Halloween Meme

(picked up from Stefanie, who got it from Emily)

Which urban legend ghost scared the bejeesuz out of you when you were a kid?

Hmm. I was kind of susceptible to these. The hitchhiker one always got me. Also there were a few local ones that scared me to death, like the "white lady" who was supposed to step out in front of cars in this one stretch of backroad. I always white-knuckled it through that area, even as young adult.

Which horror movie has the best premise?

Hmm. Best premise. Probably Poltergeist, for me. Anything like that freaks me out (in a good way!) I like spooky movies but I don't love horror. Interestingly, I used to LOVE those Nightmare on Elm Street movies when I was a young teenager. We used to save up our money to rent them all and watch them all night.

What is the most disappointing “treat” to receive in your bag on Halloween night?

Those weird peanut-butter taffy things. Butterfingers were my favorite, but I was a relatively equal-opportunity candy-eater, with the exception of those weird stale peanut butter taffy thingies. I also was not thrilled about DumDums -- they were eaten last.

What’s the best non-candy item to receive?

I don't really remember getting non-candy items. Maybe a sticker every once in awhile? Or sometimes maybe I got those plastic spider rings? But I liked both of those, so...

Did a monster live in your closet when you were a child?
There were monsters in the attic, a ghost in the closet, and skeletons under my bed (with hands that would creep up the wall next to my bed and pull on my covers!!) True story (which may have something to do with my high startle response): When I was about 8 or 9, I was in my bed in my room, at the back of our house. My dad came home from fishing and was in the utility room, which was two rooms away from mine. He was cleaning out his creel and washing fish, etc. Suddenly, I heard scratching from under my bed -- exactly like a skeleton hand would make as it was scratching up the wall -- and I screamed, "Dad! Dad! THERE IS SOMETHING UNDER MY BED!!" He comes in, all sighing and not believing me. Then he stops. There IS something scratching under my bed. I'm freaking out as he bends over to look under the bed. Then he starts to laugh. There is a crawdad (crayfish) under my bed. It has crawled all through the rooms and has dead-ended under my bed at the wall, and was scratching the wall with its pinchers. Nice. Thank you for a lifetime of being freaked out about whatever is under the bed.

Which supernatural creature sent chills up your spine when you were ten and still does?

Ghosts. I love ghosts, and I'm terrified of them. I would love to see one, but I would probably scream my bloody head off if I did. I don't like zombies, and I don't like inanimate objects which have come to life (dolls, etc.).

Which supernatural creature makes you yawn?

Hmm. Most monsters. I don't care about werewolves, creatures from black lagoons, cat people, mummies, or vampires. I like vampires, but I'm not really scared of them. It's pretty much ghosts that push my terror button. Also I don't like animated severed limbs very much. Especially if they've been reanimated.

What’s your favorite Halloween decoration?

I like a good ghosty pumpkiny front-yard graveyard. I do like jack o'lanterns, and I like that spider-webby stuff. I like just about any non-gory Halloween decoration. I don't like zombies or gore. Yuck.

If you could be anywhere on Halloween night, where would you be?

Walking around watching people in costume. Kids or adults -- it doesn't matter. I like to be in costume as well. I used to go the Castro district in San Francisco and it was so fabulous -- hours of people-watching. It was incredibly fun.

What’s the scariest book you’ve read so far this year?
Probably Let The Right One In, which I just finished. Jade Green was pretty good, as was The Woman In Black.

Haunted houses or haunted hayrides?

I've never been on a haunted hayride, but that sounds fun. I love haunted houses and scream a lot while going through them. I'm very enthusiastic about them. I haven't been to one in years!

Which Stephen King novel/movie would you least like to find yourself trapped in?
Hmm. Either Pet Sematery or The Shining. I also did not like Christine. I was afraid of old cars for years after I read that, always expecting their lights to suddenly turn on when no one was in the car. I have always wanted to name a cat Church, however. But that would just be wrong.

Which is creepiest: evil dolls, evil pets, evil children?
Evil dolls, hands down. You can kill evil pets and children. You can't kill evil dolls. They're little and creepy and skittery and who knows what they want? What kind of evil agenda does a doll have? You can't imagine! Evil pets, sure -- they just want more food. Evil kids -- revenge on bad people. Dolls? They want to kill just for the fun of it. There's nothing you can do.