#TCBlogtober20

[talesandcardigans]

Hello Lovelies!

This October I will be doing a full 31-days of Blogtober! 🎃

Everyday in October I will make a post responding to a fall or Halloween prompt, including spooky book related topics! Of course, there will also be book updates for all the scary books I will be reading this Halloween season.

I hope this fun event allows for the spread of spooky, Halloween vibes and encourages engagement among all of us that throughly love the Halloween season!

If you would like to participate as well (or want to know what to look forward to), here are the prompts I threw together:

1.October TBR 2.October movie watch-list 3.Favourite scary movie 4.Scariest Halloween movies 5.Stories from Reddit’s r/nosleep 6.Scariest fictional characters 7.Book(s) that kept you up at night 8.Favourite movie adpation 9.Autumn/Halloween playlist 10.Latest scary experience 11.Fears you had when you were young 12.Write a short scary story 13.Favourite thing about fall 14.The phenomenon of being scared (like or dislike?) 15.Favourite ghost stories/shows 16.Favourite horror sub-genre 17.Favourite Halloween costumes 18.Local Halloween events 19.Pumpkin carvings 20.Local Legends 21.Horror story writing advice (give or seek) 22.Favourite horror tropes 23.Least favourite horror tropes 24.Would you survive a horror story/movie? 25.Halloween this-or-that questions:

Chocolate or fruity Witches or vampires Trick or treat Halloween party or scary movie Skeletons or zombies Trick-or-treating or handing out Hayride or corn maze Scary or funny costumes Pumpkin seeds or pumpkin pie Room full of bugs & spiders or walk alone through a dark forest Bats of black cats Pumpkin spice or hot chocolate Celebrate at home/in neighbourhood or Halloween event

26.Favourite fall baking/cooking recipe 27.Favourite creepypasta 28.Classic internet scares 29.Favourite Cryptozoological or mythical creature 30.Halloween memories 31.October wrap-up + Halloween celebrations!

If you would like to participate or follow along use/check the tag #TCBlogtober20

[therefugeofbooks]

Blogtober, day 2: October Movie Watch-List.

I'm a big horror fan. I watch horror movies every week and since the social distancing started, I have watched almost everyday 🤣however, my younger brother, doesn't like horror movies at all. So, I'm planning to watch with him some Halloween and spooky movies that do not include horror. Some movies in my list:

Casper (1995)

Frankenweenie (2012)

It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1966)

The Haunted Mansion (2003)

Hellboy (2004)

Monster House (2006)

Blogtober is hosted by @talesandcardigans and if you want to know more about the prompts, check this post.

What Halloween movies do you guys like that are not horror? 🍂🦇

[talesandcardigans]

Blogtober has begun!! 💀

I am so excited to kick off spooky season!

First Prompt: October TBR

The Shining by Stephen King [re-read]

The Bazaar of Bad Dreams by Stephen King

The Mothman Prophecies by John A. Keel [re-read]

The Diviners by Libba Bray

IT by Stephen King (Not pictured - audiobook)

Now, I am not expecting to finish all these book this month, but I am going to give it a try! I have already started The Diviners and IT, so hopefully having a good head start on both will help. I tried to gather a mix of both new reads and ‘oldies but goodies.’ My re-reads were specifically chosen because I remember them as being very scary! So, let’s hope they live up to that memory and the new reads bring their own level of spook!

[talesandcardigans]

Prompt #14: The Phenomenon of Being Scared

Do you like being scared?

I really love it and I could never explain it to people who do not. However, I found this great article that offers some reasons (psychological and biological). Apparently, we are dopamine, curious, thrill seekers 😂

Now, why some of us are drawn to scaring ourselves before bed (like you mentioned @therefugeofbooks), I’ve yet to find an explanation for 🤣

[talesandcardigans]

Prompt #5: Stories from Reddit’s r/nosleep

For those of you no familiar, No Sleep is a subreddit community where people can post their own original scary stories.

I love this community! I’ve read so many really interesting, unique, and honestly terrifying stories on this subreddit. It was a nighttime ritual for me at one point (nothing like reading scary stories before bed haha). It is truly amazing how creative people are and their willingness to share their work free to the public.

I so desperately searched to see if I could find the first story I read from there, because it was brilliant and really scared me. It was the ‘found-footage’ style of writing - first person and written from the point of view of the poster (this is a common troupe in the subreddit). The story was about a man stalking the poster’s house while his parents were away. I really wish I could remember the title or more about the story! It was so well done! If it sounds familiar to anyone, please let me know!

I highly encourage anyone a fan of scary stories to check out the subreddit! I know the park ranger series is quite popular on there 😉

Has anyone else perused r/nosleep before? Do you have any favourites or ones that stood out to you?

[therefugeofbooks]

Prompt #19: Halloween This or That Questions

1. Chocolate or Fruity

This is supposed to be about Halloween candy, right? I've never gone trick or treating so I can't tell about those candies. But in general, I'm a chocolate person.

2. Witches or Vampires

Ugh, that's tough. Vampires like Interview with the vampire?

3. Trick or Treat

Treats 🖤

4. Halloween Party or Scary Movie

Halloween parties! I haven't been to many and I'd love to participate in parties that people dress in scary costumes and there are Halloween themed drinks and everything 🤣

5. Skeletons or Zombies

Skeletons I guess. If zombies were like in horror movies, I wouldn't survive long.

6. Trick-or-treating or Handing Out

Again, I've never gone trick or treating, so it'd be a fun experience to go once.

7. Hayride or Corn Maze

You know, both these traditions are so American and straight out of movies for me! I think Corn Mazes would be cool, though.

8. Scary or Funny Costumes

Scary costumes and the weird, bizarre ones too 😂

9. Pumpkin Seeds or Pumpkin Pie

Oh, Pumpkin pies. I'm hungry now.

10. Room full of insects or Walk alone in a dark forest

I think walking alone in a dark forest would be terrifying, you don't know what's in the dark, I don't know how to find myself with maps or stars and I have watched too many horror movies with forests for my own good. Insects are gross, but you can just leave the room 😂

11. Bats or Black Cats

I'd love to adopt a black cat! 🥺🥺

12. Pumpkin Spice or Hot Chocolate

Hot chocolate is one of my comfort drinks, so yeah. My mom's hot chocolate.

13. Celebrate at home or Halloween Event

I have been celebrating at home for years, so a Halloween event like in movies would be great. Maybe after things get better I can go to one?

Keep spooky, people 🎃🍬

[therefugeofbooks]

Blogtober, Day 8: Favourite Movie Adaption — Horror Book Edition

Interview with the Vampire (1994) is one of the dearest horror movie adaptations to me.

After I read Twilight, I went through a vampire phase (who didn't?), and I read a lot of vampire books, not all very good. And I remember my mother (a closeted goth) mentioning The Interview of the Vampire movie and the books. I don't recall exactly, but I believe I watched the movie first, (the time we had cable tv at home, and the movie was on tv in the middle of the night??)

And I think it's kind of surreal how Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, and Antonio Banderas are together in this movie playing vampires and talking about the meaning of life?? F****** Tom Cruise? Antonio Bandeiras, aka Zorro? Sometimes I wonder if this was just a weird dream, and then, I rewatch it, and I can't believe this cast.

I love this cast, by the way. Brad Pitt gets the angsty vibes of Louis, the sad look, his inner concerns. Tom Cruise is fancy, theatrical, and annoying, the bat prince himself. Antonio Banderas is so weird and unique that is difficult to not enjoy his extravagance. Kirsten Dunst portrays emotions so well, and she was so young!

Even though there are some cuts and changes from the book to movie, the soul of the story is there.The events are not so slow as in the book and detailed, but I don't feel mad about it, a recurrent feeling in books to movie adaptations. Antonio Banderas playing as Armand is a little bit funny. Armand is described in the book as a red-haired little angel. However, Antonio Banderas is so weird in the movie, wearing red and with that long black hair that is also lovely.

I watch this movie at least once a year twice or thrice sometimes, and let me say, it's still very entertaining! It has its charms. The clothes are beautiful, the scenery is stunning, the Theater of Vampire's scene is terrifying, and the vampires there? Spooky. I won't lie, it's a bit cheesy, but the Gothic vampire aesthetic is on point.

Also, there's an emotional factor here. I watched this young, and then I read the books. I love Anne Rice's books despite the many problems I have with them. And I have a soft spot for Louis and for the path Louis and Lestat go together to get past their traumas and issues and reconcile. Anyway, great adaptation.

What horror or spooky book to movie adaptions do you guys like? 

[talesandcardigans]

Prompt #25: Pumpkin Carvings

My family and I have always loved carving pumpkins! When I moved away from home years ago, I missed the tradition with my family. So, I’m actually grateful to be with my parents this year.

I’ve done some complicated designs in the past, but we all have enough stress in life nowadays, so I went for something simple. BATS! 🦇🦇🦇

I also grabbed a picture of all three of our pumpkins together.

We had a lot of fun! Plus, we roasted the seeds afterwards.

Do you usually carve pumpkins? Did you get to this year?

[talesandcardigans]

Prompt #15: Favourite Ghost Story/Show

I could talk about ghost shows, but I am a sucker for cheesy and awful ghost shows. I really do not care if they are fake or not, as long as they scare me. So, I’m not the best person to recommend any good ghost shows.

Instead, I wanted to ask for book recommendations that involve ghosts?! Or, any short stories as well. Just ghost related things, really haha.

[talesandcardigans]

Prompt #18: Local Halloween Events

My hometown has two events every Halloween. There mostly directed towards children, but I enjoy them, even from a pure nostalgia point of view.

A local farm hosts a corn maze, fun activities, and decorated pumpkin trail. I loved this event as a child! They called it Pumpkintown and, looking back now, the pumpkins are kind of terrifying 😂

Here I am throwing hay at some lady I didn’t know.

Our local zoo also does a trick or treat event where kids dress up and visit cute animal themed booths for candy. I used to volunteer at this event and we always had a blast!

Here’s my mom and I in one of those cheesy photo stands at the zoo.

Does anyone else miss their 90s childhood?

What events does your hometown have for Halloween?

[talesandcardigans]

Prompt #28: Classic Internet Scares

Do you remember those videos/images that went viral for being scary or having jump scares? Back in the earlier days of the internet?

Some of them were terrible and totally unbelievable, but we loved them 🤣

What are some you remember?

[talesandcardigans]

Prompt #20: Local Legends

There are many local legends in my hometown. Most of them are silly scary stories you tell to scare your friends while you dare them to visit the corresponding places. This includes the local story of Axe Murder Hollow, where a farmer supposedly murdered his wife and her lover back in the woods now surrounded by neighbourhoods. Or the supposed vampire crypt located in the oldest cemetery in town. Neither story seems believable or contains many details, but it was enough to scare you walking around late at night.

Photo Credit: Reddit user u/bloodfilledcupcake

What, honestly, creeps me out the most is the fact wars were fought on our lake during the 1800s and we know many lives were lost within the waters. So many of those bodies went undocumented and undiscovered. Therefore, their skeletons remain at the bottom of the lake. Of course, being an older town (relative to the age of the USA) there are many locations around town where unmarked graves lie.

What are some of your local legends?

[talesandcardigans]

Prompt #17: Favourite Halloween Costume

Over the years, I’ve been Belle from Beauty and the Beast, a vampire, a zombie, Freddy Krueger, and Bat Woman. But I wouldn’t say any of those would be my favourite. That has yet to happen.

However, if I could be any realistically do-able costume, I would choose a scary astronaut!

If it didn’t have to be do-able, like no holds barred, I would probably choose the Pale Man.

[talesandcardigans]

Prompt #30: Halloween Memories

Halloween is a bit bittersweet for me, because I love the spooky season and have fun memories of parties but I also lost my dear nonno on Halloween, now, 18 years ago.

I searched desperately for some pictures (sadly, none to my avail), but every Halloween as a child I would go trick-or-treating with my grandfather until he passed. Of course, the one Halloween I remember the most vividly is the one where he passed.

While this Halloween will be very different for many of us, I will still celebrate his memory!

[talesandcardigans]

Prompt #29: Favourite Cryptozoological or Mythical Creature

Either, the Mothman...

Or the Wendigo

[talesandcardigans]

Prompt #27: Favourite Creepypasta

Are you familiar with Creepypasta? Similar to r/nosleep, it’s a place for people to share scary stories and original, made up, monsters.

I must admit I haven’t browsed this site much, but I’ve experienced the aftershocks of the most popular monsters to come from this site.

My favourite would probably have to be my first experience with the site: Slenderman

The movie adaptations of this story have all been awful. But, my friends and I loved the video games and the Marble Hornets video series!