Let's not forget the hint in the grid in the clue for YODA and the fact that 65 = 13 x 5.

Awesome month of puzzles. Thanks, Matt!
Alex | Homepage | 11.03.09 - 11:13 am | #

That should be AGRESTIC and BERNESE, I think (which makes BERNESE guessable, at least).
Will Nediger | 11.03.09 - 11:16 am | #

I filled in about a half-dozen words in the grid and then gave up. But one of them was a gimme: KERES, since I used to be an active chess player!
Badir | 11.03.09 - 11:31 am | #

Wasn't it originally 55 to Stay Alive? That gets more google hits than 65. I also used the 65=5*13 for my revelatory moment. I did have to google for several answers, including BEEBE and AGRESTIC and MARNE.
There seems to be a lot of costumes with five letters, ghost and ghoul and witch. I also considered Palin for about five minutes.
Karen | 11.03.09 - 11:43 am | #

Interesting. I came up with a different meta altogether, GHOST. How? From UNLUCKY ALL MONTH, I took UNLUCKY to mean "star-crossed." I drew a line through the letters G-H-O-S-T, in sequence, using letters from all five theme answers (the ALL MONTH part), which in the end forms a STAR (close enough for me, anyway). That's my meta and I'm sticking to it!

In any case, great, fun month of puzzles. Thanks, Matt!
john farmer | 11.03.09 - 11:49 am | #

alex, i noticed the 13x5=65 thing, but i forgot to mention it in my writeup.

oops on AGRISTIC/BERNISE. i got it right in the grid.

i did not notice the hint in the YODA clue, [Green Halloween costume]. nifty.
joon | 11.03.09 - 11:58 am | #

About 70 correct SHREKs this week, which means the number of Hell Month winners will be between 35-40 (not sure exactly yet).

This was a lot of fun for me and from e-mails it sounds like others enjoyed it as well. I'll do it again in the spring (not Hell Month, but another themed month suite).
Matt Gaffney | 11.03.09 - 12:13 pm | #

Matt, have you actually seen anyone in a Shrek costume? I've been trick-or-treating for the last several years and don't recall seeing anyone dressed as Shrek. Nor do I recall seeing Shrek costumes in the Halloween aisle at Target. Boo!
Orange | Homepage | 11.03.09 - 12:24 pm | #

Orange --

I don't trick or treat since about 1984, but here are 150,000 pictures of people in Shrek (and Fiona) Halloween costumes:

http://images.google.com/images?...&aqi=g1& start=0

I read somewhere online (don't make me find it now) that Shrek was the #1 costume the year it came out and then resurged in sequels years.

I wanted to use a costume that no one could guess from the letter count and the fact that it was a costume (GHOST, DEVIL, WITCH, etc.)
Matt Gaffney | 11.03.09 - 12:33 pm | #

I actually saw a nice Shrek costume this year. It had those funky ear-things going on.
Mark Taylor | 11.03.09 - 12:34 pm | #

The one clue I couldn't understand was ABAS for "Down with" I finally Googled it as "A bas" and found it. French, I think. I thought it was a synonym for "I'm down with that."

I totally loved this puzzle series! Thanks a lot Matt!

p.s. Matt, are you really going to send out 40 notepads?
Meg | 11.03.09 - 12:44 pm | #

Gladly, Meg! I was aiming for about that number to win, in fact.
Matt Gaffney | 11.03.09 - 1:40 pm | #

I came up with my own meta - unlucky all month, like a month of Fridays the 13th. There were 5 Fridays x13=65, so I entered JASON. Oh well. BTW, I went to my neighbor's Halloween party as a crossword puzzle (and thought about adding fake blood in a pencil stabbing, but didn't). Easiest costume I've ever made: a sandwich board with parts of one of those wall-sized puzzles spray glued to poster board, with other puzzle accoutrements from around the house.
Jan(danjan) | 11.03.09 - 9:20 pm | #

What, no one noticed that the clues went up to 65? I assume that was a red herring that Matt was hoping people would pick up on.

Anyway it was a fun month of puzzles. I'm kinda surprised that not every who won last week won this week since it was easier. Oh well. I'm just happy I finally get a prize.
Joe Cabrera | 11.03.09 - 11:51 pm | #