Halloween

What makes these guys creepy?

On the Science of Creepiness

A look at what’s really going on when we get the creeps

Tabulae Anatomicae Clarissimi Viri..., Bartolomeo Eustachi, 1722

The Grisly Details of Early Anatomy Textbooks

These images detail the inner workings of human bodies in all their gruesome glory

This Haunted House is Actually a Lab for Studying Fear

Get scared for science

Stars shine above in the form a planetarium made of hand-carved jack o'lanterns.

This Is What 7,000 Jack O’Lanterns Look Like

At a historic landmark in New York, pumpkins take the shape of dragons, spider webs and even a planetarium

An Asteroid Will Buzz by Earth on Halloween

Don't worry—it won't interrupt your Halloween plans

The installation, "A Room of Her Own: An Altar for My Mother," is on view through January 2015.

An Awe-Inspiring Altar Remembers One Latino Artist's Guiding Spirit

At the American History Museum, an installation reimagines the life story of a Latina artist and writer

Halloween party in Bristol.

How Halloween Has Taken Over England

The British have long celebrated Guy Fawkes Day on November 5, but now the October 31 holiday is a lot more appealing.

The image of a witch brewing her cauldron reigns in Halloween celebrations today. But, what actually went into witches cauldrons?

How Witches' Brews Helped Bring Modern Drugs to Market

Got nausea, headaches or heart trouble? You can thank medieval witches’ potions for helping to cure what ails you

Turn of the century thespians play their roles wearing Roman togas.

No Costume? Grab A Sheet And Rock a Toga

Costume designer Mariah Hale explains how to wrap the perfect last-minute toga

A yellow fever epidemic may have planted the seeds of inspiration for Washington Irving's iconic tale of the a headless horseman.

What “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” Tells Us About Contagion, Fear and Epidemics

Washington Irving fled New York because of a yellow fever epidemic. Twenty-two years later, his classic story spoke to the chaos of his youth

A common vampire bat (Desmodus rotundus) isn't as scary as its name might suggest.

Seven Vampires That Aren’t Bats (Or Bela Lugosi)

From flying frogs to deep-sea squid, meet some of the other nosferatu of the animal kingdom

Throwing money into the air during the celebration of the Hungry Ghost Festival.

Festivals of the Dead Around the World

In the United States, Halloween is mostly about candy, but elsewhere in the world celebrations honoring the departed have a spiritual meaning

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This Grave Atlas Shows Where to Find the Distinguished Deceased

We know where the bodies are buried ... take a virtual tour of world cemeteries that host famous artists and rogues

Houdini's grave at the Machpelah Cemetery in Queens.

Nine Famous People and What They’re Buried With

Icons of their time, these celebrities didn’t stray far from their public personae when it came to their final resting places

A zombie enjoys a bite of pan de muertos at a Day of the Dead celebration in Atlanta, Georgia.

Barmbrack, Toffee and Other Treats to Have an Around-the-World Halloween Celebration

This weekend’s celebrations extend beyond snarfing down Hershey and Mars bars

The trope of the beautiful witch was popular between 1905 and 1915.

Women of the Early 1900s Rallied Behind Beautiful, Wartless Witches

Women looking to work, vote and marry whomever they wanted turned the Halloween icon into a powerful symbol

Denver Police Stoke a New Halloween Fear—Pot-Laced Candy

You really think people are going to give marijuana away?

"Vampire Grave" in Bulgaria Holds a Skeleton With a Stake Through Its Heart

The skeleton likely fell victim to vampire hysteria that gripped Eastern Europe until relatively recently

Abandoned wooden houses line the main street in St. Elmo, Colorado.

Need Some Alone Time? Check Out America's Coolest Ghost Towns

Old mines, abandoned buildings, and the occasional curse: Ghost towns cover the United States, and they make for a fun detour

Like his life's work, Edgar Allan Poe's death remains shrouded in mystery.

The (Still) Mysterious Death of Edgar Allan Poe

Was the famous author killed from a beating? From carbon monoxide poisoning? From alcohol withdrawal? Here are the top nine theories

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