Will this make you Screeeeeam for Halloween?!

Halloween may be about sinister faces carved into pumpkins, the witches costumes and gruesome face-paint, the unsightly shaped jellies and the horror films on TV, but at the end of the day, it’s all manufactured, largely for a bit of fun. But there remains one thing which exists, not just on 31st October, but every day of the year which, even at a distance, could make me scream enough for a lifetime of halloweens: the SPIDER!!

I’ve been saving these gruesome ghastly shots for a few weeks now. Taken on the day when I enjoyed the first sunshine of autumn, inspiring a whole load of autumn photos to boot, this spider was one little beastie of nature who I was not so pleased to meet that day. Leaving the spine-tingling task of applying my camera zoom close enough to the spider to capture this shot to my far braver partner, the photos which result are stunningly detailed, but all the more hideous as a result.

As I type this post, my fingers quiver ever so slightly – for even though these are two dimensional photos, the mere devilish detail of this creepy crawly has me all in a sweat. It’s bulbous brown back is sinisterly marked like a skull, while on its tummy, a complex cluster of furry leg muscles are grouped together, ready to allow the dormant spider to pounce into action, to move its menacing little pincers and strike!

Ooooh, ok, I’m getting carried away. For the rare arachnophiles out there, these photos show the pretty spectacular and surprisingly complex forms of these most feared of little creatures – there is something almost beautiful about the striped brown and beige legs, and the patterning upon its hairy back, reminding me of the workmanship on a tribal mask, with its perfect symmetry. And then of course there’s the web – another wonder of symmetrical perfection, a creation which continues to be a mystery to me, but which, for all its beauty has its own murderous intent.

But before I go getting carried on down that road again, I’m off to settle myself with a cup of tea, and perhaps a few of those gruesome halloween sweets that are practically spilling out of the supermarket this week. Jellied witches finger anyone?

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