15th Blog-iversary!

 I tried to find an image of a fun 15th birthday cake to slot in here. Either I didn't look hard enough or there's just some really bland images out there.

 

 I can't believe this thing is still going after 15 years! If you're one of the handful of people reading this, thanks for stopping by. If you're not...let me know how you're seeing this.

 

Here's a look at the Top Ten posts of all time.

 

 Last year, I said I didn't think anything would ever dethrone the top two posts, but I was wrong! 

 

Coming from out of nowhere, the August 2025 Monthly Media Recap jumps in at the number two spot. It wasn't even in last year's top ten! I wonder what it is that made it so popular over the last 365 days? The venerable Andy Gibb poster drops two spots to fourth place. There was a time when he was THE most popular for many years.

Milton Bradley's Flipsider game continues its climb up to seven from nine. And the Addams Family's own Wednesday cracks the top ten with her recent card game. 

Belated 14th Blog-iversary

 With all the hullabaloo (look, you don't get to use that word in every day conversation so if I have a chance, I'm using it!) around my recent mini-vacation, I completely missed my blog-iversary. 

 

 As usual, I'm taking a look at the all time top 10 popular posts. 

Not as usual, there's been some changes.

 

 I don't think anything will ever dethrone the top two but I was surprised to see the Alice in Wonderland Tarot Deck come out of nowhere to crack the top 5. Also jumping into the charts at number 9 is a post about Milton Bradley's Flipsiders games.

 

Just for fun, here's the breakdown of where visitors are visiting from. 

 

 It's weird to see Netherlands and Austria on there (no offense if you're reading this!) and they could just as likely be bots. Whether they're actual human people or not, I hope they're entertained.

 

Whoever (or whatever) you are reading this, thanks for dropping in! 

13 Year Blog-iversary!

 Well, this was a shock to me! I could have sworn this was only 12 years but here we are. I was all set to pull out that Sesame Street pinball video, but I did that last year when it was actually 12 years.

Staying true to form , the top 10 posts with the most views has not changed much since last year. The only moving and shaking on the chart is that Now Hear This - Christmas Fear jumped from 9 to 8. 

 

 

It still cracks me up that this Andy Gibb post is number 2. The difference between 2nd and 3rd is almost 1.5k views! 

The blog is now entering it's teenage years so that's something to look forward to.

Halloween 2023 Wrap Up

 This is a couple days later than usual but I'm holding to the the last gasps of Halloween before the Winter Holiday Assault begins. Today, the inside decorations came down. I like taking vacation time after Halloween both for clearance shopping and sort of mourning period. The outside decorations usually come down first thing on 11/1. For me, it's part of the magic when everything in my yard "vanishes" the next day. At least that's what I think my neighbors think.

How cool is this not-LEGO Sam figure? I got him (and some other really cool stuff) as a gift. I'd actually been meaning to look for one so he could hang out with my not-LEGO Jack Skellington.

For Halloween, I tend to make up 40-45 treat bags to hand out. By the time we generally head into Salem (around 6:30) the bags are almost always gone. This year, Mrs Dex and my mom stayed at the house while my stepdad and I went into Salem. There were still bags left when I got home later, so it seems we had fewer Trick or Treaters than normal. Mrs Dex said people at her work had fewer as well. Some people think it's due to schools having trunk or treat events. Which, good for the kids, but terrible for the older "kids" that are expecting to see lots of costumes at their door. A small part of me is wondering if this will eventually impact the traditional door to door ToT.

Salem seemed to also have smaller crowds this year on Halloween. I'm in a couple Salem Facebook groups and the weekends leading up to the day were definitely record breaking for visitors. Of course, it could partially be that it fell on a Tuesday. 

 

Regardless, we still had fun scaring people and posing for pics. Mrs Dex and mom are usually the photographers for the night because my costume does not allow me to handle a phone. Sadly, I don't have any pics to share this year but here's a video someone else took that I shared on the Countdown to Halloween Instagram.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by @countdowntohalloweenblog

I hope everyone had a safe and Happy Halloween!

Countdown to Halloween 2023

 Here we are already at October!

I've lost track of how many years I've been doing the Countdown. It would probably be easy to go back and find out but...I'm lazy. Normally, in October this blog goes full-on Halloween/spooky/creepy for all 31 days. This year, I'm not sure if I'm going to make it. I'm a little behind where I'd be comfortable at by this time but we'll see. I've got things planned for certain days of the week so there may be an occasional "float" day where there's no new content.

Those days would be a good time to head over to the Countdown blog site and check out the 60+ other people that are joining in this time honored tradition. You should probably check them out anyway. They're the reason we're able to keep this going every year.

Once again, the amazing Chad Savage graciously donated his time and talent to design a Countdown shirt for us. This years design is a tribute to Disney's "The Skeleton Dance". You can get your shirt, or other swag with this pic, over on Threadless. All profits are going to Haunters Against Hate so pick something up to support a great cause! 

 

Check out the list of Countdown bloggers by clicking below.

12 Year Blog-iversary

 Initially, I wasn't even going to do a celbration post this year. Twelve is one of those weird tween years where you're a couple years into double digits but not quite a teenager. Thirteen is where it's at! But, once I decided to do this post, there was only one image that would be worthy to kick it off.

If you can't hear this image, you probably had a terrible childhood.

Over the years, I've made 1324 posts which averages to 110 per year! I try to do one a week and every day in October, taking most of September off to prep.

The all time Top 10 posts stayed the same but the order shook up a little bit.

I do actually enjoy doing these annual posts because I'll always remember certain things about my life at the time I started the blog. 

11 Years and Counting

Here we are again, another 365 days since the last blog anniversary post!

This year, the blog goes to 11! 

No presents this year, just the usual stat recap.

 

Here are the Top 10 posts of all time:

 

 Shocking even me, the Top 10 changed since last year. My very first Countdown to Halloween post from 2011 has cracked the Top 10. The League of Extraordinary Bloggers Space Post from 2013 remains on top and has hit double digits in views. That's double digits in thousands, not just 10 people.

 

If you're reading this, thanks for being a regular. 

If you're not reading this, I'd be very interested in hearing about it.

Halloween Web - Lady M

Today we're talking to the mistress of the Haunted Parlor, Lady M.

 

Welcome and please introduce yourself to the readers.

Back in 2011, I began the blog Lady M’s Haunted Parlor as a way to connect with other haunters online.  My content revolves around Halloween shopping, crafts, parties, decorating, events, music, and bizarre news stories.  I have been a Countdown to Halloween participant since 2014, and usually focus on wacky events that take place in Manitou Springs Colorado, my place of residence.  We have the Skeleton Craze, Emma Crawford Coffin Races, Ghost Tours and Emma’s Wake to name a few.  I love to dress up, decorate my home and partake of the holiday season with abandon.  Creating a beautiful witch cabinet and a homemade graveyard are my passions.

Halloween Web - Queen of Wands

Todays Halloween Web interview is with an actual wand maker!

 

 

Welcome, please introduce yourself.

 

I'm Jeannie Seidel, an Assemblage Artist in Philadelphia who designs and handcrafts magical wands. 50 - 75% of each wand is fabricated from reclaimed materials like vintage jewelry, salvaged buckles + curtain finials, found objects and antique industrial bobbins. I just launched my Halloween pop-up shop on September 13, called Witchy Wands Emporium! If you join my email list I'll send you a coupon code for 13% off your wand purchase!

 

 Do you have any special Halloween memories?

My favorite Halloween memory is when I was 13, my best friend would NOT tell me ANYTHING about her Halloween costume.  When she got to my house, she was WRAPPED with white medical gauze, literally from head to toe and she was the most AMAZING Mummy I had ever seen!  I could not believe her mom spent pretty much ALL day wrapping her up.  I wish I had a photo.  It was quite a sight and really kinda funny!  

What about favorite costumes?

My favorite homemade costume was back in 2010, I went as Lady Gaga.  I took an old black dress and embellished it with mirror tiles and I created this silver foiled 3D piece that I attached to the dress.  It held up REALLY well for a night out. (see above)

Do you have any yearly rituals to get into the spirit?

Usually on Halloween we go to my sister's party.  She has some really creative decorations and everyone dresses up!  2 years ago my husband dressed up as Limu Emu and Doug - hilarious! (Ed. - LOVE this!) Sometimes I'll bring a pumpkin I decorated (see below) or I'll make a fun Halloween themed dessert to bring.

 

What about favorite places to go or things to do?

My FAVORITE place to visit every October is Laurel Hill Cemetery in the East Falls section of Philly. It is literally 1 mile from our home.  It's an historic cemetery and they do all kinds of spooky events!  The atmosphere is amazing because there are these HUGE stone mausoleums all over the cemetery and I believe the cemetery was planned and designed by architects over 100 years ago. From flashlight tours with stories about those buried there to Halloween movies and a Halloween craft fair, they have so many festive events.  This year they're hosting a spooky jazz night!  Some of these events include a firepit, spider cider and gingersnaps or candy afterwards. Check out their website for this year's events!

 

 

What is it about Halloween that's so special to you?

 

For me, Halloween was that 1 night every year where I could be whoever or whatever I wanted to be!  I often made my own costumes, sometimes I still do (see witch hat below that I made from Duck Tape). I love the creativity and the spooky ghost stories. And watching the trees turn color is the most magical thing nature does all year long! Halloween is a reminder that there are mysterious things in life - i.e. ghosts, etc. - that maybe we can't always explain, and isn't it fun to celebrate those things every year and ponder them and totally just be kids again! 

 

Inside the Spookster's Studio

 

The worst thing to get while trick or treating was Mary Janes -- eeeeeewwww!
My favorite thing to get was full size Butterfinger candy bar.
My favorite monster cereal is Boo Berry! 

Where can people find you online?

My Halloween pop-up shop (runs till October 13), Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.

Jeannie, thanks for joining us!

Thank you for inviting me to participate!  This was a ton of FUN!

 

Click below to hit the Countdown site with a list of all the participants this year!

Halloween Web - Señor Scary

 We're kicking off this year's Halloween Web interviews with Señor Scary, aka Jerry, who designed the Countdown to Halloween blog banner and badges for this year!

 

You can also find last year's interview with your other host, Naila Moon/Michelle. I swear I interviewed myself (I'm weird like that) but for the unlife of me, I can't find it!

Let's meet Señor Scary!

Hola, my name is Jerry Robredo and I run a website called SenorScary.com. This is a personal collection of my Halloween work, photos of my award-winning home haunt, Halloween village, recipes, books, and everything I do to celebrate the darkest night of the year. By day, I’m a graphic designer at a college in Northern California and enjoy every minute of working with students.

Countdown to Halloween 2021

 Welcome to the annual Countdown to Halloween!

I'm am beyond thrilled to be one of your co-hosts this year. The main reason I started this blog 10 years ago was so that I could join in the Countdown fun and here I am co-hosting this year!

Come back every day this month for posts about all things spooky, creepy, and kooky.

The always alliterative Halloween Hot Wheels Wednesday is moved to Saturdays this year. Main reason is that there are 5 cars in the 2021 lineup and there's 5 Saturdays this month. But! Wednesdays will be host to the Graveyard Garage, featuring toy cars that aren't specifically made for Halloween but fit the vibe. I could probably do one of these every day for a couple months before I ran out.

Sunday we'll be taking about games of all sorts. 

 

Monday will be Classic Creepy Comics featuring horror comics from past decades.

 

The Halloween Web interview series returns for the eighth year! The problem with doing this for that long is that it gets harder to find new people to interview. These will be sprinkled throughout the month.

 

Click below to hit the Countdown site with a list of all the participants this year!

2021 Countdown to Halloween

 If you haven't been seeing #CodeOrange pop up in your Instagram feed, you're not following the right people! I got my first Halloween themed Oriental Trading Company catalog so it's officially Halloween season as far as I'm concerned!

Sign ups are now open for the annual Coutndown to Halloween blog-along. Visit the site and you can find the sign up link in the right sidebar. The Countdown isn't just for bloggers anymore, either! You can sign up using your social platform of choice and we'll link you in the participant list. You read that correctly, I said "we"...

A little bit ago, Michelle/Naila Moon, one half of last year's Countdown hosting duo, contacted me saying her previous co-host wouldn't be able to host this year and asked me to step in to help out! This Countdown is one of the main reasons I started this blog, so of course I said yes!

This blogger badges for 2021 were just posted yesterday and they are gore-geous! We can't thank Jerry from Señor Scary enough for doing these for us. Here's a sample:

We've started an Instagram for the Countdown as well. You can find it at instagram.com/countdowntohalloweenblog or scan this QR code using Instgram to go right to the page. Give it a follow while you're there, won't you?

If you're posting Halloween stuff on IG, use #CountdownToHalloween2021 and we may repost...regram...whatever you call it on Insta!

10th Anniversary Giveaway

 If there's anyone that can't believe this thing has been going for 10 years, it's me.

Image swiped from RandomStuffShop on Redbubble

One of the main reasons I started this thing was so I could join in the annual blogger Countdown to Halloween. As much work as it is every year to pull together a post for every day in October, I love doing it and seeing what all the other bloggers do as well.

There's also three dudes I want to mention who were all major influences and inspired me to get off my butt and start this thing. You probably know them all.

Rondall Scott from Strange Kids Club

Shawn Robare from Branded in the 80s 

Reis O'Brien, leader of the Dork Horde 

In addition to these fine gentlemen, I've made a lot of internet pals thanks to the Countdown to Halloween and the former League of Extraordinary Bloggers.

And then there's you! Yeah, you reading this right now! Whether you comment regularly or just quietly enjoy the posts, THANK YOU!

Before we get to the good stuff, let's take a look at the top 10 posts of all time! 

 

 

Not really shocking, they are the same top 10 posts from last year. Somehow last year, that League post about spacemen rocketed past the Andy Gibb Poster and continues to hold on to its lead.

The most popular post over the last year was one about Choose Your Own Erotic Adventure books. What can I say, the internet is weird...

Naturally, since I'm celebrating 10 years, I'm giving away a present to one reader!

What's in the box?

All sorts of stuff representing different stuff on the blog. We got Star Wars, LEGO, Hot Wheels, comic books with Loot Crate exclusive covers, a monster card game, a horror movie, and more! And this is just what I scraped together to take a pic. There will be even more stuff in the box!

But Dex, you might say, this looks like a bunch of stuff you had laying around and wanted to get rid of. To which I would reply, do you want free stuff or not?

You can enter to win the stuff (not to be confused with The Stuff) by leaving a comment below and/or reposting my Instagram post. If you do both, you get two entries.

Winner will be announced next week.

Deadline to enter is midnight Eastern Friday July 16.

Contest is only open to US residents. 

Apologies to any readers from far off lands!

Monster Spookshow Radio

I initially started blogging all those years ago so that I could join in on the Countdown to Halloween. I was visiting all the blogs and amassing my own digital archive of Halloween goodness. In particular, I enjoyed finding people's digital mix tapes that they had created. The best source I found for these was George Van Orsdel's Monster Spookshow Radio.

 

 Sadly, the site stopped updating in 2012. But, while the links were still active, I managed to download all of the compilations. So now I'm sharing my joy with all of you.

There are 38 shows altogether, including 4 Halloween, 3 Sci-Fi, and 3 Cryptmas specials. Each one is about an hour long and has songs, audio from TV/movies, radio ads, and other things mixed in. They're all a lot of fun and I try to fit in as many as I can in my Halloween rotation every year.

Each track has notes in iTunes with the listing of what's in each show. You can still check out the site, which also has the track listings. Click on the above banner to drop these treats into your digital goodie bag and join me in a toast to the gone but not forgotten George Van Orsdel's Monster Spookshow Radio.

Click the image below to see all the participating Countdown bloggers!

9 Years Blogging

Hey, look at this!

I didn't forget my Blog-iversary this year.

Thank you to the handful of you that keep on visiting and posting comments.

Here's some stats for the blog's lifetime.

In a stunning upset, the Andy Gibb Poster has fallen to the second most visited page. In the top spot is a League of Extraordinary Bloggers post about Spacemen. Wow, I can't believe that was 7 years ago!

And here are the top searches that have lead people to this very site. There's a lesson here, kids. If you want site hits, post about Andy Gibb!

Merry Creepmas 2019!

It's the most horrible time of the year as we begin the 9th annual celebration of Creepmas! If you've somehow found yourself here and don't know what Creepmas is, let's lay it out.

The 13 Days of Creepmas is an online Celebration of Seasonal Spookiness from December 1 - 13. The idea is to bring a macabre twist to Christmas and the holidays. Get creative and post on your blog, website and social media - share your twisted yule visions with the world and be sure to tag them #Creepmas and/or #MakingCreepmas!

 While I do have a few things I'll be sharing here during Creepmastime, I won't be doing new posts for every day this year. But I will be reposting some Ghosts of Creepmas Past on the blog's Facebook page as well as on my Twitter and Instagram.

Click the image below if you still need to grab a Creepmas badge and to see the list of participating blogs.

Halloween Web - Jason Gross

We're wrapping up the 2019 Halloween Web series with Jason Gross!

Halloween 1982

Come on in and tell us about yourself.

Most people know me from my Rediscover the 80s website. My latest venture is The Retro Network, a multimedia collaboration with the Retro Rambler Mickey Yarber. We, along with an awesome team, are providing daily retro pop culture content including podcasts and articles.

What was Halloween like for you as a kid?

I grew up in rural central PA. We lived on a dead end street and my friends and I would venture down our street and the next street over to collect candy. In our teenage years, we hung up our costumes and became tricksters, playing pranks on neighborhood homes instead of taking candy from them. 

Are there any Halloween memories that stand out for you?

I believe we all experience that Halloween year, usually in our teens, when we are maybe getting to old to go trick-or-treating. That year is pretty vivid to me. It started out great, collecting a bag full of candy from our neighborhood houses. Back then, there always seemed to be people who tried to be different, handing out bag of pennies, fruit, or pencil erasers. We hit one such house at the end of our night which was giving away Little Hugs barrel-shaped drinks. I loved drinking them and my grandmother specifically stocked them for me on visits. Well, this night I received one which at first was exciting until I realized walking home that my candy bag was leaking. When the neighbor tossed it in, a blow pop stick punctured the thin foil lid and soaked my candy haul. I remember my dad laying a towel on the floor in the living room and dumping my candy out to salvage what we could. After that experience, I decided I guess I decided to make my own fun on Halloween night.

What about a memorable costume?

My mother entered me in the Halloween parade costume contest one year. A friend of the family made me this lion costume that I did not want to wear. It became more of a pink bunny experience, sweating profusely and trying to breathe through tiny nose holes. I didn't win anything that year but at least the mask covered my head to avoid too much embarrassment. (I wish I could find a picture now!)

How do you celebrate today?

Our neighborhood kinda sucks for trick-or-treating so we mainly take the kids to a local church fall festival with games and candy. Occasionally, my wife and I will dress up to join in the fun. Recent years have found us as Bat-dad and Robin-mom and me as the Cobra villain Firefly.

Do you have any "must sees" on your Halloween to do list?

My holiday season always begins with watching It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown and Garfield's Halloween Adventure. My wife also insists on watching Hocus Pocus. Over the last several years, I seek out as many retro specials I can find on YouTube to watch with the kids. 

What do you like most about the season as an adult?

For me, it's the beginning of my favorite time of the year when the weather cools and we start getting into the holiday spirit going into Thanksgiving and Christmas. 

Inside the Spookster's Studio

The worst thing to get while trick or treating was Chick-O-Stick. It was like biting into a peanut butter tree branch and it stuck to your teeth for hours.

My favorite thing to get was fruit flavored candy over chocolate. Stuff like Nerds, Skittles, and Pop Rocks.

My favorite monster cereal is probably Frankenberry with Booberry a close second. 

Where can folks find you online?

You can find Rediscover the 80s on Twitter and Facebook and The Retro Network on Twitter and Facebook.

Thanks to Jason for stopping by and all our Halloween Web participants!

There's still a little more Halloween left so stay tuned!

If you check out the other Countdown to Halloween bloggers by clicking below, a ghost may follow you home!

Halloween Web - Charles P

Please introduce yourself to the readers.

My name is Charles Potomac. I am the creator of a lot of things, including the sadly defunct web-comic "Geek to Me" that I hope to someday re-post the archives of online. GTM was a comic I did in the late 1990's putting a fictionalized spin on my years working in a comic shop. I currently am working on season two of my podcast The Last Hometown and a couple comic projects that I hope to release in early 2020. In October I will be putting a spin on the annual Inktober event and trying to draw a panel of a comic called "Captain Grilled Cheese" every day of the month. These panels will be posted to my Instagram and The Last Hometown page on Facebook.

What was Halloween like for you as a kid?

I grew up in the town of Anoka Minnesota, which is the Halloween Capital of the world... seriously, it is! Go google it. Growing up I never really understood what made us the Halloween capital, but I was always proud of it. In Anoka there were a lot of different events for Halloween, including the annual children's parade where the kids from all the elementary schools would be brought to main street in costume and marched through the town. This was a loved tradition by everyone, except for the kids. it basically amounted to a four to five mile hike in costume, usually with winter gear on underneath it, after all this is Minnesota and late October so it was usually pretty cold already. (for example, the Halloween Blizzard of 1991) So you would either be freezing or covered in sweat, or sometime both at the same time... I don't think it was coincidence that there would be a high level of kids out sick the next week!

One of the other traditions in Anoka is that every year High School art students were allowed to submit design ideas and local businesses would pick the one they liked best and then the artist and a couple of friends would get to take a day off school and go paint the image on the store window. My Junior year my design was picked and I tried to find some pictures of it but sadly could not. It was always fun walking through downtown in October and checking out all the Halloween paintings on the store. Sadly I have not really seen much of this happening in recent years.

Did you have any favorite costumes?

I grew up poor, which meant that the idea of store bought costumes were pretty much out of the question for us. Our childhood was dominated by costumes my mother could make by sewing or putting odds and ends together. There was no cool Ben Cooper costumes in my childhood.  Some of the costumes turned out great, The Cowboy and Train Engineer come to mind. My favorite would have to be the cowboy. It was part homemade, and part hand me down parts. I always thought it was the one that turned out the best.

There was also an awesome Han Solo and Princess Leia costume that she did for us. Sadly  I could not find photos of those. The biggest failures would have been the Mummy (you can hear the story of that in The 2018 Retroist Halloween Special Podcast.)

Do you have any outstanding Halloween memories?

I previously mentioned the Halloween Blizzard. The year of the Halloween Blizzard I was working at a Baskin Robbins Ice Cream Shop. Early in the afternoon it started to become obvious that we were in for some significant snowfall, but the owner was very worried that if we closed early we would be losing out on business. Being the shift lead at the time and seeing no customers coming in I let the rest of the staff that was on that day head out and stuck around to man the shop myself. One by one I watched every shop in the shopping center around me close. The Walmart and McDonalds were the last to go, but even they shut down... Not us though. The owner insisted that we stay with it all the way to normal closing hours... by the time that finally came around, it was too late for me. The snow was to high for my little Chevette to drive in, not to mention the fact that a snow plow had gone by at some point and buried the parking lot entry so deep in snow that it was higher than the roof of my car! I ended up stuck at the shop for the entire night. Thankfully I had had the sense to grab a pizza from the place next door before they closed so I had food, and I always have a book with me even to this day... so I spent the night reading on the couch in the back room!

I only ever did have one customer that day. A plow driver stopped by early in the afternoon just as things got started and grabbed a waffle cone with a scoop of chocolate, a scoop of orange sherbet, and another scoop of chocolate on top... He thought my boss was a fool to have me there as well!

How do you celebrate Halloween these days?

Our church puts on a large, and I mean large!, party for the area children. Average turn out is right around 3,000. Being a kind of rural area we like to give them one centralized location that they can go and celebrate and go home with lots of candy. We have already started to accept donations of candy for this years event! As an employee of the church my time is split between being with my own kids and also serving on the security team that makes sure that all of the children stay safe and secure.

Do you have any particular music or movies you revisit for the season?

Of course the Nightmare Before Christmas soundtrack gets a lot of play around that time of year. Halloween is also one of the two annual rewatches of John Carpenter's The Fog, which means the soundtrack ends up in heavy rotation as well. The opening narration of the film is a fun little spooky tale for the season.

Why do you think we still enjoy Halloween as we get older?

I think it is a combination of things. First I think it is a love of being scared. Horror movies are popular for a reason, we tend to like the feeling of getting our heart racing and being on the edge of our seats from time to time. Halloween is a great big celebration of that fear. In addition it is a time of dreaming and pretending. The kids are allowed to dream of things they would love to be and the parents are allowed to pretend that they don't sit behind a computer clicking buttons all day. It is a time of year when we are allowed to dream and live in the reality we want, even if it is just for a night.

Inside the Spookster's Studio

The worst thing to get while trick or treating was religious pamphlets and pennies.

My favorite thing to get was those peanut butter taffy things in the orange and black wrappers. I know I am a rarity in the world!

My favorite monster cereal is Franken Berry

Where can folks find you online?

They can find the soon to be relaunched podcast The Last Hometown on Twitter and Facebook.

Thanks to Charles for stopping by to chat!

If you decide to visit the other Countdown to Halloween bloggers, bring your Death Certificate and click below.

Halloween Web - Vic Sage

I've never met today's interview guest but I feel like I know him, having spent a lot of time listening to him talk about pop culture. Let's welcome Vic Sage!

Have a seat and tell folks a little about yourself.

I am a writer, podcaster, and fan of Pop Culture - be that movies, comic books, toys, video games and so on. For nearly a decade I have had the pleasure of being an Author and Editor for the Retroist site - which has led to my own site - Pop Culture Retrorama. Named after one of the podcasts I produce, currently I have four shows with a new one in the works - besides the Pop Culture Retrorama show there is Diary of An Arcade Employee, Projectionist's Sinister Tales of Terror, and the Saturday Frights Podcast.

What was your childhood Halloween like?

Well, first of all I want to say I have always LOVED Halloween - there is something pretty magical about not just the day but the season itself. The beauty of the changing colors of the leaves - at times a little chilly but everything is a warm orange and red. The season is almost as exciting as picking out that perfect costume - something I still spend a considerable amount of time trying to choose. I grew up in a small town but the neighborhoods really did get into the Halloween spirit - so I can remember being driven around for hours by my Father to fill a pillowcase with my sugary haul.

Do you have any special Halloween memories?

I have shared a pretty funny story in the past, on the second Retroist Halloween Special podcast I believe. The town I grew up in... is rightfully described as being rural. So for a time, since my Father was a single parent, after school I was watched over by neighbors who had two children of their own. In the afternoon we would frequently go for a walk, down a dusty road that was known as Wolf Holler - during our walks we would pass by an old dairy barn. The windows had been knocked out long ago but it's slowly decaying state with the vines that had begun to grow over it - gave it a rather ominous appearance.

So one October as Halloween approached, Sheila, Steve and their parents and myself were walking down that road - that is when Sheila and Steve's Father asked if we knew the dairy barn was haunted. Then their Father proceeded to tell us the story about how a farmer when reaching for the milk bucket had been killed when the cow kicked him in the head... an action that resulted in the Farmer's Wife taking an axe to the animal. As we were told of how it had been said no cow ever produced milk again in that dairy barn... their Father rang a bell behind his back - thinking it was an angry spectral bovine we kids ran for the safety of my house.

I also would be lying to you if I didn't admit that when I'm walking at night in October and I hear a lonely mooing from a cow, I don't begin to walk just a little quicker. Ha, Ha.

What about a favorite costume?

While I can remember a lot of the costumes I wore, I would have to say that a handful of favorite outfits include Casper, Boba Fett, Admiral Ackbar, Ash from Evil Dead, the Scarecrow of Romney Marsh, and  recently The Riddler. I still dress up every single Halloween - generally I am working at the arcade and it's always fantastic to see what the Players are dressed up as when they come in that night. I do my best to share some of those on Instagram.

How do you celebrate today?

Actually this year might be the first where my Wife and myself are not taking our Nieces and Nephew trick or treating - I think they've become too old for their square relatives walking around with them.

Any particular music or movies you enjoy for the season?

Oh boy... There is a lot here so I'll cherry-pick some of my favorites - I always listen to Elvira Presents Haunted Hits, A Nightmare Before Christmas, Trick 'r Treat, and a new one starting this year will be Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. As for movies, I watch horror films constantly - it is easily my favorite film genre. So I try to show some of my favorite films after we close the arcade at night during October, a small gathering of friends and fellow co-workers.

What about spooky places to visit?

For places to visit, of late my Wife and myself have begun taking a vacation at a wonderful place called the Crescent Hotel - "America's most haunted hotel".  While I do love to be scared and I can't get enough of the creepy and macabre... I will admit I am not brave enough to spend the night in their morgue. Brrr!

Why do you think we still enjoy Halloween as adults?

Well, like I've already mentioned the entire season itself feels special - an electrical charge almost as the 31st of October draws near. Sure, it's because of being a Monster Kid that I can look around at stores and such and see decorations and a celebration of what I love most. But perhaps it is also the Holiday itself that allows us to channel our inner child - no matter how old we might be.

Plus, as Ray Bradbury said in The Halloween Tree:
"The wind outside nested in each tree, prowled the sidewalks in invisible treads like unseen cats. Tom Skelton shivered. Anyone could see that the wind was a special wind this night, and the darkness took on a special feel because it was All Hallows' Eve. Everything seemed cut from soft black velvet or gold or orange velvet. Smoke panted up out of a thousand chimneys like the plumes of funeral parades. From kitchen windows drifted two pumpkin smells: gourds being cut, pies being baked."

Inside the Spookster's Studio

The worst thing to get while trick or treating was pennies... maybe more than toothpaste and toothbrushes.

My favorite thing to get was Sweet Tarts and miniature comic books.

My favorite monster cereal is Boo Berry - I will fight anyone that says that is not the greatest monster cereal of all time. (Ed.: Glad someone champions the underdog!)

Where can people find you online?

I guess the easiest link to me would be the Pop Culture Retrorama site or Facebook. You can also find my other shows at Saturday Frights and Diary of an Arcade Employee.

Thanks for joining us, Vic!

Thank you very much for the opportunity to be part of this, my friend.

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