11 Women Horror Writers You Need to Read (and A History of Rat Kings)

You could be anywhere in your inbox this morning, but thanks for being here! Monday, October 30, 2017 EDWARD GOOCH/GETTY IMAGES FROM THE EDITORS Here's What's Buzzing Around the Office: 1 [Women have written some of the most blood-curdlingly scary stories of all time. But they haven’t always gotten the credit they deserve. To set the record straight—and give you some delightfully spooky reading this Halloween season—here are 11 women horror writers you need to read.]( 2 [Behold the rat king: a ball of furry fury that occurs when the tails of rodents become twisted, wrapped, and warped into a knot so impossible that not even the world's most loyal Boy Scout could untangle it. Myth, hoax, or Mother Nature's freak accident? Here's the story of nearly every rat king ever discovered.]( 3 [Almost since the beginning of movies, people have been trying to use the medium to conjure up fantastic creatures. We rounded up behind-the-scenes secrets from expert movie monster makers.]( 4 [Chocolate and peanut butter or chocolate and saké? Fortunately, in the ever-evolving candy world, you don’t have to choose, especially when you have access to these 25 unusual flavors of familiar candies.]( 5 [Today's Big Question: What's the Difference Between a Lake and a Pond?]( Hulton Archive/Getty Images Pop Culture [How Nosferatu Ripped Off Dracula and Became a Plagiarism Success Story]( iStock Food [The Best Way to Wash an Apple So You Consume Fewer Pesticides]( video [Mental Floss Tries Weird Candy]( Pop Chart Lab Design [Epic Poster Features Over 100 Hand-Drawn Illustrations of Dinosaurs]( FUN FACT According to the Spangler Candy Company, the manufacturer of the popular lollipops, the name Dum Dum was chosen because it "was a word any child could say." [For more about this, CLICK HERE]( Sarah Browning, [Flickr]( // [CC BY-NC 2.0]( © 2017 Mental Floss, Inc., All rights reserved. Mental Floss® is a registered trademark owned by Felix Dennis.[mentalfloss.com]( is a trademark owned by Felix Dennis. You are receiving this email because you opted in to receive notifications from mental_floss magazine and [mentalfloss.com](. Got feedback? We want to hear it! Send your thoughts to [newsletter@mentalfloss.com](mailto:newsletter@mentalfloss.com?subject=I've%20got%20feedback!%20) Add us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your [preferences]( or [unsubscribe]( this list OUR MAILING ADDRESS IS: Mental Floss Inc. 55 W 39th Street 5th Floor New York, New York 10018 [View this email in your browser]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [YouTube]( Monday, October 30, 2017 EDWARD GOOCH/GETTY IMAGES FROM THE EDITORS Here's What's Buzzing Around the Office: 1 [Women have written some of the most blood-curdlingly scary stories of all time. But they haven’t always gotten the credit they deserve. To set the record straight—and give you some delightfully spooky reading this Halloween season—here are 11 women horror writers you need to read.]( 2 [Behold the rat king: a ball of furry fury that occurs when the tails of rodents become twisted, wrapped, and warped into a knot so impossible that not even the world's most loyal Boy Scout could untangle it. Myth, hoax, or Mother Nature's freak accident? Here's the story of nearly every rat king ever discovered.]( 3 [Almost since the beginning of movies, people have been trying to use the medium to conjure up fantastic creatures. We rounded up behind-the-scenes secrets from expert movie monster makers.]( 4 [Chocolate and peanut butter or chocolate and saké? Fortunately, in the ever-evolving candy world, you don’t have to choose, especially when you have access to these 25 unusual flavors of familiar candies.]( 5 [Today's Big Question: What's the Difference Between a Lake and a Pond?]( Pop Culture [How Nosferatu Ripped Off Dracula and Became a Plagiarism Success Story]( Hulton Archive/Getty Images video [Mental Floss Tries Weird Candy]( Food [The Best Way to Wash an Apple So You Consume Fewer Pesticides]( iStock Design [Epic Poster Features Over 100 Hand-Drawn Illustrations of Dinosaurs]( Pop Chart Lab FUN FACT According to the Spangler Candy Company, the manufacturer of the popular lollipops, the name Dum Dum was chosen because it "was a word any child could say." [For more about this, CLICK HERE]( Sarah Browning, [Flickr]( // [CC BY-NC 2.0]( © 2017 Mental Floss, Inc., All rights reserved. Mental Floss® is a registered trademark owned by Felix Dennis.[mentalfloss.com]( is a trademark owned by Felix Dennis. You are receiving this email because you opted in to receive notifications from mental_floss magazine and [mentalfloss.com](. Got feedback? We want to hear it! Send your thoughts to [newsletter@mentalfloss.com](mailto:newsletter@mentalfloss.com?subject=I've%20got%20feedback!%20) Add us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your [preferences]( or [unsubscribe]( this list OUR MAILING ADDRESS IS: Mental Floss Inc. 55 W 39th Street 5th Floor New York, New York 10018 [View this email in your browser]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [YouTube](