Well the world's in it's sear and yellow leaf, the pumpkins are smiling, Death Troopers is on on the shelves, and tooth decay is on the rise! Must be Halloween, kiddies!

Some say print is dead, but this is the time when the dead walk. Shambling off the shelves come tentacular monstrosities by HP Lovecraft. A little further from the north are slews of nameless unutterable nightmares courtesy of Stephen King. Maybe Clive Barker's got his hooks in you, or Poppy Z. Brite. Maybe you're a Twilight fan (sorry - haha). Can I recommend some Richard Matheson, or some old fashioned terror tales by Poe or my personal favorite, Ambrose Bierce? Yours truly also has a zombie novella out. I'm the only 'Erdelac' on Amazon right now, so go and check it out.

But enough with the shamelss plugging.

If you don't have the time or inclination to curl up with a book (or have a book curl up with you), here's a list of movies I like to pop into the player around this time of year (in no particularly ranking) - -

My favorite ghost stories - The Haunting (original), The Others, The Sixth Sense, Kwaidan, Poltergeist 1 and 2, The Shining, Stir Of Echoes, The Changeling, The Crow, The Screaming Skull, The Ring.

Devils/demons and diabolical witches can be found in - Rosemary's Baby, The Exorcist, The Exorcist III, Angel Heart, Night Of The Demon, The Devil Rides Out, Hellraiser, The Craft, The Believers, Cast A Deadly Spell, The Omen 1 and 2, Suspiria, The Skeleton Key, Pumpkinhead, Halloween 3: Season Of The Witch, The Evil Dead, Constantine, The Gate, Child's Play.

Vampires get your blood racing? Let me suggest - Near Dark, The Lost Boys, Bram Stoker's Dracula, Todd Browning's Dracula, The Hunger, Blacula (yes Blacula - it's awesome), Kolchak The Night Stalker, The Brides Of Dracula.

If the homicidally deranged are your bag, you can't top - The Original Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Bad Seed, Audition (Odishon), Psycho (original), Misery, Halloween 1 and 2 (I also liked the remake of 1), Friday The 13th, Silent Rage, Pin, Magic, Frailty, Henry: Portrait Of A Serial Killer, The Abominable Dr. Phibes, House Of Wax (original), Se7en, Peeping Tom, Silence Of The Lambs.

Werewolves are a sadly under-represented pack of beasties. I like - Wolf, The Wolfman (Lon Chaney Jr), Frankenstein Meets The Wolfman, An American Werewolf In London, Ginger Snaps, The Curse Of The Werewolf, I Was A Teenage Werewolf, Silver Bullet, Dog Soldiers.

If you like your yucks with yuks, these horror/comedies are a good bet - Shaun Of The Dead, Zombieland, Fright Night Parts 1 and 2, Student Bodies, Saturday The 14th, Tremors, Gremlins, Ghostbusters, Love At First Bite, Evil Dead 2, The Ghost And Mr. Chicken.

Zombies anyone? I likes 'em slow bitey and numerous. - Dawn Of The Dead (original), Night Of The Living Dead, Land Of The Dead, Zombie, Dead Alive, White Zombie.

If you like your terror from beyond the stars - Village Of The Damned (original), Body Snatchers, Alien, Aliens, Phantasm, Predator, Event Horizon, The Thing, The Call Of Cthulhu, Horror Express, Lifeforce.

Halloween For The Kids - It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!, Monster House, The Halloween Tree, Monster Squad, Mad Monster Party, The Garfield Halloween Special, Disney's Ichabod And Mr. Toad.

Some gems that just don't fit anywhere - Creature From The Black Lagoon, Pirahna, Trick R Treat, Christine, Pan's Labrynth, Creepshow, Nightbreed, Night Of The Scarecrow, Alligator, Carrie, Trilogy Of Terror, Night Of The Lepus (alright, that's terrible, but I love it for some reason), Todd Browning's Freaks, Arachnophobia, The Descent, The Mummy (Original), 28 Weeks Later, Grimm Prairie Tales, Ravenous.

In the words of my biggest junior high crush, "Unpleasent Dreams!"