handy &/or help get you into the Halloween Spirit.
Happy Haunting!
posted by TheMadBlonde at 7:19 PM
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