John Carpenter hasn't directed a film since making "The Ward" in Spokane and Medical Lake in 2009. The maverick writer-director, who has crafted 21 films, has shifted his focus to music.

As we reach another Friday the 13th and wonder if there really are murderous creatures like Jason Voorhees and Freddy Krueger, it’s time to reflect on the best the slasher horror genre has to offer. Slashers have been a staple of horror films for decades, outlasting many other gimmicky horror genres, like found footage films.

In March, most of us were anticipating Easter, but Shelly Fry was thinking about Halloween. Her son had sent her a felt-and-sequin Halloween wall-hanging kit for Christmas. Fry had tucked it away, thinking she’d work on it whenever she got some free time. Suddenly, she had ample time to tackle the intricate project.

Kids trick-or-treating on Manito Boulevard between 27th and 29th avenues caught candy out of homemade candy chutes to the disco beat of the Bee Gee’s “Stayin’ Alive” on Saturday.

Ghosts, skeletons, princesses and black cats roamed the streets as usual this Halloween, but they kept their distance, wore face coverings and carried hand sanitizer in their quest for treats.

October is a special time of year to watch movies. Other than watching Christmas movies around the holidays, I can’t think of any moment in the year as synonymous with one genre as scary movies around Halloween. But there’s one type of horror movie that hits even harder around All Hallow’s Eve: monster movies.

TDS Telecom and the Hayden Chamber of Commerce have teamed up with a number of area sponsors to present "Halloween: A Drive Through Spooktacular," two nights of Halloween fun all from the comfort of your car. The event runs Friday and Saturday at the Lake City High School parking lot, 6101 N. Ramsey Road, in Coeur d'Alene.

RetailMeNot surveyed people about Halloween, with topics including activities and favorite candies, and RetailMeNot found that 80% of respondents say their plans are changing due to the coronavirus pandemic, as everyone is still looking to create normalcy.

When you've been with someone as long as my husband and I have, you end up with a lot of running jokes. One of ours is how I always ogle the caramel apples in specialty shops and then never actually buy them. You know the type: Big, dripping with caramel, chocolate and obscene amounts of candy or cookies.

This Halloween, we’re tapping into our inner Pinterest with a ghoulishly fun twist on jalapeño poppers. Staggering out from the depths of your oven, these jalapeño popper mummies are a frightfully delicious – and downright adorable – addition to your Halloween spread.

It was a colorful harvest this year. Nearly 200 area children (and a few adults) turned in some pretty spooky squashes. It was a tough job, but the judges at The Spokesman-Review picked their favorite pumpkins.  In the 0-4 category, Grace Blair charmed judges with her dotted pumpkin. Grace is 3 and lives in Mead.

Ghost stories are a year-round experience at the Spokane Public Library. Not only are books and movies about ghosts always on the shelf, but a lot of people also come to the library's Northwest Room to learn about the ghosts that share their homes, said librarian Vanessa Strange.

Lyle Boeck has gone hunting for pumpkins at Carver Farms pumpkin patch for 20 years. And from age 50 to 70, Boeck said, he’s changed more than the farms have.

Halloween is somehow one of the least scary things going on this month, so we understand if you'd rather not turn on a horror movie right now. This writer counts herself among the Frankenweenies who would rather mark the holiday this year by watching something campy or cute with a dash of spookiness.

If you have children who love to celebrate Halloween but aren’t such big fans of being scared, here are some books they can read with silly and kid-friendly stories about Halloween festivities, flying brooms, magic scarecrows, spooky buses and scaredy cats.

My best friend from childhood loves Halloween. A decade ago, Nake (his real name is Dave, but when I was 4 years old, I gave him a nickname for life, since it's tattooed on his fingers) decided to get married in Las Vegas on All Hallows' Eve.

Give your home a spooky vibe this Halloween season by creating glow-in-the-dark slime creatures. While making slime is a fun activity on its own, transforming it into shapes such as pumpkins, ghosts and bats is a bright, ghoulish delight.

Spokane will likely see snowfall later this week, but don't expect it to stick around, forecasters say. Spokane usually sees its first flakes in the air in late October, according to historical averages.

CHICAGO – If one thing deserves to go on during this freak show of a year, it’s Halloween. Since March, I’ve been thinking about Halloween and what the coronavirus pandemic might do to it. Haunted houses, the resorts of older teens enamored of frights but not willing to dress up in silly costumes, are out.