Ghouls And Gobblins....
From their birthplace in France the ghouls, these nasty, hideous cousins of gnomes have spread all over Europe. When they entered England in ancient times, the Druids called them Robin Goblins, from which the name "hobgoblin" derives. Goblins have no permanent home, living temporarily in old trees and under moss-covered rocks. Reported to be playful on occasion, goblins are nonetheless to be avoided. A goblin's smile can curdle blood, and its laugh can make milk turn sour. Goblins amuse themselves by hiding things, spilling food, and confusing travelers by changing signposts.
The youngest of all the creatures in the monster pantheon, gremlins were born in the United States. Highly mechanical, they have been responsible for much technological progress. They live around tools and inside machines and appliances. During World War II, however, gremlins turned against mankind when mechanics and scientists began to take credit for gremlin work. They began by causing mechanical failures in aircraft. Gremlins torment humans by blunting tools, pushing hammers onto thumbs, playing with the hot and cold water in showers, holding down the toasting mechanism and burning toast, and deflating tires.
According to Middle Eastern mythology, ghouls are evil female spirits of the desert. Able to assume the shape of an animal, ghouls are grave robbers, living off the flesh of the dead. Travelers planning to cross any of the vast deserts or savannahs of North Africa, the Middle East, or Central Asia should be aware that ghouls often entice men off the road and confuse them. Once the men are disoriented, the ghouls proceed to feast on their flesh.
The Story Of Count Dracula....
Transylvania produced a leader known as a defender of the Christian faith, a Romanian hero, and a subhuman monster. His name was Prince Vlad, but the world knows him by his nickname: Dracula. Vlad, or Dracula, was born in 1431 in Transylvania into a noble family. His father was called "Dracul," meaning "dragon" or "devil" in Romanian because he belonged to the Order of the Dragon, which fought the Muslim Ottoman Empire. Therefore young Vlad was "son of the dragon" or "son of the devil." Scholars believe this was the beginning of the legend that Dracula was a vampire. Dracula lived in a time of constant war. Transylvania was at the frontier of two great empires: the Ottoman Turks and the Austrian Hapsburgs. Treachery, vindictiveness, and revenge ruled the day, as young Dracula soon discovered. Dracula was imprisoned, first by the Turks, who hauled him away in chains, and later by the Hungarians. Dracula's father was murdered, while his older brother, Mircea, was blinded with red-hot iron stakes and buried alive.
From 1448 until his death in 1476, Dracula ruled Walachia and Transylvania, both part of Romania today. Twice he lost and reclaimed his throne, once by fighting his own brother, Radu. Although the Vatican once praised him for defending Christianity, it disapproved of his methods, which soon became infamous. Dracula earned another nickname, "Vlad Tepes" (pronounced tsep-pesh), which means "Vlad the Impaler." Dracula's favorite method of torture was to impale people and leave them to writhe in agony, often for days. As a warning to others, the bodies would remain on rods as vultures and blackbirds nibbled the rotting flesh.
During one battle, Dracula retreated into nearby mountains, impaling people as he went. The Turkish advance was halted because the sultan could not bear the stench from the decaying corpses. Another time, Dracula was reported to have eaten a meal on a table set up outside amidst hundreds of impaled victims outdoors. On occasion he was also reported to have eaten bread dipped in blood. Dracula was killed in December 1476 fighting the Turks near Bucharest, Romania, hiss head was cut off and displayed in Constantinople.
Belief in vampires and the power of blood is as old as mankind. Early man smeared himself in blood and sometimes drank it. The ancient Chinese, Egyptians, Babylonians, Greeks, and Romans all believed in vampires. The Jewish Talmud tells of Lilith, Adam's disobedient first wife, who was transformed into a monster roaming the night. In the Americas, the early Indians of Peru believed in devil worshippers who sucked blood from sleeping youths to get their life, while the Aztecs sacrificed victims to ensure the sun would continue to rise, removing the beating hearts from their victims and holding them high in the air. In Transylvania, with its blend of Hungarian, Romanian, and Gypsy beliefs, belief in vampires has been particularly strong.
Orthodox Christians believe the soul does not leave the body for the afterlife until 40 days after burial. When an Orthodox Christian is excommunicated, or converts to another faith, it is said that the earth will not receive his body, forcing him to wander. Some Mongolian peoples of Central Asia believe in the vampire and a bat god. Since Hungarians migrated to Europe from the steppes of Asia, it is probable they shared this belief.
Fun Halloween Recipe! - Vampires Blood Shake
Ingredients:
2 cups plain yogurt
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 package frozen strawberries or raspberries
thawed ice cubes
1 pint strawberry ice cream
1.Mix yogurt, vanilla, and berries in the blender.
2.Pour into tall glasses over ice cubes, or chill.
3.Top with a big spoonful of strawberry ice cream.
Movies For Halloween
Halloween (1978)
Halloween II (1981)
Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982)
Halloween 4: The return of Michael Myers (1988)
Halloween 5: The revenge of Michael Myers (1989)
Halloween: The curse of Michael Myers (1995)
Halloween H20: 20 years later (1998)
Halloween: Resurrection (2002)
Halloween (2007)
Halloween II (2009)
And my Favourite - Leslie Nielson in Dracula Dead And Loving It
Find out more in our Halloween History
Celebrate the year's spookiest holiday with these essential creepy cuts.