Halloween Books

The Magic Hour by James S. Crowley

This Saturday night daylight savings time will be over for the season. An hour after midnight, the clock will strike "one." But an hour later, the clock will strike "one" again. These sixty minutes suspended in time will prove to Eddie McCourt to be the most precious of his young life.

Born on Ocober 31st, nine-year-old Eddie has a special birthday wish this year—to see his twin brother Brian who fell from their tree house and passed away just three weeks before. Somehow, though, the bonds of communication between these two little boys have not been broken. Eddie knows that somehow Brian is still alive. Eddie also knows that somehow Brian is expecting him, and that this extraordinary hour when time stands still will serve as his vehicle of transport.

In a thrilling and other-worldly Halloween adventure, Eddie seeks to celebrate his birthday with his brother and along the way develops a new understanding of life so profound that not only his life, but the lives of all those around him will be changed forever because of "The Magic Hour."

A winner of the International Horror Guild Award, October Dreams: A Celebration of Halloween is undoubtedly the grandest horror anthology ever compiled on the genre's signature holiday, and unlikely to be supplanted in that position. Weighing in at almost 650 pages, this intelligently selected compendium contains work from nearly every contemporary bestselling author, cult favorite, and hot up-and-comer in horror. The volume mixes a generous amount of well-written new fiction with classic reprints, several "Favorite Halloween Memories," an informative "Short History of Halloween" by Paula Guran, a well-chosen "Overview of Halloween Films" by Gary A. Braunbeck, and an equally useful "Reader's Guide to Halloween Fiction" by Stefan Dziemianowicz. Many of the authors contribute both a story and a Favorite Memory, and Ray Bradbury, to whom the volume is rightfully dedicated, contributes these and a poem.

Focuses on the best of dark fantasy in art, music, and culture. Features include reviews of books, cds, dvds, games and movies, entertainment news and interviews, short fiction, and spotlights on artists and the latest fashions.

Issue 19 Features:
Vampires of the Far East: Asia's Dark Legends of the Undead
The Rocky Horror Picture Show: 30 Years of Gothic Decadence and Rock'n'Roll
Mystical Relics: Uncovering The World's Most Fabled and Mysterious Artifacts
The Monster Files: Investigating the Legend of Green Eyes
Madame Endora reveals the Mystical Properties of Birthstones
Dr. Arcana plays havok with your brain in the Roving Rat Maze
Featured Fantasy Artists: Matt Hughes and Derry Sexton
Plus all the latest Music, Books, Entertainment News & Vicious Rumors...

Finally, here's a Halloween book that's definitely for adults. It's brimming with practical and inventive ideas for parties, decorations, and costumes, and with an amazingly atmospheric design that's a luscious treat for grown-up eyes. Take the dread out of a costume party with creative and playful ways to dress for success on All Hallow's Eve; there are even actual costume elements to use, from wings and tails to masks and hats. You'll find ways to repurpose items right out of your own closet or benefit from a quick trip to the thrift shop. Unique make-up tips for a ghoulishly great appearance will complete the effect. An elegant "Pumpkin Primer" supplies projects to enhance the holiday spirit, including menacing hex dolls and simple, spooky candlescapes. Finally, a selection of theme party ideas, from Day o' the Dead to a Masked Ball, will make for a Happy Halloween. After all: why should kids have all the fun?

A whimsical array of ghosts and goblins, spooks and skeletons, vamps and vampires parade through this unparalleled collection of more than 100 years of American Halloween attire. From Little Bo Peep with lamb in hand to beatniks and pirates, from monsters and witches to clowns and animals, this veritable "carnival" of costumes visually captures All Hallows' Eve like no other book before.

Create a charming country-style Halloween setting through your whole house, from the front yard and the entryway to the windows, mantelpiece, and table, with a little help from Haunt Your House for Halloween. More sweetly spooky than scary, the decorations feature lots of simple, painted wood cutouts (ghosties, pumpkiny characters, rabbits, cats, crows), easy wreaths (such as a circle of ghost-wrapped lollipops), and clever edibles (sloppy joes whose buns masquerade as pumpkins; ghoul-aid; chocolate scaredy-snacks). Full directions and patterns are given for each project, although the book's format occasionally makes finding the instructions for a particular project challenging: a series of photos illustrates a number of project tableaus, followed by the step-by-step instructions for those projects compressed together, then another series of photos, and so on. Everything is clearly pictured, though, and the directions do refer back to the illustration page, so this minor drawback shouldn't keep Halloween crafters from finding their way.

You don't have to wait until October 31 to jump into the festive, spooky world of Halloween. You can experience it all year round with Kipling West's Halloween Tarot! The 78-card Halloween Tarot deck offers both the fun and the mystery of the holiday--monsters and other creepy creatures, eager trick-or-treaters, and the ubiquitous black cat. The Minor Arcana suits are Pumpkins (Pentacles), Bats (Swords), Ghosts (Cups), and Imps (Wands).

Halloween books abound, but none is as elegantly spooky or as eerily opulent as this gorgeous guide from Martha Stewart Living. Set the scene for the ultimate Halloween party with a magical yard full of pumpkins glowing with vibrant geometrics and sparkling with Christmas lights. Welcome guests with shadow lanterns flickering with bats and haunted windows. Strew the house with chiffon ghosts and fill the air with haunting sounds. Then host a pumpkin-carving feast, a crafty party, or a ghoulish supper, and whip up eyeball highballs, croaked messieurs, and spider-web sundaes. And don't forget the creepy makeup: follow along as willing victims transform into a skeleton, mummy, and several other creatures (Martha herself becomes an astonishing black widow). Excellent directions, full recipes, beautiful photographs, and an extremely detailed source list should inspire anyone to celebrate All Hallows' Eve with style.

If the only "really clear thought" you had as a kid was "Get candy," you'll be at one with comedian Jerry Seinfeld's first children's picture book, Halloween. This nostalgic view of Halloweens past will ring true with everyone who remembers the trials and tribulations of trick-or-treating--from the stupid masks with thin gray rubber straps and cheap little staples to the humiliation of having to wear a winter coat over your store-bought Superman costume. Of course, the smart-alecky Seinfeld puts his own stamp on things in a voice that is so distinctly his: "Come on lady, let's go! Halloween, doorbells, candy, let's pick it up in there." He wants "name candy" only, make no mistake, and even trick-or-treats with an organizational cabinet on wheels, with drawers labeled "Crunchy Things," "Sour Things," "Rejects," etc. James Bennett's exaggerated, hilarious, expressive illustrations of the young Jerry (yes, it looks exactly like him) suit the over-the-top story to a T. Unusual child's-eye perspectives on parents (and friends up the sidewalk who won't wait up) add energy to a book that is already sugar-charged. Like Jerry's standup routines, Halloween focuses on the minutiae and will make you laugh even if you try to resist. (Ages 6 to adult)

Special indeed are holiday stories with the right mix of high spirits and subtle mystery to please both adults and children--Charles Dickens's "A Christmas Carol," for example. Or Ray Bradbury's classic The Halloween Tree. Eight boys set out on a Halloween night and are led into the depths of the past by a tall, mysterious character named Moundshroud. They ride on a black wind to autumn scenes in distant lands and times, where they witness other ways of celebrating this holiday about the dark time of year. Bradbury's lyrical prose whooshes along with the pell-mell rhythms of children running at night, screaming and laughing, and the reader is carried along by its sheer exuberance.

This is the antithesis of the coffee-table book: paperback, pocket-sized, pumpkin-shaped, photo-less, and page after page of about 50 fantastic recipes! These are not just simple desserts (though there are several exotic ones), but spicy gourmet main dishes from around the world.

As late summer leaves turn rich fall colors, our thoughts turn to celebrating the bountiful harvests and holidays of autumn. Filled with more than 30 recipes and 10 craft and decorating ideas, HOLIDAY PUMPKINS offers both traditional and contemporary ideas for celebrating Halloween, Thanksgiving, and harvest time. Old favorites such as Old-Fashioned Pumpkin Pie and Pumpkin Soup stand alongside new creations that are sure to become standards in any household. Decorating projects go way beyond carving the perfect jack-o’-lantern; here you’ll find directions for creating Pumpkin Candle Holders, a Pumpkin Wreath, and even Papier-Mâché Trick-or-Treat Baskets. Whether you let the kids play with you or not, all of the projects and recipes in HOLIDAY PUMPKINS will add to the enjoyment of the autumn season.

Harvest Tales & Midnight Revels is both a guide to giving storytelling parties at Halloween, and an anthology of original tales. Editor Michael Mayhew begins by describing how much he used to enjoy Halloween as a kid, especially for its affirmation in the face of death: "You may get me someday, but tonight I am alive!" As an adult, he missed the "magical shivers" of those eerie nights. So he started an annual gathering in which people would feast and tell stories.

The large middle part of the book is an anthology of the best read-aloud pieces that were shared with others at those parties: 16 stories and 3 poems. The only rule they had was that the story had to relate to Halloween in some way. So it's a mixed bag of creepy, quiet, corny, tacky, gory, and just plain silly tales--with such topics as late-night meetings with strangers, adventures in an urban underground, a pagan woman (i.e., witch) of the old times, and even "the gunk in the bottom of the refrigerator." None is longer than 2,500 words--a length that when read aloud comes to about 15 minutes.

Halloween Candy is like a candy container after an evening of trick-or-treating. It's chock full of a variety of goodies, of varying sizes, shapes, and flavors. You name it, Halloween Candy has it: several short (short!) stories, numerous essays, an interview, a review, and a screenplay.

Treats include: a dead-on assessment of the current, sad state of the Saturn Awards (with disagreement with the author in only one minor respect: he believes them to be of more importance and influence than does this reviewer); an interview with Jonathan "Barnabas Collins" Frid, from 1986--previously published in an abridged version, here in its entirety; an essay which explores the use of actors as villains in horror films ; a comparison/contrast of the TV series The Night Stalker and The X-Files, and the inspiration of the former on the latter; an essay which tries to define that ever-elusive genre called "horror"; and the previously-mentioned screenplay.

This 128 page humorous how-to book is a collection of tricks, illusions, props, costumes, and scenery ideas that can be used to scare trick-or-treaters in the yard or at the door, build a haunted attraction, or spice up your Halloween party. Over 250 cartoons and drawing humorously illustrate hundreds of frighteningly wacky ideas described in satirical humor. A must for anyone who enjoys Halloween.

In this entertaining romp, Bannatyne discusses Halloween trends past and present, dissecting such fun topics as costumes, recipes, movies, parties, myths and expeditions (Salem or bust!). She even closes with an up-to-the-minute chapter on "what's next" in Halloween observance. (According to the author, disguising yourself as a pillowcase ghost is so very last year, but you can't go wrong with classic monsters such as vampires and witches.) One of the most fascinating chapters addresses some of the myths about Halloween. Bannatyne claims, for example, that the razor-blades-in-apples-scare is merely an urban legend with no basis in fact. Who knew?

As a regular on TV's Bewitched, Kasey Rogers (Louise Tate) has the right pedigree to produce Halloween Crafts: Eerily Elegant Decor. She and coauthor Mark Wood have dreamed up some pretty innovative approaches to such timeworn Halloween delights as pumpkin carving, table decorating, and party giving. Rather than limit carving to traditional orange pumpkins, they offer devilish red imps made of bumpy gourds and green glow-stick eyes, or a jaunty goblin king carved of green hubbard squash. A decrepit old butler figure presides over the "graveyard tea," and the "harvest of skulls" centerpiece features a tower of grinning plastic skulls topped with drippy black (electric) candles. A quartet of simple recipes makes up the "Boo-fey," along with two versions of punch contributed by another Bewitched alumnus, Bernard Fox (Dr. Bombay).

All aspects of the successful haunted house are covered here. There is good information on site selection, design, security, budgeting, and volunteer management. This is followed by detailed, illustrated descriptions of inexpensive illusions for your haunted house. Floor plans, advertising flyers and design worksheets are some of the sample materials included.

Make your home come alive with ghoulish spirit by plucking clever Halloween ideas from Laura Dover Doran's The Big Book of Halloween. From indoor décor to yard trimming, eerie edibles to easy costumes, Doran supplies a pleasantly spooky assortment of decorating and party-making ideas. Greet trick-or-treaters with authentic-looking gravestones and a procession of paper-bag luminaries, set the table with a bat runner and a pumpkin-spoon centerpiece, then serve up haunted-house cake or graveyard pudding washed down with spicy witch's brew (cider punch). Lots of color photos supplement good directions, and as an added bonus Doran throws in eight ghost stories to tell at your next Halloween party--illuminated by ghostly gourd lights, of course.

In the tradition of the best-selling Halloween Treats, comes a fantastic new guide to scaring up holiday fun. Great Pumpkins features pumpkin-carving ideas to light up every porch and window, from an evil witch on a broomstick sure to terrify the neighbors to cute little kittens to welcome 'frady cats of all stripes. Artist Peter Cole has created a delightfully clever array of pumpkin tableaux, including Pumpkinstein, a monstrous experiment in scary fun, and Cinderella's Magic Coach, a beautiful carriage flanked by two white gourd swans. Simple instructions give novice carvers the know-how, while experienced carvers will find practical inspiration for show-stopping artistry. Step-by-step instructions for selecting a pumpkin with the potential for greatness and a look at carving supplies complete this whimsical guide. Plus, there's a selection of easy-to-use stencils created just for this book that guarantee success.

Filled with the requisite bats, skeletons, pumpkins, and lots of ghosts, Ghostly Frights for Halloween Nights offers dozens of projects to bedeck house and garden for a month of spooking. Wooden-spoon-face ghouls dressed in glittery fabric scraps cluster among dead leaves in the front yard. Papier-mâché spheres shaped over balloons become a bat piñata, an owl lantern, or skull-headed maracas. Kids can help with some of the easiest projects, or they can enjoy the fruits of grownups' labor by counting down to the big day with an October version of the advent calendar, or play Dr. Frankenstein by reassembling a brightly colored monster body. The sometimes-murky directions and occasionally confusing (though graphically appealing) illustration diagrams are generally clarified by the color photos of the finished products, and most of the projects are fairly simple anyway. With the exception of the more-complex stitching projects (stuffed chameleon, peek-a-boo quilt, witch doll), novices should be able to handle most of these items.

Grab a cauldron full of FUN! Create an eerie atmosphere for an unforgettable Halloween party. Concoct devilishly delectable treats your ghouls and goblins will love. Transform your little cutie into a spooky spider. Your inspiration is right here! With the help of step-by-step instructions, Better Homes and Gardens (R) kitchen-tested recipes, and how-to photos and patterns, you'll be able to master everything from festive decorations and costumes to yummy recipes fit for any monster. Go ahead -- get in the spirit!

No serious Halloween collector can do without the Halloween Collectibles Price Guide. The Campanelli's have outdone themselves with this full color display of spooky specimens from the beginning of the twentieth century clear to the 1950's. Diecuts, party invitations, candy containers, post cards, noisemakers, jack-o-lanterns, and more can be found haunting the pages throughout this tome.

In this outrageous parody of a survival guide, Saturday Night Live staff writer Brooks prepares humanity for its eventual battle with zombies. One would expect the son of Mel Brooks to have a genetic predisposition to humor, and indeed, he does, and he exhibits it relentlessly here: he outlines virtually every possible zombie-human encounter, drafts detailed plans for defense and attack and outlines past recorded attacks dating from 60,000 B.C. to 2002. In planning for that catastrophic day when "the dead rise," Brooks urges readers to get to know themselves, their bodies, their weaponry, their surroundings and, just in case, their escape routes. Some of the book's more amusing aspects are the laughable analyses Brooks proposes on all aspects of zombiehood, and the specificity with which he enumerates the necessary actions for survival-i.e., a member of an anti-zombie team must be sure to have with him at all times two emergency flares, a signaling mirror, daily rations, a personal mess kit and two pairs of socks.

Edgar & Ellen "Rare Beasts"
Smartly combining the influences of Edgar Allan Poe, Edward Gorey and Roald Dahl, Edgar & Ellen: Rare Beasts is the first of a six-book series written by Charles Ogden and illustrated with gothic charm by Rick Carton. It centers on a scheming young duo and their hijinks set among a community of kindly townspeople, covered bridges and milk trucks. Click here for more information.