Good evening, it’s Spooky Boo coming to you from the radio waves from the KSND radio station, The Sound of the Sea. Tonight I have for you several creepy Halloween stories for the 12th of October. This month I’m bringing you Halloween all month long.
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And guess what? Remember that really fun horror comedy Blood Diner? The creator and director of this awesomely over the top cult horror comedy, Jackie Kong, has come out with Kong Comics and you could be in the very first edition “Spend the Night.” Details on her page at jackiekongdirector.com. Do it soon, it closes at the end of October.
By the way, I will be the guest on Creature Features on the 16th of this month. I’ll tell you how to tune in at the end of the show.
Now let’s begin.
Always Check the Candy
by MarkRalston
Always check your children’s Halloween candy. Always.
I’m not saying this to fearmonger. To tell you the truth, I realize that most of the candy handed out on the holiday is likely purchased at Walmart the day before and shoved into a plastic pumpkin-shaped bowl.
You probably have realized that most…sane people don’t poison candy, or put glass in it, or whatever cautionary urban legend you’ve heard. The only guy who did do that…did so to his own son. So those neighbors of yours…don’t treat them like criminals. They’re just trying to innocently give the kiddos some sweets.
This warning regards a phenomenon that has no apparent origin. What I mean is, no one is really sure of where it comes from. The candy in question isn’t even so. You can’t purchase it at any stores and looking it up online results in…no results.
The candy, this aforementioned phenomenon, appears to be that of a cinnamon jawbreaker, not to be confused with the Atomic Fireball brand or any other similar sweet. It may resemble a red-tinted gumball or a red lollipop with no stick. The point being…it’s rather generic in appearance, which makes it tricky to spot the real deal.
The candy is sometimes branded under the H.H. Sweets company, a corporation that doesn’t exist, at least not one registered by any agency since 1999. If you search the internet, you might find some H.H. Sweets businesses…but I assure you, they aren’t the real deal…merely a namesake coincidence.
If the label carries the H.H. name, beneath it a tagline will read something to the effect of, “Hot as Hell, Sweet as Heaven.” Not all of the candies sport the branding, but it certainly helps to spot it. This is why I advise if you find yourself (or your kids) with an unmarked red candy…the safest bet is to throw the sucker away.
Documentation of the phenomenon only dates back to 2007, but there is the possibility that it’s gone on for far longer. As of this recording, a known nine people have ingested the candy, four of which being children under the age of 18.
Each case has happened on October 31st, with the most cases occurring during 2016…with a total of three victims. The only clues as to the candy’s appearance, and branding, is through the eyes of witnesses, and subsequent investigations of any nearby, and opened candy wrappers.
Each of the victim’s corpses, aside from the heads, remain untouched. The heads, however, are where things get strange.
Each of the heads is completely burnt, like a used match. This would make identification of the victims troublesome, except for the fact that fingerprint analysis lent itself fittingly to the nature of these deaths, considering the hands of the deceased were completely intact.
None of the victims were related in any way, with the only exception being a father and his 9-year-old daughter: Andy and Mary-Kay Winfield from Lexington, Virginia. All of the others shared no relation, other than the aforementioned candy.
An eyewitness report from Brevard, North Carolina documented the full story behind the mysterious death of a 12-year-old boy, Shane Davis, who died on the Halloween of 2009:
I was leaving the pharmacy at around eight-thirty when it happened. He (Davis) was walking down the block in a zombie costume. I didn’t even notice him at first because it was dark, and the costume was dark. But then there was this flash of orange light, like someone lighting a candle. I turned around and this heatwave hit me in the face, and the smell- oh Lord, it smelled like cooked meat. H-his head was on fire. There were people screaming but there was nothing we could do. He screamed only for a moment, then he hit the pavement. I’ll never unsee it. There were rumors it was a hex from a witch or something. I’m not a superstitious man, but when you see something like that, superstition doesn’t seem too far off, y’know?
Similar reports were documented for many of the other victims. Shortly after ingesting the candy, the victim’s head would burst into flames, and soon thereafter the victim would succumb to the injury and die.
Many rumors and theories have, since, popped up surrounding the deaths and candy. Many include witches and spells, but some have garnered significant following beyond regional folklore.
One of the most popular rumors cites the deaths as a result of the 1782 execution of Henry Hyson Cassidy (H.H. Cassidy), a candymaker from Onancock, Virginia, the site of the first documented death from 2007. Cassidy, a local candymaker, was placed on trial for the disappearances of two young girls from the neighboring town. Despite having no apparent motive for abducting two young girls, the candymaker was charged as a reasonable suspect, having access to sweets for alluring the children.
Following a local investigation where one of the girl’s bodies was discovered with candy in her pocket, Cassidy was charged with the murders, and sentenced to death. Children from the town, who once loved the sweets made by the candymaker, began calling Cassidy the “Witch of Onancock”, making him one of the earliest male witches of legend.
Being found guilty in a hasty trial, Cassidy was sentenced to death by molten metal, a process considered barbaric, except in a case of an accused witch. Cassidy, who swore his innocence until his death, had a molten metal ball dropped into his throat. While a quick death, it was certainly not painless. The townsfolk remarked that justice was served on that day, and the body was buried in a shallow grave.
Given that Andy and Mary-Kay Winfield were also from Virginia, many speculated that the spirit of Cassidy returned to punish those responsible for his death, using his signature candy as a way to torment the descendants of his accusers. The name too, H.H. Cassidy, would explain the name on the wrappers, H.H. Sweets.
Another popular theory is usually referred to as the “Jack-O-Lantern” story. Based on the Irish myth, the story goes that a man known as “Stingy Jack” tricked the devil on multiple occasions, resulting in his banishment from Hell, as well as Heaven, as he was a trickster at heart. The man, forced to roam the Earth, lit coal within a turnip and has been using it ever since to light his eternal path. The story, clearly rooted in the Halloween tradition of carving Jack-O-Lanterns, has been used to explain the candy, too.
“Stingy Jack”, as he’s referred, seeks out souls to join him in his eternal punishment. The candy, which burns the heads of its consumers, turns them into a somewhat crude Jack-O-Lantern. This would explain the fiery demise of the victims, as well as its connection to the celebration of Halloween.
In conjunction with the Stingy Jack narrative, there are some who conclude the candy is the work of the Devil himself, tormenting unsuspecting holiday celebrators with death merely for the fun of it. A rather sick trick, yes, but then again, mischief is commonplace in the celebration of Halloween. As for this theory, the H.H. label would stand for Hell’s Hottest or some other variation of the Hell alliteration.
Despite these varying backstories to the candy, there is a far more grounded explanation that many have subscribed to. Rather than reading into the H.H. Sweets mythology, some conclude that H.H. Sweets is precisely what it claims to be: a candy company. The motive for committing these crimes is, at large, still a mystery, but this theory cuts out the claims of ghosts and devils, suggesting instead that a select few sickos had the willpower to conjure up sweets with the intent to kill.
In the end, no one theory is correct, at least not one that can be confirmed by traditional means. A candy that is, for lack of a better term, supernatural, can only be explained by the supernatural, making it extremely difficult to verify any of the information regarding it.
If you wish to avoid the grisly results of the candy, it is advised to always check your children’s Halloween candy. Better yet, avoid the trick-or-treating tradition altogether. Or, if you’re highly concerned, perhaps it would be best to simply skip Halloween altogether.
The Seven Gates of Hell
Some say on Halloween night if you go past seven black gates you will see the seven gates of hell. I thought it was a myth at first, until I tried it out. I went past seven black gates around my neighborhood, then when I went to sleep, my dreams were in a furious fire. Then it stopped. There was a man, tall and bulky, his eyes were rather squinted which shows he’s old, his legs and hands were thin and looked like he can barely support his weight. He spoke. He spoke with a scratchy and dying tone. He said, “Emoclew ot eht neves setag fo lleh.” He chuckled and opened the gate. My whole body became numb. Moving on its own I could not fight it. Struggling did not work. I gave up trying to fight it and struggling. Without control I went past the first gate.
Gate 1 – I saw fire showing the corpses that were horribly mutilated, desecrated, and burnt. They were sobbing so loudly that I couldn’t hear the crackles of the fire. One came to me. With one eye and bullets holes all over him. He said, “We are the desecrated corpses who did not get a proper burial. We are to stay here till the judgement day.” I went past him and to the 2nd gate. It was in a building.
Gate 2 – I was in a dungeon. There were people tied up, Screaming in pain. One was being sawed in half very slowly and his body kept healing ready to be sawed again. One was in the iron maiden with the door being closed and opened and the body looked as normal as ever. A man in an executioner’s mask said to me, “We are the torturer tortured by our own devices.” I went past him to the exit. I walked to the 3rd gate.
Gate 3 – This time I was in a forest. This time it was silent except for a few yells. There was a man hanging from a noose. Another one fell off a cliff, reappeared, and fell off again. I was running. Away from what I saw was a horribly burnt woman chasing after me. I already knew what this one was. These were the people who committed suicide. I ran into the 4th gate. It was in a palace.
Gate 4 – I was in there. I saw emperors, politicians, and really wealthy people. An emperor was being gnawed on by lions. When the lion ripped a limb out or slashed him, the part grew back. A politician was being beaten by what looked like shadows in prisoners clothes. A man in a suit came to me and said, “We are the corrupted people. The people who used our power to help ourselves, not the people.” I walked to the next gate, the 5th.
Gate 5 – I was in another room. There was a man tied up on a bed lashed by floating spiky leather whips. A woman was being burnt by a lighter, but her screams and cries were muffled by a cloth that was used as a gag. A rather large man came up to me and said, “We are the rapists, and the sex offenders, paying for our crimes on earth.” I ran to the 6th gate.
Gate 6 – I was in a room again. I saw a man and woman being stabbed, their wounds healing almost immediately. Another person was being buried alive. And another being hit and jabbed with a floating metal bar. I knew who these were – they were the people who are murderers being harmed the way they killed their victims. The exit was the 7th gate. “The final one. This nightmare is almost over. It’s almost over,” I said to myself.
Gate 7 – I was outside. There was a man wearing a shroud over his head coated with explosives. He blew up, regenerated, and blew up again. Another one was being beaten, stabbed by sharp metal objects, and burned by torches, lighters, and matches. They were held by people who looked like shadows. One of them came to me and said, “They are the mass murderers, the terrorists, and suicide bombers. I am a shadow of one of his victims beating him and taking revenge for killing us on earth.” I ran to the exit.
When I woke up in the morning I became horribly scared. The images of what I saw ran through my head. In fact that was all I was thinking for the whole year. It became Halloween again; I didn’t dare to go outside at night. I just went to bed. It took me a while to sleep. When I did I was in front of the first gate of hell. There was a teenager like me. He was staring at me. He was shocked to see me. My body then became numb. I could not control myself again. I said to him in a scratchy dying tone, “Emoclew ot eht neves setag fo lleh.” I chuckled and opened the gate for him. After he went inside with an expression that looked like he was fighting something and struggling. I looked at myself on a goblet filled with what looked like blood. I saw the gatekeeper. I became the gatekeeper. In fact I am the gatekeeper.
The Actor
When was the last time you went to the theatre? The last time I went was the year 2003 on Halloween night. Yeah I know very cliche. I am an actor in training and I had realized I hadn’t been to a theatre to see a proper play. The only ones I had ever been to are the ones which I had to see in my college or if I was in them. The play was called Don’t Watch and was about a retired puppeteer but that’s all I really remember about the story to be honest. It was a Halloween special so I figured it would be horror genre.
My friends and I got there early to grab the best seats as I was overly excited about my first theatre experience as an audience member, and of course I wanted one of the good seats. We took our seats in the front row, but there was a blank piece of paper on my seat, but I just took it off and sat there. We waited a good fifteen minutes until the rest of the guests had started to arrive. A slow piano tune started to play as the audience took their seats.
As everyone was seated a loud scuffling sound came out of the speakers as if someone was messing around with a microphone. The announcer started to speak with a creepy tone to his voice. It kind of sent chills down my spine.
“Make sure all mobile devices are turned off and please, no camera or recordings allowed during the performance for copyright purposes and may put off the actor. Sit back and enjoy the show.”
I noticed something which he had said in his announcement. “May put off the actor,” he said, suggesting this would be a one-man show. ****** It was looking that way. The piano music stopped playing and the curtain lifted. There stood a pale man wearing a brown suit with a faded blue and white striped loose tie.
Circus music began to play and he lifted up a doll-like puppet and started playing with it. I looked at my friends seated on either side of me to confirm they were just as perplexed as I was, and found they were all staring at the man in awe. He began to pace backwards and forward from left to right of the stage whilst still playing with the puppet. The man began to cry and weep. I felt a bit uneasy watching it, but I was very intrigued.
The man stopped in the middle of the stage after five minutes of repeating the pacing and weeping. He dropped the puppet on the floor and walked backstage. He returned immediately with a tall floor mirror and placed it in the middle of the stage, leaning against the backdrop. It was tilted up towards the back of the room. As I squinted to see the mirror something was strange. I couldn’t see the reflection of the back wall, I could just see a stage, as if the image in the mirror is what the audience could see. I was quite impressed. They really made the effects look convincing.
At least, I hoped they were effects. The man picked up his puppet and began to play with it again, but this time he stood in front of the mirror and started to weep more loudly. The music changed suddenly back to the original piano tune which had played for a short while before the show began. I shuddered as a wave of uneasiness washed over me. I scanned the audience and saw that the actor had captivated everyone in the room apart from myself. My attention was on my surroundings. I was actually afraid that someone was going to jump out from behind because of the fact this man was drawing people’s attention to the front of the stage.
The man stood in front of the mirror and wept whilst playing with his puppet for a good ten minutes and I started to wonder if this was the whole play. But nobody else seemed to be responding to it. I was getting a little bit bored but definitely frightened.
I whispered to my friends, “I think I want to just leave,” but nobody was paying attention. I got a little bit frustrated and impatient so I stood up and was about to get ready to leave. But as I stood up, every audience member turned their heads and stared at me. Even the man on the stage turned his head, not his body, but only his head and looked at me.
I felt more uneasy and was unable to stand so I slowly took my seat again and all heads turned back to the attention of the actor. The man on the stage turned back to the mirror and started his repetitive movements. I looked behind me to find the exit so I could quickly leave without a fuss. I had my route ready but as I turned back to look at the stage, the actor had gone. So had the backdrop. Which was weird because the mirror was still there on the stage, standing on its own. But this time it was tilting down. Funny enough it was facing me and I could see my reflection.
I was so scared at this point that I was unable to move. I wanted to run to the exit so badly but my body just didn’t seem to want to budge. I stared into the mirror and something weird happened. I saw the actor in the reflection. Then he disappeared. I scrunched up my eyes and opened them wide again, to see myself staring towards the audience, as if I was standing on the stage. I looked behind me and it was pitch black.
I looked ahead of me again and it was like I was looking into the mirror that was on the stage… but I was in it. I was in the mirror looking out to the audience. I was terrified. As I stared towards them I saw myself sitting in the audience just looking up at the stage in awe, just like I saw everyone else when I was sitting in the audience. Then a shadow started to appear, and it was him. The actor. He stood in front of the mirror and started playing with his puppet and weeping again. Just like before. He looked straight into my eyes and I fainted.
I would hate to end a story on ‘it was all just a dream’ but, I did wake up in my bed. I looked at the calendar and it read, “31, October 2003” and I just froze. There was something written on the date; an event. I thought, that has to be the play I had seen called Don’t Watch. Of course it did say that. But something wasn’t right. I checked my diary and the day before had said ‘dress rehearsal’. Nothing seemed to make sense.
I hadn’t had any plays recently, it was the Holidays. I started to get texts saying break a leg, good luck and cannot wait to see the show. I felt sick. I drove to the theatre and walked into the room where the play was. The stage was exactly as I last saw it. No backdrop and the mirror standing on its own. I walked down to the front row and there, was the blank piece of paper on my seat. Although it wasn’t blank. I turned it over and it said “Reserved for the Actor”.
Thank you for listening. If you enjoyed these stories, please head on over to my website and make a comment or join the Horror Forum to talk about other fun horror topics. Check it out at www.scarystorytime.com.
Come and watch Creature Features with me on Saturday nights at 9:00 PM Pacific on YouTube. We love to watch horror host Vincent Van Dahl interview fun guests while we talk about the old horror movies and Mr. Livingston puts up with Tangella’s shenanigans. Poor Handrew! Find out your showtime at www.creatureafeatures.tv.
