2025 Something Wicked Fall featuring a Hell House read-along + stories, movies, and more!

September 1st is officially fall AND spooky season here at Castle Macabre. Commence with all things scary! This is our 8th year and, as always, I'm excited to share the fun and the horror. 🎃

👺 Social Media - If you're on Facebook, we have a Seasons of Reading group and page, where we interact during readathons so I'll be sharing info there, and also on the Seasons of Reading Instagram, and in the Seasons of Reading Goodreads group. Castle Macabre also has a Facebook page and we're on Instagram here. Also, if you like Discord, join us on the Seasons of Reading Discord. There is a Something Wicked Fall channel if anyone is up for some live interaction. Here's the invite link: https://discord.com/invite/e6uAmXtGqA

👿 Richard Matheson's Hell House read-along. We will be reading the book for the entire two months.

Discussions will be held on this blog. The dates for discussions and the reading schedule are below.

My edition is the Quality Paperback Book Club, through St. Martin's Press (trade paperback) edition, published in 2006. This is an omnibus edition containing I Am Legend, several short stories, and Hell House. Hell House in this edition begins on page 9 and ends on page 301. (I will probably read the short stories too. If I do, I will share in a separate post.)

Read-Along Schedule

• Start reading the first section on September 1
  Chapters - December 18, 1970 - December 22, 1970, pp 9 - 117
  (Discussion post - September 21)
• Second section, September 22
  Chapter December 23, 1970, pp 119 - 213
  (Discussion post - October 12)
  
• Third Section, October 13
  Chapter December 24, 1970, pp 215 - 301 (end)
  (Discussion post - October 30)

💀 For the two months of Something Wicked Fall we focus on everything horror...Gothic (Best Gothic Books of All Time), Classics, Folk Horror (Goodreads Folk Horror List) and any other kind of horror (Best Horror Anthologies and Horror Collections - Single Author). This post will be the master post where we can post about what we're reading in the comments (or leave links) so be sure to bookmark it (I will also have Something Wicked Fall linked in the menu at the top of the blog).

👹 Horror movie/shows I'm a year-round horror girl so I watch an inordinate amount of horror movies and shows, and even more during spooky season, so I will be sharing my take on some of those, and will probably share a few book reviews as well. As always, I invite guest posts or reviews from anyone who would care to contribute. If interested, send me a message via the Contact Me button in the sidebar.

👻 #FrightFall Readathon, October all month long, at Seasons of Reading. Sign-up for the readathon will be open soon. Reader's Imbibing Peril (R.I.P.) is going on right now as well. This year, they're doing a buddy read of Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. I read it a few years back...it's really good.

🎃 In case you missed it last year, I created some printable Halloween bookmarks for you guys. If you would like to download them for printing, just click the image below.

I believe I've covered everything. If you have any questions, feel free to comment, or contact me via the contact form (click the image near the top of the sidebar) No official sign-up for this. Just share that you're in by leaving a comment. You can join in as little or as much as you want.

Stay Wicked!!

Happy 14th CM...and save the date for Something Wicked Fall 2025!

I'm passionate about horror, as anyone who knows me is aware. I had some years of segue into reading mostly historical fiction, but horror is once again at the forefront of my reading, and writing (I'm currently at work writing my first horror novel). So, I've gone back to my roots since horror was the genre I mainly read when I started reading adult fiction as a preteen. 

A big thank you to all the horror lovers out there, authors and readers alike! Also, thank you for following this little corner of the horror universe. It means more than you will ever know.

Here's to many more years of horror!

Save the date for our scary fall events. Something Wicked Fall, which runs through September and October, kicks off on September 1st. I will have the kick off post live with all the info, and the reading schedule for our read-along of Richard Matheson's Hell House that day (this is a reread for me and I'm excited because it's my favorite horror novel!). The FrightFall Readathon, hosted over at my readathon blog, Seasons of Reading starts on October 1st. Sign up for that event will be posted by mid-September. 

Check out the FrightFall event button. So excited for spooky season! I hope you will join us for all the fun!

Something Wicked Fall - Happy Friday the 13th!

The rare and auspicious day who some may deem bad luck, but us witch-y folk see it as a lucky day...and, of course, horror fans rejoice. Friday the 13th movie marathons and more horror to boot. What's not to like?

I was hoping there would be a Friday the 13th film series marathon on at least one of the streaming services, but unfortunately I could not find one anywhere. I guess it's because they're going to be playing the movies in theaters (?). Oh well...it is what it is. I did find the 2009 Friday the 13th remake on Max. It wasn't terrible. I might even watch it again myself. Jared Padalecki (Supernatural) is in it so that's something anyway...lol. Also, one of my favorite horror films is also streaming on Max. Trick 'r Treat (also 2009). I highly recommend it if you haven't already seen it. I have seen it many times. It's a great one for rewatching. Never gets old.

Below are some graphics from Fangoria with all the streaming horror films streaming in September and there is a TON!! So you can definitely find something scary to watch this Friday the !3th.

As promised, I have a special treat for you today. I created some spooky fall/Halloween bookmarks that you can print out at home. You can print them out on card stock, or if you don't have it, you could print them out, cut out cardboard to size, cut the bookmarks out, and glue them on. 

I hope you like them! Just click the link below the image to download to your device for printing.

Click to download: https://tinyurl.com/swf-bookmarks

💀💀💀

What are your Friday the 13th plans? What will you be watching, or reading? 

Don't forget...the first discussion for our read-along of Stephen King's Fairy Tale will be posted here on Sunday, September 15. Here's the schedule again, and the kick-off post for the event, just in case you missed it.

This post is part of

2024 Something Wicked Fall featuring a Stephen King read-along + stories, movies, and more!

It's September 1st so it's officially fall here at Castle Macabre and spooky season starts NOW! I can't believe this is our 7th year...and we have a Friday the 13th in September this year. I might have some goodies for you on that auspicious date. 🎃 Update: Visit my Friday the 13th post here to grab the free gift I made for you!

Everything on the agenda is on the button above, but I'm going to share more details below. If you're on Facebook, we have a Seasons of Reading group and page, where we interact during readathons so I'll be sharing info there, and also on the Seasons of Reading Instagram, and in the Seasons of Reading Goodreads group. Castle Macabre also has a Facebook page and we're on Instagram here. Also, if you like Discord, join us on the Seasons of Reading Discord. There is a Something Wicked Fall channel if anyone is up for some live interaction. Here's the invite link: https://discord.com/invite/e6uAmXtGqA

👿 Stephen King's Fairy Tale read-along. We will be reading the book for the entire two months.

Discussions will be held on this blog. I will put a new post up the day after each reading section ends. We will read along according to the schedule below.

My edition is the Scribner (hardcover) edition, published in 2022. 599 pages.

Read-Along Schedule
September 1 - 14 - Ch. 1 - 9, pp 1 - 153 

(Discussion post September 15)
September 16 - 28 - Ch. 10 - 16, pp 155 - 295 

(Discussion post September 29)
Sept 30 - Oct 12 - Ch. 17 - 24, pp 297 - 450 

(Discussion post October 13)
October 14 - 26 - Ch 25 - Epilogue, pp 451 - 598 

(Discussion post October 31)

💀 For the two months of Something Wicked Fall we focus on everything horror...Gothic (Best Gothic Books of All Time), Classics, Folk Horror (Goodreads Folk Horror List) and any other kind of horror (Best Horror Anthologies and Horror Collections - Single Author). This post will be the master post where we can post about what we're reading in the comments (or leave links) so be sure to bookmark it (I will also have Something Wicked Fall linked in the menu at the top of the blog).

👹 Horror movie/shows I watch an inordinate amount of horror movies and shows during the season so I will be sharing my take on some of those, and will probably share a few book reviews as well. As always, I invite guest posts or reviews from anyone who cares to contribute. The more the merrier!

👻 #FrightFall Readathon, October all month long, at Seasons of Reading. Sign-up for the readathon will be open soon. Reader's Imbibing Peril (R.I.P.) is going on right now as well.

I believe I've covered everything. If you have any questions, feel free to comment, or contact me via the contact form (click the image near the top of the sidebar) No official sign-up for this. Just share that you're in by leaving a comment. You can join in as little or as much as you want.

Stay Wicked!!

  

Save the date...and a poll for our scary fall events

Save the date for our scary fall events. Something Wicked Fall, which runs through September and October, kicks off on September 1st. We will be having another Stephen King read-along and you get to vote for your choice. Just click this link when you're ready to vote: https://forms.gle/u8Pcb2QMEsk83LGK8 

Please only vote for one title. Voting is anonymous, but feel free to share what you voted for in the comments below.

I will have the post live with all the info, and the reading schedule for our TBD read-along on the kickoff date. The FrightFall Readathon, hosted over at my readathon blog, Seasons of Reading starts on October 1st. Sign-up for that event will be posted before mid-September on the Seasons of Reading blog.

Check out the preliminary event button for Something Wicked Fall below. I hope you will join us!

Something Wicked Fall 2023 featuring an If It Bleeds read-along...stories, movies, and more!

Year six! It's September 1st so it's officially fall here at Castle Macabre and spooky season starts NOW!

Everything on the agenda is on the button above, but I'm going to share more details below. If you're on Facebook, we have a Seasons of Reading group and page, where we interact during readathons so I'll be sharing info there, and also on the Seasons of Reading Instagram, and in the Seasons of Reading Goodreads group. Castle Macabre also has a Facebook page and we're on Instagram here. Also, if you like Discord, join us on the Seasons of Reading Discord. There is a Something Wicked Fall channel if anyone is up for some live interaction. Here's the invite link: https://discord.com/invite/e6uAmXtGqA

😈 Stephen King's If It Bleeds read-along. We will be reading the book for the entire two months.

Discussions will be held on this blog. I will put a new post up the day after each reading section ends. We will read along according to the schedule below.

My edition is the Scribner (hardcover) edition, published 2020. 436 pages.

Read-Along Schedule

• September 1 - 15 - Mr. Harrigan's Phone (Discussion post Sept 16)
• September 16 - 30 - The Life of Chuck (Discussion post Oct 1)
• October 1 - 15 - If It Bleeds (Discussion post Oct 16)
• October 16 - 31 - Rat (Discussion post Nov 1)

💀 In September, we're focusing on Gothic stories (Edgar Allan Poe, H.P. Lovecraft, and others). There's a great list on Goodreads for reference, Best Gothic Books of All Time. I'm not going to set up any read-alongs for this. 

🎃 In October, we're focusing on horror stories. There are a couple of great lists on Goodreads for reference...Best Horror Anthologies and Horror Collections (Single Author). I'm not going to set up any read-alongs for this either.

The above are not steadfast rules. Read what horror you want, when you want. Just a guideline on what we will be focusing on here. 

There will be master posts for both of the above for you to stop by and share your thoughts on what you read in the comments. Look for the tabs in the menu bar above.

👹 Horror movie/shows I watch an inordinate amount of horror movies and shows during the season so I will be sharing my take on some of those, and will probably share a few book reviews as well. As always, I invite guest posts or reviews from anyone who cares to contribute. The more the merrier! 

👻 #FrightFall Readathon, October all month long, at Seasons of Reading. Sign ups for the readathon will be open soon. Reader's Imbibing Peril (R.I.P.) is going on right now as well.

I believe I've covered everything. If you have any questions, feel free to comment, or contact me via the contact form (click the image near the top of the sidebar) No official sign-up for this. Just share that you're in by leaving a comment. You can join in as little or as much as you want.

#SomethingWickedFall 2022 featuring The Devil in Silver Read-Along...plus, stories, movies, and more!

Here we are at year five! I don't know about anyone else, but here at Castle Macabre, spooky season starts TODAY! Keep reading for all the wicked fun!

Everything on the agenda is on the button above, but I'm going to share more details below. If you're on Facebook, we have a Seasons of Reading group and page, where we interact during readathons so I'll be sharing info there, and also on the Seasons of Reading Instagram, and in our Seasons of Reading Goodreads group. Castle Macabre also has a Facebook page. Forgot to mention...we have a Seasons of Reading Discord. I will create a Something Wicked Fall channel if anyone is up for some live interaction. Here's the invite link: https://discord.com/invite/e6uAmXtGqA

😈 Victor LaValle's The Devil in Silver read-along. We will be reading the book for the entire two months. My mom borrowed it a couple of years ago, and said it was really good. Time to mark it off the TBR!

Discussions will be held on this blog. I will put a new post up every two weeks on Sunday. We will read along according to the schedule below.

My edition is the Spiegel & Grau (hardcover) edition, published 2012. 412 pages.

Read-Along Schedule

• Week One (start Sept 1): Ch 1 - 4, pp 3 -48
• Week Two (week of Sept 12): Ch 5 - 11, pp 49 - 101
  Discussion post over weeks one and two - Sunday, September 18
• Week Three (week of Sept 19): Ch 12 - 15, pp 102 - 153
• Week Four (week of Sept 26): Ch 16 - 20, pp 154 - 203
  Discussion post over weeks three and four - Sunday, October 2
• Week Five (week of Oct 3): Ch 21 - 28, pp 204 - 251
• Week Six (week of Oct 10): Ch 29 - 33, pp 252 - 299
  Discussion post over weeks five and six - Sunday, October 16
• Week Seven (week of Oct 17): Ch 34 - 37, pp 303 - 351
• Week Eight (week of Oct 24): Ch 38 - Author's Note, pp 352 - 412 (end)
  Discussion post over weeks seven and eight - Sunday, October 30

💀 In September, we're focusing on Gothic stories (Edgar Allan Poe, H.P. Lovecraft, and others). There's a great list on Goodreads for reference, Best Gothic Books of All Time. I'm not going to set up any read-alongs for this. I'll create a master post and you can stop by and share what you read, and your thoughts, in the comments of that post.

🎃 In October, we're focusing on horror stories. There are a couple of great lists on Goodreads for reference...Best Horror Anthologies and Horror Collections (Single Author). I'm not going to set up any read-alongs for this either. I'll create another master post and you can stop by and share what you read, and your thoughts, in the comments of that post. 

👹 Horror movie/shows I watch an inordinate amount of horror movies and shows during the season so I will be sharing my take on some of those, and will probably share a few book reviews as well. As always, I invite guest posts or reviews from anyone who cares to contribute. The more the merrier! 

👻 #FrightFall Readathon, October all month long, at Seasons of Reading. Sign ups for the readathon will be open soon. Reader's Imbibing Peril (R.I.P.) is going on right now as well.

I believe I've covered everything. If you have any questions, feel free to comment, or contact me via the contact form (click the image near the top of the sidebar) No official sign-up for this. Just share that you're in by leaving a comment. You can join in as little or as much as you want.

If you have already read this post (or if you haven't), I'm adding an addendum, as I forgot to mention Countdown to Halloween! It's an annual event hosted by my friend Michelle aka Naila Moon. You can check out all the details here, and grab a badge if you'd like to participate. 

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#SomethingWickedFall featuring The Blood Countess Read-Along...plus Gothic and Horror stories

Year four! Can't hardly believe it! Read on for all the wicked fun!

Everything on the agenda is on the button above, but I'm going to share more details below. If you're on Facebook, we have a Seasons of Reading group and page, where we interact during readathons so I'll be sharing info there, and also on the Seasons of Reading Instagram, and in our Seasons of Reading Goodreads group. Castle Macabre also has a Facebook page.

💀 Andrei Condrescu's The Blood Countess read-along. We will be reading the book for the entire two months (excluding the week of October 10 - 17 when I will be on my trip...see below). This is another one I've had on my TBR for a LONG time.

Discussions will be held on this blog. I will put a new post up every two weeks on Sunday, with the exception of Sunday, October 10th and October 17th (I am going to Salem, Massachusetts for my birthday week this year...beyond excited!). The final discussion will not be on Halloween, which is on Sunday this year. I will post the final discussion on Monday, November 1st. We will read along according to the schedule below.

My edition is the Simon and Schuster edition, published 1995. 347 pages. 

Read-Along Schedule

• Week One (start Sept 1): pp. 7 (Prefatory Note) - 42
• Week Two (week of Sept 6): pp. 43 - 89
  Discussion post over weeks one and two - Sunday, September 12
• Week Three (week of Sept 13): pp. 89 - 128
• Week Four (week of Sept 20): pp. 128 - 167
  Discussion post over weeks three and four - Sunday, September 26
• Week Five (week of Sept 27): pp. 167 - 214
• Week Six (week of Oct 4): pp. 214 - 258
  Discussion post over weeks five and six - Sunday, October 24
• Week Seven (week of Oct 18): pp. 258 - 301
• Week Eight (week of Oct 25): pp. 301 - 347 (end)
  Discussion post over weeks seven and eight - Monday, November 1

Note on the schedule: This book does not have any clear chapter numbers, but there are clear breaks in the text at certain points. On sections of the schedule where one week ends on a certain page, and the next week starts on that same page, look for the clear page breaks. Hope this helps.

👻 In September, we're focusing on Gothic stories (Edgar Allan Poe, H.P. Lovecraft, and others). There's a great list on Goodreads for reference, Best Gothic Books of All Time. I'm not going to set up any read-alongs for this. I'll create a master post and you can stop by and share what you read, and your thoughts, in the comments of that post.

👿 In October, we're focusing on horror stories. There are a couple of great lists on Goodreads for reference...Best Horror Anthologies and Horror Collections (Single Author). I'm not going to set up any read-alongs for this either. I'll create another master post and you can stop by and share what you read, and your thoughts, in the comments of that post.

👹 We're going to have one or two horror movie watch-alongs! I'm thinking Malignant, which premieres on HBO Max on September 10th. We wouldn't necessarily have to watch it on release day. Let me know what you think in the comments. 

 

Any suggestions? Leave me a comment. Since not everyone is on the same social media platforms these days, I have a Seasons of Reading Slack group (I use it for my online book group and it's so much better than Twitter chats) for our watch-alongs. Slack is free so you don't have to worry about that. Stay tuned!

🎃 #FrightFall Readathon, October all month long, at Seasons of Reading. Sign ups for the readathon will be open soon. Reader's Imbibing Peril (R.I.P.) is going on right now as well, and there will be Dewey's 24-Hour Readathon in October too.

😈 I'm hoping to get some of my horror author friends to contribute some guest posts. If anyone else would like to contribute a post or guest review, please let me know. You can send me a message via the contact form here on the site.

I believe I've covered everything. If you have any questions, feel free to comment, or contact me via the contact form (click the image near the top of the sidebar) No official sign-up for this. Just share that you're in by leaving a comment. You can join in as little or as much as you want. 

Get new posts by email:

Something Wicked This Way Comes final discussion and join us for the watch-along tonight #SomethingWickedFall

I apologize for not posting the last two discussions according to the schedule. I had my sister in town for my birthday weekend two weeks ago and I've been sick on and off since that weekend. Ugh. It has not been the fun October I planned. Anyhoo, I somehow managed to finish the book and I'm here to discuss it as a whole before our watch-along of the movie tonight. More details on that at the end of the post.

Here are my thoughts on the book as a whole:

The idea of self acceptance is very present in the book. The carnival feeds on self-doubt. In the case of Charles Holloway (Will's dad), he feels old. Too old to be a father which in turn causes him to question his ability to be a proper father. It is acknowledged in the book that we are not born with self acceptance. It is something we develop over time. In this book, with self acceptance comes power. Only when Charles realizes this is he able to defeat the carnival which survives by exploiting people who are unhappy with who they are.

I liked how the book touched on common cause. Charles Holloway talks about people who have a common cause are more willing to do things they would not normally do. Our ultimate commonality as human beings is that we are all going to die. If we use that commonality to gain common ground, the world would be a better place. In the case of the carnival, its evil preys on isolation. Toward the end, when Charles is getting ready to do the rifle "trick" and shoot the Dust Witch, he gets the crowd involved. Although we know that Charles ultimately defeats her with his happiness and self acceptance, it can't hurt to have the crowd rallying behind him.

I enjoyed the book. I always like how Bradbury is able to spin a disconcerting tale while subtly adding in social commentary. That the beginning sparks of this story began with his fear of a carousel when he was four years old is proof that stories are very much a part of life, whether we realize it or not.

What are your final thoughts on the book?

Join us for a watch along of the movie tonight at 9:00 pm CDT/10:00 pm EDT. We will be discussing while we watch on the Facebook event page here.

I was unable to find the movie available on any of the streaming services (Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime), but I did find a free version on YouTube (although the quality is not the best). It's how I'll be watching. You can find it here.

Hope you can join us!

Something Wicked This Way Comes - Week One Discussion #SomethingWickedFall

We started our read-along this past week, reading section was...

Week One (week of Oct. 1st): Prologue - Ch. 17 (pp 1 - 72)

How did it go? What did you think?

Some observations...

At the first, there's the lightning rod salesman. He is a great minor character for foreshadowing. His warning of the coming storm actually seems to have many meanings. The literal storm that may be coming. The storm that comes as a boy hits puberty and all the changes that come with it, and finally, perhaps the hugely disruptive storm that comes in the shape of the carnival rolling into town, which does so in a very strange and uncommon way.

Already, my creep factor is on alert!

I also noticed a theme (trend?) of which some of the older adults seemed to cling to. Will's father, Charles, is described as old. When he looks at the boys, a longing is sensed...for youth and all that goes along with it. He enjoys discussing books with them because then they are on common ground, but that's where it stops. Charles yearns for the youth which has long passed him by.

The two shopkeepers who stand transfixed outside their stores, one listening, the other smelling the smells of carnival food (candy). One has a tear trickle down his face. More longing for the days of youth, when visiting the carnival was probably the most exciting thing all year.

The lighting rod salesman, gazing longingly at the woman in the ice block inside the abandoned hardware store..."The Most Beautiful Woman in the World." Is she a siren encased there in the ice? Does she remind him of youthful days when beautiful girls were perhaps all around him?

Miss Foley going into the mirror menagerie, getting lost, and seeing her younger self lost in the mirrors.

So, a theme...the longing for youth, but what is it that draws Jim? Jim already has youth so what does he long for?

We shall see as we continue to read.

What are your thoughts on my observations? Any observations of your own? Share in the comments below.

Next reading section: Week Two (week of Oct. 8th): Ch. 18 - 29 (pp 73 - 145)
Discussion post next Sunday.

Happy Reading!