The All Hallow’s Art Fest features Halloween artists from around the country. Collectors can find one-of-a-kind hand-made Halloween folk art in a variety of mediums: papier-mâché, leather, felt, spun cotton, and more.
We Bleed Orange & Blackby Jeff C. Carter is an anthology novel containing 31 tales embodying the spirit of the Halloween season. Mr. Carter reached out and provided me with an advanced copy of this book, which is currently available forpre-order on Amazon. It releases on October 6th, 2020.
Synopsis
A twisted faerie finds a lost child, a teenage werewolf sneaks out during a full moon, and a legion of monsters begins the downfall of man. Explore Halloween from Appalachia to the Arctic Circle and journey from the Old West to Mars.
This spooktacular goody bag harvests all the joys and terrors of the best night of the year. If you love air crisp as cider and scented with burning leaves, if you greet the darkness with a jack o’lantern grin, and if you yearn for the veil between worlds to grow thin, then you bleed orange & black.
About the Author
In addition to being a lifelong Halloween fanatic, Jeff C. Carter’s stories are featured in dozens of anthologies, translated for international markets, and adapted for podcasts. Podcasts include the Reedsy story prompt contest (winner), Transmissions from Punktown, Delta Green: Extraordinary Renditions, A Mythos Grimmly, ‘eFiction’ and ‘Nightland’ magazine, and the ‘Tales to Terrify’ podcast, among others.
His previous collection, Between the Teeth, hit #4 in sci-fi and #11 in horror short stories on the Kindle lists.
Review
Anthology books can be hit or miss – sometimes they contain a strong body of short fiction and sometimes they are hastily cobbled together. We Bleed Orange & Black falls mostly into the first category. Each story in this anthology is only a few pages long at most, but they all create unique worlds that can fuel the imagination for far longer than their read time.
Carter’s variety of topics and narrators is impressive. Each story has a distinct voice – from a little girl who fears the monster in her closet, to a weary tomb-robber, to even an octopus! Unlike some authors, who have a clear formula for their main characters, Carter showcases characters from many different ages, genders, and backgrounds . In doing so he creates a book with something for everyone to enjoy. In that vein, although the book is mostly targeted at adults, it does contain a special index highlighting the more family-friendly stories to share with older children. From tamer PG stories to a particularly gory detective story, odds are you will find something to appeal to your tastes.
The book not only plays with a variety of characters and themes, but also a variety of formats. In addition to traditional short stories, Carter also includes poems, a “historical” piece on Mars colony Halloween celebrations, a spooky how-to article, and a haunted house “review”. Changing up the format keeps the reader engaged and helps to make each piece memorable. Each entry offered something new, never feeling repetitious.
Another aspect of the book deserving praise is the amount of detail put into the stories. Carter appears to have researched folklore from around the world for the various entries. He includes historical facts like how people used to believe that hanged men could provide cures for certain ailments. His Mars trivia will invoke memories of elementary school science classes. Fans of cryptozoology will love the cameos in “The Great American Scare-Off”. Carter assembled quite the motley crew from mythologies all around the globe!
The biggest criticism that can be made of this anthology is that the stories can be too short at times. Carter creates colorful settings and rich premises, but allows little time for us to explore them. One such entry is “Trunk or Treat”, which ends as soon as the mysterious twist is revealed. Even Carter seems to want to expand some of his worlds further – including two connecting stories. It would have been enjoyable to see more overlapping narratives. Having only two connecting stories felt a little out of place.
Final Thoughts
Ultimately,We Bleed Orange & Blackis a perfect addition to any Halloween book collector’s shelves. One can tell that Carter truly loves the holiday from his many nods to Halloween nights of yore. His epilogue, “How to Preserve Your Pumpkin”, resonates with anyone who wants the magic of Halloween to last all year.
I found this anthology to be inspiring and a pleasure to read all the way through. I recommend it to all fans of short horror fiction.
After reading We Bleed Orange & Black, I am looking forward to his next novella, The Year Without a Halloween. It revolves around a Halloween “cancelled” due to snow. Having grown up on the East Coast myself, (in the epicenter of blizzards, Buffalo, New York) the subject matter hits close to home, and I know that Carter can craft a nostalgic tale that will hearken to those childhood memories with some scary twists. An excerpt can be found in We Bleed Orange & Black.
Screamfest presents “Darkman”. Join Screamfest Horror Film Festival at the LOOK Dine-In Cinemas Glendale on Wednesday, July 16th, 2025, for a special screening of Sam Raimi’s Darkman (1990). Dive into the
Haunted Attraction Network’s 2025 Hauntathon Open for Submissions The Haunted Attraction Network’s 2025 Hauntathon is open for submissions! Now in its eleventh year, the 61-day multimedia celebration spotlighting haunted
Happy Halloween shopping 2024! For over two decades now, the Halloween shopping season has been my main time for household and clothing purchases. Each year, I love to shop around
Chocolate Coffee Halloween Cupcakes with Cookie Dough Frosting and White Chocolate Tombstones
Are you looking for a way to add a fresh new twist to your standard Halloween cupcakes? Try these chocolate coffee Halloween cupcakes with cookie dough buttercream and white chocolate tombstones for a dreadfully delicious treat.
No tricks, just treats with this fun baked good!
The Cupcake Batter
The base of this recipe is a chocolate coffee batter. I highly recommend usingDeadly Grounds Coffeewith this recipe. Their house blend works very well with the chocolate flavor, or you can try some of their flavored blends to add additional complexities to the taste. Coffee flavors that may be fun to try are:
Death by Chocolate
Devil’s Night Roast (Chocolate & Pumpkin Spice)
Maple Bourbon
Pumpkin Spice
Now that you have selected your coffee, it is time to wrangle all the ingredients for the cupcakes:
1½ cups flour
¼ cup coco powder
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup coffee
1 tablespoon white vinegar
½ tablespoon vanilla
1/3 cup olive oil
Step 1 – Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Step 2 – In a bowl, combine flour, coco powder, sugar, baking soda, and salt.
Step 3 – Add the coffee to the mixture, stirring thoroughly. Add white vinegar, vanilla, and olive oil.
Step 4 – Pour into 12 cupcake liners. Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick poked in the center of the cupcake comes out clean.
The Buttercream Frosting
Buttercream frostings are usually a bit boring for me (I prefer to use ganaches when possible), but this cookie dough flavor buttercream is surprisingly tasty.
The ingredients are simple:
½ cup butter (softened)
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ cup brown sugar
1 ¼ cup powdered sugar
1/3 cup flour
1 tablespoon milk
½ tablespoon vanilla
(optional) chocolate chips
(optional) food coloring
Step 1 – Combine butter, salt, and brown sugar.
Step 2 – Add powdered sugar. Stir thoroughly.
Step 3 – Add flour. Stir thoroughly.
Step 4 – Add milk and vanilla. Stir thoroughly.
Step 5 – If desired, chocolate chips and/or food coloring can be added to the mixture. The frosting is now ready to pipe onto cooled cupcakes.
The Tombstones
Get out your favorite candy mold and make some tombstone toppers. For these, I just brought some water to a boil, placed a glass bowl over the pot with the boiling water, and melted white chocolate chips with about 1 tablespoon of butter.
Once thoroughly melted, pour the chocolate into the candy mold. Pop that mold in the refrigerator for at least half an hour, and then use them to top your cupcakes once they are frosted.
Screamfest presents “Darkman”. Join Screamfest Horror Film Festival at the LOOK Dine-In Cinemas Glendale on Wednesday, July 16th, 2025, for a special screening of Sam Raimi’s Darkman (1990). Dive into
Haunted Attraction Network’s 2025 Hauntathon Open for Submissions The Haunted Attraction Network’s 2025 Hauntathon is open for submissions! Now in its eleventh year, the 61-day multimedia celebration spotlighting haunted
Happy Halloween shopping 2024! For over two decades now, the Halloween shopping season has been my main time for household and clothing purchases. Each year, I love to shop around
Since mid-July, Halloween fans have been anxiously awaiting the Halloween collections from our favorite brands for the 2020 Halloween shopping season. From big box retailers to “boo-tiques”, an increasing number of places offer special merchandise for the Halloween & autumn season starting in late July/early August.
Here is my list of the best new products hitting shelves this fall. I hope you enjoy your Halloween shopping this year and find something fun to add to your collection!
Skeleton Hand Champagne Glass - Image From PotteryBarn.com
These 11″ high Champaign glasses will add an elegant eeriness to your dining room this Halloween. They are made of glass and zinc alloy and are phthalate, BPA, lead, and latex free. They are hand wash only, but their sleek design makes them worth the effort.
Home Goods has been selling similar-looking products (in the L.A. area, at least), for about $10 each but those do not seem to be very high quality. Specifically, the areas where the metal and glass connect seemed to be a little flimsy on the glasses I saw on the shelf. I think that in this case, it may be worth it to spring for these more expensive alternatives as the pictures look like they are a more durable product.
Grandin Road’s Halloween party line for 2020 is raven-themed. This beautiful glass punch bowl is the centerpiece of the collection. It has a 160 ounce capacity. It measures 13 3/4″ in diameter and weighs 9 pounds (unfilled). The glass bowl can be removed from the resin base for easy hand washing.
It is certainly too pricey for my Halloween activities this year, but for those who would like to splurge, this is a well-crafted piece.
Haunted House Nightlight Projector. Image from BathAndBodyWorks.com
Every year I can find a Haunted House Wallflower plug at Bath & Body Works. This year they have added a projector to the standard nightlight. We can now have a bright green witch illuminated on the wall above the nightlight plug!
Once plugged in, this will illuminate continuously. Bath & Body Works claims the plug should last for at least two years. My previous experience with these types of items is consistent with that claim – the first one I purchased lasted for over 3 years.
Combine this with some of their autumn scents – like “Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin”, “Leaves”, “The Perfect Autumn”, and “Sweater Weather” to keep your home smelling spooky all year round!
I love sewing and fabric crafts – even though I am not the most skilled at them! Joann Fabrics always has an amazing selection of fabrics for all your creative needs. They offer prints on cotton and fleece and have a selection of spiderweb lace perfect for quilts or costumes. Be sure to visit their website as well, as they do have a few patterns that are online only. Additionally, online they have a few prints you can customize to find that extra special color for your project.
Target’s Mini Mantel Halloween Decor from the Hyde & EEK! Boutique™. Images from Target.com
It wasn’t until day-after-Halloween shopping that I came across these cute Mini Mantle Halloween items. These are durable little painted wooden displays. They are marketed as mantle decorations, but I think they are great toys as well.
The 2020 collection includes new locales and characters, including a fun house, castle, and pirate ship. Each setting has a matching set of characters to purchase (separately). I especially love the skeleton knight and helmet-clad octopus. At only $8 per set, I did pre-order 11 of the different sets this time around. I highly recommend these and expect them to fly off the shelves again this year.
Skellie Toile Tea Towel. Image from Williams-Sonoma.com.
Having a Halloween-themed kitchen year-round means that I am constantly buying new hand towels to replace worn-out ones throughout the year. This animal skeleton print from Williams Sonoma will allow me to add a bit of morbid whimsy to my decor. The towels are 100% cotton and machine-washable. They are standard hand towel size – measuring 20″ x 30″.
A Ghastly Scene Nightgown. Image from MoCcloth.com
ModCloth, while expensive, has many sophisticated and unique offerings for this Halloween season. This nightgown with their “A Ghastly Scene” ghost print immediately caught my eye. The fabric is semi-sheer and made up of 60% Cotton, 20% Viscose, 14% Polyester, and 6% Elastane. It has crossing adjustable straps in the back.
If the nightgown is not your preferred type of sleepwear, ModCloth also carries a standard pajama set with a button up top and shorts in the same patterned fabric.
You’ll sleep like the dead in this spirited nighttime ensemble!
12' Tall Skeleton with animated LED eyes. Image from HomeDepot.com.
As I stand only slightly taller than 5′ 1″, this 12′ tall giant skeleton is an impressive sight to behold in one’s yard. Home Depot is increasingly becoming the place to go for creative Halloween yard decorations.
The skeleton is 12′ high and requires a 6.4′ area for the base. Four C batteries power the LED eyes, creating a spooky life-like effect. The legs are fixed, but the arms can be moved to different positions (ex. reaching out, at the sides, etc.).
If you get this monstrosity, be sure to persuade a friend to help with setup. The instructions estimate that it takes two people about twenty minutes to complete the 24 steps in the assembly process.
Halloween Book-Shaped Gift Boxes (4 Designs). Images from DollarTree.com
Dollar Tree is often a nice place to find goodies for trick-or-treaters. Every once in a while, I can find something there for my personal Halloween shopping. This year I found these Halloween Book-Shaped Gift Boxes. Available in four designs and five different sizes, they are spooky vessels to dole out your Halloween party favors to friends.
Sizes include: XL (7.12×4.92×3.19-in.), L (6.5×4.5×2.9-in.), M (5.9×3.94×2.6-in.), S (5.3×3.35×2.28-in.), and XS (4.8×2.75×2-in.). The designs feature “Witches Spell Book”, “Love Potions”, “Tales of Halloween”, and “Scary Stories”. You can buy them individually at a Dollar Tree location or you can buy them in a case online. A case contains 32 pieces, which will be a mixture of designs and sizes.
Orange Tree with Lights. Image from Treetopia.com.
Each year I see more and more people putting up Halloween trees in October. Treetopia offers this vibrant and full artificial tree with built-in LED lights. The PVC needles are fire-retardant, making this just as safe as your standard Christmas tree. It is available in 5′, 6′, 7.5′, and 9′ heights, so you can find the right fit for your space.
This tree would also be perfect for a more spooky Christmas and holiday celebration. Pair it with someHorror Ornamentsand you will be ready to celebrate any holiday!
What are your favorite Halloween items so far for 2020? Have you already bought any of the above items and have a review? Let me know on Instagram or Twitter @EmilyIsHorror
Want to see what I’ve loved in past years? Check out previous shopping guides below:
Screamfest presents “Darkman”. Join Screamfest Horror Film Festival at the LOOK Dine-In Cinemas Glendale on Wednesday, July 16th, 2025, for a special screening of Sam Raimi’s Darkman (1990). Dive into
Haunted Attraction Network’s 2025 Hauntathon Open for Submissions The Haunted Attraction Network’s 2025 Hauntathon is open for submissions! Now in its eleventh year, the 61-day multimedia celebration spotlighting haunted
Happy Halloween shopping 2024! For over two decades now, the Halloween shopping season has been my main time for household and clothing purchases. Each year, I love to shop around
Covid-19 has derailed all plans for industry events this spring. With major trade shows being postponed/cancelled for the foreseeable future, many of us in the events & attractions industry have lost valuable resources for networking, purchasing, and learning. Spearheaded by Philip Hernandez of Gantom Lighting & Controls and Seasonal Entertainment Source Magazine, Virtually Prepared aims to bring together industry professionals to discuss the challenges we face – both for 2020 and future years.
This online event will include two days of programming using Zoom conference service as well as a virtual show floor. Many of the panels will bring the Covid-19 discussion to the forefront with industry experts weighing in on what haunters and attraction owners can expect in the coming months. They are also courses on prop controllers, courses on planning your upcoming season, and online social events. The virtual show floor will include special offers from vendors and links for online ordering of your favorite props, costumes, and more.
I am looking forward to seeing how this new format for industry events works out. Nothing can fully replicate face-to-face interaction with trade show vendors, but this can open up a myriad of opportunities. We can learn from new experts whose jobs may not allow for time to travel to the usual industry events. We can also network with colleagues around the world who may not be able to afford to travel to standard event locations. As much as I love seeing familiar faces, I hope to see many newcomers to this event as well.
Will this new format change the face of events as we know it? Only time will tell. I hope to “see” all you at this new and exciting event!
See You at the Virtually Prepared Conference 2020!
Screamfest presents “Darkman”. Join Screamfest Horror Film Festival at the LOOK Dine-In Cinemas Glendale on Wednesday, July 16th, 2025, for a special screening of Sam Raimi’s Darkman (1990). Dive into the
Haunted Attraction Network’s 2025 Hauntathon Open for Submissions The Haunted Attraction Network’s 2025 Hauntathon is open for submissions! Now in its eleventh year, the 61-day multimedia celebration spotlighting haunted
Happy Halloween shopping 2024! For over two decades now, the Halloween shopping season has been my main time for household and clothing purchases. Each year, I love to shop around
Every year we get out Halloween shopping fix earlier and earlier. this August is no exception. The 2019 Halloween shopping season is already off to a strong start with stores across the nation offering new and exciting faire for lovers of the holiday and all its scary trappings. From major chains to specialty “Boo-tiques”, let’s take a look at the best new items for the Halloween 2019 shopping season:
Michael’s has an incredibly strong selection of decor this year. They invested heavily in creating a vintage Halloween collection. Their Wheel-Of-Fortune wall sign has a spinner for guests to see what their future may hold on Halloween. This is a beautiful recreation of the holiday divination games of yore and certainly adds an element of fun to your party or room set-up. Fortunes include “Something Lost Will Come Back to You”, “Now Is the Time to Try Something New”, and “You Will Live a Long and Happy Life”. Although this piece could have benefited from more varied fortunes and clever new phrases for a modern audience, its authentic feel makes it one of the hottest items on my shopping list this year.
This product may have been on the market for a couple years now, but it is one of the most over-looked and under-rated Halloween props I have come across. This spooky battery-powered radio has four hours of listening content across its 19-channels, including selections from vintage horror radio classics like the 1938 Dracula or a reading of Edgar Allan Poe’s The Raven. The sound quality is decent – it certainly gets across the spooky old radio feel, while still allowing you to clearly hear the recordings. It is also nice to have something else to listen to instead of playing “Monster Mash” on repeat.
Sometimes just a small touch of whimsy for your table is all you need, and this Halloween Mist Maker from Sur La Table fits that purpose. This compact ultrasonic mist maker with color-changing LED lights is easy to use and creates a nice effect when placed in a pumpkin, cauldron, or bowl. This seems like a perfect alternative to a traditional fogger, which may be too big or bulky for your purposes.
If by this point you still have any wall space left in your home, Etsy seller,ReflectionsWallArt, has a variety of ghoulishly unique prints. These old Halloween sheet music covers add fanciful frights to your walls – and would work very well if you have a music room. Now, if only they came with the sheet music as well! I’d love to learn some of these pieces, like the “Ghost Dance“.
For fans of inflatable yard decor, this Grim Reaper Globe Halloween Inflatable is certainly a wonderful addition to your collection. The globe acts as a projection screen for the compact projector included with the kit. The projector includes five scenes and four transitions with sounds. If you are technologically savvy, you can upload your own scenes to the projector for a customized display.
The projector does look small and may not have enough lumens to give a theater-quality projection, but this is an exciting addition to the market and hopefully means that we can expect even more advanced consumer-friendly projection-mapping technology in the years to come.
Finding quality resin tombstones for your graveyard display can be difficult – the majority of stores only carry foam tombstones. Lowe’s is offering this over 2′ high tombstone for 2019. The durability and added weight from resin props means that it will stand up to the elements for a display meant to last longer than a few hours on Halloween night. I especially love that the design is creepy, yet not corny – it does have the morbid look of real old-time gravestones.
As stated previously, Michael’s Halloween selections are top notch this season. Aside from the vintage Halloween collection, they also have a variety of Fortune Telling themed decor. This box wall art may only be 7.87″ x 5.91″ x 1.38″, but the design has a big impact. The moth’s skull and eyes pattern makes a beautiful addition to one’s wall and can remain up all year to accent a goth decor.
This fall marks the return of one of my favorite scents from a few years ago, Twilight Woods. The fragrance is described on the Bath & Body Works website as “an enticing blend of apricot nectar, mimosa petals, and Tuscan cypress”. The scent is also available as a shower gel, body cream, body gel, body wash, body butter, and shimmer mist. Get this and smell great while you do all your Halloween shopping!
This eerie black cat banner from the Martha Stewart Collection creates a fun photo op for your Halloween party. The poleyester banner measures 72.57″ high by 43.75″ wide and has eyelets to hang with ease. This product appears to be on clearance, so get yours before they disappear!
What are your favorite Halloween items so far for 2019? Have you already bought any of the above items and have a review? Let me know on Twitter or Instagram @EmilyIsHorror.
Screamfest presents “Darkman”. Join Screamfest Horror Film Festival at the LOOK Dine-In Cinemas Glendale on Wednesday, July 16th, 2025, for a special screening of Sam Raimi’s Darkman (1990). Dive into the
Haunted Attraction Network’s 2025 Hauntathon Open for Submissions The Haunted Attraction Network’s 2025 Hauntathon is open for submissions! Now in its eleventh year, the 61-day multimedia celebration spotlighting haunted
Happy Halloween shopping 2024! For over two decades now, the Halloween shopping season has been my main time for household and clothing purchases. Each year, I love to shop around
Make Out in the Graveyard by Matt Mahaffey is the end credit theme song for the underrated Nickelodeon movie, Fun Size. This cute upbeat tune mixes fun Halloween imagery with sexy lyrics about a Halloween tryst appealing to any fanatic of all things spooky. Although appearing in a Nickelodeon film, this song is certainly appropriate for the adult crowd and a fun hit to spice up your Halloween playlist!
While you are at it, also check out Fun Size – it is actually a pleasant surprise. So why did it tank at the box office? It was probably poor advertising. The film has plot lines for every member of a dysfunctional (but endearing) family – from the young prankster son to the teenage daughter to the widowed mother (who is dating a college kid). Nickelodeon had no idea how to advertise such a broad film, so most of the trailers, commercials, and ads featured the younger family members’ plots – which made the entire movie seem like a childish misadventure film (and a film geared towards children and families as opposed to an older crowd). In actuality, although there are silly moments, the majority of the film has a more adult humor and is geared mostly to the teen/young adult crowd more than younger viewers.
Screamfest presents “Darkman”. Join Screamfest Horror Film Festival at the LOOK Dine-In Cinemas Glendale on Wednesday, July 16th, 2025, for a special screening of Sam Raimi’s Darkman (1990). Dive into
Haunted Attraction Network’s 2025 Hauntathon Open for Submissions The Haunted Attraction Network’s 2025 Hauntathon is open for submissions! Now in its eleventh year, the 61-day multimedia celebration spotlighting haunted
Happy Halloween shopping 2024! For over two decades now, the Halloween shopping season has been my main time for household and clothing purchases. Each year, I love to shop around
One of my favorite jazzy Halloween songs is Halloween Spooks performed by the jazz trio, Lambert, Hendricks &Ross. Vocalists Dave Lambert, Jon Hendricks, and Annie Ross create a melodic chorus and fun scat impressions of a ghost, witch, and demon, all set to a fun jazz beat.
This song encapsulates the fun of the holiday with the tongue in cheek chorus: “Halloween Spooks outside my window. Halloween Spooks behind the tree. I wish that the children could see, but I can’t find them for the life of me, and there’s Halloween Spooks outside my window pane.“
Screamfest presents “Darkman”. Join Screamfest Horror Film Festival at the LOOK Dine-In Cinemas Glendale on Wednesday, July 16th, 2025, for a special screening of Sam Raimi’s Darkman (1990). Dive into
Haunted Attraction Network’s 2025 Hauntathon Open for Submissions The Haunted Attraction Network’s 2025 Hauntathon is open for submissions! Now in its eleventh year, the 61-day multimedia celebration spotlighting haunted
Happy Halloween shopping 2024! For over two decades now, the Halloween shopping season has been my main time for household and clothing purchases. Each year, I love to shop around
