Put Me in the Halloween Mood



If you want a respite from a sizzling summer and to remember what it’s like when the world is darker, cooler, and the crackles of leaves on the ground forewarn coming Samhain, here are some things to put you in the seasonal mood. These will leave the taste of Halloween in your mouth, the hum of it in your body, and the dark spooky parameters just out of your reach…

Movies to give you autumnal chills and thrills:

Halloween
Sleepy Hollow (Johnny Depp)
In Dreams
The Blair Witch Project
Shattered Silence
Jack-O
Pumpkinhead


Music that’s spooky, dark, and kind of witchy:

Muse “Absolution” (my cemetery visiting music)
Soundtrack from “Highlander: The Source”
The soundtrack from “The Craft”
The soundtrack from “Twilight”
The soundtrack from “Practical Magic”
Anything Stevie Nicks
Anything Rob Zombie


TV shows that release goosebumps at an alarming rate:

Kolchak: The Night Stalker
Twilight Zone
Outer Limits
X-Files
Night Gallery
American Gothic
Dark Shadows
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Moonlight
True Blood

Foods that evoke Halloween senses:

Chili with melted cheese on top and cornbread
Candy corn (try sprinkling on vanilla ice cream for summer version)
Apple pie with caramel candies mixed in before baking
Hot cider, touch of rum, sprinkle of nutmeg
A bag of mixed miniature candies
Spicy pumpkin seeds

Scents that bring Halloween to life (try a candle while watching a movie or use a good bathing scent)

Heat a pan of water with a mix of cinnamon sticks, cloves, and pumpkin pie spice
Bath & Body works “Pumpkin Patch” candles and home scents
Bath & Body works “Sensual Apple” candles and home scents
Bath & Body works “Sensual Amber” shower gel
Origins “Ginger whipped soufflé” body cream
Origins “Ginger Essence” skin scent

Other ways to bring Halloween home:

Pinecones
The color orange
Candles in the fireplace
Darken the room
Put lap blankets on the sofa arm for movie-time cuddling
Keep the room cool

Comments

  1. A respond to your comment:
    "I do not believe that. Human desire is a powerful force, one that motivates us. Different desires sends us to different places. Wanting something makes you work towards it. It has nothing to do with standards i set. It is simple my view on things."

    ReplyDelete
  2. good list.

    all those shows are pretty good but for some reason the Twilight Zone still freaks me out the most. I don't know what it is about that show, just that it does a really good job with giving the creeps.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Stephen;
    I totally get what you mean. I think when I was little the atmosphere of Night Gallery was creepiest and Outer Limits had a few episodes that freaked me out, but Twilight Zone had ones that made me think and that was kind of scary--like being the last guy in the world and having unlimited books and broken glasses or people doing plastic surgery on a pretty woman to make her look like a pig... Yikes!

    ReplyDelete
  4. great post! i love me some spooky tv and music.
    i absolutely love muse, i have all their cds and have seen them in concert. that Matthew is one talented guy!

    ReplyDelete
  5. You forgot "Ghost Story" (either the movie, or better yet, the book). All that SNOW! Makes me chilly just thing about it!
    About "American Gothic": Lucas Black grew up just down the road from me. His sister goes to the same church my folks do.

    ReplyDelete
  6. You know, Gummer, I considered "Ghost Story" but I put that in a class of "icy scary movies" like "30 days of Night" and "Storm of the Century." It does give you a chill, though. One of the things I like about it (since I'm an east-coaster) is that it reminds me of the autumn and Ivy League schools. There's a nostalgia about football, ivy, cobblestones, sweaters, preppy clothing, and the chill in the air.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Great list of things to do.....maybe having Ghost Hunters Live on in the background while scaring the neighborhood kids could be fun, lol. Personally since it is on a Saturday this year, I would love to go somewhere scary. Any suggestions?

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hey Julie;
    I'm actually having to do my Halloween party on Halloween night this year. I wanted to do it on the night before (Friday) but hubby's band has a gig that night. I think if I weren't doing anything on Halloween and I wanted to get scared, I'd probably go out to one of the cornfield mazes and walk it at night. If I wanted to get away from everyone and be scared, I'd probably head north where the trees'll be changing and lots of leaves on the ground. The town of Globe does up an awesome Halloween--it's kind of their theme thing. I know Bisbee does up a big Halloween too. I'd go to Globe's Halloween probably because the businesses all get decked out and crazy and the old gila county jail (super haunted) has tours which are very spooky and cool. The place has an awesome feel. I might also consider doing UFO watching out in Gila Bend or something like that too depending on how clear a night it is. From the west side, taking 85 south isn't too bad a trip. Hope that helps.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I loved the different choices in each category. My favorite by far is the Blair Witch Project, which I watch at least once or twice a year.

    There is one band that I think excels at putting one into the Halloween mood that you didn't list though, Type O Negative.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Naveed;
    Thanks for the input. I just love when you guys toss in your own fav's, it helps me to find new things. I'll definitely check that band out. I really do like Blair Witch and I think it's partly because my friends and I used to hit the woods around my house and we'd do that circling around and ending up in the same place thing and then get scared when we got lost. When that movie first came out, I enjoyed making the stick figures and rock piles and putting them outside of my friends' tent when we camped and then making sounds at night from the woods. It was awesome. I have a nasty sense of humor.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Thanks for the suggestions. I have been in a corn maze, around Halloween, during the nighttime. Pretty scary and loads of fun.
    Julie

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment