Spooky season is upon us, and before you know it, it’ll be October 31. And as fans of the cult classic film Trick ‘r Treat know, that’s the night when the spirit of the holiday, Sam, emerges from hibernation. On the night of Halloween, he ensures the rules of the holiday are followed to the letter….or else. Now, fans of Mike Dougherty’s Trick ‘r Treat can celebrate mischievous little Sam with a new collection of stylish apparel from the folks at RSVLTS. These include button-up shirts, sweatshirts, crewneck tees, and hats. You can check them all out in down below:

Trick ‘r Treat “Candy and Costumes” Short Sleeve Shirt

The “School Bus Massacre” zombie trick-or-treaters join Sam on this shirt, which comes in men’s and women’s sizes. Both versions are $70.

Trick ‘r Treat Halloween Rules Short Sleeve Shirt

Sam emerges on All Hallow’s Eve to enforce the rules of the night, including not blowing out the candle on a Jack-o’-lantern before midnight. Otherwise, he gets grumpy. This shirt celebrates Sam’s strict rule enforcement and also comes in men’s and women’s sizes. Both are $70.

Trick ‘r Treat “Lollygagging” Short Sleeve Shirt

Sam’s favorite weapon is a half-bitten pumpkin lollipop. If you’ve seen the movie, you know the damage it can do. Like the previous two shirts, it also has men’s and women’s sizes available, and is priced at $70.

Trick ‘r Treat “Always Check Your Candy” Sweatshirt

Halloween rule #1: Always check your candy. Who knows what some weirdo might have done. This sweatshirt bears the iconic phrase from the film, and shows Sam emerging from a Jack-o’-lantern. You can buy this one for $75.

Trick ‘r Treat “Sinister and Sweet” Crewneck Tee

“Sinister and Sweet” is the perfect way to describe Sam, who rises out of a pumpkin on the back of this t-shirt. The crewneck shirt only sets you back $32.

Trick ‘r Treat “Smilin’ Sam” Dad Hat

A masked version of Sam adorns this “dad hat,” priced at $30.

You can order all of these Trick ‘r Treat items now on RSVLTS.com.

Editor’s Note: Nerdist is a subsidiary of Legendary Digital Networks

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While Universal Studios Orlando’s Halloween Horror Nights (HHN) gets the lion’s share of the attention, Universal Studios Hollywood’s own event is just as good, if not better at times. This is the 23rd year of the event, which has been scaring guests regularly during spooky season since 1997. We visited Universal Studios Hollywood’s HHN and now we are fully prepared to rank all eight of this year’s haunted house attractions, from the least frightening to the scariest.

8. Insidious: The Further

Insidious is one of the most popular horror franchises of the last decade. It has had five (soon to be six) films, and several haunted houses at HHN over the years. And this year’s Insidious house, The Further, celebrates all the demonic entities that exist in that supernatural realm. This haunted house has a lot of great scare actors throughout, jumping out at you to the tune of “Tiptoe Through the Tulips.” We appreciate a house that has a copious amount of jump scares throughout.

So why is it at the bottom of our HHN Hollywood rankings? Here’s why: there’s a room in this haunted house that recreates a bathroom where a dummy dressed as a man is throwing up into a toilet. And they actually pump in vomit smells into the room. Look, we really don’t need that level of immersion, Universal. It’s just gross. We can kind of understand why you had vomit smells in The Exorcist attractions of years past. However, the Insidious house shouldn’t make us want to puke ourselves.

7. Dead Exposure: Death Valley

This year’s “science gone wrong” haunted house takes us into a secret government lab deep in the desert, where things have recently taken a turn for the worse. We’re not sure what went wrong in this lab, but there’s toxic waste, (projected) flames, and lots of dead bodies in encased in plastic bags. Actually, it’s the monkeys they’ve experimented on that creep us out the most, that appear in the beginning of the experience. Pure nightmare fuel. While this house has many toxic waste-zombified creatures, far too many of them are static dummies and not actual scare actors. There’s also a path of blood on the floor you think would lead to something scarier. The theming is top-notch for this haunted house, but the lack of good jump scares puts this one closer to the bottom of our ranking.

6. Universal Monsters: Eternal Bloodlines

Universal Studios started modern horror cinema (and cinematic universes) with their Universal Monsters in the ‘30s and ‘40s. So almost every year, HHN gives us a Universal Monsters-themed haunted house of some kind. This year, it was Eternal Bloodlines, where we follow a female Van Helsing descendent as she fights creatures of the night. We see a lot of a warrior Bride of Frankenstein, and a few assorted ghouls wandering the halls. But we don’t encounter Dracula, the Wolfman, or Frankenstein till the very end of the experience. So we have to knock off a point or two for that. We think 2022’s Legends Collide and last year’s Unmasked were better Universal Monsters haunted houses overall.

5: Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire

We weren’t crazy about Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire as a movie. Yet in terms of detail and adherence in recreating that film, this haunted house succeeds. We enter through Ray’s Occult Books, recreating a key location from the movie. After, we journey into other locales from the film’s narrative. The best part of this house is the scene where a group of 1900s-era firefighters become frozen solid by supernatural means. The “frozen” scare actors actually convinced us they were dummies and genuinely scared us when they “thawed,” so to speak.

We were startled here and there in the Frozen Empire haunted house by Slimer and the occasional Terror Dog. But this one is perhaps the least traditionally scary haunted house this year. As much as well love it, Ghostbusters is just not that scary of a franchise, let’s be honest. But we don’t suggest you skip it, because getting to wander in the Ghostbusters’ firehouse as they try to capture spooks is worth it. Still, this one can’t compete with the excellent Universal haunted house that recreated the original Ghostbusters back in 2019. That one was an all-time favorite.

4. The Weeknd: Nightmare Trilogy

This is the third haunted house at HHN centering around pop megastar The Weeknd, which takes us on a journey of his deepest, darkest nightmares. It’s mostly a series of demented nightclubs featuring demons, psychedelic imagery, and monstrous versions of the singer in various stages of torture. There’s even a version of him where he’s some kind of demonic baby in a bathtub full of blood. (Don’t ask.) The creepiest and coolest part is a walkway with several giant neon eyeballs. Some of these eyeballs are, of course, scare actors waiting to jump out at you. The weirdest part is when you get to a torture chamber where various versions of the singer are mutilated to the sound of his own music. We don’t know exactly what The Weeknd is working through considering the content of these attractions but we can’t lie, it’s entertaining!

3. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Legacy of Leatherface

Tobe Hooper’s The Texas Chainsaw Massacre turns fifty this year. So of course, HHN needed to have a haunted house to honor Leatherface and family on their golden anniversary. From the moment you enter the Hooper & Henkel Meat Processing Plant and are greeted by a scare actor wearing a dead cow’s head, you know you’re in for a gruesome good time. Leatherface and his demented family immediately greet you with buzzing chainsaws. Not to mention all the corpses of their poor victims ready to become lunch.

The best jump scare moment comes as one of the twisted family members rips the face off what looks like a dummy on the table, exposing his mutilated musculature underneath, only for him to suddenly move and scream bloody murder, revealing he’s not a dummy at all. This got a real yelp out of us. We noted some unpleasant odors wafting in, but nothing that revolting. Between that, all the barrels of decomposing corpses, and human meaty bits thrown all over the place, this one is definitely the most revolting haunted house at HHN this year.

2. Monstrous 2: The Legends of Latin America

Latin America has a vibrant spooky mythology of its own, which HHN has explored before. A few years back, they gave us the Legend of La Llorona house. And this year, they’ve sequelized Monstrous: The Legends of Latin America with a part 2. From the start, where you enter a dusty crypt with crumbling skeletons, you know you’re in for some good theming. The first monster who jumps at you is El Charro Negro from Mexican folklore, who appears as an undead mariachi.

Several genuinely creepy hell hounds growl at you, too. But the best creature in the house is El Chuy, whose massive claws pop out from under a child’s bed in a very cool effect. But the best part is when its massive head emerges out of a cave wall, and it’s legit terrifying. That grand finale moment makes this one a favorite of the night.

1. A Quiet Place

A Quiet Place is one of the biggest horror franchises of the modern era, so it was high time they got a haunted house of their own at Universal HHN. Despite A Quiet Place: Day One is still fresh in everyone’s minds, but this haunted house focuses on the first film. We’re taken to the remote Abbot family farmhouse from the original, and actors appear throughout the house reminding you that you need to stay completely silent, or else the creatures will sense you and have you for breakfast.

The Death Angels, the blind aliens from the franchise, are this haunted house’s highlight. And they appear quite often in the form of giant screeching animatronics, some that are among the best HHN has ever made. A few of these are so detailed and genuinely screen worthy, like the one who hovers over the baby’s crib recreating a scene from the film. Between the animatronics and the generous amount of scare points along the attraction, A Quiet Place truly raises the bar for HHN Haunted Houses. This is the one you want to make sure you see this year.

The post All the Haunted Houses at Universal Hollywood Halloween Horror Nights, Ranked appeared first on Nerdist.

After waiting for over 35 years, the “Ghost with the Most,” better known as Beetlejuice (government name: Betelgeuse) is back. With Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice Beetlejuice cleaning up at the box office, everyone is going to want Michael Keaton’s iconic bio-exorcist as part of their spooky season decorations this year. Thankfully, Home Depot just released a new life-size Beetlejuice Halloween decoration that will be the envy of everyone on your block this spooky season. Heck, maybe even in the Netherworld too. You can see images of Home Depot’s new 6-foot-tall Beetlejuice right here:

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The 6.4 ft./3 ft. wide Beetlejuice arrives all decked out in his classic striped suit and green hair. He is intended to be displayed indoors only. This new animated Beetlejuice has a spinning head, and speaks nine different phrases from the movies, sure to startle all your trick or treaters on October 31. This amazing Beetlejuice Halloween décor collapses for easy storage. It includes everything needed for setup, which only takes a mere fifteen minutes. This Beetlejuice has a motion and sound sensor, and a plug-in power adapter included.

Home Depot has other amazing animated life-size Halloween mascots available this year, including Jack Skellington from The Nightmare Before Christmas. That’s for all of you who might want your Beetlejuice to have another Tim Burton friend to scare house guests with. There’s also a “Victorian Vampire,” which basically is another way of saying “Nosferatu.”

The company also has the most classic of spooky season icons, like the Frankenstein monster. That one’s 7 feet tall, and it costs a little bit more than the others. And there are even other horror icons. The 6-foot-tall animated Beetlejuice will set you back $199.00. You can buy one for your home now at the official Home Depot website.

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Spooky season is here, complete with all the ghosts and monsters. And although they live in a galaxy far, far away, the Star Wars universe has plenty of dark-sided beings that fit in perfectly for Halloween. Kids have been dressing up as Darth Vader and other dark side characters to go trick or treating since 1977. To celebrate two great tastes that go great together, RSVLTS is offering up a new Star Wars Spooky Collection.

The Star Wars Spooky Collection includes an incredible lineup of seasonal, spooky, and zombified designs, all available on RSVLTS signature Kunuflex material. They are available across classic (unisex) and women’s styles/sizing, with select designs available across youth and preschooler sizes/styles as well. There are even doggy bandanas and golf accessories, including two club headcovers featuring Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi. You can check out images and pricing for each item right here:

Day of the Dark Side

A little Day of the Dead meets the Sith, this one comes in classic, women, youth styles/sizes, and also a dog bandana.

Carved Wars

Pumpkin styling, only in the Star Wars tradition. Carved Wars arrives in classic, women, youth & preschooler styles/sizes.

“It’s A Treat!”

No, it’s not a trap (or a trick), it’s a treat! Make Admiral Ackbar proud with this shirt has classic, women, as well as youth & preschooler styles and sizes.

The High Ground

The battle between Anakin and Obi-Wan on Mustafar from Revenge of the Sith comes alive in this all-day lifestyle polo.

Star Wars Spooky “Drip” Logo Dad Hat and Crew Neck Shirt

This “dad hat” and t-shirt give us an ooky-spooky “dripping” version of the classic Star Wars logo.

Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi Golf Club Accessories

These driver and fairway covers showcase Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi before their epic duel.

Each adult button-down shirt retails for $70; $45 for youth sizes, and $39 for preschool. Polos are priced at $70, and $32 for t-shirts, $30 for dad hats, $16 for dog bandanas, and $60 for driver and fairway covers. You can buy these now on RSVLTS’ official site.

The post RSVLTS’ STAR WARS Spooky Collection Is Delightfully Dark-Sided appeared first on Nerdist.

We are officially halfway to Halloween, which means it’s time to start planning your spooky season decorations in earnest. So with that in mind, the folks at Spirit Halloween have revealed two of this year’s terrifying new animatronic offerings, set to freak out every kid in your neighborhood coming around looking for candy. (You’ll probably freak yourself out a little too). The first is their latest nightmare-inducing clown, named Clowning Around, and Rick Ratman, who is sure to disturb anyone with a serious case of musophobia. (That’s fear of rodents, don’t ya know). You can check out images of the new animatronics below, along with official descriptions for each one:

Rick Ratman (Animatronic)

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“Better hope your guests don’t have a rat phobia once you put Rick Ratman on display! Standing at 6.3 feet tall, this rat-infested zombie animatronic will give your guests the total creeps once he comes to life with his side-to-side moving torso. Be warned, stand too close and you could become a part of the little critters’ next snack this Halloween.”

Clowning Around (Animatronic)

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“No one thought calling the AAA Big Top Babysitting Service would end like this. Next time, if the kids ever will let you leave their sight again, make sure you tell them not to send a 7 FT tall diabolical clown even if he is just trying to make some extra money with a new side hustle. Either way, we bet your kids will have a whole new attitude about the circus! This Clowning Around Animatronic takes play time to a whole new level with his side to side turning waist and head, along with his light up eyes and moving mouth. Scream in terror as you watch him flail his victims up and down in each arm!”

More details can be found on the official Spirit Halloween site for each animatronic. The Rick Ratman animatronic is priced at $199.00. You can pre-order him by clicking here. Clowning Around is a little more, costing $319.99. You can pre-order this one by heading to this link.

The post Spirit Halloween’s 2024 Animatronics Are Delightfully Disturbing appeared first on Nerdist.

From an incredible line of One Piece sneakers from PUMA to a NASA TTRPG to a real-life Pokémon motorbike, here are some of our favorite pieces of recent entertainment news.

• Get Ready for a One Piece x PUMA Collection Worthy of a Captain
• Halloween TV Series Will Be a Total Creative Reboot
• My Adventures With Superman Gets Comic Series to Bridge Seasons
• Toyota Is Creating a Real-Life Miraidon Motorbike
• Nicholas Hoult Names Michael Rosenbaum and All-Star Superman As Lex Luthor Inspirations for Superman
• The Unknown: A Horror Movie Based on Viral “Willy Wonka Experience” Is in the Works
• NASA Reveals Its Very Own Tabletop Role-Playing Game Adventure, The Lost Universe

Get Ready for a One Piece x PUMA Collection Worthy of a Captain

If you love One Piece, prepare for an incredibly cool new shoe collection to sail into town. Puma and One Piece have collaborated on a line of fabulously themed sneakers that are “inspired by the fan-favorite characters Monkey D. Luffy (Gear 5), Shanks, Buggy, and Blackbeard.” Additionally, a release reveals that “each Suede sneaker brings its own unique color combination and playful graphic elements. Every pair comes in a specially designed box featuring a full-wrap sea map graphic.” The collection releases on March 23, 2024, in select PUMA stores and online worldwide. If you’re a One Piece fan, no adventure will be complete without these sneakers, so set a heading for your nearest PUMA store and don’t miss out.

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Here’s how to watch One Piece without filler episodes:

Halloween TV Series Will Be a Total Creative Reboot

Miramax Television is planning to create a series in the Halloween universe. Deadline shares that the show “is envisioned to potentially launch a cinematic universe spanning film and television.” Miramax’s Head Of Worldwide Television Marc Helwig shares the series will go back the franchise’s beginnings. He notes “The foundation of it is the original film, the John Carpenter movie, the characters of that film, and perhaps a group of characters that we haven’t really focused on that much in recent film versions or even in a number of them,” Helwig said. “It’s a creative reset completely and going back to the original film, as opposed to spinning out of any of the more recent film adaptations.”

Here’s are review of Halloween Ends

My Adventures With Superman Gets Comic Series to Bridge Seasons

Fans of My Adventures With Superman can rejoice. DC is creating a comic series that will detail Clark Kent, Lois Lane, and Jimmy Olsen’s adventures between seasons one and two. A release shares, “Clark Kent is a bit down and out, spending Christmas alone in Metropolis. But when he gets a tip about a monster in the sewers, Superman, Lois Lane, and Jimmy Olsen spring into action to investigate this mystery. What is this monster that can absorb anything it touches, and why is it here in Metropolis?” The series is written by series producer Josie Campbell and drawn by artist Pablo M. Collar.

Campbell shares, “This story is one we actually talked about in the writers room, but we didn’t have space for it in season one. So get ready for romance, comedy, super-powers, Jimmy Olsen talking a lot about how he’s super-rich now, and all the goodness of the show bundled into this action-packed miniseries.”

If you haven’t watched yet, here’s the trailer for My Adventures with Superman:

Toyota Is Creating a Real-Life Miraidon Motorbike

Get ready for a Poké-immersion. Toyota is working on bringing Pokémon Scarlet and Violet‘s Miradion to life in motorbike form. Not many details are available yet about the project, but a possible prototype was teased in 2023. We first saw this news on IGN.

Learn more about Miradion, here:

Nicholas Hoult Names Michael Rosenbaum and All-Star Superman As Lex Luthor Inspirations for Superman

Nicholas Hoult and Michael Rosenbaum recently had a Lex Luthor meeting of the minds on Rosenbaum’s Inside of You podcast. During the chat, Hoult revealed, “I grew up. I think the first ever Lex I saw was you… Yeah, I grew up when Smallville was on, I can’t remember if it was Channel 4 or Channel 5 in the UK, but like growing up. I was like 11, 12, I guess. And so that was like the show that I would watch and see my first iterations of Superman and Lex and all those stories. Since I’ve seen Richard Donner’s movies and all the other ones and kind of seen some of the other performances, but you’re like the one. I love [your portrayal], it’s the best.”

Additionally, the actor noted, “I have been working out. No, you know what, there’s that bit in All-Star Superman where he talks about his muscles being real and like hard work and all that. I kind of took that as a little bit of like fuel for the fire.”

Here’s what we know so far about the DCU’s Superman:

The Unknown: A Horror Movie Based on Viral “Willy Wonka Experience” Is in the Works

A “Willy Wonka Experience” in Scotland went viral for being an absolute disaster, so, of course, a movie adaptation of the mayhem is on the way. Bloody Disgusting reveals a synopsis of The Unknown from Kaledonia Pictures. It shares, “The film, gearing up for production and a late 2024 release, follows a renowned illustrator and his wife who are haunted by the tragic death of their son, Charlie. Desperate to escape their grief, the couple leave the world behind for the remote Scottish Highlands – where an unknowable evil awaits them.”

Here’s our review of the other Willy Wonka movie, Wonka:

NASA Reveals Its Very Own Tabletop Role-Playing Game Adventure, The Lost Universe

Incredibly, NASA has released its very own tabletop role-playing game system called The Lost Universe. Now you can take your party into the cosmos. And, of course, the Hubble Space Telescope is naturally involved. A release shares:

A dark mystery has settled over the city of Aldastron on the rogue planet of Exlaris. Researchers dedicated to studying the cosmos have disappeared, and the Hubble Space Telescope has vanished from Earth’s timeline. Only an ambitious crew of adventurers can uncover what was lost. Are you up to the challenge?

This adventure is designed for a party of 4-7 level 7-10 characters and is easily adaptable for your preferred tabletop role-playing game (TTRPG) system.

NASA’s first TTRPG adventure invites you to take on a classic villain (while also using and learning science skills!) as you overcome challenges and embark on an exciting quest to unlock more knowledge about our universe. Download your game documents below and get ready to explore Exlaris!

Here are some tips to make your tabletop games run more smoothly:

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Who’s more “metal?” Halloween‘s Michael Myers or The Lord of the Rings’ Frodo Baggins? If you don’t give the Hobbit extra credit because of Led Zeppelin it’s not exactly an easy question. How can you determine the heavy metal-ness of an iconic slasher versus that of Middle-earth’s savior? Trick question. You don’t have to thanks to this artist’s incredible metal covers of iconic movie songs. These heavy metal tracks let film fans and fictional characters alike from all genres rock out with the best of them.

Get ready to head bang with some Ringwraith thanks to the metal musical stylings of musician Evan Wanous. The music producer has turned some famous movie scores into some heavy metal tracks. That includes multiple covers of songs from Middle-earth.

While we’re not sure Hobbits, humans, or elves at The Prancing Pony would dig these metal covers of The Lord of the Rings‘ greatest hits, we do think the citizens of Haddonfield would genuinely love his version of the legendary Halloween theme. Michael Myers himself might even stop for a moment to enjoy it if he heard this incredible track.

We’re not totally surprised a horror movie song would translate so well into a metal song. What we can’t believe is that music from Home Alone does, too.

It also turns out that converting an epic, sci-fi fantasy classic into heavy metal doesn’t mean you have to lose any of the movie score’s majesty. Wanous’ cover of John Williams’ beloved Jurassic Park theme proves that. It wouldn’t sound out of place when Dr. Grant sees a living dinosaur for the first time.

You can check out more of Wanous’ movie covers, along with more of his music, on Spotify, YouTube, and Instagram. Don’t expect to find a definitive answer to who is more “metal” when it comes to a famous serial killer or a famous Hobbit, though. With these songs, they both are.

The post Musician Turns Iconic Movie Music Into Rocking Metal Covers appeared first on Nerdist.

The Simpsons aren’t the only animated characters to make themselves an indelible part of the spooky season. This year marks the 20th(ish) “Ween” installment from Homestar Runner. Normally the site’s October holiday videos conclude with Homestar incorrectly guessing what everyone else dressed as. But this year The Brothers Chaps turned their traditional ending segment into an entire ‘toon. Their clueless star made his costume ignorance into a game show. And while it doesn’t end the way you expect, this Halloween cartoon is as funny as you’d hope.

Homestar Runner‘s new “The Show: Ween Edition” cartoon isn’t your normal TV game show. Rather than simply have Homestar guess everyone’s Halloween costumes—which always leads to zero correct answers and much hilarity—players must predict the exact way Homestar will get their ensemble wrong.

From obscure pop culture characters to Halloween costumes worn by fictional characters in a very famous movie, there’s a full range of identities for Homestar to mess up here. That’s always true of the site’s “Ween” cartoons, though. What makes this year’s installment especially fun is the chance to play along. If you know Homestar Runner well enough, like his friends clearly do, you have a decent shot at guessing his guesses.

I even got one right! I was all over Homestar’s “Devo Construction Worker” answer for Coach Z. However, as is always the case, I also had no idea who some characters are dressed as. I’ve spent a lot of time obsessing over the Halloween costumes of Homestar Runner characters over the years, and every year there are those I don’t recognize at all.

Does that make me as dumb as Homestar? No. No, I am much dumber. There’s no way I’d be smart enough to turn my own costume ignorance into a game show that I both host and guarantee I win.

The post HOMESTAR RUNNER Turns His Costume Confusion into a Game Show in New Halloween ‘Toon appeared first on Nerdist.

Halloween is just around the corner, and that means more than just candy and realizing your costume is not weather-appropriate after it’s too late to change. The spooky season isn’t complete until we hear from Springfield, USA’s most famous cartoon family, The Simpsons. This year will mark the iconic series’ 34th Halloween special. Now we know exactly what scary stories await both them and us. Fox has provided seven images from this year’s Halloween episode of The Simpsons, “Treehouse of Horror XXXIV.” These first looks tease a cyberworld showdown, a spoof of a legendary film, and a plague that doesn’t actually sound all that bad.

As always, Halloween doesn’t end until we get a new “Treehouse of Horror” episode from The Simpsons. This year the beloved special will arrive will at Fox on Sunday, November 5th, at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT. The network has now provided both images and synopses for this year’s three segments. Here’s what Fox has to say about “Treehouse of Horror XXXIV:”

After Bart is turned into an NFT, Marge fights though the blockchain to rescue her son. To track down a gruesome serial killer, Lisa turns to a murderer from her past. An outbreak transforms Springfielders into a plague of lazy, beer-loving oafs in the “Treehouse of Horror XXXIV” episode of The Simpsons.

That middle short is pretty clearly a The Silence of the Lambs parody starring Lisa and Sideshow Bob. How it took this long for The Simpsons to spoof the 1991 Best Picture winner in its “Treehouse of Horror” episodes is genuinely shocking. It’ll be worth the wait, though, if Ralph is Buffalo Bill as that image suggests he might be.

NFTs and a terrifying outbreak are obviously a little more timely, even if NFTs already seem as dead as Zombie Shakespeare. (Yes, that’s a very old “Treehouse of Horror” reference. LOOK IT UP.)

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While Lisa finding a personalized greeting written in intestines is legitimately unsettling, the single scariest image of this “Treehouse of Horror XXXIV” batch is a scared Homer running after a rolling donut.

Even after more than three decades of these The Simpsons Halloween specials, we can think of no greater nightmare for him to endure. Halloween isn’t over until we find out if he catches it or not.

The post First Images from THE SIMPSONS’ ‘Treehouse of Horror XXXIV’ Tease SILENCE OF THE LAMBS Parody appeared first on Nerdist.

The Halloween 2023 episode of Critical Role brought joy to the hearts of many fans, as it featured a brand new title sequence. Fans were surprised to see the Bells Hells adventuring party, now rendered in stunning animation. We learned (via Comic Book Resources) that the new title sequence paid homage in different ways to each of the character’s backstories, and had shout-outs to current campaigns. You can watch the full title sequence for the Halloween episode of Critical Role below. After the title sequence ends, you can see the Critical Role cast actually react to seeing it for the first time.

In this year’s Halloween episode, the Critical Role cast wore costumes based on the Lord of the Rings characters. In the actual episode, we witnessed the Bells Hells return to Whitestone. There, they crossed paths with several iconic Vox Machina characters. The special animated credits came courtesy of Kamille Areopagita, Kevin Areopagita, Mark Adams, and Peggy Shi. Critical Role’s Mighty Nein campaign also showcased a fan-favorite animated intro. And ever since, Critical Role fans have wanted to see the Bells Hells get some animated love too. And now, their wish has come true.

This latest version of Campaign 3’s opening title sequence is the third one overall. And so far, every version has had the theme song “It’s Thursday Night,” sung by the cast, in some form. One version of Campaign 3’s opening introduction had the cast dressing up as explorers. Versions without all the fantasy trappings. Meanwhile, another had Bells Hells rotoscoped in watercolor style. We highly doubt the Halloween episode of Critical Role is the last time we’ll see an animated opening sequence. The Bells Hells will return in both their animated and live-action character forms on Thursdays in November at 7 PT, on Twitch and YouTube.

The post Bells Hells Get Animated in New CRITICAL ROLE Animated Intro appeared first on Nerdist.

The traditional mascots of Halloween tend to be skeletons, witches, zombies and the like, but also, a handful of very specific horror characters. Namely Dracula, Frankenstein’s Monster, and the Wolf Man. Occasionally we get supporting appearances by the Mummy, Frankenstein’s Bride, and the Creature from the Black Lagoon. We see them in Halloween decorations decade after decade, and on any and all kinds of Halloween merchandise. Now, most of these characters are technically in the public domain, as the trademark on those 19th-century novels they came from has long since expired. But it’s not just any versions of these characters that have become ubiquitous with spooky season. They’re the ones from Universal Pictures, who dominated Hollywood from the 1930s through the early ’50s.

But how did this happen? How did these specific versions of certain monsters become icons of a whole season? After all, most people under the age of 50 have never even seen those Universal Monsters movies. At least, not beyond clips used in other media. Even modern-day kids, for whom these films might as well be as old as the pyramids, know who these specific character archetypes are. Many still dress like them each Halloween. Ultimately, the story of how the Universal Monsters became synonymous with Halloween is about the power of the Hollywood dream machine, and how movies can create icons that transcend the big screen and enter the pop culture fabric. Decades after their supposed expiration date.

The Universal Monsters Become Hollywood’s First Big Franchise

The Universal Monsters as we know them launched in 1931, with the release of Dracula and Frankenstein. Both films were based on already celebrated novels, and had prior silent adaptations. But these versions were instant blockbusters, and the double whammy of Dracula and Frankenstein‘s massive success helped save Universal Studios financially that year. However, both versions deviated from their book incarnations. Dracula wearing a tuxedo and cape like a dapper gentleman? That was an invention of the 1924 stage play, popularized on screen by Bela Lugosi. Frankenstein’s iconic, lumbering look, with the flattop head and the bolts coming out of actor Boris Karloff’s neck? That was certainly not how Mary Shelley described him. No, that was the invention of makeup artist Jack Pierce. Once millions of moviegoers saw those versions, however, they imprinted on the mass consciousness. They became the definitive versions of Dracula and Frankenstein.

As many know now, Universal Pictures launched a whole universe of monster sequels coming from these films. There was The Mummy, The Bride of Frankenstein, and eventually The Wolf Man. Starring Lon Chaney Jr., The Wolf Man was not based on any one werewolf story. But the idea of a werewolf, half-man/half-wolf hybrid who walks on two legs, was also Universal Pictures’ invention. By 1948, and after endless crossovers and sequels, the monster well had run dry. Dracula and Frankenstein had become parodies, mocked in comedic films like Universal’s own Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein. That might have been the end of them, were it not for the advent of television in the 1950s. Combined with a post-war suburban surge in trick or treating, this confluence of events would keep these versions of the classic monsters cemented in the public consciousness for all time. And forever linked to Halloween night.

The Monster Craze of the ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s

These new television stations needed content. Lots of it. In 1957, those old Universal horror classics were sold as a package, and started to be rerun late at night, primarily on shows like Shock Theater. Baby Boomer kids became obsessed with the classic monsters, which their parents now discarded as silly camp. To them, they weren’t necessarily scary, they were cool, outsider figures to admire. This led to magazines celebrating those old movie boogeymen, like Famous Monsters of Filmland the very next year, and a ton of merchandise. Specifically, Halloween costumes. The chief producers of cheap, vinyl Halloween costumes from the ’50s through the mid-80s were Ben Cooper (pictured below) and Collegeville. They did their off-brand version of the Universal Monsters, and Frankenstein became their biggest seller. Suburban streets were flooded with pint-sized versions of the Universal Monsters on October 31, owning the night.

During this time, tons of other companies, like Dennison and even Hallmark, who produced Halloween merchandise used the images of the Universal Monsters, now beloved by American kids. However, not all had the official Universal license. In fact, most didn’t. But those other companies found a way to skirt around such pesky legalities. Their Frankenstein might be pale orange instead of green. Their Dracula might have more exaggerated features, so as to not be confused with Bela Lugosi. But everyone knew; these versions were the same monsters from those old movies. Changing little details was enough to not get sued by Universal, but every kid knew exactly who they were. And because they managed to do a dance around trademarks, they were used to sell everything from Colgate shampoo to Fritos chips, especially at Halloween. Off-brand or not, the Universal Monsters became the unofficial ambassadors of the holiday.

The Universal Monsters Become Rock Stars, Sell Cereal, and Star in Cartoons

The early ‘60s was when the “Monster Craze” peaked. During this time, model kits were all the rage so Aurora Plastics sold thousands of models of Dracula, Frankenstein, the Wolfman, and the Mummy. These began in 1962, and they sold so briskly that the plant where they were made had to run overtime to keep up with demand. The same year, a novelty single cashed in on the fad, Bobby “Boris” Pickett’s “The Monster Mash.” Frankenstein, Dracula, and the Wolf Man all got a namecheck. The song became a Halloween season staple, and has remained so for 60 years. The creatures that terrorized the Greatest Generation were now the cuddly Halloween season icons of their children. Just as Santa and his elves became the mascots of Christmas, versions of Universal’s monsters were now the same for Halloween.

The apex of this fad was the release of The Munsters on TV in 1964. In a Universal-produced show, Herman Munster’s makeup could legally look like the one made famous by Karloff. But it further ingrained the idea of these monsters as almost cuddly friends to kids, and representative of all things Halloween. They’d continue to become kid-friendly going into the ‘70s, and non-official versions turned into wholesome entertainment, with animated shows like The Groovie Ghoulies, the Count on Sesame Street, and the Monster cereals like Count Chocula and Franken Berry.

There was even Drac Pack, a cartoon that reinvented the classic monsters as teenage superheroes. And, of course, Scooby-Doo had fun doing their own versions of the Universal Monsters, although there was always some boring old man under the mask. Halloween was mainly a kid’s holiday, so naturally, the monsters kids like the most ruled it. Although this trend slowed down after the ’70, it reached all the way into the ’80s, with all the Universal Monsters together (again, off-brand) fighting Goonies-style kids in The Monster Squad. That film, of course, became a Halloween night tradition.

Why the Classic Monsters Will Always Rule Halloween

This trend of paying homage (but also defanging) these icons continues all the way to the modern day, with franchises like Hotel Transylvania. All of these versions of the Universal Monsters are tweaked ever so slightly, as to avoid copyright infringement. However, it’s unmistakable who they are to anyone who knows. Collectively, all these knock-offs have kept the Universal Monsters alive in the minds of one generation after the next. Audiences would take seriously characters like Dracula on film, but in every instance, they’d have to ditch the old Universal trappings to become scary once more. Sure, these days, modern horror icons are just as ubiquitous with the season. But no others really embody Halloween night like the originals. As these classic Universal versions slowly became the domain of young kids, they became the domain of the Halloween season itself. And we don’t foresee that changing anytime soon.

The post How the Universal Monsters Became the Mascots of Halloween appeared first on Nerdist.

You can only play “Monster Mash” and Ray Parker Jr.’s Ghostbusters theme so many times at your Halloween party before you scare your guests away. Nobody likes a spooky shindig featuring a tired playlist overstuffed with cliche classic horror tracks everyone uses. Don’t worry though, Nerdoween is here to help your ghoulish gala rise above the usual macabre musical malaise this year. We’ve put together a collection of creepy songs from a source you might not have considered before: horror comedies. Some of our favorite frighteningly funny movies have fantastic, fiendish soundtracks of their own. Here are 12— including great title themes and memorable haunting hits—that will keep your Halloween party rocking this year.

1. An American Werewolf in London – “Traveling to East Proctor/Werewolf Theme”

We’re starting with a song from one of the best horror-comedies of all-time, An American Werewolf in London. The film features a great soundtrack of songs with the word “Moon” in them, but we’re going to set the right one for our party with composer Elmer Bernstein’s super creepy werewolf theme song. No one would go to the moors if they heard this playing. (For the record, avoid all moors in October just out of an abundance of caution.)

2. Shaun of the Dead – “The Blue Wrath”

It’s no surprise Edgar Wright found the perfect track for the opening title sequence of his zombie comedy classic Shaun of the Dead. I Monster’s unsettling “The Blue Wrath,” with its jaunty beat and inhuman “la la la la” lyrics, is a as catchy as a virus.

3. Tremors – “Main Title”

You can easily make your Halloween party a musical success by just putting on the entire Tremors score , but our favorite entry on the soundtrack is composer Ernest Troost’s title track. It’s an unnerving song that builds slowly to a dramatic crescendo. It’s so good your guests would never guess it came from a horror movie that is also hysterical.

4. What We Do in the Shadows – “You’re Dead”

This perfect mockumentary about the banal lives of vampires features a tremendous soundtrack, but we’re obsessed with Norma Tanega’s fantastic pop folk song “You’re Dead.” It’s a fun number that is inherently unnerving thanks to its repeated lyrics that scream Halloween. It’s so good the movie’s spinoff FX series also uses it as its theme. And we never, ever skip the opening credits because of it.

5. The Evil Dead – “Ascent & Infection”

We’re following up one of our most dance-able selections with one of our scariest. It’s one of the many great, terrifying tracks from composer Joseph Loduca’s score for the cult classic The Evil Dead. You can’t go wrong with any part of this soundtrack, but the long notes in the middle of this scary synth song genuinely leave us on edge wondering when the nightmare will end.

6. Zombieland – “For Whom The Bell Tolls”

Metallica’s “Sandman” might be a classic Halloween track, but there’s a reason Zombieland went with this song from the band’s 1984 album Ride the Lightning. It’s dark, heavy, and everyone knows church bells are inherently scary. It’s no mystery why “For Whom the Bell Tolls” remains one of the band’s most popular songs ever.

7. Gremlins – “Too Many Gremlins”

Some of these horror-comedy soundtracks, like composer Jerry Goldsmith’s Gremlins soundtrack, are consistently great. That makes it hard to choose just one song from each. Ultimately we went with “Too Many Gremlins” because of its attention-grabbing start. Plus, even though it is unsettling and weird, it has the perfect energy for a party. It also gets bonus points for its title. We will always laugh at the mere thought of an exhausted character looking at the camera, shrugging their shoulders and sighing, “Too many gremlins.”

8. The Cabin in the Woods – “Last”

As with Metallica, you can make an entire kick-ass Halloween playlist simply from Nine Inch Nail’s songs, so we’re pumped Chris Hemsworth’s meta horror-comedy about a group of friends-turned-test-subjects includes this track. If we were trying to escape a killer cabin in the woods “Last” would help us run through a wall.

9. Killer Klowns From Outer Space – “Hidden Klown Ship”

Since our last track runs the risk of creating a Halloween mosh pit we want to calm things down a little without turning down the creepiness. Composer John Massari’s scary score for the wonderfully absurd Killer Klowns From Outer Space is perfect for that. We could have chosen any of his songs, but we went with “Hidden Klown Ship” because it has an operatic feel to it. The song tells its own frightening story.

10. The Frighteners – “Superstar”

The Frighteners with Michael J. Fox is an underrated classic. As is Sonic Youth’s slow, methodical, very disturbing cover of the classic song “Superstar.” It’s impossible to listen to this without shuddering. This is what ghosts plays when you visit an abandoned rock venue. This is included on playlists for Halloween parties in Hell.

11. Creepshow – “Welcome to Creepshow (Main Title)”

Did you know the word “haunting” was created to describe the sound of a piano? Okay, that might not be true, but it should be. But even beyond the off-putting notes of Creepshow‘s main title from John Harrison’s fantastic score are the theme’s classic Halloween shrieks and cries. Everything about this upsets us, which is why we love it so much.

12. Planet Terror – “Cherry´s Dance Of Death”

Our final track, “Cherry’s Dance of Death” from Grindhouse‘s Planet Terror, is a dynamic instrumental number that’s equal parts rock, mariachi, and horror. Written by director Robert Rodriguez and performed by the Mexican rock band Chingon, it’s the perfect song for both a movie where a woman fights zombies with her machine gun leg and your Halloween party.

Like the rest of this playlist, it’s the perfect way to keep your Halloween party rocking better than anyone else’s.

Originally published October 8, 2018.

The post These 12 Horror-Comedy Songs Are Perfect for Your Halloween Playlist appeared first on Nerdist.

Halloween is about more than just secret rituals in abandoned forests and summoning demons from the netherworld. Those are great fun and obviously important. But there are also plenty of other pastimes to partake in during October. Some events and celebrations are so beloved by people of all ages they’ve become staples of the proverbial “spooky season.” Which one is the best, though? To help you plan your creeeeepy holiday festivities this year we ranked classic Halloween activities by how much fun they are! Or, in some cases, by how much fighting a werewolf during a full moon instead sounds like a better use of our time.

LAST: Bobbing For Apples

How in all that is holy was this ever a thing? We’ve known about bacteria since 1676, but we needed the last few years to piece together the contaminated puzzle of Halloween’s great germ swap? Forget ghouls and ghosts, is there anything scarier than the thought of putting your open mouth into a big tub of room temperature water full of partially chewed food after 17 people just did the same thing? I’d rather vacation in literal Hell on New Year’s Eve. We should call it “Bobbing for Infection.”

9. Pranks!

There are two types of people in the world. The first group thinks pranks are fun. The second consists of decent people who deserve happiness. No one has ever actually enjoyed having a prank pulled on them. If someone said differently they were simply being polite, because, again, they are decent folk. All prank lovers should be forced to live together on a remote island. We can call it Prank Isle. Or even better, let’s send them there and then never speak of it again! Happy Halloween to us, the good ones!

Note: Halloween pranks are different than “revenge,” a fun activity you can, and should, enjoy 365 days a year.

8. Visiting a Pumpkin Patch

Did you enjoy giving up a relaxing Sunday in September to spend way too much money and time picking your own apples at an overcrowded orchard? Did you love paying a farmer you don’t know to work for him in unseasonably warm weather just so you could end your day with an apple cider donut you remembered being a lot better? You did? Weird, but great news! You can enjoy that experience all over again in October by visiting your local pumpkin patch. It’s a place where instead of hurting your back by reaching up you can hurt your back by bending down. And don’t forget guests of all ages can also get tetanus for free by cutting themselves atop an old broken tractor that’s been rusting for thirty-seven years.

7. Attend a Halloween Parade

Imagine explaining a parade to aliens. Now imagine explaining Halloween to them. Now imagine explaining a Halloween parade. Feel silly? Don’t, it’s not like you’re currently at a Halloween parade*, an event that replaces the best parts of a Halloween party with formal start and end times, standing, not being able to see, and road closures.

*If you are currently at a Halloween parade please let us know if you’ve been kidnapped or just make bad life choices. If it’s the former we’re also curious why your captive is letting you browse the internet. Aren’t they afraid you’ll send an email or alert someone? Also, why aren’t you doing that already? You have our blessing to finish reading this later! So long as you keep this tab open and share it on social media with #ParadesAreWeird.

6. Carving a Jack-o’-Lantern

Nothing says Halloween like a carved pumpkin (except maybe a Dracula). That’s because everyone rightfully loves jack-o’-lanterns. And so long as you don’t pick your pumpkin at a patch, they’re affordable fun for the whole family. The problem is actually making one is no walk in the cemetery. The interior of a pumpkin is a vile realm of smelly mush and second-thoughts. There’s also the matter of actually carving them. No matter how much you think you’re going to slice up an amazing, unique pumpkin, most end up looking exactly alike for a reason. Artfully cutting a thick round gourd takes real skill most of us don’t possess. That’s why the majority of jack-o’-lanterns have wide eyes and big mouths. Those are easy to cut… but not as easy as cutting your thumb.

5. Visit a Haunted House/Castle/Maze/Location

Now we’re getting somewhere! (Literally and metaphorically.) A haunted locale—whether a real place people pretend is full of ghosts or a seasonal exhibition full of great costumes and local theater enthusiasts—offer plenty of excitement, as a terrifying romp full of scares truly captures the spirit of All Hallow’s Eve. Unfortunately that’s also the downside of these creepy spots.

They can leave young visitors with nightmares that haunt them long after they’ve left. They can also cause cardiac events in older guests who forgot how much Jason Voorhees jumping out of a closet can disrupt your normal heartbeat. A haunted “house” of any kind should be something you enjoy only while you are there. It shouldn’t follow you home. And it definitely shouldn’t lead you to an early grave.

(If it does they should bury you at the haunted house. You earned it.)

4. Wearing a Costume

Life is suffering. We, and everyone we will ever love, begin to die the moment we’re born. All any of us can truly hope for are a few brief moments of calm waters during a never-ending struggle to survive in a sea of sadness. But none of us truly survive. We’re all simply waiting for the waves of existence to carry us back into the waters of the cosmos’ infinite and cold black ocean. Don’t worry, though. Once there the universe won’t forget we ever existed, because it never noticed we lived in the first place.

…What better way to forget all of that than by getting creative and dressing up as a totally different person for a night? That’s right! Costumes.

3. See a Scary Movie

What kind of sales job do you need for movies? Movies rule. Horror movies specifically rule. Even bad ones can be super fun. That all seems sort of obvious, no?

So…uh….you ever see Poltergeist? That movie is soooo good. “This house…is clean.” Iconic line. You know some people think Steven Spielberg really directed it? I don’t. Even saying that is unfair to Tobe Hooper. Well, anyway…scary movies…highly recommend ’em.

2. Halloween Parties

Costumes? Candy? Cavorting? Halloween parties might be the best type of parties period. Whether family-oriented gatherings or adult-only soirees, they’re far less stressful than their equivalent Thanksgiving or Christmas events. And unlike weddings you won’t run into any Bridezillas, just maybe the Bride of Frankenstein! (We like to have fun here at Nerdist Dot Com.)

Also, what other type of celebration includes listening to “Werewolf Bar Mitzvah” eight times in a single night? Check. Mate. Halloween parties are so good it’s incredible they aren’t number one on this list.

1. Trick-or-Treating

If you’re a kid trick-or-treating is the single greatest thing in the world. You get to dress up, go out at night with your friends, and strangers GIVE YOU FREE CANDY. And unlike Christmas, it’s no strings attached. No adult ever says, “If you want candy you better be good for goodness sake, because a magical elf is watching you while you sleep like a total creep.”

But here’s the thing. Trick-or-treating still rules even when you grow up. Either you take adorable kids out and see them experience true joy, or adorable kids come directly to you and think you’re the greatest person alive. Plus you can steal their candy. Kids are, like, super easy to outsmart. Everyone wins! It’s the best Halloween activity out of all the other activities. It might be the best activity of any month, not just October.

The reverse is true of bobbing for apples. What the hell were we thinking all these years?

Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist. You can follow him on  Twitter and  Bluesky at @burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.

The post We Ranked Classic Halloween Activities by How Fun They Really Are appeared first on Nerdist.

Some horror movies employ a slow burn. They start quietly and carefully build tension scene by scene until they crescendo with a nightmare finale. But other horror movies grab us immediately with a truly terrifying opening. Before we’ve even had our first Raisinets, they let us know what we’re in for with beginnings that set the tone for the film and stay with us long after it ends. There are many horror movie openings but a select few have done it better than anyone. And those films hold a special place in cinematic history. To celebrate them, Nerdist staff picked the best opening scenes in horror movie history.

Get Out (2017)

Tai Gooden: Get Out is a brilliant examination of the discomfort that Black people feel outside of our safe spaces. The legitimate fear that being the “only one” or “out of place” puts us in imminent danger. Andre’s kidnapping plays into this brilliantly, allowing him to be the audience surrogate in this brief yet effectively terrifying opener. The quick shift from hoping he will find his way to safety to seeing him attacked and dragged into a man’s car while Flanagan & Allen’s “Run Rabbit Run” plays is unnerving and nauseating. For a Black person, it’s our worst fear. For others, it is a window into the unprovoked hostility and attention we often feel while simply existing. And for all of us, it sets the stage for a film that examines racism, subjugation, fetishization, and more in a body horror narrative.

Jaws (1975)

Eric Diaz: Although I think of Jaws as an adventure film with horror elements, without a doubt the opening scene is one of the scariest ever in film history. Without a single mechanical shark in sight, Spielberg finds a way to create pure terror as nighttime swimmer Chrissie meets her fate in the form of a hungry Great White. To this day, her unheard screams for help in her final moments send chills down my spine, in a way very few horror scenes do, because it feels so damn real. If there was an Oscar for “most believable death,” it should have gone to Susan Backlinie.

It Follows (2014)

Mikey Walsh: It Follows’ monster isn’t terrifying because it wears a scary mask or carries a deadly weapon. It’s a true nightmare because it slowly and relentlessly tracks its prey. All while often taking on the appearance of a normal stranger or loved one only a future victim can see. But that ghoul is at its scariest before we ever learn what it really is. The movie opens with a perfectly paced, hauntingly scored shot of an otherwise peaceful suburban street. A girl we do not know, yet instantly care about, runs from her house in undergarments and heels from an invisible monster. Her fear is palpable as she assures her family of her safety. All while we know something terrible is coming for her.

While we never see her death following a sad farewell message to her parents, made from a beach where the tide rolls in endlessly like the killer she knows is coming. Her mangled body lets us know exactly why she was right to be so scared. This incredible opening scene lets us know what will follow for the rest of this unsettling film.

Suspiria (1977)

Kyle Anderson: Even when it’s just showing credits over a black screen, Dario Argento’s Suspiria starts to ratchet up the tension. The main theme from Goblin is equal parts music box and industrial saw. Rattling the nerves and creating dread. The colors pick up immediately as Suzy makes her way out of the airport and into Argento’s nightmare world. But that’s just mood and color, the stark red and blue of gels over lights. What makes the beginning of the movie the best in horror is the dream-logic deaths of two characters we only meet briefly.

The girl Suzy sees running away in the rain, meets her fate by a pair of disembodied eyes outside her window, along with a sudden, violent thrash of a hand. Stabbed in the heart, thrown through plate glass, and hanged via telephone wire in a matter of seconds, this death is brutal and vibrant. And her friend’s demise, impaled with pieces of the plate glass, just proves the maestro of horror isn’t messing around.

Smile (2022)

Tai Gooden: Parker Finn’s Laura Hasn’t Slept (2020) is one of the most effective and intense horror shorts in recent history. So I expected greatness from Smile, which mostly delivered on its promise to expand the tale of an unseen and transferable evil. The film is rife with jump scares and disturbing imagery but there’s nothing quite like its captivating, disturbing, and lengthy opening scene. Caitlin Stasey stuns as Laura Weaver, a student experiencing a mental health crisis after witnessing her professor’s suicide. Her ebb and flow from agonizing paranoia to unbridled panic before settling into that stoic and menacing smile sets this scene as a new horror opening classic. The chilling exchange between Laura and Dr. Rose Cotter (Sosie Bacon) lays a strong foundation for a relentless curse, a harrowing inheritance, to creep its way to the next victim. 

Scream (1996)

Meaghan Kirby: It goes without saying, really, that Scream has one of the most iconic opening scenes in all of cinema. But for this list, I’ll reiterate that particular stance. The scene is the stuff of legend: The increasingly menacing phone calls; the abandoned Jiffy pop roasting on its foil in the background; Drew Barrymore giving us an iconic scream queen performance in just 10 minutes!

It’s an homage to When a Stranger Calls with a delightfully brutal twist, signaling the many tributes to beloved horror films and tropes to come. Casting one of the biggest movie stars, sticking her front and center on all marketing materials, and brutally murdering her at the top of the film—what a move. So many others have since tried to pull off similar stunt casting shenanigans. But few have come close to sticking the landing.

Jurassic Park (1993)

Amy Ratcliffe: Leaves rustle amid filtered light. Strange animal noises permeate the air. A team of wranglers looks nervous AF. Jurassic Park may not be a pure horror movie, but the 1993 film’s opening scene sure causes terror. The few minutes showcasing the transport of a deadly velociraptor set the movie’s tension and hints at the danger ahead. It makes sure the audience knows from the beginning that the dinosaurs John Hammond shows off so proudly are not cute pets. Just beneath the wonder of these creatures’ existence lies danger and a longing for human-flavored snacks. The chilling raptor screams, Robert Muldoon’s desperate “shoot her,” and John Williams’ ominous music with its increasing tempo etched this scene into my memory.

The Hitcher (1986)

Rosie Knight: A young man (C. Thomas Howell) drives down a rainy highway, his eyes closed as he tires from the long drive. He’s awoken by a massive truck that almost runs him off the road. It’s a terrifying moment, but nothing compared to what’s coming. After his brush with death, he picks up a hitchhiker, played with devastating ferocity by Rutger Hauer. Two people inside a car in a storm shouldn’t be able to instill the kind of fear that Hauer and Howell do. But as the former torments the latter by playing a demented game of mind control, there might not be a scarier sequence in cinema. However, it’s when Hauer says, “That’s what the other guy said,” as Howell asks, “What do you want?” that you know you’re really in trouble. Hauer might never have been better than playing this cinematic sociopath.

Fear Street Part One: 1994 (2021)

Tai Gooden: The opening scene for the first film in Fear Street‘s trilogy is a combination of R. L. Stine book nostalgia, homage to the heyday of shopping malls, and a neon soaked tribute to ’90s slashers. Mall bookstore worker Heather Watkins lengthy struggle against a skull masked killer and her heartbreaking death at the hands of a friend is chilling and intriguing. But what really makes this opening scene stand out are the intricate details you notice upon subsequent viewings. Ryan hearing the whisper of the Shadyside curse calling his name. Stephen King’s Insomnia on the bookshelves. Casting Maya Hawke only to kill her off, just like Drew Barrymore in Scream (1996). Heather desperately saying “It’s me…” to Ryan as blood oozes from her mouth is truly haunting.

Dawn of the Dead (2004)

Kyle Anderson: How do you top the horror grandeur of George A. Romero’s magnum zombie opus? Well, for one, you make it faster-paced and generally funnier (thanks screenwriter James Gunn). For two? You open it with lengthy short film that introduces your main character, the escalating zombie outbreak, and the imminent chaos that unfolds because of it. After we meet nurse Ana and her husband Luis, we see their seemingly blissful life get turned upside down when they wake up to a neighbor girl in their house.

She looks hurt, but it’s worse than that. She’s dead. She bites Luis who bleeds out quicker than Ana can save him. Then he gets up just as quickly. As Ana runs outside she sees the entire neighborhood has gone to hell, running undead feasting on everyone. Ana drives away only to see it’s more than just the neighborhood. It’s everywhere! This is one of the most impressive shorthands for zombie outbreaks ever put to screen, and still might be Zack Snyder’s crowning achievement.

Silence of the Lambs (1991)

Rotem Rusak: Though Hannibal’s presence looms over the film, The Silence of the Lambs belongs to Clarice. Throughout the movie, the scales fall from her eyes, as it were. As she faces evil in its most overtly horrifying and most quietly mundane forms. And while she purportedly has allies as she heads into these battles, at the end of the day she is solitary in her fight. The opening scene of The Silence of the Lambs perfectly conveys this uneasy tension. As Clarice runs alone in the woods, a sense of crawling dread fills the screen. We feel she is being watched because we are watching her. And something, it seems, is about to go very wrong.

Despite this, Clarice runs on, unbothered by her position alone and vulnerable as we perceive her to be. She forges on, confident in herself and her strength, even as the ominous music picks up its pace and birds and wild animals chatter in the trees. The opening sequence concludes with the iconic shot of Clarice entering an elevator full of men. Overtly othered but determined nonetheless to carry on. No safer within the halls of the FBI than she is without.

Halloween (1978)

Tai Gooden: Everything about this opening scene (and its scary score) confirms why John Carpenter’s Halloween is the foundation of slasher films. It transpires through the POV of what we believe is a voyeuristic stalker, lurking in the darkness and waiting for the optimal time to attack a young couple. But the Pandora’s box of horror opens quietly, revealing the shocking hand of a child grabbing a butcher’s knife. Those terse minutes stretch on with you knowing where this will likely go, but endlessly curious about how it will get there. The clown mask slipping over his face, obscuring the most heinous parts of Judith’s murder, and his heavy breathing as he trudges back downstairs is a chilling, unforgettable masterpiece.

But, it’s the last shot of a small blond Michael Myers wearing a bright Halloween costume, staring listlessly and holding the knife with his sister’s blood on it, that packs the biggest punch retrospectively. We witnessed the birth of a silent, relentless, and enduring killer.

Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987)

Eric Diaz: A lot of horror sequels are pale imitations of their predecessors. But not A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors. We’re introduced to young Kristen Parker (Patricia Arquette), who, as soon as the credits roll, dreams herself into Freddy’s nightmare world. We get all the Freddy tropes in the opening scene. The Elm Street house, the creepy little girl, and the basement filled with murdered teens. But long before Inception, this scene introduced us to “the dream within the dream,” concept. As Kristen wakes up (or so she thinks) only to find her bathroom faucet handles are an extension of Freddy’s clawed hand. When he uses them to cut open her wrist, it’s hard to not feel queasy. And all of this is just in the movie’s first five minutes.

Final Destination 2 (2003)

Mikey Walsh: Every Final Destination movie opens with a terrifying “what-if.” But it’s the second and best installment of the franchise that delivers an all-time opening horror scene. The vision of a deadly highway pileup reminds us that a normal drive can instantly end in tragedy. But what makes Final Destination 2‘s first scene worthy of inclusion on this list is how it will stay with you for the rest of your life. It’s impossible not to think about that crash when you find yourself driving alongside a massive truck ferrying something large and terrifying (trees or anything else) that you’re not fully confident it can handle. Even a small pickup with something tied up in its bed can conjure the memory of that scene.

Final Destination 2 forever made every trip on a highway a potential drive full of genuine dread. It truly is—fittingly for a car crash scene—nightmare fuel.

The Ring (2002)

Kyle Anderson: I can’t think of a modern horror movie that had as effective an opening scene as either version of The Ring, based on the Japanese film Ringu. Talk about a way to sell your premise as concisely and impactfully as possible. The concept, of a cursed VHS tape that kills anyone who watches it a week later, is pretty out-there, and so you need to show it. Two teenage girls talk about the tape as a modern urban legend, like a Bloody Mary thing, about what happens when you watch the tape. One of the girls has already watched the tape and her blood runs cold as her friend describes exactly what happened. Just through dialogue and moody music, we get a sense that the end is possibly nigh, even despite a fake-out scare halfway through. When the TV turns on all by itself, even before we see the tape itself or the ghost girl, we’re scared to death. Literally in the girl’s case.

Evil Dead Rise (2023)

Tai Gooden: The Evil Dead franchise often leans into the sillier and splatter-loving side of horror. However, the latest installment, Evil Dead Rise, is an excellent marriage of horror tropes, humor, and a downright disturbing sequence of events. We’ve got young adults in a creepy lakeside cabin, including the jerky/annoying boyfriend and the girl who doesn’t want to be there. Things go awry as we realize that there’s something wrong with Jessica. Her back turned as she reads words from wuthering heights, her voice getting deeper and warbling lets us know that we are in for something disturbing. And boy do things get demonic, leaving us with a harrowing shot over the lake before the film brings its title to visual fruition. 

Originally published October 20, 2021.

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For some Halloween means trick-or-treating, horror movies, and bobbing for apples. For others the spooky season is defined by haunted houses, costume parties, and hay rides. But, for those who will always love Chicken McNuggets more than snack-sized Snickers, Halloween is all about plastic containers you get from a fast food restaurant. That might sound weird, but not if you grew up with McDonald’s iconic Boo Buckets. Those adorable Happy Meal containers were a staple of countless childhood celebrations. Now they’re becoming a staple of adulthood, too. McDonald’s has announced it is once again bringing back Boo Buckets. Only this year the collection includes a fourth option not seen for a very long time.

McDonald’s USA Menu Spotter website revealed Boo Buckets are coming back again this year. Starting on October 17, guests hungry for spooky nostalgia can grab one of four new Halloween Happy Meal designs. The 2023 lineup includes: Monster, Skeleton, Mummy and Vampire. The company says its fanged fourth bucket is the first purple option “since the OG purple Boo Bucket.” (The original featured a witch rather than a vampire.)

OG Boo Bucket lovers will also appreciate this year’s set come with lids. That hasn’t always been the case since McDonald’s first introduced them in 1986.

This latest batch of Boo Buckets will be available at participating restaurants nationwide. Don’t wait to grab yours, though. And not just because they’ll only be in stores shortly before Halloween. The fast food chain says, “They’ll be gone faster than you can say ‘boo,’ so head to your local McDonald’s to get a festive pail while supplies last.”

We agree and will definitely be in line on the 17th ourselves. There are millions and millions of other kids who are now adults with jobs, too. It won’t surprise us if these boo Buckets are all sold out by the 18th.

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It’s been an exciting week in the entertainment world. Anakin Skywalker taught Ahsoka an important lesson, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom released a trailer, Daryl Dixon ended up in France, and we even revisited bloopers from Star Trek‘s original series. But a lot of other exciting and interesting things have been in the mix as well.

Here are some of our favorite pop-culture news odds & ends that you don’t want to miss reading about.

This Week’s Odds & Ends in News:

• Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 2 Reveals First-Look Images of Pooh and Tigger
• Beyond Fest 2023 Line-Up Announced
• Our Flag Means Death‘s Third Season Will Be Its Last if It’s Renewed
• Celebrity Auction Supports Production Crew Members Whose Healthcare Is at Risk
• Pokémon Teams Up with Van Gogh for Mystery Collaboration
• Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Will Likely Not See a Switch DLC
• BlackMilk’s 2023 Halloween Collection Is Here
• Lost Star Wars X-Wing Fighter Will Be Up For Auction

Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 2 Reveals First-Look Images of Pooh and Tigger

Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey got us excited with its horror spin on a childhood classic. Although the movie itself may not have necessarily wow-ed us, the visuals were good. Now, we have our first look at the sequel movie Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 2. Blood-soaked Pooh has returned to our screens, and we also get to see a horrific version of Tigger for the first time courtesy of IGN.

First look at ‘WINNIE THE POOH: BLOOD & HONEY 2’.

(Source: https://t.co/LyrXasH89R) pic.twitter.com/3qTicVIzuy

— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) September 8, 2023

IT WASN’T RABBIT!! Here’s your first look at Tigger from ‘WINNIE THE POOH: BLOOD AND HONEY 2’. 🐯

(Source: @IGN ~ @poohbandh) pic.twitter.com/2pZwiCwLZ4

— CoveredGeekly (@CoveredGeekly) September 11, 2023

Check out the original Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey trailer, here:

Beyond Fest 2023 Line-Up Announced

It’s time again for Beyond Fest! The biggest genre film festival in the US is back for its 11th outing, and it has some excellent movies in store. We’re particularly excited about the new movie from Rogue One: A Star Wars Story‘s director Gareth Edwards, The Creator, and Legendary Pictures’ The Toxic Avenger remake. A24’s Nicolas Cage movie Dream Scenario and V/H/S/85 also have our attention. 

The full line-up is available here.

Check out some early looks at the movies Beyond Fest will screen, here

Our Flag Means Death‘s Third Season Will Be Its Last if It’s Renewed

Our Flag Means Death season two will arrive this October, but fans are already considering if there will be more of the show. There’s no official renewal for Our Flag Means Death yet, but creator David Jenkins noted in an Instagram comment that he’s aiming for season three. However, should the show get a season three, it will be Our Flag Means Death‘s final season. Still, better a finished show than a canceled one.

Check out Our Flag Means Death‘s season two trailer, here:

Celebrity Auction Supports Production Crew Members Whose Healthcare Is at Risk

The studios’ refusal to compensate and support their creatives fairly has led to difficulties across entertainment-related occupations. In solidarity, many people have come together to help those whose livelihoods are at risk in creative ways. Per Variety, The latest effort is an auction by The Union Solidarity Coalition to “help production crew members whose healthcare benefits are at risk because of the work stoppage.” The auction includes all kinds of fun entertainment-related memorabilia as well as celebrity experiences. Among other items are “Natasha Lyonne Will Help You Solve the New York Times Sunday Crossword” and “The Bear Signed Apron Jeremy Allen White Ebon Moss-Bachrach Ayo Edebiri + More.” The auction runs until September 22.

Check out how to help Hollywood creatives in need, here:

Pokémon Teams Up with Van Gogh for Mystery Collaboration

Who doesn’t love it when Pokémon gets a little creative? The latest fascinating Pokémon project is some kind of collaboration with the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. Could Van Gogh-style Pokémon cards be heading our way soon? We’ll find out on September 28.

For now, we can appreciate Sunflora in full Van Gogh realness.

Check out every Pokémon Squishmallow that’s ever been released or teased, here:

Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Will Likely Not See a Switch DLC

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom was a highly anticipated sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. And when it finally launched, it was incredibly well-received. But don’t hold your breath for the massive, open-world game to evolve any more than it already has. As Polygon shares, the Breath of the Wild development team is moving on to the next thing. While that next thing could be more The Legend of Zelda content, it likely won’t be a Tears of the Kingdom DLC.

Check out some of the gameplay features that Tears of the Kingdom offers, here:

BlackMilk’s 2023 Halloween Collection Is Here

Ready for a little something sleek and scary (in the best way)? Well, BlackMilk’s 2023 Halloween collection has arrived in a whirl of bat wings. BlackMilk’s spooky season selections include more general season favorites like black cats, skeletons, and creepy eyes, but also some iconic favs like everyone’s favorite clown from IT, Annabelle from Annabelle Creation, Friday the 13th‘s Jason Voorhees, and more. We also love BlackMilk’s Beetlejuice and The Corpse Bride patterns, of course! ‘Tis the season to supplement your wardrobe.

The full BlackMilk 2023 Halloween collection is available now on the company’s website.

Check out ways to also ready your pantry for Halloween, here:

Lost Star Wars X-Wing Fighter Will Be Up For Auction

Get your bidding fingers ready, Star Wars fans. As reported by The Hollywood Reporter, a piece of Star Wars history, an X-wing fighter miniature from Star Wars, is heading to auction. According to the publication, this Star Wars item was “lost for decades.” The official description for the miniature shares, “Built by the team at Industrial Light & Magic, which won the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects for Star Wars, this 1:24 scale filming miniature is one of only four hero filming miniatures created with servo-controlled wings that spread open into ‘Attack Position’.”

Check out where Star Wars starships stack up among the rest, here:

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BoxLunch’s Horror Collection is putting a couple more killer pieces on the board. The pop culture collectible company’s latest sports-style uniforms celebrate the Ghost With the Most and Haddonfield’s iconic killer. You can now show of your Beetlejuice fandom with a strange and unusual hockey jersey from BoxLunch. And Halloween supporters can back their favorite slasher franchise with a Michael Myers Halloween baseball jersey.

It’s “showtime” this week at BoxLunch. Beetlejuice backers can now order a store exclusive embroidered Snake Beetlejuice captain’s hockey jersey ($59.90). It features lettering with the team name and a snake design on the front. On the back is the notorious ghost’s unspeakable name with a jersey number warning opposing fans not to chant his name “3” times. The sweater (that’s hockey parlance, nerds) also comes with stripes across the top, bottom, and sleeves. There’s also an embroidered patch on one arm.

Halloween diehards (or horror fans who want a little lighter shirt) can also grab the all-new Haddonfield Slashers Michael Myers Baseball Jersey ($54.90) at BoxLunch. It sports the team’s name in italics and a jolly roger Michael Myers logo. On the embroidered backside there’s an “M. Myers” and the jersey number “78.” That comes from the year the original film hit theaters.

The jerseys are the newest sports-inspired uniform pieces in BoxLunch’s Horror Collection. The previous selection items include a hockey jersey for Good Guy Chucky’s Child’s Play. And, of course considering the mask he wears, there’s also a hockey sweater for Friday the 13th‘s Jason Voorhees.

Unlike with sports, it’s totally normal to be a fan of more than one scary movie. So unlike sports fans don’t worry about wearing your horror jersey to any venue you like. Only, don’t be surprised if you have to explain to someone you’re simply a fan of the film and not the actual sociopaths they feature. It’s not totally normal to wear a jersey for a guy whose most impressive stats are total kills.

The post Score New BEETLEJUICE and HALLOWEEN Jerseys From BoxLunch’s Horror Collection appeared first on Nerdist.

The ’80s brought the world many gifts: incredible films, iconic fashion, and McDonald’s Halloween buckets. Nicknamed Boo Buckets, the first McDonald’s Halloween trick-or-treat pails arrived in 1986. The white, green, and orange plastic pails have a place in the annals of nostalgia. Boo Bucket enthusiasts got a treat last year when McDonald’s rereleased the buckets. This time around, though, fans will get the buckets in another form: bags. Loungefly has teamed with McDonald’s to make crossbody bags that look like the iconic trick-or-treat buckets.

Loungefly’s McDonald’s Halloween bags come in two colors, green and orange. If you didn’t know, the different Boo Buckets have names. So, the green bag is McGoblin and the orange bag is McPunk’n. These figural bags open from the top just like buckets. They’re made of vegan leather with applique and printed details. On top of looking absolutely adorable, both styles of the McDonald’s Halloween trick-or-treat bucket bags glow in the dark.

While a number of people have turned their plastic Boo Buckets into makeshift purses, these designs come with more comfort. These bags come lined with a print featuring the original Halloween pail trio. Yes, that means it is too nice and cute to put greasy fries or any other McDonald’s food in. Do not use it as a Happy Meal container. Since McGoblin costs $65 and McPunk’n costs $70, you’re probably likely to respect the trick-or-treat bucket bag. That said, you could use them to stash individually wrapped candies.

Both styles of bags will be available to order on Loungefly’s site soon.

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Home Depot changed Halloween forever in 2020. Forever, you ask? Surely whatever they did cannot be so pivotal. But reader, the retailer’s introduction of a 12-foot skeleton brought on a whole wave of inventive and massive Halloween decorations. The giant skeleton sold out in 2020, and Home Depot has shown up with increasing quantities for sale ever since. Plus, the retailer has evolved the concept in the last couple of years. This time Home Depot has turned its attention to a different kind of skeleton in the form of a very tall Jack Skellington. The 13-foot Jack Skellington from The Nightmare Before Christmas is ready to rule over your yard as the Pumpkin King.

Jack Skellington can greet people with two different animations and glowing LEDs that light up his beautiful skeleton head. He comes with two interchangeable face plates to reflect Jack’s different moods. The above photo shows his intimidating Pumpkin King scowl. The other face plate features a warmer expression. Both options feature a moving lower jaw, which pairs with Jack singing “Jack’s Lament.” The 13-foot Jack Skellington sings and dances to three different parts of the iconic Nightmare Before Christmas song. A built-in motion sensor triggers both the mouth and the head so you can rest assured the statue will thoroughly creep out passersby. On the other hand, it will delight trick-or-treaters.

If you already own one of Home Depot’s 12-foot giant skeletons, which fans have nicknamed Skelly, Jack Skellington will no doubt look excellent next to it. Skelly probably won’t be jealous of Jack’s extra height either. As Home Depot continues to develop its giant Halloween decor line, you can grow your display with additional colossal animated statues as your space permits. One can only dream.

The 13-foot Jack Skellington is available from Home Depot for $399.

The post Home Depot Is Selling a 13-Foot Jack Skellington appeared first on Nerdist.

Like countless people my age I grew up devouring R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps series. That’s why I don’t care how old I get, I’ll always worry about turning into a bee, then losing my temper and stinging someone. (If you have no idea what that means please read Why I’m Afraid of Bees.) However, these days I tend to watch more horror movies than read horror novels. But that doesn’t mean I’ve lost my admiration for those classic books and their signature covers. And clearly artist and designer Alex Vincent hasn’t either. He’s given modern horror films their very own Goosebumps editions, in a series that is scary good.

Alex Vincent has a knack for designing crossover art for horror stories of every medium. But as a ’90s kid I’m especially partial to his Goosebumps-inspired collection. (Which I first saw thanks to Film Daze on Twitter.) Vincent’s collection, based on Tim Jacobus’ work, includes covers for modern day masterpieces like Ari Aster’s Hereditary and Midsommar.

He also created R.L. Stine book versions of Jordan Peele’s Get Out and Us, as well as a perfect Goosebumps cover based on the iconic opening scene from Scream.

I would have read all of them 300 times each as a kid.

Look, I get it, these movies are all classics and studios probably don’t need me to tell them how to profit off of them. But I’m just saying I would buy all of them on Blu-ray again if they came with this artwork on their covers. These are absolutely gorgeous, funny, and creepy. What more could you want from a Goosebumps collection?

If you want more of Vincent’s fantastic art (and obviously you do), make sure to check out his other horror collections at his Twitter and Instagram pages. And you can even buy prints, including these Goosebumps covers, at his online shop.

And if he wants to make a modern movie poster for Why I’m Afraid of Bees I know at least one person who will buy it. Even if it would definitely scare me for the rest of my life.

Originally published on October 12, 2022.

The post Artist Gives Modern Horror Movies Classic GOOSEBUMPS Covers appeared first on Nerdist.

You just never know which random Saturday Night Live (SNL) sketch will take off and have a life of its own. That’s what’s happened to the Tom Hanks character of David S. Pumpkins, who first appeared in the Saturday Night Live Halloween episode back in 2016, and has since become a pop culture phenomenon. It might be the most popular thing Hanks has done in a decade, if we’re being honest. And this Halloween, David S. Pumpkins and Tom Hanks returned to SNL for the first time in five years. This time, the SNL sketch revealed David S. Pumpkins’ origins. Well, kind of? You can watch the full sketch right here:

In the sketch, three theme park guests go on a Halloween attraction after waiting over an hour in line. Which, as anyone who has been to one of these things knows, was pretty accurate. They came face to face with some of horror cinema’s biggest icons. There’s Freddy Krueger, Annabelle, Michael Myers, and Pennywise the Clown. And, thrown in the mix of SNL‘s Halloween fun is one David S. Pumpkins. And his dancing skeleton buddies, of course. No one can figure out why he’s there, given that he’s not exactly scary. I guess they didn’t see that David S. Pumpkins Halloween Special a few years back.

The sketch finally gave us some inkling of the sinister origins of Mr. Pumpkins, and we learn that his origins lie in… Spain? Yes, it appears that David S. Pumpkins is from the isle of Ibiza. We guess that explains the dancing skeletons. Although, David S. Pumpkins may just live in Spain and may not be originally from there. Halloween icons are just better when their origin stories are shrouded in mystery. We know too much already. If they tell us the backstory of that jacket, well, that will just kill the whole mystique, right? So, for now, Tom Hanks’ David S. Pumpkins goes back into storage. Until hopefully next year, that is.

The post Tom Hanks’ David S. Pumpkins Returns to SNL After 5 Years appeared first on Nerdist.

It’s almost Halloween! In the spirit of the spooky season Guillermo del Toro has blessed us with eight terrifying new horror stories under the banner of his new series Cabinet of Curiosities. From gothic family drama to gruesome body horror, there’s something for every horror fan. With tales from the makers of movies like The Babadook, Twilight, and Mandy, this is a real who’s who of genre creators. Some of the stories are even based on tales by del Toro! So once you’ve watched every one of the delightfully dark entries into the awesome Netflix anthology then join as we breakdown the most terrifying moment from each episode! 

“Lot 36” – The Dottie Monster

The opening episode of Cabinet of Curiosities introduces viewers to a desperate man, Nick, and his terrible debts. His quest to pay them off leads him down a dark path. It all begins when he purchases a storage unit filled with strange occult objects. Rather than fearing them, he covets their worth. It’s this choice and his own racist mean streak that ultimately lead him to a fate worse than death. The most shocking moment of the episode comes when Nick disrupts a spell that keeps a demon, Dottie, trapped inside the storage unit. Suddenly, a nightmare of tentacles awakens. The first monster of the season is also one of its most impressive. Slimy, prehensile, and straight out of Hell, this is a truly shocking and unforgettable creature brought to life brilliantly. 

“Graveyard Rats” – A Fate Worse Than Death

Though there is another unbelievable monster in the second entry of Cabinet of Curiosities, the most horrifying moment comes after its appearance. David Hewlett stars as graverobber Masson in this claustrophobic tale of another debt-ridden man. Hearing a rumor of a wild treasure to steal out of the depths of the graveyard, Masson begins his final scrabbling descent. But after he has faced down a giant rat and found spoils beyond his wildest dream, he must face his—and many others’—worst fear. Rather than escaping the graveyard, he ends up trapped in a coffin, buried alive with no way out. The worst is yet to come, as rats swarm him. We end the episode with Masson dead and a rodent emerging out of his mouth. 

“The Autopsy” – The Autopsy 

It’s probably no surprise that an episode called “The Autopsy” excels in the horror of the titular procedure. But David Prior’s tale still manages to surprise as F. Murray Abraham leads a story about a pathologist exploring a terrible disaster. As he begins his autopsy, he learns something awful. It wasn’t an accident and the body he’s operating on isn’t dead. In fact, it’s host to an alien parasite. In one of the most brilliant practical sequences of the series, the alien puppeteers its own body to do an autopsy on itself. It’s a wonderfully grotesque moment that perfectly matches the noir storytelling that has led us to it. And F. Murray Abraham gets a brutal hero moment as he cuts out his own eyes to beat the alien. See, if it cannot see, it cannot survive.

“The Outside” – RIP Martin Starr

Ana Lily Amirpour leans into the awkward in this cringe-inducing horror about the pressure to be perceived as beautiful. Kate Micucci leads as Stacey. She wants nothing more than to be a part of the popular clique at her bank job. Her husband, played by Martin Starr, loves her as she is but that’s not enough for Stacey. When she makes a strange connection with a late night infomercial, she becomes obsessed with a lotion called Alo Glo. Though the cream makes her break out in a horrible rash, she believes it will transform her, and she’s not wrong. Sadly for her husband, he can’t see the possibilities, so she kills him and turns his body into a taxidermized version of himself. It’s the most gruesome moment, made worse by how heartbroken he clearly is at what his wife is doing and her absolute lack of remorse. 

“Pickman’s Model” – The Feast

Arguably the most affecting episode this season is this haunting H.P. Lovecraft adaptation. Starring Ben Barnes as an artist named Thurber who discovers a dark and demonic truth in the art of the titular Pickman, the story is a gothic slow burn that never lets up. But its scariest sequence is actually spread throughout the episode as Thurber sees the feast for the demon. We first experience it in the bowels of his home, where we see human remains and rotting food laid out. The table is a nightmarish spread, and its attendants are the figures from Pickman’s paintings. But it’s only after Thurber kills Pickman and learns that his monstrous creations are based on reality that the most shocking moment occurs. As his now cursed wife prepares dinner, he realizes she’s preparing their own child as the main course. Horrific stuff. 

“Dreams in the Witch House” – The Witch’s Kiss

Cabinet of Curiosities boasts stunning creature work and haunting storytelling. In Catherine Hardwick’s H.P. Lovecraft-inspired entry we get a dark fairytale about Walter, a man whose all-consuming desire is to bring his dead sister back to life. After being kicked out of the Spiritualist Society, he discovers an odd unheard of potion that allows him to visit the Realm of the Dead. That just so happens to be where his sister’s spirit is kept by a witch called Keziah Mason. She’s a feat of impressive SFX, and in one of the most spooky scenes, Keziah grasps Rupert Grint’s Walter in a powerful embrace. Kissing him and sucking his soul, she claims that he is hers, something that we will later find out is true in the most awful sense. 

“The Viewing” – Perceiving the Obelisk

Panos Cosmatos brings his unique sensibilities to this delightfully trippy segment that follows a group of strangers brought together by an invitation. As the night goes on, their host (Peter Weller) entices them with substances, promises, and really great music. Eventually, though, they’re taken to see a magnificent and strange obelisk. It’s here that things get really strange. The Giger-esque rock is hiding something dark inside it. An otherworldly demonic presence emerges and begins to emit a powerful energy. It’s this that leads us to two wonderfully shocking moments. The first happens as one of the guests’ face melts Raiders of the Lost Ark style. Next we get a brilliant Scanners inspired head explosion. How much you enjoy this entry will likely depend on your taste for surreal slow burn. But you can’t deny those awesome explosive deaths. 

“The Murmuring” – The Haunting

A tragic domestic chamber drama, “The Murmuring” feels more like a play than a Netflix series. Jennifer Kent brings her emotionally driven gothic storytelling that made The Babadook such a success to this tale of grieving couple Nancy and Edgar. Their loss drives them further into their work studying birds. Moving to a rural isolated old house to get closer to the creatures they’re focusing on begins to take its toll on Nancy. Although this doesn’t have the kind of gross out moments some of the others boast, it still has some heart-stopping shocks. All of them come from the haunting that Nancy begins to experience. One of the most instantly breath-taking moments is the first time that she comes across the ghost of a young drowned boy. It’s the kind of jump scare that could cheapen the story, but instead it just adds to the tension and fear. 

Featured Image: Netflix

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It’s Nerdoween time again, hobgoblins and ghouls, and to celebrate the spirit of the season, let’s carve those James Webb Space Telescope jack-o’-lanterns and reshare one of NASA’s timeless pictures. It’s the “Pumpkin Sun” photo from the Solar Dynamics Observatory spacecraft in 2014, which makes our fiery fusion reactor in the sky look like a blazing jack-o’-lantern. The eyes, nose, and wicked mouth are all there upon the Sun’s countenance of plasma, and it even looks like it has little, flaming ears.

The space agency tweets the seasonally appropriate Sun picture during spooky season, noting that it’s an ultraviolet image that shows the “active regions of our home star.” In a post that offers high-res downloads of the picture, NASA notes the active regions that make up the facial components of the Sun-o’-lantern are brighter than the rest of the Sun’s surface because they’re emitting more light and energy thanks to “an intense and complex set of magnetic fields hovering in the sun’s atmosphere….”

Note that the Pumpkin Sun picture has been colorized in gold and yellow to help emphasize the Halloween vibes—we can’t see ultraviolet light with our limited people peepers, so the image has to be colorized somehow so we can see it. (And yes, we’re aware that some folks with Aphakia claim to be able to see ultraviolet light, but we’re talking about Nerdoween here so let’s not dwell on that.)

Also check out NASA’s Halloween-themed exoplanet posters, including a “Zombie Worlds” poster and a “Rains of Terror” poster, which are available as high-res images here. The temporarily spookified space agency also released a movie “trailer” dubbed Galaxy of Horrors, which “reveals the sinister science behind real worlds we’ve discovered in our galaxy.” NASA’s series of sci-fi horror movie posters based on real science also expanded to include black holes, dark energy, and roasting planets.

Whether you make your own space-themed jack-o’-lantern or just appreciate the Sun-o’-lantern in the sky, NASA can help put some nerd into Nerdoween.

Originally published October 30, 2019.

The post Pumpkin Sun Picture Captures Our Star Looking Like a Jack-o’-lantern appeared first on Nerdist.

Nick Lutsko’s “Spirit Halloween” trilogy will forever be a staple our spooky song playlist. But its greatness wasn’t enough to keep him in power. A simple misunderstanding/possible murder threat forced him to resign as President of Halloween. Then an unpopular tax—combined with the unlawful political imprisonment of Beetlejuice—resulted in him fleeing Halloween’s royal throne. Now, either all of that makes sense to you or it’s all total nonsense. But no matter which group you’re in, you have everything you need to know to enjoy his newest track. With no formal ruling responsibilities to attend to, this year the musician has dedicated himself to his craft. He’s releasing a new song every week in October. And we have your exclusive first listen to his latest.

This time Halloween’s king is a 19th-century ghost who learns there are far greater terrors that can possess a home. And while this music video is one of his most absurd yet (which is really saying something), it’s sure to genuinely scare one group: parents haunted by a certain kid’s property.

If this is your initial introduction to Nick Lutsko congratulations! You started where you should, in the (very strange) deep end of one of our favorite artists. But for fans of the Nick Lutsko Expanded Universe, this is song is part of a new collection unconnected to his past works. Lutsko explained that and more when we talked to him about “A Ghost Story.”

Nerdist: You have a young daughter, so as a parent myself I have to ask, how much of “A Ghost Story” comes from the fact kid’s programming literally haunts parents forced to watch certain things over and over and over again?

Nick Lutsko: That’s definitely a big part of it. Ironically, my daughter doesn’t watch CoComelon. Primarily because her mom and I don’t like it. I was baffled by some of the songs that started popping up on her automated playlists. They sound like songs written by machines trying to sound human. Then I found out they have like a billion subscribers or whatever.

What were the other inspirations for this song and video?

Lutsko: I’m doing this self-imposed challenge where I write a song and shoot a video every week in October leading up to our show at The Roxy (in LA) on Halloween night. I wanted to do a series of short stories that don’t share any connective tissue with previous lore. This is song number three, and the hope is that turning myself into a 19th century ghost will make that more clear than the previous songs might have.

The initial concept was that I was a ghost who hadn’t had the opportunity to haunt anyone in a very long time. I was so excited because a new person for me to scare was finally moving in. But then that person ends up being way too scary for me. I played around with that person being Rob Zombie, Stephen King, Tim Burton, etc. But I couldn’t really make any of those ideas click. Then I started thinking “What is something that is scary but isn’t supposed to be?” My wife suggested CoComelon and everything fell into place from there.

For the video I’ve worked with Brielle Garcia on a handful of projects and I’m always amazed at what she’s capable of, especially with almost no notice. There’s no way I could have done this video without her. She is a genius.

Considering your body of work, this is really saying something: this is one of the most absurd ideas you’ve ever had. Has there ever been an idea that was too strange even for you?

Lutsko: Nothing really comes to mind, but I could make one up right now. James Corden takes off his shirt and reveals that his stomach is actually a bagpipe made of human skin. He blows into one of the many pipes (which he tucks into his pants) and summons many nightcrawlers (worms). He has no reason to, he just enjoys their company. That idea would be way too strange for me.

Finally, in honor of this song, if you could actually haunt anyone who would it be?

Lutsko: Christopher Lloyd.

That’s exactly who we thought he’d say. If you’re a fan you already know why. And if you’re just meeting Nick Lutsko for the first time we encourage you to find out why he hates Christopher Lloyd.

Well, that is unless you’re the CoComelon family. In that case just leave the poor guy alone, you scary weirdos.

Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist. You can follow him on Twitter at @burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.

The post Nick Lutsko Is a Specter Haunted by a Worse Terror in New Song ‘A Ghost Story’ appeared first on Nerdist.

Even NASA is ready for spooky season. The agency released a new set of movie posters based on real cosmic phenomena as part of their ongoing Galaxy of Horrors collection. A previous batch features spiders in the dark cosmic web, a gamma-ray burst, and a dead galaxy. This time around, the NASA newcomer James Webb Space Telescope is “introduced” while other missions and telescopes get top billing. It’s a fun play on classic sci-fi horror movie posters, all in the name of science.

The Roasted Planet

Exoplanet HD 80606b is truly living a cursed existence. Its elliptical orbit around its sun ranges from 79 million miles to as close as three million miles. For comparison, Earth’s average orbit is about 150 million miles and Mercury’s is 33 million miles. As the poster says: “Its torturous journey boils its atmosphere to a hellish 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit every 111 days, roasting both its light and dark sides. HD 80606b will never escape this scorching nightmare.” The Roasted Planet indeed, or El Planeta Asado in Spanish.

Dark Energy

Dark energy, or energía oscura, is indeed quite spooky. The mysterious force makes up about 68% of all energy in the universe, but scientists aren’t really sure what it is or how it works. We just have to trust that its benevolent. And with all the possible configurations of energy out there, who’s to say there’s not one that looks like a creepy vampire bat? Though we may not be around to see it, NASA makes sure we know one thing. “Dark energy offers a bigger fright: pushing galaxies farther apart over trillions of years, leaving the universe to an inescapable, freezing death in the pitch black expanse of outer space.” 

Devoured by Gravity

Cygnus X-1 was the first confirmed black hole back in 1964; it’s a particularly appropriate subject for a retro horror movie. Every detail on this poster is perfect, from the bright colors offsetting the blackness inside to the font being pulled in. Plus, “It’s dinner time and you’re the meal” is an excellent spooky by campy tagline.

All three movie posters showcase that understanding the universe can be just as scary as not knowing what is out there.

Melissa is Nerdist’s science & technology staff writer. She also moderates “science of” panels at conventions and co-hosts Star Warsologies, a podcast about science and Star Wars. Follow her on Twitter @melissatruth. 

The post NASA Releases New Sci-Fi Horror Posters in Time for Halloween appeared first on Nerdist.

Coming-of-age genre movies have shaped our love of film here at Nerdist. From The Goonies to Attack the Block, it’s one of our favorite flavors of genre filmmaking. That’s why we were so excited to see the atmospheric trailer for Nyla Innuksuk’s debut feature SLASH/BACK. Set in the quiet arctic hamlet of Pangnirtung, Nunavut, the film follows a group of young alien-fighting girls. We were lucky enough to check out the film and it’s a charming, chilling, and delightful debut. To celebrate SLASH/BACK’s release in theaters, digital, and VOD on October 21, we chatted with Innuksuk about combining horror and joy into this narrative.

Nerdist: When did you first land on the concept for SLASH/BACK?

Nyla Innuksuk: I think I’ve had this idea of teenage girls fighting aliens for a really long time. I’ve got friends who are like, “As long as I’ve known you, you’ve had this idea for a movie.” I grew up as a fan of movies and loved movies like ET and Goonies. And all these other adventure movies like Star Wars and Indiana Jones. So for me when I had the chance to make my first feature, the idea of being able to do something that felt like one of the movies that I grew up watching but in this place that I loved and was familiar to me in a different way was just this fun mix of things.

You touched on some of the influences but were there any other specific movies that you revisited when you began to make SLASH/BACK?

Innuksuk: So many! There were different kinds of inspirations throughout and in different ways. Leatherface and Ed Gein who was also the inspiration for Psycho. All those kinds of things were definitely fun to explore, and with the practical effects they were really a blast. The Thing on the topic of practical effects was obviously a big one. But also movies that are less obvious, like Scream, for instance, I loved. To have Nalajoss [Ellsworth] running up the stairs being chased by an alien then jumping out a window and into a boat. That whole sequence was basically taken from Scream. So it was really fun to explore those kinds of nerdy interests within the context of this coming of age movie. 

Those two aspects really define the movie: the horror of the aliens and the joy of this really authentic friendship. Before we talk about the amazing girls of Pang, can you tell me about designing the aliens? They have big Men in Black skinsuit vibes.

Innuksuk: Yeah, definitely. And I know for sure when we were trying to figure out how do we actually execute this, Men in Black was definitely something we looked at. So it was a bit of a fun, creative process that was done in stages. That’s what I love about making movies is you get this opportunity to work with such amazing artists and people that are just really great at what they do. So getting to figure out from the concept of how these creatures would work, how they would move, how they come to the community, what form they would take, that was a really fun puzzle to figure out with my co-writer Ryan Cavan. Once we figured that out, and it’s in the script, it’s like, okay, now how do we actually make this a reality? 

I was so lucky that this amazing contortionist Troy James lived in Toronto, which is where I’m based. He does a lot of work with Guillermo del Toro and can do just the craziest things with his body. And he was available and excited to come up with us and the girls loved working with him. So we built these skin suits that he would wear and we worked together to figure out okay, how would you move if your body was all tentacles? Then getting to work with all these really amazing creative people in the VFX world to enhance the blood and gore and create that new tentacle work. It was just so much fun and really a collaborative process throughout with some really talented folks.

At the center is this brilliant group of friends, and all the girls are such great actors. Could you talk about building this authentic group of teenagers who are so necessary to making this sci-fi story work?

Innuksuk: It was a process that was done with the girls. I actually had this idea for this movie and developed it as a short film proof of concept to try and get this feature made. A lot of the same cast members from that were in the feature. Because there weren’t any casting or talent agents in Nunavut and no teenage stars to pick from, we had these acting workshops. I had a local theater actor help me out with those and we just invited a bunch of young women and girls to come out if they were interested in acting. In that process, we’d try different groups of kids reading the pages from the short film, and then we’re able to cast that way. We found Alexis [Wolfe] and Chelsea [Prusky] and Nalajoss and then later we found Tasiana [Shirley]. 

When my co-writer Ryan Cavan and I were up in Nunavut working together on this script, we would hang out with these three kids. We’d go out on boat rides, we’d go to cabins, they’d tell us stories about their crazy grandmas, and we’d just listen to them talk about boys nonstop! It was the drama of teenage life. And every time we’d go and see them it was something new. So the dynamics of the friendships, how those can change really quickly, there’s different things that might influence the dynamics of our friend group that even the kids might not be necessarily aware of. All of that was really inspired in part by this work that we did with these teenagers. So we knew that if the world was being invaded by aliens, these kids would probably still talk about boys. 

We all were learning so much in the process of this. So it’s been great. We’re all in Spain together now sharing the movie with audiences. So just seeing how they’re continuing to grow as young people and actors has been really inspirational. 

And now you’re sharing the movie with the world! What are you most excited for people to experience when they watch SLASH/BACK?

Innuksuk: I think what has been so nice is just hearing the girls talk about it. To hear other people mention it is just giving this window into a part of the world or a community that maybe people aren’t familiar with. We see this as our home and the things that we do as so normal that sometimes it’s hard when you realize, “Oh, people aren’t used to seeing us in this way,” that we’re both modern and connected to our traditions. It’s been neat to see the response to that and that maybe people haven’t had the opportunity to see indigenous teenagers in this kind of modern context. And so I’m excited for people to get to know them because they’re really great.

Nyla Innuksuk’s SLASH/BACK hits theaters, digital, and VOD on October 21. 

The post SLASH/BACK Director Nyla Innuksuk on Crafting Her Indigenous Sci-Fi Horror Film appeared first on Nerdist.

Remember when a good Halloween display was just comprised a few tombstones in your yard and maybe a scary plastic monster of some kind? Well, that is so last century. These days, homeowners do things like make elaborate light displays for spooky season, or have giant skeletons on the lawn, or a huge inflatable Michael Myers. And now, actual drone shows too, many of which are theme park worthy. Thanks to the folks at Laughing Squid, we’ve once again encountered the amazing work of Tom BetGeorge, whose Halloween drone show this year drew inspiration from season 4 of Stranger Things.

And yes, that means Metallica’s “Master of Puppets” is our show’s soundtrack. (This one’s for you Eddie!) After the Hawkins portion of the show, the second half is a classic Ghostbusters tribute. You can watch the full video down below:

Not only do we get a Demogorgon, just like the one poor Hopper and his Russian buddies had to battle, but we also see a giant Mindflayer hovering above the house. Next, there’s the giant grandfather clock from Vecna’s childhood home, which later exists inside the Upside Down. And then we get what looks like Max Mayfield, hovering in the sky as Vecna infects her mind. It’s all mind-blowingly well done.

For the Ghostbusters portion of the show, as Ray Parker Jr.’s iconic theme song plays we see the iconic Ghostbusters logo hover above the house. Next, Slimer himself arrives, sucked into one of Egon Spengler’s proton packs. But the coolest thing in this show is the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. You can’t do a Ghostbusters tribute without him in some form, right? Last year, this same creator did a Halloween show centered on The Matrix. But we think this Stranger Things and Ghostbusters Halloween double whammy easily outdoes that one. We can’t wait to see what they come up with next year .

The post STRANGER THINGS 4 Highlights Amazing Halloween Drone Show appeared first on Nerdist.

Trick ‘r Treat is the little horror movie that could. Despite never getting a major theatrical release, until now, some fifteen years later, it has become a spooky season classic. It’s right up there with John Carpenter’s Halloween and The Nightmare Before Christmas. And the film’s icon, Sam, has as much merch these days as Freddy and Jason. We got the chance to chat with Trick ‘r Treat‘s writer/director Mike Dougherty on its long-awaited theatrical rollout, a potential sequel, and enduring legacy.

Nerdist: Trick ‘r Treat is finally getting a wide theatrical rollout after fifteen years. Did you think it would always happen some day, or did this release take you by surprise?

Mike Dougherty: It definitely took me by surprise. I guess in the back of my mind, I always sort of always hoped something like this would happen, but it’s never a sure thing. I remember getting the bad news back in 2008 that we were just sending it to home video. Of course, I was heartbroken, because we were still holding out hope maybe it would get a theatrical release. It sort of felt like a nail in the coffin anyway.

After being sad about it for a while, I remember I sat down, and I just made this really long list of all the sort of things I hoped the movie would become outside of this setback. I’ve got to say, everything has just come to pass. Everything on the list has slowly just started to happen over the past 15 years, with the theatrical release being one of them.

Trick ‘r Treat really deals with what Halloween as a holiday means to us at different stages in life. When you’re a kid, when you’re a young adult, when you’re old. Is there an aspect of the holiday in that regard you didn’t really get to or have time for in the movie, or didn’t feel you could devote as much screentime to?

Dougherty: Not off the top of my head. It’s a really good question, and that was intentional, to sort of show how the holiday is celebrated at different points in our lives. There are things that I still want to explore. I am fascinated with how the holiday is celebrated in different places. A Halloween celebration in New York City is very different than some parts of Ohio, very different from Los Angeles or New Orleans. Every geographic region sort of brings its own flare to the holiday. That and the way it’s been celebrated differently over the years in different decades and time periods. That’s definitely something I’d love to explore more.

You mentioned Ohio just now. And I believe you’re from there. There are a lot of horror classics that seem to take place in Ohio, like Elm Street, Silence of the Lambs, and Scream 2. And let’s not forget, Jeffrey Dahmer’s from there. So why is Ohio such a perfect setting for horror stories, do you think?

Dougherty: I mean, have you been there? (laughs) Ohio, I think, is just the sort of typical Midwestern, all-American state. I think it has a lot of great aspects that make it very American, and a lot of sort of dark things simmering under its surface as well. It couldn’t be more normal in both good and bad ways. So I think if anything, that’s sort of the reason why it fascinates us, especially horror authors, and I think even R. L. Stine’s from Ohio too. It just seems so normal and just almost mundane on the surface, which I think instinctively, we know tends to hide something much more sinister.

So Sam in the movie was played by a young kid, Quinn Lord. Did you ever consider a little person to play the role, or was it always the plan for him to be a little kid in a costume?

Dougherty: Definitely always imagined it would be a kid because kids, they move differently. They have a sort of puppy dog floppy way that they just move away versus a little person, which looks very much like a little person. We did use a little person for certain shots, and stunts, and things like that because we didn’t want to put a kid in danger, but overall, 90% of it is Quinn. That was important too. I was adamant that Sam look and move like a kid.

Speaking of Sam, there’s been a ton of Trick ‘r Treat merch in the intervening 15 years. We see it everywhere now. Do you have a favorite piece of oddball Sam merch that’s just a “I can’t believe they made this, but I’m glad they made this” kind of a thing?

Dougherty: God, there’s so many. I mean, it’s fun because you get to watch the licensing partners take the ball, and run with it, and just see what they come up with. I get approval over everything, so I see. Everything comes into my inbox at one point or another. Probably basically the one that really makes me smile is the… It’s a Spirit Halloween Sam dog costume. You can torture your dog by dressing him up as Sam. And I’ve seen some people post their dogs with it, which is sort of outwardly hilarious.

You co-wrote X2, which remains one of the best superhero movies ever made. Trick ‘r Treat has a link to it obviously, because Anna Paquin and Brian Cox are in it. Did you discuss Trick ‘r Treat with them as far back as X2, or did their joining the cast all happen much later?

Dougherty: I mean, I wasn’t even thinking of Trick ‘r Treat when I worked on X-Men. I think at that point, yeah, it was still in development at a different studio at the time. So it was really just sort of a glimmer in my eye, and I wasn’t really thinking about casting or anything. The idea to cast them only came up as Legendary bought the script and it became more of a real possibility because, obviously, it’s nice to be able to cast your friends into things as long as they’re right for the role. It just became a no-brainer.

There’s been some Trick ‘r Treat comics, and I think they’re getting collected now into an omnibus format, which is great. Since comics are sort of part of the DNA of the movie, because it’s in the opening and closing credits, the comics panels, do you think the franchise has a bigger comics future?

Dougherty: I think it could easily. The movie itself was very much inspired by old horror comics. At a point in my life when I felt like I was outgrowing DC and Marvel. So I started to read old horror comics that my dad gave to me. Creepy and Eerie are really notable ones. Also, in the ’90s, there was a great run of Hellraiser comics. Those really opened my eyes to how awesome comic format is and it’s not exclusive to just superheroes. So I think so. I could easily see us publishing another Trick ‘r Treat graphic novel every year, really. It also lets you tell stories that are unhampered by movie budgets.

Trick ‘r Treat started its life as an animated short that you did in college, called Season’s Greetings. Do you ever think of making new Trick ‘r Treat shorts, like other animated things in a similar vein?

Dougherty: Yeah, I’d love that. I would love to do that. I’d even open up the door to bringing in other filmmakers to do shorts, whether it be animation or live-action. I just think it’d be fun. I mean, obviously, we’re talking about a sequel right now, and I think animation for maybe a Halloween special. It could be just really nuts in terms of formats and styles, expand the mythology, and Sam as a character. I think it would be separate from whatever deep little path that we’ve done before. It’s fun to sort of imagine an annual Halloween special. It might be a half-hour. It might be an hour, but something that could be more irreverent.

We were at the Trick ‘r Treat Beyond Fest screening recently, and I know you mentioned that you’ll never reveal Sam’s origin story, which we highly agree with. I think you said that you always think that it ruins it for horror movie monsters. Do you think that there’s a character where the origin didn’t ruin it? Because we sort of think there’s one exception to that, and it’s Freddy Krueger, but I think it’s the only one.

Dougherty: I think Freddy works, but at the same time, we never saw it [the origin], I guess. I think Freddy’s origin is an exception because it only made him scarier. To know who he was, this serial killer who went around killing kids and was eventually beheaded by justice, only added to his mystery and his power. But I think a mistake they made was they kept explaining it. They kept adding more layers like, “Oh, he also made a deal with these three dream demons.” It’s one thing to create a fun, mysterious origin for a character, but I feel like a lot of studios over the years have sort of overthought it.

They just start adding too much to the point of it being layered with all the layers. Like with the Halloween stuff [in Halloween 5 and 6] where it’s like cults, and the curse, and these tattoos. I was like, “What the f*** are you talking about?” With Sam, there are definitely aspects of his lore and his mythology that we could expand on, and I hope to in terms of how he comes back year after year, where he goes to, and things like that, but I would never do any sort of flashback to ancient Ireland and show some kid being sacrificed and throw him to a pumpkin creature. That would just ruin his mystique.

We know you said at the Beyond Fest screening that the sequel’s in active development, and I know you probably can’t talk much more about it. But we’ve got to ask this; given the success of American Horror Story and its anthology format, would you ever consider bringing back some of the same actors from the original, but just in different roles?

Dougherty: No, because I feel like that’s very much American Horror Story’s approach and style. I’d rather stay consistent. If I’m bringing cast members back, it would be in the same roles, not that that’s currently a plan within the piece. To me, it would throw me off. I do like it in American Horror Story. I think it works for them, but it’d also feel like we’re just ripping them off if we did that.

Final question: Who is your favorite kid from the School Bus Massacre story?

Dougherty: Ooh, good question. That’s a really, really good question. I don’t know if I have one. I’m looking at [a picture of them] right now. It might be Buddha head, because that particular mask was actually a gift that was given to me by my family. Honestly, I love them all. It’s a really hard choice. They’ve really started to develop their own following, which I never imagined happening, but Chuckles the Clown Girl is now a Funko Pop!, and Spirit Halloween has started to manufacture their masks and costumes too, so I’m happy that they’re finally getting some love alongside Sam.

Well, we definitely can’t wait for the inevitable follow-up. Or whatever form Trick ‘r Treat takes next.

Dougherty: Thanks. If I’ve learned anything from this experience, it’s all about patience and persistence.

Editor’s Note: Nerdist is a subsidiary of Legendary Digital Networks.

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From horror movies and trick-or-treating, to costume parties and haunted houses, the Halloween season gives us so much to enjoy. But there’s another great way to get into the spooky spirit, too, all while enjoying a cup of Witch’s Brew with your friends and family. You can host a Halloween-themed board game night with a tabletop adventure that embraces the best of Halloween. If you’re not sure which one is right for you, though, we have you covered. Here are seven spooky board games to play this October.

Mysterium

Mysterium brings a silent ghost to the table, as one player serves as a murder victim speaking to the living through visions (a.k.a. picture cards). Over the course of the game, which runs around 45 minutes, you’ll try to solve the mystery as a medium deciphering these unspoken clues. Set the light lows and keep communication to a bare minimum and you’ll start to feel the intensity of the moment. However, if you keep the lights on this is also a great game to play with kids, too, especially since it’s easy to create “teams” of mediums rather than have individual players. This is a fantastic party game that an accommodate far more than 2-7 players.

Last Friday

It’s obvious which slasher horror movie franchise inspired Last Friday. A machete wielding sociopath will hunt you down at a remote summer camp for a weekend in 1980. That is unless you play as the dangerous supernatural sociopath. Running anywhere from 30 minutes to two hours, the hidden movement game features four chapters. Over the course of play you’ll go from hunted to hunter, back to fighting for survival. And while you won’t actually die, you’ll still feel the terror of a killer sneaking up on you.

Betrayal at House on the Hill

This spooky list wouldn’t be complete without Betrayal at House on the Hill, a terrific haunted house game you can enjoy with your family, at parties, or alongside more serious board game devotees. In (roughly) 60 minutes of gameplay you’ll create your own haunted abode with tiles and detailed game pieces, making each sit down unique. But the real fun comes during the endgame. That’s when one of the (up to six) players learns they must work against everyone else. The others must stop the betrayer before they ruin everything. That twist adds a whole extra layer of excitement to an already suspenseful and spooky game.

Dead of Winter: A Crossroads Game

It doesn’t get much spookier than trying to survive inside a small colony in a post-apocalyptic world overrun by zombies. That setting provides a real sense of dread and terror while playing Dead of Winter: A Crossroads Game. Two to five players, each overseeing their own group of characters, must deal with dangers both inside and outside the colony. That involves making some hard choices over one to two hours that will have you questioning your own morality. But while everyone must work together to survive, what makes Dead of Winter so good is that each person has their own secret objective. To win you must also achieve this goal, which might mean working against everyone else. Zombies, starvation, and disease aren’t the only things to fear with this game,

Tiny Epic Zombies

Not every Halloween-appropriate board game has to be terrifying. They can also be fun, quick, and easy to play. That’s what you’ll get for 30 to 45 minutes when you sit down to the addictive Tiny Epic Zombies. Designed for 1-5 players, the game features five different game modes. You can also opt for a cooperative play through or compete against each other. You can even decide if the game itself or players control the zombies. And whether you’re attempting to survive the living dead from inside a mall, save everyone, or trying to kill the living, you can enjoy both sides of the battle. Especially if you die during the game. The fun isn’t over if that happens, you simply become a zombie. Now that’s an appropriate way to celebrate Halloween.

Letters from Whitechapel

Who was Jack the Ripper? History might never know, but for anywhere from 90 minutes to more than two hours someone at your table will be the infamous killer. Letters from Whitechapel puts two to six players in the middle of his 19th century killing spree. The person playing as Jack the Ripper has one goal: claim five victims (the Wretched) before the game ends. The others all work as police detectives trying to cross paths (literally) with the serial killer before he strikes again. The only thing missing from the unsettling Letters from Whitechapel is Jack’s top hat. And, fortunately, actual victims.

Pandemic

There are many versions of Pandemic you can play, but for 45 minutes two to four people still can’t go wrong with the original co-op game. It features what may now be the scariest premise in all of board game history. Terrible diseases are running rampant across the planet, and you must work together to help stamp out hot spots, build research labs, and find cures before humanity succumbs to these killer viruses. But no matter how well you’re doing, Epidemic! cards will make things worse when you can least handle the pressure.

Just make sure if you do sit down to play it everyone is fully vaxxed and healthy. A spooky board game is a great way to celebrate Halloween. But only because the terror is limited to your tabletop.

Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist. You can follow him on Twitter at @burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.

The post 7 Spooky Board Games to Play This Halloween appeared first on Nerdist.

Ever since the Halloween franchise returned with the titular 2018 reboot, the new trilogy has been on a quest to excavate Laurie Strode’s (Jamie Lee Curtis) past trauma. It’s been an uneven journey. The brutal retconning of the first entry charmed many viewers. It also broke box office records as Curtis returned to her iconic Final Girl role. This reviewer wasn’t a fan of the second entry, Halloween Kills. But the third film, fittingly titled Halloween Ends is an ambitious and unexpected story that serves as a fitting send off for the Strode family. 

In some ways Halloween Ends makes the new Halloween trilogy feel almost like Sam Raimi’s beloved Evil Dead. It’s not that they’re similar in tone. David Gordon Green’s Halloween is far more serious and grim. However, with Halloween Ends it feels like Green has made the same film three times. However, just like Army of the Dead, the final Halloween jumps the shark in a way that worked. Each entry is about Laurie dealing with her trauma, but Ends sticks the landing in a way the others didn’t. Not only that, it takes a narrative risk that will likely prove divisive but that makes it point in a far more powerful way than either of his two previous films. 

Set four years after the events of the last film, which saw the town of Haddonfield succumb to its own anger and hatred of Michael Myers, we find Laurie healing. She’s writing a book, living with her granddaughter Allyson (Andi Matichak), and healthily grieving the death of her daughter. RIP Judy Greer. The pair still reside in Haddonfield, which is questionable and inevitable. But before we join them, we get a brutally effective cold open that stands as one of the franchise’s most shocking moments. It also serves as our introduction to Corey (Rohan Campbell). The gruesome tragedy defines his life and sets him on a collision course with Michael Myers. 

How much you care about or relate to Corey and Allyson’s stories will define your enjoyment of the film. But this is still Laurie Strode’s tale as she attempts to move past the horrors she’s experienced. Curtis is infinitely watchable as always, the broken-yet-beaten heart of the film. Both Matichak and Campbell balance their complex central plot well as they keep the audience invested even in the bleakest of moments. Campbell has the hardest job out of any cast member and he delivers in every scene. It’s difficult to talk about the gravitas and empathy he brings in a spoiler-free review, but believe us when we say he succeeds. Green shoots Halloween Ends in a flickering atmospheric tone that builds tension constantly even though the movie is far less concerned with mystery than your usual slasher. That tone is cemented by brilliant sound design that constantly keeps you on edge. 

Halloween Ends marks a high point for the new trilogy. If this really is the last Halloween film, it’s a worthy if uneven finale. But if not, it’ll be interesting to see where it goes next.

Halloween Ends hits theaters and Peacock on October 14.

Halloween Ends ⭐ (3 of 5)

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A couple obsessed with Halloween and Stranger Things are putting on quite the show in their yard in Plainfield, Illinois, just outside of Chicago. The garage is covered in Upside Down vines, Billy’s grave and Demogorgons line the driveway, and a possessed Max hangs from midair. They show off the decorations on the @horrorprops TikTok channel, including some behind the scenes and instructional videos. The illusions are amazing, as are the secrets behind them.  

The levitation must be a sight to see in person. A life-sized, perfectly costumed Max hangs in the air just like in the show. She’s even got headphones on, hopefully playing “Running Up That Hill” on repeat.  
There’s also a version of Max sitting in front of Billy’s grave, which is a build they share a how-to post about. They sometimes have to take levitating Max down due to bad weather, but the chiming clock, vines, and other parts of the experience remain in place. 

We heard about these hard core fans on DesignTAXI. It must be disconcerting to look out the window and see a child suspended in the air. The neighbors are probably used to it by now though, based on the fact that the couple has posted about their elaborate Halloween decorations for years. Their Facebook page shows the couple has been busy for months. They made much of the Upside Down out of pool noodles and aluminum foil, but it looks extremely realistic thanks to their techniques.

For those who want to know how they got Max to levitate, the video below shows a little hint. They strung fishing line between a streetlight and the house. Surprise! Obviously it’s not real, but it’s still a really impressive feat.

Melissa is Nerdist’s science & technology staff writer. She also moderates “science of” panels at conventions and co-hosts Star Warsologies, a podcast about science and Star Wars. Follow her on Twitter @melissatruth.

The post Max Levitates Over This STRANGER THINGS Halloween Display appeared first on Nerdist.

We’ve been waiting years for a follow-up to the Halloween classic Trick ‘r Treat. The film is now celebrating its 15th anniversary with its first major theatrical rollout. As for how a movie can be 15 years old and just get a theatrical release? Well, for that story, we suggest clicking here. And while more of the story is uncertain, Michael Dougherty’s Trick ‘r Treat has had several comic book prequels and sequels over the years. And now, thanks to Kickstarter, they’re hoping collect them all in a new omnibus just in time for Halloween. You can watch the video for the new Kickstarter campaign below.

The Trick ‘r Treat comics omnibus official description says:

The Trick ‘r Treat 15th Anniversary Omnibus Collection is an oversized, 7.5″x11″ graphic novel featuring over 260 pages of content. Legendary Comics brings fans the full compendium of twisted Halloween tales, brought to life by a top-notch team of creators. These include writers Zach Shields (Godzilla: KOTM, Krampus) and Todd Casey (Krampus), writer Marc Andreyko (Batwoman), artist Fiona Staples (SAGA), Zid (Skull Island: Birth of Kong), Stuart Sayger (Bram Stoker’s Death Ship), Stephen Byrne(Green Arrow),Grant Bond(Supernatural), Mike Huddleston (Man Bat), and Christopher Gugliotti (Texas Chainsaw Massacre).

This new collected edition showcases the original Trick ‘r Treat graphic novel adaptation of the film. It also contains four tales of horror interwoven into one unforgettable Halloween night. They all feature the spirit of Halloween night himself, Sam, paying a visit to the unsuspecting participants of All Hallows Eve. This occurs in Trick ‘r Treat: Days of the Dead, the sequel story featuring Sam on a journey through Halloween history. These stories feature Western pioneers discovering the dark side of the frontier, and a tale set in 1950s Los Angeles. Not to mention a horrifying night in small-town America, where some pranksters are taught a lesson they’ll never forget.

For more information, and to check out all the rewards, be sure to head on over to the official Trick ‘r Treat omnibus Kickstarter page.

Editor’s Note: Nerdist is a subsidiary of Legendary Digital Networks.

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The early 1990s was a weird, transitional phase for the horror genre. The slasher boom, which was accompanied by a werewolf boom and a vampire boom, had burned out by the end of the decade. The last Halloween and Friday the 13th entries in 1989 performed poorly at the box office, as did Freddy Krueger’s that same year.

So what would horror become in the following decade? Especially after ten years of wild excess? Well, after the huge success of The Silence of the Lambs in 1991, horror would get bigger, glossier, and a little more respected. 1992 was a peak year for the genre during that decade. And here are some of the horror (and horror adjacent) movies from that year, each currently celebrating its 30th anniversary. Ones that you should definitely check out this Spooky Season.

Alien 3

Let’s get the facts out of the way; Alien 3 is nowhere near as good as Alien or Aliens. And it’s definitely not the sequel anyone was expecting after James Cameron’s incredible action-packed second film. But Alien 3, which was David Fincher’s directorial debut, still has much atmosphere and enough genuinely unsettling moments that make it worth watching.

Sigourney Weaver is as incredible as ever as Ellen Ripley, now the only woman trapped on a penal planet with an assortment of murderous male prisoners. Oh, and one very murderous xenomorph who has been stalking her for years. Throughout, you can see the hints of the brilliant director Fincher would become, even when it gets lost in the film’s meanderings. Worth watching at least once. And at the very least, it’s better than Alien: Resurrection.

Army of Darkness

Technically, this movie came out in North America in 1993. But since they released it first in Europe in 1992, we’re going to count this as a ’92 movie. Sam Raimi completed his original Evil Dead trilogy with this one, which maintained the horror/comedy style of Evil Dead 2. But Army of Darkness didn’t just rehash the second movie. Raimi made a horror/medieval fantasy/time travel hybrid comedy, which is filled with visual flair, and one amazing punchline after another. This movie fully perfected Raimi’s visual style in fact. And Army of Darkness truly made Bruce Campbell’s Ash an icon, and many people consider this one the best of the Evil Dead trio.

Bram Stoker’s Dracula

Dracula had been brought to life literally dozens of times on screen before 1992, most memorably by Bela Lugosi and then later, by Christopher Lee and Frank Langella. But Francis Ford Coppola did what no other big screen adaptation had done before, and stick to the plot of Stoker’s novel (With a little Anne Rice-style Goth romanticism thrown in for good measure). The result was an absolutely unique film.

Gary Oldman gives an all-time performance as the undead Prince Vlad of Transylvania, as does Anthony Hopkins as Dr. Van Helsing. (Keanu Reeves and Winona Ryder are also in this movie. That’s all I’ll say about that). The true reason this movie shines so brightly is the absolute feast for the eyes and ears it is. Every frame is a visual wonder, and the score is rapturous. With this film, we pick up new details with each viewing.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Buffy the Vampire Slayer is one of the most iconic TV shows of all time. But it simply wouldn’t have existed without this horror comedy, released five years earlier. Truthfully, a lot of this movie doesn’t work; the tone is all over the place, and a lot of the jokes just don’t land. But Paul Reubens is amazing and hilarious as the vampire lackey who just won’t die. And the basic idea of a ditzy cheerleader who was born to be the killer of the undead yields a few memorable comedic moments. Sarah Michelle Gellar would later make anyone instantly forget Kristy Swanson ever slayed a vamp. But this movie has its charms.

Candyman

Say his name five times. We dare you. Although the re-imaging/legacy sequel that came out in 2021 was excellent, Bernard Rose’s original Candyman is the root from which it sprang. Based on a Clive Barker short story, Candyman is deeply creepy, and one of the best films to explore the power of urban legends on our collective psyches. And the incredible Tony Todd instantly joined the ranks of horror icons like Freddy and Jason from this one performance. We would also be remiss not to mention the score from composer Philip Glass. One of the best horror scores ever, not just from the ‘90s. This is an important film in the African-American horror genre, and ultimately the entire horror genre, period.

Dr. Giggles

The slasher genre had burned out by the time Dr. Giggles came out in 1992, and died a pretty quick death at the box office. But years of VHS rentals at the height of the Blockbuster Video explosion made this cheese-fest beloved by some today. Essentially, the titular “Dr. Giggles” was a deranged mental patient, whose father was a doctor who collected the hearts of his patients for a deranged experiment. His son, played by Larry Drake, now escaped from the asylum, goes on a killing spree in the great slasher tradition, even if he himself was never exactly a great slasher. They showed this one at many a ‘90s teen slumber party.

Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth

The first two Hellraiser films are pillars of ‘80s horror, and Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth… is not quite that. This was the first Hellraiser film to lose Clive Barker in all but name, and it winds up feeling like a generic horror movie of the era because of it. Still, it can’t be all bad as long as Doug Bradley is our Pinhead, and also gets a chance to play the human he once was. The wildly blasphemous scene of Pinhead imitating Christ’s crucifixion saying “I am the way” almost makes up for the Cenobite with CDs in his head who used to be a DJ. We’re not really sure what that was about.

Sleepwalkers

Although not one of the greatest Stephen King adaptations, Sleepwalkers is nevertheless quite a guilty pleasure. The film’s plot is about the last two survivors of a vampiric species of shapeshifters. Ones that drain the life force of human female virgins. There are a lot of fun moments in this one, but it never quite lives up to the King name. Starring Brian Krause. later of Charmed, Twin Peaks’ Madchen Amick, and future Borg Queen Alice Krige, the screenplay was actually an original work written by King for the screen. It doesn’t live up to the quality of his best stories, but at least it’s better than Maximum Overdrive.

Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me

David Lynch and Mark Frost’s original Twin Peaks TV series, centering on the murder investigation of homecoming queen Laura Palmer, often felt like it lived in the aftermath of a horror film. Well, David Lynch’s 1992 prequel to the series, Fire Walk With Me, is that horror film. And it brought every disturbing hint and subtext from the show to the surface in a totally unforgettable way. The movie was not sold as a horror film, much to the anger of some ticket buyers. But that’s exactly what it was. There are images and moments in this film so disturbing they’ll stick with you forever. A crucial part of the overall Twin Peaks story, and one of the ’90s best horror films.

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In the pantheon of horror films, there are several iconic movies specifically revolving around All Hallows’ Eve. Chiefly, that one about the killer in the William Shatner mask. But over the past few years, another Halloween-theme horror film has won the hearts of spooky season fans the world over: director Michael Dougherty’s anthology horror Trick ‘r Treat. And it did this all without a proper theatrical release. But at last, Trick ‘r Treat is hitting theaters nationwide this fall. A celebratory screening at Beyond Fest is even kicking off its theatrical run on October 1. And there’s even a new promotional video announcing Trick ‘r Treat‘s arrival this Halloween season, which you can view right here:

So how did this now-beloved horror/comedy go from a long-held back film to a cherished classic, with merchandise everywhere you look during October? Well, it all started with a short. Back in 1996, future Godzilla director Michael Dougherty, whose birthday happens to fall on October 31, created an animated short film while still in film school called Season’s Greetings. The titular season was not Christmas, but Halloween. The 4-minute short introduced the world to Sam, the spirit of the Halloween season. Dressed in footy pajamas with a sackcloth over his head, Sam didn’t take kindly to anyone who disrespected the night of Samhain. (Get it? Sam? Samhain? Yeah, you get it.)

Dougherty would hold on to this idea for years. As his screenwriting credits for hits like X2: X-Men United, Urban Legends: Bloody Mary, and Superman Returns piled up, he got the chance to take the idea of Sam from Season’s Greetings and expand it into his feature-length directorial debut, Trick ‘r Treat. This anthology horror film was an homage to ‘80s classics like Creepshow and Twilight Zone: The Movie. But with a bit of Pulp Fiction interconnected storytelling. The film was dripping in classic Americana Halloween imagery, and managed to be both scary and hilarious.

The film, which they shot in Vancouver for a budget of $12 million dollars, starred Dylan Baker (Spider-Man 2) and reunited X2 co-stars Anna Paquin and Brian Cox. They set it to release on October 7, 2007. But its distributor Warner Bros. got cold feet and delayed its release. They never gave a firm reason as to why. Some believe it’s because the movie showed the death of kids, and that’s apparently a big no-no. (Had no one seen Jaws? Or It?) Other reasons bandied about were that at the height of the “torture porn” cycle of horror, the studio didn’t know how to market a horror/comedy. So this fantastic movie just sat on the shelf.

Luckily, the film was allowed to play at film festivals. In 2007 and 2008, Trick ‘r Treat played to over five packed festival screenings around the country. And audiences immediately fell in love with it, and raved about it on the internet. Fans begged Warner Bros. to release it, as everyone who saw it knew this movie was an instant classic. Finally, the studio relented, and Trick ‘r Treat got a straight-to-home video release in 2009. Not quite the theatrical release it deserved, but at least now everyone could see it. And everyone did. The film’s reputation grew quickly and the film—and its adorably evil icon Sam—became cult favorites.

In the decade and a half since it was meant to be released in theaters, Trick ‘r Treat has become a Halloween season staple. It’s right up there with The Nightmare Before Christmas and John Carpenter’s classic Halloween. During the spooky season, you can find all kinds of Trick ‘r Treat merchandise now, from T-shirts to Funko Pop! Toys and comic books to high-end Halloween decorations. One year, FEARnet even played the film on a 24-hour loop on October 31. It also had its own maze at Universal Halloween Horror Nights. That right there is how you know your film has become part of the pop culture fabric.

Now, 15 years later, Trick ‘r Treat will finally have the wide theatrical release it always deserved. As Hannibal Lecter once said, “all good things to those who wait.” Sam deserves to have his day, or, rather, month, to shine.

Editor’s Note: Nerdist is a subsidiary of Legendary Digital Networks.

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Even though its origins lie thousands of years ago in Celtic Ireland, Halloween, as we know it and celebrate it today, is a uniquely American holiday. (Like many things of American origin, like jazz and comic books, we’ve now exported it globally). But depending on one’s age, Halloween can be a very different holiday for you. It means when thing when you’re seven, and quite another when you’re seventy.

No movie reflects the difference in what Halloween means to you depending on your age more than Mike Dougherty’s Trick ‘r Treat. The horror/comedy anthology, which is finally hitting theaters nationwide this October, captures just what October 31 means to different age groups better than any other film. Here, we detail all the ways Trick ‘r Treat exemplifies what the holiday means for us at different stages in life. If you haven’t seen the film, then be aware, spoilers abound here. (But really, go watch Trick’ Treat).

Halloween as a Young Child: It’s All About the Candy

When you’re a little kid, Halloween night is all about one thing — trick or treating. There’s nothing as cool between the ages of 5 and 12 as getting the freedom to harass your entire neighborhood for candy. We saw this with the characters of Shrader, Macy, Sara, and Chip in the film, who they introduced to us as trick-or-treaters. (These characters later fell into the next category, but we’ll get to that). Of course, the school bus massacre kids represented an even younger group of trick-or-treaters. Ones who will stay at that young age for all eternity.

Halloween as a Preteen: Playing Pranks

When you’re in that middle school/early high school age during October 31, you’re kind of too old for trick or treating, but too young to go out and party. So what do you do? Well, at this insufferable age, it’s all about playing pranks. We saw it with young Charlie, who decides his All Hallows Eve enjoyment will come from knocking over pumpkins. (Others played a more deadly prank on him later). Then the group of kids we met, Shrader, Macy, Sara, and Chip, played a cruel prank on social outcast Rhonda, in order to scare her to death. She ultimately got the last laugh on them though.

Halloween as a Young Adult: Party Time

When you’re a young adult, in your late teens to early 30s, Halloween takes on a whole new meaning for you. It’s now about living that carnival life. Dressing up as something you wish you were (often sexy), and frankly, getting very intoxicated. We saw this with the characters at the beginning of the film, the young married couple Henry and Emma. Henry enjoyed Halloween more than Emma did. Which is why she met such a grisly fate at the hands of Sam. But the werewolf sisters, Maria, Janet, Danielle, and Laurie exemplified adult Halloween best in the film. These lupine ladies really knew a thing or two about partying on Halloween night.

Halloween as a Parent: Teaching Your Kids the Traditions

When you become a parent of a child and they hit the age where Halloween becomes an important part of their lives, the holiday changes for you again. It becomes about sharing the traditions. Passing down what you were taught. Not to mention, helping them make costumes. And of course, carving Jack O’ Lanterns with them, and showing them how do it right. We saw this in the Trick ‘r Treat storyline with Mr. Wilkins and his young son Billy. Although, their father/son traditions were probably a bit more grisly than the ones you remember having with your folks. At least, we sure hope so.

Halloween as an Older Person: Get Off My Lawn

Finally, when you’re a senior citizen, you’ve just about had enough of the ghoulish holiday. You just want to sit and be left alone and watch TV. And preferably not get up every five minutes to get to the door and give candy to strange kids. Brian Cox’s Mr. Kreeg represented this stage in life best. The eternally grouchy neighbor who just wanted people to leave him alone on Halloween night. Maybe if he had been a little more festive and was willing to get into the spirit of things and pass out treats, he wouldn’t have had to face the wrath of Sam on Halloween night. The lesson here: embrace the spirit of the holiday even if you are elderly. It might be better for your health.

Editor’s Note: Nerdist is a subsidiary of Legendary Digital Networks

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Since its direct-to-home video release in 2007, watching Trick ‘r Treat has become a hallowed Halloween tradition for many horror fans. The delightful cult anthology film comes from the mind of Mike Dougherty (Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Krampus) and centers around Sam, a young trick-or-treater in a burlap onesie. It’s basically a rule that you have to watch Trick ‘r Treat every spooky season. But the film has never had a theatrical release… until now! This year, Trick ‘r Treat will be heading into US cinemas for the first time ever. The 15th anniversary celebration of this film will kick off with a free celebratory Beyond Fest screening on October 1. Then Trick ‘r Treat will unleash its horrors on the big screen in theaters. To this epic flick, let’s rank its chilling and iconic spooky stories.

6. “Opening”

Simple but very effective, this efficient short establishes everything you need to know about Trick ‘r Treat. As Emma and Henry return home from their celebrations, it quickly becomes clear that the former is a Halloween grinch while the latter is a passionate follower. When Emma blows out the jack o’ lanterns before midnight, she falls victim to the Halloween spirit known as Sam. He’s the burlap-sacked mascot who enforces the rules of Halloween, the film’s core recurring figure, and now a spooky season icon who weaves the interlocking stories together. 

5. “Conclusion”

It’s hard to really rank the opening and closing segments of the movie as they’re so integral to the journeys of each of the characters. “Conclusion” barely edges out “Opening” because of its ending. We revisit the elderly Mr. Kreeg as he hands out candy to trick-or-treaters. We see Henry and Emma, Rhonda, and the “Surprise Party” posse. But it’s Kreeg’s final visitors who make their mark as they get their ghastly and long-awaited revenge. It packs a real punch and ties together Trick ‘r Treat‘s wonderfully creepy stories perfectly. 

4. “Sam”

Brian Cox stars in this extremely spooky segment. Cox’s cranky old man Mr. Kreeg keeps breaking the rules of Halloween… and we all know what happens when you do that. The showdown between Sam and Kreeg is full of fun, pranks, and of course a certain amount of violence. And for fans of Sam, this segment gives the audience the most action from this character. It also delivers a massive reveal about Kreeg that connects him to one of the bleakest and best segments of the film and sets up his ultimate fate. 

3. “Surprise Party”

Anna Paquin shines in this deliciously demented take on Halloween monster lore. As a group of friends heads out to a Halloween party, Laurie (Paquin) struggles to embrace her wild side as the crew hunts down dates. After deciding to go alone and look for a date on her own terms, Laurie finds herself in the woods being stalked by a strange hooded figure. Her fate looks like a foregone conclusion. But “Surprise Party” quickly turns that classic setup on its head as Laurie turns out to be far less innocent than she seems. If you’re a monster movie lover, this’ll likely be a standout. Plus, it features one of many John Carpenter references in the anthology film thanks to Paquin’s Laurie, a nod to Halloween’s Laurie Strode. 

2. “Principal”

Dylan Baker has long been one of the most talented and terrifying character actors. And he delivers another chilling performance in Trick ‘r Treat. As a local principal with a terrible secret, Baker channels both Norman Bates and Michael Myers in the best possible way. This is one of the most memorable Trick ‘r Treat entries and the most twisty for sure. We bet you can’t guess where it’s going until it’s final reveal. Plus, Principal Wilkins shows up in another entry in a perfectly twisted and unexpected fashion. “Principal” definitely comes close to topping the final entry in our list; however, there’s another extremely satisfying story that even by Baker cannot beat.  

1. “Halloween School Bus Massacre”

Undoubtedly the most haunting and horrific segment of Trick ‘r Treat, “Halloween School Bus Massacre” introduces us to a group of teens heading out to pull a classic Halloween prank. They go to the local quarry and try to freak someone out with a tale of murder and mayhem. But the crew accidentally invokes the vengeful souls who died there. Taking on ableism, filicide, and the complicity of society in both, this heartbreaking tale comes with a cathartic and brutal twist. Sam might be the spirit of Halloween, but his tales often have moral lessons and this one is a doozy. Just like the rest of the stories in Trick ‘r Treat, it also smartly connects to the other segments. But you’ll have to revisit the Halloween classic to discover how. 

Editor’s Note: Nerdist is a subsidiary of Legendary Digital Networks.

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Though it’s still almost 100 degrees while I write this, we are officially in spooky season. September has hit and with it comes the promise of ghosts, ghouls, and warm spiced cider. Basically all the loveliest things fall has to offer. To help you make the most of this delightful time I’ve curated a list of 15 brilliant books to help you embrace Halloween. From final destination-inspired folk horror to witchy romance there are plenty of new stories for every type of reader. So wrap up warm—or get your fan running—and prepare ready to get spooky with these Halloween book recommendations.

The Weight of Blood by Tiffany D. Jackson – Available Now

Taking on a legendary horror novel like Carrie is no easy feat but in The Weight of Blood, Tiffany D. Jackson does just that and makes it look effortless. This contemporary YA reimagining centers Madison Washington, a young biracial woman in Georgia. As her high school embarks on its first integrated prom the star quarterback asks Madison to the dance. She’s always been an outcast but prom offers a chance to be “normal.”

However, as anyone who has read Carrie knows, things aren’t what they seem. Madison has a secret too and it’s a powerful one. 

The Gathering Dark: An Anthology of Folk Horror by Various Authors – Available Now

Folk horror is one of our favorite genres here at Nerdist. And there have been some brilliant new additions and explorations of the genre in recent years.  A new anthology featuring a ton of brilliant authors looks to add to that this fall. Collecting tales from Erica Waters, Chloe Gong, Tori Bovalino, Hannah Whitten, Allison Saft, and more, this book takes on local myths, urban legends, and classical folklore bringing them to life in terrifying ways. A perfect autumn read that will deliver a story for every kind of spooky season mood. 

How to Survive Your Murder by Danielle Valentine – Available Now

Slasher fans rejoice! Danielle Valentine has delivered a Scream level meta-homage horror that delivers wild final girl fan service. When a man stabs Alice’s sister Claire during a Halloween party, Alice’s life falls apart. She spent years studying horror to stay safe and yet she let her sister go into a corn maze alone. But just as Alice is about to testify against the man who killed her sister she’s attacked by a Sidney Prescott look-alike who throws her back in time to the night Claire was killed. Alice has until midnight to find out the truth about what happened and save her sister in this wonderfully twisted thriller. 

Angelika Frankenstein Makes Her Match by Sally Thorne – Available Now

Looking for something more romantically inclined but with a spooky gothic edge? Then look no further than Angelika Frankenstein Makes Her Match. This charming spin on the classic Mary Shelley yarn sees the titular inventor become inspired by her more famous brother’s experiments to create a man all her own. Angelika’s delightfully chaotic choice sparks the events of the book. It leads her on a monstrous romance featuring plenty of candles, shadows, and a mystery to be solved.

Raising the Horseman by Serena Valentino – Available Now

Disney has been doing a delightful job of recontextualizing some of their most famous films recently. And their newest title takes on The Legend of Sleepy Hollow! Kat Van Tassel is sick of the legend that defines her family. But when her mother gifts her her namesake’s diary on a very special anniversary, Kat is suddenly dragged into the very past she’s desperate to ignore. Then, when a delightful new girl arrives to town, Kat suddenly has to reimagine her life, her history, and her love life while trying to solve a 200-hundred-year-old mystery to save the place she loves.

The Depths by Nicole Lesperance by Available Now

We’ve been getting a lot of great tropical horror recently and The Depths is another delightfully terrifying addition. When Addie’s mother drags her along to her secluded island honeymoon Addie couldn’t be less enthused. Eulalie Island seems like a paradise but Addie is lonely and tired. That is until she meets a mysterious boy who tells her the “island loves you” and suddenly Eulalie Island opens itself up to her. But behind the beautiful foliage and sandy beaches lie dark secrets connected to the deaths of two girls. 

Lucky Girl, How I Became a Horror Writer: A Krampus Story by M. Rickert – Available Now

If you can’t wait until Christmas but want to embrace the inherent spookiness of the season, make sure to add this to your to-read list. Lucky Girl, How I Became a Horror Writer: A Krampus Story takes place over the festive season as a lonely young writer, Ro, hopes to find companionship. After bumping into some strangers in a diner she organizes an impromptu dinner party which quickly becomes a stage from shared ghost stories. But stories have a certain power and at Christmas the veil between worlds is thinner than ever…

Valley of Shadows by Rudy Ruiz – Available September 20

This startling neo-Western blends the boundaries of horror, magical realism, and mystery. Solitario Cisneros’ life has been lost to tragedy. But when a savage series of killings begin to ravage his quiet life he has to reluctantly embrace the living once again. Finding unexpected inspiration and support from Onawa, a gifted and enchanting Apache-Mexican seer, the pair head into the desert. This genre-defying literary thriller delves deep into the dark past of the US Mexico border shining a light on the injustice, suffering, and isolation it’s built on. 

The Kiss Curse by Erin Sterling – Available September 20

Expanding the world of her charming witchy romance The Ex Hex, Erin Sterling returns to Graves Glen. It’s here we first met the founding Penhallows and Gwyn Jones. Cousin to the first book’s leading lady Vivi, Gwyn became a firm fan favorite and is now getting entangled with a new handsome Penhallow of her own. This time it’s Wells, the dutiful Penhallow son who has come home to set up shop in Graves Glen. But when a new band of witches arrives in town he’ll have to team up with Gwen. Don’t be surprised if some magical sparks fly. 

Demon in the Wood Graphic Novel by Leigh Bardugo and Dani Pendergast – Available September 27

If you know us here at Nerdist, then you know we love Shadow and Bone. Leigh Bardugo’s brilliant fantasy series has been delighting us for a decade and now she’s bringing the Darkling to comics. Adapting her prequel Demon in the Wood with artist Dani Pendergast this is an absolutely vital addition to the Shadow and Bone world and hopefully the first of many comic book stories set in the Grishaverse. Centering on the Darkling when he was just a boy, this tragic and beautiful story adds layers to the villain we know and the scared child he once was. 

Lute by Jenn Thorne – Available October 4

Final Destination meets The Wicker Man is this utterly enthralling folk horror story. Lute is the kind of book you’ll read in a single sitting. Lute takes its name from the small island where it’s set. Nina Treadway thought that The Day was nothing but a silly tradition when she first moved from Florida. Of course someone would have noticed if seven people died every seven years on the exact same day. But Nina is wrong. The Day is very real. Affecting, unexpected, and both terrifying and joyfu,l Lute is like nothing else you’ll read this year.

As a spooky season treat, Jenn Marie Thorne shared this exclusive insight into the story with Nerdist. “The origin of Lute is a mystery to even me. Sometimes my ideas come from news stories or events in my life, but in this case, the set-up for Lute simply popped into my head right before I fell asleep one night. Once I’d outlined the “what if,” though, bigger questions arose, ones that were definitely tied into what I was experiencing at the time, particularly as an American living in England, looking out at the shifting political landscape around me. I wanted to look at the personal choices we make when faced with fear—do we protect ourselves or embrace community? Often folk horror is about the perils of tradition, of the community over the individual. With Lute, I wanted to examine that more critically and turn it on its head.”

Malice House by Megan Shepherd – Available October 4 

There’s plenty of family-based horror on our list this spooky season and we’re eternally grateful. Excavating the horrors of home is fertile ground for genre and Malice House adds depth and darkness to a monstrously good tale. Haven Marbury wants nothing more than to be an artist, but the death of her father and a duty to clear out his rambling seaside home must be dealt with first. Uncovering a lost—and rather terrifying—manuscript by her Pulitzer-winning patriarch seems like the opportunity she needs but when the monsters from the pages begin to appear in her very real world, suddenly she has to rewrite everything she knows about herself and her life. 

Little Eve by Catriona Ward – Available October 11

Catriona Ward has firmly established herself as one of the best horror authors of our age with her novels Last House on Needless Street and Sundial. Little Eve focuses on another unusual family, this time living in an isolated area of Scotland during the early 1900s. This gothic novel already won the Shirley Jackson Award for Best Novel and promises to be a delightfully gothic chiller about family, home, and the end of the world. 

Will Do Magic for Small Change by Andrea Hairston – Available October 11

Another perfectly timed rerelease is Andrea Hairston’s stunning historical fantasy Will Do Magic For Small Change. This epic family saga follows Cinnamon Jones, the granddaughter of famed performers and conjurers, Redwood and Wildfire. You may have read their tale in Hairston’s award-winning 2011 novel. If not, no worries as this is a wonderful novel in its own right and a great jumping on point. When Cinnamon is given a book about a Dahomean warrior woman and an interdimensional alien at the 1893 World’s Fair, she’s drawn into a centuries old mystery that she dedicates herself to solving alongside her theater troupe in this utterly unique tale. 

Black Paradox by Junji Ito – October 25

It wouldn’t be Halloween without Junji Ito and Viz has a gorgeous new edition of one of his most infamous stories. Four strangers meet on a strange website known as Black Paradox: a nurse, Maruso; Taburo, a man with a strange obsession; an engineer, Pit-tan who has created something terrible; and Baracchi, a woman devastated by a birthmark on her face. There, they plan to end their lives. But their chance encounter leads them to an unexpected fate. Ito is a master for a reason and this lengthy tale showcases exactly why he’s as beloved as he is.

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Spirit Halloween, the seasonal chain that pops up ahead of the spooky holiday each year, never took up much space in my brain. Then musician Nick Lutsko came along. He made it so the store is never far from my mind or my ears, since I listen to his three theme songs every day. That’s why I’m convinced Nick is, at least spiritually, responsible for this unexpected news. Christopher Lloyd and Rachael Leigh Cook will star in a Spirit Halloween movie. This Spirit Halloween movie will also feature monsters based on the chain’s original animatronic creations.

Yeah, this is a real movie that is really happening. Production on the film has already wrapped.

According to the Spirit Halloween movie’s official Instagram, the film will feature monsters that are based on original animatronics created by Spirit Halloween.

So far, we know that Nightcrawler, Mr. Dark, and Buzzsaw will feature in the movie. Nightcrawler is a fiendish ghoul ready to consume you with his gaping maw. Mr. Dark, meanwhile, lurks in the shadows and feeds on your fears, anxieties, and wicked thoughts. Finally, Buzzsaw has some fearsome weapon-like hands. We wouldn’t want to run into these fellas after dark on Halloween night.

“When a new Spirit Halloween store appears in a deserted strip mall, three middle-school friends who think they’ve outgrown trick-or-treating make a dare to spend the night locked inside the store Halloween night,” reads the logline. https://t.co/IdyAgUSRnp pic.twitter.com/HDP0x8k5il

— Variety (@Variety) April 11, 2022

Variety reports Spirit Halloween is going from abandoned Circuit City locations to theaters. The costume shop teamed with Strike Back Studios, Hideout Pictures, and Particular Crowd for a family-friendly adventure movie. The site also provided an official synopsis and first image for the film (above).

When a new Spirit Halloween store appears in a deserted strip mall, three middle-school friends who think they’ve outgrown trick-or-treating make a dare to spend the night locked inside the store Halloween night. But they soon find out that the store is haunted by an angry evil spirit who has possessed the creepy animatronic characters. The kids embark on a thrilling and spooky adventure in order to survive the night and avoid becoming possessed themselves.

The film will also star Donavan Colan, Dylan Frankel, Jaiden Smith, Marissa Reyes, and Marla Gibbs. David Poag directs, in his feature debut, with a script from Billie Bates. As unlikely as this movie sounds, it’s honestly going to happen. The film finished shooting. Spirit Halloween is set to debut—when else?—this October, in time for Halloween.

That means there’s still time to make sure this movie is the best it can be. There’s still time to hire Nick Lutsko. Because, incredibly, right now he’s not. Here’s what he said about the film. (And this really is his official statement. I reached out to him for comment.)

Spirit Halloween the movie, please, do the right thing. (And the smart thing, lest your movie is only the second best Spirit Halloween movie release.) You have three Nick Lutsko theme songs to choose from. Or, better yet, hire him to write another one. He has experience writing family-friendly songs.

Remember, a lot of us never though about your store all that often. Not until Nick Lustko started writing theme songs for it. If he works on the film we won’t forget it’s coming out.

Originally published on April 11.

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The biggest shift in established character norms in Matt Reeves’ The Batman, aside from Colin Farrell doing whatever it is he’s doing, is the Riddler. Though ultimately still a super genius who uses riddles to keep Batman and the GCPD guessing, the Riddler is a truly terrifying figure, straight out of a horror movie. Yes, the real-life Zodiac Killer is a big influence on the character, but Reeves borrows more than a little from John Carpenter’s Halloween, making the Riddler a lot like Michael Myers.

In the very first scene of the movie, someone (we don’t know who right away) watches Mayor Don Mitchell Jr. (Rupert Penry-Jones) playing with his son in their penthouse. We see through the POV of this watcher, recognizing the binocular view. Quickly we realize we’re watching through the point of view of a baddie, and we later learn, it’s the Riddler (Paul Dano).

The opening sequence of John Carpenter’s 1978 masterpiece Halloween is a Steadicam POV shot from the point of view of some unseen watcher. Part of the way through this figure walking through the house with a pair of teenage lovers in it, a hand picks up a clown Halloween mask. For the rest of the sequence, we see through the eyeholes of the mask, which looks not unlike the Riddler’s binocular view.

Now you’re very likely thinking this is a bit of a stretch. Lots of movies have binocular POV shots. If it were only this one thing, I obviously wouldn’t have much of a case. But it’s not merely a coincidence, but a trend, friends.

Shortly into that same sequence, the action cuts to inside Mitchell’s penthouse as he watches news about his own reelection bid. He paces around and drinks bourbon or whatever. We then get a wide shot and we can see behind Mitchell a completely darkened other room. Slowly but suddenly, we see the Riddler, in full masked, lurking glory, appear out of the shadows, waiting for the moment to strike. He brutally beats Mitchell to death with an implement that ends up being very important to the plot.

This moment elicits an “Oh, sh*t” from the audience. We can see the impending doom of this character before they do. It’s a moment that directly mirrors a moment toward the end of Halloween in which Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) tries to catch her breath in a kitchen only for the Shape to appear out of the shadowy doorway behind her. It’s an effect that makes it seem like Michael Myers is the shadows, which Reeves is able to replicate in The Batman.

As if this weren’t enough, Reeves has the Riddler play one more Michael Myers cover a bit later in the movie. District Attorney Gil Colson (Peter Sarsgaard) stumbles back to his car after a night of drink and drugs at the Penguin’s Iceberg Lounge. He clumsily offers to take Selina Kyle (Zoe Kravitz) home, but luckily for her, she refuses. When he gets in, Gil notices the windows and windshield are all fogged up. Confused, he wipes a bit of it off and is too intoxicated to realize he’s not alone. The Riddler sits up in the backseat and grabs him.

This scene is unmistakable. An identical scene plays out in Halloween. Annie (Nancy Loomis) obliviously walks to her car to go get her boyfriend Paul. She forgets something and goes back in the house, but has left the door unlocked. When she returns, the windshield is suddenly all fogged up. She wipes a bit of it off but it’s too late. The Shape pops up from the backseat and grabs her. He attempts to strangle her, but when that proves difficult, the murderer cuts Annie’s throat.

Though these are the main references I spotted, there’s one more, subtler homage to Michael Myers. Way toward the end of The Batman, the Riddler allows the cops to catch him in a coffee shop. For the entire movie, we’ve only ever seen the Riddler in his monstrous, masked-up guise. But in the coffee shop, he has no mask. The cops pile in and Reeves holds off on showing us the Riddler’s true face for a good long while. And once the audience finally sees him…he’s just a guy. Nothing special about him at all. But because he has been a nigh-faceless creature for the entire runtime, it plays as a shock moment.

John Carpenter did the same thing at the end of Halloween. After Michael Myers manages to survive a number of stabbings, he grabs Laurie in a darkened upstairs landing. During a struggle, she pulls off his mask. For just a moment, the true Michael Myers is in the light. Audiences gasp. But, aside from a wounded eye (courtesy of Laurie and a wire coat hanger), Michael Myers isn’t a monster; he’s just a young dude. He might even be handsome under other circumstances.

Matt Reeves’ The Batman is all about masks, both literal and figurative, that obscure our characters’ true selves, and Gotham City’s true underbelly. Masks of civility, masks of brutality. For Michael Myers in Halloween, the mask is his true self. Just like the Riddler, and chiefly, just like Batman. The John Carpenter references in The Batman aren’t merely hollow nods, but reinforce all of the themes at the story’s center. Plus, they’re scary as hell.

For more The Batman Easter eggs and references, check out our full breakdown. The Batman is in theaters now.

Kyle Anderson is the Senior Editor for Nerdist. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Twitter!

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When most of us were kids, pumpkin carving at Halloween was a relatively simple affair. You carved a scary face, you put in a candle, and that was about it. But these days, pumpkin carving is a true art form. There are even televised competitions for it, on shows like Halloween Wars. Now, via Wired, we’ve learned just how complex pumpkin carving can get. Two-time Halloween Wars winner James Hall takes us on a step-by-step process in the video below:

The first level is the classic “basic” Jack-o’-Lantern. The kind we see on greeting cards, or in the opening credits to certain iconic slasher films. Level two is still your basic entry pumpkin, with a few more accents to give it an extra edge. This is what most of us usually can accomplish. Level three is the “realistic level,” which is where stuff starts getting difficult. And where it really helps if you’re a decent artist.

The fifth level goes into layered carving, while level six takes us into back carving territory. Level seven is when it gets really hard, as it’s all about 3D carving. This is when it goes from “carving” to “sculpting.” Once you get to level eight, you’re sculpting backgrounds into the pumpkin. And once you’ve reached levels nine through thirteen, you’re adding extra parts, lights, and even mechanical components.

Wired

When you see James Hall’s work on these pumpkins, you see why he managed to win Halloween Wars twice. But if you follow his instructions, you still have time to have some of the best pumpkins on your street this Halloween. If you head on over to James Hall’s YouTube channel, you can see his pumpkins for the Krayt Dragon from The Mandalorian, and the Eyeball Monster from Big Trouble in Little China. Maybe all this will inspire you to create your own pumpkin work of art.

The post Professional Pumpkin Carver Turns the Festive Practice into Art appeared first on Nerdist.

Just as science can occasionally go too far so too can people’s culinary pursuits. In a strikingly brutal demonstration of this axiom, Jonathan Surratt, a devout sandwich maker, has invented a “Candy Corn Dog” as a spooky treat in honor of Halloween. And folks, you can forget about Michael Myers or even Pinhead. Because this… thing is a truly demonic abomination.

The Takeout reported on Surratt’s crime against nutrition, which the sandwich maker first envisioned thanks to, what else but a Twitter thread. The Chicago Dogs, a professional independent baseball team, posted a picture of candy corn pieces sprinkled between two hot dog buns. Words were exchanged between Surratt and his pals, and with two simple words, “corn dogs,” the nightmare was born.

Surratt shows how to make the “Spooky Candy Corn Dog sandwich”—yes, that’s its full name—in a recent blog post. Surratt shows how to make the devil log in just eight simple steps, which essentially consists of cutting up a bunch of candy corn, melting like with like pieces in the microwave, and then mashing it all together into a Brat-that’s-just-the-wurst.

As for the end product, it’s quite gross looking. Obviously people love to give candy corn flak—it’s the pineapple pizza of candy—but it’s usually at least edible. The Candy Corn Dog sandwich, on the other hand, genuinely seems wrong. And almost makes us feel as if millions of candy corns across the globe are crying out in pain.

Evan-Amos/Czar

Regardless of how disgusting the Candy Corn Dog looks, we’re happy to see Surratt experimenting. Halloween is a time for experimentation, after all. With everything from digital light shows to costumes to robotics. And yes, even snacks. Although any type of Starburst footlong would be one Franken-food too far!

The post This Halloween Candy Corn Hot Dog Is an Edible Abomination appeared first on Nerdist.

Just as boiling the right amount of pasta for din-din is literally impossible, so too is knowing how much Halloween candy one needs to buy for trick-or-treaters. Or at least, it was impossible to know, because there’s now a “candy calculator” to help people solve that latter problem. Although it does require something far scarier than any trip through a haunted house: doing math.

Popular Mechanics picked up on the Halloween candy calculator, which is really more of a formula. Shipt, a grocery and pharmacy delivery service, and Mars Wrigley, the confectionary behind Skittles, Snickers, etc. came up with the calculator. Which, yes, may very well be a bit biased toward overstocking on delicious Halloween treats. Although we haven’t used the calculator IRL yet, so maybe not.

The White House

Regardless of its accuracy, the Halloween candy formula, which people can check out here, ostensibly seems useful. The formula only calls for simple addition, multiplication, and division, and folks don’t even need to worry about deploying PEMDAS. (By the way, PEMDAS could be a new candy bar, maybe? But you’d have to eat it in the right order!)

As for the actual calculation, the formula is: (T*K*G) + (D*F*S) = total candy pieces a person needs, where T represents the time in hours one plans to leave the lights on; K, the estimated number of kids per hour who ring the doorbell; G, the “generosity factor,” or how many pieces will go to each trick-or-treater; D, the number of days between the initial candy purchase and Halloween; F, the number of family members in the household; and S, the “sneaky factor, which represents the average number of candy pieces household members will eat per day. One then divides that “total candy pieces” number by 30, as there are, on average, 30 pieces of fun-size candy per bag.

For example, if somebody plans on buying candy on October 29 (D=3), expects to leave the lights on for two hours per night (T=2), will have roughly two trick-or-treaters visit per hour (K=2), will give each trick-or-treater three pieces of candy (G=3), has four—sneaky yet considerate—family members (F=4)(S=1), then that person should buy…about eight tenths of a bag of candy. Or round up to a single bag, as the folks at Vons may have an issue with fractional purchases.

There are caveats to the Halloween candy formula, of course. For example, the calculator’s creators say that if it rains, the final number of bags should be divided by 1.5. Or, conversely, you can check out Shipt’s map of the most popular candy types in each state (above). If you buy that type, it’ll probably move no matter what the weather’s like. Whether that movement be among sneaky F’s or trick-or-treating K’s.

The post Crack the Halloween Candy Conundrum With This Formula appeared first on Nerdist.

Just as LEGO and Star Wars blend together like a fine Sprite-Minute-Maid-Dr.-Pepper from a soda machine, so too do the building blocks and the holidays. In a new video, legendary LEGO builder and YouTuber Jason Alleman gives us a nice mix of LEGO and Halloween with a candy rocket launcher consisting of parts from the Mindstorms Robot Inventor kit. And all we can say is: we’d be honored to try and catch these aerial, arcing candies. (Even if they are some kind of SweeTarts….)

Alleman, who goes by JK Brickworks on YouTube, recently posted the above video of the LEGO candy rocket launcher to his channel. For those who don’t spend their free time watching LEGO build videos, Alleman is a master of the craft. In the past, Alleman’s built everything from an endlessly looping LEGO marble run to a functional LEGO Super Mario Pirhana Plant. And his LEGO particle accelerator is simply genius.

In his new video, Alleman shows how he built the candy rocket launcher. Using the LEGO Robot Inventor kit, which allows creators to use electronics and mechanical pieces for their constructions, Alleman assembled a pair of spinning wheels that can squeeze the knockoff SweeTarts between them. This imparts enough rotational energy to send the bizarrely ubiquitous tarts across the room. Just behind the spinning wheels, Alleman placed a SweeTarts loader that looks like it can take a dozen projectiles.

JK Brickworks

As for the actual effectiveness of the candy rocket launcher? It’s on point. Literally. Alleman demonstrates the final product around five-and-a-half minutes into the video and does so by setting up the launcher on a table across from a jack-o’-lantern. He then proceeds to send off the edible missiles in an attempt to make it inside the hollow pumpkin. After some misses, and redirections using the Inventor controller, he hits his target with a couple of real sweet shots.

The post Blast Halloween Treats From This LEGO ‘Rocket Launcher’ appeared first on Nerdist.

One of the joys of the YouTube era is the creation of holiday “Yule Logs.” Just visual ambiance on a loop to put you in the holiday mood. Now, usually, that holiday is Christmas. But lately, Halloween Yule Logs (or “ghoul logs”) have been all the rage. And we couldn’t be happier. And this year, horror fan Rob Sheridan has created a video log that represents the joys of Halloween Americana.

Rob Sheridan Productions created a video that has all the perfect old-school energy. Midnight Cinema is “a retro late-night cable TV haunted house yule log featuring classic horror playing on a glitchy 1969 Trinitron on a stormy night. Tonight’s feature: Bela Lugosi’s The Devil Bat.” You can watch the full Halloween Yule Log video right here:

For horror movie fans, this video from Ambient Worlds is sure to be a favorite. Using haunting imagery from the game Outlast 2, “Night of Terror” has musical cues from Friday the 13th, Halloween, The Exorcist, It, and more. And it’s a solid three hours long. Perfect background for any Halloween get-together.

Less scary is this Halloween ambiance video from Infinity Rooms. This one brings cozy All Hallow’s Eve vibes. It’s a two-hour loop of a pumpkin carving party, one that took several hours to create. It’s perfect for some non-scary ambiance that nevertheless evoke the season.

Infinity Rooms

Somewhere between “cozy” and “too scary” is this Haunted House yule log from SP Sounds Chill. This is mostly spooky (yet calming) white noise with a Halloween twist, and we definitely vibe with this one. This channel currently has twenty videos for this year’s season alone!

But if you’re in the mood for something creepier, this four-hour loop of scary sounds from Ambient Senses might be more up your alley. It’s witchy laughter, ghostly moans, and spectral whispers. All made to send a chill down your spine. And it is genuinely unnerving in parts. But that’s the idea, right?

There is no shortage of amazing Halloween Yule Logs on YouTube to check out. All of these just scratch the surface. And maybe they can inspire you to make one of your own. You’ve still got time before the spooky season is over.

The post This Year’s Halloween Yule Logs Bring All the Creepy Vibes appeared first on Nerdist.

The costume, which we first saw at The Mary Sue, clocks in at seven feet tall and features four of the chocolate-covered wafers. And it comes with a magnetic wrapper because, you know, the brand’s gotta stay strong.

KIT KAT

Now, here’s the real kicker. You can rock the costume in the classic four-piece set. Or break apart and pair off. But worry not, KIT KAT isn’t concerned if you stay together or split—after all, a KIT KAT is a KIT KAT. 

“Group costumes can be really hard to choose when you have so many people that need to agree, but luckily everyone loves and can agree on KIT KAT,” said Benita Chang-Godoy, Senior Brand Manager of KIT KAT. “It’s time to bring the perfect four-person Halloween costume that is a show-stopper to wear together but also really fun to break apart.”

KIT KAT

In order to enter, just tag a trio of palls you’d want to rock the KIT KAT costume with on the brand’s official Instagram or Facebook pages. The contest began on October 24, and runs until the end of October 27. So KIT KAT is really coming in under the wire here with this costume. Check out the full contest rules and maybe snag a KIT KAT for good luck.

The post KIT KAT Made a Group Costume with an Exit Plan appeared first on Nerdist.

National Museum of Ireland

So, where do these carved turnips enter the mix? The spooky lanterns ward off evil spirits roaming the earth. During this brief time of Samhain, Ancient Celts believed the veil between the living and the dead was at its most vulnerable. As such, spirits could roam the land of the living. It was an ominous time for the Celts, as noted by Smithsonian Magazine, where we first saw this.

Many feared stumbling into a wayward spirit. As such these carved root vegetables with carved faces and a candle lent some comfort. Those participating in Samhain celebrations mostly used turnips. However, potatoes and beets made appearances here and there.

The National Museum of Ireland in Castlebar is home to an exhibit on ancient Samhain festivals and the holiday’s role in celebrants’ lives. It remembers the traditions that remained up through the early 20th century.

Of course Samhain still exists today, albeit not quite as the ancient Celts celebrated it. For Wiccans and Pagans practicing Samhain, it’s a spiritual time for honoring the dead. While Samhain may be largely unfamiliar to those who aren’t practicing Pagans, Wiccans, or witches, the ancient Celtic festival is a direct ancestor to Halloween. Much has evolved since early Samhain celebrations, both its evolution as a festival celebrated by Pagans and its shift to mass popularity through All Hallow’s Eve, now Halloween. It’s fascinating to see how Samhain lives on.

The post Celts Used to Carve Turnips to Ward off Evil Spirits during Samhain appeared first on Nerdist.

Horror film history has some truly legendary addresses with real-world locations fans can visit. Think the Georgetown home from The Exorcist, or Michael Myers’ home in Pasadena, CA. But one of the most famous horror home locations is 1428 Elm Street, from the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise. The address is proper, but the street? It’s actually 1428 N. Genesee Avenue in Hollywood. And the house of your dreams, Freddy Krueger’s house, can now be yours. Fittingly, you only have until midnight on Halloween night to make an offer.

According to Dread Central, the iconic home of Nancy Thompson (Heather Langenkamp) is up for sale by its current owner, Hustlers director Lorene Scafaria. She bought the property in 2013 for $2.1 million. But now they’ve now put it back up for sale, and are asking for a not-so-dreamy $3.25 million. We highly doubt that Freddy Krueger can afford it anymore.

New Line Cinema

Built in 1919, the Dutch Colonial-style house is now over a century old. The window bars from Nancy’s house are long gone. But other than that, the home looks almost identical to how it looked in the first two Nightmare films. The iconic red door is now black, although in this video from January 2021, it was still red. Whoever buys it should immediately restore the red door and honor tradition. Or maybe blue, as it was blue in the first film.

The Nightmare house has fame for other reasons as well. Some very recent. Bo Burnham lived in the guest house of the iconic home, and filmed his lauded 2021 comedy special Bo Burnham Inside from there. As for why he was living in the guest house, he has been dating owner Lorene Scafaria since 2013. Fans only recently discovered that the special was so Freddy Krueger-adjacent.

But wait! The home on 1428 N. Genesee has one more classic horror connection. Horror aficionado Sean Clark discovered that while 95% of the interior shots of the house in the film were sets, the real interiors popped up in the television version of John Carpenter’s Halloween. They shot extra scenes for the original 1978 film during the Halloween II shoot. So before badass “Final Girl” Nancy Thompson called this spot home, OG Final Girl Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) lived there first. How cool is that? Yet one more reason this home is so iconic.

The post You Have Until Halloween Night to Buy Freddy Krueger’s House appeared first on Nerdist.

It’s Halloween time again (or Nerdoween time as we say around these nerdy parts) which means horror flicks, a wide array of candies, and, if you have the energy, decorating your home. For decoration inspiration, here’s one house in California that has a mind-blowing light show synced with the final piece of dialog and outro song from The Matrix. And it’s so good you may awaken to a whole new world of holiday displays.

Laughing Squid picked up on the Halloween light show, which is one of professional light-show installer Tom BetGeorge’s latest displays. For those unfamiliar, BetGeorge has a YouTube channel full of these types of home light-show displays. The installer has, for example, created a dazzling Christmas light show using Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5. As well as a “Take on Me” tribute light show that should’ve stuck around for more than a day or two!

Tom BetGeorge

Despite the fact that we’ve seen tons of BetGeorge’s light shows, this one may take the top spot. The light show opens with Neo’s famous final words from The Matrix in full. Then it plays up the movie’s end-credits song: “Wake Up” by Rage Against the Machine. And as soon as the first light-up pumpkin starts singing with Zack de la Rocha’s vocals, there’s an explosion of technicolor treats.

Incredibly, even though the whole show is freaking spectacular, it’s easy to pick out the best part: the singing pumpkins. There’s just something about the menacing winter squashes’ singing that makes us want to watch this over and over. Which we have about five times now. (Just like we have with The Matrix!)

Tom BetGeorge

As with many of his other projects, BetGeorge put this one together as a free event to fundraise for the McHenry House; a family shelter in Tracy, California. Which means if you’re in the area, you may want to check out the light show. Because even if it’s possible we actually do live in a simulation, this universe of zeroes and ones still really knows how to put on a show!

The post This MATRIX Halloween Light Show Lets You Take the Fun Pill appeared first on Nerdist.

Remember when just having a cool graveyard and some spooky decorations was enough to be the best-decorated home at Halloween? Yeah, that’s all so very 20th century. These days, if you want to be the envy of your neighbors during the spooky season, you’re going to need a full-on projection show on your house.

For the last few years, tech-savvy homeowners have created some amazing projection displays. We recently brought you the incredible Ghostbusters-themed show from Seasoned Projections. But it seems they have some stiff competition in the Halloween display department. Some are even theme park level. You can check out some of our favorites right here:

Fitz Studios 

James Fitzpatrick of Fitz Studios has created Halloween projection shows for the last couple of years. And each one is amazing. For 2021, he’s created two. One inspired by Disney’s Haunted Mansion comes complete with narration from our favorite “Ghost Host.” All your favorites are here, including those hitchhiking ghosts.

Their other offering for 2021 is also Ghostbusters-themed. Although not quite as long as the one from Seasoned Projections, it has its own charms. And 100% more Janine. That’s never a bad thing in our book.

Last year’s offering from Fitz Studios was perhaps the best, however. It was a tribute to the great horror films, and most of our favorites made the cut (no pun intended). The Shining, It, The Exorcist, they’re all in the lineup. As well as all the great slasher movie icons. Even Stranger Things gets a nod. This one is long, but well worth watching until the very end.

He’s also had two spooky tributes to the films of Tim Burton. Specifically, Beetlejuice and The Nightmare Before Christmas. This is one journey to Halloween Town you don’t want to miss out on. Just make sure you don’t go through the door shaped like an Easter egg.

The folks at Lumabox also have an incredible projection show set to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” which contains footage of everything from The Creature from the Black Lagoon to Night of the Living Dead. And for those of you who want to learn how to make your own, they have an excellent tutorial on their channel.

Another excellent “Thriller” use comes from Holiday House Projections, which showcases footage from this great horror classics supercut.

Trick ‘r Treat has also become a Halloween classic in recent years. And if you don’t obey the rules of Halloween, Sam, the spirit of the season, will make sure you regret it. The folks at Jester Laughs brought the magic of Mike Dougherty’s classic to life in this one. (Now where the heck is Trick ‘r Treat 2?)

And finally, YouTuber Kendra Hicken made a delightful Halloween tribute to the greatest Disney villains of all time. Everyone from Ursula the Sea Witch the Chernabog from Fantasia makes an appearance.

The pop culture possibilities are endless here, so we can’t wait to see what the future brings for these kinds of spooky projection shows.

The post These Incredible Halloween Projection Shows Are Theme Park Worthy appeared first on Nerdist.

Ask any ten people to name the scariest thing they can think of and you’ll likely wind up hearing ten different nightmare scenarios. Sure, there are veritable kingpins of the haunting game. You’ve got ghosts, clowns, spiders, dark rooms, staticky television sets, phone calls from unknown numbers, and the inability to quickly think of a polite follow-up question when someone you’ve just met tells you what they do for a living. But everyone’s got their own personal biggest fears. And in turn, their own personal picks for scariest thing they’ve ever watched or read. But certain scares hold a unique place in our psyches – the things that scared us as kids.

So as part of Nerdoween, we here at Nerdist have decided to celebrate the things that frightened us most when we were most vulnerable. We’ve tapped our memories for the movies, books, and TV shows that terrorized us in our younger years. But beware: you’ll find our staff picks and longstanding nightmares below, and many will still frighten you now. We know because they still scare us.

Robbie’s Bedroom in Poltergeist

MGM/UA

Eric Diaz: “Poltergeist was my first true horror movie experience. And it got me right where I live. Steven Spielberg and Tobe Hooper’s 1982 haunted house opus was set in a Southern California suburban home, much like my own. And one of the family’s three kids, Robbie, was eight years old just like me. So when his familiar bedroom, filled with Star Wars toys and Marvel comics, suddenly came to life at night and terrorized him, I was frozen with fear. Poltergeist taught me that horror didn’t always happen in some creepy old mansion. It could be in a home just like mine.”

The Woman Without Eyeballs from Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark

Harper & Row

Sophy Ziss: I think it’s a rite of passage for my generation to have been traumatized by Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. ‘The Haunted House’ chapter did have a happy ending. But that didn’t make the artwork less disturbing! There was something about turning the page as a kid and seeing a full-page illustration of a woman with hollow eye sockets and stringy hair, and features rotting off of her face, that felt downright wrong. Almost like a person wasn’t supposed to see that. I mean, I’m 27, I live by myself, and still worry on occasion she’ll pop up and ask me to bury her bones.”

The Brutality of The Toxic Avenger

Kyle Anderson: “Cartoons were my lifeblood when I was a kid. And if it was action-adventure in nature, I inhaled it like a sweet hit of scented oxygen. In 1991, one of my new favorites was Toxic Crusaders, a show where doofuses get exposed to radioactive material and get turned into superheroes. I loved it! So you can imagine, when flipping channels one Saturday afternoon and finding a live-action version of Toxie wielding his trademark mop, I was stoke. Until I watched more of it.

See, back in the early ’90s, the USA Network was a cesspool of residual ’80s trash. And one fateful Saturday they showed a marathon of Troma’s Toxic Avenger movies, the basis for the cartoon. Those movies were violent to a degree my fragile little mind hadn’t seen. And the violence was super gory AND played for laughs. I was terrified, but couldn’t stop watching. As a result, I was terrified of the word ‘toxic’ and anything having to do with tutus, mops, and any bar from Mussorgsky’s ‘Night on Bald Mountain’ for years to come. Don’t make children’s cartoons out of Troma movies.”

E.T.’s Near Death in E.T. The Extra Terrestrial

Universal

Kelly Knox: My first memory in a movie theater is actually the scariest one! In 1982, tiny me was watching E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial on the big screen. From what I remember, I literally have never seen E.T. again since things go from cute to scary as E.T. falls ill and turns a sickly, pasty white color. Just as the screen started flashing with bright lights, illuminating the clear plastic tunnels while he was being held prisoner, I’d had enough! I crouched down behind the theater seats in front of me so I couldn’t see the screen any longer. You can have your IT and Nightmare on Elm Street and Something Wicked This Way Comes. But E.T. was the scariest thing I’ve ever seen.”

The Little Ghost Girl from Lady in White

Benjamin Bailey: As a kid, A Lady in White scared the hell out of me. It’s not gory and there are no real jump scares or anything like that. But man, as a ghost story it is top-notch. The scene where we see the ghost of a little girl relive her murder gave me endless nightmares. The ghosts don’t menace the main characters in the story, which is somehow even more unsettling. I was scared when I woke up at night that I’d see a little ghost just playing in my room or walking down the hall. That notion seemed, and sorta still is, very real to me.”

Judge Doom Getting Flattened and Dipped in Who Framed Roger Rabbit

Touchstone Pictures

Dan Casey: “A protracted, high-pitched wail. Anguished cries of pain. Bulging red eyes that look as though they might burst at any moment. A horrible gurgling from the viscous, green ichor on the ground. These were the truly wretched sights and sounds of Christopher Lloyd’s Judge Doom, the imperious executioner of beloved cartoon characters in Who Framed Roger Rabbit.

Why my parents let me watch this hard-boiled tale of deception, mystery, and murders most foul I will never know. But the scene at the film’s climax where Judge Doom dies slowly and horribly in the fulminating green goo of his own creation left deep and lasting psychic scars. I always knew the scene was coming. But I couldn’t look away. My pulse quickened, my breath shortened, and time seemed to stand still as that interminable nightmare played out in excruciating detail. The scene only lasts for about a minute, but the effects have stayed with me for a lifetime.”

The Nuclear fallout of When the Wind Blows

Luke Y. Thompson: “When I was about eight years old, my parents got me Raymond Briggs’ When the Wind Blows, which they thought was a children’s book like all his others, despite knowing and telling me it was about World War III. I assumed it would be a war comic; instead, like most of his books, it begins with working-class folks who daydream big and occasionally humorously misunderstand things. Halfway through, a nuclear bomb drops. Not knowing anything about radiation, I was as ignorant reading it as the main characters who slowly die. As the book’s colors get blurry to represent brain and eye damage, and our protagonists begin vomiting and bleeding to death.

To make matters worse, in trying to ‘explain’ things, my parents told me this could happen any day if nothing was done about it. (It was the Cold War still.) After reading the book twice I made them take it away. And it resurfaced in bad dreams for many years afterward. I performed a bit of self-exorcism by watching the animated adaptation as an adult with lots of cocktails nearby, seeing it now as just the sad story of a loving couple who die. I’m still a bit afraid to look at the book again though.”

The cube from Cube

Rosie Knight: “I remember watching Cube at a sleepover when I was about 11. I was really into horror at the time, but had only really seen slasher movies and classics. So I was not prepared for the overwhelming terror that Cube bestowed on me. Something about the notion of waking up somewhere unrecognizable just struck me so hard that it honestly took over my life. I was constantly considering the idea that anytime I closed my eyes I could wake up in an evil sci-fi trap box. Weirdly it only grew my love for horror and Cube is still up there for me.”

Rik Mayall’s Head Getting Squashed in Drop Dead Fred

New Line Cinema

Mica Arbeiter: “For something close to 20 years, I had no idea which movie it was that had lain a young me to psychological waste with images of a grown man writhing in anguish as his head was slowly squashed in a refrigerator door. I had run out of the room at Evan and Jason’s house the instant the scene got too graphic – that horrifying moment when Rik Mayall’s face flattened and neck turned to rubber. And was left battling unwelcome memories of the sequence without even the comfort of knowing the name of the film that had so scarred me.

The mystery of its origins made matters all the more grim when the trauma resurfaced thanks to the scene in the otherwise jolly Liar Liar. When Jim Carrey smashed his own face in the toilet. In fact, flashbacks would pop up from time to time until 2012, when some handy Googling by a dutiful friend introduced me properly to the veritable snuff film that is Drop Dead Fred. Even still, I’m at my least comfortable around fridges.”

The Floating Child from Salem’s Lot

Todd Gilchrist: “When I was about five, Salem’s Lot premiered on television. I guess because it was a TV movie, my parents didn’t think it would be that scary. Or maybe they just weren’t quite paying attention as I became enthralled by it. But there’s a scene where a small, evil-looking vampiric child floats up to a window and starts scratching at the glass. (I am trying to describe this from memory, because the last time I tried to re-watch it at age 40 I couldn’t get through more than a few seconds.)

The scene was scary enough. But what was worse was the fact that I was staying at my grandmother’s house where every bedroom had floor to ceiling curtains that glowed in the moonlight at night. To this day I’ve never watched the whole movie or even the complete scene. And I was constantly reminded of it any time I ever visited my grandmother.”

The Man Who Attempts to Kill the Circus Freaks, and then himself, in Geek Love

Alfred A. Knopf

Lindsey Romain: “The scariest thing I’ve ever read is actually one small snippet in a vast sea of weird prose. Katherine Dunn’s Geek Love (not about nerds, but about circus geeks, the kind who bite the heads off chickens) is a bizarro opus about a traveling freak show and the strange family that runs it. There’s a lot of freaky stuff in the book. But the one thing that has stuck with me for years is a small side story about a man named Vern Bogner.

After encountering the freak show on one of their stops, he grew enraged and disgusted at their deformities and attempted to assassinate them. He failed, his life fell apart, and years later he attempted suicide and instead blew off half of his face. He returns to the freak show, this time seeking acceptance, and becomes the secondhand man to one of its members who is slowly forming a cult. That may not sound scary. But the depictions of Bogner after his suicide attempt, coupled with the fact that he wears a cloth bag over his head and goes by the name Bag Man, have crawled under my skin and stayed in my head since I first read them.”

Vigo the Carpathian from Ghostbusters 2

Michael Walsh: “A horrifying portrait of an evil, genocidal 16th century sorcerer comes to life in modern day New York. He then abducts a baby so he can use its body to take a physical form and rule the world. To most people who saw Ghostbusters 2 in 1989, that was the premise of a supernatural action-comedy. To five-year-old me it was a genuine horror movie. Because Vigo the Carpathian scared the crap out of me. The only thing that frightens me about the movie now is its premise. But as a kid seeing that freakish monster step out of his giant painting was like seeing a literal nightmare come to life.”

The Shape from Halloween

Compass International

Matthew Grosinger: “It’s the only recurring nightmare I have as an adult, and, much like my boogeyman’s methods, it’s a variation of the same thing every time. Michael Myers is stalking me, again. And I know that this time will be the last. I’m frantic, running hard. But it doesn’t make a difference against his metronomic approach. An exacting, steady threat. And just before he gets me, I jolt awake, almost in shock.

I have never decided what’s scarier about The Shape: his expressionlessness and black chasm eyeholes. Or his semi/sub human movements. Like he just learned to walk and pick up objects last week. What I do know is that I saw John Carpenter’s Halloween way too young, watching with my older brother, and was permanently scarred. If I was the last one awake, watching TV in the basement, you f***ing bet I systematically flipped switches to leave at least one light on at all times as I headed upstairs for a fitful night of sleep. Though this childhood terror turned into a longstanding fascination with Carpenter’s films and his most iconic character, I still have this feeling that he/it is out there somewhere. Especially when I fall asleep.”

Pretty  Much Everything about Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland

Rachel Heine: “Picture this: you’re whisked away to a magical dreamland. You meet a cute princess who teaches you how to fly. The King takes you under his wing. What could go wrong? Well, in the case of Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland, you could accidentally open up the forbidden door to Nightmareland, dooming your new pals to a fate worse than death.

As a little girl, I instinctively knew that if I met a sassy, cigar-smoking clown who was clearly trouble, I would definitely listen to him and accidentally free the Nightmare King from his prison. When Nemo had to watch, helpless, as dark, tangled tentacles descended upon his coronation and swallowed poor King Morpheus up, I got my first taste of existential dread. That didn’t stop me from watching it over and over again, though. (Let’s not analyze that.)

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