Halloween Picks! A mixed-media list

MONSTER MOVIES

The Bride of Frankenstein (1935)

Frankenstein is blackmailed into reviving his monster and building a mate for it.

Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde (1932) VHS

A scientist concocts a potion that releases the animal side of man.

Dracula (1931)

After a naïve real estate agent succumbs to the Count, the two head to London where the vampire hopes to search for potential victims by night.

Frankenstein (1931)

Dr. Frankenstein creates a human monster in his laboratory but his dreams of perfection are thwarted when the monster becomes an uncontrollable beast.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)

The citizens of a small town are invaded and replaced by unfeeling clones.

The Phantom of the Opera (1925) VHS

A fiendish-looking man lives in the catacombs below the Paris Opera House and has an unrequited love affair with an opera starlet whom he tutors. Silent.

Nosferatu (1922)

A 1922 silent film adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula, featuring an extremely creepy vampire with long fingernails and a bulbous head.

FICTION

The Wizard of La-La Land by R. Wright Campbell (1995)

A male prostitute's death leaves some mysterious clues to another murder--satanic books, a mummified finger, a phone with numbers on automatic dial--leading Whistler on a grim search into a seething netherworld.

Trick or Treat Murder by Leslie Meier (1996)

While preparing for the annual Halloween festival in Tinker's Cove, Maine, Lucy Stone investigates a series of arson fires that are destroying local architectural treasures, crimes that claim the life of the owner of the town's oldest home and turn an arsonist into a killer.

Strange Brew by Kathy Hogan Trocheck (1997)

When a local business is forced to close in order to accommodate a microbrewery and the head of the brewery is found murdered, Callahan uncovers some disturbing secrets that are better left hidden.

A Night in the Lonesome October by Roger Zelazny (1993)

Snuff, a guard dog who performs thaumaturgical calculations, accompanies his master, Jack, on collecting expeditions into the Whitechapel slums of nineteenth-century London.

Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury (1962)

A strange carnival brings terror to the population of a small midwestern town.

Women and Ghosts by Alison Lurie (1994)

A collection of nine tales focuses on women haunted by spirits of the night and the mind, such as the story of an imminent second wife who is visited by the ghost of the first and a dieting secretary who sees obese people everywhere she looks.

The Night Country by Stewart O'Nan (2003)

A tragic car accident that claims the life of three teens while leaving one hospitalized with brain damage and another alive but suffering with guilt yields still more suffering a year after the event when the spirits of the three dead kids come back to torment the lives of the survivors.

The Awakening by Shannon Drake (2003)

Returning home to Salem, Massachusetts, to perform at a weeklong music festival, Megan O'Casey and her husband Finn come face-to-face with terror when an ominous force possesses them both, forcing them to participate in an ancient ritual and fulfill their dark destiny.

Charmed by Jayne Castle, Julie Beard, Lori Foster & Eileen Wilks (1999)

Four enchanting Halloween tales of love, enchantment, psychic powers, ghostly hauntings, and magical spells.

Lady Hilary's Halloween by Mona Gedney (2001)

Fleeing to London to escape her odious fiancé, Lady Hilary is transformed into a stunning beauty by her friend Lily and causes quite a sensation, especially with handsome Lord Grayden, who concocts a delicious Halloween scheme to rid her of her bethrothed, and steals her heart in the process.

The Mammoth Book of Vampire Stories by Women edited by Stephen Jones (2001)

A collection of vampire tales by distinguished women authors features thirty-four works by Anne Rice, Edith Nesbit, Tanith Lee, Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, Tanya Huff, Mary Elizabeth Braddon, Nancy Kilpatrick, Poppy Z. Brite, and other outstanding authors.

I Shudder at Your Touch: 22 Tales of Sex and Horror edited by Michele Slung (1991)

Authors include the masters Barker and King, and lesser lights

Murder for Halloween: Tales of Suspense edited by Michele Slung and Roland Hartman (1994)

A suspenseful collection of tales combines ghoulish tricks and supernatural treats, featuring the work of Peter Straub, Marcia Muller, Peter Lovesey, James Grady, Leo Bruce, Ray Bradbury, Gahan Wilson, Robert Bloch, and more.

 

TERRIFYING TALES ON TAPE AND CD

Tales of Mystery & Horror by Edgar Allan Poe (1981)

Presents a reading of selected short prose and poetry of the American horror writer. Read by Christopher Lee.

Everything’s Eventual by Stephen King (2002)

A new collection of short fiction features "Autopsy Room Four," "The Little Sisters of Eluria," and "The Road Virus Heads North." Read by Boyd Gaines, Judith Ivey, Justin Long, Oliver Platt, Jay O. Sanders.

Frankenstein (as a radio play) (1980)

Suspense radio program, starring Herbert Marshall.

Dracula (as a radio play) (1980)

Mercury Theatre with Orson Welles.

The Edgar Allan Poe Audio Collection (2000)

A classic collection of Poe's most terrifying tales performed by two of the most brilliant interpreters of his work, Vincent Price and Basil Rathbone.

COSTUME, PARTY, AND DECORATING BOOKS

 

The Penny Whistle Halloween Book by Meredith Brokaw (1991)

Discusses the history and lore of Halloween and includes instructions for making costumes, decorations, and invitations and planning games, activities, and menus for Halloween parties for different age groups.

Halloween: The Best of Martha Stewart Living (2001)

Offers Halloween decoration and food concepts, including costume designs, pumpkin and squash carving tips, ideas for creating a haunted house, and recipes for making "mauled" apple cider and spiderweb sundaes.

Easy Halloween Costumes for Children by Leila Alabala (1986)

Dressmaking patterns for Halloween costumes for children.

Tricks & Treats: The Ultimate Halloween Book by Deborah Harding (1998)

From traditional trick-or-treating, school events, and community parades for kids, to masquerade balls for adults, a guide to Halloween is filled with innovative ideas for costumes, pumpkin carving, decorations, parties, foods, and other ghoulish glories.

 

 

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