Halloween | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/halloween/RSS feed for HalloweenenFri, 31 Oct 2025 16:25:56 +0000This Designer Created Iconic Costumes for 'Bride of Frankenstein' and Other Classic Monster Movies. Her Mysterious Life Ended Tragicallyhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/this-designer-created-iconic-costumes-for-bride-of-frankenstein-and-other-classic-monster-movies-her-mysterious-life-ended-tragically-180987608/Vera West made her mark on 20th-century horror cinema. Historians continue to ponder the sad circumstances of her storyFri, 31 Oct 2025 16:25:56 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/this-designer-created-iconic-costumes-for-bride-of-frankenstein-and-other-classic-monster-movies-her-mysterious-life-ended-tragically-180987608/How This Italian Town Came to Be Known as the 'City of Witches'https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/how-this-italian-town-came-to-be-known-as-the-city-of-witches-180987599/Centuries ago, it was said that Benevento was a gathering place for the occult. Today, superstitions still run deepThu, 30 Oct 2025 16:53:32 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/how-this-italian-town-came-to-be-known-as-the-city-of-witches-180987599/These Creepy Dolls Are on the Loose, Haunting the Halls of a Minnesota Museum This Halloweenhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/these-creepy-dolls-are-on-the-loose-haunting-the-halls-of-a-minnesota-museum-this-halloween-180987580/To mark its seventh annual Creepy Doll Contest, the History Center of Olmsted County is inviting its vintage toy dolls to act as "amateur curators" and roam freely through its collectionsTue, 28 Oct 2025 18:03:21 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/these-creepy-dolls-are-on-the-loose-haunting-the-halls-of-a-minnesota-museum-this-halloween-180987580/This Disturbing 16th-Century Painting of Hell Linked Satan and His Demons With the New World Beyond Europehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/this-disturbing-16th-century-painting-of-hell-linked-satan-and-his-demons-with-the-new-world-beyond-europe-180987547/The panel features monsters with African, Indigenous Caribbean and intersex features, encouraging viewers to connect the sins and punishments depicted to those considered "other"Mon, 27 Oct 2025 11:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/this-disturbing-16th-century-painting-of-hell-linked-satan-and-his-demons-with-the-new-world-beyond-europe-180987547/In Mary Shelley's 'Frankenstein,' the Titular Scientist Laments His Nightmarish Creation. But the Real World Can't Get Enough of His Monsterhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/in-mary-shelleys-frankenstein-the-titular-scientist-laments-his-nightmarish-creation-but-the-real-world-cant-get-enough-of-his-monster-180987538/In the two centuries since the Gothic novel's publication, the English writer's tale of a science experiment gone wrong has captivated audiences around the world and taken on a life of its ownMon, 20 Oct 2025 12:51:30 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/in-mary-shelleys-frankenstein-the-titular-scientist-laments-his-nightmarish-creation-but-the-real-world-cant-get-enough-of-his-monster-180987538/What Makes the Dark, Whimsical World of Tim Burton So Compelling?https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/what-makes-the-dark-whimsical-world-of-tim-burton-so-compelling-180985370/An exhibition in London is showcasing more than 600 artworks and artifacts—including costumes, props and sketches—from the famous filmmaker’s careerWed, 06 Nov 2024 19:12:25 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/what-makes-the-dark-whimsical-world-of-tim-burton-so-compelling-180985370/To Divine the Future, the Ancients Relied on These Chance-Based Fortune-Telling Toolshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/to-divine-the-future-the-ancients-relied-on-these-chance-based-fortune-telling-tools-180985349/Texts like the "Sortes Astrampsychi" promised insights on clients' love lives, career prospects, financial woes and familiesThu, 31 Oct 2024 10:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/to-divine-the-future-the-ancients-relied-on-these-chance-based-fortune-telling-tools-180985349/The Ouija Board Can't Connect Us to Paranormal Forces—but It Can Tell Us a Lot About Psychology, Grief and Uncertaintyhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-ouija-board-cant-connect-us-to-paranormal-forces-but-it-can-tell-us-a-lot-about-psychology-grief-and-uncertainty-5860627/The game was born from Americans' obsession with Spiritualism in the 19th century. Since then, it's functioned as a reflection of their deep-seated beliefs and anxieties for more than a centuryMon, 28 Oct 2013 03:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-ouija-board-cant-connect-us-to-paranormal-forces-but-it-can-tell-us-a-lot-about-psychology-grief-and-uncertainty-5860627/This 19th-Century 'Toy Book' Used Science to Prove That Ghosts Were Simply an Illusionhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/this-19th-century-toy-book-used-science-to-prove-that-ghosts-were-simply-an-illusion-180985347/"Spectropia" demystified the techniques used by mediums who claimed they could speak to the dead, revealing the "absurd follies of Spiritualism"Tue, 29 Oct 2024 15:41:01 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/this-19th-century-toy-book-used-science-to-prove-that-ghosts-were-simply-an-illusion-180985347/Discover the Mysteries of Italy's Park of Monsters, a 16th-Century Garden Filled With Strange, Colossal Stone Creatureshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/discover-the-mysteries-of-italys-park-of-monsters-a-16th-century-garden-filled-with-strange-colossal-stone-creatures-180985318/The Sacro Bosco's meaning is the subject of debate, with scholars alternatively describing the sprawling complex as a memorial, an allegorical site or a tribute to ancient civilizationsFri, 25 Oct 2024 10:15:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/discover-the-mysteries-of-italys-park-of-monsters-a-16th-century-garden-filled-with-strange-colossal-stone-creatures-180985318/