HALLOWEEN MUSINGS FROM THE MYSTERIOUS MANSION

Golly! Here it is Halloween season again! If you're a monster lover like me, this is one of the best times of the year. It's also a big month for monster magazines, too. Both FANGORIA and RUE MORGUE offer their 100-page annual specials around this time of year, and a number of other titles arrange their publishing schedule to coincide with the October month.

Here in the land of Bigfoot, the Pacific Northwest, the maple leaves have begun to turn their briliant reds and yellows, and the cedars have begun shedding their old growth. The birds at the backyard feeder -- black-capped and chestnut-backed chickadees, nuthatches, Downey and Pileated woodpeckers, flickers, juncos, goldfinches and pine siskins -- are all going through the seed like there's no tomorrow. The squirrels have been seen running up the trees with their mouths stuffed with moss, leaves, and whatever else they can grab to freshly insulate their winter nests with. I've also had to keep the occasional neighborhood cats shagged off as all the activity has stirred their interest as well.

As the frost begins to settle on the pumpkins, inside here at the Mysterious Mansion I've been busy putting together a few things that I hope will add enjoyment to the upcoming Halloween festivities. For instance, I will be adding a few new features, such as "Tricks and Treats", a post through the month of October that will spotlight a different monster candy each day, "Have a Vintage Halloween" that will show photos from Halloween's gone by, the already-started "Topstone Tuesday" which will run at least through the month and features images from the famous Halloween mask line, and "Vintage Creepy", another post showing old photos that, whether intended or not, are . . . well, just creepy.

Of course, all these will be posted between the usual offerings of items from various monster magazines both old and new. After all, it's the 'zines that make MONSTER MAGAZINE WORLD what it is.

So, I hope you enjoy your Halloween this year. Please stop by often and check to see what's new here at the Mysterious Mansion.