Most Anticipated Horror Movies of 2017

Looking back, 2016 was a pretty solid year for horror movies (here are my top 10 plus honorable mentions). I'm hoping 2017 brings us more of the same high-quality, inventive scary stories, even though this year's release slate is crowded with remakes and sequels (some of which I'm actually interested to check out).

I've listed some of my most anticipated movies below in order of release date (though dates will likely change), plus a few I'm cautiously looking forward to as well as sharing ones that are of no interest to me. A few of these were also on my list of most anticipated movies last year, so I'm even more excited to finally be able to see those!

Finally, this is a personal list and just my opinion, feel free to comment with what horror films you are most looking forward to in 2017 and of course let me know of any films I've overlooked!

Cemetery Gates Volume 5, Part 1: Cities in Dust

The whole end of December and all of January have been rather challenging for me, so I apologize for the absence. Besides all the usual holiday-craziness/traveling, my sweet cat Havoc got sick right before Christmas (and right before I was heading out of town). I took him to the emergency vet before leaving, and he seemed okay after getting checked out, but when I got back he still wasn't himself, so we've been going back and forth to the veterinarian (this is the first time he has ever been sick in 11 years!). He isn't quite out of the woods yet, but he seems better. And as if that wasn't stressful enough, I caught the nasty flu bug going around and have been sick for the past two weeks and haven't had energy to do much besides sleep, not to mention the awful state of the U.S. at the moment.

Anyways, it seems like I am on the mend (fingers crossed) and next week I'll find out if my dark prince Havoc is doing better. At least while I was sick I had the chance to catch up on some long-overdue reading, including Cemetery Gates Volume 5, a DIY zine created by the badass Kendy aka MissMuffCake! She releases many amazing zines (you can check them all out on Etsy!), and this one is filled with cemetery stories and photography. I've shared past issues of Cemetery Gates (check out Volume 1 and Volume 3!) and loved them, so I was stoked to dive into Volume 5!

'Til Death Do Us Part: The Fatally Yours Chocolate Box Returns for Valentine's Day 2017

It's baaaaaaaaack! The much coveted and drop-dead gore-geous Fatally Yours Gourmet Chocolate Box can now be ordered from Vegan Treats for Valentine's Day 2017! This decadent collection of chocolate skulls, bones, bugs, and other body parts is perfect for your favorite ghoul or boil (especially if that happens to be yourself!). And this year Vegan Treats has unveiled another box for those looking for a way to express their love in a more cutesy, kawaii-type way - My Vegan Valentine is Vegan Treats' brand new, bright pink box full of adorable chocolate critters. Details on both of these amazing vegan chocolate boxes can be found below!

Top 10 Horror Movies of 2016

2016 was a rough year for a lot of us, but at least it brought us some pretty rad horror films! We got to watch horror movies about witches in New England, punks and neo-Nazis in the Pacific Northwest, djinns from Iran, Halloween spirits from hell, demonic possession in England, not to mention all the ghosts, spirits, hauntings, and even zombies on a train!

Many of my picks below were also mentioned in my list of most-anticipated horror movies for 2016, however, I was blown away by a few surprise flicks that seemed to come out of nowhere. Whether I expected them to or not, there were plenty of weird, unusual, and spooky flicks in 2016!

I have listed my favorite 10 horror films of 2016, as well as including honorable mentions, below. In addition, I also decided to list films I was disappointed in or didn't care for just to provide an accurate picture of what I watched this year. Read on and then let me know your picks in the comments!

Vegan Street Fair Returns to SoCal March 2017

The massively successful and insanely fun Vegan Street Fair is returning to Chandler Boulevard in North Hollywood this March 26th, 2017! The event has grown every year, and 2017 will be no different, with more space and more delicious vegan food for attendees! They are also expanding geographically, with a VSF coming to New York in summer 2017! They will also be bringing back their VSF Nights to North Hollywood in September as well. Lots of fantastic events coming up from VSF, so keep an eye out for more info.

Vegan Street Fair is seriously one of my favorite vegan food festivals of the year (check out my write-ups on the events from 2016 and 2015!), and I am really picky what I go to! Not only do they have some kick-ass vendors, but they also listen to feedback from attendees and strive to make improvements and tweaks every year. This year, they have done away with the tickets they've used in past years and attendees will pay cash directly to vendors (thank goodness). And as mentioned previously, they are adding more space as well as more vendors in 2017! Check out more details from their Facebook event below:

The Witch's Christmas

The Witch's Christmas (1986 version)

I came across this adorable children's Christmas book recently called The Witch's Christmas by Norman Bridwell, the well-loved author of the Clifford the Big Red Dog series of children's books. The Witch's Christmas is about a witch that not only puts a fun Halloween spin on Christmas, but also saves Santa when he runs into some trouble on Christmas Eve.

The Witch's Christmas originally came out in 1970 and looks like it was re-illustrated and re-released in 1986. Both versions were illustrated by Bridwell, with the later version getting some color. I've included pages from both versions below.

Both versions look frightfully fun and our witch shares a lot of the Creepmas spirit, like making it rain black snow, creating a holiday wreath from bats, singing Creepmas carols with some monster friends, and decorating a Creepmas tree with skulls, bats, and spiders! Merry Hexmas indeed!

Check out some of the pages from both versions of The Witch's Christmas below:

Watch Now on Netflix: I Am Not A Serial Killer (2016)

I Am Not A Serial Killer is a film based on a 2009 book by Dan Wells of the same name. The book is the first installment of the John Wayne Cleaver trilogy by Wells. I haven't read the book, but have watched the film, now available streaming on Netflix, and I can't recommend it enough! 

The synopsis: A teen whom everyone thinks will grow up to be a serial killer must connect with his dark tendencies as he tries to solve a series of grisly murders in his small Minnesota town. 

The New Beyond Burger from Beyond Meat

I have been intrigued with the new Beyond Burger (the vegan burger that the media has dubbed "the burger that bleeds" due to its juiciness and use of beet juice as food coloring) ever since I first heard about it earlier this year. It is an all-vegan burger that is very close in appearance, texture and taste to the "real" thing. To be honest, the concept freaked me out a little and I wondered if I would be able to handle such a "meaty" vegan burger! This vegan burger REALLY blends into the meat section of the grocery store, and without its packaging in a side by side comparison I bet most people wouldn't be able to tell the difference between the Beyond Burger and a beef burger.

15 Vegan Holiday Finds at Trader Joe's

Trader Joe's holiday products are now available and I recently took a spin through my local store to see what items were vegan. Unlike their bounty of autumn vegan items (covered HERE), it seems like their winter vegan offerings are a little lacking. However, I was still able to find a bunch of delicious vegan options for the holidays. Some of these are new, others are old favorites, but all of them are only available for a limited time this holiday season, so grab them while you can!

Have Yourself a Scary Little Christmas With These Short Videos

Happy thirteenth day of Creepmas! It's been fun sharing how to spookify your holiday season this year, but today marks the final day of the 13 Days of Creepmas. For my final post I wanted to share some Christmas horror movie montages and short films to spread the holiday fear! Some of my faves are included in the video montages below, plus I included some short films to get you in the spooky spirit!