May 27, 2000 - POIANA BRASOV, Romania -- Lovers of horror and the macabre have been descending on the home of one of their heroes this weekend. Scholars, artists and fans of Count Dracula attended the Second World Dracula Congress in Poiana Brasov, Romania, in the heart of the real Transylvania. Bram Stoker's 1897 novel "Dracula" was inspired by a local 15th-century ruler who earned the nickname 'Vlad the Impaler' for disposing of his victims on stakes. Local organizers from the Transylvanian Society of Dracula (TSD) are now trying to cash in on the man who terrorized their forefathers by using him as a tourist attraction.
But three years of economic recession, coupled with a post-communist tourism industry that is still mostly in government control, have hindered their efforts. Conference delegates, however, remain enthusiastic about their pilgrimage to the home of the legend.
"Dracula is a Western myth, and we want to put its magic to work here in Transylvania," said TSD President Nicolae Paduraru, who also is the host to the weekend conference.
"Romania is the spiritual home for people interested in ghosts, vampires and the paranormal," said Alan Murdie, head of Britain's Ghost Club, as the event got under way Thursday in a resort set in Transylvania's forested mountains, 105 miles north of Bucharest.
The legend of Dracula has inspired more than 180 movies, some of which will be screened during the event, which also features lectures, discussions and tours of the region. Souvenirs from the conference include hand-sized coffins certified to contain earth from under Castle Dracula in Transylvania. Many delegates will also be sampling the local red wine and sampling the local cuisine, which for reasons lost in Transylvanian legend, features large doses of garlic.
Source - Correspondent Chris Burns and Reuters
Hell lives up to its name Town dusts off its devilish image for Halloween By Irvin L. Jackson / Photographs John M. Galloway
HELL -- If you are trying to direct someone to Hell, a billboard points the way.
The colorful, bold advertisement is south of Brighton on westbound M-36, east of Lemen Road. It declares Hell to be "a little town on its way up." The billboard is a sign that Hell, south of Pinckney, is getting ready for its busiest holiday: Halloween.
"This is a big time of year for Hell in terms of its Halloween connection," said Todd McKinney, spokesman for Abaddon Enterprises, which owns most of Hell's businesses.
The red, white and black billboard in nearby Green Oak Township encourages passers-by to "Go There Now," and will be up for eight weeks. It also advertises Hell's two Web sites -- one of which has animated flames. McKinney hopes to slowly expand the range of Hell's advertising as the little town's popularity increases. It's already popular among outsiders, who use the local post office to send tax payments and alimony checks with a Hell postmark. And weather forecasters love to call to compare their local weather to Hell's: It's usually hotter in Hell, for example, than in Paradise, Mich. And as can be expected, Hell likes to liven things up for the spooky holiday at the end of October. Local businessman John Colone is trying to turn Hell into the Halloween capital of the world. He will take another step in that direction this year by opening "Screams, The Scariest Ice Cream Parlor on Earth."
The chamber of commerce also is getting into the act, allowing its offices to become haunted every 30 minutes, when the office will be racked with haunting sounds, bumps, and other typical spooky sights and sounds for several minutes. The chamber has office space in the same building as Screams, which formerly was a party store. Legend has it someone was buried at the site in 1896. Hell officials plan to milk the legend for all it's worth.
Tina Mzor, a Caterer from Hell (Mich.), holds out some of the business' specialties, including a mug that reads "coffee from Hell." Businessman John Colone is trying to turn Hell into the Halloween capital of the world.
Jokes have been made off Hell's name for years, but the town itself is getting into the act with a Web site featuring flickering flames.
The Detroit News
PARISIANS HOOT UP FRENCH HALLOWEEN!
PARIS (AP) October 1998 -- Chances are nobody in France dressed up as Monica Lewinsky this Halloween.
The French have taken up Halloween with great enthusiasm, filling shop windows with ghoulish masks and broomsticks, and turning their nightclubs into haunted houses. But it's not Halloween as Americans know it. Parisians, traditionally wary of taking inspiration from the United States, have refashioned the holiday ``a la francaise'' -- in French style.
Instead of dressing up as movie characters or real-life celebrities, people in France stick to the basics, like witches and goblins. Stephane Collange, a Parisian accountant invited to an American friend's Halloween party, was surprised to learn how people get decked out in America.
``You mean Americans dress up as anything at all?'' he said. ``Then it's just a costume party, it's not really Halloween.''
A few years ago, Halloween was still exotic here, observed only by American students. Then when American bars began offering Halloween festivities, it became part of Paris nightlife. This year, Halloween came fully into the daylight. In bakeries and stores all over Paris, counters have been covered with pumpkins, silky spider webs and ghosts, and children's clothing stores have been full of paraphernalia. Some parents and grandparents grew tired of opening their wallets.
``It's another import from America, another excuse to buy things,'' said Louise Delcher, playing with her four grandchildren in a central Paris park. ``Everything has become commercial.''
Indeed, companies said that this year, Halloween was big business. One Parisian newspaper reported that the Halloween market in France increased from $1.8 million last year to $18 million this year.
Go back to the Halloween homepage. Interested in some Ghoulish Recipes? Believe it or not, it's Strange but True. Lock your doors! Scared senseless? Laughter is the best medicine.
