Five questions asked over a glowing Jack o’Lantern, under an Autumn moon obscured by passing clouds…in between mouthfuls of candy corn…Sam Hain of The Halloween Blues let’s it all hang out.
Why is Halloween Important to You?
Because it’s one of the few holidays where it’s okay for me to be a total a-hole to the people I love. I can also jump out of the bushes and scare little children without worrying about the cops arresting me.
Describe Your Ideal Halloween.
Honestly, I have no ideal Halloween. There is no one way in particular that Halloween is perfect to me. Every Halloween is different. When I start the day I never quite know how it’s going to end and that’s the way I like it. Halloween should be more than just a planned series of events, it should be an adventure.
What Halloween collectibles do you cherish, or hate, or both?
I don’t have many relics of Halloween past, but there’s this one mask that I’ve kept for a few years now that I don’t think I’ll ever get rid of. Which is funny considering I bought it at the Dollar Store. I used it to scare the hell out of a bunch of my students for Halloween and they absolutely loved it. Now I use it mostly to scare family members and on occasion, my dog. It has a lot of sentimental value, so I don’t see myself ever getting rid of it. One day I want to scare my grandchildren with it.
When was your very first Halloween, the one where you really knew it was Halloween, and how was it?
I have terrible memory, so this question is super hard. I think the earliest Halloween I remember was when I was like in 3rd or 4th grade. Yeah, that’s how bad my memory is. That year my school was sponsoring a maze in their parking lot that featured blood and gore! The 90s were so awesome, people weren’t as PC back then. The most significant thing I remember from that year is that I wore some fake blood around my mouth and some of it got inside, so I was tasting it the whole night. In fact, I can still taste it till this day, which is why I’ve never worn fake blood since.
What’s the one Halloween question you want to be asked and what’s your answer?
Q: Who is the Pumpkin King?
A: That’s a good question…