After a period of reflection and repair in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, the judges have reached their decision on our 2012 Scary Dairy Contest.

First prize goes to Erin Thorne's gooey tale of cheese voodoo

Dave Goudsward:

Erin Thorne's story "I'm Melting" starts strong, establishes characterization right off the bad and ends with the perfect blend of horror and dairy. The cheese is integral to the plot without being obvious.

Amanda Affrunti:

Erin Thorne, with her tale of scorned love and Voodoo dolls of cheddar, wins first place. Her original idea and clever execution (of the words and of the antagonist) made the perfect Scary Dairy tale.

Kristi Petersen Schoonover:

What is Scary Dairy? It's the rasp of a grater wielded by a mad monger, a ghostly image imprinted on the face of the pizza, the cold panic of losing your bread in the burbling depths of the fondue.

Scary Dairy is our annual Halloween short story contest.

The rules are simple: spin a spooky cheese-centric tale of terror in the comment thread below, ~500 words or less. The best story will win a bag of cheesy Halloween tricks and treats. We will pick a winner November 1st.

Good Evening! It's time again for culture's annual Scary Dairy contest.

The rules are simple: spin a spooky cheese-centric tale of terror in the comment thread below. 500 words or less, please. The best tale will win a bag of cheesy Halloween tricks & treats. We will pick a winner Nov. 4.

Need inspiration? Check out last year's blood curdling tales of ghostly milk murders, evil sheep, dairy zombies, and of course, the horrifying Stuff-like cheese of last year's winning entry: here, here, here, and here, and then post your own below!