The Very Scary Almanac is Spooky Good Fun
By
Kristin Battestella
I picked
up the 1993 Random House paperback The
Very Scary Almanac by Eric Elfman for a quarter at the thrift shop and
quickly jumped in to the 80 pages of quirky, encyclopedia-esque, swift styled
entries and anecdotes categorized by monster, fright, and bizarrity. Though The Very Scary Almanac is too light for
an adult’s spooky starter kit thanks to the easy, breezy manner and layman
basics, this speedy read is perfect for tweens with short attention spans. A few
big words and the heavy, juicy, scary, and morbid information provided keep the
tone upscale for the budding creepy youth, yet the chuckle at the end of each
paragraph makes for a fun classroom reading or discussion. Aside blocks with
extra wit and tidbits further accent the macabre or the wink along with the bemusing
black and white sketch illustrations by Will Suckow.
Despite
cute sub headings and itemizing such as “Creepy Culture,” “Freaky Phenomena,”
and “Horrible Humans,” some of the information included in The Very Scary Almanac feels random or out of place. We begin with
vampires, ghosts, and werewolves but somehow end with UFOs and crop circles. It’s
as if Elfman and co. are trying to toss in every iota possible to extend the
year round, reading anytime, or long lasting check list appeal of The Very Scary Almanac when the
manuscript could have honed in a lot deeper on the scarier, less well known, or
more frightful topics. Twenty years
later, several subjects also feel too stereotypical or even erroneous. The “Friend
or Foe” segment on witches presents all the historical clichés – and though this
back story is important to the super young who may have somehow never heard
about witch trials and alleged broomsticks and black cats, only a few rebuttal sentences
clarify the current real world religious aspects and paganism definitions.
Quoted sources and other referenced materials in The Very Scary Almanac do help the reader seek out further
information, but extensive ‘See Also’ sections to end each chapter might have
helped broaden the facts and ensured that go to beginner reference longevity. Thankfully,
the literature, film, and calendar lists included are charming as well as
informative – as are the final sections on deadly animals, spiders, snakes, fears,
and phobias.
The Very Scary Almanac does end somewhat abruptly, however. After a fun introduction,
the book feels cut short with only a one page index in conclusion and no
bibliography. This is a little rough around the edges and certainly simplistic
to the wise, literate paranormal person of any age, for sure. Fortunately, the
material here is not dismissive but safe for potentially weird youths or scary
loving but protective parents and teachers. Read and discuss it around the
proverbial Halloween bonfire or highlight your favorite quips and have an amusing,
informative, spooky good time with The
Very Scary Almanac.
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