Halloween Web - Halloween Special

Out possibly last Halloween Web interview features Karen from the blog Halloween Special.

Come on in and introduce yourself to the readers.

I’m just a regular Halloween freak. My friends think of me as a Halloween queen, but to everyone else, I’m just a quiet, pleasant blond girl. I like being incognito. 

What was Halloween like for you growing up?

The first Halloweens I remember were in Danville, CA, in the east bay. It’s a pretty ritzy burb now but back then it was just a one horse town with an old west-style main drag. We’d work on our costumes all month and then at the last minute my mom would make us wear sweaters over them. Not kidding. But it was still magical. I think the idea of being out at night with my friends but without my parents had a lasting euphoric effect. Plus, you got to dress as something scary and get candy! I’m still not over it. 

Once we moved to Sunnyvale in the south bay, I was old enough to spend the night at my friend Brienne’s house and trick or treat as late as we wanted. It was this feeling of intoxicating freedom. You’d run into other kids but you weren’t sure if you knew them because of the costumes. This was mysteriously thrilling. This local family called the Flaglers went all out with their decorations. That year they had a very realistic coffin laid out in the front and they were performing some kind of ritualistic service. I think it really freaked some kids out, but I LOVED it! Then we went home to Brienne’s house and I got to watch Halloween for the first time! I don’t think I slept much that night but it was worth it.

Any memorable costumes from past Halloweens?

I was a gangster when I was 11. It was ridiculous. I wore a newsboy cap with my blond hair spilling out and my nerdy glasses on. I wore a suit and tie and a pencil thin moustache. The crowning achievement was that I stuffed my cheeks with cotton balls because I’d heard that Marlon Brando had done that in the Godfather. Such a bad idea - it kept getting caught in my braces. Am I painting a completely dorky picture? 

How do you celebrate Halloween today?

Some years I dress up, some years not so much. But every year my boyfriend and I swing by Belvedere St. in San Francisco. They block it off to traffic and every house is over the top! Kid are literally losing their s***. (Well, not literally, but you know what I mean.) It’s hysterical. Then we’ll barhop around the city and soak up the atmosphere. It’s a bit like trick or treating, but with booze. This year, I’m dressing up as Valak from the Conjuring 2. It’s the perfect combo of scary + comfy + warm + not overplayed. 

Every year I go to LA at the beginning of October to see some friends and do Knott’s Scary Farm and whatever else we can find. This year, we watched Halloween on a big outdoor screen with a bunch of other like-minded souls and ate lobster rolls from a food truck. We also swung by the Cecil Hotel and the Blade Runner building downtown.

One year we found a monster movie exhibit at the Max Factor museum in Hollywood. They had the real set of Hannibal Lecter’s prison cell. In this photo, you can see me pretending to be Clarice.

Do you watch anything special to get in the spirit of the season?

My Halloween movie/TV list is constantly growing but in general, I’d say my faves are: Halloween (of course), The Shining, Trick r Treat, Young Frankenstein, The Wolfman, Bride of Frankenstein, Conjurings 1 and 2, and pretty much any Treehouse of Horrors.

Why do you think we keep Halloween with us as we get older?

I think it’s just that excitement we remember from being a kid. When I saw those first decorations go up or masks in a store window, I’d gasp like a spaz. I still kind of do. And I think Halloween is the first step in making friends with the stuff that scares you, which is a good life-long lesson. 

Inside the Spookster's Studio

The worst thing to get while trick or treating was those orange and black wrapped candies with no labels on them. I actually never tried them until recently, only to find they’re not bad.
My favorite thing to get was sweet tarts and pixie sticks. Have no idea why. 

Where can people find you online?

My Halloween blog is Halloween Special, because I loved nothing more than Halloween specials when I was kid. Oh, and now too. The best are Roseanne and the Simpsons, of course!

Be sure to visit all the Halloween houses by clicking the link below!