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For being a person who does not understand the thrill of having the pants scared off of one’s self, I sure do love the crisp, fall spookiness that October brings. Nothing sends an electric pulse of pure joy through my bones like the gloominess of a cloudy, thunderous afternoon, where the sky gets so dark, the glow of a perfectly spiced candle makes you feel like roaming the dark hallways of a haunted mansion.
It’s really that I don’t do blood and guts, horror and gore — I wish I could petition Hulu to add a “mega weenie” setting in their ad options so I could toggle it on and never have to see a “sleep with the lights on for the rest of the week” movie trailer about a possessed doll/baby/child/robot doll-baby-child. Hard pass.
I’m more of a campy spooky/gothic/macabre/old timey/wacky/surrealist/whodunit kind of gal. So with that in mind, I’ve compiled just a few things that I’ve found around the internet to get you in my kind of Halloween mindset. This is just the first course tasting menu, gathered quickly during a busy week of travel - there’s more to come next week, including some costume ideas as the 31st creeps closer and closer….
To Decorate
Pair of Devil Salt and Pepper Shakers - Highly collectible, very cute, and honestly, perfect year round decor!
1970’s Halloween String Light Covers - Sad one set of these has already sold, but the other one is very cute and would look delightful on a string of lights hung over a fireplace.
1st Edition, 4th Printing of The Vampire Lestat - I’m not a Twilight girly, but I do love a vampire tale, and Anne Rice is the OG. How I love you, Lestat.
Alfred Hitchcock Postage Stamps - Perfect for addressing the envelopes of your Halloween party!
Brass Cauldron - An adorable bby brass cauldron for all your potions. Or, festive mantle decor.
Chilling, Thrilling Sounds of The Haunted House Vinyl - An ideal soundtrack for playing on your porch for trick-or-treaters…
Vintage Halloween Tin - She’s in need of a little love, but she’s real cute.
Edward Gorey’s The Gilded Bat - Edward Gorey is one of my favorite spooky, creepy, cat loving illustrators of all time and this edition of this book looks so very cool.
To Wear
Lost Boys T-shirt - Iconic!
Salem, Massachusetts Witch T-shirt - Magical!
1960’s Cat Pajama Pants - Literally the cat’s pajamas!! For the more subtle celebrator of Halloween.
Frankenstein Shirt - Fun!
1990’s Lace Collar Dress - Wednesday Adams chic!
14k Gold Estate Spiderweb Charm - Gorgeous, perfect, a forever piece. No notes.
1940’s Dress with Spiderweb Embroidery - The spiderweb embroidery is a new addition to this 1940’s dress, but it matches the vibes perfectly. I imagine hosting a fancy, whimsical Halloween dinner or cocktail party in this.
Needlepoint Candy Bag - The other side of this bag is a little cheesy, but it’s still campy and fun as a “night out” bag.
To Watch
“Spooky”
Queen of the Damned - I watched this for the first time at a sleepover my freshman year of high school at this girl’s house who I thought was very, very, very cool. After watching it, I felt rebellious and also very, very, very cool but also secretly hid my eyes during the bloody parts.
Sleepy Hollow - The first time I ever watched this I did it for the costuming and had no idea what I was in for and was mildly scarred by the gore. Oops.
The Lost Boys - As a former resident of Santa Cruz, it’s a rite of passage to watch this film and point out all the iconic places where it was filmed. It is also a little scary/gorey for my weenie factor - are you noticing a theme here?
Interview with a Vampire - Tom Cruise. Brad Pitt. Great costumes. Also lots of blood and nonsense.
Blue Velvet - This is where we get more into the weird surreal wacky stuff that I love which is really most things David Lynch. This is my favorite scene in this movie and I get goosebumps every time I hear this song.
Twin Peaks - Perfect show. No notes.
Edward Scissorhands - A movie you can watch on both Halloween and Christmas. The set and costume design will always be some of my favorite.
Death Becomes Her - The cast of this movie is perfect and the horror/gore is so campy it’s delightful.
“Not so Spooky”
Knives Out - A classic yet modern whodunit murder mystery filled with great interior design and marvelous knit sweaters and James Bond with a southern drawl. What more could you want?
Clue - Arguably one of my favorite movies of all time. Tim Curry! Madeline Kahn! Murder! Mystery! Multiple endings! A must watch.
Pushing Daisies - I am still bitter to this day about this show being cancelled. It’s the perfect time of year for a rewatch.
Bewitched - Samantha/Endora forever! I was raised on this show and it’s a huge reason I am a lover of all things perfectly 1960s. Samantha was a witch ahead of her time for the times and Derwood was the absolute worst wet blanket.
Coraline - Spooky but not too spooky, twisted but still whimsical. The animation, the sets, it’s all very, very perfect.
To Read
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue - “France, 1714: in a moment of desperation, a young woman makes a Faustian bargain to live forever and is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets.”
It’s been awhile since I’ve read anything fictional in the fantasy/magical/sci-fi genre and this was a great dipped toe back into the waters of igniting my imagination. There’s lots of mixed, and very passionate reviews about this book on GoodReads, but I, for one, loved it. It’s being adapted into a show that I hope hope hope does not have cheesy, terrible actors cast (ahem, K-Stew.) Consider this my official +1 vote for Ian Somerhalder as Luc.
The Gashlycrumb Tinies - A picture book of the most twisted sort.
*add to cart* and then *add to your holiday decoration*
To Listen
And last, but certainly not least, a moody playlist perfect for getting in the Halloween mindset.
Well, that’s all for now.
Happy spooky season!
Until next time,
xo,
G
Love those cutie string light covers!! Also, the mood boards are giving perfect *diet spooky* vibes 🤌🕸️
Death Becomes Her is such an underrated gem