* (Halloween countdown post #5)
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Wraith House (Laguna Niguel)
’44 sleeps until Wraith House welcomes all to her basement….where the rats…and the corpses…play. South Orange County’s most terrifying haunt experience!’
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Backwoods Massacre (Simi Valley)
‘Located deep in the bloody heart of Simi Valley, “Backwoods Massacre!” is a maze that intentionally omits scare actors and instead relies on the building itself to shape the personality of the haunt. Carcasses and taxidermy decorate the rotting walls. The sets, built mostly out of vintage shipping pallets, are dimly lit by hanging lanterns that reveal old medicine bottles that hint at this place being abandoned decades ago. Eventually you encounter dissected human carcasses whose body parts are being cooked over a campfire, and your biggest nightmares are confirmed – there is a killer who resides here.’
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Camp Moreno Manor (Ojai)
‘Welcome to Camp Moreno Manor! We are not your typical camp experience, a spooky good time awaits you! Our annual fall camporee will take place in October on the 27th, 28th & 31st! Watch out for for the zombie deer when visiting camp Moreno Manor, they especially hate hunters.’
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Dangling Carrot’s Grisly Garden (Santa Clarita)
‘Dangling Carrot Creative’s Grisly Garden opens this October and is produced and built by Film Industry experts. This haunted event is to help out-of-work Film Industry Tradespeople with their daily bills ect. Some of our team members have been without steady work for as many as 6 months or more. There may be an upside to the slowdown though, this is probably the ONLY time that all of us can come together for your benefit to write, build, produce and hold a state-of-the-art, cutting edge scare show like no others can! Come enjoy a night and immerse yourself in a story where everything went wrong. Walk through an incredible tale of twists and turns and the creepy tales of a Gardener and his Daughter caught up in a scary world of fright, mystery, confusion and gore!’
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Ghostwood Manor: Pharoah’s Hall (Pasadena)
‘This October, something is stirring in the depths of an Egyptian Tomb… Brave slithering piles of serpents! Witness the tomb raider’s fate! Come face to face with an Ancient too terrifying to fathom!’
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Blood Hill (Pasadena)
‘When the Circus shut down everyone wondered where all the clowns had gone but, after 70 years, everyone moved on. They had forgotten about The Circus, and left it to rot. 70 years later and the surrounding neighborhood watched as the Circus came back to life! Surprise turned to horror as now they realized where the clowns had gone, they never left! Insane and demented, they have now re-opened The Circus, in their twisted vision! Come experience the scariest walkthrough in all of Pasadena, The Circus!’
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Twisted Dreams Haunt (Buena Park)
‘Created by Lief Swenson, the haunt centers around the Great Sierra Western, a train run by a murderous conductor who bludgeoned countless victims and transported their body parts across the rails with the help of his equally bloodthirsty accomplices. Fittingly, the haunt is packed with graphic and blood-stained scenes of grisly mutilation and savagery. Mutilated corpses, ragged body parts, and crimson splatters reign throughout the maze, as though the Texas Chainsaw Massacre had swept through each scene and left behind a trail of bodies and limbs.
‘Of course, all show and no scare makes for a boring maze, and Twisted Dreams is anything but boring. The home haunt has an incredible number of monsters that make use of a winding layout to scare guests multiple times, from multiple locations. The jump scares are intense and relentless, focused on terrorizing the souls out of those brave enough to venture through. The sprawling layout through Swenson’s side yards, back yard, and garage allow for a lengthy trip through these haunted rails, and that extended course accentuates the frights and the fear.’
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STRAITE TO HALE PRESENTS FREAK SHOW AT THE CREEK (Rancho Cucamonga)
‘Witches, demons and curses have plagued demon creek throughout the years. Now the Freak Show comes to town! What malevolence could follow this time? Come tour the town and see the show but beware of what oddities lurk in the shadows.’
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HAUNT AT HELLIZONDO (Canoga Park)
‘In the forgotten western town of Hope’s Edge, a sinister force emerges from the fog every autumn. Step over the threshold and face what lurks in the alleyways and dark corners of this twisted mining village.’
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GALLAND FAMILY HAUNT PRESENTS THE KRAKENS LAIR (Rowland Heights)
‘Go on a journey into the shipwreck that the most feared creature in the sea calls home. Can you survive an encounter with the Kraken?’
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Haydenville Haunter presents The Doll House (Moreno Valley)
‘Haydenville Haunter will be taking you into a dollhouse this year!’
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Catastrophe Cabin (Glendale)
‘Catastrophe Cabin is a home haunt that does not feel like a home – it’s too well disguised by its Halloween overlay. On Halloween Night, it mimics a walk-through experience. Bathed in eerie red light, the decor and foliage are so thick they create an illusion of entering a Halloween world with pathway leading to a tent where where trick-or-treaters may obtain candy and divination cards from the haunt’s friendly mystical hosts. A second, equally packed pathway leads to the front door for those courageous enough.’
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Manor of Fears (Apple Valley)
‘Manor of Fears is a home haunt in Apple Valley that feels more like a professional haunt with a massive footprint. Lasting fifteen to twenty minutes, this haunted house takes guests in multiple structures, with long stretches of exterior areas to explore. It is linear in structure, with actors emerging from hidden areas and directly engaging audiences to elicit scares.’
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The Harvest: Rise of Apex (Upland)
‘Black Market Escape Rooms has successfully introduced MurderCo: The Harvest, their newest immersive horror experience, this Halloween season. The Harvest is an experience that delivers a unique way for its audience to be pulled through an intense live-action storyline. “I believe this experience is the first of its kind.” Tim Gough, Creative Director at Black Market Escape Rooms. “This is my rendition of a horror maze, where I am using immersive theater to physically move an audience through an intense forty-five minute interactive storyline. With The Harvest, guests will immediately find themselves staring in a live-action blockbuster horror movie that doesn’t let up.”’
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The Haunted Barn (Palmdale)
‘BIADIA presents The Haunted Barn Maze. Beware of the monsters lurking in this heart pounding Maze stretching across 2acres of haunted land. Located in the middle of no where- or so it appears…the maze leads victims thru the infamous “haunted Barn” featuring 7 rooms of murder scenes and ends with a fully stocked pumpkin patch where guests can pick a pumpkin for purchase. Open for all ages but not recommended for children under 12 to arrive after dark.’
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Black Casket (Yucaipa)
‘This October, come step into your worse nightmares! Located in Yucaipa, CA, come experience a labyrinth of nightmares. With an abundant of bone-chilling rooms, you are sure to find your worse fear come to life! With nightly expeditions every weekend in October from 6-11pm, come see if you can handle the horror that awaits you.’
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High Desert Haunted House (Apple Valley)
‘Far from LA way up in the mountains of Apple Valley, lies a haunt shrouded in mystery: The High Desert Haunted House. Last year, after a random google search, we drove out to try it and loved it. It was immediately clear to us that this is one of the best haunts in southern California. As we slowly drove up the dirt trail, surrounded by only Joshua Trees and cacti, we were completely encompassed by the darkness. There were no lights except the ones blinking from miles away in the valley. Once we parked, the mood was immediately set as we noticed monsters- like Jason or a Scarecrow- randomly pulling in and out of the shadows. Once in line the cold air was dominated heavily by the scent of chainsaw exhaust. While we waited, the sound of the screams from unsuspecting patrons within the maze mixed perfectly with the blown out speakers playing Kid Rock’s “Bawitdaba”. The exterior, which is made up of pieces of junk and scrap randomly put together, is surrounded by structures that have slowly decomposed over time. The maze is built like Mad Max’s vehicles as they exploit scrap and garbage to create something spectacular. The haunt, like the film, emphasizes the feeling of an apocalyptic desert wasteland – encompassing perfectly the determination of do it yourself, while taking advantage of its own natural setting.’
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Halls of Horror (Los Angeles)
‘Halls of Horror is back for its fourth installment in October with two immersive and interactive live theatre experiences. A little girl is missing in a Depression-era mining town, and a search party that includes audience members is going down to an abandoned mineshaft in a rickety elevator. Will they come back alive, or will they meet the same bloody fate as others foolish enough to plumb the depths of “The Mine”? A looming darkness is spreading under the Big Top, and it’s up to “Carnival” guests to figure out why. Step right up and choose-your-own adventure with the Ring Master, stilt walkers, tarot card readers, and other creepy characters. This event is the creative brainchild of students at Los Angeles County High School for the Arts, located on the Cal State L.A. campus.’
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Madness on Melgar (Whittier)
‘This back yard walk-through haunted maze does not disappoint. Cross paths with crazy clowns, crazed lunatics, possessed dolls, and much, much, more. Prepare to be scared… to death. Donations go towards our daughter’s 12U softball team.’
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Glenwood Mine Co. (La Crescenta)
‘Glenwood Mine Co is a home haunt in La Crescenta, CA. This haunt has a spooky mine theme with pop-up scares and animatronics.’
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Dante’s Pizza Inferno (Fontana)
‘Dante’s Pizza Inferno is a Pizza Parlor themed haunt based on Dante’s Inferno with a cheesy pepperoni twist. Enter the Pizzeria and find yourself emerged in the deep dish layers of hell.’
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A Place to Scare (Burbank)
‘Founded in 1963, BCR is an organization that provides therapeutic services to adults and children diagnosed with developmental disabilities. Hosted within the BCR facility, “A Place to Scare” contained a wide assortment of props and festive lights. The haunted maze was incredibly fun and took visitors through various themed areas including a blood bank center, ballroom festivities, and catacombs. The catacombs contained an amazing smoke-filled casket which was handmade by the event’s organizer. Throughout the maze there were creepy characters who interacted with us and let out whimpers and yells from unexpected areas.’
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Desert Decay Manor (Whitewater)
‘Nestled in the foothills of the West Palm Springs Village, The Killgore family has resided on these hallowed grounds for generations. Some left trying to escape the family curse of a horrific untimely death. Gravely, they always come home, to dwell within the halls and walls of the manor. Hoping to never be sent to the depths of hell which loom so close to their souls. Some turned murderous, some became victims. All are ghostly apparitions that remain here with their secrets to haunt the living in their attempt to take your soul and send it to hell in their place.’
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Fairbrook Manor (Long Beach)
‘Explore the spectral grounds where in the 1930s, oil heiress Victoria Fairbrook kidnapped local children and held them captive. Have the tortured souls of the ghostly children crossed over to the dark side, or do they simply want to play with you? You’ll find out…at Fairbrook Manor. Your soul is your entry, and we also collect canned goods and suggest $5 per person donations.’
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Haunt 223: A Cannibal Slaughterhouse (Monrovia)
‘Stumble across a neglected home in the woods where the unthinkable is housed. Cannibals, masters of torture, and spirits of the damned wreak havoc on all who find their way through their doors.’
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The Deich Society presents The Twilight Zone Experience (Ontario)
‘Step into the 5th dimension through some of Rod Serling’s most famous episodes such as Nightmare at 20,000 Feet, Living Doll and Eye of the Beholder. There is a sign post up ahead, and your next stop is The Twilight Zone. Will you make it out before you’re trapped inside forever?’
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Maze Monsters (Anaheim)
‘Even before you enter the maze, monsters slide, scream and even chase the unsuspecting. The once-beautiful mortuary has now fallen into disrepair after being taken over by evil spirits that have refused to cross over to the other side. After an ominous warning, you enter the maze. There’s definitely an atmosphere of fear and foreboding created by effective music, lighting and fog. Each area of the maze from the interior of the church to the embalming room is detailed and designed for a high creep factor.’
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FallOut Shelter: L.A. (Azusa)
‘We are the only retro 50’s alien and UFO haunt in SoCal. We also have a walk through maze. We welcome visitors on the October 30th to watch us add the final touches.’
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p.s. Hey. ** Dominik, Hi!!! Not yet, but I did have delicious nachos at Hard Rock Cafe as a consolation prize. I will, re: ‘Gypsy 83’. I have a bead on it. Oh, gosh, I guess I have to go find the online bubble wrap game, although lacking the finger squeezing is a real drawback. But still. There’s a very cocaine-like allure. Ah, so that was love’s latest film. I love his films. Love relocating all of today’s home haunts to Vienna, after a quick stopover in Paris, of course, G. ** _Black_Acrylic, If there was enough bubble wrap to supply everyone on earth with an afternoon of popping, I wonder if that would lead to peace on earth. Congrats on the planting of your rug! Is it pressed and shining at you from the floor like a squashed sun? ** T, T! Hey, pal! So good to see you! I … watched all of those videos, um, yes, no surprise. So I get your great idea, and I clone it. I’m pretty film ensconced, yes. That’s life in a nutshell. But I’m okay, basically. Where are you? Are you back in Paris? Oh, no, I love Schoko-bon. And the white chocolate ones in particular. Ooh. What’s new with you? And, again, where are you? If you’re here, we should really have a hang. If you’re game. Biggest up to you! ** Steve Erickson, Hi. No, I don’t think that’s it. You know, Halloween is not a US-level thing anywhere in Europe, and I don’t know why. Some kind of resistance to US-style crassness here in the old world? I don’t know. France is kind of tiptoeing into a Halloween embrace. A bit more every year. I think it’s been finally grasped here that Halloween is a financially lucrative holiday. The few Halloween-related events and things here are totally swamped with customers. But I don’t know why the resistance. I don’t think it’s a religious thing. Apart from a contingent of very conservative, noisy Catholics, France is quite secular. Obviously, you should get that dizziness problem checked out and righted, and, yeah, US medical insurance. You could probably fly over here, go see an appropriate doctor, and then, when it’s time to pay, and when you say you have no insurance, they could easily say, ‘Okay, it’s on the house’, or ‘Well, mm, then let’s say … pay 20 euros’. That’s happened to me here any number of times. Very, very nice trio of films you saw there. Well, I haven’t seen them, but I’m dying to see all three. Especially the Godard, of course. Wang Bing is fantastic. His work gets shown here fairly often. He has a local following. And, as I think I’ve said, I’m curious about the relationship of that Costa film to the video installation of the same name that he did here. Random question: Do you by chance know anyone in the programming area of the Tribeca Film Festival or know anything much about it/that? Thanks, in any case. ** Corey Heiferman, Hi, Corey. To butt in, sorry, the Bookworm Steve Erickson is a different Steve Erickson. I believe you are right about the extra protection method. I like imagining that costume, of course. Oh, wow, ha ha, that band. I’m there. Everyone, Apropos yesterday, Corey hooks us all up with a DIY band called “Bubble Wrap” whose EP is called “The Neighbor is Greener than the Grass” and is located for your listening pleasure here. No, I was down south when I crossed the Mississippi. I was traveling from New Orleans to Atlanta, but I don’t remember what the road/highway was. Very near the coast. I’m guessing you’ve crossed the big M via the I-80? Reportage? ** Bill, Ha ha. Maybe Frankenstand is the new Oki Dog (defunct, once beloved street hustler/punk rocker hang out, much missed). If it caused you to dance briefly in the aisle, I suppose I do need to see ‘SMS’. I’ll be sure to wear my wing tips just in case. ** 🤺Darbi, Hi! I like tragic. Of course. Damn, I should have put a torture room with a pig farmer in ‘God Jr.’. Too late now, alas. Well, it’s good you’re still out there and working, no? It sounds like a success story from here. Yes, I would like to see those photos, thank you very much in advance. And, now that I’ve read your next sentence, my ‘would like’ has become a ‘please, dear god I would love’, etc. ** Right. Every year I do my Halloween posts cluing all of you in to the seemingly best home haunts in various places. Today it’s the world center of Halloween celebrations, SoCal. If you’re there, I recommend you log those places into your GPS. If you’re elsewhere, enjoy the show and dream. See you tomorrow.
Now available in North America 
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Hi!!
Okay, delicious nachos don’t sound bad at all either! I’d go for some right now.
Yeah, online bubble wrap popping is better than nothing. Can even get a little addictive. But it’s not as satisfying as the real deal.
Ah, this is really, really generous of love! Thank you! I’m especially charmed by Dangling Carrot’s Grisly Garden. And, you know, I don’t want to seem selfish. So: love offering to leave one home haunt back in Paris, exclusively for you – which one would you like? Od.
P.S. My mom and brother will spend the next few days here, so I’ll be back on Tuesday!
/A>
HAunted
I thought that Fairbrook Manor seems like the most effective scare here. I really have no frame of reference for spooky houses, as they’re not remotely a UK thing at all. Fancy dress and trick or treat are more our thing. Gotta show respect for the SoCal way of doing things, however.
I have the return of the writing class later tonight, so I am looking forward to that a great deal.
Dennis, Great Halloween post. Again.
Well, I don’t want to burst any bubbles here, but the Kardashians/Jenners are the cool kids for millions and millions of people here. Not for me, no. But they are the cool kids for tons of people here. Millions of followers on their socials and tons of influence. I don’t make the rules. Of course, if I were famous, I’d have other cool kids as friends who nobody else thinks are cool.
Yeah, my friend’s sister and her family are getting through it. What else can you do?
So, my friend’s daughter did indeed win the competition. And she won $1,000. Yay!
Man, I’ve been so fucking swamped at work, it isn’t even funny. Bleh. But I’m keeping on keeping on.
Hi! OH really? Love is a mighty big word, you mean it? Well I guess if you do here ya go:
https://www.instagram.com/thedogheldbyjeffmagnum/?img_index=1
Scully the flayed screaming guy (first picture) (second and third) is a rabbit in a nigh blanket with a star light (fourth) unfinished body and the fifth is a stitch doll amputee but I’m not finished with him, need more cotton might have to get a cotton transfusion from my other generous stuffed animals. All the things in the photo’s aren’t finished, but I think I’m going to make a stop motion about innocence and death.
I love the book. I love that I hate how it made me feel. I like the idea of a book based off a child being driven to suicide by some internet friend who ends up being not a child, just a predator. And also the idea of a bloodied dinosaur animatronic. If u come across it sometime in the future tell me what you think! See you monday!
GOD. Sorry for chain replying alot! You don’t mind me doing that do you? Guess what though! I bought a couple gauges from my coworker today and I LOVE THEM THEY ARE LITTLE BIG HOLE HEARTS IN MY EARS! SO CUTE! Is cute a masculine guy thing to say? Who cares!!! SO CUTE!
SORRY FOR SCREAMING AHH! Ok im going to bed very tired and OH You wont believe this. Remember the hellspawn animatronic that grows 4 feet? Someone knocked his head off! The audacity! Now I cant see him 🙁 On a good note, the 7 feet clown and “poor George” the torso less clown are still going strong and vibing near the cardboard mausoleum.
oh last thing! If the link didn’t work, uh, don’t go through my Instagram page, its embarrassing. I’ll just send it again so it sends to the specific post. My page I have to delete the non art things, like pics of my face 😳
Unfortunately, I don’t know anyone at the Tribeca Film Festival. In the 2000s, I wrote for their website briefly, but the editor I worked with has long ago moved on. The festival isn’t very interesting to me; I used to cover it for Gay City News but quit some time back. Its idea of independent film tends to be rather stodgy, with programming full of Sundance rejects.
Thanks for correcting Corey. I also occasionally get confused with the fantasy novelist Steve Eriksen.
I still feel overwhelmed by my problems, but my mood is much better today. I have to try and force myself not to doomscroll or get into spirals of negative thoughts; unfortunately, that’s my most common state of mind lately. Knowing every detail about Matt Gaetz’s scumminess is not actually going to help me do anything about it.
I just googled THE DAUGHTERS OF FIRE but couldn’t find any information about its connection to the installation. Since most of the film shows three women singing within in a frame divided into a split screen, I could imagine it turned into a gallery piece.
I finished Nick Pinkerton’s book on Tsai Ming-liang’s GOODBYE, DRAGON INN today. It’s one of the best books on film I’ve read in the last few years. Pinkerton’s subject is the supposed death of cinema, more than Tsai’s film specifically. The book examines the decline of movie theaters as communal spaces and the difficulty of producing films that have aesthetic ambition but are aimed at a wide audience. While Tsai was never trying to make those films, the fact that they’ve dried up has implications even for an artist as experimental as him. (Connecting to Costa, Tsai has given up on aiming for normal theatrical distribution and gotten funding from the art world lately.)
These 1940s Southern California Boy Scouts can haze each other just fine, but how they would fare at Camp Moreno Manor?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaVTZOYynXA&ab_channel=CrescentBayHistoricalProject-CampsJosepho%26EmeraldBay
What kinds of family dynamics have you seen in home haunts? Do the family members scare each other? I’d imagine some of the teenagers must rebel because if their parents do it then it can’t possibly be cool.
I have a friend who several years ago worked as an assistant sifting through the Tribeca slush pile. We were once close but haven’t spoken in a while. All I can say is he’s patient and open-minded so on the basis of that one example their people are good.
I crossed the Mississippi during the craziest summer of my life when my druggie and emotionally unstable friend group would go for random night drives out of Chicago. We kept driving west on I-80 until we crossed the Mississippi and made a brief stop at the Davenport casino. But for fortune I survived that summer without ending up in a hospital, jail, or grave.
And to add to the horror restaurants by coincidence a friend posted this on Facebook:
https://m.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=215981288163166&id=100092538877869&set=a.126317540462875&eav=AfY_H4fsXI5zhgefJLuN_8UWXhOTaBY_YIqHn7onplj81FEzO9PzCtGd1P_eZmM4EDs&paipv=0&source=48
How is SoCal the world centre of home haunts? Not like I could disagree, given the selection of proof assembled above, but wondered if there was a reason for that… And yes, I am still clinging on in Paris and would love to hang! In terms of new stuff with me, the headline news is that I’m unemployed, which is a weird mix of very refreshing and very stressful. Trying to spend more time making art and all that. Will you be off stateside soon for Halloween? Anyway, let me know when’s good. xT
Home haunts are so heartwarming to me, you can tell they’re such a labor of love. My very first haunted house was a classmate’s family who put one on every year in their garage and I feel so lucky to have had that in such close proximity every Halloween. At first I thought the Camp Moreno Manor was an actual overnight camping experience which I was delighted by, but then I thought about what a crab I can turn into when my sleep is disrupted and I’d be embarrassed to inflict that onto any scare actors. I scoured the internet for Haunted Hoochie videos, but I think it’s a no-recording zone which makes me that much more curious (as if Rob Zombie meets softish core Hostel wasn’t already intriguing enough). I think I’d get a little dreamy-eyed and drooly if a scare actor grabbed my shoulders and kept me in my place though, so perhaps I couldn’t be trusted in a touch-haunt after all. Too titillating!
I have family in New Mexico so a Stabbed Lovers trip is actually quite feasible, it’s just a matter of finding a dining partner who isn’t put off by haunted experiences. I am in fact a baby when it comes to amusement park rides, but it turns out most of my friends are babies when it comes to haunts. It’s a good & healthy balance of psyching each other into scary things. I think Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays are my high points of the week. This week’s Wednesday sucked major ass though—I got a flu shot and covid booster in the same arm thinking I was being efficient but it totally annihilated me. Limp/dead arm that felt like it was a mile long and a terrible headache that made me think of the movie Brain Damage, but unfortunately without the little creature to ease the pain. Much better today though, and I got around to watching your werewolf rec—a blast! Like Rebel Without a Cause, but monstrous. Werewolves and teenagers are the perfect mix to me, all that horrific transformative symbolism. I’ve been debating binging all the Saw movies so I could catch the new one in theaters, but that also seems tedious and grating and ultimately I think my psyche would be better nourished with some trashy David DeCoteau flicks. Ever see anything by him? The Brotherhood series is ridiculously fun, but I bask in trash so take that with a grain of salt. xoxo
just perused the blog and, of course, you already have a David DeCoteau day from 2018. You get me, man!!
Hey, Dennis,
Just checking up on your blog because I know you’re bananas for the holiday. You always guarantee interesting Halloweeny content. Thinking about you and hoping you’re awesome. Just picked up ‘I Wished’ and CANNOT wait. Take care, Don
There’s a new pop-up Halloween bar on Division street talking about “sue,” my Oakland landlord.