Nestled against the Hudson River at the far end of the Tappan Zee Bridge lies the small hamlet of Tarrytown. A quiet village, it has a large history, most notably as the setting for the classic story The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.
Though these days, Sleepy Hollow is its own entity, having broken apart from Tarrytown in 1996. Why is any of this relevant? Because it’s one of literature’s most famous towns and is the perfect spot for a Halloween getaway.
Recently, I spent a weekend in Tarrytown. Well, Irvington to be exact but it’s yet another town dedicated to the memory of Washington Irving, the writer of Sleepy Hollow as well as Rip Van Winkle. In case it wasn’t obvious, Irvington is named after Washington Irving, and a statue of Rip Van Winkle sits outside of the town hall in honor of him.
Tarrytown and Sleepy Hollow both offer a number of attractions for spook seekers, a few of which I was able to experience for myself. On Saturday, my wife, our friends and I visited the Van Cortlandt Manor in Croton-on-Hudson, an area slightly north of Sleepy Hollow, for the Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze. Featuring massive displays of carved pumpkins amazingly posed and lit, the Blaze was definitely a sight. One of the first things we saw was a rendering of the Tappan Zee Bridge, all in pumpkins, dubbed the Pumpkin Zee Bridge. Things only got better from there.
A Jurassic Park, a Circus Train, even a Pumpkin Planetarium featuring shooting stars and supernovas are bound to astonish even the most jaded visitor. After all, they wowed me and I’m mostly anhedonic.
“Welcome…to Jurassic Gourd.”
Following up the Jack O’Lantern Blaze, we visited the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery to join one of their many walking tours. We signed up for “Murder and Mayhem,” an evening walking tour. They provided us with kerosene lanterns to light our way and brought us around to some of the creepier plots in the cemetery.
A few of the stops included a woman who was dubbed “the wickedest woman in New York,” the victims of what was called “the Sleepy Hollow Massacre” and Leona Helmsley. It was a two-hour tour, so definitely worth the price of admission given everything that we saw.
And creepy-ass spiders.
Oh, and we also made a stop at the cross that was used by the Ramones for their Pet Sematary music video.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get many decent pictures, what with the pitch darkness and everything, but the few I did snap came out pretty good (I think, at least).
There are many other attractions (is attractions the right word for the graves of famous dead people?) hidden in the cemetery, like Washington Irving’s plot (duh), Andrew Carnegie’s resting place and the William Rockefeller mausoleum. The cemetery also allows free, self-guided tours so you can visit during the day and check out the sights without fear of running into the Headless Horseman.
Just kidding. The Headless Horseman shows up during the day, too.
That’s all that we had time to experience while in Sleepy Hollow but there’s plenty of other things to check out. Like the Horseman’s Hollow, a haunted house event that takes place in the historic Phillipsburg Manor. Though I wanted to experience Horseman’s Hollow, I was outvoted by my travelling companions so I had to make do with taking pictures of the effigies hanging in the parking lot. If you’re into haunted houses and being scared out of your gourd, check out the Hollow. (In fact, let me know how it is, too!)
“How ya doin’?”
Do also visit the Headless Horsemen monuments right across the street. The marble carving is an elegant tribute to the classic tale but the iron statue in the middle of the roadway is an amazing sight. Believe it or not, we almost missed it when we visited the area during the day. (No, I have no idea how we overlooked something so large.)
There’s also Sunnyside, a tour of Washington Irving’s home. The tour features a number of artworks inspired by The Legend of Sleepy Hollow as well as a look at the space where Irving wrote his famous stories. Sunnyside is named after the town as it was called during Irving’s day.
You can also check out a short performance of the Legend in the Old Dutch Church, which is a spit and a stone’s throw from the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery. Tickets for the show are $25 and it only lasts for about 45 minutes. Not having seen it myself, I can’t say the cost is justified, but I’d think any kind of live performance of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is worth it, especially during the Halloween season.
Even though I only experienced a fraction of what Sleepy Hollow boasts, I still had a great time. All in all, the town is a great choice for a spooky, Halloween filled getaway, second only to Salem, MA. If you’re looking for an inexpensive jaunt out of town and want to fill it with as many family-friendly creeps as you can, Sleepy Hollow is a great choice.
Are you planning any Halloween themed getaways this year? Let us know in the comments below, or on Twitter @SubCultured! Don’t forget to check out our Patreon page and join our Discord server!
BOO-It-Yourself Halloween Costumes – Terra from Teen Titans!
Ten Family Friendly Halloween Movies!
BOO-It-Yourself Halloween Costumes – Ariel from The Little Mermaid!
NaNoWriMo Starter Prompts And Exercises
BOO-It-Yourself Halloween Costumes – Regina George
Five Albums To Flesh Out Your Halloween Music Playlist
With Halloween around the corner, we dove into our closets and skimmed the surface of the internet to find quick and easy costumes to please all manner of costume and cosplay enthusiasts! Our focus today is on the rock steady Terra from Teen Titans!
| Crop Top | Shorts | Shoes | Belt | Wig | Eyeliner |
Take a black turtleneck from the back of your closet and cut off the midriff. Or, alternatively, grab one from Amazon, where we found all of our items to put this costume together. If yellow shorts aren’t usually a staple in your own wardrobe, you can find them online or Forever 21. The boots we purchased from Amazon are actually adorable and incredibly priced if you don’t have a comparable pair for daily wear.
For accessories, most garages will yield work gloves of questionable origin for free. We also found a basic utility belt on Amazon and paired it with a long blonde wig. Any shade of blonde will work to make this costume recognizable as long as its straight with no bangs.
Terra, like the rest of us, was growing up as a member of the Teen Titans before the availability of YouTube makeup tutorials. As a result, she fell into the same teenage practice most of us did. Eyeliner. Lots of eyeliner. Any eyeliner in your drawer will do, however we like Tarte’s Double Take as it includes both a pencil and a liquid for the price of one. Add some bronzer and a swipe of nude lipstick and youre good to go!
Take costume to the next level by convincing a friend to accompany you as Beast Boy! Or Slade, if you’re more into older men. Now go do horrible things and have absolutely no regrets!
Planning on making this costume? Working on some other DIY awesome? Let us know in the comments below, on Twitter @SubCultured, or come party like its 1599 in our Discord server! When you’re done, wind down with Ten Family Friendly Halloween Movies to help lull the kiddos into a candy coma! Afterward, you can set the mood with Five Albums to Flesh Out Your Halloween Playlist and huddle under the covers with Netflix and Chilling – Halloween Movie Edition.
BOO-It-Yourself Halloween Costumes – Ariel from The Little Mermaid!
BOO-It-Yourself Halloween Costumes – Misa Amane
BOO-It-Yourself Halloween Costumes – L from Death Note!
BOO-It-Yourself Halloween Costumes – Regina The Evil Queen!
BOO-It-Yourself Halloween Costumes – Amaterasu
BOO-It-Yourself Halloween Costumes – Connie Maheswaran
Looking for Family Friendly Halloween films? We get it. You have kids. Or you’re scared of the dark, or whatever. Here’s ten movies for you and your tinies for when you’re ready to take a break from the Hocus Pocus marathon playing on ABC’s Freeform!
SCOOBY DOO
The Scooby Doo movie is perfect. That’s all there is to it. It’s a wonderful, lovely, hilarious movie that DEFINITELY deserved a sequel. Using “Who Let the Dogs Out” by The Baha Men in the soundtrack was a subtle, nuanced choice that just exemplifies the tact behind every other decision made while filming. The cartoon characters are ACTUALLY brought to life – literally, not figuratively – by the cast. Plus, it’s where Sarah Michelle Gellar and Freddie Prinz Jr. fell in love. Probably. Which makes it a classic of the early 2000s.
EDWARD SCISSORHANDS
Throw a dart at a list of Tim Burton movies and any one of them could fit right into a Halloween list. Of all of Burton’s creations, Edward Scissorhands is one of the most recognizable, but also one that fans don’t find time to watch very often. It’s a beautiful film about a young Johnny Depp and Winona Rider falling in love over snowflakes, before things turned upside down. Along the way, Johnny Depp gives some suburban housewives much better hairstyles and Nick Carter makes a cameo. And that’s all I’d like to say about that.
THE ADDAMS FAMILY
Everyone’s family is a little weird, except for the Addams family. The Addams Family takes you back to a time when Angelica Huston’s matriarch reigned supreme. Though tiny Christina Ricci’s portrayal of Wednesday Addams as displeased with the sun and pretty much everything else in the universe is brilliantly sadistic, Lurch is the clear winner of best character by a landslide. Or a Lurch. There’s a pun there.
THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS
You knew we’d mention it at some point. Is it a Christmas movie? Is it a Halloween movie? Who knows. Throw away your preconceived notions and your Hot Topic fingerless gloves and just put the movie in already. Because there are few who deny at what it does it is the best and its talents are renowned far and wide. When it comes to surprises in the moonlit night this film excels without ever even trying. With the slightest little effort of its ghost-like charms it has seen grown men give out a shriek. With the wave of its hand and a well-placed moan it has swept the very bravest (toddlers) off their feet.
HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER’S STONE
Harry Potter is the best movie for all holidays, and yet it seems the most appropriate on Halloween and Christmas. It might be the only thing (besides both being on this list) that Sorcerer’s Stone and Nightmare Before Christmas have in common, besides a plethora of products at, you guessed it, Hot Topic. Keep an eye out for trolls in the dungeon and the inevitable eight part movie marathons.
IT’S THE GREAT PUMPKIN, CHARLIE BROWN
Linus Van Pelt proves he’s not just a philosophy spouting mouthpiece but a kid after all as he believes in The Great Pumpkin; an Easter-Bunny-meets-Santa-Claus rip-off that only Linus seems to believe in. If you see someone wearing a ghost sheet with multiple eye holes all over, it’s from this. Or if you’re in need of a simple, last minute Halloween costume.
GHOSTBUSTERS
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International film star Rick Moranis blows audiences away in another of his classic roles, as the guy who lives down the hall from Sigourney Weaver. Don’t cross the streams, and also don’t think about the stay puft marshmallow man. And also if someone asks if you’re a god, you say yes, Ray. You say yes. Can you believe this movie is 30 years old?
BEETLEJUICE
While Beetlejuice is a great movie to get into the Halloween spirit, this entry might be better suited for your slightly older little ones. Ghosts are the cutest and Michael Keaton is the cutest and Winona Rider makes her second appearance on this list! Win-win-win!
CASPER
Speaking of second appearances. Christina Ricci graces our list once again in the 1995 classic Casper, and 90s babies swooned everywhere when the tiniest Devon Sawa uttered his most famous and not at all creepy line, “Can I keep you?” Even if you aren’t introducing your kids to it, this movie is definitely worth a rewatch for nostalgia’s sake alone.
PARANORMAN
Kid talks to dead people. Puritans were bonkers. Classic pun name. Don’t live in New England. Moral of the story? Bullying isn’t nice.
Need some more adult oriented Halloween ideas for once the kiddos are lulled into a candy coma? We’ve got you covered! Set the mood with Five Albums to Flesh Out Your Halloween Playlist, pop in one of The Four Scariest Video Games For Halloween, or huddle under the covers with Netflix and Chilling – Halloween Movie Edition. Have any suggestions? You can let us know on Twitter @SubCultured or come party like its 1599 in our Discord server!
Halloween Haunts | Visiting Sleepy Hollow
BOO-It-Yourself Halloween Costumes – Terra from Teen Titans!
BOO-It-Yourself Halloween Costumes – Ariel from The Little Mermaid!
NaNoWriMo Starter Prompts And Exercises
BOO-It-Yourself Halloween Costumes – Regina George
Five Albums To Flesh Out Your Halloween Music Playlist
With Halloween around the corner, we dove into our closets and skimmed the surface of the internet to find quick and easy costumes to please all manner of costume and cosplay enthusiasts! Our focus today is on Ariel from The Little Mermaid! In her human form, obviously. Unless you want to freeze your seashells off, which is totally your business.
Skirt | Top | Shoes | Corset | Wig | Lipstick | Bow
Sure, you could head over to Hot Topic and get their short and screen printed version. But we’re going for authentic and affordability over here!
When you break it down, there are four key elements to Ariel’s human look, and they’re not as hard to find as you may think. A quick trip to Amazon will yield you a blue chiffon maxi skirt and flowy bohemian top. If you’re really a stickler for screen accuracy, you could always dye the top a powdery blue with a quick trip to the fabric store. Otherwise, just pair those two items with a basic black overbust corset from the Halloween store or the internet and you’re almost done! Once those items are out of the way, now is the time to search through your closet. If you don’t own basic flats or the ribbon to make a hairbow, toss them in your cart for a few extra dollars.
Keep the makeup neutral with some bold elements, like a bright red lip and big false lashes to play up Ariel’s wide-eyed innocence. We like Bite Lipsticks, but really, any red will do so long as it doesn’t clash.
Grab a long red wig with a heavy bang as your last Amazon purchase, brush out the curls to get a little beach wave going, and hairspray the bangs as high as you dare. Just a little twirl here and a yank there and voila! You’ve got an aesthetically pleasing configuration of hair that humans go nuts over.
Take costume to the next level by grabbing a fork from the kitchen and running it through your wig or convincing another person to tag along as your Eric! At this rate, you’ll be kissed by sunset for sure.
Planning on making this costume? Doing some other DIY awesome? Want to check out the rest of our BOO-It-Yourself Halloween Costumes and Decor? Show me all your spook-tacular creations on Twitter @SubCultured or come party like its 1599 in our Discord server! When you’re done, wind down with Ten Family Friendly Halloween Movies to help lull the kiddos into a candy coma! Afterward, you can set the mood with Five Albums to Flesh Out Your Halloween Playlist and huddle under the covers with Netflix and Chilling – Halloween Movie Edition.
BOO-It-Yourself Halloween Costumes – Terra from Teen Titans!
BOO-It-Yourself Halloween Costumes – Misa Amane
BOO-It-Yourself Halloween Costumes – L from Death Note!
BOO-It-Yourself Halloween Costumes – Regina The Evil Queen!
BOO-It-Yourself Halloween Costumes – Amaterasu
BOO-It-Yourself Halloween Costumes – Connie Maheswaran
For those who are unfamiliar, National Novel Writing Month is an annual online challenge for aspiring writers to complete a first draft of a short novel (50,000 words) during the month of November. The goal is to get people writing, foster creative thinking, output, as well as jumpstarting possible careers through the completion of rough first drafts writers can later revisit and expand on. If you’re already a writer and a yearly participator, then you’re probably well on your way towards your goal, and if you’re not, that’s okay too. Whether you’re reaching the pivotal moment where your character learns their true power or still struggling with that first twist, or hey even a name for your lead, we have a list of practice writing exercises and prompts to get your gears going for the day!
As you sit down to write for the day, choose one prompt or exercise and using it as your base, write for 15-30 minutes as a warm-up. You can use your current characters to help build their personalities for your main NaNo text, or jump in and create something new. You might be surprised by what you can make.
- Have a character be caught doing an activity or saying something atypical to their established personality and or interests. Have them then justify why they are doing what they are doing or why they said it.
- She walked into the room, closing her emerald colored umbrella.
- Pythons had nothing on this.
- These trees, naturally, were very good at killing people.
“Image courtesy of National Novel Writing Month.”
- “Put that down, it could rip your arm off.”
- The truth hung heavy on her wrist.
- By the time it cooled, we were ready.
- Have character reveal a secret to another character or to the reader.
- Parlez-vous français? Does your character speak another language? Have them have to use it.
- “Just carrying that in made you annoyed?”
- The face that broke her was one seldom seen.
- He chewed through the marshmallow, furious.
- They were there after all.
- “It’s not safe here,” she said, “meet me by the café at 11. Listen for the whistle.”
- Playing croquet was supposed to be boring, but the appearance of a lone ringed finger on the court made everything hysterical.
- He thought he was alone, until he heard an owl screech by the train car window.
- Eris Interrupting a Party: Have an obstacle, object or persion that everyone in one room wants for themselves or must overcome appear or occur in a room of your characters. How does each person try to get what they want?
- Luck was not a factor here.
- If it wasn’t for the jeweled dagger stuck through my hand, I would have laughed too.
- Make your character fiddle with an object while they think/speak.
Happy writing!
Max Eber
Staff Writer
@maxlikescomics
Halloween Haunts | Visiting Sleepy Hollow
BOO-It-Yourself Halloween Costumes – Terra from Teen Titans!
Ten Family Friendly Halloween Movies!
BOO-It-Yourself Halloween Costumes – Ariel from The Little Mermaid!
BOO-It-Yourself Halloween Costumes – Regina George
Five Albums To Flesh Out Your Halloween Music Playlist
So you’re completely out of time and struggling to find a good DIY option for Halloween? Don’t worry, you got this. We dove into our closets to find quick and easy costumes to please all manner of costume and cosplay enthusiasts! Look no further. Easily one of the most terrorizing characters of all, evil takes a human form in Regina George.
How do I even begin to explain Regina George?
Wait, you didn’t think I meant this costume, did you? If you have all of that in your closet, you are already one of the hardcore girls and clearly don’t need my help. Move along, lovely! We’re going for something a little more obscure, but sure to get some recognition!
There is a good chance you have every single one of these items hanging out in the back of your closet already, waiting to be paired together and put to good use!
Pull a brightly colored bra (preferably purple, but any color will do) from your closet and pair it with a black skirt. Now grab one of those white essential tank tops, because we’re going to sacrifice it to the Halloween gods today. It’s for the greater good.
Like all girls of the early aughts, Regina George favored bright white eye shadow, a little bit of mascara, and a LOT of pink lip gloss. The shinier the better, because that was totally the style back then. Grab a blonde wig, or rock your natural style, since this look is iconic on it’s own. Simply cut two holes in the bra area, slip on your basic black high heels and strut, girl.
With all the pop culture references, everyone will get your costume, and if you don’t own any of the items, it can be made for less than 20 dollars! Want to take this costume to the next level? Grab a pink binder from a bargain store, scribble “Burn Book” on the front, and give it some lipstick love. But don’t be surprised if you see some whispering behind your back. They’re just trying to make “fetch” happen.
Planning on making this costume? Doing some other DIY awesome? Want to check out the rest of our BOO-It-Yourself Halloween Costumes and Decor? Show me all your spook-tacular creations on Twitter @SubCultured or come party like its 1599 in our Discord server! When you’re done, wind down with Ten Family Friendly Halloween Movies to help lull the kiddos into a candy coma! Afterward, you can set the mood with Five Albums to Flesh Out Your Halloween Playlist and huddle under the covers with Netflix and Chilling – Halloween Movie Edition.
Halloween Haunts | Visiting Sleepy Hollow
BOO-It-Yourself Halloween Costumes – Terra from Teen Titans!
Ten Family Friendly Halloween Movies!
BOO-It-Yourself Halloween Costumes – Ariel from The Little Mermaid!
NaNoWriMo Starter Prompts And Exercises
