What Feels Like It Never Was//October 62nd, 2024

I've not cared much for December for many years now.

Adulthood came, and confiscated the magic of Christmas.

I guess I never really minded, as I've always felt I have something much more magical.

But still, I look around at the colorful lights and smiling characters adorning the lawns now, where the skeletons and pumpkins and ghosts stood not long ago at all, and I feel resentment.

Society forgets that November is still, very much, autumn. The world forgets to hold space for the remaining pumpkins and scarecrows, anymore.

But I watch for them. I've learned to treat November like an extension of October. A funeral, of sorts. I celebrate the fact that it happened, and search for the remnants around me.

This year, though, it hasn't been easy.

October, for the most part, felt like an extension of summer. Halloween came with a high of 83 degrees and blazing sun, as if October itself wanted to wear a costume that made it almost unrecognizable. It felt more like a summer day; as if Halloween itself was still far off in the future, something to still be anticipated, as opposed to celebrated, in that moment.

November was largely the same, dry and warm and sunny, until the rain finally came. But, rather than bringing in a more autumnal crispness, the cold November rain seemed to usher in an early winter, with temperatures too cold to spend too much time outside, basking in the last of the leaves and pumpkins. Thanksgiving felt more like a chilly day in January. I tried to take a walk that day, but had to turn back after moving just three houses down the road, as the air was cutting through me and my teeth would not stop chattering.

I never really did get to go on any Post-Halloween Depression Walks this year.

I suppose what I'm really trying to say is, on this Gregorian day of December 1st, when I can no longer fight back the onslaught of bright red and green Christmas cheer, I don't think I have ever felt so truly robbed of autumn before.

Yes, there are still twenty days of it remaining, and I will fight for those days, cling to my ghosts of autumn and Halloween, despite society trying to force-feed me Christmas, but the page is officially turning now.

And we must wait another year for autumn, even though it feels like it was never truly here.

I don't think it's ever felt further.

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Pumpkin Guts: Devil’s Night//October 277th, 2024

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 ...

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Everyone has moments in their life when they feel like giving up. That feeling of “This is never going to happen, so why keep trying?” Sometimes it relates to a thing that would be trivial to anyone else, sometimes it’s about something more life-altering. But, we’ve all been there. I have moments of discouragement with this blog. Times I’ve told myself, “No one cares”, or “No one will read this”, etc., but I continue on, for the joy of it. And sometimes, something amazing happens. If you haven’t read my previous post, Have You Seen This Pumpkin? , I would strongly suggest doing so before continuing on with this story. The short version is, I saw a pumpkin in someone’s window when I was twelve years old, and have spent the last twenty-one years trying to find it for myself. When I published that post, I wasn’t expecting much of a response. I was really just hoping to hear someone say, “Yes, my family had this pumpkin when I was a kid!” Or “I once saw this in a neighbor’...

American Horror Stories Season 3, Episode 1: Bestie//October 117th, 2024

I know, it's been ages since I've reviewed anything relating to American Horror Story. Hopefully someone out there missed it? I can't promise how frequent these reviews will be, as it's probably pretty evident that finding the time to watch the episodes and really contemplate them has been challenging for me over the past couple of years. While I don't think it would possible for me to ever truly stop loving AHS, its recent offerings, save for NYC, have left me feeling pretty "meh" about it. I've seen one episode of Delicate, and while it certainly wasn't bad, the subject matter doesn't really interest me at all and much like the vast majority of the fandom, the casting choices didn't exactly thrill me. I'll get back to it eventually, but I may wait until the entire season is out and just share my thoughts after the fact. American Horror Stories also has a habit of leaving me with a "meh" taste in my mouth. Save for a few st...

Katie Pumpkinhead’s Pumpkin Patch

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