Five questions asked over a glowing Jack o'Lantern, under an Autumn moon obscured by passing clouds…in between mouthfuls of candy corn…Paul Bibeau is an author whose intimacy with Dracula and the Halloween Spirit (Sundays With Vlad: From Pennsylvania to Transylvania, One Man's Quest to Live in the World of the Undead) combines with his mastery of the narrative form to conjure emotion as well as imagery.
Why is Halloween important to you?
I am a bitter lapsed Catholic who is about to turn 40. Christmas, Easter, and my birthday have turned into cruel jokes. Halloween is the only holiday left which hasn't broken my heart.
Describe your ideal Halloween.
Trick or treating ends early enough for me to turn out the lights, pop open an Octoberfest-style beer, steal fistfuls of candy from my kids, and watch Laurie Strode swat at Michael with a coat hanger.
What Halloween collectibles do you cherish, or hate, or both?
Collectibles don't do it for me.
When was your very first Halloween, the one where you really knew it was Halloween, and how was it?
My earliest vivid Halloween memory is from around fourth grade. I remember going trick or treating on Governor's Island, just off the tip of Manhattan. It was a Coast Guard base, and there was housing in the center of the island that was built out of an ancient fort. Even now that seems like a bizarre, trippy experience.
What's the one Halloween question you want to be asked and what's your answer?
Q: What was my best Halloween season ever?
A: In 2006, I spent two weeks just before Halloween traveling through Banat and Transylvania. I drove through Bela Lugosi's hometown and visited the Borgo Pass, where Bram Stoker set Dracula's Castle. I almost died on the roads that snaked through the Carpathian Mountains. I don't know if I'll ever top that one.