Who Spooked Rodney?

Rodney is a big old fraidy cat. If there's a superstition, Rodney is scared of it. Which one begs to reason... why does he even go trick or treating? Or even to a haunted house? Does he just relish pooping his pants or something? And what's up with that one kid while they're in the haunted house? Is he ok?

Originally Posted 10/25/2023

Trick or Trek

If you were a kid in Oakland County trick or treating on Halloween night 1995... you probably ran into the biggest wieners in the galaxy. Somebody's cousins decided to dress as a Klingon and host a 'fun' trick or treat party on public access TV. There, kids could have a safe and happy holiday while learning about Klingons. You can tell the kids loved it by Robin's excitement. No, no... he was excited... not ... the free candy wasn't worth it.

Originally Posted 9/01/2022

Freddy has to Potty

Judging by the pee pee dance Freddy is doing, he even scares himself! These low rent mail order commercials were all over local channels when I was a kid. The Nightmare on Elm Street Dream Package does look like a great deal just in time for Halloween in 1989. Know what else is scary? The price!

Originally Posted 10/10/2024

The Long Ass Halloween

Somebody, somewhere decided having kids trick or treat with a character would be a fun thing to do. In theory they were right. In practice they get your drunk Uncle dressed as Batman. In this special community event where a handful of kids get to meet the caped crusader and receive "a pot of gold". You know, it's hard to poop all over something like this... but something about... somebody help those kids. Not Batman.

Originally Posted 8/25/2022

Halfway 2 Halloween~Must be the Season of the Witch

Halfway to Halloween is a great time to watch some classic horror movies and old Halloween specials. Just a good way for some spooky fun in the spring. One of my favorites to watch at Halloween (or any time) is Halloween 3: Season of the Witch. While it's lack of Michael Myers was pretty divisive in the past, thankfully it's finally getting it's just due in modern times. Halloween 3 is a really fun movie that's basically a feature length Halloween special. Part of the fun of Halfway to Halloween is the traditional Halloween stuff. This movie seemed to play on an endless loop during the season when I was a kid. Commercials like these are almost as much of the holiday as whatever they'll flavor with pumpkin spice come autumn.

originally posted on 5/2/2024

When it Raines it pours (blood)

Ah, local businesses at Halloween. They really want to just get the message out... but it's Halloween. Throw on a Dracula cape, turn on the fog machine, and play some spooky music. Now get your ass down here and buy something! I've got to give it to Raines Chevrolet, our spokesman really looks like he's having fun. Though I do wonder if a gold colored economy car really is the best choice for a Dracula themed commercial. I digress... that damn thing is cheap!

Hot Zam!

Party Stores may be slowly disappearing, but Halloween is a great time to look back at the fun they once offered. Your local party store was a great place to get balloons and cups for a birthday party, but Halloween... man. Not just party supplies, but these stores would have costumes, decorations, neat little doo-dads and trinkets... they were truly something special. Zam's looks like it would have been the best place for a Wolfman mask and some orange streamers. Really wish I would have had one local while they were around!

Conjured

Summer is a Spooky Season.

Local News

Summer is a Spooky Season.

Freddy has to Potty

Judging by the pee pee dance Freddy is doing, he even scares himself! These low rent mail order commercials were all over local channels when I was a kid. The Nightmare on Elm Street Dream Package does look like a great deal just in time for Halloween in 1989. Know what else is scary? The price!

Tonight at 10, SPOOKY

It's just not the Halloween season without a trip to a local haunted house on the evening news. Usually the anchor whose entire job seems to be trying out local restaurants in segments when not filling in for absent weather forecasters narrates a half hearted adventure. They'll be a mix of the home owners telling of all the spooky situations, a resident townies talking about the history of the haunting (with a partial reenactment), and ending with the part time anchor hearing something scary in the background before telling the camera 'back to you' with an artificial smile. The actual anchors will then take over laughing before instantly moving on to football.

Who Spooked Rodney?

Rodney is a a big old fraidy cat. If there's a superstition, Rodney is scared of it. Which one begs to reason... why does he even go trick or treating? Or even to a haunted house? Does he just relish is pooping his pants or something? And what's up with that one kid while they're in the haunted house? Is he ok?

Originally Posted 10/25/2023

The Bloody Pumpkin is a Lie

Ever hear about that scene in Halloween where they find a bloody pumpkin with a knife sticking out of it? I used to hear about it all the time. That and how Michael Myers was based on a real guy. I'll get to the 'real guy' thing later, but for now I kind of want to chat bloody pumpkins and the Halloweens they weren't in. It's the weirdest urban legend as I never see anyone talk about it online. The Jason using a chainsaw thing? Yeah, I still see that occasionally. Bloody pumpkin? As offline as the official Bloody Pumpkin MySpace profile I planned on making in 2005.

It wasn't even that long ago my mom said it when I mentioned looking forward to the new Halloween (wait, that was 2018... ) and she said the original was 'so scary with that big knife sticking out of that pumpkin'. Clearly, it's folks mentally combining imagery. Maybe just a little excited playground exaggeration from the one kid who's parents let him stay up and watch it.

See the commercial up above? It's an old school homemade spot for a local stations airing of Halloween 2. Homemade commercials used to be pretty common back in the day. Did you uh... notice Michael? Somebody got creative to make him look 'badass'. Making monsters look badass is a staple of Halloween and teenagers really into Ozzy Osbourne. Named Chet.

I think it's from some of these type of commercials where folks get that bloody pumpkin imagery. A bloody pumpkin with a knife sticking out of it isn't exactly rare at Halloween. I know I've seen one or two in the past. I've even poured fake blood over a pumpkin myself. Why not? Make it look badass.

Originally Posted 8/13/2020

Trick or Trek

If you were a kid in Oakland County trick or treating on Halloween night 1995... you probably ran into the biggest wieners in the galaxy. Somebodies cousins decided to dress as a Klingon and host a 'fun' trick or treat party on public access TV. There, kids could have a safe and happy holiday while learning about Klingons. You can tell the kids loved it by Robin's excitement. No, no... he was excited... not ... the free candy wasn't worth it.

Originally Posted 09/01/2022

 

Holy Pumpkin Spice Batman

Batmania pretty much ran wild in 1989... I've professed my love for it here before. It's to no surprise that Batman and Joker costumes were super poplar. It's great seeing the costume suggestions based on what was then current popular movies. I'd like to point out the 'Jason' costume is the ever popular dollar store hockey mask. That thing is as much a part of Halloween as pumpkins at this point.

The Long Ass Halloween

Somebody, somewhere decided having kids trick or treat with a character would be a fun thing to do. In theory they were right. In practice they get your drunk Uncle dressed as Batman. In this special community event where a handful of kids get to meet the caped crusader and receive "a pot of gold". You know, it's hard to poop all over something like this... but something about... somebody help those kids. Not Batman.

Originally Posted 08/25/2022

Sugar Crash Maybe?

Nothing says it's Halloween like a local news reporter finding the most uninterested kids possible for a segment. While I really enjoy the montage of decorations, I really wonder where the kids absolutely bubbling over with the Halloween spirit were at?

Halfway 2 Halloween~Must be the Season of the Witch

Halfway to Halloween is a great time to watch some classic horror movies and old Halloween specials. Just a good way for some spooky fun in the spring. One of my favorites to watch at Halloween or any time is Halloween 3: Season of the Witch. While it's lack of Michael Myers was pretty divisive in the past, thankfully it's finally getting it's just due in modern times. Halloween 3 is a really fun movie that's basically a feature length Halloween special. Part of the fun of Halfway to Halloween is the traditional Halloween stuff. This movie seemed to play on an endless loop during the season when I was a kid. Commercials like these are almost as much of the holiday as whatever they'll flavor with pumpkin spice come autumn.

Christmas 1984 in Robots

Did that kid really say Starscream turned into a space ship?

Yeah yeah, be safe... but really be KISS

There's something hypnotic about Halloween Safety tips. It doesn't matter how many times you hear the same ones, you'll listen intently... and straight up ignore them. Another hallmark of the Halloween season is local news segments on where to get a costume or fun spooky things to do. Of course it's only natural for the local news to give some safety tips. The real take away from this Channel 8 clip from 1980 is the showcase of some really cool old costumes. Ben Cooper, Collegeville, make-up kits... KISS.