July 2, 2025: The Other Halloween

It began the summer I was 13, with a neighbor and a VHS player.

He had a stack of tapes and a mission to educate me on scary films. We’d stay up late watching movies that made me double-check the locks before going to bed.

Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
Friday the 13th.
The Shining.

All the greatest hits of nightmares.

But while he turned into a superfan, I veered in the other direction. I like to feel better after a movie, not worse. And no part of me wanted a Camp Crystal Lake t-shirt.

Then this week, I heard about something new: Summerween.

A second Halloween, except in June. Folks carve jack‑o’-melons and swap ghost stories in the backyard. The parties include slasher flicks and costumes with a seasonal twist: zombies in lifeguard gear, vampires with board shorts, witches wearing sunhats.

I think I’ll pass.

It’s all fun and games until someone brings out the chainsaw.