The B-side** was played on Halloween night for the benefit of the trick-or-treaters. Dad would put one of the enormous stereo speakers in the window for maximum effect. The B-side featured the classic rattling of chains, squeaking of doors, screaming of people, and wacky futuristic space-machine noises.
But the A-side, oh the A-side.
The A-side was a creepy story narrated by a man who had inherited an "antebellum mansion" and was going to visit it for the first time, of course, on Halloween night. Our favorite taglines were the moaning ghost asking "my baby... have you seen my baaaaabeee... MY BAAABEEEEEEEE..." and of course (in re the narrator's car as he makes his narrow escape), "start, darnit it! start!" (such language, hah!) We could, and did, recite the entire story by heart.
A few years ago, my sister Tracy went on an e-bay search for Halloween Horrors and we agreed that if she won the auction, I would buy a turntable*** to play it on. She did, so I did. Not only did we remember the words some 30 years later, but the record still scared the sh1t out of us. The best part was playing it for my niece and nephew, who were just as enthralled in the 2000s as we were in the 1970s.
T & Nette, I salute you and the memory of Halloween Horrors!
PS - Have you seen my baaaaabeeeee?
ETA - Link to the story! Give it a listen!
* for the younger readers, "LP" stands for "Long Play" record, as opposed to a "45" that contained only one song on each side.
** A "B-side" is the "back side" of a vinyl record. You know life is good when you have "time to play B-sides"
*** A "turntable" is a magic machine that played big, black, vinyl records.
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