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Question of the Day (QOTD) is exactly what it sounds like. It’s a film/TV-related question that we put to you, the reader. The comments section below is like the feedback box at work; except, in this example, we actually read what you write and care about what you have to say.
October is right around the corner. That means falling leaves, cooler weather, pumpkins, and, best of all, Halloween. Like a lot of things, the anticipation can be as fun or even more fun than the event itself. Halloween is no exception for me. I revel in the spirit of the season. The spooky decorations on porches and in yards, pumpkin-scented candles (looking at you, Ben), and the air of mischief that accompanies the holiday.
But getting in the spirit for Halloween is a personal thing, and everybody has their own rituals and practices for dialing in the perfect atmosphere for the month.
So the question I ask today is: How do you get in the mood for Halloween?
Since SAW is a movie-focused site, many of you will likely turn to horror movies and TV to get you in the right frame of mind for the season, but movies aren’t the only way to go about it.
My approach is multi-pronged.
For movies, I prefer the older horror. The cheesier, the better. Though cheese isn’t a necessary factor. I’m all about that Halloween III: Season of the Witch, Creepshow, and Phantasm vibe.
Since real fall weather is usually slow to reach me where I live, I like to use the autumn-scented candles to assist in getting in the right mood. Anything pumpkin works, but there’s a ton of choices. But it doesn’t stop with smells. You can get just about anything in pumpkin flavor at the grocery store nowadays (it’s gotten downright silly, honestly), and that can help set the right tone as well.
My family generally goes all out on the decorating front as well. I’ve always been known as That guy in my neighborhood. I usually put up a DIY man-sized figure that I dress up in real clothes and stake in the front yard. I have a few different masks I will rotate in and out from year to year. My neighbor has never gotten used to it. It usually takes her a week or two to adjust to seeing it when she backs out of her garage in the morning or comes home in the evening. To be honest, it takes a while to adjust to seeing a huge man standing in the front yard, also. But it’s a lot of fun.
Probably my most trusted method for really soaking up the fall season, though, is with the right novel or collection of short stories. Horror is usually the genre, but I prefer that the story is set during fall, and if it has a specific Halloween focus, that’s even better. This year I chose Stephen King’s Insomnia, but I’m on the fence about whether I chose the right book this year or not. If you’re into this sort of thing, I recommend Dark Harvest by Norman Partridge or Al Sarantonio’s Orangefield series. It’s really extremely cheesy, but it nails the tone and it pretty much guaranteed to get you in the right frame of mind.
But what about you, folks? How do you get in the mood for Halloween?
What movies do you watch? What books do you read? Do you burn candles? Witches?
Tell us all about your Halloween rituals and I’ll see you in the trenches.
