Happy Halloween! Today, a brief escape from the coverage and aftermath of Superstorm Sandy… with trick or treating delayed or canceled in storm-ravaged communities along the east coast, we at Word of Mouth are committed to celebrating the holiday in honor of those who cannot… as advice columnist "Prudie" puts it, if we didn’t celebrate Halloween, wouldn’t that be letting the storm win?
Last month while reading Dear Prudence, we stumbled upon a question that had to do with Halloween etiquette. It was a spat between neighbors, one side upset over the other’s Halloween decorations – which they claimed were too scary for their daughter. We decided we better call Dear Prudence a.k.a. Emily Yoffe to get the ruling on this neighborly dispute and any other problems that may arise this Halloween.
Here’s the set-up…a doomed group of teens isolated on location X -- a campsite, fairground..dorm. A psychopathic killer, often disfigured, stalks them…brandishing sharp weapon X…many are killed in graphic, gory ways until only final girl X survives…cheered on by the adrenaline-surged audience...For a few blood-curdling years in the late 70s to early 80s, the slasher movie ruled the box office. Its appeal, writes longtime fan J. A. Kerswell, was based on our craving for safe thrills and lethal predictability…horror at its most basic and enjoyable. Kerswell is founder of the website Hysteria Lives! and author of The Slasher Movie Booka compendium of grisly horror film artwork, and a history of the sub-genre that has terrified millions of viewers around the world.
Recently, the small town of New Boston, New Hampshire hosted an unusual 5k race, in which runners were chased by zombies or “walkers,” as they’re called in the popular comic book and TV series “The Walking Dead.” But fear not, all the gore was for a good cause, as independent producer Adam McCune found out when he sent us this audio postcard.
For storytellers, horror fans and high school teachers, Poe is an American original, who shocked the genteel readers of his day with tales of premature death, torture and reanimation. But this is 2012 – the age of Twilight, The Hunger Games, The Jersey Shore and Kim Kardashian …where every chapter is a cliffhanger, and a twenty-two minute episode is considered long-form narrative. So, The Word of Mouth team asked around… are the works of Edgar Allen Poe still scary today?
And last, but certainly not least, here's Sean Hurley's unabridged reading of "The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe. SpoOoOoOOOOoooOOOooookkKkkKkkkYyyyyYyyy!
Have a safe and fun night! And, if you find yourself in peril just call our Senior Producer Rebecca Lavoie:
