Track 1: “Love Theme For a Ghost”
On the first day of October in Wyrdham, Pennsylvania, a boy named Reggie meets the ghost of Evelyn, a girl his age who was brutally murdered before he was born. Reggie soon falls deeply in love with Evelyn, and he becomes obsessed with identifying her murderer, who has never been brought to justice.
Halloween is the single most important night in Wyrdham. The town was founded by a coven of witches in 1688, and it is built over a “nexus” between all possible universes. This “nexus” is most active each year during the autumn months. As Halloween approaches this year, the witches of Wyrdham prepare for their annual religious ceremony, and everyone in town is invited.
Each year on Halloween, there is a carnival that appears on the outskirts of Wyrdham at twilight. Before the sun sets, there is nothing there; but as soon as night falls, the carnival suddenly manifests. It vanishes again just as quickly at dawn on November 1, not to be seen again until the following year. No one in Wyrdham ever goes to this carnival, for the clowns, magicians, and sideshow barkers are all known to be Lords and Ladies of the Fae. Anyone who does visit the carnival must be careful to leave before the break of day…or they will vanish with all the rest of the clowns and acrobats. They will never be seen again—except at the carnival, and only on Halloween.
Track 4: “Seven Horns and Seven Eyes”
Wyrdham is a haven for witches and polytheists; and yet there are people across the country who would like to see it wiped off the map entirely. Even now, members of the Glory Lane Church of Christ in Russelville, Pennsylvania are preparing their own surprise for Wyrdham’s annual Halloween ceremony. As the sun rises on October 31, the men of the church leave for Wyrdham in trucks filled with guns and ammunition. They intend to boldly “win the town back from Satan” tonight at any cost.
There was once a witch named Melissa Meddows who lived in the Mapleton Woods in Wyrdham. She was a very kind soul who rescued injured animals, nursing them back to health. Despite her good character, Melissa was rejected by all the other witches in Wyrdham for worshiping her God, Pazuzu. During the 1980s Satanic Panic, Melissa was harassed, stalked, and eventually murdered by three Christian men from out of town. No one in Wyrdham lifted a finger to help her, not even the police, since they all hated Melissa for her religion. They even believed that she had “brought her own murder upon herself” with all of her so-called “black magic.”
Not too long after she was murdered, Melissa’s body went missing from the local morgue. The three Christian men who tormented her were found disemboweled in their homes. Since then, anyone who has approached Melissa’s old cabin in the woods – land developers, lost hikers, thrill-seeking teenagers, etc. – has been found hanging from the trees with their skins removed. If you listen to the old timers in Wyrdham, they’ll tell you Melissa is still out there; that Pazuzu raised her from the dead and transformed her into one of His wind elementals; and that she will kill absolutely anyone who trespasses in her woods, including other witches.
After visiting his grandmother in Wyrdham, Danny and his family stop at the old Selwyn Coal Mine, just outside the town. The mine has been converted into a tourist attraction, which is open for business on Halloween night. As Danny and his family take the tour, their guide explains that the mine is full of Tommyknockers, or goblin-like creatures who enjoy living underground. When the Selwyn Mine was still open, miners from Wyrdham would leave gifts of food and alcohol for the Tommyknockers each day when they reported to work. In return, the Tommyknockers knocked on rocks and made loud noises to warn the miners whenever a cave-in was about to happen. Thanks to this, no lives have ever been lost at the Selwyn Mine. Thinking this is all just a story, Danny leaves some of his own Halloween candy in the cave. As he and his family follow the tour guide back to the mine’s entrance, he hears a sound. When Danny turns around, he sees a Tommyknocker grab the candy, wave at him, then vanish back into the subterranean darkness.
Wyrdham’s annual Halloween ceremony has begun. The witches of the town lead a procession to Hobb’s Tree, an oak that is sacred to Robin Goodfellow. Then they continue their procession to Wyrdham Memorial Park, where a huge bonfire is lit. The witches all join hands and dance around the bonfire, chanting to their Gods for safety and good fortune during the coming winter months.
No one at the witches’ bonfire notices the men from Glory Lane Church of Christ standing upon the rooftops around Wyrdham Memorial Park. No one notices the guns these men are holding, either. As the witches continue their happy celebration, the men from Russellville open fire. Several men, women, and children are shot dead. Wyrdham, once a happy haven for witches and polytheists, has now become a killing ground. As the men from Glory Lane make their gleeful escape, Wyrdhamites who have just lost their loved ones scream and wail into the night.
The psychopomps, Jack and Noobie, are drawn to Wyrdham Memorial Park by the cries of several lost souls. When the Fae Lord and his Barghest companion reach the scene, they are horrified to find so many murdered people. They are especially heartbroken by the children, whose disembodied souls now weep over their own corpses. Nothing like this has ever been seen in Wyrdham before, and Jack and Noobie agree that it must never happen again. They split up, with Noobie guiding all the lost souls to peace in the Otherworld, while Jack decides to call in a favor from some old friends.
Track 10: “After School Special”
Several hours earlier, just after the final bell at school, Reggie is asked to stay after class by his English teacher, Mr. Robertson. For the past month, Reggie has done all he can to learn who murdered his ghostly girlfriend, Evelyn. But since Reggie is only a child, there is only so much he can do. Feeling defeated, Reggie is now depressed, and his grades are suffering terribly as a result.
Reggie is afraid to tell Mr. Robertson what’s happening at first; but he soon opens up. It feels really good to talk about Evelyn with an adult. But as the boy shares his story, Mr. Robertson becomes more and more agitated. For he is Evelyn’s murderer – and somehow, this boy knows all about it! When Reggie least expects it, Mr. Robertson knocks him out with a blow to the back of his head, then locks him in the trunk of his car.
Many hours later – during the attack by the men from Russellville – Reggie awakens to find himself in Mr. Robertson’s home. He is tied to a chair. Mr. Robertson tortures him, removing one of the boy’s fingernails. He demands to know whether Reggie has shared any information about Evelyn with anyone else. Reggie manages to break free and hide in a closet while Mr. Robertson’s back is turned. As the teacher tries to break through the closet door with an axe, Reggie prays to Evelyn for help.
Suddenly empowered by Reggie’s faith and piety, Evelyn’s ghost appears. She takes physical form and pursues Mr. Robertson throughout his house until he finally dies of a heart attack. Then Evelyn, still having physical substance, carries Reggie off to Wyrdham Memorial Hospital, where his injuries can be treated.
With his magic lantern, Jack appears at the secret hideout of Skull, Bones and Deadpan. The three trick-or-treaters are now full-grown adults, but are still dressed in Grim Reaper costumes. (We still have no idea who they are beneath their costumes—Black, White, male, female, etc.?) They are horrified to learn of what happened across town during the Bonfire Ceremony. They immediately head out to search for the men from Russellville.
Jack next appears at All Souls’ Nursing Home, where he shares the terrible news with Sawyer Wynn and the Neverdead. Enraged by the news, Wynn and the Neverdead immediately head out to join Skull, Bones and Deadpan in their search.
Meanwhile, the men from Glory Lane Church of Christ are on Mapleton Road, heading out of town. They’re laughing and congratulating each other on a job “well done.” Then they are suddenly attacked by Skull, Bones, Deadpan, and the Neverdead all at once. The men from Russellville open fire once again, but to no avail—for the Neverdead themselves are forever invincible, while Skull, Bones and Deadpan are armed with the powers of their Goddess, Santa Muerte.
The men who are attacked by Skull, Bones and Deadpan are the luckiest, for neither of the three trick-or-treaters uses deadly force. They simply incapacitate as many of the terrorists as they can, apprehending them alive.
Sawyer Wynn and the Neverdead are much more brutal, working permanent injuries on the terrorists; though even they stop short of actually killing the men. They have learned well not to kill from their caretaker, Dr. Logan Westlake.
Three of the terrorists from Russellville manage to escape during the confusion. One of these men is separated from the others, while the other two venture off into the Mapleton Woods, thinking they have eluded capture. Then they are caught and brutally disemboweled by Melissa Meddows.
The final terrorist from Glory Lane Church of Christ has escaped to the outskirts of Wyrdham, where he discovers the carnival that no Wyrdhamite will enter. He decides to hide at the carnival until dawn; but as the wee hours creep closer toward the sunrise, he realizes he’s made a huge mistake. No one at the carnival is human, and they are somehow all aware of what he has done. He tries to escape, but daybreak arrives, and the carnival vanishes. The man from Russellville vanishes along with all the Fae, never to be seen again—unless you happen to stop by the phantom carnival next Halloween.
Skull, Bones, Deadpan, and the Neverdead return to Wyrdham with the surviving Russellville terrorists as their prisoners. The men are put on trial for their horrendous crimes, and they are sentenced to life in prison. Then the supernatural citizens of Wyrdham help the rest of the community to heal and rebuild. A new holiday tradition is started, in which a candlelight vigil is held for everyone who was killed last Halloween. As time goes on, it becomes clear that Wyrdham will never be the same again; but at least the community is coming together, with humans and their supernatural neighbors working together to keep the town safe.
Track 14: “Living With the Dead”
One year later, Reggie has healed from all his physical wounds; but he is still healing from his emotional wounds. He is now undergoing therapy, and his new therapist is the best possible match for him. For Dr. Hunter Westlake is really a grownup version of Sawyer Wynn’s grandson from Summer’s End IV. And when Reggie explains his relationship with Evelyn, Dr. Westlake nods in complete understanding; after all, he still speaks to his deceased grandfather all the time (quite literally, since Sawyer actually resides at All Souls’ Nursing Home, where Dr. Westlake works).
With such a terrific therapist on his side, young Reggie grows to become a very healthy and well-adjusted person. He is still in love with Evelyn, even though he only gets to visit with her on Halloween. But he is also able to engage in regular human relationships now, as well. He still visits with Evelyn each and every year, even as an adult. And somehow, Evelyn’s ghost seems to grow older with him.
Track 15: “Summer’s End (Finale)”
This will be the “End Credits” sequence of the album and the animated film.
