I found a nice Halloween meme, courtesy of Telecommuter Talk. After a couple of miles with my Halloween playlist (“Halloween”: The Misfits, “Miss Murder”: A.F.I., “Run For Your Life”: The Beatles, “The Devil Went Down to Georgia”: The Charlie Daniels Band, etc.), I want a nice, easy topic while my heart-rate returns to normal.
1. What’s the best (a.k.a. scene that scared the crap out of you) scene in a horror movie?
"Paranormal Activity"
The bathtub scene in “The Shining” is a good one, but foremost in my mind right now is “Paranormal Activity.” Every single time the text “Night #Whatever” came up, my breathing stopped.
2. Who hangs out in the scary dark corners of your basement (nobody, I know, but if someone did)?
Linda Blair as Reagan McNeil in "The Exorcist"
Various horror movie characters have been hanging out in various corners of my house at various points in time, but Reagan McNeil has always been in every corner of my house. From time to time I forget that she’s there, but she’s always there. From the time I was 11 to the time I was 13, I slept with the lights on. From the time I was 11 to the time I was 16, I slept with the covers over my head. She’s in my room at night, sitting in the corner next to my window, watching. And if I move or breathe, she attacks. So I don’t move. Or breathe. Ever. (And so was my life for about seven years.)
3.Who writes/wrote the best ghost stories?
I don’t care what anyone says, those Alvin Schwartz Scary Stories books
One of said "scary ass pictures"
are scary as shit. Yes, there is some more sophisticated stuff out there, but very little has creeped me out as much as those stories have, especially with those scary ass pictures. When I was little, I would have to cover up the pictures to be able to read the stories – they scared the hell out of me.
4. What was the last book you read that made you want to check all the locks on your doors?
Ooooh, I can’t believe I made it this far into the meme without mentioning House of Leaves. That book fucked with my head big time. It was so good that I even try to repress the horrible things I’ve heard about Mark Z. Danielewski.
5. Have you ever been spooked while listening to music?
Heck yes. How about “Tubular Bells”? Creepy.
6.If you had to be the victim of a mythical monster, who would it be?
Mythical monster? Does a ghost count? Because all you need to do typically is to figure out what it wants and help it. Easy enough.
7. Were you afraid of the dark as a child?
Only after watching “The Exorcist.”
8. What do you most like in a good horror story?
A creepy surprise ending that stays with you for a while. A la Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper.” Not that that was necessarily supposed to be a horror story, but it scared the shit out of me.
