Meet Our Ghoulish Neighbours

I wasn't kidding when I said the neighbours took decorating to a whole new level.

There are people dressed up as horror movie characters (Freddie, Jason, et al) and lurking in the shadows of the alley, ready to pounce on the drive-by gawkers. I kept my distance on the far side of the wall, but somebody thought it would be hilarious to sic their Doberman on me through the car window, a la The Omen*, which you'll see three-quarters of the way through the video. I was too shocked to squeak any expletives.

What's even MORE scary than that is the sight of irresponsible parents taking their young children to view these ghastly scenes I'd rate PG-13, then have the gall to shout at their kids for crying! You can even hear a youngster wailing in the video, after the first transition. I was ready to bop this one father who chased after his sobbing daughter, no more than seven years old in my estimations, spooked and running away from the haunted house.

"It's FAKE!" he yelled at the top of his lungs, trying to corner her. If he wasn't in a sprint, I could've flung my bag filled with camera equipment and a small pumpkin (which I got for free there) at his empty head like an Olympic hammer toss and clocked him one.

People like that deserve a good old-fashioned GOURDING, if you ask me.


* The Omen is one of those films I saw early in life that scar(r)ed me for years, second only to The Exorcist, of course. I even made myself watch those films again as an adult to try and rid myself of their lasting effects, but they were just as frightening the second time around!! Like a masochist, I watched The Exorcist I, II, and III consecutively -- an all-night run at The Cameo, an indie filmhouse in Edinburgh. Nobody wanted to go to sleep after that!