Friends, we are gathered here today to mourn the passing of Rooster Illusion, which I killed.

July 12, 2018: “That’s right, folks. After six years–holy shit, ten years if you count its origins as a column in a college newspaper–I’m laying this old bird to rest.” —Rooster Illusion: Closing Time, the last post on this site by creator James Melville, who is also me.

It was, to quote one of the best musical biopics ever made, “a beautiful ride.” We laughed, we cried, we discovered that the magic was inside us all along. And then, like Mothra emerging from a waterfall, we spread our wings and moved on.

Until now. Driven by warm nostalgia and a growing unease about my upcoming thirtieth birthday*, I decided that it was time to give this old bird the phoenix treatment. That’s right, folks: Rooster Illusion is back from the dead, for a limited time only.

With the full participation of some of the old gang–people have jobs and lives, etc.–Rooster Illusion is back for one last** Octoberween.

One month of writing about horror, creature features, Scooby-Doo, and anything else that gets us in the mood for the one holiday where we get to dress up as our best nightmares, gorge on candy, and drink slightly too much for a Thursday***. After that, we peace out into the night, never to return again. Unless we decide to return again, in which case you can ignore at least some of this paragraph.

Rooster Illusion is dead. Long live Rooster Illusion.

*It’s in May! Thirty isn’t old! Chill out my dude!
**I mean, you’ve all seen movies. One Last Job could mean anything.
***Rooster Illusion encourages responsible drinking, especially on Thursdays.