In honor of Scary Season, behold a Q&A of the things we may or may not want to talk about. Our own fears and trepidations, to kick off the theme for the entire month of October: things that scare us because we know exactly what they are or because they have a tendency to linger in the deepest, darkest corners of our mind. So here’s to scary stories and fears we can’t name and experiences we had that might have made sense to others but never to us. 

What was the first story that scared you? 

As a child I was an expert at avoiding scary stories in books, and I was a voracious reader already then. I must have been about 6 or 7, walking through my parents’ living room. For some reason the TV was on, and I remember seeing a man in a lab he had built in a castle (this was Germany after all), consisting of glass jars full of hearts. I have no idea how I managed to retain the name of the movie, or what made me want to retain it in the first place (I’m guessing some sense of self preservation that signaled I could look this up when I’m older). The name of the movie was Das kalte Herz (which, according to my research undertaken as an adult, was translated into English as Heart of Stone), a fairy tale from Eastern Germany and therefore sufficiently crude in its lack of concern towards the sensibilities of a young, easily scared child. It traumatized me for nearly three decades, until I did some proper research on it.  

Favorite Halloween memory? 

Dressing up as a fortune teller ghost to go clubbing, then walking home in full makeup in the morning in downtown Budapest to the stares of some very conservative locals and some who thought – like me – that the whole thing was hilarious. Back then we thought nothing of getting ourselves home when the clubs closed at 6am, or stopping for breakfast somewhere.   

What is your favorite thing about Halloween? 

Seeing people decorate their houses where that’s a thing and people’s costumes in general. 

What should be a Halloween movie or shown on Halloween but isn’t?

If I remember the title correctly it was Child of Glass, a Disney Sunday Night Movie based on The Ghost Belonged to Me by Richard Peck. I remember half watching it when we were at a relative’s house at the age of 9 and it scared me so good I never ventured outside or into any barns until I was well into my teens. Great movie and story that I might actually want to watch again once I’m brave enough. 

Growing up, what was one of your biggest fears from the real world? 

Aside from the classics of losing your parents, not being able to go back to a place we had lived in and were leaving.  

What’s your favorite thing about October? 

Leaves turning red orange and yellow, wearing those colors yourself, lighting candles, eating soups and various indoor lights. Lots of friends with birthdays, especially towards the end of the month. Back when I was in school, there was always the promise of vacation when we were in Germany, which meant getting away to another location. 

Perfect October destination? 

Any city not in the Nordics or a trip to Maine. 

Favorite October food? 

Not limited to October, but I always seem to start going back to carrot and ginger soups with or without sweet potatoes, chillies and my sister’s lentil brew as I call it. 

If Scary Season is here, what better way to kick things off than by introducing yourself through things that you fear yourself, with a good dose of your favorite stories and tales you’ve come across on the way. Because it’s a fun thing to do, 

In honor of Scary Season, behold a Q&A of the things we may or may not want to talk about. Our own fears and trepidations, to kick off the theme for the entire month of October: things that scare us because we know exactly what they are or because they have a tendency to linger in the deepest, darkest corners of our mind. So here’s to scary stories and fears we can’t name and experiences we had that might have made sense to others but never to us. 

What was the first story that scared you? 

As a child I was an expert at avoiding scary stories in books, and I was a voracious reader already then. I must have been about 6 or 7, walking through my parents’ living room. For some reason the TV was on, and I remember seeing a man in a lab he had built in a castle (this was Germany after all), consisting of glass jars full of hearts. I have no idea how I managed to retain the name of the movie, or what made me want to retain it in the first place (I’m guessing some sense of self preservation that signaled I could look this up when I’m older). The name of the movie was Das kalte Herz (which, according to my research undertaken as an adult, was translated into English as Heart of Stone), a fairy tale from Eastern Germany and therefore sufficiently crude in its lack of concern towards the sensibilities of a young, easily scared child. It traumatized me for nearly three decades, until I did some proper research on it.  

Favorite Halloween memory? 

Dressing up as a fortune teller ghost to go clubbing, then walking home in full makeup in the morning in downtown Budapest to the stares of some very conservative locals and some who thought – like me – that the whole thing was hilarious. Back then we thought nothing of getting ourselves home when the clubs closed at 6am, or stopping for breakfast somewhere.   

What is your favorite thing about Halloween? 

Seeing people decorate their houses where that’s a thing and people’s costumes in general. 

What should be a Halloween movie or shown on Halloween but isn’t?

If I remember the title correctly it was Child of Glass, a Disney Sunday Night Movie based on The Ghost Belonged to Me by Richard Peck. I remember half watching it when we were at a relative’s house at the age of 9 and it scared me so good I never ventured outside or into any barns until I was well into my teens. Great movie and story that I might actually want to watch again once I’m brave enough. 

Growing up, what was one of your biggest fears from the real world? 

Aside from the classics of losing your parents, not being able to go back to a place we had lived in and were leaving.  

What’s your favorite thing about October? 

Leaves turning red orange and yellow, wearing those colors yourself, lighting candles, eating soups and various indoor lights. Lots of friends with birthdays, especially towards the end of the month. Back when I was in school, there was always the promise of vacation when we were in Germany, which meant getting away to another location. 

Perfect October destination? 

Any city not in the Nordics or a trip to Maine. 

Favorite October food? 

Not limited to October, but I always seem to start going back to carrot and ginger soups with or without sweet potatoes, chillies and my sister’s lentil brew as I call it.