• Music: "Coraline," Rasputina

Halloween Countdown, Day 1

Are you ready to get this party started? I am! Please join me for a month of daily posts as I celebrate the spirit of Halloween. This year I am aiming for variety in my posts -- creepy texts and photos, "this day in spooky history" features, rec lists, and more -- and I hope the mix is to your liking. If you know of anyone who would enjoy these posts, please pass along the word. Thank you very much!

Be sure to check out other blogs that likewise are celebrating Halloween all October long. The wonderful Countdown to Halloween 2013 is a clearinghouse site that links to this and other blogs with similar month-long post-a-thons.



Let's begin with a video to set the mood. The British Film Institute is currently celebrating "Gothic: The Dark Heart of Film," and this trailer is a work of art in its own right.



And speaking of Gothic, here's a quote from one of my favorite modern works to start our countdown properly.

“How do I know you'll keep your word?" asked Coraline.
"I swear it," said the other mother. "I swear it on my own mother's grave."
"Does she have a grave?" asked Coraline.
"Oh yes," said the other mother. "I put her in there myself. And when I found her trying to crawl out, I put her back.”
― Neil Gaiman, Coraline

Oh, I can't help myself. Just one more...

"We have eyes and we have nerveses
We have tails we have teeth
You'll all get what you deserveses
When we rise from underneath."
― Neil Gaiman, Coraline