Halloween Gift Guide: Tricks, treats, frights and fun

It's the most wonderful time of the year. Sure, we're forced to enjoy it from a safe distance, but that doesn't mean we can't share a few scares or populate our shelves with a variety of Funko Pop! figures (they make the backgrounds of our Zoom meetings all the more interesting). I took a dive into the rabbit hole and uncovered a variety of movies and collectables that speak to the many aspects of my Halloween and horror fandom.

• Beetlejuice - I came of age watching Tim Burton movies . His gothic-carnival aesthetic suited me perfectly. "Beetlejuice" is a wonderful mix of irreverent and strange. It's also now in 4K, which brings all the little details into focus (Jack Skellington Easter egg included).
• Happy Halloween, Scooby-Doo! - The most recent Scooby-Doo! title features a classic mystery and an appearance by Elvira.
• Hocus Pocus - When I worked retail, I often marveled at how many copies of "Hocus Pocus" we'd sell every October. Now director Kenny Ortega is talking about transforming the movie into a Broadway musical. I'd watch that. In the meantime we have the new 4K release and a Ravensburger board game. The

• Mickey & Friends: Ready for Halloween - Because Halloween isn't just for adults. In fact, its the Octobers of my youth that I remember with the most fondness.
• Disney Chills: Part of Your Nightmare - For those in their early teens, Disney has you covered with the tale of a 11-year-old girl who discovers a nautilus shell that summons the sea witch, Ursula.
• Funkoverse: The Nightmare Before Christmas Strategy Game - Just another way to dive into the marvelous world of Halloween Town.
• The Haunted Mansion: Call of the Spirits Game - Explore the rooms of the infamous Haunted Mansion and collect its monstrous characters. Just don't stay too long. You may become a permanent resident.
• Accessories & Collectables - "Sleeping Beauty" was the first horror movie I remember seeing. I was completely transfixed and terrified byMaleficent in the best of ways. She's my villain and I love the new Funko Pop! Deluxe: Villains - Maleficent on Throne figure. Disney Halloween Spooky Mickeyand the maid from the Haunted Mansion are amazing as well. If dressing up for the holiday isn't your cup of tea, maybe aMinnie Mouse Halloween Candy Glow-in-the-Dark Bag or a set of Mickey or Minnie ears will get your into the spirt of things.

• The Nightmare Before Christmas: Advent Calendar and Pop-Up Book - I've developed the habit of watching "The Nightmare Before Christmas" on November 1st. Midnight if possible. It serves as a bridge between one Holiday season into the next (apologies to Thanksgiving). I love Insight Editions pop-up books and I plan to add their new NBC advent calendar to my collection (Harry Potter: A Pop-Up Guide to Hogwarts and Star Wars: The Ultimate Pop-Up Galaxy are already on my shelves).
  
• The Nightmare Before Christmas: Tarot Deck and Guide Book - I don't know how much stock I put into fortune telling, but after seeing these tarot cards, I might have to pick up a new hobby and prepare a few party tricks for post-pandemic celebrating.
• The Nightmare Before Christmas Lokai Bracelet - I wasn't familiar with Lokai or their products until I was directed to their website to check out their Star Wars, Disney and Marvel bracelets. I liked them so much that I had to work them into this guide. You'll see more of these in the upcoming Holiday Guide.
  
• Funko The Nightmare Before Christmas Collection: Every year my NBC collection inevitably grows and it tends to be Funko's fault.Jack Skellington and his house might be this year's addition, but then I'll have to build a Funko Pop! Town.
  

• Tarot Del Toro - I don't know if there is anything more perfect than aGuillermo del Toro tarot card collection. His films are filled with magic and folklore and the art design of his films is always evocative. I must own this.
• Film collections - Movies have played a massive role in my celebration of Halloween and horror. New and recent collections include The Criterion Collection's Trilogía de Guillermo del Toro, the 45th Anniversary edition of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show,"Rob Zombie Trilogy, "Blumhouse of Horrors 10-Film Collection,"The Alfred Hitchcock Classics Collection 4K set ("The Birds," "Rear Window," "Vertigo" and "Psycho"!) and a Stephen King Collection ("Silver Bullet" was one of the first horror films I saw and David Cronenberg's "The Dead Zone" is too often overlooked).

• Friday the 13th Collection: Deluxe Edition- I own the previous "Friday the 13th Collection," but this trumps that release in everyway as it includes new transfers for the first four films, newly discovered deleted footage bonus features and the third film is in 3D. It's mindboggling.
• Box Sets and Collector's Editions - If you're a fan of classic Universal horror films from the 1930-1960s, the Universal Horror Collection series will introduce you to films that are just off the beaten path. They've also brought "The Vincent Price Collection" back from the dead (so you won't have to pay hundreds of dollars for a second-hand copy). Recent horror Collector's Editions include "Tales from the Darkside: The Movie," "Ghost Ship," and "April Fool's Day." Contemporary titles include "Babadook" director Jennifer Kent's latest "The Nightingale" and The Soska Sisters remake of David Cronenberg's "Rabid."

• Shudder - Shudder is primarily a streaming service that focuses on the horror genre, but they recognize that there are still fans who prefer physical product over digital media. Many of their original movies, documentaries and series. Recent titles include the Canadian reanimation film "Blood Quantum," the revived anthology series "Creepshow: Season 1," the documentary series "Cursed Films," "Scare Package" an anthology of short films and "Z," a ghostly tale centered on an 8-year-old boy's imaginary friend.
• Arrow Films - Arrow Films are a legendary label that specializes in genre and classic catalog releases with the occasional new film thrown in. They're primarily a UK label, but their reach into the US market has increased considerably over the past couple of years. They've also just launched a streaming service, Arrow Video Channel, that features an eclectic mix of titles in and out of the horror genre. Recent physical releases include the campy "Elvira Mistress of the Dark," "Solid Metal Nightmares," a box set from Japanese director Shinya Tsukamoto, Hideo Nakata's original Ringu trilogy in "Ringu Collection," contemporary horror in "The Deeper You Dig," and the dark "Comic," a tale of a standup comedian who is willing to do anything to be a success.

• Contemporary Cinema - Recent releases include the wild Nick Cage's Lovecraftian horror "Color Out of Space," the second season of Joe Hill's "NOS4A2," "Eli Roth's History of Horror," where the director/writer sits down to talk horror with some of the people who shaped the genre, "Spree," a rideshare horror featuringJoe Keery from "Stranger Things," and the animated mayhem of "To Your Last Death."
• Cult Cinema -There's a lot of nostalgia associated with the horror genre. Some reach back to the Universal monster films or the Hammer films that came soon after. Others look to the 1970s and early 1980s where directors were pushing the limits with their ultra-violent shockers. "Suspiria" was recently reimagined, but the originalDario Argento film remains the definitive experience. Synapse Film's 4K release, approved by cinematographerLuciano Tovoli, is a must own for genre fans. Elsewhere Blue Undergound has served up their own platter of splatter films in 4K with "The Daughters of Darkness," "The House By The Cemetery", "The New York Ripper," "Maniac," and "Zombie."

• Insight EditionsThemed Notebooks - Many of my favorite horror films started out as novels or short stories. November is National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). I'd love for those inclined to write to pick up a notebook and start jotting down ideas that, if nurtured, will grow into something more.
• The Folio Book of Horror Stories - If you're looking explore the written world of horror, I'd highly recommend "The Folio Book of Horror Stories," a collection that includes Edgar Allan Poe, H. P. Lovecraft, Shirley Jackson, Stephen King and many others.
  
• King Adaptations and Inspirations - I mentioned the Stephen King 5-film collection earlier, other recent King releases include both chapters of "It" and "The Shining" in 4K as well as two seasons of "Castle Rock," a series that draws upon numerous King stories to populate the fictional town of Castle Rock.
• The Haunting of Hill House -Mike Flanagan's adaptation ofShirley Jackson's novel was a massive hit for Netflix in 2018. In 1999, Jackson's story was also the basis for "The Haunting," a film fromJan de Bont. Paramount is adding the latter to its Paramount Presents collection.