Spooky Jack

 My wife bought me this door sign on the cheap a few days ago. She knows me so well: I love this. We might use it on the door during trick or treat, but until then it is on my desk. I love, love, love this Jack O'Lantern. Everything about him is so perfect: the wicked smile, the bats in the background, the witches (warlock?) hat, the mix of ochre and black. I might use it as a model for one of the pumpkins wewill carv, as I think it is perfectly scary. We are now in the middle of October. Time goes way too fast.

Citrouille gonflée

 Photo prise par mon père. Vous avez déjà vu la citrouille ici. C'est une photo que je partage aujourd'hui pour maquer le milieu d'octobre, qui est idyllique ici.

A Warning to the Curious

Okay, here is another post for the countdown to Halloween, just because something struck me: I don't blog about and read enough of M.R. James these days. A few years ago, he was synonymous with Halloween: I had to read at least one of his ghost stories in the weeks leading to Halloween. Sometimes months: I discovered him during a dark and stormy night of May in Liverpool. But I digress. Anyway, if I may suggest some classic terror for you tonight, try A Warning to the Curious. There is no gore, no monster jumping out of the shadow, but a solid, subtle, "corner of the eye" type of ghost story, where tension and fear are slowly and meticulously built. It's absolutely terrifying. There is a BBC adaptation available on YouTube, but the original is still the best. You can read it here, among other places online. I don't want to give anything away, but in a nutshell this is an archeologist's worst nightmare, especially if he happens to be a medievalist.

Chanson hommage à l'Action de grâce

Je sais que je l'ai déjà bloguée par le passé, mais cette chanson est un classique instantané et il faut bien souligner l'Action de grâce. Je me rappelle l'avoir vue et entendue et grande première, dans ma vingtaine, ça ne rajeunit personne.

October Screams

 Okay, first a disclaimer for today's countdown to Halloween post: this is not really a reading suggestions. Because October Screams is the Halloween book I am reading at the moment. More and more, for my seasonal spooky reads, I forego "traditional" or classic horror stories for the month of October to focus on Halloween themed books, either novels or anthologies. The classics, old and new, I read them in September, August, July even. Sometimes as early as April, to be honest. But yeah, I have now a pretty nice collection of Halloween books, enough so I have started recognising names contributing to these anthologies. So many books to read, so little time left. I hope I can finish it before the 31st, so I can revisit my other Halloween books. The more you read, the more you find yet to discover. So yeah, I am binge reading horror stories.

Une tourtière pour l'Action de grâce

 J'ai déjà partagé cette photo en 2020. Parce que c'est l'Action de Grâce au Canada aujourd'hui. Comme c'était le cas en 2020, et pas mal à chaque année, mes parents ont fait une tourtière. Je n'ai pas encore la photo au moment où j'écris ces lignes, alors j'ai décidé de repartager la même photo, surtout que ça fait un bail que je n'ai pas blogué sur notre met régional.

The Howling II

 For today's countdown to Halloween reading suggestion, The Howling II. By Gary Grandner. Not the novelization to the sequel to the first film, but the sequel to the original novel that inspired the rather uneven and lacklustre film franchise. The Howling II might have well been titled Karyn Can't Get a Break. Because the heroine/damsel in distress of the first novel, after surviving the horrors of Draco, a village full of werewolves, after being through the trauma of witnessing her then husband turn into a werewolf AND cheat on her has, well, to survive more ordeals. She's now remarried to a widower, she's a stepmother and she's undergoing therapy. Because, you know, the events of the previous book. But it turns out some lycanthropes survived the fire that destroyed Draco. Her (ex)husband Roy, for one, and his new partner, Marcia, who has been wounded by a silver bullet in the head, but not killed, for some reason (Brandner tend to retcon things). Marcia, now turning into a she-wolf/human hybrid every night, is pretty unhappy about it, and she's planning revenge on Karyn. So yeah, it's not very good. The Howling was a flawed, but enjoyable horror story, with plenty of atmosphere and a great setting. Its sequel is more flawed and less enjoyable. Gone is the claustrophobia, the remote environment, all the little details that made the first book work in spite of its flaws. But this one nevertheless has its moments, and remains better than the sequels of the movie franchise. In any case, this is a reading suggestion, not a reading reocmmendation. And we always need some werewoves for Halloween, right?

Vitrine automnale

 Hier, nous sommes allés acheter des souliers à petit loup. La vitrine du magasin de chaussures était vraiment jolie et automnale, alors je l'ai prise en photo.

About Carmilla

 This is, I think, the version of Carmilla I borrowed from the local library, back in 1990. I said "I think", because the cover was completely repaired and its image covered. All I had in my hands was a red book with the title on. And it had other stories by Le Fanu: Green Tea and The Familiar, maybe more. I read Carmilla first, then Green Tea, but gave back the book before I could read the other(s). Anyway, I blogged before about my first experience of reading Carmilla, but I wanted to mention something that I have been reminiscing about recently concerning the world's second most famous vampire.The horror in it is very restrained, slow and gradual, as the antagonist is first depicted as a beautiful, sweet and pleasant woman, even an innocent one. A bit of an ingenue, in fact. This cover shows it perfectly: the title character is walking in broad daylight, in charming woodlands. Yet there is something unsettling about this image. Terror comes from a place of beauty. Anyway, tell me what you think in the comments. I should come back to the work of Sheridan Le Fanu in future posts.

La citrouille et le vaisseau fantôme

J'ai blogué sur le sujet lundi dernier, je partage une photo à nouveau: un vausseau pirate fantôme et une gigantesque citrouille. Rien que parce que.

Demonic Hand

 For today's countdown to Halloween post, I thought I would write about an horror trope. I found this picture from used  J.H. Brennan's gamebook Dracula's Castle . It shows an Evil Hand. When you play Dracula, it attacks you and, if you win, it submits to you and becomes your ally, or rather a kind of macabre, supernatural, sentient gadget. I always loved the image. This hand made such impression on me that it made its way into the Dracula Game. It tried to strangle and claws many of our vampire hunters. there is just something about a limb with a mind of its own, bend down on committing murder and create terror. But this post is mostly an excuse to share this striking image.

Le solarium

Mes parents ont fait refaire l'extérieur du solarium. Je le trouve un peu austère, sans les plantes grimpantes autour. J'ai toujours aimé notre solarium, lire ce billet de 2013 pour un peu plus de détails.

Horror on the Orient Express

Decades ago, I used to be a game master for  Call of Cthulhu,the role playing game based on the work of H.P. Lovecraft. Sadly never round Halloween time. It's a shame: it would have been perfect for the season, one more way to enjoy its spooky aspects. I always try to put a bit of Lovecraft flavouring on my Halloween. Anyway, there is one module I have always wanted to try: Horror on the Orient Express. I love trains any time of year and it's no different round Halloween. I blogged very often (and recently) how much they suit the horror genre, having modernity and technology clash with the supernatural. A classic train like the Orient Express is just the perfect horror setting, with the comfort and the cosy atmosphere disturbed by paranormal dangers. Apparently, it's an excellent game, although a highly risky one for the characters. But then again, I would expect no less. Anyway, I hope I can get my hands on it one day and find a few players. For those who enjoyed it, please leave a comment.

Une bière pour PJ

 C'est aujourd'hui la fête de mon frère PJ. J'ai toujours été un peu envieux qu'il ait sa fête en octobre, si proche de l'Halloween. Comme c'est une tradition chaque année sur ce blogue, je bois à sa santé une bière virtuelle, la Hobgoblin Gold de  Wychwood Brewery. C'est la bière qu'il a bu lors de sa dernière visite ici en 2017, lors de la fête de petit loup. Cette photo date de 2018. Malheureusement, ils ne font plus les étiquettes des bouteilles comme celles-ci.

Trick or Treat (preparation)

 I took this picture on Halloween day 2023, this is the front of our house, in the afternoon. I think we did an okay job with the Jack O'Lanterns. Anyway, today's countdown to Halloween post is about trick or treat. Or rather, its preparation. Last year, I thought we were too modest with the amount of pumpkins we carved: not quite enough (I prefer five, at least), not enough big ones either. We bought the first one two days ago, but I will purchase more in the following days. Then I will have to buy treats. For Wolfie's treats, everything is pretty much ready: he has his costume and a brand new bag. More on that later. Anyway, my wife and my mother might think I am trying too hard: we are a bit out of the way and we don't get many visitors. But those we see, I want them to enjoy the experience.

Mortelle Adèle et l'Halloween

 Lors de mon dernier séjour à Montréal, j'ai découvert les bédés de Mortelle Adèle. Ce n'est pas tout le temps génial, mais c'est assez plaisant, dans le genre sous Calvin et Hobbes franchouillard. Mais j'ai quand même bien aimé, J'en ai acheté quelques unes, les ai lues là bas, puis j'ai dû les relire pour Wolfie, qui a décidé qu'il les aimait aussi. J'ai donc décidé de lui acheter pour sa fête le mois dernier un calendrier Mortelle Adèle. C'est un calendrier scolaire, il est de septembre à août. Pratique. Mais j'ai été très heureux de découvrir que Mortelle Adèle, pour une petite fille française, semble aussi aimer l'Halloween: la page du mois d'octobre y est consacrée. C'est vrai qu'elle a des goûts macabres.

This Is Halloween

 For today's (and this year's first) countdown to Halloween reading suggestion: This Is Halloween, by James A. Moore. "Ten Tales of Terror" as the cover says. Not all of them are explicitly set round Halloween, but many of them are. And many of them feature the sinister Bedlam Woods, where a ghostly witch and her monstrous offsprings dwell. Relatable characters are mercilessly sent to and through hell, and neither critters nor ordinary humans are devoid of moral ambiguity. Moore is great at turning familiar places and traditions into unsettling backdrops. I also loved how original his monsters often are: you have undead made of bones, shadowy female spirit that haunts and attacks its preys like lightning, a blobby shape-shifting fiend who puts on a human skin and walks among them as a... but I don't want to give too much away. This is the perfect seasonal read. Preparing this post, I learned that Moore sadly passed away in March this year. I am sad to discover a new horror writer as of late, but this will not be the last book of him that I will read. This post is a posthumous homage.

L'Halloween à Première Moisson

 Petite nouvelle bouffe trouvée sur la page Facebook de Première Moisson: non seulement ils ont des produits d'automne, mais ils ont maintenant des produits de l'Halloween. Dont cette miche de campagne avec une chauve-souris dessus. C'est tout. Pourquoi on ne vit pas à Montréal?

Brio's Haunted Train Station

I blogged before about Brio's  a Spooky Train Station. Well, I bought it for Wolfie's last birthday. My wife said I really bought it for myself, but it's not true. I mean not really: I truly, genuinely thought Wolfie would love it. And he does. He has his first Brio toy about five years ago, but he hasn't stopped playing with them since, although he plays less often.

All the same: he loved the Spooky Train Station, even though we don't, I mean he doesn't have the train that goes with it and has it doing spooky noises. My mistake, I should have thought about it. It's still fun and he made a display in the living room. I particularly like the ghost conductor. I thought he was a zombie at first, but he really looks like a ghost and a Gothic one at that. But a friendly ghost, most definitely. I love the mix of old fashioned horror and railway, as it is a staple of modernity and technology meeting the supernatural. Trains and train sations make for great settings for horror stories. Anyway, Wolfie wants to play with his set, however he said that once Halloween is over, this is it: the train station and its ghost will not show up until the next countdown to Halloween.

Le vaisseau fantôme

 Mon père a pris cette photo en septembre, je ne sais plus où. Dans une quincaillerie (Rona?) je crois. Dans tous les cas, je suis toujours heureux de voir que des commerces célèbrent l'Halloween longtemps en avance. Et dans un autre ordre d'idées, suis-je le seul à remarquer une association entre pirates et l'Halloween?