Since Margaret and I got all the Halloween spirit out of our systems at the party we went to on Saturday, on the actual Halloween, we decided to just stay home, hand out treats to trick-or-treaters, and watch a Halloween movie. We ate all didn't have any Halloween candy, and on the way home I stopped by the store to buy some--imagine my surprise when the Halloween candy aisle looked like a pack of orcs had pillaged it. There was literally nothing left--and I'm talking about even the orange peeps--I mean, who buys those unless they are absolutely DESPERATE! Anyway, I had one last option--there is a dollar store on the way home that I stopped in and they had rolls of stickers for $1. I got those and they worked well--at least for the younger kids, who poured over them choosing just the right sheet (there were trucks, puppies, hearts, etc.) All the older kids asked, "don't you have any candy?" I just told them these would be better for their teeth. Yes, the words, "THESE WILL BE BETTER FOR YOUR TEETH" came out of my mouth. I sounded like a parent--or at least an adult--when did THAT happen? Unfortunately I didn't have any cigarettes to give out to undo my decline into adulthood in the eyes of the trick-or-treaters, so I had to find something else to occupy my mind before it drove me crazy--that's where the movies came in. I rented two options, a scary serial killer movie, and a comedy about a witch. Since Margaret gets terrified a little freaked out watching horror movies, she decided on the comedy--BIG MISTAKE. It was the movie "Bewitched," and it turned out to be awful. It was long, stupid, and the whole time we thought: "What was Nicole Kidman THINKING?" We got through the movie, just barely, and it left an awful taste in our mouths (and since we didn't have any Halloween candy to get the taste out, we were screwed!). I think watching "Mulan 2: The Arranged Marriage" would have been preferable.

Well, last night we decided to watch the scary movie, since it was still early and Margaret thought that would give her enough time to calm down before going to bed. It was the movie "Urban Legend," about a serial killer that uses murder techniques that are from urban legends (like the one where someone gets killed by a person hiding in the back seat after ignoring the warning of the gas station attendant who looked down and saw the murderer.). It was very effective in the scare department--Margaret practically tore a vocal chord or three a couple of times screaming. It got to the point that we had to pause the movie and watch tv for a few minutes before she was ready to watch some more. Fortunately the movie overall was terrible, so it didn't do any long-term damage. We both were able to sleep through the night without any lights on, the house alarm at full-secure mode, and holding a knife aimed at the bedroom door--just in case (uh, not that that's ever happened, but I'm just saying...) I think that nowadays, our idea of a horror movie is anything with Dakota Fanning.