Welcome to the Rest of the Year!

Candy? Eaten. Costumes? Worn. Ensemble characters? Slashed. 

Now what?

Now we get to hunker down for November and the slide into an increasingly mild (sometimes even balmy) holiday season and prepare ourselves to see family we may or may not enjoy. This time of year can be a bit of a downer for those of us whose entire calendar revolves around Halloween and October. (Sometimes literally; there’s the Halloween Countdown Calendar by artist Matt Woods) 

You May Be Suffering From PHAD

We build up anticipation, beginning to shop in August or even July and decorating by mid-September, begging for Spooky Szn to arrive and relieve us of reality. We get upset when the Christmas Creep shows up in stores and on TV. So, we are all currently experiencing post-Halloween affective disorder. This PHAD is doubly bad during election years, and triply bad during these recent election years. 

Not to sound like a Charlie Brown holiday special, but this is where we all come together to keep the spirit of Halloween alive. There’s nothing left but to snuggle up with our community and our favorite horror movies. If you’re reading this, you’ve come to the right place. 

But There Is A Cure…

So my suggestion to you, in this in-between time where New Year’s feels far away, and Christmas feels too close, is to share your favorite genre films and books with friends who may not otherwise be into them. Not everyone can handle Terrifier 3, but we all know someone who would like The Silence of the Lambs. Maybe your mom wasn’t allowed to watch Rosemary’s Baby growing up, but she’s an adult now and can do what she wants. If you have gaps in your horror history then now is the best time to catch up. 

I myself will be digging into Noirvember for the third year in a row. I have some classics in my collection, but am also giving Nightmare Alley another chance. If you need other horror-tinged noir suggestions, I’m sure some of our community can help.

So, welcome to the rest of the year. Give yourself permission to pause, keep up your decorations as long as you like, and find some time to savor what’s left of the season.