 Like many writers and fans of horror, Halloween has always been my favorite time of the year. For me, the season conjures up memories of my childhood spent in the haunted Hudson Valley, New York. As the leaves fall from trees, so do ghost stories drift from the mouths of children along the Hudson. There are certain books that I often revisit this time of year, because they remind me of the imaginative magick that makes Halloween so special. Here are five of them. The Complete Stories and Poems by Edgar Allan PoeYou can’t go wrong with the master of the macabre. “The Raven” was the first poem I ever read that was truly scary, and I haven’t seen it done better since. Some literature is considered classic for good reasons. Poe’s ghost stories and gothic poems are fantastic bite-sized morsels that satisfy my Halloween craving every time.  The Amityville Horror by Jay AnsonMaybe it’s a New York thing, but this is one of my favorite horror stories claimed to be based on true events. The movie frightened me as a kid, and the book is just as freaky. It reminds me of all the supposed haunted houses in the neighborhoods I grew up in. There would always be a disturbing story of how the people who used to live there got murdered. Scared the crap out of us as kids, but we loved telling the stories. I still do. Scary Stories Treasury by Alvin SchwartzThis book brings back memories of telling tales around the campfire or in the dark when the power goes out. That’s because it is actually a collection of folk tales and urban legends. I did not realize that as a kid; I was simply enthralled by the creepy stories and wicked artwork. As an adult who studies folklore, this book still fascinates me, especially around this time of year. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington IrvingOf course I would love a classic ghost story about the Dutch settlers of the Hudson Valley, from whom my name descends. Irving also created one of the most iconic figures in supernatural fiction: The Headless Horseman. His writing is a bit heavy on description (what do you expect from 1820?), but the autumn setting and spooky tale are perfect for Halloween. The Halloween Tree by Ray BradburyThe epitome of what our favorite season is all about. It’s the tale of a group of trick-or-treaters that traverses space and time to learn the history and true meaning of Halloween. Much like a Tim Burton film, it mixes the whimsical and the morbid into something fitting for kids and adults alike. The prose is so beautifully poetic that you may forget you are reading a story and just get sucked into the thought-provoking yet childlike Halloween spell that Bradbury casts with his writing.  Joseph VanBuren is a multimedia storyteller, horror lover, old school RPG fan, survivor, and the scrambled brains behind Sykophunk Productions. His poetry and fiction have been published in the anthologies Untimely Frost and Life on a Tightrope as well as the literary magazines Confluence and Ink Cloud; he has written, performed, and/or produced hundreds of globally distributed songs; opened up for national acts such as Rehab, Anybody Killa, Liquid Assassin, Razakel, Lil Wyte, Scum, and 2 Live Crew; and had one of his tracks played on The Colbert Report. Spawned from the Hudson Valley, New York, he now lives in Fort Wayne, Indiana with his beloved wife and adorably neurotic dog. His current projects include creating a multi-media post-apocalyptic horror experience, which is woven through the Masks series: a trilogy of poetry books with soundtracks. He also posts at least 6 new things every month on his Patreon page. Find out more about Joseph by following these links Official website: http://josephvanburen.com/ Amazon author page: https://www.amazon.com/Joseph-VanBuren/e/B074MJCLVF/ Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/josephvanburen333/overview
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