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How was Halloween invented? Once a Celtic pagan tradition, the holiday has evolved to let kids and adults try on new identities

<div class="theconversation-article-body"> <figure class="align-left "></figure> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/linus-owens-457047">Linus Owens</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/middlebury-1247">Middlebury</a></em></p> <p>“It’s alive!” Dr. Frankenstein cried as his creation stirred to life. But the creature had a life of its own, eventually escaping its creator’s control.</p> <p>Much like Frankenstein’s monster, traditions are also alive, which means they can change over time or get reinvented. Built from a hodgepodge of diverse parts, Halloween is one such tradition that has been continually reinvented since its ancient origins as <a href="https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/distributed/T/bo46408548.html">a Celtic pagan ceremony</a>. Yet beneath the superhero costumes and bags of candy still beats the heart of the original.</p> <p>The Celts lived in what’s now Ireland as far back as 500 B.C. They celebrated New Year’s Day on Nov. 1, which they called <a href="https://www.loc.gov/folklife/halloween-santino.html">Samhain</a>. They believed that leading up to the transition to the new year, the door between the worlds of the living and the dead swung open. The souls of the recently dead, previously trapped on Earth, could now pass to the underworld. Since they thought spirits came out after dark, this supernatural activity reached its peak the night before, on Oct. 31.</p> <p>The Celts invented rituals to protect themselves during this turbulent time. They put on costumes and disguises to fool the spirits. They lit bonfires and stuck candles inside carved turnips – the first jack-o’-lanterns – to scare away any spirits looking for mischief. If all else failed, they carried a pocketful of treats to pay off wayward spirits and send them back <a href="https://global.oup.com/academic/product/halloween-9780195168969?cc=us&lang=en&">on their way to the underworld</a>.</p> <p>Sound familiar?</p> <p><a href="https://theconversation.com/halloweens-celebration-of-mingling-with-the-dead-has-roots-in-ancient-celtic-celebrations-of-samhain-191300">Although focused on the dead</a>, Samhain was ultimately <a href="https://utpress.org/title/halloween-other-festivals/">for the living</a>, who needed plenty of help of their own when transitioning to the new year. Winter was cold and dark. Food was scarce. Everyone came together for one last bash to break bread, share stories and stand tall against the dead, strengthening community ties at the time they were needed most.</p> <p>When Catholics arrived in Ireland around A.D. 300, they opened another door between worlds, unleashing considerable conflict. They sought to convert the Celts by changing their pagan rituals into Christian holidays. They rechristened Nov. 1 “All Saints Day,” which today remains a celebration of Catholic saints.</p> <p>But the locals held on to their old beliefs. They believed the dead still wandered the Earth. So the living still dressed in costumes. This activity still took place the night before. It just had a new name to fit the Catholic calendar: “All Hallows Eve,” which is <a href="https://www.loc.gov/folklife/halloween-santino.html">where we got the name Halloween</a>.</p> <p>Irish immigrants <a href="https://www.irishpost.com/heritage/how-irish-great-famine-brought-halloween-to-america-161376">brought Halloween to America in the 1800s</a> while escaping the Great Potato Famine. At first, Irish Halloween celebrations were an oddity, viewed suspiciously by other Americans. As such, Halloween wasn’t celebrated much in America at the time.</p> <p>As the Irish integrated into American society, Halloween was reinvented again, this time as an all-American celebration. It became a holiday primarily for kids. Its religious overtones faded, with supernatural saints and sinners being replaced by generic ghosts and goblins. Carved turnips gave way to the <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/the-history-of-jack-o-lantern">pumpkins</a> now emblematic of the holiday. Though trick-or-treating resembles ancient traditions like guising, where costumed children went door to door for gifts, <a href="https://www.bakersfield.com/opinion/jack-santino-five-myths-about-halloween/article_6fe79e19-d106-52cc-a895-4a3a72d09c93.html">it’s actually an American invention</a>, created to entice kids away from rowdy holiday pranks toward more wholesome activities.</p> <p>Halloween has become a tradition many new immigrants adopt along their journey toward American-ness and is increasingly <a href="https://www.cambridgescholars.com/product/978-1-4438-0153-9">being exported around the world</a>, with locals reinventing it in new ways to adapt it to their own culture.</p> <p>What’s so special about Halloween is that it turns the world upside down. The dead walk the Earth. Rules are meant to be broken. And kids exercise a lot of power. They decide what costume to wear. They make demands on others by asking for candy. “Trick or treat” is their battle cry. They do things they’d never get away with any other time, but on Halloween, they get to act like adults, trying it on to see how it fits.</p> <p>Because Halloween allows kids more independence, it’s possible to mark significant life stages through holiday firsts. First Halloween. First Halloween without a parent. First Halloween that’s no longer cool. First Halloween as a parent.</p> <p>Growing up used to mean growing out of Halloween. But today, <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2012/10/24/halloween-adults-costumes-elvira-mistress-of-the-dark/1593177/">young adults</a> seem even more committed to Halloween than kids.</p> <p>What changed: adults or Halloween? Both.</p> <p>Caught between childhood and adulthood, today’s young adults find Halloween a perfect match to their struggles to find themselves and make their way in the world. Their participation has reinvented Halloween again, now bigger, more elaborate and <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/halloween-prices-cost-more-expensive-pumpkin-candy-costumes-1754635">more expensive</a>. Yet in <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-has-halloween-become-so-popular-among-adults-104896">becoming an adult celebration</a>, it comes full circle to return to its roots as a holiday celebrated mainly by adults.</p> <p>Halloween is a living tradition. You wear a costume every year, but you’d never wear the same one. You’ve changed since last year, and your costume reflects that. Halloween is no different. Each year, it’s the same celebration, but it’s also something totally new. In what ways are you already reinventing the Halloween of the future today?</p> <p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/linus-owens-457047"><em>Linus Owens</em></a><em>, Associate Professor of Sociology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/middlebury-1247">Middlebury</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Shutterstock </em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-was-halloween-invented-once-a-celtic-pagan-tradition-the-holiday-has-evolved-to-let-kids-and-adults-try-on-new-identities-192379">original article</a>.</em></p> </div>

Art

Freddy Krueger at 40 – the ultimate horror movie monster (and Halloween costume)

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/adam-daniel-301018">Adam Daniel</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/western-sydney-university-1092">Western Sydney University</a></em></p> <p>Movie monsters have captivated audiences since the days of early cinema. They evoke fascination and terror, allowing audiences to confront their fears from the safety of the movie theatre or living room.</p> <p>Arguably one of the most enduring and captivating of these monsters is Freddy Krueger, the villain of the <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087800/">A Nightmare on Elm Street</a> series who celebrates his 40th screen birthday this November.</p> <p>Memorably played by Robert Englund, Freddy quickly became a cultural icon of the 1980s and 1990s. Beyond his burned face and iconic bladed glove, Freddy’s dark humour and acidic personality set him apart from other silent, faceless killers of the era, such as Michael Myers in <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077651/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_2_tt_6_nm_0_in_0_q_halloween">Halloween</a> or Jason Vorhees in <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080761/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1">Friday the 13th</a>.</p> <p>Written and directed by horror maven <a href="https://theconversation.com/wes-craven-the-scream-of-our-times-46915">Wes Craven</a>, 1984’s A Nightmare on Elm Street garnered positive reviews for its innovative concept: Freddy stalked and attacked his victims in their dreams, making him inescapable and allowing him to tap into their deepest fears. The series (seven films plus a 2010 remake and <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0329101/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1">Freddy vs. Jason</a> spin offs) blended supernatural horror and surrealism with a dark and twisted sense of humour.</p> <h2>Scary … but funny</h2> <p>Humour was key to Freddy’s “popularity”. Both sinister and strangely charismatic, Freddy’s psychological torture of his adolescent victims often oscillated between terrifying and amusing.</p> <p>A famous kill scene from 1987’s <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093629/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1">A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors</a> demonstrates this paradox.</p> <p>Aspiring actress Jennifer drifts off to sleep while watching a talk show on TV. In her dream, the host of the talk show suddenly transforms into Freddy, who attacks his guest before the TV blinks out. When Jennifer timidly approaches the TV set, Freddy’s head and clawed hands emerge from the device, snatching her while delivering an iconic one-liner: “This is it, Jennifer – your big break in TV!”</p> <p>Freddy turns his victims’ fears or aspirations – their dreams – against them.</p> <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/dCVh4lBfW-c?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe><figcaption><span class="caption">‘Whatever you do, don’t fall asleep.’</span></figcaption></figure> <h2>Creating a monster</h2> <p>Craven has shared how the character of Krueger came to life in <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1510985/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1">Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy</a>, an oral history of the series.</p> <p>He described a childhood experience of seeing a strange mumbling man walking past his childhood home. The man stopped, he said, and looked directly at him “with a sick sense of malice”. This deeply unsettling experience helped shape Freddy’s menacing presence.</p> <p>The character’s creation also emerged from the filmmaker’s interest in <a href="https://www.iflscience.com/nightmare-on-elm-street-was-inspired-by-a-real-life-medical-mystery-60527">numerous reports of Southeast Asian refugees dying in their sleep</a> after experiencing vivid nightmares.</p> <p>In the film, Krueger’s origin story reveals him as a child murderer who was apprehended but released due to a technicality in his arrest. Seeking justice, the parents of his victims take matters into their own hands, and form a vigilante mob. They corner him in his boiler room and burn him alive. But Freddy’s spirit survives to haunt and kill the children of his executioners.</p> <h2>Cultural repression, expressed on film</h2> <p>Film critic and essayist <a href="https://www.cineaste.com/summer2019/robin-wood-on-horror-film-collected-essays-and-reviews#:%7E:text=Freudian%20theory%2C%20a%20crucial%20theoretical,the%20horror%20film%20perpetually%20enacts.">Robin Wood argued</a> horror films often bring to the surface elements society has repressed. These fears, desires, or cultural taboos are not openly acknowledged.</p> <p>But movie monsters act as manifestations of what society suppresses, such as sexuality, violence or deviant behaviour. American academic <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01956051.1995.9943696">Gary Heba</a> argues Freddy is:</p> <blockquote> <p>an example of America’s political unconscious violently unleashed upon itself, manifesting everything that is unspeakable and repressed in the master narrative (perversion, child abuse and murder, vigilantism, the breakdown of rationality, order, and the family, among others), but still always present in the collective unconscious of the dominant culture.</p> </blockquote> <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/UBrl4H0Uzng?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe><figcaption><span class="caption">Actor Robert Englund calls Freddy Krueger ‘the gift that keeps on giving’.</span></figcaption></figure> <h2>The monster decades</h2> <p>The 1970s and 1980s marked a golden era for the creation of horror film nasties like Krueger, Myers, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072271/?ref_=fn_al_tt_3">The Texas Chainsaw Massacre</a>’s Leatherface and <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094862/?ref_=fn_al_tt_19">killer doll Chucky</a>.</p> <p>Since then, the landscape of horror has shifted, with fewer singular monsters emerging. The diversification of horror sub-genres (zombie virus horror, anyone?), the rise of psychological horror (<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7784604/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_2_tt_4_nm_2_in_0_q_heredi">Hereditary</a>), and an emphasis on human-driven terror (<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0416315/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_1_tt_7_nm_0_in_0_q_wolf%2520creek">Wolf Creek</a>) or supernatural forces all contribute to this shift.</p> <p>While modern horror continues to thrive, few characters have achieved the same iconic status as Freddy – although some would argue Art the Clown from the recent <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4281724/">Terrifier</a> franchise and the reinvigorated Pennywise from <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1396484/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_1_tt_6_nm_1_in_0_q_it">IT</a> could join this exclusive group.</p> <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZuYoEtEI_go?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe><figcaption><span class="caption">‘Five, six, grab your crucifix.’ A 2010 Nightmare on Elm St reboot failed to fire.</span></figcaption></figure> <h2>Happy Halloween!</h2> <p>Despite a <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1179056/">failed reboot in 2010</a>, the legacy of A Nightmare on Elm Street is strong, having influenced numerous filmmakers with its skilful mix of surrealism and slasher horror.</p> <p>However, it’s the orchestrator of the titular nightmares whose legacy is perhaps the strongest.</p> <p>With each Halloween, new fans choose Freddy for their costume. All it takes is a tattered striped sweater, a brown fedora hat, and a glove with sharp, finger-lengthening blades. Don’t forget makeup to re-create Krueger’s grisly facial burns. Sweet dreams!<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/240905/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /></p> <p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/adam-daniel-301018"><em>Adam Daniel</em></a><em>, Associate Lecturer in Communications, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/western-sydney-university-1092">Western Sydney University</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: New Line Cinema - IMDB</em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/freddy-krueger-at-40-the-ultimate-horror-movie-monster-and-halloween-costume-240905">original article</a>.</em></p> </div>

Movies

The one innocent Halloween act that could get you a $2000 fine

<p>Aussies have been warned about this one innocent Halloween act that could get them slapped with a $2000 fine. </p> <p>Dominic Wyatt from the International Drivers Association shared that wearing Halloween costumes while behind the wheel could result in a fine up to $2000. </p> <p>“Australian laws are explicit about driving safely, even at Halloween. Wearing a mask or heavy costume while driving can get you fined,” Wyatt shared. </p> <p>By law drivers are required to have proper control of their vehicle and a clear view of the road at all times, so those who are thinking of going as <em>Ghostface </em>or any other monster need to keep their masks off, tone down the make up, and make sure their costumes aren't too bulky. </p> <p>According to Wyatt, wearing costumes that obscures vision and limits mobility can lead to fines and loss of demerit points in some jurisdictions.</p> <p>In NSW can lead to a $387 penalty and the loss of three demerit points. </p> <p>“Impaired vision or restricted movement can dangerously affect your driving ability, leading to potential accidents. So besides risking fines, you are also putting yourself and other road users at risk,” Wyatt added. </p> <p><em>Image: Getty</em></p>

Legal

Jamie Lee Curtis on ageing in Hollywood

<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Hollywood star Jamie Lee Curtis has taken a swipe at society’s emphasis on youth, no more apparent than in her own industry.</span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1">The 59-year-old, visiting Sydney to promote new movie Halloween, the sequel to the 1978 horror classic of the same name, spoke of her dislike of the term “anti-ageing”.</span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1">“The term anti-ageing makes me crazy, the amount of marketing towards anti-ageing and making it a pejorative,” Curtis told <em><a href="https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/entertainment/sydney-confidential/actor-jamie-lee-curtis-on-why-the-term-antiageing-makes-her-angry/news-story/eec877ecef45fbb08670b1d872d2f8d5">The Daily Telegraph</a></em>.</span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1">“(Ageing) cannot be the pejorative because it happens to everybody. It is like everything else, it is an evolution,” said the actor.</span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1">Curtis’ comments come at an apt time in her career. She has reprised her iconic role as Laurie Strode, who took on serial killer Michael Myers 40 years ago on Halloween. Decades on, her character, now a grandmother, is still deeply affected by their battle but is as strong as ever and more than ready for the next round.</span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1">The actress too, seems at the top of her game. The sequel is raking it in at the US box office, and not only is she a formidable performer in the film, but it was really Curtis doing many of the fight scenes too.</span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1">“I am sitting here in my very nice red suit but this movie was obviously not a glamorous job and I am grateful that I get that opportunity,” she admitted to the publication. “Every fight is me.”</span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1">“I am fit but I am not a gym rat. It is just what we do. It is the nature of the beast — it is physical and it is painful. I cracked a rib, that is what happens.”</span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1">But Curtis, the daughter of Janet Leigh – who memorably starred in another iconic horror Psycho – and matinee idol Tony Curtis, has previously acknowledged her “struggle with my own self-esteem” when it comes to her body. She says she’s found a way to deal with it.</span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1">“So I have a big secret: I don’t look in the mirror,” Curtis told <em><a href="https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/entertainment/a22993869/jamie-lee-curtis-confidence-secrets/">Good Housekeeping</a></em> in a recent interview.</span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1">“I’m a 60-year-old woman. I am not going to look the same as I used to, and I don’t want to be confronted by that every day! When I get out of the shower, I have a choice: I can dry myself off looking in the mirror, or I can dry myself off with my back to it. I turn my back to the mirror and I feel great!”</span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1">The actress, who also counts children’s author, entrepreneur and budding screenwriter on her resume, has an inspiring message about chasing and realising creative passions saying she has “no time to waste”.</span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1">“On the very clear passage of 50s to 60s, I have no time to waste,” said Curtis. “None. If you have creative ideas and you don’t bring them out into the world in some way before you go, that is a tragedy.”</span></p> <p class="p1"><em><span class="s1">Images: Getty</span></em></p>

Movies

Jamie Lee Curtis looks back on some of her most iconic roles

<p>Whether you know her from her <em>Halloween </em>‘scream queen’ roots or her comedic prowess in the body swap <em>Freaky Friday</em>, Jamie Lee Curtis is an actress who needs no introduction. </p> <p>The star - who had been credited in an astounding 80 projects before her first ever Academy Awards nomination in 2023 for her role in <em>Everything Everywhere All at Once </em>- has seen and done it all. Beginning her career at the age of 19, Curtis has spent the years since adding success after success to her resume, and proving her doubters wrong at almost every turn. </p> <p>And in a candid interview with <em>Yahoo Entertainment</em>, the actress opened up about some of the most memorable roles that have steered her journey in Hollywood. </p> <ul> <li><strong>Laurie Strode, <em>Halloween </em>(1978)</strong></li> </ul> <p>Curtis made her film debut on the set of John Carpenter’s cult classic <em>Halloween</em>, and though the film (and its entire franchise) is considered to be one of the most influential horror films of all time, the then-19-year-old Curtis found nothing to be scared of while filming. </p> <p>The reason? Nick Castle, who played the film’s main antagonist Michael Myers, was too much of a delight to instill real terror in Curtis. </p> <p>“Here's the problem,” she explained. “He's played by Nick Castle, who was one of John's best friends. He had two little kids, his wife was around, and he's this funny guy. And he's also a very talented director and he's a musician. So I cannot lie to you and tell you I was so frightened." </p> <ul> <li><strong>Tess Coleman, <em>Freaky Friday</em> (2003)</strong></li> </ul> <p>Curtis was actually a last minute replacement for Annette Bening in the 2003 body swap comedy <em>Freaky Friday</em>, but that certainly didn’t put a damper on her experience. </p> <p>The actress became fast friends with Lindsay Lohan while playing the mother-daughter duo, and the pair have remained in contact ever since. In a fun friendship anecdote, Curtis shared how she has a test in place to find out whether or not it is Lohan texting her, or some sneaky stranger. </p> <p>"There's a song called 'Like I Love You' by Justin Timberlake. Lindsay and I were doing a scene in a car, and there was a lot of time in between takes, and there's a rap in the middle of that song by Clipse. She and I were trying to learn the words, and we were, like, sitting there with a pad,” she said. </p> <p>“We were writing them down,” Curtis continued. “And then we would do the scene, and then we'd play the song and try to lip-sync the few words that we knew. I'm telling you, we laughed. And that is my secret code with her. 'What was the song we were lip-syncing to in the car?'”</p> <p>She then confessed that while she may have given away their secret code, she wasn’t worried - the two have a second one, just in case. </p> <ul> <li><strong>Helen, <em>True Lies </em>(1994)</strong></li> </ul> <p>Although Curtis has said that the 1994 James Cameron blockbuster tops the list of her favourite filming experiences, featuring everything from a striptease to an intense helicopter stunt scene, she almost didn’t star at all, with co-star Arnold Schwarzenegger hesitant about signing her on to play his wife in the action packed project.</p> <p>When explaining why, Curtis noted that Arnold knew her “as Tony’s daughter”. Her father, Tony Curtis, had starred in the only film Schwarzenegger had directed, the 1992 <em>Christmas in Connecticut</em>. </p> <p>"He only knew me as Tony's daughter,” she said. “He loved Tony Curtis, so I'm sure Arnold just looked at me like it'd be like kissing your niece or something ... I guarantee, in fact, he did not want me to be in that movie. I think he just thought it would be weird. We knew each other a little bit socially. I just don't think he thought of me as his leading lady, I think he thought of me as Tony's little girl. And it was Jim who said, 'no, I've written this for her. She's the one to do this with you’.”</p> <p>Schwarzenegger, of course, eventually came around on the idea. And the rest, as they say, is history. </p> <p><em>Images: Getty</em></p>

Movies

Seoul stampede victim identified

<p dir="ltr">A Sydney woman has been identified as the Aussie victim who was crushed in the stampede in Seoul which killed 154 people.</p> <p dir="ltr">Grace Rached, 23, was celebrating Halloween in downtown Seoul when the party made its way to a narrow alley. </p> <p dir="ltr">There were more than 100,000 people in attendance of the party which turned deadly and saw Grace crushed to death. </p> <p dir="ltr">The Sydney filmmaker was days away from her birthday and her family have been left devastated.</p> <p dir="ltr">"We are missing our gorgeous angel Grace who lit up a room with her infectious smile," her family said in a statement.</p> <p dir="ltr">"Grace always made others feel important and her kindness left an impression on everyone she ever met. Grace always cared about others and she was loved by all.</p> <p dir="ltr">"Grace was a talented film producer who was passionate about making a difference.</p> <p dir="ltr">"She cared deeply about her two sisters and was a wonderful role model. Grace showed us all what it meant to be an incredible human being.</p> <p dir="ltr">"We will all deeply miss our beautiful Grace, our life of the party."</p> <p dir="ltr">Officials have placed the death toll of the tragedy at 154 and the number of injured people at 133.</p> <p dir="ltr">It is expected that the numbers will rise. </p> <p dir="ltr">Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also issued a statement wishing partygoers a speedy recovery. </p> <p dir="ltr">“These were people who were out celebrating Halloween, out to have a good time and to come home safely,” he said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“This tragedy has impacted people in South Korea in particular. But it has also impacted, in the harshest way possible, one Australian family and other Australians who were hurt in this incident.</p> <p dir="ltr">“We just wish all of those people a very speedy recovery.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: Instagram</em></p>

News

Halloween lovers show off their best dressed pets

<p dir="ltr">Halloween is celebrated all over the world on October 31. </p> <p dir="ltr">Some people would rather not get involved in the pagan holiday, while others see it as a time to get dressed in a scary costume, party, and enjoy loads of sweets. </p> <p dir="ltr">Halloween’s origins are traced back to the ancient Celtic festival known as Samhain. </p> <p dir="ltr">It is believed that on Halloween, the souls of the dead would return to their homes which then saw people dress up in costumes and light up bonfires to get rid of the spirits. </p> <p dir="ltr">While Halloween could be a religious holiday for some, many just enjoy it for the fun and togetherness it brings. </p> <p dir="ltr">But the true heroes of this holiday are the pets that get dressed up and they are certainly something. </p> <p dir="ltr">Pet parents shared adorable photos of their animals in costumes and it seems like they’re putting humans to shame with how good they are. </p> <p dir="ltr">Check out the gallery below for the best dressed pets. </p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: Instagram</em></p>

Family & Pets

“A wall of people”: Aussie among 153 killed in Halloween stampede

<p dir="ltr">A young Australian is among 153 people who died in a Halloween crowd crush in South Korea.</p> <p dir="ltr">The news was confirmed by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) on Sunday, as “urgent inquiries” continue to help other affected Australians.</p> <p dir="ltr">At least one other dual citizen is in a stable condition in intensive care, as reports emerge that several other Aussies were injured after thousands of people crowded into a narrow street in Seoul to celebrate Halloween on Saturday night.</p> <p dir="ltr">“The Australian embassy in Seoul has been notified of the death of an Australian at the tragic event in Seoul,” DFAT said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Consular officers from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade are providing consular assistance to the individual’s family in Australia.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Consular officers are also assisting a number of other Australians who were present at the event.</p> <p dir="ltr">“The Australian government sends its condolences to the family and others affected by this tragic incident. We ask for the family's privacy to be respected during this difficult time.”<br />Nathan Taverniti, who survived the incident, spoke to Yonhap News Agency, identifying himself as a friend of the victim, a 23-year-old woman, and later spoke about the lack of response from authorities on TikTok.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I just can’t believe it. I was in the front of where it happened,” he said while wiping away tears outside Soonchunhyang University Hospital where some of the victims’ bodies were located.</p> <p dir="ltr">“All I could see was a wall of people.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Mr Taverniti said it was “impossible” to save his friend.</p> <p dir="ltr">“People need to know how bad it was and how little help there was,” he said, adding that he spent Sunday desperately searching for her body.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I don’t know where she is,” he continued.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I can’t find any info … the consulate doesn’t know where she is.”</p> <p dir="ltr">In his TikTok video, Mr Taverniti condemned South Korean authorities for their slow response time, claiming it took half an hour for police to arrive and even longer for other emergency services.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I was there when she said she couldn’t breathe,” he said through tears.<br />“There was no stampede. It was a slow and agonising crush.</p> <p dir="ltr">“This crush was not caused by drunk people. It was a lack of planning (from the) police force and emergency services, and nobody was willing to help.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I watched as people sang and filmed and laughed while my friends were dying, along with many other people.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Nobody was doing anything to make the crowd stop.”</p> <p dir="ltr">According to officials, dozens of attendees went into cardiac arrest following the fatal crush of a 100-000 strong crowd at around 10.22 pm, with hundreds believed to be injured.</p> <p dir="ltr">Olivia Jacovic, an Aussie living in Seoul, told Channel Nine about how she managed to escape the crush, describing the crowd as “shoulder-to-shoulder”.</p> <p dir="ltr">“It was really hard, I had bruises on my arms from trying to manoeuvre out but we got on the sidelines luckily and we were standing up on this brick wall and we could see above,” she said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“It was just shoulder-to-shoulder, people couldn’t breathe the shorter people were trying to look up in the air to get some air.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I just wanted to get out of there... I don’t care that my clothes were getting ripped.”</p> <p dir="ltr">According to local emergency responders, many of the victims were women in their teens or early twenties.</p> <p dir="ltr">Officials added that the incident was believed to have occurred after a large crowd began pushing forward in a narrow alley upon hearing that a celebrity was nearby.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-16cea9fb-7fff-ec20-c6b8-882c6dcecfe7"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">Along with 1700 emergency workers, 15 ‘disaster’ medical teams were also deployed to help in the aftermath, but emergency services were still overwhelmed by the sheer number of victims.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p>

News

“No-one is safe”: Nat Barr and Kochie jump out of their skin after spooky prank

<p dir="ltr"><em>Sunrise </em>hosts Nat Barr and David ‘Kohie’ Koch have been the latest victims of some Halloween shenanigans.</p> <p dir="ltr">In a two-part video, a Channel Seven employee can be seen donning a <em>Scream </em>mask before going around scaring people at Brekky Central, including Barr and Koch.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-05518cdc-7fff-3528-3db1-e477a6ea9870"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">“It’s Halloween time! Watch me scare the crew,” the caption of the first clip read.</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CkEf9ZjByde/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CkEf9ZjByde/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Sunrise (@sunriseon7)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">After frightening two producers, the prankster crept up behind Edwina Bartholemew and Mark Beretta, who were sitting at their desks.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Oh s**t!” Bartholomew exclaimed.</p> <p dir="ltr">Beretta let out a small scream and wheeled his chair away, shouting, “Far out!” before bursting into laughter.</p> <p dir="ltr">Switching to a <em>Friday the 13th </em>hockey mask and a fake bloody knife, the employee went on to give <em>The Morning Show</em> hosts Larry Emdur and Kylie Gillies a fright.</p> <p dir="ltr">Sneaking up behind their chairs, the employee tapped Gillies on the shoulder, prompting her to squeal in terror and throw her papers on the floor when she saw them.</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-1b249727-7fff-80ef-53c7-8d5f54be4c63"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">“Could we get some adult diapers to studio one please?” Emdur joked, unaffected by the prank.</p> <p dir="ltr"><img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/10/edwina-scary.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Edwina Bartholemew gets the fright of her life during a Channel Seven employee’s Halloween pranks. Images: @sunriseon7 (TikTok)</em></p> <p dir="ltr">In part two of the prank, the employee went back to wearing the <em>Scream </em>mask to frighten Barr and Koch.</p> <p dir="ltr">“No one is safe 🎃🎃,” they captioned the clip.</p> <p dir="ltr">In it, the masked employee can be seen appearing behind the couch Barr and Koch are sitting on while discussing a story about Lindsay Lohan.</p> <p dir="ltr">Koch was the first to spot the figure, shouting in horror while Barr screamed and moved away.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Whoa! Oh f**k!” he shouted. “Oh f**k. Why would you do that? Oh f**k.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-d9bba3f2-7fff-a35e-3c9f-12ee12d47bb2"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">“I guess you can’t use that take,” Nat joked to the producers.</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CkHD89dhwda/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CkHD89dhwda/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Sunrise (@sunriseon7)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">In a third clip, shared on the show’s TikTok page, the scarer dons a horrifying green witch mask and enters a lift to terrify even more <em>Sunrise </em>employees.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I may not have a job after this so @MarkBeretta will take over 😂,” they captioned <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@sunriseon7/video/7158370910477552897?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7112642336690570754" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the third clip</a>.</p> <p dir="ltr">The first victim, a woman from the wardrobe department waiting to get on the lift, leaps back and lets out a small scream when she sees the masked employee, before laughing and bringing another coworker over to have a look.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I’m not getting in the lift!” she says, walking quickly away as the lift doors close.</p> <p dir="ltr">The next victim is one of the producers, who screams “Don’t do that!” and slaps the prankster, with a second producer putting her hands in front of herself and wheeling her chair back when she spots the employee.</p> <p dir="ltr">The trio of clips went down a treat with viewers on Instagram and TikTok, with many finding them hilarious and saying they made their day.</p> <p dir="ltr">Koch’s daughter, Georgina, commented: “I cannot stop watching this.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“Gotta love Halloween,” one viewer wrote.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Sorry guys, but that was so funny,” another said.</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-f14146a1-7fff-df73-53f9-1439e5d94f39"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: @sunriseon7 (Instagram)</em></p>

Parents horrified at Halloween decorations

<p dir="ltr">Parents in a Sydney suburb have questioned a family’s Halloween decorations resembling <em>The Handmaid’s Tale</em> in quite a disturbing way. </p> <p dir="ltr">Images shared to Facebook show a fake body in the show’s iconic red dress and white bonnet, while a male character is dressed in blue.</p> <p dir="ltr">Both bodies were seen hanging by their necks on the porch, in reference to the show in which people were killed when they disobeyed the rules. </p> <p dir="ltr">There was also fake blood smeared on the outside of the house reading, “Nolite te bastardes carborundorum” which translates to, “Don’t let the b******* grind you down”.</p> <p dir="ltr">Social media users were divided at the decorations with many pointing out that it is inappropriate for children to see. </p> <p dir="ltr">“Imagine children seeing this walking past,” one comment read.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Not good; totally inappropriate,” another wrote.</p> <p dir="ltr">“That’s horrible! Kids will be scared,” someone else commented. </p> <p dir="ltr">Others however defended the decorations saying it is the spirit of Halloween and people are encouraged to go all out with costumes. </p> <p dir="ltr">“OMG it’s Halloween, get over it, some of y’all need to lighten up,” someone wrote. </p> <p dir="ltr">“While we’re on the topic – how freckin good is Handmaid’s this season,” another fan wrote.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>The Handmaid’s Tale</em> is an American dystopian television series based on the 1985 novel of the same name by Canadian author Margaret Atwood. </p> <p dir="ltr">It tells the story of June, played by Elisabeth Moss, who is forced into sexual slavery struggles to survive in a totalitarian, fundamentalist society in what used to be the United States. </p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Facebook</em></p>

Real Estate

Top 10 spooky stays for those Halloween weekend road trips

<p>It's the spookiest time of year, and there are plenty of ghoulish places to discover around Australia. To help you plan your next spooky road trip, Toyota Australia has compiled a frightful list of ten top stays for a Halloween-themed road trip like no other.</p> <p><strong>1. <a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.montecristo.com.au/__;!!IHJ3XrWN4X8!Ngc0COUlXfvAPcWa76VI_T27Ce9juwK-Y7cUZh4HcjW0O7Lv9maA12KJkUIyW9mqjnZreRPe2Jy4IZ1YHy1xZb_k4JCv$" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Monte Cristo Homestead</a>, Junee NSW</strong></p> <p><strong><img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/10/monte-cristo-homestead2.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></strong></p> <p><em>Images: Monte Cristo Homestead (Facebook)</em></p> <p>Dubbed “Australia’s most haunted homestead”, Monte Cristo – only two-and-a-half hours’ drive from Canberra – is said to be haunted by at least ten ghosts, most significantly its original owners Christopher and Elizabeth Crawley. Christopher still haunts the room in which he passed, as kind a spirit as he was in life – Elizabeth, however, is not so nice; if she doesn’t like you, she’ll cause a chill across your skin to scare you off. Don’t believe us? For the thrill seekers and sceptics out there, Monte Cristo offers accommodation for you to sleep – or stare at the ceiling wide awake in terror all night.</p> <p><strong>2. </strong> <a style="text-align: center;" href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.georgeiv.com.au/accommodation/__;!!IHJ3XrWN4X8!Ngc0COUlXfvAPcWa76VI_T27Ce9juwK-Y7cUZh4HcjW0O7Lv9maA12KJkUIyW9mqjnZreRPe2Jy4IZ1YHy1xZYG9SB7T$"><strong>George IV Inn</strong></a><strong style="text-align: center;">, Picton NSW</strong></p> <p><img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/10/george-iv-inn.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></p> <p><em>Images: George IV Inn (Facebook)</em></p> <p><span style="text-align: center;">If you’re game, how about a night or two at the century-old George IV hotel in Picton? The eerily stripped-back interior couldn’t be more fitting for accommodation located in what is considered Australia’s most haunted town. Picton in NSW – an hour’s drive from Sydney – is host to a variety of ghostly locations. If you dare, venture down to the Redbank Range Railway tunnel, where it is claimed the spirit of Emily Bollard, who was killed by a train in 1916 – stay on the lookout for a pale, faceless figure of a woman. That’s not all - according to residents, the cries of babies can be heard from Picton’s now-defunct Old Maternity Hospital, three ghosts haunt the Wollondilly Shire Hall, and the jukebox has been known to start playing while unplugged at the Imperial Hotel.</span></p> <p><strong><span style="text-align: center;">3. </span></strong><a style="text-align: center;" href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.qstation.com.au/__;!!IHJ3XrWN4X8!Ngc0COUlXfvAPcWa76VI_T27Ce9juwK-Y7cUZh4HcjW0O7Lv9maA12KJkUIyW9mqjnZreRPe2Jy4IZ1YHy1xZemwu4JL$"><strong>Quarantine Station</strong></a><strong style="text-align: center;">, Manly NSW</strong></p> <p><img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/10/quarantine-station.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></p> <p><em>Images: Quarantine Station Ghost Tours (Facebook)</em></p> <p>Q Station in Manly – only half an hour’s drive from the Sydney CBD – is a stunning venue with accommodation ranging from guest lounges, suites, and cottages, and multiple on-site harborside fine dining restaurants and bars. Yet, the station also has a dark history as a quarantine station for the unwell, first operating over 150 years ago and only closing in 1984, where it has since been the site of almost 600 deaths. As a result, the place is allegedly riddled with ghosts – that’s why Q Station also offers a range of ghost tours around the property, including through the onsite cemetery and morgue.</p> <p><strong>4. </strong><a style="text-align: center;" href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.jenolancaves.org.au/__;!!IHJ3XrWN4X8!Ngc0COUlXfvAPcWa76VI_T27Ce9juwK-Y7cUZh4HcjW0O7Lv9maA12KJkUIyW9mqjnZreRPe2Jy4IZ1YHy1xZac_sEC_$"><strong>Caves House Hotel</strong></a><strong style="text-align: center;">, Blue Mountains NSW</strong></p> <p><img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/10/caves-house-hotel.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></p> <p><em>Image: Caves House Hotel (Facebook)</em></p> <p>Described on its website as a “romantic and relaxing place to stay overnight”, you’d be forgiven for thinking otherwise if you knew the haunted history of the Jenolan Caves. From disembodied screams and unexplained shoulder taps within the caves to sightings of ghostly arms and the sounds of playing children deep into the night in Caves House, the official website has been sure to <a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.jenolancaves.org.au/about/blog/spinechilling-stories-from-the-underworld/__;!!IHJ3XrWN4X8!Ngc0COUlXfvAPcWa76VI_T27Ce9juwK-Y7cUZh4HcjW0O7Lv9maA12KJkUIyW9mqjnZreRPe2Jy4IZ1YHy1xZVr10l2I$">document</a> any stories and sightings of spirits and spectres of those brave enough to stay the night in their stunning – but spooky – Blue Mountains lodgings, a three hour’s drive from Sydney.</p> <p><strong>5. </strong><a style="text-align: center;" href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.booking.com/hotel/au/castlemaine-gardens-luxury-safari-tents.en-gb.html?aid=356980&label=gog235jc-1DCAsoD0InY2FzdGxlbWFpbmUtZ2FyZGVucy1sdXh1cnktc2FmYXJpLXRlbnRzSDNYA2gPiAEBmAEJuAEXyAEM2AED6AEBiAIBqAIDuALvvsqZBsACAdICJGM1YWMzNWExLWNmOWMtNDMwZS04MDg5LWUwZjM3ZjIyMzQ4ONgCBOACAQ&sid=7840f168f5ccfb8a42fa50883655b5f2&dist=0&group_adults=2&group_children=0&keep_landing=1&no_rooms=1&sb_price_type=total&type=total&__;!!IHJ3XrWN4X8!Ngc0COUlXfvAPcWa76VI_T27Ce9juwK-Y7cUZh4HcjW0O7Lv9maA12KJkUIyW9mqjnZreRPe2Jy4IZ1YHy1xZaDDH6o3$"><strong>Castlemaine Gardens Luxury Safari Tents</strong></a><strong style="text-align: center;">, Castlemaine VIC</strong></p> <p><img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/10/castlemaine-gardens.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></p> <p><em>Image: </em><em>BIG4 Castlemaine Gardens Holiday Park (Facebook)</em></p> <p>Glamp in style at the Castlemaine Gardens Luxury Safari Tents, a semi-open-air accommodation tucked away in beautiful gardens in outer north-west Victoria – only an hour and a half’s drive from Melbourne. With an exposed wood interior and white tulle mosquito nets draped over the four-poster beds, the tents are reminiscent of the gold rush era. To further your historical-themed getaway, you could perhaps consider a trip to Old Castlemaine Gaol – a colonial-era prison famed for housing some of the time’s most violent criminals, many of whom are said to still haunt the hallways. If you’re too scared to go back to your tent, how about sticking it out for one of their infamous 12-hour overnight ghost tours?</p> <p><strong>6. </strong><a style="text-align: center;" href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/craigsroyal.com.au/accommodation/__;!!IHJ3XrWN4X8!Ngc0COUlXfvAPcWa76VI_T27Ce9juwK-Y7cUZh4HcjW0O7Lv9maA12KJkUIyW9mqjnZreRPe2Jy4IZ1YHy1xZb3Qyc0y$"><strong>Craig’s Royal Hotel,</strong></a><strong style="text-align: center;"> Ballarat VIC</strong></p> <p><img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/10/craigs-royal-hotel.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></p> <p><em>Images: Craig's Royal Hotel (Facebook)</em></p> <p>You know it’s worth the drive if the whole city has a dedicated website to ghost tours in the area. That’s the case with Ballarat’s <a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.eerietours.com.au/__;!!IHJ3XrWN4X8!Ngc0COUlXfvAPcWa76VI_T27Ce9juwK-Y7cUZh4HcjW0O7Lv9maA12KJkUIyW9mqjnZreRPe2Jy4IZ1YHy1xZW8NcLBZ$">Eerie Tours</a>, which offers a variety of historic ghost tours across both Ballarat, including its Old Cemetery and the Town Hall, and the nearby infamous Aradale Lunatic Asylum in Ararat – known as one of the most hostile haunted locations in Australia. After a night of frights (or two), it’s only fitting to retire in somewhere as grand as the heritage-listed, Victorian-designed Craig’s Royal Hotel – only an hour and a half’s drive from Melbourne.</p> <p><strong>7. </strong><a style="text-align: center;" href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.spencersuitesalbany.com.au/__;!!IHJ3XrWN4X8!Ngc0COUlXfvAPcWa76VI_T27Ce9juwK-Y7cUZh4HcjW0O7Lv9maA12KJkUIyW9mqjnZreRPe2Jy4IZ1YHy1xZZpDd-oj$"><strong>Spencer Suites</strong></a><strong style="text-align: center;">, Albany WA</strong></p> <p><img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/10/spencer-suites.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></p> <p><em>Image: Spencer Suites (Facebook)</em></p> <p>Far down south in WA – five hours away from Perth if you drive – is the former colonial settlement of Albany, a seaside town rich with tales of ghost stories. From the ruins of a lighthouse said to be haunted by its keeper, a former hospital with doors closing on its own, a 150-year-old quarantine station and an old gaol, Albany offers so many spooky experiences you’ll just have to spend a couple nights – how about checking out Spencer Suites, where “heritage meets chic”? The refreshing modernity of the self-contained apartments would be a welcome change from the haunted colonial-era ruins.</p> <p><strong>8. </strong><a style="text-align: center;" href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.babindaquarters.com/__;!!IHJ3XrWN4X8!Ngc0COUlXfvAPcWa76VI_T27Ce9juwK-Y7cUZh4HcjW0O7Lv9maA12KJkUIyW9mqjnZreRPe2Jy4IZ1YHy1xZS_cs8AM$"><strong>Babinda Quarters</strong></a><strong style="text-align: center;">, Babinda QLD</strong></p> <p><img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/10/barbinda-quarters.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></p> <p><em>Image: Babinda Quarters (Facebook)</em></p> <p>Most of the locations on this list so far have been colonial man-made institutions housing spirits of those who passed within their four walls, yet, a short drive from the beautiful tropical town of Babinda are the Babinda Boulders – a stunning and tranquil swimming and picnic area with a particularly treacherous stretch of the creek aptly named Devil’s Pool. According to local Indigenous legend, a young widow named Oolana came to the pool to grieve her husband, ultimately drowning herself to overcome her sorrows. It is said she still haunts the pool, with unexplained tides and sudden rushing torrents. Morbidly curious travellers beware: this creek has claimed many lives, something expressed on a sign as you approach it; most of them young men a similar age to the Oolana’s husband. If staying in Babinda to explore the rainforest (both haunted and not), Babinda Quarters, a recently refurbished art deco homestead offers stunning and quirky accommodation with a rainforest twist less than an hour’s drive from Cairns.</p> <p><strong>9. </strong><a style="text-align: center;" href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__http:/www.fothergills.net.au/__;!!IHJ3XrWN4X8!Ngc0COUlXfvAPcWa76VI_T27Ce9juwK-Y7cUZh4HcjW0O7Lv9maA12KJkUIyW9mqjnZreRPe2Jy4IZ1YHy1xZXtl3Uxs$"><strong>Fothergills of Fremantle,</strong></a><strong style="text-align: center;"> WA</strong></p> <p><img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/10/fothergills-fremantle.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></p> <p><em>Image: Fothergills of Fremantle (Facebook)</em></p> <p>Just half an hour’s drive from the heart of Perth CBD, Forthergills of Fremantle is a stunning 19th century heritage listed building, with rooms filled featuring local craftwork and fitted with on-theme colonial furniture – lit quite eerily in their official photos. Fittingly, Fremantle is home to one of the most infamous haunted locations in WA – the Fremantle Arts Centre. The former lunatic asylum is claimed to be one of the most haunted buildings in the state, with reports of faces being seen in windows, strange bouts of cold air, and doors opening and closing on their own.</p> <p><strong>10. </strong><a style="text-align: center;" href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.thestationkapunda.com/__;!!IHJ3XrWN4X8!Ngc0COUlXfvAPcWa76VI_T27Ce9juwK-Y7cUZh4HcjW0O7Lv9maA12KJkUIyW9mqjnZreRPe2Jy4IZ1YHy1xZZZ0jA3h$"><strong>The Station</strong></a><strong style="text-align: center;">, Kapunda SA</strong></p> <p><img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/10/station-kapunda.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></p> <p><em>Images: The Station Kapunda (Facebook)</em></p> <p>While the most haunted hotel in Australia might not be available for bookings, we thought it’d be more advisable to stay in a nicer, considerably less-ghostly accommodation such as The Station at Kapunda, a stunning and modern escape in a 162-year-old renovated railway station, only an hour by car from Adelaide. That way you can escape from The North Kapunda Hotel should the spirits cause you too much distress. Kapunda is also known as an extremely haunted town, with tours across the town available for any thrill seekers out there.</p> <p><em>Images: Facebook</em></p>

Domestic Travel

One-year-old receives a heart-warming letter from Windsor Castle

<p><em>Image: The Sun</em></p> <p>A young girl has received a letter from Windsor Castle after dressing up as The Queen for Halloween.</p> <p>One-year-old Jalayne Sutherland caught royal attention after donning an adorable double-breasted overcoat with a matching hat, a white wig and pearls around her neck.</p> <p>She was photographed by her mum, Katelyn Sutherland, standing alongside her family corgis. Katelyn, from Ohio, America, sent the photograph to The Queen on a whim - and said she did not expect to receive a reply.</p> <p>She said, "The biggest inspiration for the outfit was the fact that our dogs are our daughter's best friends."</p> <p>“We wanted to do something where they could all be included together. We are most definitely fans of the Royal family and truly admire how the Queen walks by faith."</p> <p>Katelyn said her daughter's costume was met with lots of praise as she took her trick-or-treating on Halloween this year.</p> <p>She added, “While walking around on Halloween we received many, many compliments but my favourite reactions were when people bowed to her or did the royal wave and said, ‘Your Majesty!’”</p> <p>The letter, from the Queen's lady in waiting for the Hon Marry Morrison, said, “The Queen wishes me to write and thank you for your letter, and for the photograph you thoughtfully enclosed."</p> <p>“Her Majesty thought it kind of you to write to her, and The Queen was pleased to see the photograph of your daughter, Jalayne, in her splendid outfit."</p> <p>“Her Majesty hopes you all have a very Merry Christmas, and I am enclosing a little information about the Royal Pets, which Jalayne might like to have.”</p>

Family & Pets

Not spooked by Halloween ghost stories? You may have aphantasia

<p>Halloween movies often feature kids sitting around a campfire sharing gory, spooky stories, trying to get someone to scream in fear.</p> <p>This weekend you might be doing the same – sharing a horror story with friends. You may find one friend doesn’t get scared, no matter how frightening a scene you try to paint in their mind.</p> <p>So why are some people more easily spooked by stories than others? We ran an experiment to find out.</p> <p><strong>Can you see it in your mind?</strong></p> <p>One reason some people are more easily spooked could relate to how well they can visualise the scary scene in their mind.</p> <p>When some people listen to a story they automatically conjure up the scene in their mind’s eye, while others have to focus really hard to create any sort of mental image.</p> <p>A small proportion cannot visualise images at all. No matter how hard they try, they do not see anything in their mind. This inability to visualise is known as aphantasia.</p> <p>Although we have known people vary in their ability to visualise <a rel="noopener" href="https://psychclassics.yorku.ca/Galton/imagery.htm" target="_blank">for many years</a>, the term aphantasia was not coined until <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0010945215001781?via%3Dihub" target="_blank">2015</a>.</p> <p>We don’t yet know exactly how many people have aphantasia. But <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0010945220301404?via%3Dihub" target="_blank">estimates vary</a> at 1–4% of the population.</p> <p><iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KuWSh4n5AiI?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe> <em><span class="caption">Do you have aphantasia?</span></em></p> <p><strong>How scared are you?</strong></p> <p>If the ability to visualise images and scenes in the mind plays a role in how we react to spooky stories, what does that mean for people with aphantasia? How do they react when reading scary stories?</p> <p>We <a rel="noopener" href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full/10.1098/rspb.2021.0267" target="_blank">ran a study</a> to find out. We had people sit in the dark and read a number of short stories – not ghost stories, but ones with frightening, hypothetical scenarios.</p> <p>One example involved someone being chased by a shark, another being covered in spiders.</p> <p>As people read these stories, we recorded their fear levels by measuring how much the stories made them sweat.</p> <p>We placed small electrodes on their fingers and ran a tiny electric current from one electrode to the other.</p> <p>When you sweat this allows the electric current to flow from one electrode to the other easier, due to less resistance, and this results in <a rel="noopener" href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1094428116681073" target="_blank">increased skin conductance</a>.</p> <p>This measure can pick up even very small increases in sweat you wouldn’t otherwise notice.</p> <p><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/429220/original/file-20211028-13882-16y7l51.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/429220/original/file-20211028-13882-16y7l51.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" alt="Scared man rowing away from sharks" /></a> <em><span class="caption">Imagine being chased by sharks. Some people can’t conjure up the image in their mind.</span> <span class="attribution"><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/escape-crisis-613248632" target="_blank" class="source">Shutterstock</a></span></em></p> <p>For most people who could conjure up images in their mind, their skin conductance increased when they read these stories. But people with aphantasia didn’t show a significant increase in their skin conductance levels when reading the same scenarios.</p> <p>There was no difference between the two groups when viewing scary pictures. This suggests aphantasic people’s lack of a reaction to these stories wasn’t due to a general dampening of emotional responses.</p> <p>Instead, we concluded the lack of a change in skin conductance in these people with aphantasia is specific to being unable to <em>visualise</em> these fear-inducing stories.</p> <p><strong>What’s going on in the brain?</strong></p> <p>Very little work has been done to measure neural activity in people with aphantasia to give us a firm idea of why they cannot visualise images.</p> <p>One <a rel="noopener" href="https://academic.oup.com/cercorcomms/article/2/2/tgab035/6265046" target="_blank">study</a> shows both the frontal and visual regions of the brain are linked to visualising images. And in people with aphantasia, the connection between these two areas is weaker.</p> <p>Another study found the pattern of activity in visual regions of the brain <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.jneurosci.org/content/37/5/1367.abstract" target="_blank">is correlated</a> with the vividness of the mental images.</p> <p>So any reduction in connectivity between the frontal and visual regions may result in less control over the visual regions. This might lead to the inability to visualise.</p> <p><strong>So what if you have aphantasia?</strong></p> <p>If you have aphantasia, it might just mean reading a <a rel="noopener" href="https://stephenking.com" target="_blank">Stephen King novel</a> is unlikely to ruffle your feathers.</p> <p>Theoretically, remembering fearful experiences might also be less scary. We did not test personal memories in our study, but we hope to look at these in the future.</p> <p>People with aphantasia report their personal memories (<a rel="noopener" href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.3758%2Fs13421-014-0402-5" target="_blank">autobiographical memories</a>) are <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-65705-7" target="_blank">less vivid</a> and <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0010945220301404?via%3Dihub" target="_blank">detailed</a> than people with visual imagery.</p> <p>People with aphantasia may also be less likely to develop disorders associated with fear memories, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).</p> <p>Another possibility is they still may develop PTSD but it presents <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-65705-7" target="_blank">in a different way</a> to people with visual imagery – without flashbacks. But more research is needed.</p> <p><em><a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/rebecca-keogh-301841" target="_blank">Rebecca Keogh</a>, Research Fellow, Department of Cognitive Science, <a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/macquarie-university-1174" target="_blank">Macquarie University</a></em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com" target="_blank">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/not-spooked-by-halloween-ghost-stories-you-may-have-aphantasia-170712" target="_blank">original article</a>.</em></p> <p><em>Image: Shutterstock</em></p>

Mind

Two teens dressed up as two of the pandemic’s most recognisable faces for Halloween

<p dir="ltr">Two Melbourne teens have stolen the show this Halloween with their couples’ costume: premiers Daniel Andrews and Gladys Berejiklian as we know them best, giving their daily COVID-19 press conferences.</p> <p dir="ltr">The two VCE students shared a series of videos of them in costume as the former NSW premier and current Victorian premier ahead of Halloween this weekend, with one video of the pair shaking hands and then twerking racking up over one million views.</p> <p dir="ltr">Two of the videos feature Andrews ‘punching’ at Berejiklian, most likely hinting at the interstate rivalries that have only become more stark during the pandemic. Berejiklian is currently facing an<span> </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://oversixty.com.au/finance/legal/it-didn-t-stack-up-icac-investigation-into-gladys-berejiklian-begins" target="_blank">ICAC inquiry</a><span> </span>into her conduct as premier, particularly in relation to her<span> </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://oversixty.com.au/news/news/maguire-s-icac-testimony-full-of-personal-revelations" target="_blank">clandestine relationship</a><span> </span>with former NSW Liberal MP Daryl Maguire.</p> <p dir="ltr">A third video features the pair strutting and dancing to the post-lockdown anthem consisting of a remixed version of Andrews’ famous rallying cry of ‘get on the beers’.</p> <blockquote style="max-width: 605px; min-width: 325px;" class="tiktok-embed" data-video-id="7021646020287204609"><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.tiktok.com/@jupiterofpentaclez" target="_blank" title="@jupiterofpentaclez">@jupiterofpentaclez</a> <p>@daniel.andrews please please <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/vce" target="_blank" title="vce">#vce</a> <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/melbourne" target="_blank" title="melbourne">#melbourne</a></p> <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.tiktok.com/music/VOID-BY-LIL-NAS-X-7007925875408767750" target="_blank" title="♬ VOID BY LIL NAS X - lil nas x">♬ VOID BY LIL NAS X - lil nas x</a></blockquote> <blockquote style="max-width: 605px; min-width: 325px;" class="tiktok-embed" data-video-id="7021665270150237442"><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.tiktok.com/@jupiterofpentaclez" target="_blank" title="@jupiterofpentaclez">@jupiterofpentaclez</a> <p>DAN PLEASE @daniel.andrews we love you</p> <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.tiktok.com/music/I'm-Legit-6791240344357832706" target="_blank" title="♬ I'm Legit - Nicki Minaj">♬ I'm Legit - Nicki Minaj</a></blockquote> <blockquote style="max-width: 605px; min-width: 325px;" class="tiktok-embed" data-video-id="7021645419335716098"><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.tiktok.com/@jupiterofpentaclez" target="_blank" title="@jupiterofpentaclez">@jupiterofpentaclez</a> <p>@daniel.andrews notice us daddy Dan <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/melbourne" target="_blank" title="melbourne">#melbourne</a> <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/vce" target="_blank" title="vce">#vce</a> <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/year12" target="_blank" title="year12">#year12</a></p> <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.tiktok.com/music/Get-on-the-Beers-6888114271511644161" target="_blank" title="♬ Get on the Beers - Mashd N Kutcher">♬ Get on the Beers - Mashd N Kutcher</a></blockquote> <p dir="ltr">The costumes look relatively simple - business casual clothing, wigs, glasses, and masks, naturally - but the cardboard backgrounds featuring the NSW Health and Victorian State Government logos really seal the deal, and are an obvious highlight.</p> <p dir="ltr">User jupiterofpentaclez, who posted the videos, commented ‘please get this on The Project’ underneath one of the videos, prompting people, including comedian Nazeem Hussain, who regularly appears on the program, to tag The Project in an effort to draw their attention.</p> <p dir="ltr">Being VCE students, the pair would currently be in the middle of their examination period, so what better way to blow off steam than dress up as some of the country’s best known politicians and dance?</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: jupiterofpentaclez/Tiktok</em></p>

Beauty & Style

Some of the best pet Halloween costumes from around the world

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">What is Halloween if not an excuse to dress up and demand candy from your neighbours? An excuse to force your pets into increasingly ridiculous and elaborate outfits, of course. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">We’ve searched the internet high and low, and we feel confident saying these are some of the best pet costumes you’ll ever see. So without further ado…</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Since Halloween takes place during autumn (or falls in fall, if you’re American), a pumpkin costume feels particularly apt.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Here’s an adorable pug-kin: </span></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CUfrXTmL946/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CUfrXTmL946/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Loulou the Pug (@pugloulou)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span><span style="font-weight: 400;">And an equally adorable (but much tinier) tortoise:</span></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CVixuKAPjO7/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CVixuKAPjO7/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Sushi The Sulcata Tortoise (@sushi_thesulcata)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Others make use of pumpkins to set the scene, like the Instagram famous Toby Toad, dressed as a witch:</span></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CVlt6kRl0QH/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CVlt6kRl0QH/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Toby Toad (@yaboi_toby_toad)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Or these heroic pugs:</span></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CVV6OAulAeM/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CVV6OAulAeM/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Hugo & Halo The Lovable Pugs (@pugnamedhugo)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">And French bulldogs:</span></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CVlZz66pz2t/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CVlZz66pz2t/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Jeronimo & Tokyo (@toky.mo)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A few pet owners paid homage to royalty with their pet costumes. Like this cat, who’s dressed up as Marie Antoinette, which feels fitting:</span></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CVWLmfvvay-/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CVWLmfvvay-/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by little.poohkie.and.big.mer (@little.poohkie.and.big.mer)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Or this adorable child-and-pet duo as Queen Elizabeth II and one of her beloved corgis:</span></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CVl5YWhLyaT/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CVl5YWhLyaT/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Nixon the Corgi (@nixonthecorgi)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">However, pop culture costumes are the clear favourite. Take these dogs who look ready to board the Hogwarts Express, for example:</span></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CVgBWhRJ5od/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CVgBWhRJ5od/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Sailor⚓️and Salty 🏄 (@sailorandsalty)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Or this pup who watched Squid Game with his humans and enjoyed it a bit too much:</span></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CVgg29sKFts/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CVgg29sKFts/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Boose Buzz (@boose_buzz)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">If there’s something strange in the neighbourhood, you better call Grizzly for all of your ghost-busting needs:</span></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CViWa4aptQZ/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CViWa4aptQZ/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Grizzly 🐻 (@grizzlydoodlebear)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Meanwhile, you’ll probably want to avoid the next few dogs, whose costumes err on the scarier side of things. Like this elderly chihuahua dressed up as Pinhead from the </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Hellraiser</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> movies:</span></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CVjRmT4lqCq/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CVjRmT4lqCq/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Gizmo (@gizzard_the_chihuahua)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Or this little guy dressed up as Pennywise the clown from Stephen King’s </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">IT</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">:</span></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/tv/CVitNtLrqb3/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/tv/CVitNtLrqb3/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by DogsTV (@dogsvideo2021)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">As well as Moses, who is the spitting image of Chucky the possessed doll:</span></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CVQXgSHruz9/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CVQXgSHruz9/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by 🎾MOSES & LEXI NYC🎾 (@frenchienamedmoses)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Politicians in the US even got involved in the fun as part of the annual Congressional Dog Costume Parade on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C. We particularly love the Cowardly Lion accompanied by his very own Dorothy:</span></p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">Dog day in Washington.<br /><br />US Congress members and staff bring their dogs to work dressed in Halloween costumes for the annual Congressional Dog Costume Parade on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC<br /><br />📸 Jim Watson <a href="https://t.co/b8nfDfgv1g">pic.twitter.com/b8nfDfgv1g</a></p> — AFP News Agency (@AFP) <a href="https://twitter.com/AFP/status/1453624282647437314?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 28, 2021</a></blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">To cap us off, enjoy this video of an entire hallway full of costumed dogs!</span></p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">Dog daycare costume party.. 😊 <a href="https://t.co/2UcrSGElCK">pic.twitter.com/2UcrSGElCK</a></p> — Buitengebieden (@buitengebieden_) <a href="https://twitter.com/buitengebieden_/status/1453805886464483337?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 28, 2021</a></blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image: boose_buzz/Instagram, little.poohkie.and.big.mer/Instagram</span></p>

Family & Pets

“Are they kidding?”: William Shatner’s reaction to Halloween mask

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">William Shatner recently shared his reaction after discovering the iconic mask used in Michael Myers’ </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Halloween</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> franchise was actually based on his likeness.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In a </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYDvlnOYd1c&ab_channel=Jake%27sTakes" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">recent interview</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> with the YouTube channel </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Jake’s Takes</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">, Shatner spoke about how he first found out that the mask was his face and thought it was a joke.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The host, journalist Jake Hamilton, asked: “Do you remember the first moment someone said, ‘Hey do you know the </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Halloween</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> mask is you?”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I don’t remember the exact moment but I thought, ‘Is that a joke? Are they kidding?’,” the </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Star Trek </span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">actor said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Though he recalled he didn’t watch the horror film, </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://screenrant.com/halloween-michael-myers-william-shatner-mask-reaction/" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">he said</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> he saw it for the first time in a photo, and recognised it as the “death mask” that was made for him during his time on the sci-fi classic.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“They made me a mask of my face on </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Star Trek</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> with clay so I wouldn't have to be available for the prosthetics that they would put on my face to look old or evil or whatever it was they were making me look like,” he explained.</span></p> <p><img style="width: 0px; height: 0px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7845010/shatner-myers1.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/1918bc5d1b0f4b2f9f53d0912124d59d" /></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">The mask modelled on Shatner’s face for Star Trek alongside the repurposed mask used in the Halloween series. Image: startrek.com</span></em></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“So somewhere along the line, someone got that mask and made a mask of it for Halloween [the holiday].</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“And then the story is ‘Get me a mask’, said the director, so the guy ran into this Halloween store and grabbed this mask and it happened to be of me.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“That’s the story I know. How true it is I don’t know.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">According to the </span><em><a rel="noopener" href="https://nypost.com/2021/10/19/william-shatner-rips-halloween-for-using-capt-kirk-mask/" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">New York Post</span></a></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">, production designer and editor Tommy Lee Wallace told the story on Netflix’s </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Movies That Made Us</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> of how he found the mask at a magic shop on Hollywood Boulevard.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Up on the shelves were these full face masks of Richard Nixon, and down at the end was Mr Spock. And right next to it was this blank face of Captain Kirk,” Wallace said on the show.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">After painting it white, making the eye holes wider, removing the eyebrows, and dyeing the hair brown, the iconic </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Halloween </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">mask was born.</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image: Getty Images</span></em></p>

Movies

The offence of a child possessing spray paint without a lawful purpose in NSW

<p><em>Image: Getty </em></p> <p>Once just an American holiday that Australians would see on the big screen in movies like ET, Halloween has slowly, but steadily made its way to our shores.</p> <p>And every year it just seems to get bigger here.</p> <p>The shops have been full of decorations and paraphernalia for weeks, and now that Sydney, and most of New South Wales, are no longer under lockdown restrictions, it’s likely that many families are looking forward to participating on 31 October 2021, taking the opportunity to get together with the neighbours, have some fun and feel a sense of ‘normalcy’.</p> <p>But what’s it going to be like to celebrate Halloween in the time of Covid? Well, it’s undoubtedly going to be an event that puts health and safety first.</p> <p><strong>Health Advice</strong></p> <p>Families are being encouraged to check in with the<span> </span>NSW Health website<span> </span>to check on any restrictions in their local area.</p> <p>These are likely to include using hand sanitiser and face covering, only handing out and accepting individually wrapped treats, keeping group and visiting sizes down, and exercising physical distancing.</p> <p><strong>Stay on the right side of the law!</strong></p> <p>Of course, children should always be supervised by a responsible adult who can oversee their personal safety.</p> <p>Anyone driving should remember that Halloween tends to be a night that kids rule the streets, so drivers need to be wary, particularly at dusk when visibility is reduced.</p> <p>Pedestrians should stick to footpaths and designated crossings, and also be aware of road safety.</p> <p>Unfortunately, this is also a night where the kids can get out of control!</p> <p>‘Sugar highs’, peer pressure and the false confidence provided by a superhero costume can lead to some kids and teens behaving badly – potentially even finding themselves on the wrong side of the law by engaging in activities like egging houses and cars, damaging plants and foliage, and other<span> </span>acts of vandalism and graffiti.</p> <p><strong>The offence of graffiti in NSW </strong></p> <p>Section 4 of the Graffiti Control Act 2008 (NSW), a person who marks a premises or property can face a penalty of up to 12 months in prison and/or a $2,200 fine if the prosecution is able to prove beyond reasonable doubt that:</p> <ol> <li>The marking was done intentionally,</li> <li>There was no consent from the owner of the premises or property that was marked on;, and</li> <li>Either:</li> </ol> <ul> <li>A graffiti implement was used for marking the premises or property. This includes, spray paint, maker pen, or anything designed to produce a mark that’s not readily removable by wiping it (or by use of water or detergent); or</li> <li>The marking was done in such a manner that it isn’t readily removable by wiping it (or by using water or detergent).</li> </ul> <p><strong>The offence of a child possessing spray paint in NSW </strong></p> <p>Section 8B of the Act<span> </span>makes it an offence for a person under the age of 18 years to possess spray paint in a public place. The maximum penalty for this offence is 6 months in prison and/or an $1,100 fine.</p> <p>A ‘public place’ is defined as<span> </span>a place (whether or not covered by water), or a part of premises,</p> <p>that is open to the public, or is used by the public whether or not on payment of money or other consideration, whether or not the place or part is ordinarily so open or used and whether or not the public to whom it is open consists only of a limited class of persons, but does not include the premises of a school or other educational establishment.</p> <p>The defences to this particular offence are where:<br />(a) the spray paint was intended for a defined lawful purpose, being the lawful pursuit of an occupation, education or training, or</p> <p>(b) the spray paint was for another defined lawful purpose and was at or in the immediate vicinity of the place where the spray paint can was being used or intended to be used for that defined lawful purpose.</p> <p><strong>The offence of intentionally or recklessly damaging a property in NSW</strong></p> <p>Graffiti vandalism by way of marking surfaces can also result in criminal charges of<span> </span>intentionally or recklessly destroying or damaging property, which is an offence under<span> </span>section 195 of the Crimes Act 1900 (NSW)<span> </span>and comes with a maximum penalty of 5 years in prison.</p> <p>Intentionally means wilfully or purposely, while recklessly means foreseeing the possibility of damage or destruction but proceeding regardless.</p> <p>Courts have found that property is considered to have been damaged where:</p> <ul> <li>There is permanent damage,</li> <li>There is temporary functional derangement,</li> <li>There is temporary impairment of usefulness,</li> <li>The physical integrity of the property is altered, or</li> <li>The property is rendered imperfect or inoperative.</li> </ul> <p>Some examples of conduct found by the courts to constitute damage include:</p> <ul> <li>Placing a blanket in a toilet and flushing,</li> <li>Letting down the tyres of a car,</li> <li>Painting graffiti on walls or floors, and</li> <li>Breaking a raw egg on the windscreen of a car.</li> </ul> <p><strong>The offence of trespassing in NSW </strong></p> <p>Trick or treaters should also be aware that not everyone participates in Halloween and for some it can be a real nuisance, and if you’re on someone’s property and they don’t want you there, you can also be charged with trespassing.</p> <p>Trespassing – which is also known as entering inclosed lands without permission – is an offence under<span> </span>section 4 of the Inclosed Lands Protection Act 1901 (NSW),<span> </span>which makes it an offence to enter inclosed lands without permission which carries a maximum fine of $550.</p> <p>Section 4A of the Act<span> </span>imposes steeper penalties for remaining on the premises after the owner or occupier directs you to leave. In such a case, the maximum fine is $2,200 where the land is a ‘prescribed premises’ such as a school, hospital, child care centre or nursing home, or $1,100 in all other cases.</p> <p>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://www.sydneycriminallawyers.com.au/blog/the-offence-of-a-child-possessing-spray-paint-without-a-lawful-purpose-in-nsw/">Sydney Criminal Lawyers.</a></p> <p> </p>

Legal

Woolies takes down “scary” displays while Coles stands firm

<p><em>Image: Facebook and Getty</em></p> <p>A Coles customer did not receive quite the reaction they were expecting after sharing her concerns on Facebook over “frightening” in-store Halloween displays.</p> <p>The concerned mother slammed the Halloween displayed she encountered at the storefront of Coles' Ferny Grove store in Brisbane, claiming it is too scary for children.</p> <p>But a lot of people commenting on the post disagreed, accusing the shopper of being "overly sensitive”, and instead vehemently hoping the decorations would remain up.</p> <p>The display in question features a large skeletal prop looming over the front counter at the Brisbane shopfront, as well as several skeletons playfully suspended from the ceiling.</p> <p>“I was quite taken aback by the Halloween display at the storefront counter with the skulls and quite scary/frightening things and gravestones for young children to see,” wrote the concerned mum.</p> <p>She explained that she mentioned her concern for young children to the woman at the checkout and asked if she could raise it with the manager, but says her request was denied.</p> <p>“I do think that you should try to keep Halloween decorations in all stores light and not leaning too dark and scary/frightening for young children,” she said.</p> <p>“Not all of us want to explain to young children why there’s a skull at supermarket entrances when they cannot understand things yet, but just sees images and cannot choose what they wish to see or not.”</p> <p>A Coles spokesperson told Yahoo News Australia that stores are getting into the spirit of Halloween with spooky displays. “Every year we see more customers looking for ways to celebrate the fun of Halloween and some of our stores are getting into the spirit with spooky decorations.”</p> <p>“Our intention is to inspire customers, not frighten them, so we are grateful for customer feedback and will follow up with our stores.”</p> <p>Despite several customers echoing similar sentiments over the spooky Halloween displays popping up in Coles stores, the majority of people defended the supermarket.<br />“I couldn’t disagree more. My three and six-year-old love the display, it’s a work of art and a great conversation piece,” wrote one Ferny Grove shopper in defence of the supermarket.<br />"I’ve heard many positive comments and think this sensitivity is too much."<br />Another wrote: “I really hope these stay".<br />"The Ferny Grove team put an amazing amount of effort into it and the majority of locals love it. Hopefully one negative Karen doesn't ruin it for the rest of us,” they said.<br />A third shopper wrote: “Love the Halloween display. My children have been brought up to be resilient and I talk to them and explain things, so they don't become scared of a plastic display."</p> <p>It’s not just Coles copping flak from customers over their Halloween displays, with Woolworths being forced to take down their spooky display in a Western Australian store.<br />A local mother shared a post to Facebook on Friday, asking for the Grim Reaper skeletal display at Woolworths Esperance be taken down as it was “too scary”.</p> <p>“We want all customers to feel comfortable and welcome in our stores, and appreciate this customer's feedback on the decorations at her local store,” the Woolworths store said in a statement.<br />“We have passed this feedback on to the store team, who have since amended the display.”</p>

Legal

Rebel Wilson shows off incredible transformation at Halloween party

<p>Rebel Wilson has showed off her incredible weight loss transformation in new photographs wearing a coronavirus-themed Halloween costume. </p> <p>The Aussie star dressed as a warrior princess, opting for a skin-tight leotard, a cape and purple boots.</p> <p>Sharing a number of posts to Instagram, the 40-year-old also showed off her skills with a pair of nunchucks.</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CHA6ULWAxqK/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="margin: 8px 0 0 0; padding: 0 4px;"><a style="color: #000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CHA6ULWAxqK/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">Just call me: RONA (Warrior Princess) ...destroying ‘rona wherever I go 😝</a></p> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">A post shared by <a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/rebelwilson/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank"> Rebel Wilson</a> (@rebelwilson) on Oct 31, 2020 at 9:15am PDT</p> </div> </blockquote> <p>“Just call me: RONA (Warrior Princess) ...destroying ‘rona wherever I go,” she wrote in one post.</p> <p>In a second post, Wilson was flanked by two other women, including her sister, who also had nunchucks.</p> <p>“TOGETHER WE ARE: THE NUN-CHICKS,” Wilson wrote.</p> <p>Rebel also posted a video to her stories showing her destroying a coronavirus cell-shaped piñata ball.</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CHBY6szLVxP/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="margin: 8px 0 0 0; padding: 0 4px;"><a style="color: #000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CHBY6szLVxP/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">TOGETHER WE ARE: THE NUN-CHICKS 💪🏻 @marissamontgomery @annachi.wilson @bamastunts</a></p> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">A post shared by <a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/rebelwilson/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank"> Rebel Wilson</a> (@rebelwilson) on Oct 31, 2020 at 1:42pm PDT</p> </div> </blockquote> <p>“I’m going to crush this coronavirus,” the 40-year-old said in a video.</p> <p>In another snap, Wilson was seen posing with boyfriend Jacob Busch.</p> <p>Wilson has shared several photos of her weight loss journey over the past few months.</p> <p>The 40 year old announced earlier this year she was embarking on a “Year of Health” in 2020.</p> <p>She revealed in October she was only 3kg away from her goal weight of 75kg.</p>

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