Jack the Ripper VS. Hannibal Lecter

From Epic Rap Battles of History:

Thornhill Woods Haunted House 2014

I swear, every year the home haunts of our neighbors to the north, Canada, leave many American haunts in the dust, and the Thornhill Woods Haunted House is no exception. Keep up the good work, eh! (Sorry to any Canadians reading this, I just couldn't help myself!)

The Cemetery:

The Queue Line Entertainment:

The Haunted House:

Krampusnacht

Gruss vom Krampus! The dark side of Christmas, Krampusnacht, has come again. For those not familiar with the Krampus legend (and I feel sorry for you if that's the case), Krampus is the evil twin of St. Nicholas (or Father Christmas/Santa Claus, depending on where in the world you live). While St. Nick rewards the good children, Krampus (a large hairy demon with horns, cloven hooves, and an abnormally long tongue), punishes the naughty children, usually by whipping them with a birch switch or, in more extreme cases, being tossed into the basket he carries on his back and carried off to either Hell or Krampus's lair where they are cooked and eaten (sometimes they are sold into slavery in Spain; it all depends on which version of the legend you hear). Traditionally a Germanic Christmas custom, Krampus has now gained a cult following across the world, with Krampuslaufs (traditional Krampus parades, held on December 5th) being held across North America. There is even talk of a film based on the Krampus legend to be helmed by Michael Dougherty of Trick 'r Treat fame. With no signs of his underground popularity waning, it seems Krampus is here to stay.

Pumpkinrot's Halloween Horrors

Pumpkinrot's (very brief) 2014 haunt video has been released. Bask in it's Old School Halloween goodness!

A Terrible Beauty

From Danny Cooke:

Earlier this year I had the opportunity to visit Chernobyl whilst working for CBS News on a '60 Minutes' episode which aired on Nov. 23, 2014. Bob Simon is the correspondent. Michael Gavshon and David Levine, producers. Chernobyl is one of the most interesting and dangerous places I've been. The nuclear disaster, which happened in 1986 (the year after I was born), had an effect on so many people, including my family when we lived in Italy. The nuclear dust clouds swept westward towards us. The Italian police went round and threw away all the local produce and my mother rushed out to purchase as much tinned milk as possible to feed me, her infant son.

It caused so much distress hundreds of miles away, so I can't imagine how terrifying it would have been for the hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian citizens who were forced to evacuate. During my stay, I met so many amazing people, one of whom was my guide Yevgen, also known as a 'Stalker'. We spent the week together exploring Chernobyl and the nearby abandoned city of Pripyat. There was something serene, yet highly disturbing about this place. Time has stood still and there are memories of past happenings floating around us. Armed with a camera and a dosimeter geiger counter I explored...

Old School

From the Encyclopedia of Pumpkinrot:

Main Entry: old school
Function: adjective
Date: 1803
1 : adhering to traditional policies or practices
2 : characteristic or evocative of an earlier or original style, manner, or form
3 : Halloween decorations/displays that make you long for cold October evenings and a pillowcase loaded with candy.

As an example, here's a quick video I took of a Halloween window display back in October:

The Phantom Coach - A Ghost Story for Christmas

It has been my tradition for several years now to begin the Christmas season by watching The Phantom Coach by Mucky Puppets. It is a shadow puppet short film adaptation of the classic Victorian ghost story by Amelia B. Edwards. Although Halloween is now considered the time for ghost stories, it is actually Christmas that was traditionally looked upon as the time of year for telling tales of specters and supernatural happenings. Think of it - the days are short and the nights are long, cold and dark. Groups of people would huddle around fires in an effort to keep warm. What better environment for a spooky tale! Indeed, one of the most well-known of Christmas tales, Dicken's A Christmas Carol, revolves around four supernatural entities, one of whom is a tormented ghost trapped in a hellish existence, and another is Death himself.

I was introduced to The Phantom Coach in December of 2009, at the dawn of my blogging career, via a post by the late John Wolfe of Season of Shadows. I was seriously creeped out by the little film, the sign of a truly effective ghost story. It's wintry Christmas Eve setting made the piece all the more memorable. I've since concluded that the best settings for ghost stories are 1) old abandoned mansions 2) a nautical environment, such as a ship, fishing town, or lighthouse, and 3) anytime in the dead of winter, when snow covers the ground, an icy wind bites at your face, and you could have sworn you saw something out in the distance that wasn't there a minute ago...

John passed away a few years ago, which makes my yearly tradition of watching The Phantom Coach a bittersweet one. It doesn't creep me out as much as it did upon that first viewing (though I still get goosebumps), but it is my tradition and I stick to it. Not just to mark the season, but to honor a fallen friend. I hope to maybe introduce others to the story, and maybe it will become part of their traditions. If that is the case, and this is your first time seeing The Phantom Coach, then I encourage you to dim the lights, fix a mug of cocoa, and enjoy.