Department 56's Halloween Village

hauntedvillage21
Originally uploaded by Jon Glassett

The photos of my Halloween Village display are up on Flickr. My mom went to great pains to set this thing up right & proper for the Pumpkin Massacre. She has a lot of experience from working with her massive collection of Christmas houses and it definitely shows. I've had a few pieces for a while now but they've never been set up quite like this.

I can't bring myself to take it down yet. I keep firing it up and staring at it.

Thanks, Ma!

2008 Halloween Photos Finally Posted

After some difficulty with Flickr the Halloween 2008 photos are finally posted. Well, most of them. There are still a bunch left to sift through, including some shots from inside the house and from the hours spent cleaning up the rotting jack o'lanterns yesterday. 

Not to mention a few choice shots from our inaugural Pumpkin Massacre, like this one right here:

You can view the pictures at this link.

More are on the way soon. I just need to work on them a bit.

I know, I know...I'm really bad about the pics this year. Sorry.

Another Haunt Teaser

I'm way behind on getting my pics up so here's another sample of the shots I took.

The rest need some reworking, resizing and stuff like that. I'm hoping to find time to do all of that on Thursday night.

Not to mention the fact that I still have to pull down the rest of the decorations and dispose of a couple dozen rotting jackos.

Update: Haunted Overload

Eric at Haunted Overload has been popping in since I started writing reviews of haunted attractions and has offered a couple of pictures of his work. These photos are great examples of the insanely atmospheric Haunted Overload. I hope you dig them.


Thanks for offering these, Eric. These shots are way better than my crappy camera phone pics.

Haunted Overload

Pumpkinrot's "The Hollowmen: Year of the Scarecrows"

Ho-lee crap...

You HAVE to see what 'Rot did this year. Totally blown out.

The Hollowmen: Year of the Scarecrows

As usual, a superb and disturbing yard display. He would probably never admit to this but Pumpkinrot routinely sets new standards for frightening and artistic haunts. I know that his work has been a huge influence on mine, at least, and I don't know of anyone out there in the home haunt world who can compare.

I mean, come on...

(Photo straight-up ganked from Pumpkinrot's site because I'm a spaz like that. Sorry.)

For my money, that's the creepiest little patch of front lawn out there.

Beksinski would be proud.

Keep your eyes open for more photos and a video this week on pumpkinrot.com.

Halloween 2008

A few of the photos from this year's haunt...





I have more to share and will be uploading them to Flickr very soon.

This year was a blast. Between the Pumpkin Massacre (our first ever pumpkin carving party) and a scaled-up yard display this his been an extremely busy but very gratifying Halloween.

I hope that yours was great, as well.

Review: Haunted Overload

Three words: atmosphere, atmosphere, atmosphere. Haunted Overload is drenched in it.

I'm going to keep the review somewhat brief for two reasons. First, it's a good way to keep the hyperbole down to a minimum. I loved this place so much I could go on for a good, long time about it. Second, I took a day off work to get ready for Halloween and I have a TON of stuff to do. So let me get right to it.

It began with the ride down the winding back roads of Lee, NH. Houses glowed in the blur of dark woods and stretching fields as we made our way. The only hint that we were on the right path: a lonely scarecrow standing in a front yard with a sign reading "Haunted Overload" and an arrow.

Shortly after, we arrived at the entrance Coppal House Farm. There's no fanfare here. Just another small sign and a dark, narrow, dirt road lined with towering oaks. In the distance the light of the attraction flickered above the treeline.

At this point my smile became permanent.

Haunted Overload does it right. The setting, the props, the actors, just the overall feel of the place is magnificent. They even do a great job of managing the crowd. Tickets are sold in advance and once they reach capacity for a show they pull it down. The result is that you are assured a parking spot and a short wait in the one (!) line leading to the actual park.

I could give you a blow-by-blow description at this point but you REALLY need to see it. I don't want to spoil it. Let me put it to you this way: if you have ever wanted to walk around inside of Tim Burton's head then this is the place you need to be. Fantastic from start to finish. I enjoyed every second of it.

Eric, if you're reading this, my hat is off to you. Absolutely stellar work. Some of the props were truly awe-inspiring. Not to mention bloody huge. I can't wait to go back next year.

If there are still tickets left you must see Haunted Overload. Do it. Do it now.

Haunted Overload is located at Coppal House Farm in Lee, NH.

Review: Nightmare New England

I'll have to resort to cliche for this one: it was okay for what it was.

The facility hosting this extravaganza is called Funway Park, which also happens to be a mini-golf course and go-kart track. I have to say that the fact that the go-karts were active was a bit of a mood killer from the start. The sound of revving lawnmower engines is not exactly my idea of scary. Once I got over the initial disappointment that this adventure was decidedly more carnival than creepshow I made my way to the gate.

After buying my ticket ($19.99 for general admission after a $5 coupon I received in the mail) I headed over to the "Monster Midway" which is a carnival-like row of games, concessions and gift vendors. They also had a few people in costumes walking around and a dunk-the-clown game (tempting!). Amusement park vibe. Okay if you're into that. I'm not, really.

At the end of all of that was the first of four long lines. General admission guests endured the cold while glancing enviously at the huge bonfire & lounge area reserved for the folks who were smart(?) enough to spring for VIP passes at $39.99 a pop. Folks chatted and griped about the wait. Punks cut in line. Cigarette and cigar smoke drifted. I amused myself by snapping pictures with my cell phone.

It was pretty much a lot of waiting to walk through nearly pitch-black scenes full of the usual funhouse gimmicks and requisite startle tactics (air guns, banging trap doors, etc.). Lines averaged 10-15 minutes each. Sometimes more. Costumed actors did their best to make the wait more interesting but more often than not succeeded only at being annoying, three of them going as far as to bum drags off of peoples' cigarettes.

High points included the inflatable rubber walls of the first house, the aptly named "Buried Alive". The second hallway literally squeezes up against your body. It felt a bit like being passed through someone's lower intestine but apart from that it was unexpected and pretty cool.

I also dug most of the last house, the demented hospital-themed "Sleep Stalkers". This one provided my one actual "scare" of the night when a door unexpectedly flung open to reveal a raving character inside. That was pretty neat.

The other two houses were just okay. "3-D Freakshow" was a killer clown dealie that was only made interesting by the 3-d glasses provided at the door. I spent more time staring at the fluorescent paint on the walls than paying attention to the scary stuff. Some of the more interesting characters were here (though one of them actually walked into me). The rotating tunnel at the end was surprisingly effective, too. I felt the walkway tilting but it actually turned out to be my helpless equilibrium.

All hail Herpes the Clown.

"Raven's Claw" was a pretty standard graveyard setup. Graves. Zombies. Corpses. Yay.

Overall, it was just okay for me. Honestly, I thought the best part of the night was passing between the houses (which often involved a good 50-yard or longer walk) and seeing the banks of bonfire smoke and manufactured fog rolling through the light of the park. I lingered there as much as possible. I probably would have hated this trip if the night hadn't been so perfect.

Nightmare New England is located at Funway Park in Litchfield, NH.

The First Weekend in October

I'm starting it off in grand fashion.

So far, I've spent the entire day in the garage putting a significant dent in the huge pile of work needed to complete my props for Halloween 2008. I'm writing this on a lunch break of sorts. After this gets posted the wife and I will be heading out to Gloria Jean's Coffees where I'll be purchasing a delicious Pumpkin Spice latte.

Then it's back to the garage for more monster-making until it's time to head out for the evening.

On the itinerary tonight is a trip to check out a new haunted attraction nearby called Nightmare New England:

A flier just arrived this morning and since then I've seen a television spot, as well. The website looks pretty cool so I'm going to make some time to see it.

This is a little embarrassing to admit but I've actually never been to a full-blown haunted attraction. A few haunted houses here and there and the occasional "spooky" amusement park ride are about the extent of my experience with this kind of thing. Not that there's any lack of them around here. I just always thought they looked a little silly. Couldn't tell you what's different this year but I've decided that I want to make it out to a few of them. I figure this is as good a place to start as any.

Another one that's high on the list this year is Haunted Overload, which I've heard nothing but good things about through folks like Pumpkinrot and the online haunt community. Can't wait to see that one. Doesn't hurt that Haunted Overload (like Nightmare New England) is about 15 minutes from my house.

The air is cool, the wind is blowing, the leaves are flying and we're off to a very, very good start.

I'll be sure to report back on the evening's entertainment. Cheers.

Those Empty Eyes

Kickass Halloween Cards

My wife and my mother recently got together to make a bunch of Halloween cards. These haven't been sent yet but I have to share at least one because there's a whole table full of them sitting next to me and I can't stand it anymore. Here's one of my favorites:


I love how the crow (raven?) on the left appears to be inspecting the leaf.

Trust me when I say they look even better in person. There are close to 40 of these cards and each one is different. Pretty awesome.

Dead Man's Hand

"Tragic Royalty" Playing Cards by Bicycle. I found these while kicking around in Target on my lunch break. Oddly, they were in the Halloween candy aisle.

Something about the thought of Halloween playing cards compelled me to buy them even though I've never been much of a player. I tried poker once and did okay but that was a long time ago and something tells me it only went as well as it did because I was up against family. Anyway, I had to have them and now my wife wants me to pick up two more decks tomorrow.

The face cards are great:

It's good to be the king, apparently.

The outside of the package reads "Cards glow under blacklight". And so they do.

Magnificent.

Go fish?

A Performance of John Carpenter's Themes

This is pretty badass. This guy decided to recreate a few of Carpenter's better-known movie themes in his home studio (which, incidentally, makes me want to sit down and cry):



Pretty impressive stuff. You can check out his blog here.

Why I Do It

It's making the monsters I both dreaded and wished were waiting beyond the hedges when I was young enough to trick-or-treat.

It's the hours surrounded by paint, glue, paper mache, sticks, wires, tape and sketches.

It's the clippings of found horrors pinned up for inspiration.

It's the dark music slithering through the air with the scent of clove and cinnamon candles and the smoke of incense.

It's the mounting anticipation as the sun drops a little sooner each day and the cold begins to rob the crickets of their inspiration and the garage door can stay open a little later because there are no more uninvited guests bouncing obsessively off the fluorescent tubes of the workbench.

It's about the family and friends who are excited to hear what I'm up to and want to be a part of it, offering their help, advice, time and effort.

It's about the kindred spirits found along the way: the folks who inspire and encourage you to go 'even bigger next year' every year simply by following their own inspiration and sharing it.

It's the reactions. All of them. The kids and the parents. The appreciation and the concerned expressions and hasty retreats.

It's about creating (re-creating?) an experience that will inspire some kid to do the same thing with their own yard some day.

The "Why We Haunt" page of the Grim Hollow website got me thinking about this.

I'm working on a new site for Halloween, horror and all that good stuff. I don't want to say much more than that right now but I'm pretty excited about it. There'll be more news as the big day approaches.

Cheers.

How About a Box o' Halloween Awesomeness?

I recently ordered a tiny, twisted, handmade jack o'lantern from the Pumpkin Hollow Shop (an Etsy shop). This is what arrived yesterday:

The little guy with the hat in the foreground is what I actually ordered. Also pictured are two Halloween compilation CDs, a package of Ghostly Glow incense (which smells absolutely amazing, by the way) and a couple of Halloween pencils secured with two plastic rings: one skull and one bat.

These other items were thrown in for free by the artist and accompanied by a very gracious note of thanks for my purchase. I have to tell you that this is about as much fun as I've ever had opening anything. From the moment I saw the pumpkin and bat stickers on the outside of the box I knew that care had been taken to make this package special.

Pumpkin Hollow is run by Pumpkinrot (whom I've mentioned here numerous times) and bean, two very talented folks who have much to offer lovers of Halloween, horror and all things grim and gruesome. Pumpkinrot has started selling hand made props and stationery featuring his work while bean keeps a steady inventory of amazing, unique decorative pumpkins like the one that I bought:

If this sort of thing is your bag then I strongly recommend you pay their sites a visit. They never disappoint.

Bliss...

My order from DarkCandles.com arrived today.

(click the image to see the massive, slow-loading version)

High-quality scented candles with dark themes (and lots of great Halloween options).

I was so happy with them I couldn't resist setting them up for a shot (along with a little Halloween prop in the background).

The clove candle (aka, "Temptress") is unbelievable. My jack o'lanterns are going to smell amazing this year.

Thanks to pumpkinrot for telling me about these.

This Is Not Your Father's Workbench

Well, it's definitely not my father's workbench, anyway. His is covered with car parts and disemboweled radios.

MUAHAHAHAHAHA!

Faunus Returns

While I was working on this year's props over the weekend I came across my old mask from 1991 or thereabouts.


I made this mask after a rather peculiar and inspiring dream. It went on to become part of an evolving costume that I would add to every Halloween until eventually hanging it up in favor of decorating the house. By the end, the costume included a heavy, wool, hooded cloak, a 7' staff, a tabard-style outfit and a handful of ornaments.

A lot of great memories are tied to it: my mother helping me make the plaster cast of my face (that was tricky), roaming the woods looking for "the right branches", the many and varied reactions. I even wore it on stage once as a prank. Halloween parties were always especially fun.

There's a character and a story behind the mask which have evolved over time, as well. I once had ambitions to actually write it all down until a friend gently broke the news that a strikingly similar story had already been written. That's not to say it couldn't still happen. A few adjustments here and there might make it workable.

It occurred to me when I dug this up that it actually works really well with the props I'm working on now. Looks like old Faunus (one of my handful of names for the character) is going to be making a comeback.

Eyes in the Dark

A forgotten photo from Halloween 2006.

Making Jack-o-lanterns from Scratch

We built a garden this year. Naturally, that meant I would be planting at least one of these:

It seems to be doing okay. It should only be a matter of time until the Great Pumpkin rises from the back yard. We've certainly had plenty of rain. I'm a little concerned about the paleness of the leaves, though. As much as I've been enjoying all the recent thunderstorms a little more sunlight would probably do this thing some good.

Then there's the matter of the beetles that have started hanging around the place. Something will have to be done about that.

More Sketchiness

Another monster sketch. This is actually the very first version of one of the creatures that will be supporting cast to the Baba Yaga(esque) prop. The drawing in my last post was the second attempt.

I'm thinking about doing another and making the creature more birdlike. Somewhere between a goblin, a miniature Nosferatu and a large raven.

The odds are that the end result will be vastly different from any of the sketches. It often works out that way. Still, drawing is a part of the process I really enjoy.

Black Ink, How Do I Love Thee?

An early sketch of a monster design I'm working on for Halloween '08.

It's pen & ink with some marker and a little Photoshop to remove a few adjacent doodles.

Making Monsters

Finally got underway overhauling last year's props to get ready for Halloween 2008.

Last year's "The Lurker" got some new skin and a base coat of paint. I'm really happy with the old paper towels and Elmer's glue trick. It creates some pretty life-like wrinkles and texture. It's also very easy to work with.

My inspiration this year is Baba Yaga. I confess that I won't be keeping entirely true to the stories. For example, I don't intend to mount it on a giant mortar or build a little house with the legs of a chicken. My version will be more of a sinister, "What if she were real today?" sort of take on the legend.

Along with an identity change The Lurker will be getting a new body this year, too. Something a little more to scale. At least we'll try to keep it under 12 feet this time around.

Oh, and she'll have some..."friends"...with her, as well.

While I'm on the subject, I really need to come up with an excuse to mess around with some of that monster mud I've heard so much about. That stuff sounds like fun.

Hmmm...

The Skeleton Dance

A YouTube find:

Are You a Haunter?

Winter is over. Spring's vibrant, green emergence has begun. As the snow melts away and the world waits to be reborn, my thoughts turn to that lovely time of year...

...when everything begins to die again.

Yes, it's time to start thinking about Halloween. Some would say it's past time but my obsession hasn't progressed quite that far. Yet.

So, as I'm sitting here surfing Halloween sites, taking notes and trying to figure out how to turn my garage into a human abattoir, I find myself wondering if there's anyone reading this blog who shares this derangement.

Are there any other sickos out there? What are you working on? Got any cool ideas for props? What sites do you like? Are you a part of any online communities you'd like to share?

Tell me your devious plan. I'd love to hear about it.

Halloween 2007

Just in case you were wondering what I was so busy with that I couldn't wrap up the spooky music review before Halloween, I put up the first batch of pics of my first official yard haunt.

This wasn't the first time I've ever decorated for Halloween, of course. I do that every year. What was different this year was the creation--from scratch--of a monster to serve as the focal point. Not to mention, a lot of time, effort and creativity went into amping up the rest of the house with the goal of outdoing what we did last year.

Overall, I'm very happy with a haunt that involved a lot of firsts, including my first attempt at wiring basic LED circuits, my first attempt at really using dramatic lighting and a bunch of other crazy stuff that involved a lot of experimentation, a lot of research and a whole lot of help.

I want to thank BOY for helping to conceive and execute The Lurker, including spending a day in my back yard with me weaving branches into an 8-9' body. I also want to thank both my parents and my wife for helping make the front porch look amazing and for humoring my crazy idea of sticking branches all over the place.

Based on the reaction of both kids and parents, I'd say we did a pretty damn good job.

Horrifying Sounds, Part III

I'm a little late but that's just because Halloween was out-of-control busy. Here's a list of honorable mentions and a few singles that are worthing including:

28 Days Later: The Soundtrack Album
Constantine Original Motion Picture Score - Bryan Tyler & Klaus Badelt
12 Monkeys: Music from the Motion Picture - Paul Buckmaster & Others
Interview with the Vampire Original Motion Picture Soundtrack - Elliot Goldenthal
Angelo Badalamenti - Lost Highway Soundtrack - "Fred & Renee Make Love" and "Police"
Celtic Frost - "Winter (Requiem, Chapter Three: Finale) from Monotheist
Celtic Frost - "Danse Macabre" from Morbid Tales
Charles Camille Saint-Saëns - "Danse Macabre, Op. 40"
David Julyan - The Descent Soundtrack
DJ Food - "The Crow" from Kaleidescope
King Diamond - "Halloween"
Kronos Quartet - "Spectre" from Short Stories
Letum - Broken (or most anything else for that matter)
Misfits - "Horror Business", "Halloween", "Ghoul's Night Out", "Night of the Living Dead" etc.
SunnO))) - Anything, esp. "Sin Nanna", "Hell-O)))-Ween" & "Cursed Realms (of the Winterdemon)"

There you have it. I hope you enjoy this stuff.

Horrifying Sounds, Part II of III

Welcome to the next installment of Horrifying Sounds, a review of my favorite spooky, creepy and otherwise unsettling music. Before I get into the list, I want to talk a little bit about why I decided to write about this.

For as long as I can remember I have loved Horror (that's with a capital 'H', bucko). In fact, the first short story I EVER wrote was a little chiller called "The Insulted Devil" about a boy who vanquishes a demon with water from a wash basin. Not bad for a fourth grader, eh?

This obsession extends to ghost stories, books, movies, art, music, video games and so on. But above all else on this pantheon of the macabre, the mysterious, the unexplained, the disturbing, the mischievous and the frightening sits Halloween: a celebration born from centuries-old traditions which, in one form or another, have persisted, like dark seeds stretching curling tendrils through the soil of history.

What's not to love?

Halloween is a big deal to me. Music is a big deal to me. It stands to reason that the two would come together. And they do. Oh, how they do.

So this is why: the motivation is the love of all things Halloween. The practical application? Use this music on October 31st. Play it at your Halloween party. Be THAT house in your neighborhood. Throw open the windows, point the speakers toward the street and have at it. Crank some spooky music. Add to the atmosphere. Or, put on some Saint-Saëns and curl up with your favorite Horror novel.

On to the list...

The Thing Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Composed and Conducted by Ennio Morricone

I've already confessed to being a John Carpenter fanboy, but at least this time the music is by someone else. Namely, Italian-born composer Ennio Morricone, who is perhaps most well known for his collaboration with director Sergio Leone on films like A Fistful of Dollars and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. It might seem like quite a stretch to go from Spaghetti Westerns to Horror, but Morricone's vast body of work is a master class in creative versatility including music for film, television and concert. In The Thing, Morricone's orchestral score is a landscape unto itself: every bit as chilling and sparse as the Arctic setting of the film. Strings are the predominant instruments here, running the gamut from classically inspired passages to frenetic, atonal pizzicato more in keeping with avante-garde compositions. The Thing just drips with fear, suspicion and paranoia. Simply put, this score is perfect for both the film and for your front yard on All Hallow's Eve.

In the Mouth of Madness Original Soundtrack Recording
John Carpenter and Jim Lang

Okay, before you roll your eyes, this is the last one from Carpenter. I swear. Well, except to say that Halloween's status as a must own is a foregone conclusion and therefore not mentioned in this list. But you knew that. Right?

Anyway, here's the deal: my humble opinion, this is the last good horror movie John Carpenter made. I don't like saying it, but it's how I feel. All of that aside, In the Mouth of Madness is good haunting music. Just one word of advice: skip tracks 1 & 2. Somewhere along the line, Carpenter got the idea that an "Enter Sandman"-inspired rock tune and a David Gilmour-inspired, noodly, bluesy little guitar vignette would be a good additions to the score. I strongly disagree. Fast forward. Or take them out of your iTunes playlist entirely. In fact, delete them from your library. As for the rest, rock solid. The instrumentation is a little more dense than his previous scores, apparently borrowing a bit from Nine Inch Nails and even grunge, which was still moping strong in '95 when this movie was released. Surprisingly, there are even moments here that sound a bit like Elliot Goldenthal's work on Alien 3 (reviewed in the first installment). Apart from those divergences, the old Carpenter minimalism holds fast.

Lyckantropen Themes
Ulver

Subtitled "Original Soundtrack for the Short Film by Steve Ericsson". First off, get yourself a copy of said film. It's great. Lyckantropen Themes is a an ambient/trip hop score by Norwegian black-metal-turned-experimental musical shapeshifters Ulver. I can't say enough good things about this music or about Ulver, in general. While this may tread a little bit more on the melancholy than the macabre side for some, this is still great dark music. Better still, the subject matter is werewolves, which is near and dear to my heart. Let me also offer this about Ulver: if you can make any sense of their discography whatsoever you're a better person than I am. These guys are in the habit of reinventing themselves and they're damned good at it. I love Metal and I think Ulver's first three records are great, but comparing those to 2005's Blood Inside or pretty much anything they've released since 1998 is basically impossible. Intriguing and quite possibly insane, which makes them perfect for our needs, doesn't it?

Aliens Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Composed and Conducted by James Horner

James Horner and the London Symphony Orchestra take on a sinister countenance. As much as I love synthesizers, samples and all things digital, there's a special place in my heart for orchestral scores. Maybe it's all those acoustic instruments ganging up into an improbably menacing wall of sound. Maybe it's the thought of violins and flutes showing their dark sides. Dynamically, Aliens has a lot of quiet moments, making it perhaps a little more appropriate for more intimate environs. Still, the brooding and desolate mood is well-suited to the spirit of the evening.

In the third and final installment I'll cover the best of the rest: a list of one-offs and honorable mentions. Meanwhile, if you like what you've seen so far or if you have some suggestions that I haven't mentioned yet, please do leave a comment. I'm all ears.

Horrifying Sounds, Part I of III

To all fellow lovers of Halloween and horror I offer the first installment of a three part rundown of my all-time favorites in dark music.

Prince of Darkness Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
by John Carpenter and Alan Howarth

Not only is this my favorite horror soundtrack of all time, Prince of Darkness also happens to be one of my favorite horror movies of all time. I'm a huge fan of John Carpenter, particularly his work in the eighties. While not nearly as well known as Carpenter's famous score for the horror classic Halloween, Prince of Darkness represents the distinctive Carpenter style at its very best, using layered synthesizers to paint a desolate, apocalyptic landscape with moments of unrelenting dramatic tension.

The CD is a bit pricey since it's currently only available in a German import version but it's worth every penny and has become a regular fixture in my Halloween celebration.

Alien 3 Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
by Elliot Goldenthal

Film score legend Elliot Goldenthal's foreboding and dizzying score stole a scene or two from Giger's famous monster in the flawed but endearing third installment of the Alien series. The music is percussive, sinister and leaves the impression of every instrument being pushed violently toward its limits. Goldenthal skillfully weaves together orchestral, choral and electronic sounds to create a work that is, in some ways, as eccentric as the film itself. It moves suddenly from grim, depressing soundscape to haunting, poetic melody and then plunges savagely into vicious caricatures of the alien creature. Yet, whereas the film's eccentricities were widely regarded as weaknesses, the score works beautifully and stands well on its own.

In the next installment, I'll be talking about a few more of my favorites, including some scores by Ennio Morricone, James Horner, Ulver and a few more from John Carpenter.

"There's something in the woods..."

"The branches just started twisting themselves together..."


"...then it reached for me..."

Pumpkinrot.com Unveils The Bog Man

This guy should give away medals at Halloween. Any kid who makes it up those stairs deserves a lot more than candy.

I first learned of Pumpkinrot last year around this time and was greatly inspired by his work. Just amazing stuff. The kind of spirit I hope to capture in this and future Halloweens with my own creations.

Every year, John (the man behind Pumpkinrot) chooses a theme and then creates an amazingly detailed, nightmarish scarecrow which he puts up against much more whimsical entrants in a competition. After horrifying the public and subsequently losing to the assembly of bright colors and smiling faces, that same scarecrow is then featured in an elaborate Halloween haunt in his front yard. Fortunately for those of us who can't see it in person, John takes a lot of pictures and video (including some great music).

This year's theme: THE BOG MAN.

I don't want to post pictures without permission, so you've gotta go check out this site for yourself. Take my word for it: if you're a fan of Halloween you will not be disappointed.

PS - Don't miss the video footage of the less, er, dire scarecrows in the competition. It's a hoot.

**UPDATE**

The man himself was kind enough to grant permission to use his images, so here's a sample of what you can expect to find at Pumpkinrot:

Adult Children of Pyromaniacs

An update on the Halloween monster-making...

Yesterday I received an email from BOY containing a rather emphatic suggestion to obtain some fabric and subject it to all manner of abuse. In fact, he went as far as to include a detailed (and hilarious) diagram:

Included with this diagram was the following post script:

"PS You can also replace the burlap with anybody at work you don't like."

Hmmm. Tempting. But as it turns out I like everybody at work. I like everybody. I'm a people person.

*Cough*

Well, since this diagram involves two of my favorite activities--namely, cutting and burning--I hit the nearest fabric store immediately after work and bought some six yards of black burlap and raced home to destroy it. Here are some photos of the process:

Before. So very hot.

During. It burns!

After. Almost suitable for monster garments.

Next time I'll give you an update on the second half of the process: BURIAL.

Cheers.

Halloween Preparations Have Begun

I give you the first of several planned monsters which will be stalking the grounds this Halloween:


What you're looking at is a conglomeration of papier-mâché, tin foil and masking tape that was originally molded from a ceramic head and is presently being twisted into something...well...you decide.

The next step will be to build out the facial structure a touch more, add a few more layers of paper to the back just to firm things up. After that comes latex paint and some kind of internal lighting. Haven't quite figured that part out yet but it will probably be salvaged Christmas lights unless I get really ambitious with some kind of LED apparatus.

Then there's the 7-foot frame and slashed up, tattered cloak but that's another story.

Anyway, just a little something for any Halloween buffs out there.