The Halloween Project: Third Ceremony 2019

For the third year in a row I embark on a weird journey of nightmare and stamina. Beginning on October 1st I will write one horror story every two days, 15 in all, ending the day before Halloween. Although I have a few ideas festering around my brain nothing has been put to paper, not an opening sentence, not a final scream. This allows me to throw out into the world for your pleasure or condemnation my ability to scare you, upset you, or simply creep you out.

The world has turned much, much crazier in the last 12 months. If we dwell too much on the true horrors that seem to reside around every turn it may simply make us go…crazy? Let’s hope not. There is much good in the world, it’s simply overshadowed. My work here is why people go on amusement rides that make them scream, read Stephen King under the covers at night, dress up like vampires and werewolves at Halloween parties and cower through haunted houses that they have paid good money for. It makes our heart pump. When one is afraid, one feels vibrantly alive, but not always in a good way. It sets off our nerve endings, fight or flight instincts and pumps adrenaline into our systems. We have some primal recollections.

Take a ride, if you dare. I’m not saying all 15 stories will be nice ghost stories, although there may be one or two, we’ll have to see.

Let’s start with a monster. Not a big monster that you can see coming like Godzilla, Rodan or King Kong. Not a spooky monster that lives in the attic. Not a bad guy in the house next door. This is a monster, a complex, yet straightforward monster. It kills things.