I absolutely love Halloween. One of the biggest pleasures for me is that you get to dress up and be whatever you want to be. Plus, I love the ghoulish imagery, the creepy lights and the elements of …
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I absolutely love Halloween. One of the biggest pleasures for me is that you get to dress up and be whatever you want to be. Plus, I love the ghoulish imagery, the creepy lights and the elements of magic that surround this time of year.
Some of the best memories I have as a kid involve trick-or-treating on Halloween night in my neighborhood in Liberty, NY. Just about every house was decorated in full Halloween splendor, and the massive numbers of costumed candy claimers were never turned away without a bag full of delicious confections.
Now, regular readers of Kim’s Kitchen know that I have been on a number of Food Network competition programs. I’m not looking to brag, but I have won a couple of them—“Cake Wars: Star Wars” and “Holiday Wars” among them.
But my favorite show? “Halloween Wars,” without question.
I was privileged to appear on Season 11, which aired during the fall of 2021. Season 11 was a major departure from the first 10 seasons of “Halloween Wars.” To begin with, long-time host Jonathan Bennett was replaced by noted paranormal investigator Zak Bagans (Jonathan has since returned). Then, too, the overall look of the set and feel of the challenges took a turn for the scarier—a turn my husband Fleck described as the difference between “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” and Tim Burton’s “Sleepy Hollow.”
And finally, because we shot Season 11 during the height of the COVID pandemic, pumpkins were out of season—so the pumpkin-carving aspect of “Halloween Wars” had to be eliminated.
And let me tell you, the hatred spewing forth on social media over that development was epic! Commentators were vowing to swear off “Halloween Wars” forever, completely oblivious to the fact that there wouldn’t have been a Season 11 at all if we’d waited for the End of the World to, well, end. (I feel like there are still elements of COVID that are crouching in the shadows, waiting to raise their ugly, panicky heads once more.)
That our team—“Ghosts With the Most” (Lily Halabi, Jewel Burgess and me)—made it into the finals was very special to me. And even though we lost, I’m very proud of what my teammates and I accomplished. Whenever viewers say to me, “You got robbed,” I count it as an artistic victory (and by that, I mean no disrespect to the Mischievous Monsters, who actually won—it was a close call, but they did undeniably great work as well).
Given all of this—and given the fact that my husband is a self-described Monster Kid with three Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Award nominations for his writing—you would think that there would be no one who loves Halloween more than I do.
And yet, there is.
Allow me to introduce you to Mr. Halloween, otherwise known in the mortal world as Eddie (I’m going to keep things mysterious by not providing his last name, but I assure you he is a real person—or is he?…)
When it comes to Halloween decorating and celebrating, Eddie and his heroic wife Nancy are second to none.
No, I’m not going to tell you where Eddie and Nancy live—there are some people out there who are dangerous, after all. But I will tell you that you will know their house if you see it.
For Eddie, it all dates back to childhood.
“It’s something I grew up with since around the age of 10, or maybe even younger,” he’ll tell you with a smile. “I’m in my late 50s now, so I’ve known about Halloween for a long while. I’m the oldest of two brothers, and my parents always supported it, welcoming the neighborhood kids. I credit my brother for passing on the decorating bug to me. It’s a great creative mindset!”
Anybody who has ever visited Eddie’s “haunted mansion” at this time of year knows exactly how creative he can be.
“I’ve gone from displaying things haphazardly to setting specific scenes, without being over-the-top gory or bloody,” he explains.
For Eddie and Nancy, the decorating experience has been evolving for 24 years.
“We started in 2000, when we bought our first house,” Eddie says. “Since then, the number of inside and outside displays have changed and expanded. And so have the number of trick-or-treaters!”
Have any of the decorations remained constant throughout that time period?
“Some have remained for years, but I don’t have a blueprint for what goes where,” Eddie says. “Incorporating everyday items like spotlights, fencing, orange pylon cones, garden tools and caution tape have enhanced the look over the years as well.”
For Eddie, Halloween isn’t just one day. It lives in his heart all year.
“I count down the time to Halloween,” he laughs. “I can tell people on any given day how far away we are from October 31. I also tell people that it takes about two weeks to decorate my house, when in reality, it’s closer to two months. When folks ask me how I honor Halloween, my number-one answer is, ‘I decorate!’”
Of course, decorating isn’t all Eddie does.
“I have Halloween-themed, collared button-down shirts,” he says, “plus, we’ve hosted parties with costume prizes, put on shows, played seasonal music and hosted movies.”
When not engaged in Halloweening, Eddie hosts a popular podcast.
“It’s called “The Marvelists,” he says. “I co-host it with Peter Melnick. We began in 2018, primarily to review the films in the Marvel Comic Universe. We’ve expanded to include non-Marvel artists, writers and creators, as well as wrestlers, actors, convention promoters and fellow podcasters. I also do a one-on-one interview feature called Cosplay Connection with folks who attend shows in costume. And I do cosplay photography as a hobby.”
That’s why this month’s Kim’s Kitchen project is Halloween Food Art. These treats are delicious, simple to make, and honor Eddie’s do-it-yourself-style mantra when it comes to holiday decorating. Experiment with your favorite shapes, colors, and flavors—and let your creativity be your ghoulish guide.
Mr. Halloween would expect no less.
Click here for a video tutorial.
Kim M. Simons is an artist, food artist, and cake artist. In addition to her extensive television experience, she has painted 13.5 doves on the Sullivan Catskills Dove Trail. Kim is available to teach classes individually and in groups. Visit Kim at www.cakesbykimsimons.com.
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