Have you read the old stuff? Halloween literature over the past four hundred years leads me back to a time tied to the quickening dark, to seasonal change, to death, to the movement of beings–fairies, witches, dead souls–through the night. Halloween was once imagined as a rift in reality where time slipped by without the traveler knowing he�d gone missing. It was a night to return home, dead or alive. These Halloweens meant something; they held a place in the year for magic, for mourning, for first love. For fear. In Halloween literature, the otherworld is always and uniquely present. On this night, it can be broached, or we, if we’re willing, can open our eyes wide enough to see it.

If you like the older, atmospheric Halloween tales, pre-horror, pre-20th century, you might enjoy this book. I edited it, which meant I spent lots of time reading poems and stories from a long, long time ago. My pleasure, believe me.

Want to check out the book?

Every week The Fright Catalog highlights a new “Product of the Week”. The products we are trying to focus on aren’t strictly Halloween related, but have a creepy or macabre feel to them. We’re also looking for items that would sell all year long. Examples would be the Teddy Scares, black roses and this weeks product the goblets. What have you guys seen out there that might make a good product of the week? Mind you, these items are strictly website and depending on sales may only be for a limited time.

Nothing is quite as enjoyable as a spooky tale spun on a cool October night, with the chilled wind howling just beyond the rattling windows. So go pour a cup of hot cider, find a warm comforting throw and curl up with your computer for some ghost stories and other strange Southern folktales, told by the region’s best storytellers. But you might want to check the locks and make sure you’re not alone first!

The Moonlit Road

I can’t promise that this link will still work once the webmaster realizes she left a back door into the Famous Ghost Monologues. Written by the acerbic Sara D. Bunting of Tomato Nation and Television Without Pity, the works disappeared from the web just as a play based on them opened in NYC.

If you’ve ever wondered why some urban legends don’t die, check out this site before it disappears.

Famous Ghost Monologues

Even as a child, some of us knew we were different from the other kids.

Maybe most of us.

Or at least those of us on Ghost Droppings.

But now kids have a great number of spooky themed books to check out of the school library. Once upon a time, we had to be content with charming little offerings like this. Written and illustrated by Norman Bridwell, creator of “Clifford the Big Red Dog,” and a possible occultist trying to recruit children into his coven.

Which makes me ask, why is Clifford so big and red? Is he a hellhound? Is the Howard family at risk?

I hope so.