They may sound sweet and innocent, but many nursery rhymes and fairy tales have surprisingly grim backstories rooted in history. From medieval taxes to prison yards, these stories carried coded ...

Halloween Kills was reviewed out of the Venice Film Festival, where it made its world premiere. It will hit theaters on Oct. 15. Halloween Kills is a dark chapter in the story of Laurie Strode and ...

We explore why nursery rhymes, designed for children, so often feel unsettling when placed in darker contexts. Tracing their origins through folklore, Victorian culture, and modern horror theory, we ...

We've all heard nursery rhymes as children, but some are less innocent than they first appear. Quite a few nursery rhymes are actually linked to some pretty dark historical events. "Three Blind Mice" ...

"Rock-a-bye baby, in the treetop..." sounds harmless enough, until you consider the historical tension hidden between the lines. A breeze becomes blustery, a branch snaps, and down comes baby, cradle ...

Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater is a nursery rhyme that most of us have heard growing up. Without really understanding the verses, you would think that this rhyme is innocent. But not everyone thinks so.

Apparently, this baker made a killing — and now, it’s killing sweet childhood memories. Sinister rumors about the beloved cheery nursery rhyme “The Muffin Man” are being whisked around on social media ...

About seven in 10 people in the United States celebrate Halloween, but the eerie holiday didn’t originate here. Learn about the early pagan traditions that shape Halloween traditions today. Ireland is ...

Spirit Halloween's ability to pop up and shut down every fall has inspired countless memes online and even a recent "Saturday Night Live" skit. But the company's strategy to occupy more than 1,500 ...

Americans once made their own costumes and candy. Now, the holiday has rapidly commercialized, transforming into an economic juggernaut. Chester Higgins Jr./The New York Times, John Taggart for The ...

For many, October is synonymous with one thing and one thing only: Halloween. Just the mention of the holiday conjures nostalgic notions of spooky stories, sweet treats, and scandalous costumes; a ...