Ghosts In the Pub

For today's countdown to Halloween post, a British classic, inspired by the sight of a Halloween decoration. So I was walking down town a few days ago and I saw this ghost at a pub's entrance. Okay, so it's not a real ghost and the pub is most likely not haunted, but it was cool to see all the same. Maybe it was just a regular punter who had one drink too many ("Kids, that's what alcohol does to you!"). No, but more seriously, I always thought pubs were great settings for ghost stories. Obviously, they were the starting point of many of them, especially after a few pints. But ethylic hallucinations aside, the pub being the place of gathering of locals, as well as a place of discovery for visitors, full of dark corners and centuries old dramas, it's no wonder haunted pubs are still nowadays a source of attraction. I even been in a few. I hope one day to write a scary story set in a pub.

L'Halloween chez Première Moisson

Bon, je désespérais un peu, mais je suis enfin rassuré: l'Halloween est arrivé chez Première Moisson.C'est à dire qu'ils ont montré sur leur page Facebook cette photo de leurs créations de la saison. Il était à peu près temps. Je savais déjà qu'ils avaient leur propre version du latté à la citrouille épicée, mais quand même, c'est bien qu'ils aient des sucreries qui font dans le macabre et dans l'épouvante. Je crois que ma préférée, de sucreries, c'est le fantôme. Il est même trop beau pour être mangé. Et vous?

Care for a Danse Macabre?

 When Halloween season comes, it's time to enjoy a special kind of music and a special kind of party. So anyway, this time of year, I always share a rendition of the Danse macabre by Camille Saint-Saëns. I found this truncated animated version, found online. It is suitably sinister, but not devoir of humour, albeit of the darker kind.

Gâteau chocolat et menthe

 Inspiré par notre initiative le jour de son anniversaire, mon frère PJ a fait son propre gâteau au chocolat avec glaçage à la menthe. Il a ajouté des pépites de chocolat, pour faire plus décadent.

A Coven

For today's countdown to Halloween post, I wanted to blog about witches again. I love them both as Halloween characters/critters and as antagonists in horror stories. I think our horror stories need more witches. And what is scarier than a witch? A gathering of witches, aka a coven. During on eof his walks in the neighbourhood, my father took a picture of one of them. At least I think it was meant to represent a coven, albeit a small one. Maybe they are the Weird Sisters, but I think three is a crowd. I have written a few horror stories, most of them involving a witch, one day I want to write about a whole coven. In any case, I find this display both terrifying and inspiring. And you, what do you think of it?

Un arbre en automne

 Photo prise par mon frère PJ au Parc Lafontaine, lors d'une de ses promenades. Je la publie rien que pour le plaisir, parce que les couleurs sont plus vives qu'ici. Je suis un grand amateur de promenades automnales, beau temps mauvais temps. La dernière fois que j'ai marché dans le Parc Lafontaine en automne, c'était en 2015, c'est vous dire que ça me manque. Surtout que c'était plus tôt dans la saison et qu'il y avait donc moins de couleurs.

New Ghost In The House

For today's countdown to Halloween post, I wanted to show my readers a new decoration, which I bought last weekend at an artisan market. Cute isn't it? My wife thinks we have a lot of Halloween stuff already, but I regret nothing. I even think I will let this little ghost live permanently on the bookshelves, unlike most of the Halloween decorations I own. It's made of pottery and I wouldn't want it to break you know. No but seriously, I am always on the lookout to get our home haunted, so I gladly get my hands on more ghosts.

"Blast-À-Citrouille"

Mon frère PJ m'a envoyé cette photo d'une bière de saison du Prospecteur, une microbrasserie de l'Abitibi. Elle a pour nom Blast-À-Citrouille et c'est une bière de type belge (pas mes favorites) forte en alcool (pas certain non plus) et, ben, à saveur de citrouille et d'épices. Je trouve dans tous les cas que la bière a une belle couleur et qu'elle a vraiment une belle image sur sa cannette. Non mais on va se le dire: c'est beau en tab avec les citrouilles dessus. Dans les bonnes circonstances, bien automnales, disons une soirée froide d'octobre, ça doit assez bien se prendre. Et tu garde la cannette pour décorer.

Mummy (Terror at the British Museum)

For today's countdown to Halloween, an old horror classic. It's not Halloween without at least one mummy. This one comes from the gamebook Terrors Out of Time, one of my go-to book for interactive horror stories. But truly, the creature comes from the British Museum and has been animated by Baron Ausbach to cover his escape from the hero (hero played of course by the reader). The mummy here is little more than a glorified zombie, an undead doing its master's bidding. Nevertheless, it's always cool to have a mummy in a horror story, especially in a cool setting like the British Museum. Tactical advice if you ever play the book: use the knobkerrie against it, not the sword-stick. Otherwise, the blade might get stuck in it and you end up weaponless.

Sloshe (mot du jour)

 Il a neigé au Saguenay et à Chicoutimi, comme vous le savez si vous suivez ce blogue. En automne, c'est maintenant relativement rare, une première neige, mais ça arrive encore. Mon père m'a envoyé des photos, dont celle-ci. De la sloshe. Au Québec, on a deux mots pour la neige: neige et sloshe. Ou sloche. Ou slush. Enfin bref, sloshe est donc notre mot du jour.

"Ghosts And How to See Them"

Oh the treasures one can find in charity shops sometimes. For today's countdown to Halloween, I wanted to share one of these discoveries I made last weekend. Now a disclaimer: I am not a believer in the paranormal and I do not think ghosts exists. I wouldn't buy this kind of book new, because I have no intention of becoming a ghost hunter, a pointless activity for a skeptic if you'd ask me. That said, I love horror and ghost stories and I even try to write in the genre. As such, books like Ghosts And How to See Them can be an invaluable source of inspiration. This is why I bought it last Saturday, at £3.49, a bargain. Also, because I love the cover, worth the purchase in itself. It's eerie, it's atmospheric, it's absolutely perfect for Halloween.

L'Halloween macabre sur le Plateau

Mon frère PJ a pris cette photo sur le Plateau Mont-Royal. C'est l'Halloween tôt là-bas et ils ne font pas les choses à moitié. J'adore ces deux figures spectrales, avec la tête de citrouille sur l'une d'elle qui sourit de manière maiveillante. Et puis le haut de forme et l'habit noir, classique. Deux morts vivants démoniaques et macabres. Même de nos jours, laors que l'Halloween est de plus en plus populaire et fêtée en grand en Angleterre, on trouve rarement de pareilles décorations.

Trick or Treat Preparartion

I took this picture last year, after we had put out the Jack O'Lanterns late in the afternoon, for trick or treat. I love this time of the day on the 31st, when there are still daylights and everything is all about anticipation. I had "only" six pumpkins, not counting the electric lanterns in the window. You can see salt around them: I poured it to protect them from slugs and snails. I bought some more this year. I hope I will have more pumpkins this year, I really love carving them. But we have a bot of a logistics challenge: one parent must stay here for the children who will come, and the other must go with Wolfie. This year, we might switch: WOlfie will go with his mum for the nearby houses, then we will do another round with me. Halloween is on a Saturday this year, so we should have more time. I want to make the most of it: one day my son will have outgrown trick or treat.

Neiges en automne

Il a neigé sur Chicoutimi et ailleurs au Saguenay et au Québec. Mon père m'a envoyé des photos. C'est un peu tôt, même pour le Saguenay, mais à tout prendre je préfère un octobre froid qu'un octobre trop chaud. Je ne crois pas qu'on aura un Halloween blanc au Québec pour autant: la neige devrait avoir fondu d'ici là.

"Bad Apples" (Five Slices of Halloween Horror)

For today's countdown to Halloween post, more literary horror, this time very topical one. As I have mentioned recently, I like to vary the types of horror I read come this time of year, mixing Gothic ghost stories with modern horror. I also like to read at least Halloween anthologies. As I had finished all my Halloween books and was eager to read new ones, I recently purchased Bad Apples, the first book of a series. I understand Evans Light edited it and I had really enjoyed Doorbells at Dusk, which he also edited. You can find my post on Doorbells here. I go back to it every year. So anyway, long story short, I started reading Bad Apples. It has five stories in it, a bit long to be short stories, more like novelettes or even novellas. And so far, it's a blast.

L'automne au Parc Lafontaine

Mon frère PJ m'a envoyé des photos du Parc Lafontaine, lors d'une de ses promenades. L'automne n'est pas aussi flamboyant à Montréal qu'au Saguenay, mais c'est beau quand même.

About Night Terrors

For today's countdown to Halloween, I wanted to blog about Night Terrors, the anthology E.F. Benson's ghost stories. I blogged about it briefly in Augtober last year. No, I haven't read it all yet, it's a solid 705 pages book. I think it has all his stories. That said, I have read some of them this month, because I like to have variety in the writers and the writing in my Halloween reading list, and every year I need a healthy those of Gothic horror. And some of his stories are really short, so they make for a quick read. Anyway, if you can get your hands on this book, you won't regret it. If not, you can find at least some of the ghost stories of Benson online. I might find them for you in future posts.

Les bateaux à La Baie en automne

Je partage encore une fois une photo prise par mon père à La Baie il y a quelques semaines. Je veux donner à mon blogue les couleurs de la saison, du moins dans ses photos.

Folkloric Halloween Horror

As you may remember, I started reading Halloween Folklore and Ghost Stories last year. I am still reading it, kind of slowly, because I have a pile of Halloween books to read and reread, not to mention horror stories that are not directly Halloween related.I am also reading it slowly because there is a rather substantial portion of the book is actually about Bonfire Night. A bit too much for my taste, but I digress. What I like particularly about this book is old obscure, sometimes almost forgotten English legends and superstitions based around Halloween and this time of year. There are amazing sources of inspiration for the aspiring horror writer that I am sometimes. I should blog about some of them soon, but until then, I suggest you take a look at this book. It's not flawless, but it's very educational in a spooky way.

Un gâteau et une tradition

C'était la fête de mon frère PJ il y a une semaine et son neveu et moi même avons décidé de faire un gâteau en son honneur. Un gâteau au chocolat avec un glaçage à la menthe. Il y a une raison sur ce choix: enfants, mes frères et moi avions décidé d'avoir des gâteaux plus originaux, uniques pour nos fêtes, avec des glaçages de couleurs différentes à chaque fois. C'est donc une tradition familiale que Wolfie et moi avons repris.

Spiced Pumpkin Chai

For today's countdown to Halloween post, I wanted to blog about... tea. Because tea is my favourite non-alcoholic drink, because it's even more enjoyable in autumn, because I have my special brew which I drink every year. I am talking of the Spiced Pumpkin Chai from Bird & Blend. I blogged about it before, but I feel like I must mention it every countdown, especially for those of you living in the UK. It's a staple of my autumn mornings, it also puts me in a spooky, Halloween mood. I always make sure I have enough stocks to last until Halloween. And every time you order tea, you receive a freebie or two. In this case, it was... more Spiced Pumpkin Chai.

Pochettes pour livres aux Bouquinistes

 Petite nouvelle à propos de l'Halloween prise sur la page Facebook des Bouquinistes. Ils vendent maintenant des pochettes livresques pour protéger vos bouquins lorsque vous les transportez. Transportant souvent un livre lorsque je me déplace, je trouve que c'est une excellente idée. Et, comme vous le voyez sur cette photo, les designs ont un thème ces temps-ci. J'aime surtout la pochette avec les fantômes. J'ai acheté mes premiers romans d'horreur aux Bouquinistes, en fait c'était ma source de littérature d'épouvante pendant des années. J'aimerais donc bien faire l'acquisition de quelques pochettes.

Tales of Mystery & the Macabre

For today's countdown to Halloween post, I thought to go classic and Gothic. I like to always have some classic old fashioned supernatural stories among the stories I read for the Halloween season (which to me starts early in August). Last year. I bought Tales of Mystery & the Macabre, a collection of ghost stories by Victorian writer Elizabeth Gaskell. I had read some of her stories in anthologies before, but it's nice to have them in one single book. I will not read it all this Halloween, partially because some of them are set around Christmas time, as per a 19th century tradition, partially because I like to vary the kind of horror stories I read for Halloween. Nevertheless, I'm glad I can truly (re)discover a writer I knew very little about. And writing this blog post, I discovered that there is an Elizabeth Gaskell's House, a museum dedicated to her work, in Manchester. I will add the House to my list of places to visit for spooky pilgrimages. Yes, I have such a list. Anyway, if you like slow burn horror and the Victorian era, you will enjoy Elizabeth Gaskell.

Repas de l'Action de grâce

Je reviens sur l'Action de Grâce brièvement, que ma famille a célébré ensemble cette année. Ce n'est pas une grosse fête chez nous, mais ça permet de se retrouver en famille et de se gâter. Mon frère PJ m'a envoré cette photo. Ils ont mangé de la dinde avec des atocas. Un repas de l'Action de grâce typique aux États-Unis, mais dans notre famille, c'est assez rare. En fait, je ne me rappelle pas en avoir mangé pour cette fête, encore moins avec des atocas. Dans mon souvenir, c'était surtout de la tourtière, un vin et fromages, parfois un spag, parfois peut-être de la lasagne, mais jamais de la dinde. Sinon, ça a l'air délicieux quand même.

The Hunchback Servant

For today's countdown to Halloween post, I thought I'd blog about a classic horror trope, at least in old movies: the Hunchback Servant, which TV tropes calls the Igor. They are often seen in adaptations of classics, however they generally do not have an equivalent in the source material. The Igor is conspicuously absent of the original Dracula and Frankenstein, but a hunchback does appear briefly in Carmilla, albeit he is not a servant of the Karnstein family (gotta blog about the Karnsteins one day, by the way). I took this image from the gamebook Terrors Out of Time, from the tragically short lived Forbidden Gateway series. Of course, the writers were not shy of using such classic stock characters. His presence gives a nice bit of foreboding to the scene. Like other Igor types characters, this hunchback has a foot in both worlds: a human himself, but a servant of supernatural forces, in this instance the sinister Baron Ausbach. Now, I understand using someone with deformities as a villain's servant can give some unfortunate implications for contemporary readers and audiences, but I do like old tropes and I must confess I like this stock character.

Vol d'outardes

Ma cousine Amy l'artiste-photographe a pris cette photo, d'un vol d'outardes. Je ne sais pas comment elle a fait pour capturer un moment de manière aussi parfaite, mais il me fallait la partager (avec sa permission bien entendu). Les oies sont des oiseaux automnaux, surtout lorsqu'elles migrent vers le sud.

Cthulhu by Gaslight

 For today's countdown to Halloween post, a bit more of H.P. Lovecraft and a bit of the role-playing game Call of Cthulhu, inspired as you probably know by his writing. I spent a few afternoons and evenings of my teenage and young adulthood playing it, at times I enjoyed it even more than D&Dr. There were three time period you could play it in: the 1920s, so Lovecraft’s own time, the contemporary time period, to play in modern time, and the 19th century, which was called and is still called Cthulhu by Gaslight. It could give the game a more Gothic, old fashioned horror feel. Sadly, I never took the time to develop a campaign set in the Victorian era. I think it would be really fitting for Halloween. Are there anyone among you who played CofC in this specific module? Or indeed any other. Let me know in the comments.

Squelettes géants

Photo prise par mon père lors d'une de ses promenades. On y voit notamment des squelettes géants, en plus d'un Jack O'Lantern gonflabe. Mais l'attraction principale, ce sont les squelettes géants.

F. Marion Crawford for Halloween

For tonight's (third) countdown to Halloween post, a reading suggestion: the stories of F. Marion Crawford. One of my favourite, I must say, as Crawford is not shy of using gory effects and violence, but never to the detriment of atmosphere and suspense. It is never gratuitous. The one I first discovered is The Upper Berth, which is about a drowned corpse haunting the cabin of a ship, but you also have For the Blood is the Life, which is a classic vampire story and The Screaming Skull which is a ghost story about a... well, a skull that screams. And bites. And kills. Deliciously dark stuff. Now, I must confess, I haven't read The Witch of Prague yet. Because it's more magical realism and fantasy than proper horror, or so I have been told, and because I was kind of hoping to read it the city where it is set one day. We did discuss taking holiday there last year and before. That said, I might make it part of next year's countdown TBR, early in the season.

"L'Halloween au Québec"

Il y a un an, j'ai découvert par hasard qu'il y avait un livre pour enfants, pour enfants très jeunes, appelé L'Halloween au Québec. Je parle d'un livre pour enfants d'âge préscolaire. Petit loup est déjà trop grand pour que ce soit un livre pour lui. Qu'à cela ne tienne, je l'ai demandé en cadeau pour Noël (!) juste pour moi, parce que je veux une bibliothèque bien remplie de bouquins sur l'Halloween pour tous les âges. Dans tous les cas, je le reocmmande parce que c'est très éducatif.

Green Tea (A Ghost Story)

 For today's countdown to Halloween, a reading suggestion, which I blogged about back in 2017. And I have some recommendation about your reading ritual, should you decide to give this story a go. It's the spooky season, it's autumn, if it's getting cold where you are, I suggest you sit down comfortably and grab yourself a nice cuppa. You will see, you will enjoy the story even more, getting into the atmosphere. So anyway, Green Tea is the second ghost story of Sheridan Le Fanu I have read. You can find it in In a Glass Darkly. Or in various anthologies. But you can also find it online here, among other places. It's about a clergyman haunted by a demonic monkey, seen only by him and otherwise immaterial, which may be an hallucination caused by an excessive consumption of green tea. So yeah, get yourself some tea, green tea if you dare, sit down in a comfy place, one late afternoon, read this ghost story and tell me of your experience in the comments. Or, if you read Sheridan Le Fanu before, this story or another, tell me in the comments too.

"Merci pour les raisins" (Chanson de l'Action de grâce)

C'est le lundi de l'Action de grâce au Québec. Pas ici, ils ne fêtent pas ça. Mais, tradition oblige, je partage un classique instantané de La fin du monde est à 7 heures. La meilleure chanson de toute l'émission? Je serais tenté de dire que oui, ex aequo avec Allons tous à Jérusalem. Quand ils faisaient de la dévotion moqueuse, leur équipe était à leur meilleur.

Soon the Scarecrow Festival

For today's countdown to Halloween post, a bit of news: as you may know, a nearby village hosts every year a Scarecrow Festival. Well, I have seen the banners on display advertising the upcoming event. So it will happen again. Scarecrows are a staple of Halloween and autumn to me: they represent harvest, of course, but they also have that unsettling appearance, not quite human, especially when their head is a Jack O'Lantern, like for their mascot. The festival is just as much about Halloween as it is about scarecrows. Watching them always fire up my imagination.

Les promenades automnales

Je partage à nouveau une photo prise par mon père lors d'une de ses promenades. L'automne, c'est beau. Sans doute plus au Québec que partout ailleurs, plus encore au Saguenay. Bon, d'accord, en Estrie, à Québec, à Montréal, ça peut être beau aussi, mais au Saguenay c'est encore plus spécial. Et maintenant qu'ici il fait enfin plus frais et que les couleurs sont de retour, j'essaie de multiplier les prétextes pour marcher et profiter de ma saison préférée. Ce n'est pas aussi beau que là où j'ai grandi, mais c'est quand même pas si mal.

New Old Witch

A few days ago, Wolfie and I went down town in one of the local artisan markets they have every other Saturday. Someone was selling home made decorations, many of them autumnal or Halloween themed. I am always on the lookout for new Halloween decorations to spook out the place. My son and I agreed on a witch, because we always need more witches. We bought this one. We haven't decided of a name yet. She doesn't look like the nasty, malevolent crones we have as witches usually. More like a kindly if eccentric grandmother. Anyway, Wolfie and I will decide of a name at some point, any suggestions in the comments welcome.

Une Hobgoblin pour PJ

C'est aujourd'hui la fête de mon frère PJ. Comme c'est la tradition sur ce blogue, je partage une photo de la a  Hobgoblin de  Wychwood Brewery. Une vieille bouteille, qui date de 2018, dans le temps qu'ils avaient des étiquettes spéciales pour l'Halloween, dont ils se déclaraient la bière officieuse. Et ils ne faisaient pas dans les demi-mesures, comme vous pouvez le constater sur cette photo. PJ a bu de la Hobgoblin lors de son dernier voyage ici en 2017, c'est une des raisons pour laquelle je souligne son anniversaire avec cette photo. Mais c'est aussi que, la fête de mon frère étant en octobre, je l'ai toujours associée avec l'Halloween.

Ghosts In The Walls

I promised yesterday I would give a proper recommendation next time I blog about a spooky book. So for today's and this year's first proper countdown to Halloween book reading suggestion, I give you Ghosts In The Walls. "Spooky stories inspired by real history". I bought it in the Tower of London and blogged about it before, but I have now read it. It's an anthology created in partnership with Historic Royal Palaces, and yes, of course, the Tower is featured in some of them. The ghost stories in it are sometimes touching, sometimes genuinely scary, if not terrifying. They're very new, yet they follow a very old British tradition.

Les couleurs de l'automne

Autre photo prise par mon père durant sa promenade, que je partage jusque pour le plaisir.

The Scarecrow Walks at Midnight (meh)

For today's countdown to Halloween post, I wanted to share a first reading experience for me, but unfortunately an underwhelming one. A few months ago, I found in a books sale at Wolfie's school, from the Goosebumps series. I remember back when I was a teenager, a lot of kids, barely out of childhood, reading the series eagerly. In my case, I was already reading adult horror, especially old classics. So I thought little of it. But the book, as you can see on the picture, has for title The Scarecrow Walks at Midnight. And I love scarecrows in horror stories. Especially when, like you can see on the cover, it has a Jack O'Lantern as a head. So I bought it, out of curiosity and because even though I never judge a book by its cover, I do buy them sometimes because I like the cover. If nothing else, it would be seasonal, or so I thought. Well, no. It's set in the middle of summertime. Halloween is thus not featured at all. And, while there are lots of scarecrows, none has a pumpkin head. Furthermore, it's really poorly written, really aimed at children and not scary at all. In faxct, I don't think I would have enjoyed it when I was among the Goosebumps series target readers. But hey, cool cover. Anyway, I promise I will give a proper reading recommendation next time.

L'automne rouge, orange, jaune

Je partage (rien que parce que) une autre photo de l'automne à Chicoutimi, prise par mon père lors de sa promenade quotidienne. Du rouge, du orange, du jaune et encore un peu de vert.

Archive 81

Okay, I am blogging a lot today, so this is my second post in English for the countdown to Halloween. The first one is here, and I have two more in French. I have a lot to blog about and so little time. Anyway, for those who have some time and like to watch more cerebral horror, I have a suggestion: Archive 81. It's a TV series on Netflix of eight episodes, slow pace (in the best way), very atmospheric and has very Lovecraftian influences. It also draws strongly on Rosemary's Baby and The Exorcist. It's about Dan Turner, a conservator who is asked to restore tapes that have been damaged in the 1994 fire of an apartment building in New York called the Visser. The tapes have been made by Melody, a grad student doing a documentary project who disappeared in the fire. So we follow both Dan's and Melody's investigation, which reveals a cult, some very unsettling characters and maybe a demonic entity. I don't want to give more away, but what I love about it is how you are drawn into the story. It's deeply unsettling diabolically efficient. It's so far my best horror discovery this year and I strongly recommend it.

Première Moisson en mode Halloween

J'apprends via la page Facebook de Première Moisson qu'ils ont leur propre "pumpkin spice latte". Ou, comme ils le traduisent, latté à la citrouille épicée. Je ne bois pas de café (je déteste), alors non, je n'ai pas l'impression de manquer quelque chose. Mais ma femme elle est une grande buveuse de café et de latté à la citrouille, alors ce sera une autre marque à essayer pour elle lorsque nous serons à Montréal en automne (à notre retraite? lorsque Wolfie sera à l'université?). Dans tous les cas, je suis heureux que Première Moisson se mette encore plus en mode automnal et aussi en mode Halloween.

Jack O'Fanta

For today's countdown to Halloween post, something a bit different, as this post is about... sodas. As in soda drinks. A couple of weeks ago, I stopped in one of the local shops for a quick top up. I was happily surprised to see that the Fanta soft drinks were already embracing the spooky season: their cans of lemon sodas had a Jack O'Lantern on them. Rather creepy and menacing, actually. A shame I find the taste of the drink rather akin to cough syrup. Surely, it should have been orange, as the website advertises. Or better still: pumpkin flavoured (even though pumpkin does not taste much by itself). Be that as it may, this is unironically one of the best Jack O'Lantern designs I have seen this year. So I might use it as inspiration for our own pumpkins.

Le Viennois durant l'Halloween

L'Halloween, c'est aussi le temps des sucreries, et on n'attend pas le 31 pour en profiter. Enfin bref, j'ai remarqué que sur le site en ligne de la pâtisserie de Chicoutimi Le Viennois, il y a toute une section sur l'Halloween. On y trouve notamment ce gâteau à pâte blanche, avec une citrouille dessus. "Indisponible pour le moment," enfin alors que j'écris ces lignes, alors je coupçonne qu'ils n'en offrent pas depuis un bout de temps déjà. Mais quand même, je me paierais bien une visite rien que pour voir, si je vivais toujours à Chicoutimi.

Fearsome Witch

 For today's countdown to Halloween post, I wanted to share a picture my father took during one of his walks. There are already Halloween displays in front of houses, like this one, ready for trick or treat. You might have seen this witch before, because it's on display every year and every year I share a few pictures of her. She is just deliciously sinister. And this year, she is putting a Jack O'Lantern in a cauldron. God knows what she is stewing in there. I think there is a story to tell about her. Maybe one day.

L'automne à Chicoutimi

Mon père a pris cette photo lors d'une promenade. Une image de l'automne à Chicoutimi. On n'a pas des couleurs comme ça ici.

Halloween Horror Shorts

For today's countdown to Halloween post, not a book recommendation, but a warning. I bought Collected Halloween Horror Shorts back in 2024. I finished it a few days ago. So make that what you will. Actually, don't: this was a mistake. The format is cheap (and what a rubbish, unseasonal cover), it's typing is ridiculously small and, well, most of the stories are not good at all. Lots if crass stuff with more shock value than scare. I am surprised, as there are apparently winners of the Bram Stoker award among them. I wouldn't have guessed. So my advice: unless you have nothing else to read, stay away from that anthology.

Un bateau en automne

Je partage une nouvelle photo prise par mon père à La Baie, rien que parce que. J'avoue que ce n'est pas le bateau qui m'intéresse ici. Ce que j'aime, c'est l'arrière-plan automnal.

Dagon (H.P. Lovecraft)

I have a lot to blog about this month, so you may forgive me to write another post for the countdown to Halloween. I would like to give a reading suggestion for your spooky nights, as well as sharing a memory with you. You know I love reading H.P. Lovecraft, I always include some of his stories in my Halloween reads. I started reading him to get myself inspiration for the role-playing game Call of Cthulhu. I blogged in 2022 about the first story I read of him. The second story I read of him was Dagon, on Halloween night 1993. Right before bed, in fact. It's still one of my favourite. It's about a mariner in World War 1, escaping capture from the Germans on a lifeboat, who finds a strange island and a monolith, and witnesses a sea creature getting out of the water and hugging the monolith. The apparition terrifies the mariner, who goes back to his boat and turns mad. I don't want to give more away, but the ending is just so perfect. You can read it here. I suggest you do it during daytime perhaps, because you might not sleep so well afterwards.

Le Vourdalak

Mon frère PJ a porté à mon attention un film d'horreur français datant de 2023, donc assez récent. Il a pour titre Le Vourdalak. Il est inspiré d'une novella de Tolstoï, La Famille du Vourdalak. Si comme moi vous vous connaissez un peu en folklore vampirique, vous saurez que vourdalak est le thème russe pour désigner le vampire. Vourdalak est donc notre mot du jour. Dans tous les cas, j'ai vu la bande-annonce, que je partage plus bas. On dirait un fim d'horreur de facture très vieille école, dans le meilleur sens du mot. Alors j'ai un double objectif: 1)trouver le film pour le regarder et 2)trouver et lire le bouquin qui l'a inspiré.

Frankenstein's Creature in a Pub

For today's countdown to Halloween post, I wanted to blog about a horror classic. It's not Halloween without this icon. You know who I'm talking about? I took this picture at The Grand Assembly, a Wetherspoon pub in the little town of Marlow. We didn't stop there for a drink, it was too crowded, but I saw this grandfather clock and took the time (ha, ha, ha!) to take this picture. You might need to increase the image to see the display in the clock, but you can see Frankenstein's monster, alone in nature. Even from the back, you can recognise him from his frame. As you may know, Mary Shelley lived in Marlow for a little while, a year or so, and this is where she finished writing Frankenstein. In fact, the pub is less than a five minutes walk away from her residence in the town. So it's a fitting display. Marlow is a place of pilgrimage for every fan of the novel, or indeed any fan of Gothic horror. especially, I'd add, in the weeks leading to Halloween.

Des Jos Louis à la citrouille?

C'est mon frère PJ qui a pris cette photo, à ma demande. Des Jos Louis, mais à la citrouille et aux épices. Je savais que Vachon faisait des variations de leurs classiques, mais je ne savais pas qu'ils se mettaient en mode automnal et Halloweenesque. Ce n'est pas moi qui m'en plaindrai. Je ne crois pas que ce soit aussi bon que les originaux (le Jos Louis n'est pas un classique pour rien), mais je serais curieux d'en essayer, rien que pour voir.

Scarecrow Bookmark

For today's countdown to Halloween post, I wanted to blog about one essential item of my spooky season: the bookmark. I try as much as possible to read the scary stories (or cute Halloween stories, because I read those too) I read this time of year with selected Halloween bookmarks. I buy them in bulk, sometimes I use leaflets and similar things as makeshift bookmarks for the season. So yes, among the one I have been using this Halloween, the bookmark here might be my favourite. I just love a Jack O'Lantern as the head of a scarecrow, they just go so well together. This is a perfectly seasonal Halloween image. Beautifully macabre and atmospheric. So yeah, I wanted to share it today. And you, do you have special bookmarks for Halloween? Tell me in the comments.

L'automne à La Baie

Mon père m'a envoyé des photos de l'automne à La Baie. J'en partage une rien que parce que. Les couleurs ne sont pas encore à leur plus magnifique, mais c'est beau quand même.

Aquila on Haunted Houses

For today's countdown to Halloween post, I'm promoting the October issue of Aquila Magazine. My son has a subscription and he always gets excited when he receives it, especially the October issue, as it's always about something spooky. "Big ideas for inquisitive kids", says their motto. Wolfie gets the best mail, as I love to say. So yes, this year it's all about haunted houses, haunting and ghosts in general. I reckon it will be a great source of inspiration for ghost stories, as well as help my son to develop his critical thinking. In any case, Aquila is a great educational read for children and the October issue is a must for families who love Halloween.

Un sentier en automne

Ma cousine Amy l'artiste-photographe m'a envoyé d'autres photos, prises lors d'une randonnée dans le Parc national des Monts-Valins il y a une semaine environ. J'ai eu le coup de coeur pour celle-ci, que je partage avec sa permission. Non mais si tôt dans l'automne, c'est rare que l'on ait des couleurs comme celles-ci, même au Saguenay. C'est vraiment magnifique. Pour moi, c'est l'automne idéal, l'automne parfait, en une photo. J'espère faire découvrir la saison au Saguenay à mon fils et ma femme un jour. D'ici là, j'ai les photos de ma cousine à leur montrer.