A Tale of Two Halloweens: The 2016 OTIS Halloween Season Blog


September 16, 2016 — You’ve already been celebrating it for more than two weeks. I know you have. I’ve seen you on the socials. Honestly, I’ve been celebrating it, too. The pumpkin and patchouli scents from our candles have already seeped into the fabric of our furniture. We’ve toured the Halloween departments in stores all over town. I already know what Boo-tterscotch M&Ms taste like.

But that was just the start of the Halloween Season.

Now, it’s the start of the 2016 OTIS Halloween Season. The seventh annual OTIS Halloween Season. Where we celebrate all things spooky and autumnal until the Jack-O’s rot into puddles on our porches.

Or, less poetically, when I wrangle their sopping carcasses into garbage bags on November 1.

This year, I’m kicking off the blog on location in Massachusetts. At a graveyard. In the middle of a forest. With a creepy nickname and an even creepier reputation.

Watch, if you dare:


And for those of you who you won’t dare (or, more likely and most reasonably, don’t want to watch six minutes of me talking at you), here’s the story in bullets:
  • I’ll be posting original articles and videos pretty much every day between now and Halloween.
  • I’ll be featuring spooky sites from our recent Great Lakes trip, cozy living room-style posts, seasonal activities we find ourselves participating in, day trips, the surprises of this particular season…and Salem, Massachusetts
  • My new book A Season with the Witch: The Magic and Mayhem of Halloween in Salem, Massachusetts streets on October 4. You can preorder it now. It’s what you’re looking for. I promise
  • Spider Gates Cemetery is a cool, historic place and not at all a suicide spot, site of occult rituals, or a portal to hell.
So, basically, this year is a tale of two Halloween Seasons: The current one and stories from last year’s month in Salem. It’s like a once-in-a-lifetime astronomical event. A super Halloween bloodmoon eclipse.

And don’t forget, we’re also partying on the OTIS Facebook page and Twitter and in the OTIS Club, where I’ll be stuffing the weekly newsletters with behind-the-scenes action and even more Halloweenerie.

So Happy Halloween Season, everyone. Let’s…get…spooky.