Robert P. Ottone is a two-time Bram Stoker Award-winning author from Long Island. His latest novel is Amityville Awakens, and he recently talked about it with Daryl Maxwell for the LAPL Blog.
Since its Celtic Pagan origins as Samhain in Ireland over 2,000 years ago, Halloween has grown to become a multi-billion dollar global industry. From 12-foot skeletons to DIY haunted house attractions…
Just before the Harbor Freeway ends and spits you into San Pedro, a large orange-colored object within the foothills leading to Palos Verdes usually catches your eye. Even on a foggy day, it stands…
Are monster parties real? As the 90s comedy revue Mr. Show asked, in a parody sketch investigating the truth of Halloween songs: would Draculas, wolfmen, and mummies ever really get together in a…
Twilight creeps into the afternoon, and the autumn nights grow dark and gloomy. Dead leaves rustle, weird things lurk in the shadows… Halloween is on the way! October is the perfect time of year to…
Over the years, the witch has become a popular figure and costume choice for our modern commercialized holiday rituals. And the stormy events of the Salem Witch Trials of 1692-3, which we tend to…
With trick or treating discouraged and haunted houses officially canceled, this year’s Halloween will be a bit more low key. But that doesn’t mean it has to be less frightening! We’ve got plenty of…
A nightmare more terrifying than you can imagine…the party supply store on the eve of Halloween! The hordes of customers, the cries and screams of fitting-room meltdowns, flimsy costumes at…
Southern Californians have panache. From the clothes they wear to the dishes they cook to the homes they make, they create their own style—often a mixture of tradition and innovation—and show it…
Tis the season for spooky old books, and one of my very favorites is a hidden gem—Ruth Edna Kelley’s The Book of Hallowe’en (1919). Kelley was a young librarian at the public library in Lynn…
When you work at Central Library, at some point in your career, you will be taken on a stairwell safety tour which guides you through a maze of long lonely corridors snaking under and around the staff…
Halloween has become a huge, month-long celebration in these modern times and not just for candy and death as I recall it meant when I was a brat. Adults dress-up as much as kids now, and parties…
I'll be the first to admit it, Halloween is my favorite holiday! I love everything about it from the spooky atmosphere and dressing up in a costume, to—I confess—all the candy! As an adult and a…
Jack-o’-lanterns, trick-or-treaters, clever costumes and spooky decorations—Halloween is one of the most beloved holidays in the United States. But where exactly did Halloween come from? What customs…
