Fright Attendant

Horror, psychology, and the anatomy of fear.

Customizing My Website Theme

October 17, 2026 by Alexander Barriga

Here we get into the really boring stuff.

Or at least, the stuff that sounds boring until you realize how much control you actually have over your website.

This week, I worked on making Fright Attendant look and function more like an actual horror website instead of a collection of random assignments. But because of the nature of this class, that’s still kinda what it is!

Widgets: The Little Things That Do Stuff

Astra supports several useful widgets and WordPress blocks, including:

  • Search: Helps visitors find specific articles.
  • Categories: Organizes content into easily accessible subjects.
  • Latest Posts: Displays recently published articles.
  • Archives: Lets readers browse older posts by month.
  • Tag Cloud: Highlights recurring topics throughout the website.

I added Search, Categories, and Latest Posts because finding content shouldn’t feel like wandering through a haunted house without a flashlight.

Customizing Fright Attendant

I added About and Contact pages, organized the navigation menu, and included links to featured posts and outside horror resources.

I also added a site icon, experimented with background imagery, and adjusted the colors to create a darker atmosphere with crimson accents. The changes give the website a more recognizable identity without sacrificing readability.

I tested desktop, tablet, and mobile previews, experimented with CSS, and configured the AMP plugin for posts and pages.

Why Schedule Design Changes?

Scheduling changes makes sense for three reasons. First, updating during quieter hours minimizes disruptions. Second, coordinating changes with new articles or seasonal events gives visitors something fresh to experience. Finally, planning ahead leaves time to test everything and correct mistakes before they reach an audience.

Basically, making a website look good takes work. Making sure it stays functional while you’re messing with everything takes a liiiiittle more.

View All

My Website Theme

October 11, 2026 by Alexander Barriga

Apparently, even horror websites need to get dressed.

For Fright Attendant, I wanted something that looked appropriately out of place without making visitors feel like they’d accidentally stumbled onto an ancient website from 2004. The plan was simple, dark colors, dramatic typography, easy navigation, and enough customization to make the site feel serviceable without taking up another 40 hours of the week alongside my job.

After comparing three WordPress themes, I settled on Astra!

Where Do Themes Come From?

WordPress makes finding themes fairly painless. You can browse thousands through the official WordPress.org Theme Directory, purchase premium themes from marketplaces like ThemeForest, download them directly from developers, or even build your own if you’re feeling particularly ambitious.

Personally, I’d stick with more reputable sources. Free themes from the official directory undergo a review process andpremium themes might offer additional customization and support. Regardless of where they come from, checking compatibility, update frequency, security, licensing, and developer reputation is important. Nobody wants their website haunted by outdated software or any of that nonsense.

Now We Get Into the Really Boring Stuff

Underneath all those pretty layouts are the files that actually make WordPress themes work.

A traditional WordPress theme needs two essential files:

  • style.css: Identifies the theme and controls its visual styling.
  • index.php: Acts as the fallback template when WordPress needs to display content.

Additional files commonly include:

  • functions.php: Adds functionality and loads scripts and styles.
  • header.php: Handles the site’s header.
  • footer.php: Handles the footer.
  • single.php: Controls individual blog posts.
  • page.php: Controls static pages.
  • archive.php: Displays collections of posts.
  • comments.php: Handles comment displays.
  • screenshot.png: Provides the preview image shown in the theme selector.

Modern block themes work a little differently, requiring style.css and templates/index.html, and often using theme.json for global design settings.

Exciting stuff, I know I know, thanks. Still, understanding these files makes troubleshooting and customization considerably less mysterious.

The Theme Showdown

I compared three candidates using a weighted decision matrix:

My criteria were ease of use (30%), readability (25%), customization (20%), mobile responsiveness (15%), and visual aesthetics (10%).

Readability matters because Fright Attendant will feature articles about horror, storytelling, and psychology. Customization and visual aesthetics help create the appropriate atmosphere, while responsive design ensures visitors can actually read the content on their phones.

I weighted ease of use highest because I’d prefer spending my time writing horror stories rather than fighting with my website. Astra won because its interface felt intuitive without sacrificing the features I wanted.

Putting Astra to Work

Installation was (refreshingly) uneventful. I went through Appearance → Themes → Add Theme in the WordPress dashboard, searched for Astra, installed it, and activated it. No manual downloads, FTP transfers, additional purchases, or elaborate rituals required.

From there, I selected a dark color palette, chose Playfair Display for dramatic headings, and used Inter for readable body text. I also checked the mobile preview to make sure everything displayed properly on smaller screens.

Ultimately, Astra gives Fright Attendant a solid foundation. It’s flexible enough to evolve with the website, straightforward enough to maintain, and atmospheric enough to complement the content.

Now I just need to write something terrifying enough to deserve it.

View All