Halloween Ghost Stories

Reviewed by Deanna Causey

Authority: The stories on the site are by many different authors. Some are well known, such as Edgar Allen Poe and Washington Irving, and some are relatively unknown. Authors can submit their work to the website. The sponsor of the site is a company called Halloween Online, LLC. The quality of the editing on this site, as well as the other sites sponsored by the company, leads me to believe that there is no real proofreader or editor. There are no qualifications or credentials given for any Halloween Online, LLC staff.

Accuracy: In comparing the Poe stories with the unabridged text in print, I found the stories to be accurate. The site also gives credit to the story's author or original sources. Some of the "true" spooky stories even have newspaper citations.

Currency: The site seems up to date and current. All the links seemed to work properly, so the maintenance is up to date. It is linked to the Halloween Online site, which has a daily countdown to Halloween.

Content/Coverage: I found the coverage of spooky stories to be good. Some of the sections could have a few more stories to select from, but the content is very good. Some of the stories have warnings about adult content, which is a nice feature. The audience level is geared toward adults, but I think 5th grade and up would love many of the stories!

Objectivity: The main purpose of the site is to provide great spooky stories. The site is sponsored by the company Halloween Online, LLC and there are links to that homepage where there are more links to purchase Halloween items. The advertisements on the Halloween Ghost Stories site are not overwhelming. They are placed at the very top and very bottom of the page, and there aren't any annoying pop up ads, which is a plus.

Access: The site's access is free and there is no registration required to access the stories. The site loads quickly with a cable modem.

Design/Appearance: The design and appearance of the website is great. I love the floating ghost on the main page. The categorization of the different types of stories is helpful. The website has not been proofread however. I found glaring typos and misspellings on almost every page of the site. The black background with white lettering can be an eyesore. Maybe if they tried a dark gray background, it wouldn't be so hard on the eyes.

Reviewed by Stephanie Cox

Authority: The sponsor of this site is Haunted Creations, but the author is listed in the information page as Halloween Online,LLC. No authority is noted, and the disclaimer indicates that the content may be more for adults.

Accuracy: The grammar and spelling are accurate, some of the stories are left “as is” with misspellings, though. One of the stories comes from my home town, and what they have written compares favorably with what I have seen on the news reports, even though these are technically “ghost stories.”

Currency: Currency is not an issue for this topic, due to the nature of ghost stories and the effect that is trying to be achieved.

Content/Coverage: There is a wide variety of stories included on this site. Personal stories, legends, poetry, and classic tales by the likes of Edgar Allen Poe are all included under their own headings.

Objectivity: The sponsor of this site, Haunted Creations, certainly has the agenda of wanting viewers to log on and purchase their merchandise.

Access: The access is fine, there are no other requirements for other software, and it seems to be a stable site. It does not take a long time to load, and there is no requirement to join anything in order to view the site.

Design/Appearance: Excellent appearance, creative, fits the topic at hand. The graphics are fitting, and a small ghost flies around the homepage when you move it. The font is indicative of something spooky, oozing letters.

This is a creative, fun site. Not to be confused with something that is aiming for straight presentation of facts, this site takes the viewer through a wide variety of spooky Halloween stories. It is not for young children, but teens would probably find this site entertaining.

Reviewed by Cheryl Martin

This website, assembled by a company called Halloween Online, LLC, features a collection of scary stories grouped by story type. Approximately 50 stories are featured under topics like Spooky Halloween Tales, Classic Ghost Stories, Real Life Hauntings, Tales of Terror, Beyond Bizarre, Urban Legends, and Dark Poetry. A link to Haunted Cards did not work. There is no email address or other information available for contacting the site's author(s), although a statement found through the information link encourages anyone who would like their story removed from the site to contact Halloween LLC. The names of the authors of each story are cited, but no other information is included. Several spelling errors were noted and no information regarding updates to the site could be located. Copyright information bears the dates 1996-2000. The majority of the stories on this website appear to be submissions from amateur authors, although a few stories from well-known authors like Edgar Allen Poe are also included. Overall, this site has little to offer, but might prove useful for anyone looking for material for a Halloween storytelling event.

Reviewed by Sherrilyn Morris

This site is filled with various types of stories for Halloween. It is a part of a group of over twenty Halloween websites copyrighted by Halloween Online, LLC. According to the Halloween Online Company Information page, this portal is the “largest resource for quality Halloween information and instruction, both in content and its readership.” Though there is a physical address along with telephone and fax numbers, no specific information is given about the authors to verify this information and content. In the Halloween Ghost Stories site itself, there is no additional information about the authors or sponsor of the website.

There are advertising banners at the top and bottom of each page. The top banner advertises various Halloween online stores. Some of the advertisers, such as The Witch Shop, may not be appropriate for children. The bottom banner links to a listing of all sites in the Halloween Online family of sites. There are also numerous pop-ups on this commercial site.

The Halloween Ghost Stories website is designed for entertainment purposes. There are both classic stories and original stories. The content of the classic stories appear to maintain accuracy and integrity. Original stories often have information about the author, and many stories also have a link the author’s web page.

Though the Halloween Online, LLC website is current, the Halloween Ghost Stories site has a copyright date of 2000. On the information page, there is a notice stating, “We are not taking submissions at this time.” Some of the stories with “New” next to the titles may have been placed on the page in 2000. The stories are not dated, so this cannot be ascertained at this time. One of the most interesting links, Haunted Cards, initially loads properly; however, when the card information is entered, the user is forwarded to a dead link.

The homepage is visually appealing. A ghost of a beautiful woman beckons the site user from a graveyard. From the homepage, users links to seven tale types: Spooky Halloween Tales, Classic Ghost Stories, Real Life Hauntings, Tales of Terror, Urban Legends, Beyond Bizarre, and Dark Poetry. Most present a small collection of stories, but the Urban Legends and Tales of Terror links are more substantial. Each page is easy to read and not over cluttered with too many images. The white text over a dark gray background gives an eerie impression without distracting from the stories. The stories themselves are well-written and enticing.

In conclusion, this is a fun site for various types of Halloween stories, but should not be used for any type of reference work. Younger children should be monitored, as some stories are for mature audiences. If taken as simple entertainment, Halloween Ghost Stories is a howling good time.

Reviewed by Charles Sanford

Accuracy:

A disclaimer has been placed on the website stating that the stories are placed here by obtaining permission rights from the owner’s when it is possible. If someone has a story they want removed, they need to contact the site through email; however there is no email address. There are no indications of editors and there are multiple misspellings throughout the site, though there are warnings of content. Since this is a site containing fictional stories, there is no actual verification of facts, though the stories could be incorrectly written.

Authority:

Since this is a type of index for ghost stories, the original authors are listed and some have links to their individual web pages, but there is not an author page for the website itself. Since there is no author indicated, there is no way to determine who has put this together. There is a sponsor named Halloween Online, LLC and there is a link provided. At the company’s link, they provide information on use of their site and an email link. There they claim to be recognized as the Amazon.com of Halloween.

Objectivity:

There is no indication of bias on the website with the exclusion of Halloween being a profoundly important holiday. There is advertising promoting the sponsoring company of Halloween Online.

Currency:

There is a date on the sponsor’s page, but no date is indicated on the original page. There were several dead links at the bottom of the page. Flashing “new” signs are indicated on various story links, but no indication of how new.

Coverage:

The topics covered are Halloween Tales, Classic Ghost Stories, Real Life Hauntings, Tales of Terror, Beyond Bizarre, Urban Legends and Dark Poetry. These story headings categorize the ghost stories by type. It is a helpful page because it attempts to organize ghost stories and tends to separate the ones that tend to provide more violent and graphic scenes from more of a benign ghost story. Its coverage is rather weak in some parts of its index, but can easily have additions made.

Reviewed by Kelly Swain

I. Accuracy
OK, the accuracy of Halloween ghost stories, hmmm. This site isn’t really about accuracy. I would suggest that it be important to site sources and have accurate copies of the stories. This site does include the author of each story/tale and some classics are among them like Edgar Allan Poe and Washington Irving. There is a link to “Real Life Hauntings” and those are unable to credit, and they are more than likely just stories people made up. This is the time to remember that anyone can put whatever they want on the Internet. But they are certainly fun to read

II. Authority
There is no way to determine the authority of many of these stories. The site has a disclaimer stating that they have done their best to get permission before posting any materials, but that does not make them authoritative. There are not experts to refer to, and the only sponsors seem to be a Halloween prop/costume store and an online Halloween guide.

III. Objectivity
Objectivity, HA! This is a totally biased site to give people a scare and some fun reading. The goal of the site is to entertain and frighten, and probably to help the sponsors sell products. The advertising from the sponsors are clearly product based. This site is not a place to get quality information.

IV. Currency
It was last updated in 2000, so it is three years old. Not all that up to date, but it is about telling ghost stories, so currency may or may not be an issue to the reader. Keep in mind that the links still work, so it is still being used if nothing else.

V. Coverage
This site offers fun stories to read and is great to look at. The stories are as the site advertises, Halloween stories, scary stories, and ghost stories. There is even a cute little ghost that roams across the screen. This site has its limits and makes an effort to stay within them, at least it did three years ago. It is likely that this stuff could be found on other sites, so it doesn’t have anything extra special on it. But it is fun, and that is what it looks like it shoots for. This is a well designed site and is easy to browse. If you like scary stories, check it out.

Reviewed by Julie Ullman

Halloween Ghost Stories is a fairly simple and enjoyable website owned by Halloween Online (http://www.halloween-online.com/). Halloween Online touts itself as the Amazon of Halloween. Visitors are treated to a ghostly homepage complete with cemetery and ghostly bride, with links to the major areas of the site.

Although Halloween Online has created and owns over 24 Halloween related sites, they do not tout themselves as expert storytellers or gatherers. Some of the stories presented here are classics such as "The Tell-Tale Heart" by Edgar Allan Poe and "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" by Washington Irving. Many of the stories are original fiction by various authors submitted for use by the website.

There is a minimal amount of banner advertising on the site along with a prominent link to Halloween Online's website. Overall the design is simple and easy to navigate. The major links within the site include:

Spooky Halloween Stories
Classic Ghost Stories
Real-Life Hauntings
Tales of Terror
Beyond Bizarre
Urban Legends
Dark Poetry

A particularly gruesome and creepily good story is SKN-3, written by Steven E. Wedel and found under the heading of Spooky Halloween Stories.

It is unknown how often the site is updated but the content is not dependent on being current. Overall it is not an exhaustive collection of stories, but it is entertaining. One of the fun areas to visit is Beyond Bizarre where supposedly true phenomenon are explored; ghostly lovers, raining frogs, and a girl who had snakes living in her belly for five years!

There is no registration or fee required to use the website and visitors can even create a Ghostly Card to e-mail to a friend. While not exhaustive or authoritative on the subject of Halloween Ghost Stories, the site is still worth visiting, if only to be creeped out for a little while!