It’s the beginning of our seasonal Staff Spotlights, and what better way to ring in the Halloween season and all things creepy than with a Q&A with some of our Woolly Workers! Each week leading up to the 31st, we’ll be catching up with a team member as they talk us through what makes their scary season so wonderful. First up, it’s the turn of Needlecraft and Fabric supervisor, Vic! 🩸
Hi, Vic! What are your favourite things about the Halloween season?
Oh, so many things! I love decorating the house with all of our autumnal and Halloween decorations – I’m a sucker for a cute ghost, so there’s always a ton of these scattered around. I love cosying up with a blanket and a themed cross stitch with a Slasher movie on, complete with a cuppa in a ghost mug.
It’s got to be done! Are there any shows or movies that you love to watch this time of year?
I love watching horror movies throughout the year, but it’s Slasher Season now, for sure. This time of year always sees me watching my favourites and, shall we say, niche, picks in the horror genre. I usually tend to dig out my repeaters, such as Scream and Urban Legend, but I do tend to rewatch some straight to DVD picks, too.
My cousin and I were rarely out of the Blockbuster bargain bins back in the day, so I still have a fair amount of those kept. Some of my favourites would have to be Timber Falls, Homecoming; which is a kind of Misery-esque movie. Autopsy was another that we found really entertaining, so I may have to dig all of these out again!
What upcoming Horrors are on your watchlist?
Myself and my partner got cinema passes earlier in the year, so we’ve really been taking advantage of those as of late. We’ve not long ticked off The Strangers: Chapter Two; if it’s still on, I’d like go see what Him has to offer, the new sports horror with Marlon Wayans and Tyriq Withers – I’m really intrigued about that one! Of course, I’m buzzing about Scream 7 too, but that’s not out until March.
I’ve had a Nightmare On Elm Street box set for years, so I’d like to finally sit and watch that. I’ll probably revisit some that I haven’t seen in years like Halloween: H20, Cherry Falls or the original Strangers sequel, Prey At Night, which I’ve never seen.
Nice! In the somewhat words of Ghostface (IYKYK), what are your top three favourite scary movies?
Just three feels mean! My top spot for a long time now has been awarded to the original Scream from 1996. I absolutely adore it; I can put that on no matter what and still really enjoy it no matter the time of year. Another repeater and climber for me is Ready Or Not. Samara Weaving is blooming fantastic and that film is an absolute blast. I can’t wait for the next one as I’m super curious to see where they head with things, yet this has definitely settled into my top three.
My third can sometimes fluctuate! I love Urban Legend, I Know What You Did Last Summer, Valentine – I’m a sucker for a mid-nineties early noughties Slasher as you can tell! But I’m a huge fan of cat and mouse horrors like The Hitcher remake, Roadkill and Vacancy. If it’s got a motel involved, I’m in! Not sure why, but I just think that remote kind of setting just adds to the creepiness of it all. But then again I absolutely adore Sorority Row, so I think I’d have to choose that for the personal nostalgia – ugh, this is tough! Could I have ten, please?!
We understand the struggle – there’s too much choice! Have you got any plans coming up to celebrate?
Yes, I’m finally going to be able to finally watch the original Scream at the cinema! I was only five when it came out, so to see that cold open with Drew Barrymore on the big screen will be amazing. Plus, I’m taking my mom who’s never seen it, so I think that will be super fun.
As for other ‘celebrations’, my partner and I usually play some scary games this time of year. We’re huge Supermassive Games fans, so we caved and ended up playing The Quarry a little earlier in the year than planned! But we still have House of Ashes to play, so we’ll do that first. We’re also hoping to tick off Killer Frequency, too.
Outside of those, is there anything you’re working on project-wise to avoid the jumpscares?
Back in July, I finished my first Colorfully Sarah pattern and ever since, I’ve been building my little pattern library of her gorgeous works. I’m going to be working on the Cosy Fall Drinks pattern soon, as I don’t think I can wait to start this much longer! I’m still working my way through my sardine can, but I can always add another WIP to the pile, right?
Absolutely! Thanks for sharing what makes your scary season oh-so-special, Vic! Happy October! 🎃
Be sure to check back next Wednesday for week two, where we’ll be catching up with another Woolly Worker for this special round of Staff Spotlights ✨