FREE DREAD

October 31, 2023 9:46 AM

Happy HOWLoween, dearest MeFRIGHTS. What EERIEsistable costumes have you CONJURED to celebrate? Any SPOOKtacular events planned? Perhaps some reverse trick or treating in the neighBOOrhood, or a creepy cartoon SCAREathon? Tell us about it in this week's free thread! SKELETONS.
posted by Rhaomi (52 comments total)

I was afraid the usual free-thread posters had ghosted us...
posted by Greg_Ace at 9:49 AM on October 31, 2023 [8 favorites]

butts.
posted by bombastic lowercase pronouncements at 9:50 AM on October 31, 2023 [1 favorite]

boo-utts.
posted by bombastic lowercase pronouncements at 9:50 AM on October 31, 2023 [2 favorites]

Oh man, there is a shop downtown that specializes in all things kawaii and their street sign was: You Can't SkeleRUN From My SkelePUNS. I loved it.

Also, tonight is the last night of the 31 Days of Horror movie challenge. Tomorrow: the update on my AskMe to close 'er out.
posted by Kitteh at 9:51 AM on October 31, 2023 [3 favorites]

I'm going to be going out just to walk around my neighborhood a bit tonight, dressed as Professor Trelawney, but today's more about autumnal food instead. I've made a huge pot of carrot soup for lunch (and I like it French style, without any added sugar or spices or anything like that), and there is a stew going in the slow cooker with pork, carrot, potato, and apple braised in cider for dinner. I also have some Concord grapes, apples and pears that at some point this afternoon will go into a pie.

....I'm also kind of giving up on the beating-the-bushes phase of my job hunt and I'm going to go ahead and take this temp-to-perm position. It's a drop down from my last income financially, but manageable, and to be honest I'm sick of the hustle and need the break.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 10:04 AM on October 31, 2023 [6 favorites]

I am the hero we need. Part man, part SKELETON.
posted by Windopaene at 10:12 AM on October 31, 2023 [1 favorite]

Roomie can't get a ticket to the Hot Docs RHPS showing (sold out of course). Maybe next year. Church St will be shut down at 6:30 for festivities and having a look around will definitely be a thing to do tonight!
posted by seanmpuckett at 10:13 AM on October 31, 2023

Tonight's best pickup line, hot tip: "Hey babe, you ever wanna fuck a skeleton? This one's even got meat on it."
posted by seanmpuckett at 10:14 AM on October 31, 2023 [4 favorites]

Dark Brandon, with red laser (LED) eyes behind some aviators.

Between the “Com’mon man!”s and “Back in Scranton…”s, people seemed to only understand I was a politician thanks to the American flag lapel pin. With the LED eyes turned on though I moved from “I was wondering why Al would have invited such a normal person to his party,…” to “that’s disturbing as FUCK.”

The most disturbing to me was the embodied satire that health care was the most ghoulish thing I could offer people. Wasn’t willing to take it as dark as US foreign policy.
posted by rubatan at 10:15 AM on October 31, 2023 [6 favorites]

awww I love Halloween. it was my fav holiday as a kid and I still love it now. I have always dressed up (witch) to answer the door for the tricky treaters.

but in recent years...le sigh. I have not been attending any fun adult holiday dress-up events, nor have we been getting the kids at the door like we used to. I will still get my witch hat out, and hope I don't need to eat all the Peanut Butter Cups myself...

Happy Spooky Day, MeFites!! may your darkest (chocolate) dreams come true!
posted by supermedusa at 10:18 AM on October 31, 2023 [7 favorites]

For the last couple of months, doctors kept slicing my throat open to pull cancer out of it, so I decided to make it glam by dressing as Marie Antoinette. I made a couple of bloody necklaces and a gigantic light up dress covered in ribbons and rhinestones and decorated a tall pink wig with more LEDs and feathers and jewelry and flowers, most of which I also made. It's A Look. I don't have any pictures of it finished yet, but here's some of the Making Of. I'm also going to the Church Street party tonight in the village, so if any MeFite see me, come say hi! I'm new to Toronto and don't know anyone at all yet!
posted by foxtongue at 10:40 AM on October 31, 2023 [18 favorites]

Earlier today I took the sad-face sign off my front door, which said that I was all out of candy. I put that sign up on Saturday because I had trick-or-treaters on Friday and Saturday because Sweden does not yet have its Halloween act together. After all it is an imported holiday and has not been fully adopted yet.

I did discover that a couple of the neighborhood kids thought that I was from either Australia or New Zealand and were very skeptical about my story of being an American. It’s plenty spooky here. After all the sun disappeared at 4:16 PM today and it’s just gonna get worse for a while. Yesterday I woke up to snow on the ground and snow that kept going almost all day. Some foolish still living sweet pea flowers ended up encased in snow. It was wild seeing their jewel toned beauty still visible through the snow.

I understand that many of us struggled with this time of year for lots of reasons. My reasons are pretty simple. When it gets so dark, my mood plummets. Walking does help but I swear to God I am not willing to walk in the slushy iciness outside as the snow melts away. And I wasn’t willing to walk in the snowstorm yesterday, either. So now I have rolled out my portable trim treadmill and put it in front of the TV. I have a bit more work to do and then I plan to gorge on escapist TV and put in the 1,035 steps left to get to 4,000 steps. That’s all I need to do at least until I wake up tomorrow and need to do it again.

Every day is not mandatory but I really do like to walk seven days in a row before I fall off the wagon. It is autumn break for my grandchildren. I spent a fair amount of time with the toddler yesterday and the big kids today. It’s kind of taxing and totally worthwhile. I can’t make their lives easy but maybe they can feel seen just a bit more and feel validated just a bit more when we hang out together. But I probably flattering myself. Virtual hugs to all who would like some. So glad MetaFilter is here!
posted by Bella Donna at 10:42 AM on October 31, 2023 [10 favorites]

that is seriously fabulous boxtongue have a great time at your party (perhaps may sure to eat some cake?)
posted by supermedusa at 10:49 AM on October 31, 2023 [2 favorites]

I just can't get into Halloween. I don't like spooky things or horror movies or any of that. The Canadians have it right. Give us Thanksgiving in October. But keep American Thanksgiving too so we can have two Thanksgivings.
posted by downtohisturtles at 10:52 AM on October 31, 2023 [2 favorites]

foxtongue obvs...
posted by supermedusa at 10:54 AM on October 31, 2023

Thanks supermedusa! I nearly made a cake fascinator for the hair before deciding that would take too much time away from making my lighting, haha. If there's cake at the street party, though, you bet I'll be on it!
posted by foxtongue at 11:03 AM on October 31, 2023 [2 favorites]

I have a small skull-cap that looks like a tiger (FB link) , which is probably designed for a toddler's head, that we originally bought a week ago for me to wear to a spooky art gallery opening slash costume ball last Saturday, but my day was so busy I wasn't able to stop at home and pick it up in time to make it to the masquerade in costume. I'll probably wear it while handing out candy: the neighborhood we moved to 7 years ago was originally older people, but it has morphed into KIDS EVERYWHERE and I run out of candy quite fast.

Sort-of-fitting-the-theme of being in costume but continuing my usual free thread topic: if you'll remember, I auditioned for a student film a couple weeks ago, but hadn't filmed anything yet at that time: short story -- it went extremely well, one of my best experiences as an actor, largely because the actor I was against gave me a lot to work with: his character is the head chef with an anger problem, I'm the lowly cook who ruined the food, and our interaction is pretty much written as "chef gets angry, throws a fork, and storms out", but as we rehearsed it became clear that the scene works best with bigger escalation and what ended up on film was at "OH NO HE'S GONNA STAB THAT GUY IN THE FACE WITH THAT FORK" levels, which from what I've heard from the crew after the fact did look really good. It was filmed on really-real 16mm black and white film so nobody will know until it gets back from the film developer. Oh, and there's another audition this week, another student film, with a scene of a recovering-alcoholic father reconnecting with his young adult son. Guess which one I'm auditioning for?
posted by AzraelBrown at 11:11 AM on October 31, 2023 [3 favorites]

Well, it’s the final Tuesday of October so it’s the final opportunity to take advantage of Taco Time’s anniversary 61¢ taco promotion—we’re going to consume a genuinely scary quantity of tacos. While handing out candy, of course.
posted by Suedeltica at 11:15 AM on October 31, 2023 [3 favorites]

We just moved to the neighborhood, and according to the neighbors, trick or treaters are virtually nonexistent. We'll leave out a bowl, and go see live music in a localish pub we used to go to back when we lived in town 20 odd years ago.
posted by Spike Glee at 11:17 AM on October 31, 2023 [2 favorites]

I just can't get into Halloween. I don't like spooky things or horror movies or any of that.

If there's one thing I learned from watching Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Disney's Gargoyles, or any other 80s, 90s cartoons featuring friendly "monsters" it's that Halloween is the one night of the year when supernatural creatures can mingle with us ordinary humans without fear of being discovered.

I really don't like the genuinely scary aspects of Halloween, but I'm down with it being a night where all superficial prejudices get cast away and everyone takes off their trenchcoats to be who they really are. And maybe Halloween can be a model for how we act towards one another the rest of the year.
posted by RonButNotStupid at 11:21 AM on October 31, 2023 [4 favorites]

I attended a union convention last week and delegates were invited to dress as superheroes for the hospitality suite social

anyone who has attended a union convention to hear heated debates on resolutions, amendments, amendments to amendments, etc. can appreciate that feeling when a member steps up to "Call the Question"

I did not have the wherewithal to quickly fashion a t-shirt with a Call the Question logo but that right there is the real hero of convention
posted by elkevelvet at 11:42 AM on October 31, 2023 [2 favorites]

My favorite holiday of the year. I was preparing a wizard costume...

...and tested positive for COVID on Saturday, joining my wife in seclusion.

We will gaze out of our bedroom windows as dusk settles in, and perhaps shout stories aloud to the wind.
posted by doctornemo at 11:56 AM on October 31, 2023 [3 favorites]

Jezebel has their top 11 scary stories of the year up.
https://jezebel.com/real-life-scary-stories-halloween-2023-1850961315
posted by Spike Glee at 12:15 PM on October 31, 2023

I loooove halloween. and this year is particularly horrifying because instead of doing something fun I've been stuck in las vegas airport, which is truly an armpit. Was supposed to fly home last night but the flight got delayed, and delayed, and finally, at 1am, cancelled. They were total crap about cancelling. Just when people were expecting to board they made the announcement, and of course everyone freaked the hell out, and were asking how they were supposed to get home, where they were going to sleep that night, they just said, and I quote, "that's your problem" then they said we had to wait for an email. Once the email came in it said the flight was rebooked for noon today, and they were getting us a hotel and meal voucher. I'd had a great weekend with friends here, and was feeling nice and relaxed.... so much for that. hate hate hatety hate. You guys make sure you have extra fun for me, ok? this year's costume is apparently "rumpled traveller"
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 12:55 PM on October 31, 2023 [4 favorites]

It's been several years since I got dressed up or went to a party, or even bothered trying to hand out candy in a neighborhood where all the kids are doing lame trunk-or-treat stuff in church parking lots in daylight. But I still love Halloween.

I at least threw together a short eclectic Halloween playlist this morning. Of course a lot of this is stuff I'm happy to listen to year round anyway, but putting on the 30 Days of Night soundtrack has become my Halloween tradition.
posted by Foosnark at 1:03 PM on October 31, 2023 [2 favorites]

There is no reason why this should work at all, but Duran Duran just a couple of days ago released a brand new Halloween-themed album that actually pretty well rocks. Here's the YouTube playlist for the album [ignore that 14th track]. A few new tracks, a few old songs, and some covers. It just works!
posted by hippybear at 1:07 PM on October 31, 2023 [3 favorites]

I was dreaming of a white halloween, just like the ones I used to know...and Chicago did not disappoint. There's about an inch of snow on the ground right now, and another little squall just blew in, completely whiting out the view from my frunchroom. No quips about climate change here, though -- it is absolutely no different from the Halloweens of my youth, most of which were freezing, snowy, sleety affairs.

This block never seems to have trick or treaters anyhow, but if I know midwestern kids there are some enterprising little ones gearing up with snowsuits crammed under their Barbie costumes. Poor kids.
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 1:24 PM on October 31, 2023 [3 favorites]

Kiddo has declared himself too old for tricking or treating and has invited a few friends over to hang out and eat pizza for a couple of hours. So I will be hanging out at the house watching the trick or treaters this evening.

We got to experience the consequences of backing off and letting kiddo manage his own schoolwork when he informed us on Friday last that he had one failing grade and was in danger of flunking two other classes at the end of the marking period. While I am not pleased, I am also not angry as we knew this might happen at some point, but wanted him to experience the natural consequence of it while it still would not matter much and he told us before we saw his grades. He and I had a good chat and managed to pinpoint the issue that is causing him to get behind and come up with a plan going forward.
posted by theBigRedKittyPurrs at 1:30 PM on October 31, 2023 [5 favorites]

little ones gearing up with snowsuits crammed under their Barbie costumes

She was a distant background character but Michelin Barbie was definitely in the movie!
posted by hippybear at 2:44 PM on October 31, 2023 [4 favorites]

It's our older cat Mosey's semi-official birthday today! He's 14! Before the Cat IRS comes after me, here, we'll pay the Cat Tax!

He recently had a bunch of medical testing done, and we're getting some additional things checked out and holding our collective breath in the meantime. Please send him your well wishes and your, "Oh! You're so handsome!"s.
posted by May Kasahara at 3:57 PM on October 31, 2023 [10 favorites]

Only three groups tonight, but the first was 13 kids at once!
I'm having Snickers for dessert.
(and wine)
posted by MtDewd at 4:32 PM on October 31, 2023 [3 favorites]

The Days of Wine and Snickers
posted by Greg_Ace at 4:58 PM on October 31, 2023 [7 favorites]

/Baldur's Gate 3 Filter: Just beat Raphael in the House Of Hope, and holy shit the fight theme was amazing. For those who haven't/don't/won't play, you sneak into a devil's house, steal some stuff, then fight him and some minions. And that's him, talking over the track.

Raphael Boss Fight Theme

So cool. And appropriate for Halloween.
posted by Gorgik at 5:16 PM on October 31, 2023 [1 favorite]

Watched Pacific Rim in celebration of the the holiday. Ahh yeah.
posted by seanmpuckett at 5:39 PM on October 31, 2023

I make the same black bean and butternut squash chili for Halloween every year - orange and black and delicious. I like to sit outside and greet the trick or treaters, but Cyrus got too excited and borky, so we went inside lest he scare some of the kids away from our candy and glow sticks. Saw some cute costumes before we had to retreat though.
posted by the primroses were over at 5:51 PM on October 31, 2023 [5 favorites]

Typical trick or treat hours have ended here on the northwest edge of the North American continent so I can start noshing on some of the candy laid in against the extremely low probability that I would get any trick or treaters - I believe I've had only two in the more than fifteen years I've been in this house and both of them were kids living in the house next door. My home is on a publicly maintained wooden boardwalk, not visible from the street, and requires negotiating three flights of stairs. Consequently there's not a lot of traffic on the boardwalk (unless you count bears, and they're pretty much done for the season..)

Nevertheless, one likes to be prepared just in case and there seemed a chance we might get some - there are a few more kids in the neighborhood these days and unusually it is not a howling October gale tonight - rather chilly but no wind or precipitation, very much unlike a typical Ketchikan Halloween. So I spent an enjoyably low-key evening at home, making dough for future pizza, listening to Nile Rodgers & Chic's tiny desk concert, and waiting for the trick-or-treat clock to run down and for the candy to become fair game.
posted by Nerd of the North at 9:30 PM on October 31, 2023 [1 favorite]

One of our neighbour's kids came dressed as Marcel Marceau. When Shepherd said, "Oh wow! Your mime costume is great!", the small boy gravely looked at him and said, "I am Marcel Marceau. Not just a mime."
posted by Kitteh at 6:18 AM on November 1, 2023 [15 favorites]

we had the sweetest little bunch of tricky treaters last night! all super friendly and polite. a little Wednesday Adams told me I looked pretty in my witch suit. awwwwww. it was lovely (still way too much candy left over).

also my phone interpreted tricky treaters as" turkey traders" yep. gonna trade some turkey!
posted by supermedusa at 9:48 AM on November 1, 2023 [1 favorite]

I did do some walking around the neighborhood yesterday, but didn't dress up. I'm in a weird place with my job hunt and just plain wasn't feeling it.

Best costume was three high school students with these sort of puppet skeletons strapped to their backs and towering a good 4 feet above their heads, with hands controlled by rods. They didn't seem to be trick or treating, just walking around.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 9:56 AM on November 1, 2023 [3 favorites]

Best costume was three high school students with these sort of puppet skeletons strapped to their backs and towering a good 4 feet above their heads, with hands controlled by rods. They didn't seem to be trick or treating, just walking around.

Honestly, it seems to be the best of Halloween Trick Or Treating would be a sort of community art project where a neighborhood has groups like this wandering around, a lot of atmosphere, and a good feeling of it being a fun time.

I sort of grew up in this kind of neighborhood in the halcyon days of the Seventies, with a neighborhood that had a TON of kids of all kinds of ages all living within a few very walkable blocks, so within an hour of being out you'd have visited a ton of houses, all of whom were known people. There was one house that served punch with dry ice in it [exotic at the time!] as witches brew, and other homemade treats, basically unheard of today. One place always gave out pencils, but you went there to be neighborly and also they were fun pencils not boring ones like were everywhere at the time.

As far as I can tell, we have zero trick or treaters in this part of this small town I live in. I'm okay with that -- no kids, and not much interest in playing the part. But it is a very interesting contrast from where I grew up, even though this is a much more small town, nearly Mayberry sort of place.
posted by hippybear at 1:58 PM on November 1, 2023 [2 favorites]

https://tooters.org/@YadyO/111337100803108922
posted by hippybear at 2:05 PM on November 1, 2023

hippybear, aside from the drug-dealing-asshat-neighbor-who-gets-a-pass-over-and-over-again-because-he-is-a-middle-aged-white-dude, my neighborhood is a LOT like you describe. Kids of all ages out and about. Neighbors bring their firepits into the front yard, invite friends, have some drinks and hand out candy. Parents walk with their kids, even the older ones and enjoy the atmosphere. The firetruck comes through. I really, really love my neighborhood at Halloween.
posted by theBigRedKittyPurrs at 3:23 PM on November 2, 2023 [3 favorites]

I was going to start having An Important Evaluation I Need ASAP today. Guess what, it got canceled! Rescheduled for next week, but um...this is kind of an emergency here...so I'm pretty ticked off. I'm also not happy that I have to do it at 8 a.m. on a workday now rather than me scheduling it on my day off.
posted by jenfullmoon at 3:32 PM on November 2, 2023 [2 favorites]

I’m struggling a bit. I had to take kiddo to get an infected ingrown toenail dealt with and I got a front row seat to what it must be like him, tracking as an 18 year old at almost 14. The doctor and nurse were professional and kind, but there was a definite disconnect in the way they treated him that I suspect would not have been there if he had “looked” his age more. And even if he had been 18, if you have no experience with doctors doing unpleasant things to you (like I did in spades by the time I was 12), it can be really scary and unpleasant. They were not mean, I just wish they had shown him a bit more patience. Considering the state of healthcare in 2023, that probably is not possible.
posted by theBigRedKittyPurrs at 6:32 PM on November 2, 2023 [3 favorites]

Had a first date tonight. Great time! We ate excellent BBQ tacos, chatted for 3 hours, had some laughs. We definitely have similar views on many things. Already planning a second date next weekend!

I am in seventh cloud. Heaven nine? One of those. Both. I am in a happy place with a good number.
posted by Greg_Ace at 9:54 PM on November 3, 2023 [5 favorites]

Metafilter: in a happy place with a good number

couldn't help myself
posted by Greg_Ace at 10:59 PM on November 3, 2023 [2 favorites]

I am in seventh cloud. Heaven nine?

Or, as a friend suggested, "over the world / on top of the moon"!
posted by Greg_Ace at 7:30 PM on November 4, 2023 [1 favorite]

I'm on the
Top of the moo-oon, lookin'
Down on the craters
And who cares about the haters
I am fine
posted by Greg_Ace at 9:07 PM on November 4, 2023 [3 favorites]

That is a very subtle The Carpenters reference and I'm totally here for it.
posted by hippybear at 11:43 AM on November 5, 2023 [2 favorites]

Since there doesn't seem to be a new free thread today, I'll go ahead and post a link to an unexpected photo opportunity I stumbled upon outside my apartment building this weekend. I think it came out pretty nice.
posted by Greg_Ace at 7:38 PM on November 6, 2023 [1 favorite]

(I'll probably post it again in the next free thread too, but I'm impatient!)
posted by Greg_Ace at 7:40 PM on November 6, 2023

We're still waiting to see if our big boy, Felix (lab/newfie mix) has a lipoma or something more serious. Fingers Crossed.
posted by BigHeartedGuy at 2:06 PM on November 13, 2023 [2 favorites]