31 Nights of Halloween: An Unexpected Guest

'Tis the season for old friends dropping in unexpectedly!

Yes... it's that special time of year! Get ready for what's coming!

31 Nights of Halloween: I could not stop for Death

The poem known as "Because I Could Not Stop for Death" or "The Chariot" is considered by many critics and linguists as one of the greatest works ever written in the English language. By Emily Dickinson, it was found among her papers after her death and subsequently edited and published (along with hundreds of other unpublished poems Dickinson penned) in a three-volume collection.

The image above features the first stanza of "Because I Could Not Stop for Death". I suspect that most of you reading these words are familiar with this very famous poem, but if you're not--or if you want to read it again--you can find it in its entirety below. In fact, I am bringing you both versions of the poem--the one that Dickinson left behind and the version published by her friends.

UNTITLED

(commonly known as "Because I Could Not Stop for Death")

Because I could not stop for Death —
He kindly stopped for me —
The Carriage held but just Ourselves —
And Immortality.

We slowly drove — He knew no haste
And I had put away
My labor and my leisure too,
For His Civility —

We passed the School, where Children strove
At Recess — in the Ring —
We passed the Fields of Gazing Grain —
We passed the Setting Sun —

Or rather — He passed Us —
The Dews drew quivering and Chill —
For only Gossamer, my Gown —
My Tippet — only Tulle —

We paused before a House that seemed
A Swelling of the Ground —
The Roof was scarcely visible —
The Cornice — in the Ground —

Since then — 'tis Centuries — and yet
Feels shorter than the Day
I first surmised the Horses' Heads
Were toward Eternity —

THE CHARIOT
(first published version, edited by T.W. Higginson and Mabel Loomis)
Because I could not stop for Death,
He kindly stopped for me;
The carriage held but just ourselves
And Immortality.

We slowly drove, he knew no haste,
And I had put away
My labor, and my leisure too,
For his civility.

We passed the school where children played,
Their lessons scarcely done;
We passed the fields of gazing grain,
We passed the setting sun.

We paused before a house that seemed
A swelling of the ground;
The roof was scarcely visible,
The cornice but a mound.

Since then 'tis centuries; but each
Feels shorter than the day
I first surmised the horses' heads
Were toward eternity.

The 31 Nights of Halloween are here!

 After laying dormant for many months, the Halloween Horde is gathering in shadows. If you pay a visit to this blog each and every evening until October 31, you will have built up the mental strength to face them when they emerge in force.

Each night between now and the Big Day of Halloween, you will find either a short film, some spooky art (and maybe even a poem or two) that will get you in the Halloween Spirit... and make sure you don't end up going mad from fright like poor George here:

(These are but two of the many drawings that you will find in the forthcoming art collection from NUELOW Games Stock Art Collection #25: The Halloween Horde. Look for it next week!)

The 31 Nights of Halloween are coming...

Beginning tomorrow, and running through the end of October, we're going to feature short films, artwork, and music videos that will get you in the proper spirit for the big night on the 31st! This will be the seventh year in a row we've done this... and we hope you'll join us each and every night!

As a warm-up, we're presenting a cautionary tale from writer/director Alex Magana whose work is an anchor-point of this year's celebration; there'll be at least one film by him each week for the month. Similarly, tonight's star Katy Ford will also make several appearances.

Enjoy! And please take consider tonight's story a warning to not be stupid. We want all visitors to Terror Titans to remain safe during the 31 Nights of Halloween!

Bloody Mary (2021)

Starring: Katy Ford

Director: Alex Magana

Rating: Seven of Ten Stars

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If you're into RPGs, click here to check out a post at NUELOW Games for more Bloody Mary. The idea for it came from watching Alex Magana's film.

Tuneful Tuesday with KSHMR

Part animated, part live action. Part black-and-white, part color. Part this, part that... the video for "The Spook" is creative, cool, and creepy. It tells a neat little horror story with music that will stir the Halloween spirit and get your body moving (or stir you to move the bodies, whichever works for you, as this year's 31 Nights of Halloween draws to its inevitable, horrific end!)

Another 31 Nights of Halloween!

Terror Titans shambles back from the grave tomorrow night for the 5th annual 31 Nights of Halloween short film festival. Stop by every night in October for a morsel of horror designed to get you in the mood for the Big Night on the 31st! (There may also be a few surprise film reviews for old time's sake!)

Every day at 4:44pm (Pacific Time, in the U.S.) there will be at least one new post here until Halloween. Some days, there will be several! And if you want even more Halloweenish content, swing by the Shades of Gray blog for horror line-art every Wednesday, as well as reviews of a spooky film or two.