NEW from Lesley
Bannatyne
Halloween Nation. Behind the
Scenes of America's Fright Night
Pelican Publishing, April 2011
ORDER from amazon.com
About the book:
So much that’s been written about Halloween
has been about the holiday’s history or about how to decorate, cook,
and costume for it (guilty, all counts), but there’s not been much about
who makes Halloween, and why. I wanted to capture the voices of those
who create our 21st-century Halloween and to get to the bottom of why
it's is so popular now, why it matters.
What actually does go on behind the scenes
at prop shops and national Halloween conventions, at quiet
commemorations of pagan Samhain, or the wickedly raucous Salem Witches’
Ball? What motivates someone to collect so many Halloween vintage curios
that when he sells his collection he’s made enough money to finance a
house? Or to dedicate a life to creating a spectacle that happens one
night a year, or even to tattoo a jack-o’-lantern on a hip? How is it
that this overly commercialized, religiously contentious, and
politically fractious holiday unites us in a community based on fantasy
and fear; and what draws us together on this one night when we open our
doors to strangers?
For the past two years I’ve been talking to people for whom
Halloween is no ordinary day: mask makers, costumers, giant pumpkin
growers, radio talk show hosts, burlesque dancers, tattoo artists, metal
musicians, haunted house designers, prop makers, glass pumpkin blowers,
pumpkin beer brewers, professional carvers, Halloween artists,
musicians and poets, home haunters, cyber haunters, web designers,
parade organizers, marchers, zombie walkers, zombie authors...you get
the idea. If you love Halloween, really love Halloween, this book is for
you. Chances are pretty good it's probably about you, too.
To all the people who appear in or contributed to this book, my heartfelt and resounding thanks:
Eric S. Brown
Bill Rhodes
Dan and Suzanne Plumpton/Artifact Images
Dave Matthews
Zombie PinUps
Camp Sunshine Pumpkin Festival
Devilicia
Ricky Dick
Michael Einziger
Giant Pumpkin Carve
Rosemary Guiley
Griffin von Hallenborg
Garrison Keillor
Ryan Landry
Kristen Lawrence
Mark B. Ledenbach
Jonathan Maberry
Al Ridenour
Debbie Rochon
Chad Savage
David Skal
P.D. Cacek
Janice Dreshman
Ron Kolek
Lily Dale
Paul Rosen
Barretts Haunted Mansion
Christian Day
Earthspirit
Ellie Schuster
Witches in Bikinis
Cambridge Brewing Company
Scott Cummins
Great Pumpkin Commonwealth
Hugh Luck
MIT Glass Lab
New England Giant Pumpkin Growers Association
Zombie Pumpkins
Ann Arbor WZD
Geoff Bough/Revenant Mag
Eric S. Brown
Dan Burrello
Jaime Di Stefano/Corpses for Sale
Jo Finlay, WZD London
Jacksonville WZD
Monroeville Mall Zombie Fest
Kim Paffenroth
Steven Schlozman
The Zombie Times
Ybor City WZD
Zombie Harmony
Allen Cunningham
Susan Bartolucci
Charles Batte
Ginny Betourne
Will Bezek
East Coast Haunt Club
Edgar and Edgar
GarageofEvil.com
Ghost Ride Productions
HAuNTcon
The Last Ride
Halloween and Vine
HalloweenForum.com
HauntForum.com
HauntSpace.com
HauntWorld.com
Halloween-L list
Laurie Hardin
Ironstock
Vergie Lightfoot
MoonHowler Productions
Village Halloween Parade
NightScream Studios
Johanna Parker
Chuck Rice
Rucus Studio
Superior Concept Monsters
Paul Venturella
Katherine Webber
Wisconsin Feargrounds
Zombie Army
Brian Chamberlin
Gore Galore
Haunted Overload
LA Cacophony Society
Midnight Syndicate
Midsummer Nightmare
Bruce Millet
Nightmare New York
Vertigo Industries
David Zald
Addam Bombb
Joe Boo
Canman and Angela
Ross Karpleman/House of Shock
Mister Reusch
Evilyn Sin Claire
Sinner Saint Burlesque
Boulder Naked Pumpkin Run
Guerrilla Masquerade Party
MIT Hacks
Mass Sabbath
Mark Maynard
Dan Podosek and Yuki Palermo
Mike Reiss/The Simpsons
Charlie Todd/ImprovEverywhere
Bill Radner
Max Michaels
Skot Olsen
Acey Slade, Anne Lindfjeld/Steve Prue
Pam Tole
Wisconsin Hearse Club
Anthony L. Childs
Ryan West
Scott Jackson
Chris Nakashima-Brown
