Of course, any time of the year is a good time to read or watch horror, but the Fall, as well as Winter, have always seemed the most appropriate to me.

Summer is a great to hide away from the heat and read a good book as you are being caressed by the sweet breeze of a fan and an air conditioner. Spring is all right, if the allergies do not make your eyes too sore, as they often do for me.

Fall is the evening of the year. Lights go low early and it's a more contemplative time. A wonderful time to get under a pile of blankets and read a good chilling story.

Or watch a movie. Sure, you can watch a good slasher or psycho killer opus, but the cold makes me long for gothic mansions. Shadowy corridors. There's no better time to watch a classic Universal horror movie, or maybe a Val Lewton masterpiece.

There is a lot of hardcore horror being published now. I read some of it. Most turns me off these days. I've gone back to my horror reading youth in many ways. I'll still read Lee, and Keene, and I'll continue to re-read Laymon, but many of the new breed of hardcore writers do not do a lot for me.

Fall is a great time to break out the old Shadows anthologies. Or maybe one of Charles Grant's own novels or collections. Perhaps the fractured nightmares depicted by T.M. Wright. Or maybe one of Paul Melniczek's wonderful Autumn-themed stories. Or something by Norman Prentiss.

Those who know me are painfully aware that I abhor the electronic fiction revolution, but most have jumped aboard the bandwagon. The recently released series of Halloween Shorts from Cemetery Dance Publications seem to be the perfect seasonal reading menu.

I don't mean to tell anyone what to do. Read what you will. Extreme horror, zombies, SF, anything. As long as it isn't that 50 Shades crap. I just wanted to share the warm feeling I get on these chilly nights when I read what was once known as Quiet Horror.

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