For most people, Halloween is a fun time. It's a time to dress up, go to parties and socialize with friends and family. A time to be deliciously but harmlessly frightened by stories about murder, mayhem and the supernatural.

However, a significant part of the fun of Halloween is that it allows us to be scared without ever feeling really threatened or unsettled. After all, the stories we like to tell and watch and listen to at Halloween are just that, stories. No matter how scary they may be, we can always comfort ourselves with the knowledge that they aren't real...

However, I'm afraid that isn't true of any of the stories in this collection. These are all factual accounts of brutal murders, mysterious disappearances and unexplained deaths which happened at Halloween. You'll read here about children who vanished from their homes or strollers on Halloween. You will learn of brutal murders of men and women all of which took place during the fun and excitement of the 31st of October. And you will hear about people who simply vanished on Halloween, never to be seen again.

If you want innocent Halloween scares, try a movie or a television show. If you want real, bloody, frightening, baffling Halloween mysteries, you're in the right place...