Martha Stewart’s Halloween Issue is characteristically G-rated, and this year’s offering feels a little low on substance.  The Halloween treats spread was five pages’ worth of content spread into ten, for example, and the DIY haunted house decorations were more of the same.  Still, Martha’s handmade crafts, bloodless as they are, rank decapitated head and shoulders above a bunch of mass-produced crap.  How much some white rope and craft store moss can up the production value, and if you include various carved vegetables from the (also very recycled) pumpkin feature, I’d love a picture of that.   The Halloween party food spread looks delicious, and if you make any black squid risotto, I’d like to eat that, but I’m definitely not doing that myself.  Best by far was the B-Movie inspired costume article.  Even if someone else follows the patterns and shows up at the same party, yours will be unique – and cost less than that plastic crap you buy off the rack.

Moving on to more grown-up fare, this year’s Rue Morgue Halloween issue snubs every new horror movie of the year and puts The Fly on its cover.  Also important, people are pissed about James Fisher’s Disfigures of Speech being moved to the Rue Morgue blog.  I love this magazine’s broad spectrum of reporting and quality standard.  The Poster Mondo article is fantastic, as is the Basso feature and the Misfits article and interview.  So many great movies are in production or nearing release that I’ve started keeping an Excel document.  There are simply too many good articles and reviews and sidebars in this magazine – you have to buy it and read it cover to cover yourself.