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Looking for something to do in between trick or treating and celebrating All Saints Day? Well, why not catch up on some Halloween reading? After all, this is the time of year all the big boys and girls blog about the same stuff we do here all year round. Best to take advantage of it while you can.

First up, Taylor Marshall from the Caterbury Tales offers up his Top Ten Suggestions to Have a Catholic Halloween. I couldn’t help but chuckle when he suggests refraining from passing out religious literature instead of candy. Methinks perhaps that Mr. Marshall once fell victim to those well meaning, but ultimately insane, Chick tracts just as I once did. You can be sure that happened to Fr. Joe from Southern Fried Catholicism, who while discussing the surprisingly holy origins of Halloween, recollects the popular ‘Judgment Houses” many protestant churches put up in the 90s. But you know, rather than ponder too long on what some nut jobs gave done the holiday, why not stop by The Crescat’s place and consider The Virtue of Halloween instead (it’s worth it just to see the homemade costume of KISS’ Paul Stanley she wore as a child). But whatever way you choose to approach Halloween bemoans Danielle Bean at Crisis Magazine, please don’t mommify it! “The Church doesn’t ignore pain, fear, evil, and death.” she notes, and neither should we.

Now as you might expect us to around these parts, we spend the evening watching scary movies. And we’re hardly the only ones. Even a non-horror fan like Red Cardigan from And Sometimes Tea manages to step out of her comfort zone during this time of year and surprisingly finds some enjoyment in The Walking Dead (at least the parts she keeps her eyes open during). It’s all enough to make Paul Jarzembowski from Spirtual Popcorn wonder just what can scary movies teach us? There’s something to them, that’s for sure. Take for instance Fr. Dennis Kriz, OSM, who on his personal blog manages to find some Marian Imagery in the Terminator, or the Curt Jester, who while musing on those bygone days before his conversion, questions to what extent his atheism led to his love of movies involving horror and supernaturalism.

Well, it’s time to carve some Jack O’ Lanterns and get the boy suited up for trick or treating, so I’ll be going now. If you still need some more reading material, The Happy Catholic has some good links of her own worth exploring this All Hallows Eve. Stay safe everyone, hope none of you get a Chick tract this year. Or any Mary Janes. Man I always hated getting a bag full of those when I was a kid.