I have a kid. A kid whose birthday falls on Hallowe'en. So, of course, we make a celebration out of it, complete with cake, ice cream, and candy.

This year's birthday is being celebrated with a spooky story I'm writing for said kiddo, who is now creeping up on their teenage years. Somewhere between The BabySitters Club (minus the babysitting) and Goosebumps, with a healthy splash of Are You Afraid of the Dark?

So, to glean inspiration for spooky stories, I browsed YouTube. Here's what I found to be interesting and inspiring for conjuring my own creepy tale of a haunted house with a resident demon.

Get your popcorn ready, your flashlight handy, and a buddy to banter with as you embark on this post full of vids of spooks, spectres, and phantasms.

If you like quick tales of spookiness...

Here's a selection. By the way, if you're into this sort of stuff, the Paranormal Scholar is a nifty YouTube channel, covering everything from ghosts, demons, hauntings, possessions, exorsicms, aliens, and haunted teddy bears. You'll, uh, notice I got a lot of vids from that channel here.

If you like ghost hunting shows...

and want to binge, I suggest BuzzFeed's Unsolved.

Shane is what makes the show tolerable-- while Ryan brings energy and enthusiasm, Shane is there to keep that balloon anchored to the ground and free from flights of fancy. What's best? When he tattles on Ryan to Father Thomas, who instructed them TO NOT INVITE CONTACT WITH DEMONS. But hey, why let a Vatican-trained exorcist bog one down in the quest for conquering the supernatural? Amiright, Ryan?

...and the British show, Most Haunted, which features much less snark, and a lot more psychics.

Want an introduction to Paranormal Psychology? Here ya go.

Or just some straight up ghosts and witches? Got that covered, too.

I'll post more the closer to Hallowe'en we get.