The Spooktacular Season

Halloween is only 18 days away. I love this season. And I love the entertainment offered during it, being a big fan of horror and ghost stories. In fact, if you're in the mood, check out these things:

Reads. Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger or The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson. Both wonderfully creepy, and unforgettable. For the more willing to be psychologically disturbed, pick up any of Joe Hill's books. He's Stephen King's son and much more insidiously spooky.

Movies. Oh so many Hammer films to recommend; start with Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed or Taste the Blood of Dracula. There is a sleeper movie called Trick'r Treat (not to be confused with others spelled differently) that's a classic style horror and uses the old legends about the holiday to great effect. The two that are my standards for that most unsettled-in-the-mind feeling are the original B&Ws of Night of the Living Dead and The Haunting. And I'd be terribly remiss if I didn't mention the Phantasm series. They hold a special scar in my psyche. Here's a list of most of the really top horrorfests on film:
http://www.ghostwalks.com/hh_scariestmovies.html

These days there are plenty of paranormal shows to give a chill here and there. The Syfy Channel has Ghosthunters and all its spinoffs (they'll be doing their live show on Halloween night again), and other channels have plenty to offer. There are almost too many. 

For kids:
http://www.nick.com/shocktober/
and don't forget It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown! and The Worst Witch. Classics!