Tag: Halloween

  • Halloween Kills Met With Mixed Reactions From Students.

    Halloween Kills, starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Andi Matichak, is slated to come out this October 15 in theaters and on the Peacock streaming platform.

    The movie, which is a direct sequel to Halloween (2018), is releasing after multiple trailers have dropped, including a final trailer that was posted on September 20. The trailers have been accompanied by lots of promotional material across different social media platforms.

    The movie is set to focus on the main Strode women, who have been terrorized by Michael Myers for three generations.

    “After watching the trailer, the approach the movie is going in with them seems well written,” said Poly PACE sophomore Genevie Lumada. “They correlate with modern day change of women empowerment and I’m all for it.”

    The movie is also supposed to be one of the goriest installments of the franchise so far. The trailer alone shows Michael Myers on a rampage, killing multiple characters in a few seconds alone.

    Joshua Chauy, a Poly CIC freshman, shared, “It looks really nice, with all of the gore. I’m ex- cited.”

    The film is additionally shown to be a nostalgic callback for diehard Halloween fans. The final trailer shows characters from the original movie, like Tommy Doyle and Lindsey Wallace, being terrorized by Michael Myers once again, 43 years later.

    “I notice all of the kids are grown up in the trailer, which is exciting,” Chauy added, “But I don’t think it will be better than the original.”

    However, some who have been disappointed with the Halloween movies are hoping Halloween Kills will revitalize the series.

    Victoria Heng, a Poly PACE sophomore, said she is, “…hoping it’s better than the original… I was underwhelmed by the Halloween franchise’s earlier movies.”

    The release of Halloween Kills adds to the excitement horror fans are feeling during the month of October. On top of the film, the trailer for the upcoming movie Scream (2022) was released alongside the first episode of the new Chucky TV series on October 12. The new television series, I Know What You Did Last Summer, an adaptation of the novel and 1997 slasher with the same name, is also set to come out on October 15.

  • The Inn of Sin

    It was snowing heavily as the man in the brown coat entered the lone inn in the middle of nowhere. Little did he know that he had just entered the jaws of death.

    The innkeeper was a kind old lady who showed him to his room. It was a creaky, dim-lit building but that did not seem to bother him. ”The ferocity of this storm may last a few days, but no worries, I have a feeling that something interesting will happen soon. Hopefully, it will not be a total bore for you, dear,” the old lady said with a sly grin. As the man in brown sat on his bed, he couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched. He could feel it. A set of eyes. Staring. Straight. At. Him. 

     

    It was half-past 12 when he heard it. A shriek, so loud, that it may as well have awakened the dead. He and three others rushed toward the noise. There, at the entrance of the inn, the old lady lay there in a pool of blood. The man in brown checked her pulse, then shook his head. “What in god’s name happened here?” asked a man in blue, trembling in fear. He was a small, skinny fellow, with a mustache that did not fit his face. “Well, my good sir, it seems as if the innkeeper was killed by something that struck the back of her head,” calmly replied a young man in dark spectacles. Then there was silence, everyone still in awe of what was in front of them. “Well, I’m not staying in this house of horrors,” the man in blue announced as he stormed to the door. But it wouldn’t budge. The man in blue tugged and kicked it. It was futile. The door would not open. They were stuck. And one of them, guilty.

     

    The four of them, all four suspects in the murder, then gathered in the main room. The man in blue, a duke, Nathaniel Poe. The man concealing his eyes with spectacles, Arthur Shelley, a chemist. The tall woman, Theda Lux the traveler. And the man in the brown coat, the writer Nox Ray. Nox smiled, finally something interesting. Now, the game has begun.

     

    The group decided to split up and look for any clues. A foolish move. As Nox went back to the scene of the crime, he noticed something odd. A small black button. Fascinating. He slipped it into his pocket and continued to look around. Nothing more out of place.

     

    As Nox returned to the main room, he noticed Arthur and Theda already there. How peculiar. It turned out they didn’t find anything out of the ordinary anywhere else. ”Find anything?” Theda asked. Just a button he responded. “One clue…how disappointing,” she stated as she went back to staring at the clock on the wall. Tick-Tock. Then he felt it, the piercing eyes. Nox felt a shiver down his spine as he asked, “Where’s Nathaniel?”

     

    They found his limp, lifeless corpse in a chair within one of the many rooms. Cause of death–slashed throat. As Nox examined the scene, he found another clue. A silver shilling. Without a single drop of blood. That struck down a motive. Greed. This meant the killer was smug, careless. He had the time to slip out unnoticed, throwing off the trail. Or so he thought. Though there was one fatal mistake.

     

    “It’s you,” Nox declared as he took a sip of the tea that lay on top of the dresser. He pointed at Arthur. Arthur raised his eyebrow, “And why would that be?” The piercing eyes seemed unphased. “Elementary, the button I found near the innkeeper matches the design of the button on your coat and the abandoned shilling represents that the person must not care much for the money. Additionally, the physical injuries the victims received must have been from someone slightly muscular. And plus, the throat wound was aimed to look centered, however, it is clear the wound is more to the left, implying that the guilty party is blind or injured in their right eye. Now, will you take off your spectacles, Arthur?” Arthur struggled and slightly grinned. “What’s the point? You’re already dead.” Nox’s vision started to blur. The tea. Poison. Who placed the tea there? There are two. Nox’s eyes then met the set of cold staring eyes that stalked him. “Well played, Theda.”

     

  • Comic: Bambatbear

  • Monthly Mythology: October

    Monthly Mythology: October

    Hecate: The Halloween Queen

    Have you ever heard of the Halloween queen? 

    In Greek mythology, there was a goddess named Hecate who is known as the Halloween queen for her “witch-like figure.” Hecate was the daughter of Perses, the titan of destruction, and her mother was Asteria, the titan goddess of fallen stars. Originally,  Hecate was depicted as a woman who held up two torches. Families viewed her as someone who would protect them from danger. Yet, Hecate protected everyone, even those who society shunned, like witches, prostitutes, and beggars, and because of that, she was known as the Halloween queen.

    Roman God Janus: The With Two Faces

    Crossroads, we have all been there. Does one go left or right, or perhaps the road down the middle?

    In Roman mythology, Janus is the god of doorways and transitions and is known for having two faces. One face points toward the past, the other points toward the future. Janus represents the middle ground of dualities, such as life and death. Janus holds a key in his right hand, symbolizing the protection of spatial boundaries. It was said that Janus was present at the beginning of the world and ruled over life events, where he is an initiator of the shifts between the stages of life. He is also responsible for the transitions of eras of history which is why the first month, January, is named after him.

  • Dark Harbor AMAZEment

    The Queen Mary is greatly known for its haunted rooms and as the gigantic ship that is one of the landmarks in Long Beach. From September 27th to November 2nd, the Queen Mary presents Dark Harbor for 23 thrilling nights. If you haven’t heard about Dark Harbor, it’s basically a walk through of mazes and people dressed up as monsters, creeping out to give you that adrenaline rush. When I first walked into the gates, there were already monsters walking around to basically give a preview of what the mazes were going to be like.

    Did it work? It made me want to get back in the car and go home. Although they were regular people disguised or portrayed to be as monsters, their energy and how dramatic they were felt real. The entire time I was there, I cling onto my friend’s arm because the thought of going through the mazes alone scared me to death. The foggy smoke from the outside clogged up the entire area so I didn’t know who or what was approaching me. The first maze I remember going into was the “Circus Maze”. The part that really got to me was when I was walking, play-pen colored balls started to fill our feet. I’m not sure if the people were real but I could feel hands grabbing onto my feet.

  • Horror-Scopes

    Aries: DO NOT WEAR BLACK. Your entire day will be filled with bad luck. Stick to light colors and you should have a happy Halloween!

    Taurus: During your Halloween plans, you will come in contact with your ex, so I suggest you look as good as you possibly can.

    Gemini: Your two personalities are likely to make several appearances throughout this day (as always). You will receive the best news of this entire month and the worst news of the entire year.

    Cancer: This will be your last good Halloween of your life, so make it the best Halloween possible.

    Leo: No matter how old you are, DEFINITELY go trick or treating this year. You will receive lots of treats.

    Virgo: Whatever you do, don’t go out past 9 pm. You will have several eggs thrown at you.

    Libra: You will meet the love of your life while you’re trick or treating.

    Scorpio: Today is your day to let your demon out. Play thousands of tricks on whoever, wherever. This may very well be your best Halloween.

    Sagittarius: You’re going to end up staying home and watching scary movies all night.

    Capricorn: Tell your crush that you like them today. They will surprise you with something special on Halloween night.

    Aquarius: Stay home.

  • Freaky Fits

    Individual
    Mummy: Put together a fun D.I.Y. costume by wrapping yourself up in toilet paper from head to toe!
    Athlete: If you’re on a sports team, you can find an easy way to turn your team uniform into a costume and go out with that.
    School Student: You can easily pull off going out as a student by wearing “nerdy” type clothes and wearing your backpack, using it to place all your candies in it.
    Food: Taco, hot dog, pizza, dress up as your stomach’s greatest craving.
    IT: Since everyone claims themselves to be a clown, why not dress up as Pennywise?

    Group
    Winnie the Pooh: Bring this show to life by having you and your friends dress up as the popular furry friends
    Avengers: Bring together the marvel team with your buddies by dressing up as a couple of heroes such as Hulk, Spider-Man, Thor, Captain America, etc.
    Shrek: Something underrated and overrated at the same time, bring this unique fairy tale to life by having your group dress up as Shrek and his companions.
    Stranger Things: With this Netflix series being so popular, it’d be cool to have you and your friends feel like a part of the show by dressing up as the characters on the spookiest night.
    M&M’s: Have you and your friends wear some plain colored t-shirts and slap an “M” on them, going out as a pack of M&M’s!

    Couple
    Peanut Butter and Jelly: This very typical costume idea may sound boring, but it’s all up to you two on how you’d like to spice things up and let your creativity show.
    Angel and Devil:The darkness and light both need each other, your partner and you don’t necessarily have to always be one in the same.
    Princess and Prince: What’s wrong with sticking to something a bit cliche? It’d be nice to bring something very overrated back, no?
    Thing 1 and Thing 2: With a red onsie and a simple sign on front, have your soulmate and you
    both be Thing One and Thing Two.
    Romeo and Juliet: With Halloween here who’s a better person to die for than your partner.

  • Fearsome Films

    It’s that time of the year again, Spooky Season! The perfect time to grab some popcorn, some snacks, a blanket and watch scary movies all night. If you’re not sure what movies to turn on during this Spooky Season, here are some Halloween Classics for you to watch.

    Coraline (2009): A young girl named Coraline, moves with her family to her new home. While exploring, she discovers a secret door that leads to another place that mirrors her current reality. While everything may seem like it’s better than her real life, her parallel life soon takes a turn for the worse.

    The Amityville Horror (2005): A husband and wife move their family to a new home. What seems to be the perfect house soon reveals a horrid past: the house belonged to a tenant that was possessed by a demon, causing him to murder his entire family. The family believes the house is haunted so they do everything to try to escape the horrors. (Based on a true story)

    Beetlejuice (1988): After dying in a car accident, a couple finds themselves back at their own home, unable to leave, they are left to haunt the residence. An unbearable married couple moves into their new home and the dead couple tries to scare them out but their attempts fail miserably. After accidentally summoning Beetlejuice, they soon realize how dangerous he is for the family.

    Pet Semetary (1989): A family moves to a new home in Maine and befriends their neighbor. After their cat dies, the neighbor advises that they bury it in a nearby cemetery. The cat then comes back to life but his entire personality has changed drastically- for the worse. After the family’s son dies from a tragic accident, they bury him in the same cemetery. When he comes back to life, he becomes a terrifying threat to the family.

  • Halloween Returns

    Halloween is a slasher horror movie that came out October 19, directed and written by David Gordon Green. It stars Nick Castle, reprising his role as the silent, ruthless killer Michael Myers, and Jamie Lee Curtis, reprising her role as survivor Laurie Strode, who suffers from PTSD as a result of the Halloween killings that took place in the original 1978 film of the same name.

    Going into this new movie, I was not expecting much. I thought, “This Michael Myers, he is just a normal dude, right? Can’t be that scary, right?” I was wrong. The killer’s humanity really adds to the horror, knowing that the person behind all the evil, gruesome killings is a human being. It grounds the horror and makes it feel real, like this is something that could happen. The deep dark evil desires that lie within certain individuals: that is real horror.

    Michael Myers’ stalking of his victims throughout the movie builds a constant tense, uneasy feeling. The audience almost always feels uncomfortable, like they have got this feeling in their gut that is telling them something is not right. Almost everyone has felt that way that way at some point in their normal lives, like when they are taking the trash out at night or walking home alone. You get that irrational, paranoid fear that something or someone is lurking in the shadows, watching you. The movie preys on this fear that most of us have, and that is pretty neat.

    The movie has a strong female protagonist (representation is always nice) while avoiding turning her into a cliched invincible, battled-hardened veteran. She is relatable. She shows vulnerability and fear. But she chooses to confront and fight the killer anyways, and that is what real courage is: being intimidated by some challenge but choosing to confront it anyways. So that was nice.

    The ending of the movie is pretty cliche and almost eye-rolling-ly predictable, the kind that makes you go, “Alright, c’mon. Really?” That left a sour taste in my mouth going out of the theater, but overall, while this movie isn’t exactly high art, I had a fun, frightening time. I’d recommend to anyone just looking for a fun scary movie to watch.

  • PAAL Students Under the STARS

    On October 26, PAAL had its second annual “Monsters Under the Stars” horror movie night. It took place on the PAAL campus, which is located on Long Beach Boulevard and 16th Street. The hosts of the event had mixed feelings concerning the overall turnout.

    “The night was successful,” said Marisol Ibanez, the Activities Director and a teacher from PAAL.

    “Roughly 75 students attended. That’s approximately 25% of the campus, which is really impressive. However, we only had about two students from the Poly campus show up, which is really disappointing, because we expected a larger Poly audience. ”

    The campus was lit up with orange and purple lights, and the movie was projected on an inflatable screen.

    “The design of the campus quad is like an outdoor amphitheatre, which creates these natural steps for people to sit and chill with blankets and pillows,” Ibanez said.

    PAAL students chose to screen 1408, which is about a father who loses his daughter and becomes a paranormal investigator who stays at a haunted hotel where no one can leave. Before the sun went down, scary short films were played before 1408  started rolling its tape.

    In comparison, “PSC is basically the ASB at PAAL,” Ibanez said.

    “PAAL has no formal representation on the Poly ASB. That’s why we are working together to support one another. Mr. Puth came to show his support for the event, and it was greatly appreciated. It takes a lot of resources to host an event, and we need Poly’s support to transition our events from events that foster a positive campus community and experience to events that generate income.”