Five questions asked over a glowing Jack o’Lantern, under an Autumn moon obscured by passing clouds…in between mouthfuls of candy corn…Rondal Scott, founder of Strange Kids Club, combines a wickedly fun visual sensibility with his sweet tooth for horror, cool toys, comics, and popping culture. Yum.
Why is Halloween important to you?
Halloween is that one time of the year where everyone equally relishes in the strange, offbeat (and ancient) customs that draw power from the mythology of monsters, madmen and mutants. It’s the one day of the whole year where no one makes judgments on what you look like or how you act. I think that Michael Dougherty perhaps captured the more sinister, adult-oriented side of the Autumn festivities in Trick ‘R Treat while Ernest Scared Stupid serves as the heart of childlike wonder that still resides in each of us during that time of year.
Describe your ideal Halloween.
My ideal Halloween consists of a full night of trick or treating door-to-door with the occasionally well done garage-fitted haunted house. Afterward it’s straight home for a marathon mix of Halloween fright flicks and classic scary cartoons while devouring the nights sugary treasures until exhaustion (followed by morning-after regret) sets in.
What Halloween collectibles do you cherish, or hate, or both?
I have two ceramic Halloween decorations that my grandmother hand painted and passed down to my mother, who has herself recently passed them along to me. One is a twisted Halloween tree with a black cat and a witch while the other is a giant luminescent jack o’ lantern with a black cat keeping watch.
When was your very first Halloween, the one where you really knew it was Halloween, and how was it?
The first Halloween that I can actually remember involved me dressing up as a bumble bee (yeah, the pudgy fuzzy kind). My father was still in the Marine Corps, so a group of family friends and I went with our mothers door to door collecting our bounty. It was an okay experience, definitely not the trend-setter for future experiences, but apparently it wasn’t enough to dissuade me either.
What’s the one Halloween question you want to be asked and what’s your answer?
Q: What’s the best Halloween movie you’ve ever scene?
A: This one is kinda tricky as there are so many ones to choose from, but I have to admit that I’ve got an unbroken streak with watching Hocus Pocus every year. It’s funny and charming with just enough scares (zombies, witches) to appeal to both the adult and strange kid in me. An honorable mention would have to be Night of the Demons, which a friend of mine and I have seen 4 years running now. Not the greatest film ever, but a fun one nonetheless.
Zoc Note: Watching Hocus Pocus every Halloween is a tradition in our household. Fun, great song, and wonderful story. And it has Sarah Jessica Parker. Yum.