Five questions asked over a glowing Jack o’Lantern, under an Autumn moon obscured by passing clouds…in between mouthfuls of candy corn…with Ryne who beams some Halloween rays from The Moon Is a Dead World to light up the night…
Why is Halloween important to you?
I can’t remember when Halloween first became a staple of my life. Each Halloween in my younger years gets jumbled together into one big happy, spooky memory. I think, strangely enough, my love of Halloween began when I was eight or nine years old. My family was eating dinner in the living room on Halloween night when trick-or-treaters showed up at 5 o’clock! Trick-or-treating wasn’t supposed to start until 7, and it was a surprise to us that anyone would begin so early. For some reason, this memory sticks with me as the biggest reason of why I love Halloween so much. Maybe it was the fact that I was with my family on that fateful Halloween, or maybe it was the enthusiasm of the trick-or-treaters that visited so early. Either way, Halloween became one of my favorite times of year, and it still holds that magical feeling from when I was a kid.
Describe your ideal Halloween.
I prefer my Halloween spooky rather than playful, so the trick-or-treaters in my ideal Halloween would have to be decked out in scary apparel – no princesses or pirates allowed! Also, you know that scene in Trick ‘r Treat where Anna Paquin walks down a forested path decorated on either side by jack-o-lanterns? That would be included as well, because the whole town gets caught up in the festivities.
What Halloween collectibles do you cherish, or hate, or both?
This is a little embarrassing, but I really enjoy the old McDonald’s Halloween Happy Meal toys they gave out in the ’90s – the ones that feature the Hamburgler, Grimace, and Ronald McDonald, where their costumes can be interchanged. It’s a nostalgic thing for me, I guess, because it reminds me of my childhood. We’ve had them for years, and still never hesitate to put them around the house each Halloween.
When was your very first Halloween, the one where you really knew it was Halloween, and how was it?
My very first Halloween…like I said, my past Halloweens are all a jumble of memories, but I think I had to have been 4 or 5. I was Frankenstein, and I had a fuzzy, puffy Frankenstein mask and clogs to make me taller. We put something on my neck to look like bolts, although I can’t remember what we used.
What’s the one Halloween question you want to be asked and what’s your answer?
Q: Trick, or treat?
A: TRICK! For me, it’s never about the candy!