By Pumpkin's Light

Miles McCabe, better known as Brick Thunder, joins us at just 20 years old to discuss his decade-long journey in the Halloween community. We explore his earliest Halloween memories, family traditions, and what draws him to the holiday, then dive into how he built a YouTube channel with over 90,000 subscribers and hundreds of unboxing videos. Miles shares the origin of the "Brick Thunder" name, his absolute favorite ani...

J.W. Ocker, bestselling author and creator of OTIS: Odd Things I've Seen, joins us to discuss his lifelong love of Halloween and the macabre, and how that passion has shaped his career documenting America's strangest stories and locations. We explore his earliest Halloween memories, what Halloween means to him personally, and how his interest in the spooky and unusual has influenced both his nonfiction oddity research ...

Rich Smith joins us in the lair to discuss The Romero Theatre Home Haunt, a one-night-only Halloween experience he's been creating in Lee's Summit, MO, since 2017 as a tribute to horror icon George A. Romero. We dive into Rich's childhood Halloween memories, his love of horror films, and what sparked him to transform his home into an immersive haunted experience that evolves with a new theme each year. Plus, Rich walks...

Artist Matthew Woods returns to celebrate the sixth edition of his beloved October-to-October 13-month countdown calendar featuring his iconic character, Pumpkinhead. We dive into his creative process for designing 13 original monthly illustrations each year, how he keeps the calendar fresh while balancing seasonal relevance with a Halloween focus, and what key dates and Halloween lore made it into this year's edition....

Cris The Girl joins us to discuss her passion for Halloween hunting and decorating, and how that love has shaped her YouTube channel since 2021. We explore her earliest Halloween memories, what the season means to her personally, and how she balances keeping the spooky spirit alive year-round without burning out. Cris shares her channel origin story, how she started documenting Halloween hunting adventures, and how she...

Britta Peterson, the creative force behind Eerie Elegance, joins us to discuss her decades-long passion for Halloween entertaining. We explore her earliest Halloween memories, how iconic spooky intellectual property inspired her theatrical approach to displays, and why she deliberately chooses creative spectacle over shock and gore. 

Britta walks us through her creative journey, from sharing party con...

Josh Spero and TT Hernandez, the creative duo behind the Hall-Lore-Ween series, join us to discuss their passion for Halloween and how they're carrying the torch of beloved spooky book series like Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark and Goosebumps. We explore their childhood Halloween memories, their Halloween aesthetic as adults, and how they collaborate across Josh's lightly eerie storytelling and TT's illustrations. P...

Rick West, co-founder and creative director of Midsummer Scream, joins us to discuss his lifelong passion for Halloween and the haunt community. Rick shares his earliest Halloween memories, what sparked his dedication to documenting the themed entertainment and haunt scene through Theme Park Adventure, and how he celebrates spooky season by visiting dozens of attractions across the country. We also dive into this year'...

Jenn Vasquez, the vampire enthusiast and goth Mexicana behind Vamp Jenn's Corner, joins the lair to share her deeper connection to Halloween and the dark, macabre world she explores through her writing. Jenn talks about her childhood Halloween memories, how her love for gothic literature shaped her relationship with October 31st, and her year-round traditions that keep the spooky spirit alive. We dive into the intersec...

Chelsea Celaya returns to celebrate In the Secret Spider Garden, her hand-illustrated children's picture book that was published this spring. We dive into the story behind the 32-page hardcover featuring four magical spiders tending to a whimsical garden, each nurturing a different childhood gift. Chelsea shares why she chose to hand-illustrate with watercolors and acrylic markers, the symbolism behind her spider chara...

Artist, publisher, and event planner Ellen Gee shares her lifelong dedication to Halloween and how it manifests in everything she creates. We explore her childhood goth identity, what Halloween truly means to her soul, and how she celebrates year-round. Ellen digs into the creation of Autumn Brilliance Magazine — her passion project showcasing handmade Halloween art — and reveals how she curates the magazine's content a...

In our first Afterglow episode, we welcome back Jason McKittrick and Sam Heimer to celebrate year 10 of The Order of the Thinned Veil, their decade-long collaboration that treats Halloween as a year-round lifestyle, not just a day in October. Jason and Sam take us back to the beginning of their project, sharing how an idea between friends evolved into an annual membership experience beloved by the Halloween community, ...

Brandon Redenius, founder of Black Mast, a merch company mixing the glamorous and gothic with camp and drag, joins the lair to share childhood Halloween memories from Northern California, his favorite spooky season activities, and how his love for Disney villains and pirates inspired the Black Mast name and aesthetic. He also shares what sets his bold, spooky, campy designs apart, his collaborative process creating mer...

In this episode, we welcome writer, actor, musician, and producer Sean Keller to discuss his lifelong love of Halloween and the creative projects that keep him in the spooky realm year-round. Sean shares childhood Halloween memories, reveals how he and his wife, Chelsea Stardust, plan their killer couple's costumes, and dives into his work writing horror for companies like Blumhouse and Hulu, getting original songs placed in films ...

If you haven't heard of the Ghouldaddies yet, you're about to become a fan. Matthew & Paul, the LA-based duo taking the spooky corner of the Internet by storm, join Mike and Miranda to chat about their love of Halloween and horror, how they built their brand, and some of the incredible opportunities it's brought their way — from Knott's Scary Farm ambassadorships to horror movie premieres. Plus, they're shari...

In this episode, we welcome Mike and Matt — part of the team behind Halloweeniacs, a podcast celebrating all things spooky on the 13th and 31st of each month. The guys share their childhood Halloween memories, discuss whether year-round Halloween culture is diluting the season's magic or making it better, and reveal their October traditions. We dive into how they connected to create Halloweeniacs, their famous "R...

Welcome award-winning author Culliver Crantz to the lair to discuss his middle-grade horror series, "FrightVision," where each book connects to a larger mysterious experiment. Culliver shares his childhood Halloween memories, reveals the truth behind his origin story involving "cursed screws," and explains how spooky stories hook reluctant readers — including his work with young writers through FrightStorming workshops and "E...

Claire Dunlap, event producer behind Spooky Swap Meet and co-producer of Midsummer Scream, joins Mike and Miranda in the lair to share how Spooky Swap Meet was born during the pandemic, why Heritage Square Museum's Victorian manors are the perfect setting, and how she creates inclusive events for families and haunt fans alike. They also discuss Claire's childhood Halloween obsession, life as a self-described "decor hoa...