Sinister Servant

I took this picture in a small village pub, where they hold the Scarecrow Festival. It's a really bland looking place inside, but apparently they make a great Sunday roast and they are known to make great parties for Halloween and other holidays. I never managed to convince my wife and child to stop there for a drink. Last time, we bought snacks and went our merry way (on the Scarecrow Trail, but I digress). Well, I took a picture of this sinister man, who looks like he got right off a Gothic novel or a Hammer film. I was blogging recently about human servants of supernatural forces in horror stories, although in this case I don't think he is quite human. He could be a ghoul or a ghost. I saw him, or maybe one of his relatives, in a garden centre back in 2018. Both figures bear an uncanny resemblance. I strongly suspect he/it is a ghoul. When Wolfie was a toddler, he was terrified of this servant. I think he is still scared of him, hence his refusal to stay in the pub any longer than necessary, even though it's children friendly. I want to write a story about this sinister figure one day.

Horrifically Good Books

Time is running, Halloween is almost here and I haven't had the time to mention some really important news for amateurs of horror fiction like myself. Now I have always loved the city of  York, allegedly the most haunted city in England. Now I have another reason to love it and another reason to want to go back to it: I learned through social media that the bookshop Criminally Good Books now has a sister bookshop exclusively selling horror books, called... Horrifically Good Books. It also has a Facebook page. As far as I am aware, it's the first bookshop of its kind, at least in the UK. Now I must go back to York and visit the bookshop. For my English readers, if you ever visit it before me, please let me know about your experience. Whenever I go there, I promise I will behave... like a vampire in a blood bank.

Pr. Henry Armitage (Hero Against the Forces of Darkness)

For today's countdown to Halloween post, I am blogging again about H.P. Lovecraft and the Cthulhu Mythos. Lovecraft peopled his universe of many, many evil entities and nasty critters, as well as barking madmen, but he also sometimes gave us a few heroes who actually fought the forces of darkness. One of them is Professor Henry Armitage, from Miskatonic University, Arkham. Both university and city are fictitious of course. The portrait you see here is from the fifth edition of the role-playing game Call of Cthulhu. Pr. Armitage is featured in The Dunwich Horror and he is a Van Helsing figure, an academic who figures out the presence of the supernatural and knows how to fight it. He is far more bland than Van Helsing (Lovecraft wasn't the best giving much character to his good guys), but he deserves a mention in this blog. Horror has plenty of villains, we must remember that the genre also has heroes.

Ghostly Pig-Headed Bride

 For today's countdown to Halloween post, a little known ghostly legend. As you may know, I have been reading on and off Halloween Folklore and Ghost Stories. The book tells a few long forgotten pieces of English folklore, that deserves to be rediscovered and maybe developed into bona fide horror stories. Among them, the sighting of the Pig-Headed Bride from the village of Pipe and Lyde. I tried to find more about her (it?) online, but found zilch so far. That's how obscure it is. And that is tragic. I don't know for you, but I find pigs featured in horror stories to be particularly scary. Not sure why. But there is just something about their face. Especially on top of a human body, like here. A pig-headed woman is scary enough, a pig-headed bride even more, but a pig-headed ghost? It's the stuff of nightmare, pure Unheimliche. So yes, I don't know if I can find out more about this abomination, but Pipe and Lyde is now on my list of eerie pilgrimage destinations.

Dracula's Hot Wheels

For today's countdown to Halloween post, I thought I would blog about Dracula again. By the way, it struck me recently that I never formally recommended the novel, even though it's by far my favourite horror novel. Î will need to sort it out one day. Anyway, I have seen on other blogs, from other Cryptkeepers, that Hot Wheels has a special range of vehicles for Halloween. And I was happily surprised to find the Dracula "Kool Kompi" in the local toy shop. At £9.99, it's a bit pricey for a small toy car, but I could not resist. I did not take it off the packaging, because I think the image of Count Dracula is way cooler than the car. It's kind of funny, to think that Bram Stoker wrote a horror novel, one of the scariest ever written, and its antagonist now sells toys.

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.

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?

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.

"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.

"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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.