Well, I’m not gonna get into the origins of the holiday. Hell, I’m pretty sure it’s well known now, anyway. Began as pagan holiday, blah, blah, blah. Weather you celebrate Samhain or just like the kiddie aspect of it, Halloween is probably the most prepared for holiday outside of Christmas and Hanukkah.
.

For me it’s the whole package that I enjoy! I love the chance to scare little kids, the chance to let my imagination run wild and of course, the scary movie marathons! I think the best Halloween for my little family happened years ago. My sons were still pretty young ~ 8 -12. I was having a problem with any new ideas for the house. What I had wanted to do ~ create a human butcher shop on my front porch ~ there just wasn’t enough time to prepare for. I’d managed to create one brutally severed arm and one severed head (*snicker* on close inspection could be recognized as ME!) But, that was it. So, I bought a large pumkin, cleaned it out and added the head there. With the help of a small flashlight with a strobe light at the other end, I had a strobe effect from the severed head’s mouth. The boys had gathered up as many dead leaves as they could find to scatter around the area, but all in all I was pretty disappointed with myself.

The night before Halloween I got home from work around midnight. I was greeted by my ex who had been babysitting. As he was about to leave I had an idea and asked him to stick around just a bit longer. I ran to the kitchen, mixed up a batch of fake blood and had him follow me outside. I had about three steps leading up to my porch from the sidewalk. I layed down across them with my hands just touching the sidewalk. I covered my hands with the blood and made handprint's. I then asked him to grab my feet and pull me up the steps ~ stopping only to add more fake blood to my hands. I had him continue to drag my feet all the way into the house. The effect ~ it looked like some poor bloody victim had been dragged kicking and screaming into the house to meet their terrible fate! Man, I wish I still had pictures!

The boys didn’t know anything about it and as they ran outside to wait for me before school they were greeted by an unexpected bloody massacre! They screamed with laughter and as I reached the open front door my little one yelled to me ~ “NOBODY’S comin’ to our house this year!”. The idea that our house would be too scary for the neighborhood kids filled them with Christmas like glee!

That year was the first year they’d go trick or treating with their younger cousins. It was a treat for us all because it meant “fresh blood”. This year would be the year that they could finally be in on the joke and better ~ they could help with the terror! When they were very little I took the monster from the movie ‘Pumkinhead’ and told them he was real. I created a whole story that basically went ~ “If you go off on your own or lagg behind, Pumkinhead will get you and eat you before you have a chance to scream”. Of course, it was merely a tactic to keep them close while trick or treating, but.............well, I also saw the chance to ensure nightmares that night!

So, as our group assembled and the cousins got their costumes on, I told the tale of Pumkinhead. They, of course, thought I was only joking..........until *snicker* I had them out in the dark! With my kids to help scare the living shit out of them, the evening was a total success! I was later told that ALL the cousins had slept with their parents that night. I couldn’t have been more pleased!

It’s funny how something so simple could have been the hit of the neighborhood! I even had my severed head stolen! Pumkin and all! I was only annoyed to have the strobe light gone, because otherwise it was a huge compliment! And, we did in fact, have lots of kids actively avoid our house that year! It was their parents who made a point to stop by and lavish compliments. I really didn’t know how it would go over, but the parents dug the Hell out of it!

This year will be as toned down as the last couple years. But, having the inspiration for next year is aces! I’ve got my costume idea that I can work on all year ~ the blonde chick from ‘Hostel 2’. I’ve even been thinking of having a ‘Hostel’ themed party! Being the ridiculous fan I am, I bought the director’s edition of the movie the other night ~ simply because it had the alternate ending I’d so wanted to see! And, as I watched it last night, it occurred to me that a party themed with torture devices and blood everywhere would be the perfect way to really begin celebrating the holiday again!

So, I’m giving ya’ll one solid year to save up for tickets to Los Angeles! Even if you haven’t seen the movie, look up stills online so ya’ll can recreate the “butchers” outfits or that of the victims! It’s not at all a requirement, but would be fun. Either way, costume or not, I expect everyone to attend my Bash of Blood! Because............oh yes, there will be blood!