I’m a little late with this Halloween meme (ganked from Jaquandor), but I was out of town last week, and Halloween is my favorite holiday, so I’d appreciate it if you bear with me…
- What is your favorite work of horror fiction?
Assuming that “fiction” refers to literary horror and not movies or other media, I’d have to say Stephen King’s Christine. Far from his best work, and really not even his scariest, but it really resonates with me, and it was also the first King novel I ever read. - Who is your favorite monster?
“Who” as opposed to “what”? If we’re dealing with specific personalities, I’ll name that old stand-by, Dracula. Lestat calls himself a monster, but we all know he’s far too cool to really fit that label… - What horror movie gives you the most chills?
The Exorcist gives me a major case of the wiggins. Also the original Carpenter versions of The Fog and Halloween. And the 1978 take on Invasion of the Body Snatchers. - Freddy versus Jason?
Freddy, because he’s got personality. Jason is just a stunt guy in a hockey mask. - Ghosts or goblins?
Ghosts, I suppose. What’s so scary about David Bowie? - What is your scariest encounter with the paranormal?
I’ve never had one. Never seen, heard, or otherwise experienced anything that I can’t explain as my own brain getting puckish on me. - Do you believe in ghosts?
No. See the item above. As appealing as it is to think that some part of us lingers on, I’ve never encountered any evidence of it. - Favorite Halloween costume?
When I was a kid, I had this skull mask that you glued to your face with spirit gum, and supposedly it would move with your own expressions. It never really worked in practice, of course — the spirit gum wouldn’t hold, especially if you were out in the cold October air, and the mask would peel away from your skin and just kind of hang there — but it looked way cool. I wore the mask with an old silver wig that my mom ratted up so it resembled Tina Turner’s “What’s Love Got to Do With It” hair, and a Dracula-style cape. I don’t know what the hell I was supposed to be… the Phantom of the Opera, perhaps? But it was an awesome outfit. I scared the crap of the younger kids in the neighborhood, and had my photo taken by total strangers… - If you had an unlimited budget, what would your fantasy costume be for this Halloween?
I’d love to get all decked out in Hollywood-style latex appliances as something utterly inhuman… something like Angel‘s buddy Skip, perhaps. - When was the last time you went trick or treating?
Oh, wow… I don’t remember for sure. Fifth grade, maybe? - What’s your favorite Halloween candy?
Bottlecaps. I always had to sort them by flavor and save the root beer and cola ones for last. - Tell us about a scary nightmare you had.
When I get stressed out about work, I have a recurring dream in which the beasties from the Alien movies have infested my place of employment and cocooned all my coworkers. I’m usually on the run in these dreams, being chased by Ripley’s bad guys. I can feel their breath on my (usually bare, for some reason) back, and unlike the usual cliche, it’s cold and clammy… - What is your supernatural fear?
Don’t have one. See the item on paranormal experiences above. - What is your creepy-crawlie fear?
I’m not real fond of spiders or scorpions, although I’m not genuinely phobic about anything that I can think of. - Would you ever stay in a real haunted house overnight?
Is there an inheritance at stake? And did old Mr. Withers go missing right about the same time the “haunting” began? (“It would have worked, too, if it wasn’t for those darn kids!”) - Are you a traditionalist (just a face) Jack O’Lantern carver, or do you get really creative with your pumpkins?
I really like those fancy new-style carvings that you see all over the Internet — somewhere I’ve got a pattern for Darth Maul that I’d like to try out — but I haven’t gotten around to carving a pumpkin for several years, so I’ve never done one of the fancies. Traditionalist by default, I suppose. - How much do you decorate your home for Halloween?
Not much in recent years, but I’ve been known to go all-out, especially when my mom is involved… - Do you think Halloween is too commercial these days?
Absolutely. The evil forces of retail convinced us that it’s just not Christmas unless we buy a bunch of tchotchkes to sit around the house, and now they’re doing the same thing for my favorite holiday. Honestly, how many plastic, animated, light-up, voice-chipped variants on skulls and skeletons does one family need?
