All posts tagged: Halloween

This Halloween vegetable is a ‘nutritional gold mine’ and packed with protein

This Halloween vegetable is a ‘nutritional gold mine’ and packed with protein

Published by Daniella Wilson

Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Membership today. Join today Already a member? Log in More than a billion pounds (454 million kilograms) of pumpkins rot in US landfills each year after Halloween, the Department of Energy has revealed. But your festive gourds needn’t join them. Instead, they can be eaten, composted, or even fed to animals, offering a sustainable alternative. Cooking with pumpkin waste Every part of a pumpkin is edible so if you’re carving a jack-o’-lantern, don’t throw away the skin or innards. After carving, cube the excess flesh — the thick part between the outer skin and the inner pulp that holds the seeds — for soups and stews, says Carleigh Bodrug, a chef known for cooking with common food scraps. You can also puree it and add a tablespoon to your dog’s dinner for extra nutrients. And pumpkin chunks can be frozen for future use. Experts say composting anything organic is better than throwing it out because you’re not creating more …

The spooky origins of Halloween – from pumpkin carving to costumes

The spooky origins of Halloween – from pumpkin carving to costumes

Published by Daniella Wilson

Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Membership today. Join today Already a member? Log in We all know how commercial Halloween has become, with expensive dress-ups, trick-or-treat “candy” and fake cobwebs (please don’t – they kill birds!). But if you’ve ever dismissed Halloween as an American invention, you might want to rethink that. For at least the past couple of millennia, the changing of the seasons has been marked among Celtic peoples with festivals at recognised times of year. One of these was known by the Irish and Scottish Gaels as Samhain (pronounced “sah-win”), celebrated at the onset of winter. In the northern hemisphere, this falls around the end of October, although the tradition predates our modern calendar. A man representing the Winter King holds a flaming sword as he takes part in a ceremony to celebrate Samhain at Glastonbury (Getty) Samhain and the rhythms of the farming year At Samhain, the harvest would be over, the last livestock would be brought back from the …

Sharon Osbourne reveals grim advice Ozzy’s doctors gave days before rocker’s final concert

Sharon Osbourne reveals grim advice Ozzy’s doctors gave days before rocker’s final concert

Published by Daniella Wilson

Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Membership today. Join today Already a member? Log in Ozzy Osbourne was given medical advice not to take the stage for his farewell show in Birmingham, according to his widow Sharon Osbourne. The legendary musician did, however, end up reuniting with his band Black Sabbath for the “Back to the Beginning” concert at Birmingham’s Villa Park on July 5, 2025. He died weeks later on July 22. A film of that final show, titled Ozzy & Black Sabbath: Back to the Beginning will be released in theaters October 28. Speaking to Rolling Stone, Sharon Osbourne recalled the grim advice her husband received from doctors ahead of the gig. “He was in hospital in America before he left,” said Sharon. “We moved back to England, and we had a whole new team of doctors. His new doctors didn’t want to take doctor’s notes from America. They wanted to make their own assessment on him. He was in hospital for a …

The Dark Origins of Halloween: Ghosts and Poltergeists Explained

The Dark Origins of Halloween: Ghosts and Poltergeists Explained

Published by Sam Flores

A full moon illuminates a winding path through a dark, tangled forest. By Dr. John Ankerberg and Dr. John Weldon What is the historic connection between Halloween and ghosts? Are “Halloween ghosts” only myths? From its origins with the ancient Druids and their cult of death, the dominant theme of Halloween has been one of ghosts, spirits and the dead. Lewis Spence reports, “There is no doubt that the original idea underlying all these various ceremonials is that the spirits of the dead might be pacified and prevented from haunting the living. The festivals to the dead are among the earliest in the world… beginning with the idea of fear, and therefore of propitiation…”1 Indeed, the degree of influence of the spirits of the dead, ghosts and poltergeists upon Halloween and related festivals around the world can be seen in literature and the media.2 The influence of the supposed ghosts of the human dead on Halloween and, in fact, most religious traditions throughout the world, takes us to our next section. Halloween may be an …

Spooky houseplants for Halloween | The Independent

Spooky houseplants for Halloween | The Independent

Published by Daniella Wilson

Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Membership today. Join today Already a member? Log in In the run-up to Halloween and the imminent release of Ebenezer, a reimagining of Charles Dickens’ ghostly tale A Christmas Carol, featuring Johnny Depp as the miserly curmudgeon Scrooge, there are plenty of reasons to create a gothic look indoors. Spidery houseplants, trailing specimens akin to the hair of witches, giant-leaved plants which leave lingering shadows and deep orange-hued jolts of colour can collectively give your home alarming accents, but afterwards can assume a less menacing aura placed on their own. “As the clocks are about to go back, low-light plants are a great thing,” says Claire Bishop, senior plant buyer at Dobbies Garden Centres. (Dobbies Garden Centres/PA) “What’s good is anything with a really big leaf because it’s obviously got more surface space to absorb whatever light there is. Artificial light can help as well, but go for anything low light, probably non-flowering because plants need a little bit …

Spooky houseplants for Halloween | The Independent

Spooky houseplants for Halloween | The Independent

Published by Daniella Wilson

Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Membership today. Join today Already a member? Log in In the run-up to Halloween and the imminent release of Ebenezer, a reimagining of Charles Dickens’ ghostly tale A Christmas Carol, featuring Johnny Depp as the miserly curmudgeon Scrooge, there are plenty of reasons to create a gothic look indoors. Spidery houseplants, trailing specimens akin to the hair of witches, giant-leaved plants which leave lingering shadows and deep orange-hued jolts of colour can collectively give your home alarming accents, but afterwards can assume a less menacing aura placed on their own. “As the clocks are about to go back, low-light plants are a great thing,” says Claire Bishop, senior plant buyer at Dobbies Garden Centres. (Dobbies Garden Centres/PA) “What’s good is anything with a really big leaf because it’s obviously got more surface space to absorb whatever light there is. Artificial light can help as well, but go for anything low light, probably non-flowering because plants need a little bit …

The best Halloween decorations and animatronics of 2026: Skelly, zombie parrot, and more

The best Halloween decorations and animatronics of 2026: Skelly, zombie parrot, and more

Published by skeptic

Table of Contents Table of Contents Table of ContentsAn upgraded 12-foot skeletonAn even taller headless skeletonA talking zombie parrotA head-banging skeleton DJA salacious singing jack-o’-lanternHonorable mention: Homemade Captain Clark animatronics A fake cobweb and a few carved pumpkins won’t do. Having the best Halloween display on the block means hunting down unconventional and highly interactive pieces that give your neighbors a good scare — or a good laugh. (Let’s hope your HOA is a fan, too.) After covering and monitoring all of the biggest launches of the year so far, we’ve put together a definitive list of the best Halloween decorations and animatronics of 2026. There’s still time to put some up if you haven’t already, and as a bonus, many are on sale at this point in the season. Credit: The Home Depot Skelly can talk now! The Home Depot went high-tech in updating its beloved 12-foot skeleton for 2026. Using a companion mobile app, you can now chat with trick-or-treaters though the animatronic in real time or record up to 30 custom voice lines …

Best Vintage Halloween Decor, Retro Decorations at Nordstrom Fall 2026

Best Vintage Halloween Decor, Retro Decorations at Nordstrom Fall 2026

Published by Daniella Wilson

If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, The Hollywood Reporter may receive an affiliate commission. Halloween wasn’t always about towering skeletons and elaborate haunted-house displays. There was a time when the holiday was decidedly more colorful, with cheerful jack-o’-lanterns, ceramic ghosts and kitschy little trinkets that looked right at home in a 1950s kitchen. Nordstrom’s Halloween shop — teeming with the nostalgia of our favorite Halloween films — is making a case for bringing some of that old-school charm back. The retailer’s vintage-inspired Halloween decor leans into the playful side of midcentury design, with whimsical figurines, decorative pumpkins and nostalgic accents that look like they could have been collected over decades. Think more antique-store treasure hunt than mass-produced seasonal spectacle. MacKenzie Childs is no stranger to a little theatricality, most recently, partnering with Practical Magic 2 on a film-coded collection with whimsy at its core. Known for its signature Courtly Check pattern, hand-painted details and unapologetically maximalist approach to home decor, the brand’s distinct aesthetic feels particularly …

Last One Laughing stars reveal Halloween joker no one could have predicted

Last One Laughing stars reveal Halloween joker no one could have predicted

Published by Daniella Wilson

This article first appeared in Radio Times magazine. Who’d have thought comedians dying on their feet could be so funny? Over two series, Last One Laughing: UK has encouraged us to laugh along as a parade of the nation’s finest comics try to keep a straight face while engaged in a battle to break down each other’s defences. Now, host Jimmy Carr and sidekick Roisin Conaty have raised the stakes with a Halloween series that drops a string of scares into the mix. Alongside the usual no-laugh rules, they’re also daring contestants not to scream, shriek or yelp as they’re trapped in a set festooned with uncanny Victorian dolls and soundtracked by eerie organ music. Series one players Lou Sanders and Daisy May Cooper make a foolhardy return, joined by first-timers like Tom Allen, Harriet Dyer and Phil Wang. But surely if anyone can resist the aces up producers’ sleeves it’s the eternally deadpan Jack Dee and horror aficionado and Inside No 9 trickster Reece Shearsmith? We quizzed newcomer Reece and veteran Lou about the …

Halloween candy prices jump 8.1% as Americans stock up

Halloween candy prices jump 8.1% as Americans stock up

Published by Sam Flores

This Halloween, the fright isn’t just at the haunted house. Rising prices for everything from groceries to gas are driving many consumers to cut back. “I’m walking to save a little bit of money,” said Lakisha Reardon, a legal assistant. “I’m bringing in my own lunch.” Reardon said she has especially seen her electric bill spike this year. She said she is paying an extra $150 every month. “I’m ready to invest in candles,” she said. But one thing she won’t give up? Halloween candy. Average prices for chewing gum and candy have soared 8.1% over the last year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Despite the higher prices, Americans are still buying treats. “I remember being a little kid and being super excited when I would get Reese’s Cups,” said Abby Mynatt, a college student who lives in Knoxville, Tennessee. “I want to give that to some other children.” Mynatt, 21, said she usually spends around $50 for Halloween candy. She is expecting to shell out a bit more money this year despite …