John Lloyd Retzer

Things in the Basement: a History of Halloween Horrors John Lloyd Retzer

Publisher Marketing: Vampires, zombies, werewolves and mad scientists are just a few of the creatures you will meet in Things In The Basement: A History of Halloween Horrors. From the ancient Celtic rituals of Samhain, through the Salem Witchcraft Trials, to modern Zombie outbreaks, this fascinating book examines the history of all things Halloween. Inside, you'll find the stories of Halloween, Trick or Treating, Aliens, Black Cats, Devils, Fortune Telling, Frankenstein's Monster, Ghosts, Ghouls, Goblins, Headless Horsemen, Jack O'Lanterns, Mad Scientists, Mad Slashers and Psychos, Men In Black, Mummies, Robots, Scarecrows, Skeletons, Vampires, Werewolves, Witches and Zombies. Marketing studies show that seventy percent of Americans celebrate Halloween in some fashion. Overall, it's the third most popular Holiday, behind Christmas and Thanksgiving. In 2011, Americans collectively spent nearly $7 billion on costumes, candy and decorations. And if Halloween reflects a general American love of horror, with all the books, movies and games, the total moves to the tens of billions. The "zombie industry" alone generated some $6 billion in 2011. In many ways, Halloween is the quintessential American Holiday. Halloween's traditions, activities, imagery and stories are -- like American culture in general -- a mishmash of ideas from across the world, brought here by successive waves of immigrants. Add to those a little homegrown American inventiveness and creativity and therein lies the modern Halloween celebration. Things In The Basement: A History of Halloween Horrors is a exploration of Halloween's origins and of the horrors that keep us up at night.