We at Atlas Obscura make no effort to hide how much we love the month of October. It gives us an excuse—not that we need one—to partake in a few of our favorite indulgences: the macabre, the supernatural, the sweet. More than that, it gives us a chance to explore and explain why this month is so much fun. What it is about creepy puppets, forest spirits, and murderous cakes that we can’t look away from? Let’s talk.

This year we’re calling it Fright Club, 31 days of fascinating stories about tricks, treats, and terror. We’ll be taking you to a mountain of mannequins, the gender-fluid masquerade balls of Imperial Russia, and a church wall in dire need of an exorcist. You’ll learn about Cambodian ghost cakes, the practice of skull blasting, the history of Mischief Night, and more.

All you have to do to join the club is read along!

Four children in their Halloween costumes gathered around a jack-o-lantern in the 1960s.
Four children in their Halloween costumes gathered around a jack-o-lantern in the 1960s. D. Corson/ClassicStock/Getty Images