Nothing is Black and White, There's Only Red

Ah, Halloween! 'Tis the holiday for the dead once more. I think we can all agree that any holiday this year will be significantly less festive. For Halloween, however, even more so—what with the pandemic being a real-life horror element already—and I completely understand if you don't feel like celebrating in any way. I mean, I guess you can still do a low-key Halloween with a few good, spooky films, a few nice, terrifying reads and barely any costumes at all. Personally, I wouldn't want to throw in the towel just yet and deliver yet another simplistic, half-assed costumes, as I always do. As I said last year, I always struggle with coming up with a costume, because I hardly ever plan it way ahead of time. Every year, I'd tell myself to do that, but end up going last-minute anyway. This year is no exception, except I've got a few additions to my wardrobe—one of which was handed down to me—and it helped me achieve this costume: a flushed-down pantomime. This girl has been working the street of Paris for years, but gotten nowhere and she is definitely not happy about it. Careful of what she might do to you, if you cross her path.

Hand-me-down top // old dress + hat + socks // Sejauh Mata Memandang scarf // photos by Agung

If you're looking for ideas on what to do on Halloween, you might want to take a look at my list of films and series to watch this spooky night. Those ones have no supernatural beings in it at all, though, so if you do prefer more ghostly flicks, I'd recommend something as beautiful as I Am the Pretty Thing that Lives in the House, Suspiria—both versions, although I've only seen the remake—and Host—which is perfect for this pandemic situation. Something more on the lighter side, perhaps? Little Evil or Only Lovers Left Alive will be great choices for tonight. As for books—which I originally wanted to recommend in a video, but ended up having no time for at all—there are a few titles that I've read recently. The first one is the incredibly chilling and cleverly-written short stories by Edogawa Rampo, Japanese Tales of Mystery and Imagination. There is also Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman, the master of fantasy. And, lastly, the only Indonesian magical realism novel I've ever known—and my favourite one to boot—Cantik Itu Luka by Eka Kurniawan. But, as always, I'm very behind on new films and books—especially in this genre—so I'd love any recommendations from you. Let me know!