October is my birthday month. As the weird, quiet, and horror-obsessed kid who's never quite belonged, this month, season, and holiday has always felt like home. It's also usually the period when work slows (a tad), and I'm able to pause and breathe for a while. Especially if my mental health hasn't been great, this time of year and its rituals always allow me to come back to and feel like myself again.

Usually. Enter 2025...

Thanks to a few real-life ghouls and goblins, our Halloween shopping has been limited this year, as international shipping from so many of our beloved small businesses outside of the United States has stopped dead in its tracks. As unfortunate as that is, there are countless small businesses here that not only need our support but also craft some of the greatest Halloween and horror inspired merchandise that you definitely can't get at certain big box stores. As a serial buyer and collector of all things strange and unusual, monstrous and macabre, I’m always looking for one-of-a-kind things to wear, use, and decorate my living spaces and have a few favorite small businesses that I love to buy from, especially this time of the year, that I want to share…

Halloween is coming up fast! Whether you’re planning out a boo basket or just looking for a spooky way to spoil yourself, the House of Leaves team is volunteering our time to help you find the perfect Hallowe’en gift!

As the Canadian of the coven, my recommendations are based in the True North. Enjoy!

Thanks to recent events in the horror world, our first book, Scared Sacred: Idolatry, Religion and Worship in the Horror Film, is having a bit of a moment. As the Hellraiser and Conjuring franchises step back into the spotlight, we invite you to join us as we celebrate Scared Sacred, get excited about further exploring the imagination of one of horror’s most inventive minds, and prepare for a petrifying conclusion 12 years in the making.