Dahlia DeWinters - Author

Quirky Heroines, Happy Endings

Blogtoberfest – Not Just “IT”: More Creepy King Stories

From what I’ve heard  is that the new IT movie is pretty scary.  I  have to say “from what I’ve heard’ because I haven’t seen it yet.  Nothing like seeing something scary on the big screen to scar you for life and I’m not as young as I used to be.

While being scared on the screen is fun, being scared from words on a page can be even more fun.  Yep, I just touted reading above movie watching and you all know how I LOVE reading.  Following this, Stephen King has written just a tad few more stories than IT that are guaranteed to take you over the creepy/scared line.  Here are five of my favorites.

 

 

 

From Nightshift 

Graveyard Shift – Whose nose doesn’t twist at thethought of working in a mildewy, dark, damp basement?  Bonus points:  it’s hot and there’s rustling in the walls.  This is a story that will make you wash your hands after you’ve finished reading it.  Don’t forget the hand sanitizer.

 

Grey Matter – Strange things can grow in beer – something about those hops – and when you guzzle one down without thoroughly examining the contents, bad things happen.  I promise you’ll pour your beer in a glass after reading this one. Gross, scary body horror.

Sometimes They Come Back – Like a little melancholy with the heebie-jeebies?  Well, this story is perfect for you.  A man gets revenge for something that happened in his childhood, but remember, the devil is hell to pay.

Skeleton Crew

The Raft – Those of you who’ve seen Creepshow 2 are familar with this story.  Yes, the charactersare archetypes and the whole thing reads like a B-movie script, but you won’t be so eager to jump into the lake next summer, now will you?

The Monkey – Short, but gets under your skin.  A haunted toy monkey does….bad things, for lack of a better term….to those who find it and wind it up.  I’ve always found those mechanical toys weird anyway, so to find out this monkey was haunted was no big surprise.

 

And just like that, we;’ve come to the end of our Blogtoberfest visit!  Check out some of these King shorts that I mentioned.

 

Dahlia

 

 

Blogtoberfest- My Shorts! 3 Mini Horror Films That'll Make You Change 'Em

I am not a huge fan of horror on YouTube, I’m usually searching for new music.  My daughter, however, is a YouTube aficionando, as are most thirteen-year-olds. Following this, she had introduced me to the world of mini-horror films.  Mind you, I was only able to watch these in the middle of the day, sitting at the dining room table.  However, some of them are so well done that they stayed with me long after.  Now, remember I freak out easily at anything slightly horror and therefore you might not find them as scary as I do, but it’s a good place to start.  Boo!

 

First up is the short flim on which the movie Lights Out is based.  Yes, we want to save on our electric bill, but do you really want to turn out the lights.

 

 

 

 

The second film is called The Moonlight Man.  It begins as a cliched walk through a deserted parking and ends up as something a little….well, you’ll see for yourself.

 

 

The third and final film is called Look See. The creepy factor of this little gem is really off the charts.  

 

 

 

So there you go.  Three short horror films which are definitely not for the faint of heart….the faint of heart being me!

 

Dahlia

 

Blogtoberfest – Did You Hear That? 13 Classic Spooky Songs

Today, I’m back to tap on your shoulder and tickle your ears.  Music in movies has always been used to set the mood, whether it be for a love scene or the stinger for a horror movie jump scare.

 

If you’re having a Halloween get-together or even just want to hang out with the lights out and create a Poe-like atmosphere, here are 13 songs for you, and of course, one to grow on.  A baker’s dozen, plus one.

 

 

 

Spookily yours, 

 

Dahlia

Blogtoberfest – 5 Classic Horror Stories to Read Online

Picture courtesy of Pixabay @suju

Welcome!  So glad you decided to join me today for Blogtoberfest!

Let’s face it.  Sometimes you have a hankering for a good scare, but just don’t have the time to delve into a novel or even turn on a movie.   You’re in luck.  Here are some scary little bites of story guaranteed to make you check behind the curtains and make sure the back door is secure.  Perhaps a baseball bat or even shotgun in the corner wouldn’t be overdoing it.

Please be aware, these are classic horror stories and will most certainly sound familiar, since they’ve been imitated over and over again through the years.  Enjoy the language and the creepy atmosphere each writer establishes and you won’t be sorry!

 

  1.  The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving – A classic horror story that never loses its spooky touch. Read it here.
  2.  The Striding Place by Gertrude Athernon –  A man looks for a fried who has been missing since two days earlier.  A dreamy and ambiguous story that nonetheless grabs at the senses and holds on. Read it here.
  3. The Monkey’s Paw by W.W. Jacobs – I’m sure most of us have seen The Simpsons’ parody of this story, but the source material is just as creepy as when I first read it.  Sometimes wishes do come true, but in horrible ways. Read it here.
  4. The Morning, the Evening and the Night by Octavia Butler – A wonder drug has horrific consequences.  From one of the greats.  Read it here.
  5. They Bite by Anthony Boucher – This is a story that I read long ago, in an Alfred Hitchcock anthology, and still stays with me. I have not re-read it…I’ve found it too creepy and unsettling.  And now I pass it onto you.  Read it here.

There you have it.  Five pretty scary stories for a quick burst of fear when you’re feeling quite bored.

 

Dahlia

Blogtoberfest – Urban Legends – Lost Dutchman's Gold Mine

By Chris C Jones (Own work) [CC BY-SA 2.5 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5)], via Wikimedia Commons
As part of Blogtoberfest and the season of Halloween in general, it’s always fun to take a look at the urban legends which stay a part of our pop culture.  Every state seems to have their own, and some states have more than one.  Some of the urban legends have found their way onto as in this case.

The Lost Dutchman’s Gold Mine is a legend, that, much .like many legends, is steeped in fact.  It is, obviously, a gold mine located in the Superstition Mountains of Arizona.  As legends will go, there are many stories that circulate around how to find the mine, leading to people actually trying to find it.  And, yes, some have perished on their quest for the riches.

A little history:  The mine is named after a German immigrant names Jacob Waltz who found it and  kept it a secret. Interestingly enough, despite the lack of information we have about it, it might be the most famous “lost mine” legend in American history. 

I was tricked into watching an “entertainment program” that I thought was a documentary about the mine.  Called Legend of the Superstition Mountains, it  resembled a factual program until I found out it was a six season “fakumentary”.  Also, it was pretty boring, which is the real crime.  I mean, if you’re going to fake something, please, make it interesting.

The film based loosely around this legend is called Dark Mountain, and to be honest, I tried to watch that one too….but wow, a snooze fest it was. I couldn’t finish it.

So there, you are, a taste of the urban legend, the Lost Dutchman’s Mine.  If you plan on going to look for it, be sure to bring plenty of water.  Arizona’s pretty hot and dry.

 

Dahlia

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lost_Dutchman%27s_Gold_Mine