Sep 2, 2009

About the Countdown to Halloween...

Alright kids, no fooling around. There are four solid weeks left to work on 2009's Countdown to Halloween. That's 28 days of hard work and research to slough through until the party really begins.

A quick note on the intention of Countdown to Halloween. Basically, over the last three years I've noticed an amazing trend in some spooktactular holiday spirit when it comes to the celebration of all things Halloween. There have certainly been those (like Matt at x-entertainment.com) that have been spreading the good word for awhile, and there are a plethora of wonderful sites out there dedicated to making every day of the year a little bit more orange and black, but in the last few years there has been a surge in fiendish fun around the month of October that really gets this dried up and dusty ticker of my beating again. In particular, in the past two years there has appeared a list, usually cobbled together by a couple of swell guys John Rozum and Jon Knutson, that gets passed around from site to site and really makes the whole experience fun and exciting. For one, it provides a virtual vault of horror, a crypt of terror, a, um (well geez, I guess EC Comics should have come up with another great title for me to lift from), oh wait I know, a tomb of dread, a virtual cornucopia of amazing stories, photos, comics, reviews, crafts, toys, songs, radio plays, jokes, and general commentary on a holiday that a lot of us hold dear. This list also serves as a centerpiece for a spur of the moment community, a virtual meeting place, and the type of communal experience where the internet is the perfect forum.

Countdown to Halloween is a home for this list. Note, it's not the home. Part of what makes this season of creepy blog-a-thons so special is that there is no expectation, no rules or guidelines, but all the same I think it would also be beneficial to have a place to point to, a hub. This isn't a union, it's intended as a resource.

So if you're planning on another year of terror inducing blogging during the Halloween season, or if this is your first time trick-or-treating alone, feel free to let your intentions known. You can either comment here at this site, you can add your voice to the comments on Mr. Rozum's blog, or you can @ or follow Halloween_Blogs, on twitter.

12 comments:

PeanutGnome said...

I've been too busy planning a Halloween Festival (http://dedmonton.com) but I'll have to kick-start the blogging again on my own blog (http;//www.peanutgnome.com). We've learned a lot and made some great new net-friends in the Halloween Community, thanks to blogs like this, Twitter and Facebook. I hope that there is much more to come.

Shawn Robare said...

I would have to say that planning a Halloween Festival trumps blogging about the holiday. Wow, I just scratched the surface of the site, but ti looks like fun. There should be a ton of fun stuff come October 1st!

Wings1295 said...

I am hoping to do a month of horror/Halloween related post on my blog. Guess time will tell. Love this idea though, I am a follower (stalker?) now.

Shawn Robare said...

Joe - If you do I can't wait to read what you come up with. This whole thing makes the whole month of October pretty rad, and if you end up getting burnt out it always helps to scroll through what others are doing to get back in the mood.

Unknown said...

Can't wait to see everyone's posts during October. I'll have a Halloween/Horror related theme all month long at the Armpit. Of course there will be lots of Jersey related stuff including The Jersey Devil, horror movies, etc. I'm getting excited just thinking about it!

Eric M. Smith said...

I plan on posting a month of Halloween-related sketches, illustrations and inspiration at my blog: http://ericmsmith.com/blog . Hopefully a creepy theme too, should time allow. I'd love to be included in the list.

Thanks for this page.

Faith said...

I'll be joining the Hallowe'en countdown. I'm having a blowout party this year and I'll be building some decor as in previous years. I've already started working on them. I'm putting the button on my blog now.

Shawn Robare said...

Jay - Can't wait for a Jersey Halloween man!

Eric - Awesome, I think that's something this event needs more of, cool art (seriously!)

Faith - Glad to see you're getting into the game as well. I love seeing what people come up with as far as party and home decorations.

Nicole said...

I volunteer! I'll do a Halloween-themed post every day this month counting down to Halloween!

plasticfetish said...

Better late than never...

I'd love to take part in the countdown this year! I'll be trying to post as often as I can.

plasticfetish said...

Better late than never...

I'd love to participate in the countdown this year! I'll be trying to post as often as I can.

plasticfetish.net

Shawn Robare said...

Nicole & Plastic Fetish - You're both on the list...