Halloween at High Noon 2026 - The Grim Dark

I look forward to this every year! Halloween at High Noon's yearly release is out!

Head over to their Band Camp page and download your copy! 

The Great Pumpkin Project

I've been away for a while. I've fallen out of touch with my Halloween roots while I tend to other things, so I've been checking in on old friends to see if they're still around.

I'm delighted to find The Great Pumpkin Project was still kicking as of last year.

For those not in the know, here's the Mission Statement:

Our Religion, Our Holiday, Our Time

Can you remember back to a time as a kid where Halloween was magic. You had just started school again and were hating every minute of it, but your only solace was that within a month, The Season would begin. The season where it gets dark earlier in the day, the air is crisp and and leaves make scratching sounds along the pavement at night. That time of year when things that were brushed off as nonsense, or make believe where now possible. The time when darkness was king. The time where reality bent ever so slightly. The nights where you were sure....something otherworldly was in fact...out there. These nights, and this time of year were, and still are religion to some. The icon, the patron saint, the figure at the altar of that religion..... The Jack-o-lantern. 

​ The Great Pumpkin Project is a movement to bring back the spirit of those nights, and the seasons high holiday, All Hallows' Eve. Every night in the month of October, a lit jack-o- lantern is placed in a spot that looks in need of its presence. On an abandon railroad bridge, at the gates of a cemetery, at the foot of a covered bridge. Anywhere that looks as if it screams Halloween spirit. Jacks can also be placed in highly visible areas, so that the spirit of the high holiday can be felt by anyone who sees it. The project's purpose...to Preserve The Eve Of All Hallows'. To make sure that the feelings we felt as kids in the month of October live on forever. One lit Jack, for 31 nights. Hail The Harvest!

 I hope they've returned this year...

EDITED TO ADD: Yes, Linus! The Great Pumpkin Project has returned this year!

Three Sisters Apothecary

Those of you who have followed this blog for years will remember that I've shared the sumptuous handmade products of Three Sisters Apothecary (also known as Soap Cauldron) before. Many of you also know that I'm a big fan of supporting small business and handmade, and Soap Cauldron fits the bill nicely!

New! Agua Fresca line. Click on the pic!

Owned and run by sisters Pandora and Emma as well as Emma's daughter, Sabrina, Soap Cauldron/Three Sisters Apothecary has grown into a retail space in Petaluma/Sonoma, and has expanded their line of highest quality, handmade soaps to include Soapy Tails (their handmade soaps for pets), a line for your shaving needs, essential oils, bath accessories, and more! (I personally love the "Intentions" blends.)

As you would expect from your neighborhood bruja blanca, all products are cruelty free.

You may want to bookmark this site for your Yule/Christmas gift-giving needs, since they have a number of gift sets to suit your budget and not break the bank. Who needs another generic gift card when they can have a thoughtful, handmade gift?

La Bruja

La Bruja sung by Rosy Arango here.

Ay, qué bonito es volar
Oh, how beautiful it is to fly

A las dos de la mañana
At two in the morning

A las dos de la mañana
At two in the morning

Ay, qué bonito es volar, ay mamá
Oh, how beautiful it is to fly, oh mom

Volar y dejarse caer
To fly and let yourself fall

En los brazos de una dama
In a lady's arms

En los brazos de una dama
In a lady's arms

Ay, qué bonito es volar, ay mamá
Oh, how beautiful it is to fly, oh mom

Me agarra la bruja
The witch grabs me

Me llena de flores
She fills me with flowers

Me vuelve racimo
She turns me into a bunch

De muchos colores
Of many colors

Me agarra la bruja
The witch grabs me

Me sahúma el pañuelo
She incenses my handkerchief

Me cura de todo
She cures me of everything

De todo lo ajeno
Of everything that's alien

¡Ay dígame y dígame y dígame usted!
Oh, tell me and tell me and tell me, sir!

¿Cuántas criaturitas se ha chupado usted?
How many little creatures have you sucked?

Ninguna, ninguna, ninguna lo sé
None, none, none, I know

Ando en pretensiones de chuparme a usted
I'm intent on sucking you

Witch

Artist: Mandy of October Oddities 

The White Witch

By James Weldon Johnson

O brothers mine, take care! Take care!
The great white witch rides out to-night.
Trust not your prowess nor your strength,
Your only safety lies in flight;
For in her glance there is a snare,
And in her smile there is a blight.

The great white witch you have not seen?
Then, younger brothers mine, forsooth,
Like nursery children you have looked
For ancient hag and snaggle-tooth;
But no, not so; the witch appears
In all the glowing charms of youth.

Her lips are like carnations, red,
Her face like new-born lilies, fair,
Her eyes like ocean waters, blue,
She moves with subtle grace and air,
And all about her head there floats
The golden glory of her hair.

But though she always thus appears
In form of youth and mood of mirth,
Unnumbered centuries are hers,
The infant planets saw her birth;
The child of throbbing Life is she,
Twin sister to the greedy earth.

And back behind those smiling lips,
And down within those laughing eyes,
And underneath the soft caress
Of hand and voice and purring sighs,
The shadow of the panther lurks,
The spirit of the vampire lies.

For I have seen the great white witch,
And she has led me to her lair,
And I have kissed her red, red lips
And cruel face so white and fair;
Around me she has twined her arms,
And bound me with her yellow hair.

I felt those red lips burn and sear
My body like a living coal;
Obeyed the power of those eyes
As the needle trembles to the pole;
And did not care although I felt
The strength go ebbing from my soul.

Oh! she has seen your strong young limbs,
And heard your laughter loud and gay,
And in your voices she has caught
The echo of a far-off day,
When man was closer to the earth;
And she has marked you for her prey.

She feels the old Antaean strength
In you, the great dynamic beat
Of primal passions, and she sees
In you the last besieged retreat
Of love relentless, lusty, fierce,
Love pain-ecstatic, cruel-sweet.

O, brothers mine, take care! Take care!
The great white witch rides out to-night.
O, younger brothers mine, beware!
Look not upon her beauty bright;
For in her glance there is a snare,
And in her smile there is a blight.

OOOOoooooOOO!

Neighborhood spooks..

October

October

By Ray Bradbury

Is October not the month of months?
The soul shaking months 

When all the memories are resurrected

By the turn of Time's spade.

All memories

All of them 

All  

The Vampire in the Library-Now at Emory University!

This looks amazing!

What is very likely the largest collection of Bram Stoker's handwritten materials in the world will be on display at Emory University's Rose Library!

Can you imagine? Standing so close to his handwritten notes, correspondence, photos and various other things he felt were worth holding onto? From the Library website:

Rose Library obtained the collection, meticulously collected and preserved by private collector John Moore of Dublin, Ireland, from a book dealer in Galway. The massive literary haul includes approximately 1,500 books, mostly 19th and early 20th century Stoker texts, inscribed association copies, correspondence, manuscripts, playbills and other ephemera and photographs.

Beth Shoemaker, Rose Library’s rare book librarian at the time of the acquisition, said Moore spent about 40 years tracking down every authentic rare book and document by and about Stoker and “Dracula” that he could find. International interest in the collection is strong, and although Moore has exhibited it and allowed a select number of scholars and authors under contract to visit the materials in his home, Moore felt it was time to place this collection with a major academic library that has the ability to provide broader accessibility.

In a day and age where rare books are being purchased, their bindings sliced off, then scanned and destroyed, I know that any opportunity we, the public, have to see such rarities in person is a true gift!

Because eff Jeff Bezos for committing the crime of destroying rare books, amiright?

Theodor

A charming, kid-friendly short about a grand night out for a vampire named Theodor...

Click on the pic to see it.

Peepshow Menagerie’s Bump & Grindhouse: Bloody Burlesque Horror Fest!

LA area peeps might be pleased to kick off spooky season with a little naughty, spooky horror!

Saturday, October 3rd at the Frida Cinema, a smashing double feature, with Frankenhooker and Bloody Bridget! A night of campy, bloody fun...  

Hollywood Forever

Folks in the Hollywood area should know that Hollywood Forever Cemetery (final home of greats such as Cecil B. DeMille and Jayne Mansfield, among many other noteworthy deceased) has got a nice lineup for the spookiest time of the year, according to the Hollywood Reporter!

Hollywood Forever Cemetery and Cinespia are presenting some of the last movies of the year:

Corpse Bride on Oct. 3, Carrie on Oct. 10, Jennifer’s Body on Oct. 30 and The Thing on Oct. 31.

Make sure to get your tickets if you still can!

Donnie Darko in Theaters!

I was stunned to see that Donnie Darko is turning 25! What the heck? 

To celebrate, Fathom Events is having a special release in theaters on October 2nd, 3rd, and 4th. Click on the link to find out where it's playing in your area.

A quick synopsis: After narrowly escaping a bizarre accident, a troubled teenager is plagued by visions of a man in a large rabbit suit who manipulates him to commit a series of crimes.

Reality or insanity? We'll see...

Welcome to Hallowe'en Month!

Happiest of Octobers, Everyone!

I've crept from my mausoleum for the season, and it's good to be back! Your Mistress of Mayhem will dust off some old favorites and add a few new treats for your pleasure this month, so please remember to come back here to see what offerings have been left out for you!

Comments are welcome!

Please, click on the pic for the traditional Hallowe'en playlist while I get my shroud to the dry cleaners!