Every year the Varma Prize recognizes Dalhousie University English students who compose original works of gothic fiction or poetry. Funds for the prize are donated by Bill Blakeney in memory of Dr. Devendra Varma, former professor emeritus of Dalhousie and former honourary vice-president of the Vampire Research Society. Submitted for the approval of The Midnight […]
Halloween
Posted inNews + Opinion
Halifax’s development horoscope
[Image-1] In numerology, 2016 is a “nine year,” so named because its four digits add up to nine. And that’s the death year, says Holly Poole, practicing astrologist in Lower Sackville. It’s when old ways come to an end, projects are completed and new beginnings can be anticipated. So Poole wasn’t surprised to see five new […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Jordan Bonaparte’s Halloween podcast playlist
[Image-1] The No Sleep Podcast, Season 7, Episode 15 The Coast: Most of your recommendations are true crime or non-fiction, but this is all fictional short horror stories. Bonaparte: Where it comes from is a sub-Reddit called NoSleep. It’s basically a spot for people who write horror fiction to post their stories. The podcast is a spin-off of […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
So is the Nova Centre cursed, or what?
[Image-1] In its architectural renderings, the Nova Centre exists on a perpetually cloudy day. Billowing, white masses of clouds hang in the glass windows, as if reflecting the heavens into the city. The depiction of the convention centre’s interior along its Grafton Street promenade is filled with carnival-esque buskers and stock image patrons strolling by as […]
Posted inArts + Music
Creepy clown make-up tips from Elle Munster
Elle Munster is a local make-up artist who has been in the business for almost seven years, getting clients ready for events such as weddings and proms. Halloween is the time Munster really gets to unleash her creativity, turning humans into mermaids or monsters. She met up with The Coast to chat about her work, […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Nights of Gore is just another day at the office for Emmett Blois
Halloween is a time for candy, jack-o-lanterns, dressing up and that dancing pumpkin man that circulates online every October. It’s also that time of year where thousands of people trek out to haunted attractions all over the country and pay to be terrified. Emmett Blois is one of the people happy to offer that service. […]
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Curious about paganism? Participate in Samhain
Donald Adams wants curious locals to stop by the Halifax Common on Sunday to experience a public Samhain ritual. Adams is a neopagan who also happens to be an atheist—so he sees deity as a metaphor—and he has been organizing the annual ritual since 1997. Neopaganism is a modern recreation of paganism, based on what’s […]
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You won’t believe where your garbage leaves can now be shoved
[Image-1] Paper or plastic? Doesn’t matter, because you can now cram your lawn junk into either. Effective immediately, the Halifax Regional Municipality is advising residents that curb-side collection of excess leaf and yard waste will be accepted in clear and orange plastic bags, along with large paper bags. Under the new garbage collection laws which came […]
Posted inArts + Music
Photos: 2015 Hal-Con Sci-Fi Convention
Today is the second day of Hal-Con Sci-Fi, Fantasy & Comic Convention at the Scotiabank and World Trade and Convention Centres and this year, Hal-Con is bigger and better than ever: the trade-show is located in the Scotiabank, there are gaming, pinball and arcade stations, there are panels and contests and tournaments and, of course, celebrity […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Dead weight: The cost of Halifax’s orphaned cemeteries
[Image-1] In some cities, a cemetery plot is prime real estate. An overabundance of the living leaves little room for the dead, driving down the availability of cemetery space even as prices for plots go up. A grave in perennially-overpriced Vancouver can cost as much as $52,000. But there’s a different kind of spectre haunting […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
The unclaimed dead beneath our city’s streets
[Image-1] While the new Central Library is a hive of activity, the disused hulk of its predecessor sits down the street quiet as a grave. Fitting, as there’s an actual graveyard underneath the old library property on Spring Garden Road. That may come as a surprise to some, since there’s no interpretative panel, plaque or […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
20 minutes to a Halloween costume
[Image-1] The internet is full of lies. We know this. But no lie is greater than that of the “Super Easy Halloween costume.” Hey bloggers: costumes with accompanying makeup tutorials are not “easy.” Here are some legit quick Halloween costumes with varying time lengths and commitment levels—depending on how little time you have/how lazy you […]