Halloween
Joyce Luciano, the official anti-tax witch of Paterson, New Jersey
Joyce Luciano was made the official witch of Paterson, New Jersey in 1974 when she cast a "prosperity spell" on the city. She would then periodically cast "anti-tax spells" on the city. That seemed to be her specialty.How exactly does one cast an anti-tax spell? According to a UPI article (Oct 28, 1982) about her, one needs to lustily chant "Peace, Prosperity and Love," and then burn either a gold or green candle from 8 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. for seven nights.
Joyce Luciano, known as the 'official witch of Paterson,' was joined in her noon incantation by about 100 city residents and employees.
The audience gathered around a table that Ms. Luciano set up in the city's public safety complex and lustily chanted 'Peace, Prosperity and Love,' at the urging of the blond witch.
'The louder you say it, the higher the vibes,' she told the crowd as white candles burned on the table. 'It's a tax-cut spell.
Taking into account Paterson's size, she asked for the help of residents in her effort to lower the city tax rate, currently $8.66 per $100 assessment.
For seven days, beginning Thursday residents on the west side of Main Street were asked to burn a gold candle from 8 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. Residents who live east of Main Street were told to burn a green candle.
Ms. Luciano planned to simultaneously recite tax cut incantations.
Seems that her anti-tax spell in 1982 didn't work, because Paterson's taxes went up anyway, prompting her to leave the city.
More info: psychicofficialwitch.com (her former website, now abandoned, but preserved at the Internet Archive)
Paterson News - Oct 30, 1974
Paterson News - Oct 31, 1980
Posted By: Alex - Thu Oct 31, 2024 -
Comments (2)
Category: Government, Supernatural, Occult, Paranormal, Halloween
Trick or Treat! It’s the Police!
"Detectives John Simpson and Curtis McFee model their monster and a devil costumes."
Tampa Bay Times - Nov 2, 1985
Posted By: Alex - Tue Oct 31, 2023 -
Comments (2)
Category: Police and Other Law Enforcement, 1980s, Halloween
Death by Halloween costume
Redlands Daily Facts - Nov 2, 1981
Posted By: Alex - Mon Oct 31, 2022 -
Comments (2)
Category: Death, 1980s, Halloween
Apple Peel Divination
According to old tradition, if you peel an apple and throw the peel over your left shoulder, it'll form the initial on the ground of your future one true love. But this only works on Halloween.
The Tennessean - Oct 13, 1949
The love divination spell may be aided by reciting either one of the following poems:
By this paring let me discover
The initial letter of my true lover.
Or:
Paring, paring, long and green,
Tell my Fate for Halloween.
More info: The Halloween Encyclopedia
Posted By: Alex - Wed Oct 26, 2022 -
Comments (1)
Category: Predictions, Fruit, Halloween
No Halloween on Sundays
Every so often Halloween falls on a Sunday — as it does this year. Whenever this happens it seems to inspire efforts to move the celebration back a day, to Saturday, because there are those who feel it's sacreligious to be parading around as ghosts and witches on the Sabbath.The most high-level effort to change Halloween from a Sunday to a Saturday, that I'm aware of, happened in 1971 when Gov. Bob Scott of North Carolina decreed that Halloween was officially moved back a day for everyone in his state because, "It is not proper for ghoulies, ghosties and goblins to be flitting about on the Sabbath."
It's also reportedly illegal in Rehoboth, Delaware to celebrate Halloween on a Sunday.
The Danville Register - Oct 20, 1971
Posted By: Alex - Sun Oct 31, 2021 -
Comments (0)
Category: Halloween
The Scarecrow of Tomorrow
Miss Penelope Shoo. A scarecrow with style. On display by the Wonder Bakery exhibit at the 1939 New York World's Fair.
Pittsburgh Press - July 2, 1939
source: The 1939-1940 New York World's Fair, by Bill Cotter
Posted By: Alex - Sat Oct 30, 2021 -
Comments (1)
Category: Fashion, 1930s, Halloween, Yesterday’s Tomorrows
Death and Horror
In 1977, the BBC released "Death & Horror" — an album of horror-themed sound effects which (unlike most sound-effect records) made its way onto the UK's Top 100 charts. The entire album is on YouTube, so perhaps some of you might find a use for it this Halloween.The success of the album attracted a prominent critic. As reported by the Associated Press (Mar 17, 1977):
She called the record "utterly irresponsible" and said Wednesday she will ask the government to ban it.
The publicly financed British Broadcasting Corp., a generally sedate organization known to many Britons as "Auntie BBC," said the long-playing record was intended for drama groups, owed most of its effects to "the mistreatment of large white cabbages," was made "without the loss of a single member of the staff" and assuredly was no cause for alarm. . .
Mrs. Whitehouse, who has campaigned against stage nudity and pornography such as a proposed film on the sex life of Jesus Christ, sent protests to the head of the BBC, Sir Michael Swann, and said she will complain to Home Secretary Merlyn Rees.
"What is the BBC's aim?" she asked. "To brutalize and desensitize people?"
Mary Whitehouse was a well-known "decency" campaigner. Wikipedia has a long article about her.
00:01 The Guillotine
00:10 Arm Chopped Off
00:15 Head Chopped Off
00:22 Sawing Head Off
00:31 Leg Chopped Off
00:38 Neck Twisted And Broken
00:43 Arm Broken
00:49 Stake Driven Through Heart
00:55 Branding Iron On Flesh
01:08 Red Hot Poker Into Eye
01:18 Nails Hammered Into Flesh
01:40 The Scaffold (Trap Opens, Body Falls)
01:50 Sawing Leg Off
02:08 The Firing Squad (Commands And Volley)
02:35 Whipping
03:15 Three Gun Shots
03:27 Burning At The Stake
04:00 Dagger Thrown Into Wood
04:08 Arrows Fired Into Wood
04:20 The Pendulum
Monsters And Animals
04:55 The Mad Gorilla
06:05 Monsters Roaring
06:36 Wolf Howling
06:58 Werewolves Howling
07:22 Wolves Baying At The Moon
08:00 Wolves Howling And Snarling
08:48 The Hell-Hound (Growling And Snarling)
09:28 The Hell-Hound (Panting)
09:48 Bats Calling
10:24 Bats Squeaking And Flying
11:00 Dracula In Flight
11:55 Snake Hissing
12:40 Rattlesnake
12:58 A Cat Howl
Creaking Doors And Grave Digging
13:10 Creaky Door Closes
13:19 Creaky Door Opens
13:28 Creaky Door Closes
13:40 Heavy Creaky Door Opens
13:49 Coffin Lid Closes
13:59 Nailing Coffin Lid Down
14:31 Coffin Lid Opening
14:47 Assorted Creepy Creaks
15:30 Crypt Door Closing
15:45 Grave Digging (In Stoney Ground)
16:36 Grave Digging (In Wet Ground)
17:25 Portcullis Closing
17:38 Phantom Of The Opera (Organ Sounds)
18:44 Ghostly Piano Sound (Low Pitch)
19:01 Ghostly Piano Sound (Low Pitch)
19:23 Ghostly Piano Sound (Low Pitch)
19:40 Ghostly Piano Sound (High Pitch)
19:51 Ghostly Piano Sound (High Pitch)
20:10 Ghostly Piano Sound (High Pitch)
20:22 The Lost Chord
22:05 A Gong Roll
21:22 Gong Struck Once
21:45 Ghostly Footsteps (With Chains)
22:40 Squelching Footsteps
Vocal Effects And Heartbeats
23:21 Strangulation (Male)
23:35 One Scream (Male)
23:43 Two Screams (Male)
24:00 Three Men Screaming
24:10 Heavy Breathing (Male)
24:45 Two Screams (Female)
24:59 Three Screams (Female)
25:15 One Long Scream (Female)
25:30 Two Women Screaming
25:44 One Woman Sobbing
26:23 Heavy Breathing (Female)
26:55 Lunatics Laughing
27:44 Human Heartbeats
28:25 Electronic Heartbeats
28:57 Frankenstein's Heartbeats
Weather, Atmospheres And Bells
29:35 Three Thunderclaps
30:15 Thunderclaps And Rain
30:54 Approaching Thunder
31:15 Rain And Distant Thunder
32:31 Heavy Rain
33:25 Eerie Wind
34:29 Weird Wind
35:23 Cathedral Bell Tolling
35:52 Church Bell Tolling
36:28 Church Bell Tolling In The Wind
37:15 Wind Howling In Ship's Rigging
38:02 Jungle At Night
38:43 Tropical Atmosphere At Night
39:23 The Electronic Swamp
40:44 Dr. Jekyll's Lab
41:23 Midnight In The Graveyard
43:30 Daytime In The Graveyard
44:35 The Chinese Water Torture
45:39 Boiling Oil
Posted By: Alex - Fri Oct 29, 2021 -
Comments (0)
Category: Horror, 1970s, Halloween, Cacophony, Dissonance, White Noise and Other Sonic Assaults
Scary Morning Mouth
Happy Halloween!
Posted By: Alex - Sat Oct 31, 2020 -
Comments (0)
Category: Advertising, 1950s, Halloween
Halloween Donut Party
Throughout the 1950s, the donut industry tried hard to make Donut Parties a Halloween tradition. Their PR men also claimed that donuts could help make Halloween "more nutritious."
San Bernardino County Sun - Oct 30, 1957
San Bernardino County Sun - Oct 30, 1957
Oct 23, 1955 - “Dos & Don’ts for Halloween Donut Party”
The Salem News - Oct 17, 1955
Posted By: Alex - Thu Oct 31, 2019 -
Comments (4)
Category: Food, Junk Food, Nutrition, Halloween
The Paul Lynde Halloween Special
Posted By: Paul - Mon Oct 28, 2019 -
Comments (2)
Category: Annoying Things, Antiques, Anachronisms and Throwbacks, Beauty, Ugliness and Other Aesthetic Issues, Celebrities, Confusion, Misunderstanding, and Incomprehension, Eccentrics, Entertainment, Geeks, Nerds and Pointdexters, Humor, Ineptness, Crudity, Talentlessness, Kitsch, and Bad Art, Innuendo, Double Entendres, Symbolism, Nudge-Nudge-Wink-Wink and Subliminal Messages, Superstition, Television, Avant Garde, Surrealism, 1970s, LGBT, Halloween, Nausea, Revulsion and Disgust, Nostalgia
| Who We Are |
|---|
| Alex Boese Alex is the creator and curator of the Museum of Hoaxes. He's also the author of various weird, non-fiction, science-themed books such as Elephants on Acid and Psychedelic Apes. Paul Di Filippo Paul has been paid to put weird ideas into fictional form for over thirty years, in his career as a noted science fiction writer. He has recently begun blogging on many curious topics with three fellow writers at The Inferior 4+1. Contact Us |