Now Fear This

They came by fax and by mail, by hook and by crook, despite hell or high water, for two weeks--a steady stream of more than 1,000 submissions to this year’s Scary Story Contest. We’ll remember this year for its originality. Never before had we taken the time to imagine the horrific possibilities of those giant foam fingers often spotted at sporting events. . .or imagined any sense beyond the sixth. . .or given much thought to Frankenstein’s love life. Nor had we suspected our mothers were gremlins. . .or pondered the detrimental side effects of tooth whitening. We praise these disturbed and distorted minds, our winners--four adults and four children in the writing category, and two winners in each drawing category: two younger than 11, two 12 or older. These deserving souls each win a copy of “Scooby-Doo and the Witch’s Ghost,� provided by Warner Home Video.