If Halloween had an equivalent to LGBTQ, it would be S.P.O.O.K. (The Society of Paranormal Outcasts, Oddities, and Kindred Spirits). For one month a year, S.P.O.O.K. members unite: skeletons, phantoms, oddities, and occultists all gather under the same shared banner of absurdity, mischief, and freedom. Halloween is not just a holiday. It is a declaration of belonging.
Here’s the truth: every day we live under masks. Not just the literal ones, but the invisible ones we wear for work, society, and even ourselves. We dress for the role we think we must play, the perfect employee, the competent adult, the smiling neighbour. These masks, in the age of virtual reality and social media, have never been more elaborate. We curate our lives, choosing which version of ourselves to upload and which to hide away. But Halloween tears those masks away in a glorious act of collective rebellion.
©MJ Sabine
On October 31st, we’re given permission to be other. To be spectacularly strange. To put on skeleton makeup, walk down the street as a ghost, or strut into a party as a three‑headed werewolf without judgment. Halloween is the one time of year when being a social outcast isn’t just accepted — it’s celebrated. It’s a night when oddities aren’t sidelined, they are the headline act.
That’s why S.P.O.O.K. matters. It is not just about costumes. It is about reclaiming the power to express yourself without apology. To find your tribe among the spooks and outcasts. To celebrate difference as a strength, not a weakness. The skeletons with one too many bones, the ghosts who haunt spreadsheets instead of graveyards, the goblins who never fit in at corporate parties — they are the true S.P.O.O.K. community.
And therein lies Halloween’s radical beauty: it doesn’t require a manifesto, but it delivers one anyway. It reminds us that in a world of endless virtual realities and carefully crafted personas, there is something deeply human about stepping into a mask, owning it, and daring to let your oddness shine.
©MJ Sabine
Celebrate the Society of Paranormal Outcasts, Oddities, and Kindred Spirits. And remember: every year, Halloween offers us the ultimate freedom of expression. Because in the end, we’re all just a little S.P.O.O.K.
Happy Halloween everyone! 🎃 Thank you to everyone who coasted along with the Hauntvent Series! A special thank you to the brilliantly creative mind of MJ Sabine for the artwork for this series. Let me know in the comments if you would like to see a book version of the series! 💀
The Hauntvent Series
Hauntvent 1: The Real Monster of Adulthood
Hauntvent 2: Adulting is a Haunted House
Hauntvent 3: Monster Retirement Plans
Hauntvent 4: When Ghouls Go Glam
Hauntvent 5: The Great Pumpkin Spice Conspiracy
Hauntvent 6: Skeletons, Spines & Subtle Marketing
New from The Esoteric Frog
Honouring The Light: Feng Shui Rituals for All Saints’ and All Souls’ Day
FrogDiva Thoughts 