Katie Pumpkinhead’s Pumpkin Patch

I have probably spent a significant part of my adult life chasing the high of Christmas Eve in my childhood. Though Halloween was always my favorite holiday, Christmas Eve felt like this otherworldly time, when the whole world sat on edge, waiting for something magical to happen. And once the morning came, everything would be as it had been the year before. A homecoming. I haven’t felt that way about Christmas in a very long time, but tonight I feel that excitement once more. I see the pieces coming back together. The decorations I mourned last year reappearing, on neighbors’ lawns and doorsteps, in stores I visit. Pumpkins, real  pumpkins, are alive and waiting once more, relevant again, no longer the rotting forms left over from a night no one seems to remember. We are seen.  The world looks like a place I recognize again, and I don’t have to squint so hard to see it. I don’t look across the lake and imagine the green trees turning orange and red and yellow, because now they are. I d

 When I was about two years old, my favorite movie was Beetlejuice.  It was on HBO a lot at the time, and I was absolutely obsessed with watching it. I didn't understand the plot as a toddler, obviously, but something about the characters and setting, particularly the underworld scenes, pulled me in. I was entranced by it, and would have the type of tantrum usually reserved for when little ones don't get the toy or snack they wanted if something or someone pulled me away from it. I have a very distinct memory of once having to leave to go to my aunt's house in the middle of it, and having a total meltdown. Luckily, my aunt lived maybe a five minute car ride from my childhood home, so she put it on for me once we got there. I suppose Beetlejuice was my very first comfort movie. My love for the movie remained as I got older. In my late teens, I became very much a "Burtonphile", as many referred to the Tim Burton fandom back then, devouring everything Tim Burton touc

Do I rush the seasons? Probably. Autumn has always been the only season for me. The other seasons have their moments, some more than others, but I never feel as alive as I do in September and October. I don't necessarily mean to wish time away, but I can't help but yearn for what sets my heart ablaze, whether it's the dead of winter, the start of spring, or a day those unlike myself would deem 'perfect beach weather'.  Everyone has things they love, things they surround themselves with to make the most out of life. Mine just happens to be 'seasonal'.  Even as Halloween becomes more popular within mainstream society, so many people still don't understand the desire to hold onto that feeling all year round. Sometimes, even those within the Halloween community act like it takes away from things somehow, while I know I'd be miserable if I didn't live my life the way I do. I have tried to give it up, a few different times for a few different reasons,

 I've seen a lot of movies this year, probably more than I have in a long time. I pretty much exclusively watch horror and spooky things, with a few exceptions. It's just what feeds my soul the most. I don't claim to be an expert. I like what I like, I gravitate toward what interests me. I probably couldn't win a trivia contest but I could sure as hell talk your ear off about a movie if I love it, or hate it. Though I don't expect anyone else to feel as I do about anything. I enjoy conversation about these things. That said, I always tend to see a lot of division among horror fans when it comes to their opinions of horror media. It's very black-and-white a lot of the time. It's absolute love and devotion, or it's a hate-fueled rampage. Being neutral on a horror movie doesn't seem to be a thing. And while I am extremely passionate about the things I love, and can come away from a movie feeling like it altered my brain chemistry somehow (or, alternativ

 I was recently given the opportunity to check out a new, independent Halloween short film called Pumpkin Guts: Devil’s Night.  (Picture from IMDb) I first became aware of this film through the  Instagram page , and to say I absolutely knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that I’d love it, would be an understatement. I can always tell when a piece of media is truly going to radiate Halloween, in the way that will transport me through whatever month we’re currently in (in this case, probably the most disgusting July on record) and into Halloween night itself. When I was offered early access to this short film, I could not have been more honored. Even though I’ve built up somewhat of a following within the Halloween community, it still amazes me every day that people finally truly see and feel what I’m trying to create; that my love of Halloween finally means something and brings some joy and comfort to others like myself, and that anyone, especially a filmmaker, would trust me to understand

 Much of this year has felt eternal to me. I'm not entirely sure why. But on some level, it's felt like Halloween was never going to come around again. I have theories as to why things have felt so long and hopeless, most of them having to do with my own schedule, and seasonal depression now on top of it. Whatever the feeling was, it was scary for me. Like being a trapped animal. But, yesterday afternoon, I went for a walk. That is a rarity for me these days as the heat intolerance connected to my summer SAD seems to be getting worse by the day, but after a rainstorm and some Halloween shopping, I was feeling pretty decent.  And, possibly for the first time since 2024 began, I could feel it again. The final leg of our journey to Halloween.  I looked around at the yards I was passing, and could almost see the Halloween decorations, where they will be standing once again. My old friends who visit me once a year. I miss them; their comfort. But, for the first time since last seaso