SCARED TODAY, STRONGER TOMORROW: THE POWER OF HORROR

by Nicole M. Wolverton

Horror fans everywhere have likely run into this at least once: “You must be a terrible, warped person if you enjoy horror.” There’s an even a Tiktok video currently making the rounds that warns us there’s something “very wrong” with consumers of horror films and books. It has prompted responses from lovers of the spooky, but no one yet has countered with one very important bit of evidence to the contrary.

Namely, we—horror fans—are going to outlast everyone else out of sheer grit and resilience. We’re built, dare I say, different.

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Nightmares and Sweet Dreams

By Kelly Florence & Meg Hafdahl

As horror fans, we love a good jump scare in the movie theater. There’s nothing better than physically reacting to a moment in a film with a group of people. Inevitably, we’ve found that we collectively laugh at what we’ve just experienced, and murmurs abound throughout the theater among strangers. We also hold our breath for a drawn out reveal in a horror novel. Tempted to skip ahead, we can’t betray the storyteller and instead sit transfixed as we read paragraph after paragraph, sentence after sentence, word after word until…discovery. Shock!! If you’re like us, sometimes you need to physically put down the book you’ve been reading, pace for a bit, then regroup and dive back into the narrative. 

We cover our mouths as a surprise killer point of view is shown on a television series. A shot of the potential (or future) victim, filmed behind bushes or through a window while the bad guy (probably breathing heavily) is heard. “Get out! Run!” we shout from our couches or armchairs, but the characters never hear us. These shocking moments occur in our favorite horror media and the adrenaline rush is fun! It’s safe, this feeling of fear. We know it’s fictional, and we are not directly involved. But what happens when we suffer from nightmares in real life? Nightmares that are, perhaps, based on our own lives?

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ALF – Alien Life Form

By James L Hill (aka J L Hill)

Alf was a comedy about a cat-chasing anteater-like alien. His name was an acronym for Alien Life Form. Scientists are seriously searching for extraterrestrial life. For various reasons, we want to prove life exist elsewhere in the universe.

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Unsure what to dress up as this Halloween? Never fear, Horror Tree’s horrorscopes are here with a murderously charming selection of literary serial killers to choose from. So pick up that butcher knife sewing needle and start crafting! Happy Spooky Season to you all!

Disclaimer: These are mock horoscopes and are meant for entertainment purposes only, and are not specifically representative of any particular person or people.

Libra (September 23—October 22). A Libra, as a (fictional) serial killer, would never neglect their aim to achieve balance in all things. They’ll model their day-job work/murderous side gig after the example set by Jared Keaton in M. W. Craven’s Black Summer (although a Libra would never be caught, of course). Your challenge for this Halloween season is to create a spin on your go-to Justice-With-Scales costume. How could you turn Justice from a symbol of virtuous morality into something…darker? Would your Justice be locked and loaded and ready for vengeance, or would the scales be loaded with macabre souvenirs from all your past victims? We can’t wait to see what you come up with! If you don’t want to go literally dark, you could dress up as a suffragette that has a subtle nod to less-enlightened times in people’s history. And, you know, with an important election coming up in the U.S. …it could just inspire people to vote. (Seriously, don’t forget to vote!) https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40657648-black-summer Music to Kill By: Ethel Smyth’s The March of the Women https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJ_ppIKBWPY

Scorpio (October 23—November 21). Scorpio’s Halloween costume gives a nod to private investigator Lizzy Gardner in T. R. Ragan’s Evil Never Dies. Will you go classic with a trench coat, hunter’s cap, and magnifying glass, or will you get more modern with blue jeans, generic t-shirt, and sensible sneakers? Are you the high-tech investigator with the latest digital tools and software, or are you the old-school type with a zoom-lens camera and a thermos full of coffee? Whichever costume you decide to wear, Scorpios, by virtue of your “right-time-right-place” luck, may actually stumble across a real-life crime that needs investigating during their Halloween pub crawl. Scorpio, you may be tempted to mete out justice much as Lizzy Gardner does, but maybe save it for a night when you’ve not sampled more craft beers than you can count. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24840347-evil-never-dies Music to Kill By: Edward Elgar’s Enigma Variations https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLNLvcBmoqo

Sagittarius (November 22 – December 21). Brian Lebeau’s A Disturbing Nature starts out with the journey of main character Maurice “Mo” Lumen to Rhode Island. Set against the backdrop of the 1970s, and baseball, and with a religious-minded killer, the Pastoral Predator, on the prowl, it could appeal to the Sagittarian sense of adventure as well as their interest in journeys of an internal nature (i.e. journeys of self-discovery). It may be hard, at first, to envision how this book inspires your Halloween costume this year, but maybe save the brain power for other crucial areas of your life. In short, don’t think so hard about it. It’s an outfit for one night, so just turn that old baseball uniform hanging at the back of your closet into a serial killer’s with the aid of a few props—a bloody bat, or add some fake blood and rips to your (hopefully not vintage!) jersey. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60534318-a-disturbing-nature Music to Kill By: Hans Zimmer’s “Heaven’s Just a Ballpark Win Away” from the A League of their Own soundtrack. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlAUFCcvwMo&list=PLohYzz4btpaTsjLWtnywjBpqILL1f1w4R&index=10

Capricorn (December 22—January 19). Typically, Capricorns love lists, so you might be intrigued by the serial killer in Jackie Kabler’s The Murder List who is not just premeditated, they have their past and present murders supremely planned out, by date. Perhaps you, my wonderfully organized Capricorn, could incorporate a bit of whimsy in your Halloween costume this year. Perhaps go as a spreadsheet tracker for your meticulously organized killer? How about a graphic plan to murder en masse? You may not actually be a serial killer, of course, but you’ll definitely slay the costume contest in your hometown, for sure. And if you’re in attendance at your spooky office party? It’ll be a win-win, and not only because you have the most original costume, you’ll get to show off your professional skills that might just put you in line for that promotion you’ve been chasing after!  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60185050-the-murder-list Music to Kill By: Alexander Mosolov’s The Iron Foundry (Factory: Machine Music, Op. 19) best captures a Capricorn’s frenetically admirable work pace. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6eDUN60SOFE

Aquarius (January 20—February 18). Aquarius might have to guard against being too caught up in the mystical realms of spirituality or religion in their pursuit of deeper truths. J.J. Hensley’s Measure Twice explores morality that’s been lost, found, and adapted in the pursuit of justice, and as part of the journey towards personal healing. Aquarius is often too wrapped up in their head spaces and in the world of their spirit to put much planning into their Halloween costume, but they could be tempted by a priest or a nun gone bad outfit, or a monk-turned-murderous theme. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23109699-measure-twice  Music to Kill By: The Wrath of God by Sofia Gubaidulina.  https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9uF9x6KXIDQkQ8HuTnyPxlJiZZbWqzsT

Pisces (February 19—March 20). What could be more romantic to a Pisces than being swept off their feet by a charming, debonair stranger this Halloween season? Unless, of course, that mysterious stranger is also a serial killer, like the one in Noelle W. Ihli’s Ask for Andrea. Still, Pisces can take a page from the book, and craft a costume that captures the glamorous sophistication that might be needed to hide a killer’s deadly intent. Don’t forget the bottle of champagne to go along with your coat and tails! https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/219407654-ask-for-andrea Music to Kill By: Dynamiden Geheime Anziehungskräfte Walzer, Op. 173 by Josef Strauss https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fv1BrwsSVE0

Aries (March 20—April 19). Aries is, perhaps paradoxically, a good-natured brawler. The same person that got thrown out of the bar the previous evening for “public disturbance” just spent several minutes rescuing a spider from their kitchen and putting it outside. The person that acts with deliberate intent to harm or kill is one that mystifies an Aries. Still, Aries doesn’t shrink away from a challenge, so they’ll hunt around for a character that is at the extreme end of the violence spectrum. Although they may not have the patience for a needle and thread, Aries will scour thrift stores for the found items needed to dress up as the cold-blooded Anton Chigurh from Cormac McCarthy’s No Country for Old Men. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23515727-no-country-for-old-men Music to Kill By: Gustav Holst’s Mars, the Bringer of War. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGGlL1wexQk&t=23s

Taurus (April 20—May 20). There’s probably nothing more terrifying to Taurus than when the “ties that bind” are the source of terror and trauma. The events in Anne Frasier’s Find Me involving serial killer Benjamin Fisher and his FBI profiler daughter Reni Fisher will keep the Taurus up all the night, but once they’re through with the book, they’ll be inspired to channel that unimaginable familial horror into their costume. Intangible concepts like these may be difficult to incorporate into your outfit, but perhaps it can be done by way of symbolism: a house with a white picket fence that suddenly turns on its inhabitants. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49884715-find-me Music to Kill By: Psycho by Bernard Hermann https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joOnPIuZG0s&t=45s

Gemini (May 21—June 20). Literature (and nonfiction) is full of stories about serial killers who hide in plain sight—the one dedicated to their family, the spouse/life partner/parent/sibling you thought you knew, or the person that has both an angel and a devil within them. Complexities like this fascinate dual-natured Gemini and this spooky season may find them trying to understand the motivations of not just serial killers, but those who “copy cat” said serial killer’s terrible actions, such as in Erica Spindler’s book Copy Cat. Think about ways, Gemini, you can capture this kind of duality in your Halloween costume outside of the stereotypical angel/demon contrast: the medic as both healer and murderer, the sweet elderly person with a plate of fresh-baked cookies in one hand, and a bloody butcher knife in the other, or the person who plays the role of a staid librarian during the day, but by night becomes a terrifying killer that stalks the city streets. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/418621.Copycat Music to Kill By: Gemini by Esa-Pekka Salonen is a suitably dramatic piece for the Halloween season. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AcRLsGb17xo

Cancer (June 21—July 22). Cancerians sometimes fall prey to dark moods and even darker trains of thoughts, relying on their circle of friends and their loved ones to help shake off the blues. Cancer’s not afraid of the darkness as a rule, and can often channel it into creative expression. Still, in the middle of these “dark nights of the soul”, Cancer searches for cautionary examples in literature and art as reminders of what happens when you venture into the abyss, instead of just peering in from a safe ledge. As such, they won’t go so far as to emulate a character in the book, but they will put together an iconic “tortured artist” costume, complete with unkempt hair, bedraggled clothing, and a paint- (or is it blood?) spattered artist’s smock. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15320.Exquisite_Corpse  Music to Kill By: Camille Saint-Saëns’ Danse Macabre is the quintessential soundtrack for Cancer’s gothic-infused Halloween festivities. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YyknBTm_YyM

Leo (July 23—August 22). This Halloween, Leo will be “dressed to kill” as they emulate Ayoola’s (My Sister, The Serial Killer) trending sense of style. Don’t forget, Leo, to accentuate your luxe costume with carefully curated pieces of gold or diamond jewelry. And make sure your pocketbook is large enough to hold Ayoola’s equally treasured knife! https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38819868-my-sister-the-serial-killer Music to Kill By: The Egun Variations by composer Ako Bankole, as they flawlessly shift from gorgeously haunting tones to whimsically bright ones—charming and unsettling notes all in one composition. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBKpLbXYukQ

Virgo (August 23—September 22). Historical research, sleuthing, and not only extraordinary brain power but dogged persistence employed in the pursuit of justice? Both Lincoln Rhymes and Amelia Sachs (The Bone Collector) have that in spades. Even a modest Virgo daydreams of being a hero, and Halloween is the perfect time for them to explore their alter ego. You can bet that their 1990s-era NYC police officer’s costume will be meticulously crafted, accurate down to the smallest detail. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2373.The_Bone_Collector Music to Kill By: Steve Reich’s City Life that mashes up classical music with sounds from the streets of New York City. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMcz4jhDWMI

Deck: The New Orleans Voodoo Tarot by Louis Martinié and Sallie Ann Glassman

I don’t ever use this powerful deck lightly and/or for these creative inspiration readings, but New Orleans has been coming up lately in various ways. Part of me would love to live in New Orleans—it’s a fascinating city that combines the natural magic of the swampy South with the haunting allure of history. Since we are entering into October, a similarly atmospheric month, I felt compelled to draw upon this deck’s wisdom for this month’s reading.

(I had a feeling that the reading would contain a strong fire element before I pulled the cards, and it seems my intuition was correct.)

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Courtesy of my recent move, I have gotten to experience the magic (the good and the bad) of living in a college town. I won’t regale you with my tales of both wonder and disenchantment; instead, read on to discover which literary magical academy you’ll be lucky enough to attend!

(And, during the course of my research, I have now discovered 101 books about magical academies I am dying to read!)

Disclaimer: These are mock horoscopes and are meant for entertainment purposes only, and are not specifically representative of any particular person or people.

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Deck: The Golden Tarot by Kat Black

Here in the Northern hemisphere, I’m still waiting for autumn to arrive, but we still have blazing hot summer temperatures, sadly. Perhaps I was channeling my yearnings for cool dark evenings into this reading (If I did believe in a hell, I would imagine it as a frostbitten, icy place rather than a fiery inferno.) Has autumn began its seasonal change where you are? Either way, I hope you find this reading inspirational for your own writerly “walks on the dark (cool) side”!

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Vampira: The Original Scream Queen

By Kelly Florence & Meg Hafdahl

“Bring on the empty hearses that I may people them with my enemies.

Isn’t that, after all, why people commit autobiography? To aggrandize themselves and to destroy their enemies? 

In any case, of course, the enemy shall be felled quite accidentally as the flailing sword of truth decapitates them. Now, all nonsense aside, you know I have no enemies. Only discarded lovers, and they have their memories.”

-Maila Nurmi

Ever since Kelly was little, her grandparents told her about the legendary Vampira, (pronounced Vamp-eera in the Finnish dialect). She was a Finnish American who had made it onto Broadway, into Hollywood, and had her own hosting gig introducing horror movies on a television station in Los Angeles. Her pet tarantula on the late-night gig was named Rollo and Kelly’s grandparents named their cat the same. While there are numerous stories and rumors surrounding Vampira and her life, we appreciated reading two biographies about her. Her name was Maila Nurmi, and she was a queen.

Growing up as the daughter of Finnish immigrants, Maila understood the importance of work ethic, public speaking, and passion. Her father, a journalist and devout religious man, raised his children to appreciate their legacy and encouraged them to work for the things they cared about. Moving around the country with her family, Maila spent time in Duluth, Minnesota (where Meg spent her junior high and high school years and where Kelly currently lives) as well as many cities across the country. While she didn’t pursue a career her father may have been proud of, she had the drive and tenacity to become a legend, albeit one most aren’t aware of.

We encourage you to read Glamour Ghoul: The Passions and Pain of the Real Vampira, Maila Nurmi (2021) by Sandra Niemi (Maila’s niece!) and Vampira: Dark Goddess of Horror (2014) by W. Scott Poole. Here are our top takeaways about this fascinating woman.

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