Countdown to Halloween 2025 Day 9: Pen Pals by Edgar J. Hyde

The third book in the Creepers series is Pen Pals by Edgar J. Hyde. Olivia, Natasha, Marcie and Ellis are four teen friends. Strange things starts happening when Olivia gets a note passed to her and Ellis starts distancing herself from the others. A ghost girl from the early 1800s shows herself to Olivia and tries to warn her of danger. There is a nice scene involving the girls attending a Halloween costume party. A short read at 104 pages with some interesting scares. However, the ending felt rushed to me. Overall, I still give this young adult horror book a B+. Includes the first chapter of The Piano.

Front Cover of Pen Pals by Edgar J. Hyde

Back Cover of Pen Pals by Edgar J. Hyde

Countdown to Halloween 2025 Day 8: Harley Quinn x Elvira #1 Covers

DC Comics and Dynamite Comics is teaming up for a special crossover mini-series in time for Halloween. Harley Quinn x Elvira #1 hits the stands today (October 8, 2025). The writers are Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti while the artists are Amanda Conner and Juan Samu. The artists for the various covers are Amanda Conner (1A), Chad Hardin (1B), Joseph Michael Linsner (1C), Ben Caldwell (1D) and Mark Spears (1E). Here's the official summary:

"What happens when the Clown Princess of Crime gets bored? Shenanigans, hijinks, grievous bodily harm… the possibilities are endless! Now add in a certain macabre-minded TV host who seems to attract trouble like crypts attract vampires, and the stage is set for the greatest team-up since Frankenstein met his Bride! With her beloved show on the chopping block following a corporate takeover, Elvira needs to come up with a plan to get things back in the black – and her new friend Harley Quinn has an idea that’s just crazy enough to work! Together, they’re going to throw the greatest Halloween party Brooklyn has ever seen – whether the borough likes it or not!"

Cover 1A of Harley Quinn x Elvira #1 from DC Comics and Dynamite Comics

Cover 1B of Harley Quinn x Elvira #1 from DC Comics and Dynamite Comics

Cover 1C of Harley Quinn x Elvira #1 from DC Comics and Dynamite Comics

Cover 1D of Harley Quinn x Elvira #1 from DC Comics and Dynamite Comics

Cover 1E of Harley Quinn x Elvira #1 from DC Comics and Dynamite Comics

Countdown to Halloween 2025 Day 7: Stage Fright by Edgar J. Hyde

The second stand alone book in the Creepers series is Stage Fright . There are some really scary parts as three teen girls (Jo, Melissa and Jenny) uncover the mysterious secret about the school play in which the trio are playing three evil witches. Luckily for them, they also have some help from the play writer's ghost. Overall, I give this one a A- and highly recommend it.

Front Cover of Stage Fright by Edgar J. Hyde

Back Cover of Stage Fright by Edgar J. Hyde

Countdown to Halloween 2025 Day 6: The Piano by Edgar J. Hyde

I picked up ten books of the Creepers series by Edgar J. Hyde at the local Dollar Tree last month. Each stand alone book was $1.25 and are 125 pages long. The first book of the series is The Piano, which I read last night since it was a quick read. The story is basically about a family of four buying a possessed piano. This was more suspenseful than scary, but I still had fun reading it. Overall, I gave it a B+ for the ending alone.

Front Cover of The Piano by Edgar J. Hyde

Back Cover of The Piano by Edgar J. Hyde

Countdown to Halloween 2025 Day 5: The Hitchhiker DVD Set

I picked up this DVD set of The Hitchhiker at the local Dollar General last month for $2.99. Ten stand alone tales of terror are on two discs. The anthology show originally aired on HBO from 1983 to 1987 before moving to the USA Network from 1989 to 1991. I have only watched a handful of episodes and most of them were on the USA Network. I remember liking the concept but I can't remember exactly which ones I have seen. I will probably remember them once I start watching the discs. "The Hitchhiker" was originally played by Nicholas Campbell for three episodes before Page Fletcher took over the role. This DVD set features Fletcher as "The Hitchhiker" while various guest stars include Kirstie Alley, Gary Busey, Margot Kidder, Willem Dafoe, Helen Hunt, Joe Pantoliano and James Remar.

Cover of The Hitchhiker DVD Set

The one sided insert is nothing special since it just lists the episode titles on each disc:

Insert for The Hitchhiker DVD Set

Countdown to Halloween 2025 Day 4: Blood Ties Season Two DVD Set

I found this Blood Ties Season Two DVD set at the local Dollar General back in August for $2.95. They didn't have the first season. I remember watching the early episodes when they originally aired in 2007 on the Lifetime Channel. I remember liking them, but I can't remember why I didn't watch the rest of the series. The vampire crime drama tv series stars Christina Cox as Vicki Nelson, Kyle Schmid as Henry Fitzroy and Dylan Neel as Mike Celluci. There are nine episodes on three discs.

Cover of Blood Ties Season Two DVD Set

I love the folded insert for this set. One side has a large photo of the three main cast members:

Insert Front for Blood Ties Season Two DVD Set

While the back of the insert has a summary of each episode:

Insert Back for Blood Ties Season Two DVD Set

The series is based on the Blood Books aka the Victory Nelson's Blood Investigations series of books by Tanya Huff. I have only read the first book in the series, which was Blood Price (there is seven altogether plus a short story). I gave the book a C- in 1992, which is why I might not have watched the entire series when it originally aired or read any of the other books in the series.

Countdown to Halloween 2025 Day 3: Mike and Ike Sour Spooky Treats

I actually picked up this box of Mike and Ike Sour Spooky Treats right before Labor Day this year at the local Walmart's. Yeah, they had some Halloween candy, costumes and decorations out early this year. The box is decorated with evil-looking jack-o'-lanterns with one wearing a witch's hat. The flavors are Sour Ghoulish Grape, Sour Orange Scream and Sour Wicked Watermelon. I should have picked out the watermelon candies because they were very strong and aweful tasting (I'm not a big fan of watermelon candy anyway). Here's the front and back of the box:

Front of Mike and Ike Sour Spooky Treats Box

Back of Mike and Ike Sour Spooky Treats Box

Countdown to Halloween 2025 Day 2: Archie's Halloween Spectacular #1

Archie Comics continues to celebrate 80 years and the spooky season with Archie's Halloween Spectacular #1. This one-shot comes out today and the cover by Dan Parent features Archie as a vampire, Jughead as a mummy, Veronica as a witch, Betty as a prom queen and Medusa Doom (she doesn't appear in any of the stories inside this issue). There is an alternate cover featuring Archie along with Frankenstein's Monster, Dracula and the Mummy. The original story is "Trick or Treat" featuring the South Side Serpents (Toni, Weasel, Termite, Fangs and Daisy). Other stories include "One Prank Too Far" with the Archie gang and Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Betty and Veronica in "That's the Spirit!", "Ruff Halloween", "It Ghost to Show You", "The Ghostest with the Mostest".  Here is the official summary:

"Archie’s Halloween Spectacular #1 (2025) : This ain’t no trick, we’re TREATing you with a Halloween spectacular that’s BIGGER than ever! Now packed with over 40 PAGES of content, including a BRAND NEW STORY! The South Side Serpents are trying to recruit new members — and what better time to start their initiation than Halloween? This story is filled to the brim with tricks! Featuring fan-favorite characters and returning new faces like MEDUSA DOOM!"

Cover of Archie's Halloween Spectacular #1 from Archie Comics

Cover Gallery for Archie's Halloween Spectacular #1 from Archie Comics