Halloween 2021 Countdown!
- Thread starter SolidSnake84
- Start date
- Watchers 21
As promised, here are my final thoughts on the "13 Days of Halloween" podcast.
What is it?
"13 Days of Halloween" is a podcast produced by iHeartRadio and Grim & Mild, which is the production company for the popular "Lore" podcast. There were, predictably, 13 episodes created for the 2020 Halloween season.
The Premise:
You, the listener, are a traveler who is spending an extended stay at Hawthorne Manor, a mysterious bed & breakfast built long ago by an eccentric architect who had some dark secrets. You're not alone either; as you explore the different rooms of the manor, you encounter other visitors to the manor who tell you their tales. As you listen you are thrown back into their pasts to relive the story along with them. But who are these weirdos and why exactly are they here? And why does the creepy Caretaker (played by Keegan Michael-Key) have a penchant for following you around? And why does he insist that you visit with each individual?
The stories told in "13 Days of Halloween" are not related, so it's best to think of this podcast as an anthology. Only a few of the stories actually have a direct connection to the mysteries of the manor itself, so listen carefully for clues...
The Good:
The podcast starts out strong with one of the best stories right off the bat. Most of the vocal performances are exceptional and do a fantastic job of providing a suitably creepy atmosphere so that your imagination can run wild. Since the stories aren't connected in any meaningful way, you can listen to the episodes really in any order (except for the first and perhaps the last two). The short introductory "speeches" by the Caretaker at the beginning and end of each episode provide just enough lore to keep you guessing at what exactly the big deal about Hawthorne Manor is. Sound design is excellent if you're wearing headphones or even better if you are playing the podcast over surround sound.
The Bad:
Since none of the stories are connected, some are weaker than others and can be skipped entirely without having any bearing on the overarching tale. In fact, the podcast honestly could have been shortened to the "6-7 Days of Halloween" by keeping just the best stories, and it would have been a stronger, more polished production. Additionally, in spite of having of plenty of discourse with the manor's residents and the Caretaker, there is a huge exposition dump in the last episode that leads to even more questions and one major plot hole. With there being 13 episodes total, most of these details could have easily been distributed throughout at least the last 3-4 without giving anything away to the audience.
Closing Thoughts:
Is "13 Days of Halloween" still worth your time? Overall, I'd say yes. None of the episodes are over 22 minutes long, so it's a minimal investment, and there are some true gems among the thirteen episodes that you'll want to return to each Halloween. However, I would love it if Grim & Mild produced a follow-up series in 2021, perhaps with a different setting and an entirely new anthology of tales. As I mentioned before, there is a startling lack of supernatural occurences in this series, and most of these tales seem to be geared towards shock value at the abhorrent nature of human behavior. This does work for a few of the stories; after all, sometimes real life is more terrifying than fiction. It seems that the strongest episodes of the podcast all have a supernatural element, however, and if a 2021 follow-up were to exist, it should leverage that to its advantage.
Best Episodes:
The Entrance
The Sunrise Lounge
The Attic
The Bathhouse
The Winding Stair
The Observatory
The Master Suite
What is it?
"13 Days of Halloween" is a podcast produced by iHeartRadio and Grim & Mild, which is the production company for the popular "Lore" podcast. There were, predictably, 13 episodes created for the 2020 Halloween season.
The Premise:
You, the listener, are a traveler who is spending an extended stay at Hawthorne Manor, a mysterious bed & breakfast built long ago by an eccentric architect who had some dark secrets. You're not alone either; as you explore the different rooms of the manor, you encounter other visitors to the manor who tell you their tales. As you listen you are thrown back into their pasts to relive the story along with them. But who are these weirdos and why exactly are they here? And why does the creepy Caretaker (played by Keegan Michael-Key) have a penchant for following you around? And why does he insist that you visit with each individual?
The stories told in "13 Days of Halloween" are not related, so it's best to think of this podcast as an anthology. Only a few of the stories actually have a direct connection to the mysteries of the manor itself, so listen carefully for clues...
The Good:
The podcast starts out strong with one of the best stories right off the bat. Most of the vocal performances are exceptional and do a fantastic job of providing a suitably creepy atmosphere so that your imagination can run wild. Since the stories aren't connected in any meaningful way, you can listen to the episodes really in any order (except for the first and perhaps the last two). The short introductory "speeches" by the Caretaker at the beginning and end of each episode provide just enough lore to keep you guessing at what exactly the big deal about Hawthorne Manor is. Sound design is excellent if you're wearing headphones or even better if you are playing the podcast over surround sound.
The Bad:
Since none of the stories are connected, some are weaker than others and can be skipped entirely without having any bearing on the overarching tale. In fact, the podcast honestly could have been shortened to the "6-7 Days of Halloween" by keeping just the best stories, and it would have been a stronger, more polished production. Additionally, in spite of having of plenty of discourse with the manor's residents and the Caretaker, there is a huge exposition dump in the last episode that leads to even more questions and one major plot hole. With there being 13 episodes total, most of these details could have easily been distributed throughout at least the last 3-4 without giving anything away to the audience.
Closing Thoughts:
Is "13 Days of Halloween" still worth your time? Overall, I'd say yes. None of the episodes are over 22 minutes long, so it's a minimal investment, and there are some true gems among the thirteen episodes that you'll want to return to each Halloween. However, I would love it if Grim & Mild produced a follow-up series in 2021, perhaps with a different setting and an entirely new anthology of tales. As I mentioned before, there is a startling lack of supernatural occurences in this series, and most of these tales seem to be geared towards shock value at the abhorrent nature of human behavior. This does work for a few of the stories; after all, sometimes real life is more terrifying than fiction. It seems that the strongest episodes of the podcast all have a supernatural element, however, and if a 2021 follow-up were to exist, it should leverage that to its advantage.
Best Episodes:
The Entrance
The Sunrise Lounge
The Attic
The Bathhouse
The Winding Stair
The Observatory
The Master Suite
Didn't get to check in yesterday to report on our Halfoween. But boy we had fun! The girls came in their half-costumes and we had bags of treats and watched not too scary scary movies. Was sad to put the skeleton away. I am sure I heard it say it was sad to be put away too, but that might just have come from watching "Don't Look Under the Bed."
26 weeks! I almost feel like I am behind on sowing my pumpkin seeds! LOL!
DAYS TO HALLOWEEN : 181
DAYS TO OCTOBER 1ST: 151
DAYS TO JOL DAY: 28
WEEKS TO OCTOBER: 21
WEEKS TO HALLOWEEN: 25
Good Morning! Some serious looking counts in here this morning! Tomorrow is a BIG DAY! 150 Days to October! WOW.
I've went on about it a lot, but I really had a terrific Halfoween weekend. Sounds like everyone did. That makes me really happy.
Now we are off to start the new week! 1st full week of May, can you believe that!
Have a great Monday, friends!
DAYS TO OCTOBER 1ST: 151
DAYS TO JOL DAY: 28
WEEKS TO OCTOBER: 21
WEEKS TO HALLOWEEN: 25
Good Morning! Some serious looking counts in here this morning! Tomorrow is a BIG DAY! 150 Days to October! WOW.
I've went on about it a lot, but I really had a terrific Halfoween weekend. Sounds like everyone did. That makes me really happy.
Now we are off to start the new week! 1st full week of May, can you believe that!
Have a great Monday, friends!
Big 1-5-0 tomorrow! Everything seems to move faster after breaking the 150 barrier (I mean, look at where we are on the Bers count already), so let's see if we end up speeding through summer. There are some good times ahead!
DAYS TO HALLOWEEN : 180
DAYS TO OCTOBER 1ST: 150
DAYS TO JOL DAY: 27
**MILESTONE DAY**
DAYS TO OCTOBER 1ST: 150
DAYS TO JOL DAY: 27
**MILESTONE DAY**
Good Morning Halloween Fans! We've done it again, we've reach another milestone day! It just seems like they are coming easier and easier now that we have "broke the seal" so to speak on reaching the half way point. Just seems like the sightings of the coming Halloween and Fall are getting easier to spot without looking too hard.
Everybody else is looking forward to those long summer days, but there are a few of us in here that are looking forward to a particular date, June 21st to be exact. That is the date that the days begin to get shorter. Just mere seconds at first, but within a matter of weeks, it grows to minutes by the day. Since it is such a big part of my march towards the Bers, I plan on having a special post about it, and some other special things when we get closer to them.
I was mildly bummed out that last week at my farmer's market, I only was able to find small bottles of Cherry Cider. So since necessity is the mother of invention as they say, I have begun researching / scouring the internet for recipes / concoctions that I can make as my own. I look forward to sharing the results here!
I hope everyone has a great TUESDAY!
THIS. The day after the summer solstice is a huge day for me every year. Not to mention it's followed pretty quickly by Leon Day. It's definitely a turning point for me as I trudge through summer, and I can't wait to see what special posts you have planned!
Fellow spooks, ghouls, and assorted Halloween folk: It's time once again for the Seasonal Candy of the Week! Halfoween might be over, but HALLOWEEN is still yet to come, and this week we're continuing our preview of what you can expect to find on shelves as we inch ever closer to the big day!
Last year this candy was conspicuously absent, and I believe we have the pandemic to blame for that. However, this year we're seeing the triumphant return of one of my personal favorites: White Pumpkin Pie M&Ms!
I may have talked at length about these before, but I really love these M&Ms. In 2019 I found them for sale as early as July in Cracker Barrel, of all places! The M&M itself is white chocolate with a mild pumpkin spice flavor, and it's the "holiday size" meaning that it's bigger than a regular plain M&M. If you've ever had Holiday Mint M&Ms (which are my absolute favorite) then you know what I'm talking about. Truthfully, they border on being almost too sweet, so don't expect to eat through an entire bag in one sitting.
Have you ever tried White Pumpkin Pie M&Ms before? If so, what did you think? If not, would you try them this year, or is this one a pass? Discuss!
I hope you all have a delightful Tuesday!
Last year this candy was conspicuously absent, and I believe we have the pandemic to blame for that. However, this year we're seeing the triumphant return of one of my personal favorites: White Pumpkin Pie M&Ms!
I may have talked at length about these before, but I really love these M&Ms. In 2019 I found them for sale as early as July in Cracker Barrel, of all places! The M&M itself is white chocolate with a mild pumpkin spice flavor, and it's the "holiday size" meaning that it's bigger than a regular plain M&M. If you've ever had Holiday Mint M&Ms (which are my absolute favorite) then you know what I'm talking about. Truthfully, they border on being almost too sweet, so don't expect to eat through an entire bag in one sitting.
Have you ever tried White Pumpkin Pie M&Ms before? If so, what did you think? If not, would you try them this year, or is this one a pass? Discuss!
I hope you all have a delightful Tuesday!
Yeah, love these ones. Were they not out last year? I have a memory of eating a couple bags, but maybe not...hmmm...Im starting to hallucinate pumpkin spice candy...
If they were out last year, they were scarce. I could not find a trace of them anywhere.
DAYS TO HALLOWEEN : 179
DAYS TO OCTOBER 1ST: 149
DAYS TO JOL DAY: 26
Good Morning! Snazzy new set of numbers to take in this morning! "Days to October 1st" now in the 140's, and a little farther down the road is "Days to Halloween" ,which is now in the 170's !
I haven't made a trip back to the Hobby Lobby yet to see how they are coming along with the fall decorations. Maybe I will see more when I go this week. I'm planning a trip for tomorrow evening. I'm basically at the point in the "season" now where I go once a week to admire everything that they have put up holiday wise. Seeing the Christmas stuff in there is gonna be a big deal, I can't wait. I hope it's soon!
We've got a cool day ahead of us, and very October like in spirit, with the scattered rain storms, although the rain moves out of here by 9 am.
Have a great Wednesday folks!
DAYS TO OCTOBER 1ST: 149
DAYS TO JOL DAY: 26
Good Morning! Snazzy new set of numbers to take in this morning! "Days to October 1st" now in the 140's, and a little farther down the road is "Days to Halloween" ,which is now in the 170's !
I haven't made a trip back to the Hobby Lobby yet to see how they are coming along with the fall decorations. Maybe I will see more when I go this week. I'm planning a trip for tomorrow evening. I'm basically at the point in the "season" now where I go once a week to admire everything that they have put up holiday wise. Seeing the Christmas stuff in there is gonna be a big deal, I can't wait. I hope it's soon!
We've got a cool day ahead of us, and very October like in spirit, with the scattered rain storms, although the rain moves out of here by 9 am.
Have a great Wednesday folks!
If I have time after church tonight, I will make a run to HL to see "what's new".
DAYS TO HALLOWEEN : 178
DAYS TO OCTOBER 1ST: 148
DAYS TO JOL DAY: 25
Good Morning Halloween Fans! We are still marching along to Halloween, but now that it's Thursday, we are marching along to the Weekend! Thank goodness!
I was presently surprised yesterday afternoon at the office, when a discussion about Fall suddenly broke out. It felt amazing! Here I was talking about all the things I love, Apple Cider, apple butter, everything you could think of that we talk about in here all the time! And speaking of Apple Cider, you guys know I've been working on a cherry cider concoction in my spare time. I'm happy to report that I have it at about 90% "there". Just a bit more tweaking, and I can share with the group for anyone who likes Cherry Apple Cider!
Now that we are in May, I feel like I'm rationalizing stuff even more as my brain begins to wrap around the comforting fact pretty soon, we are gonna buckle up and take that 100 day ride back to The Bers. Heck even as we stand today, we are just 87 days out from what I call "Fall Preseason", and that's the dawning of August 1st.
My head started going this way when we started having the early discussions about Christmas in July on the main Christmas countdown thread. How exciting! I hope everyone has a great Thursday! Almost the weekend!
DAYS TO OCTOBER 1ST: 148
DAYS TO JOL DAY: 25
Good Morning Halloween Fans! We are still marching along to Halloween, but now that it's Thursday, we are marching along to the Weekend! Thank goodness!
I was presently surprised yesterday afternoon at the office, when a discussion about Fall suddenly broke out. It felt amazing! Here I was talking about all the things I love, Apple Cider, apple butter, everything you could think of that we talk about in here all the time! And speaking of Apple Cider, you guys know I've been working on a cherry cider concoction in my spare time. I'm happy to report that I have it at about 90% "there". Just a bit more tweaking, and I can share with the group for anyone who likes Cherry Apple Cider!
Now that we are in May, I feel like I'm rationalizing stuff even more as my brain begins to wrap around the comforting fact pretty soon, we are gonna buckle up and take that 100 day ride back to The Bers. Heck even as we stand today, we are just 87 days out from what I call "Fall Preseason", and that's the dawning of August 1st.
My head started going this way when we started having the early discussions about Christmas in July on the main Christmas countdown thread. How exciting! I hope everyone has a great Thursday! Almost the weekend!
I just realized that next month is usually when I start working on my Bers playlist. That's awesome. I can't wait to get started.
Also, I'm really glad you maintain a Fall Preseason count. It's one of those counts that doesn't really fit in any existing thread but one that I love keeping up with all the same. I know we celebrate milestones all throughout the year, but August is really when I come alive. By that point I've already rationalized putting up my Fall decorations, and the rest of the neighborhood can either jump on the train or get out of the way.
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