Halloween 2015

In one of this year's most surprising Halloween promotions, you can currently buy a candy-filled "Goosebumps Shake" at Johnny Rockets! If you choose to do so, remember to steal one of those swank Goosebumps table tents. I did!

Monster Pops? Halloween Honeycomb? Here are some of the best -- and rarest -- Halloween-themed cereals from the 1990s! Yes, of course I just happen to have the old boxes laying around to take pictures of.

It’s the first day of autumn! (Or the second, depending on when you read this.) What better way to celebrate than with another edition of Classic Creepy Commercials, featuring all sorts of eerie ads from the ‘80s and ‘90s? (I mean besides a cool walk under moonlight scored by the sw

Put simply, a yard haunt refers to the assemblage of Halloween decorations on one’s front lawn. Media attention focuses on those who go all-out, with thousands of dollars’ worth of spooky scenery. In truth, you could put two plastic skulls on your stoop and call it a “yard haunt.”

If you’re charmed by the idea of “Halloween cereal” but find the usual crop a bit too juvenile for your tastes, here’s one for the more sophisticated palate: Okay, so maybe I’m stretching things. Just a little. Still, Kellogg’s new Pumpkin Spice Frosted Mini-Wheats is by far on

Apparently, my new thing is posting ten seconds before midnight. I’ve decided to roll with it! It’s time for the latest episode of The Purple Stuff Podcast, with me and Jay from The Sexy Armpit. In tonight’s show, we’re talking about all sorts of PUMPKIN MONSTERS from all walks of

Hello! Since I want a raise but don’t have a boss to ask, it looks like I’ll have to grab the bull by the horns, or take the reigns, or whatever the saying is. I don’t know. Hey, look, I have Envelopes of Evil for sale! Note: This is a one time sale that is

While searching eBay for goodies to cover during this year’s Countdown, I discovered several items that were perfect in every way… except price. I’ll take a dive on certain items, but I gotta stop short of paying 400 bucks for rubber sharks. Still, some of those items were just too

Remember when watching shows and movies mostly amounted to taking what we were given? We’ve come a long way from needing a TV Guide! …and yet, I strangely find myself missing that era, back before we had instant access to anything we wanted to see… not to mention an internet

As you’ve probably surmised from prior articles, this is an amazing year for Halloween junk food. It’s everywhere! And so much of it is really, really good! …even the bigwig mainstays aren’t resting on their laurels, as evidenced by Hostess’s new TRIO of Halloween treats. (Oh

It’s time for the next batch of Classic Creepy Commercials! (If you read that in the voice of a game show announcer and hum happy music afterward, it becomes a stronger open.) Collected below are another five spooky TV commercials from the ‘80s and ‘90s, covering everything from to

Warning: Today’s post is about Kid Cuisine, so stop here if you don’t want to read about Kid Cuisine. Funsucker. I was elated to see the return of Halloween Kid Cuisine meals, even if they never actually use the “H” word. The secularization of Halloween? No, not really. This year,

Such a nice night! It’s finally cooling off, the leaves are starting to turn, and there’s just enough creepy wind to make September feel like October. I think you should waste it by sitting inside and listening to me and Jay ramble on for an hour. The sixth episode of The Purple Stuff

I’ll say it again: This is a banner year for spooky junk food. Never before have I seen so much of it, and for those who sustain their spirits through creepy-looking chocolate, 2015 is freakin’ amazing. Below are five scary things that you can eat and drink this year, mixing new commo

Whenever I wish I was ten years younger, I try to remind myself of all the great toys I would’ve missed out on. Sure, it’s irritating to have hit that age when people start suggesting invasive exams of my most unmentionable areas, but at least I got to play with Mad Scientist toys as a

I love that Halloween III’s reputation has improved so dramatically over the years. Once commonly reviled, it seems like most people love it now — and for the very same reasons that others used to… not. For those who don’t follow the series, Halloween III: Season of the Witch i

Oof, the guys from Marshmallow Peeps HQ are really dishing it out this year! Whenever I bring up Peeps, I’m assaulted with comments from those who don’t like them. I’ll admit that the last time I truly savored a Peep was probably Easter of 1987, but I still think it’s harsh —

A few days ago, I drove past what’s now one of my city’s thousand salons, but used to be our neighborhood’s very first video store. Converted from a portion of a long, thin house that certainly wasn’t meant to carry a storefront, the place was — and remains — a slanted

The Purple Stuff Podcast normally goes live on Saturday nights, but an assortment of irritating factors forced us to push it off a bit. The good news? Now it’s ready! In this episode, me and Jay try to come up with our ideal Halloween television marathon. Like, let’s say you were put i

(Available in the United States only!) Uh oh! Dino Drac’s September 2015 Funpack HAS ARRIVED, and in celebration of the Halloween Countdown, it’s stuffed with TERROR AND NIGHTMARES. If you’re new to the site, here’s the scoop: Every month, I mail a new Funpack out to all subscr

I will always be loyal to McDonald’s, and that has little to do with the company’s food. God knows how many paper-wrapped cheeseburgers I tore through during adolescence, but what I really loved about the place was how it could turn nothing days into something days. This was especially

I adore the Halloween Countdown for a thousand reasons, but here’s one of the big ones: I get to bring back my Classic Creepy Commercials feature. Yay! If you’re new to the site, know this: I love old TV commercials, but I especially love old HALLOWEEN commercials. Growing up in a ti

If one determines a Halloween season’s value through its goofy and spooky edibles, 2015 is a banner year. While lacking an obvious smoking gun — like 2013’s Fruity Yummy Mummy or 2014’s Ghostbusters donuts — this year is making up for it in sheer volume. Need proof?

A few weeks ago, I floated the idea of doing extra “mini posts” during the Halloween Countdown, where those who were interested could chill, chat in the comments, and basically have an extra space to “be Halloweeny.” So, let’s give that a shot! I’m not sure how often I’ll be

The lasting appeal of The Real Ghostbusters owes to many things. Sure, “people still really like Ghostbusters” is the easiest explanation, but it’s also one that robs the cartoon series of its due praise. That was a plainly fantastic show, with themes, jokes and pure imagination that