Saturday 30 October 2010

Games: Halloween Sale on Steam

Just in time for Halloween, Valve have announced a special game sale on Steam! The (mostly) horror and horror-themed games make a perfect distraction from handing out candy and cheesy horror movies. The games on offer are as follows:
  • Aliens vs. Predator - 50% off £14.99 £7.49
  • Alter Ego - 50% off £22.99 £11.99
  • Amnesia -The Dark Descent- - 33% off £12.99 £8.70
  • BioShock - 75% off £13.99 £3.49
  • Burn Zombie Burn! - 50% off £6.99 £3.49
  • Dark Fall: Lost Souls - 66% off £14.99 £5.09
  • Dead Space - 50% off £14.99 £7.49
  • Devil May Cry 4 - 50% off £13.99 £6.99
  • Doom Rails - 50% off £6.99 £3.49
  • Dracula Origin - 75% off £14.99 £3.74
  • Ghostbusters: The Videogame - 50% off £14.99 £7.49
  • Ghost Master - 50% off £2.99 £1.49
  • Haunted House - 50% off £9.99 £4.99
  • Left 4 Dead Bundle  - 50% off £22.99 £11.49
  • Left 4 Dead - 50% off £12.99 £6.49
  • Left 4 Dead 2 - 50% off £14.99 £7.49
  • Nation Red - 66% off £7.99 £2.71
  • Overlord Complete Pack - 75% off £24.99 £6.49
  • Overlord - 75% off £3.49 £0.87
  • Overlord: Raising Hell - 75% off £6.99 £1.74
  • Overlord II - 75% off £19.99 £4.99
  • Plants vs. Zombies GOTY Edition - 50% off £6.99 £3.49
  • Resident Evil 5 - 50% off £19.99 £9.99
  • Silent Hill Homecoming - 50% off £29.99 £14.99
  • S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Bundle - 75% off £24.98 £6.24
  • Team Fortress 2 - 50% off £13.99 £6.99
  • Worms Reloaded - 50% off £17.99 £8.99
  • Zombie Bowl-o-Rama - 75% off £6.99 £1.74
  • Zombie Driver - 50% off £6.99 £3.49
These are the prices for the UK store, but if you go to Steam, it will show up in your currency.

Friday 29 October 2010

Halloween: Tulleys Farm Halloween Festival

Running each year from mid-October to Halloween, Tulleys Farm Halloween Festival has made a name for itself as a fun park/scream park over the past few years, even being voted the UK's #1 Halloween event at The Screamie Awards in 2008.


The event is split into two halves - October Fest during the day, which is more suitable for younger children and those not looking for a fright, and Shocktober Fest after dark for those of you who love a good scare (not recommended for under 12's)!




Wed 27th - Sunday 31st October opening times are 10:30am - 4:30pm (October Fest), 5:30pm - midnight (Shocktober Fest)

Daytime events and attractions:
  • Creepy Cottage
  • Boo Barn
  • Spooky Trail
  • Horrid Hayride
  • Circus Maze
Nightime events and attractions:
  • Haunted Hayride
  • Field of Screams
  • The Cellar Haunted House
  • It's Curtains Maze 2
  • Creepy Cottage
Address:
Tulleys Farm
Turners Hill
Crawley
West Sussex
RH10 4PE

Tel: 01342 718472

Events: Hardcore Halloween Special at Bohemia

A quick post about an event happening tonight (Friday 29th), the Hardcore Halloween Special happening at Bohemia nightclub in Torquay, UK. Sorry for the short-notice, but I just got the flyer today.


"The entire club will be decked transformed into a virtual haunted house so get dressed up and rave the Halloween night away"
DJs include Joey Riot, Jimmy P and Noisey Boyz, with Smiley, Emacey and Razor as MCs. Drinks are £2 all night. Doors are open 11pm until late. 

Entry:  £5 before midnight, £6 after
Address: Bohemia Nightclub, Torwood Street, Torquay, Devon
Tel: 01803 292079
Web: bohemianightclub.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/bohemianightclub

Tuesday 26 October 2010

Unexplained Mysteries: The Dyatlov Pass Incident


Hello there little monsters~!
Today's post is about a story I researched about a year ago and found quite interesting.
If you like mysteries and supernatural stuff, keep on reading!

Ok, so... Russia, 1959, 9 students go on a trip to The Urals.
Apparently, the students pitched their tent on a Urals slope, the Dyatlov Pass, at night to take some rest and sleep. Days after, they were found dead and naked by the authorities. The bodies were spread all over the place, and some of them presented some weird and severe internal injuries and rests of radiation (also found on the clothes). The tents had been ripped from the inside. For unknown reasons, they panicked and run away naked at -30º at night. There were no fingerprints, no signs of struggle.

At first it was thought they had died of hypothermia, it seemed to fit since they had the typical bruises and the bodies were at -30º. But when they found the last bodies, this theory was rejected.
Not all the bodies were found at the same time. After the families reported them missing, the police found 5 of the bodies, with the features I already mentioned above. It took almost 2 months to find the other 4 bodies. They were buried under the snow, 5 metres deeps, close to a little precipice.

And here comes the weird and creepy stuff.
Contrary to their friends, they were dressed. But, surprisingly, they were dressed with their friends' clothes. One of the skulls was totally destroyed on the inside. also, two of the bodies had some broken ribs. And the worst of all, the other one had her tongue cut. The cut was totally clean, it was impossible to think she had bitten herself or that an animal had done it. Another common feature they had was that their hair had turned grey and their bodies had turned orange, despite the frostbite, though this is said to be misinformation to scare people.

After several months, investigators said the cause was “a compelling unknown force” and the case was closed and filed as top secret.


Friends and family never gave up on this case and they created an organization called the Dyatlov Foundation, dedicated to investigating more about this creepy event which, even now, is a total mystery. During one of their investigations, they talked to some witnesses - military men and meteorologists. These men claimed to have seen some "glowing orange spheres" flying over the mountains where these students had their tent.


There are all kind of theories about this event; some say the studends may have seen and followed these spheres for some reason. But, why would they go blindly after these spheres, naked, in such a cold weather, and what caused the injuries that lead them to death?

Others say they were victims of some military experiment, but no-one heard or saw any explosion or visible attack on the area. And of course, there's the spookiest theory of them all, about the spheres being some kind of spirit or ghost and these supernatural entities being the cause of the death and the strange behaviour and panic attack.

51 years after this event, what happened that night is still unknown and remains as a mystery and a spooky story for the inhabitants next to these mountains.
Maybe it will remain unsolved forever... or maybe one of these theories is the right one.

What do you think? ;P

Sunday 24 October 2010

Scary Sounds: Halloween & Horror Music 3

Part 3: Horror Soundtracks 2
The next 7 in the series of entries about horrifying soundtracks!

In no particular order:
  • Psycho (1960) (Bernard Herrmann)
  • A Nightmare on Elm Street (Charles Bernstein)
  • Phantasm (Fred Myrow/Malcolm Seagrave)
  • Rosemary's Baby (Krzysztof Komeda)
  • Night of the Living Dead (Scott Vladimir Licina)
  • Dead Silence (Charlie Clouser)
  • Ju-On (Shiro Sato)
Videos after the cut↓

Saturday 23 October 2010

Events: Brighton Beach of the Dead Zombie Parade


Halloween - a day filled with ghosts, ghouls and zombies, when the dead can walk the Earth...in BRIGHTON!  That is, when the undead (and a few costumed humans) take to the streets for Beach of the Dead, South East England's gory zombie parade! Whilst it is technically not on Halloween, since it takes place on October 30th, it still looks like a million bags of bloody brains-worth of fun!

Last year's lurching creeps are featured in the video above. Dare you join them for the fourth year of this wonderfully spooky event?!

Art: Mark Ryden

Hey there little monsters!

Today I dedicate my entry to one of my favourite artists of all time: Mark Ryden. I'm sure some of you already know about this American painter, since his work is pretty famous all over the world, even if the portraits he creates are full of spooky and macabre scenes. At first you may notice innocence and cuteness on his art, but just take a closer look at it and you will see macabre and disturbing things all over the painting.


I found about him for the first time by chance and it caused a big impression on me. On the painting, there was this little girl next to her bunny... but the bunny was cut in half and bleeding all over the floor. The expression on the little girl's face was so... apathetic and that made it even more impressive.



Since then, I started researching more and more about this painter and his art and I've became a fervent fan! The vast amount of details on each painting, all the feelings you get just by looking at them, the enormous imagination put into all of these portraits. I could literally spend the day enumerating the reasons why Mark Ryden is such a great artist for me.
 
Even if this art may seem like niche art, Ryden is quite famous, admired and respected, and lots of celebrities have openly declared their admiration for his art. Some of them have even worked with him, like, for example, Michael Jackson, who hired Ryden to design one of his CD jackets.


Michael Jackson was not the only one; people as Ringo Starr, Oingo Boingo, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Butthole Surfers or Jack Off Jill have worked with Ryden too. There's many other people who fervently admire and buy Ryden's paintings; just to name a few... Robert De Niro, Björk, Bridget Fonda, Christina Ricci and Leonardo DiCaprio.
 
I think I've already said enough, but if you're still interested in knowing more about this man's work, just visit: http://www.markryden.com/

Friday 22 October 2010

Fashion: Boom! Boom! Baby!

I recently purchased a corset made from horror-themed fabric from UK based bespoke corsetry and costume brand, Boom! Boom! Baby!. The brand have made beautiful creations for numerous clients, including burlesque performers Anna Fur Laxis and Frankii Wilde, and comissions from the BBC. Their work has also been featured in magazines such as Devolution and Creepy Queen.

The ones that particularly caught my eye were their bandage/mummy-themed corsets and outfits (pictured below) and I really was amazed by how low the prices are, considering the quality and uniqueness of what they offer.



I'll probably write more about this brand when my own is finished, but until then, you can view more of their work, contact them or even buy something yourself at the following websites:

Boom! Boom! Baby! Boutique
Etsy Store
BBB Blog

For more images of the gorgeous mummy-themed creations...

Wednesday 20 October 2010

Halloween: The Candy Spooky Theater x SaTaN

Two of my favourite Tokyo horror bands, The Candy Spooky Theater and SaTaN are playing a show together on Halloween! 'Tokyo Horror Fes. Vol. 2' is the follow up to Vol. 1, which was last year in February. The first event, featuring the same two artists, was amazingly fun and both bands were wonderful live, had spooky stageshows and the crowd were very energetic too. Sadly, I won't be in Japan on October 31st, but I definitely recommend going to see this event if you can!

HALLOWEEN 2MAN SHOW !!!!!!
The CANDY SPOOKY THEATER × SaTaN
PRESENTS
TOKYO HORROR FES. VOL. 2
『 HAUNTED HALLOWEEN 』

Venue: 目黒鹿鳴館 (Meguro Rock May Kan)
Price: 2,800yen (in advance) or 3,300yen (on the day)
         +500yen drink charge (seperately)

You can reserve tickets with the bands or contact the venue for more information.
All the websites linked in this entry are in Japanese, so if you need any help, leave a comment and I'll try to answer your question.

Tuesday 19 October 2010

Haunted Houses: Cortijo Jurado



Hey there little monsters!
My name's Erinia and I'm new here~ hope you find my posts interesting or at least, entertaining!

Today I'm going to write about the most famous haunted house in my town (Málaga, Spain). It's called "Cortijo Jurado" and the legends about it started around 1850. Mysterious figures walking around, lights in rooms that appear and disappear, objects moving for apparently no reason, strange noises...Many stories surround this creepy house, in which terrible crimes and tortures were supossed to have happened a long time ago.

This house belonged to one of the richest, most famous families in the city, and because of that and their big influence, even now, lots of stuff has been covered, and even corridors in the house and rooms have been locked. Even so, lots of people and experts from all over the world have come to investigate and many curious people have gone through what they call "supernatural experiences" there.

Mainly, the legends about this house are about terrible tortures and murders of little girls through some "satanic rituals" and very cruel and bloody methods. At the time the house was inhabited by this very rich family, lots of young girls disappeared and some neighbours talked about screams and strange noises at night.

Probably, nowadays, the most famous story is that of a group of 5 young people who entered the house and conducted a ouija board session there. According to this story, they contacted a little girl called "Elena" -so were the letters indicated on the ouija table. The girl was said to be 12 years old and she had been murdered there. The next words who followed "murder" were "lots of pain" "kidnap" and when the young people there asked if she was alone and where she was buried, she replied "not alone" "girls" "patio" "4(metres)". The story goes on with the young people running away totally scared and, on the way, witnessing a light that was pointing to a place on the patio.

In addition to that, in my personal experience, some friends of mine went into the house a few years ago, knowing very little about it, and they all said that they had heard an inner voice telling them to "come". The one who waited in the car asked them where the torch was when they came back. Then one of them replied that they had left it in the car. Indeed, they hadn't taken it, but the guy in the car saw a light moving on the second floor, where they were at that very time.

Scary, isn't it? I know lots of stories about this house and frankly, they're all quite spooky!
Here you have some of the most famous pictures of the house. I can't verify their authenticity but well, you can see a strange figure on a couple of them and a weird glow on another picture, and just adding a bigger and clearer shot of the house so you can see it better.

Maybe one day I will dare to go inside and tell my own story but until then, that's all!

Monday 18 October 2010

Photography: Andreas Waldschuetz

An image from 'VAMPARA', featuring the fashion of Ara Jo
The subject of this post is Andreas Waldschuetz - a talented fashion and art photographer/filmaker from Vienna, Austria. As well as woking in Vienna, Waldschuetz has also traveled a great deal, which often is reflected in his photographs, and he has carried out projects in video and photography in various places around the world including: the US, UK, France, Germany and South Africa.

Not all of Waldschuetz's work is dark and spooky and the fact that it doesn't not adhere to one specific theme makes it more interesting.  However, he does create some beautifully macabre and strange images and I'm going to post some for you to enjoy here.
A photograph from 'Cooky Spooky Sherwood Lodge'
If you don't like portrait or fashion photography or heavily edited art images, his productions may not be for you. However, personally I find them to be well-planned, skillfully shot and very creative, and the stories behind each collection of visuals are also intruiging.

To view more of his work and stay up to date with his activities, you can visit the following websites:

All photographs are copyright Andreas Waldschuetz.
Please do not repost without permission.
More photos after the jump:

Sunday 17 October 2010

Games: Sims 3 Late Night

A group of vampires hunting

Just in time for Halloween, The Sims 3 team will release the 'Late Night' expansion pack on October 26th and, as with 'The Sims 2 Nightlife' pack, there will be vampires! In a recent blog, one of the producers wrote:
"Let’s get a few things clear – Vampires in The Sims 3 Late Night do not twinkle, sparkle, or cry. Vampire men look like men and vampire women, well, they’re clearly girls. When in daylight they smolder with fire and are in deep trouble as they should be. They aren’t “beautiful” in the eyes of silly, adolescent girls.

Phew. I feel better now.

We designed vampires to be awesome, cunning, and incredibly powerful. We want vampires to provide an entirely new way to play as a Sim and to tell a compelling story of the night. We also wanted them to be, ahem, night and day different from the vampires of The Sims 2 Nightlife. Those vampires seemed like they belonged in a 1920s horror movie. The Sims 3 Late Night vampires bring the allure of the night into the 21st century."
A vampire feeding
Well, I'm glad they're not sparkly, but I rather like 1920s vampires actually! Anyway, these children of the night seem quite interesting and they have been given lots abilities that other Sims don't have, such as:
  • Learning skills twice as quickly as other Sims
  • Being stronger, smater and more creative
  • Running extremely quickly
  • Hunting
  • Mind-reading
  • Forcing Sims to think of them (builds relationships faster)
Those skills will definitely enhance gameplay and make the scenarios quite different for those that have been "turned". They can also steal plasma packs from the hospital or, if they're a vegetarian, can grow Plasma Fruit on which to feed. Before you get annoyed at the thought of vegetarian vampires, just remember Count Duckula!

You can keep up to date with the Sim undead and other Sims 3 developments by subscribing to their news feed or visiting the official Sims 3 website.

Saturday 16 October 2010

Documentary: A History of Horror with Mark Gatiss

Mark Gatiss in front of a statue of Boris Karloff as The Monster
Best known for his roles in the dark comedy series 'The League of Gentlemen', English actor, producer and writer Mark Gatiss is host to the 3 part documentary series 'A History of Horror with Mark Gatiss', which is currently being shown on BBC Four (UK).

The series consists of:
  1. Mon 11th Oct - Frankenstein Goes to Hollywood - 1920 - 1950 Hollywood horror, including sections on Lon Chaney, Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff
  2. Mon 18th Oct - Home Counties Horror - 1950's & 1960's, the influence of British horror and the resurge of interest in the genre, including sections on Hammer, Roger Corman and Mario Bava's 'Black Sunday'
  3. Mon 25th Oct - More information soon
The cast of 'Freaks' (1932)
With clips in abundance, numerous interviews and a look at some wonderful sets and memorabilia, episode one was great for me, because I adore classic horror! The programme chronologically, but entertainingly, covered the world of horror in Hollywood in the first half of the 20th century. Gatiss largely focuses on Universal and RKO and their actors/directors/producers, but as those were the two main horror movie producing studios of the time, there's more than enough material covered. Unfortunately, films such as 'The Wolfman' are only mentioned briefly, and the influence of German Expressionism seems to be altogether ignored, but within the constraints of an hour time slot, I suppose something had to be omitted.

Lon Chaney as The Phantom
Also, although Gatiss' personal take on the films and events surrounding them, as well as his own memories, are strongly evident throughout, this gives the program a unique quality and it is still well-researched and informative in nature. Besides, even when his personal opinions enter into his dialogue, it's quite nice to hear someone being so enthusiastic about and in awe of horror! However, 'A History of Horror' is not simply an hour of fan babble, as Gatiss and those he interviews also critique and acknowledge the flaws of the material covered.

Overall, part one was interesting, insightful, and enjoyable and I cannot wait to see the next two episodes! To watch the first part on BBC iPlayer and read an interview with Gatiss about the show, visit the BBC Four website.

For those of you in the UK, BBC Four are also showing a horror film after each episode, in addition to showing various scary movies recently. 'The Bride of Frankenstein', 'Cat People', 'I Walked with a Zombie' and 'Brides of Dracula' have been/will be shown, as well as 'Gods and Monsters', the fictional biopic of director James Whale. 

Friday 15 October 2010

Games: Left 4 Dead - The Sacrifice

It's also a joint funeral with 3 others if you fail...

This has been a bit delayed due to some outside factors (zombies!), but here we go...my first game review!

Well almost. On October 5th, 2 extra campaigns were added for Left 4 Dead. You can see the original article for the release here.

Review after the jump!

Thursday 14 October 2010

Food and Drink: Halloween Gingerbread House

A few days ago I told you about Dylan's Candy Bar's gingerbread playhouse and Dr. Oetker's Bat Cookie Kit. Well, much to my surprise yesterday, Dr. Oetker yet again provided a fun, sweet treat! The Christmas Halloween Gingerbread House Kit! Admittedly, it is supposed to be Christmas themed, but with a few adjustments it can easily have a Halloween or horror theme and it's nowhere near the price (or size) of the Dylan's Candy Bar version. 

The kit includes:
  • Gingerbread shapes (for main house)
  • Jelly diamonds
  • Mini marshmallows
  • Chocolate beans
  • Designer icing (white)
You'll need a knife to cut out the door too, and I chose to customise mine with Halloween candy, toys and black icing as well.


↑The Halloween gingerbread house that I made↑


Extras (not included in kit):
  • Black icing (from Bat Cookie Kit)
  • Finger pupper monsters
  • Ghost & witch chocolates
  • Skulls & Bones candy
  • Rainbow drops
Everything but the black icing was from Handy Candy.



More pictures and instructions on how to make the Halloween house after the jump below! (Just like the bat cookies, it's really simple!)

Tuesday 12 October 2010

Events: NYC Village Halloween Parade

"The organizers of the Village Parade are calling out to all horror fans, current and former residents of the New York City area, and all lovers of everything Halloween to reach deep down into their pockets and donate as little as one dollar to support one of the greatest Halloween traditions in the USA. Donations pay for everything from the fantastic puppets and entertainment in the parade itself to security for those marching and the happy people watching on the sidelines, the coordination of this massive gathering, and even the clean-up after the crowds are gone. It all costs buckets of cash so if you want to help keep the spirit of Halloween alive in New York City, pitch in a buck and tell everyone you know to spread the word. Your support means everything!
Now in its 37th year, this true folk art event features 60,000 people in costumes of their own creation, dozens of bands playing music from all over the world reflecting the ethnic traditions of NYC, performance troupes, floats, and its own style of Giant Puppets created just for the parade. It draws a happy, costumed audience of over 2 million spectators that occasioned the New York Times to call the Parade “the best entertainment the people of this city give to the people of this city.”  
Things kick off at 7 pm on Sunday, October 31st. Lineup is on 6th Avenue south of Spring and north of Canal. The Parade goes from Spring Street to 16th Street on 6th Avenue. It will be televised live on NY1 TV and WPIX Channel 11."

Via Dread Central

Animation: Classic Trick and Treating

With Halloween fast approaching, I wanted to share three  video clips that represent a older, more classic view of the mischievous holiday.
Let's start with a classic Disney video from the 20's.



This clip is tremendously charming, holding quite a bit of black humor. The children's classic cartoon company really went all out creative to represent "Comical death."



A very amusing clip, also from Disney. The music and lyrics are probably the best thing on the clip; very childish indeed, but surely any halloween-loving adult may enjoy!



Lastly, a short clip titled Season Greetings by Mike Dougherty. Sam goes out trick or treating, and the essence of the holiday, and it's traditions, are represented in Sam, a little "boy" who loves the holiday.

Monday 11 October 2010

Museums and Galleries: Museum of Witchcraft, Boscastle

Last week, Luciel and I had the opportunity to travel to Boscastle in Cornwall and to visit the Museum of Witchcraft, which is home to the largest collection of witchcraft-related items in the world! The museum was originally founded on the Isle of Man in 1951 by renound occult expert Cecil Williamson and, after a few relocations, eventually moved to Boscastle in 1961.

The building itself is on two floors and is packed with all kinds of fascinating witchcraft and ritual magic paraphernalia. In addition to items that were used in real witchcraft, there's also advertising featuring witches from various decades, toys, decorations, artwork, photographs, models, a small section on Satanism (nothing to do with witchcraft, but included because of the general misconceptions linking the two) and more. Each piece on display is accompanied by a description and the staff are also very friendly and willing to answer any questions (within reason) that you may have.

As well as the items on display to the public, the museum also has a vast collection of books on the occult, which scholars and those with appropriate qualifications or reasons may be allowed access to if arranged with the museum owners in advance. However, even without being able to view these books, the museum collection is still massive.

The entry fee is only £3 for adults, and the village of Boscastle also has many interesting shops/galleries and beautiful scenery. The ruins at Tintagel, which is said to be the birthplace of King Arthur, are also only 2-3 miles away and so the museum and the surrounding area are well worth visiting!


Contact and Visitor Information


The Museum of Witchcraft is located by The Harbour in Boscastle, Cornwall. Boscastle is on the North coast of Cornwall between Tintagel and Bude (Multimap link).

Open:
•Easter Halloween (April - end October)
•Monday to Saturday 10.30am till 6pm (last admission 5.30)
•Sunday 11.30am till 6pm (last admission 5.30)

The full address is:
The Museum of Witchcraft
The Harbour
Boscastle
Cornwall
PL35 0HD


To contact the Museum:
Telephone: 01840 250111 (within UK)
Telephone: +44 1840 250111 (international)
Email: museumwitchcraft@AOL.com

Website: http://www.museumofwitchcraft.com/


Photographs by: Lilia Tombs
↓More images after the jump↓

Sunday 10 October 2010

Movies: UK Suspiria Screening

16th October 11.30pm start - DJ & Bar Open until 2am Tickets £7.00

"Cigarette Burns Cinema is continuing its partnership with Dalston’s Rio Cinema and together we are bringing you none other than one of the creepiest films ever made. Just how it needs to be seen, fully uncut, bold, disconcerting and LOUD – SUSPIRIA.
This tale of an innocent American ballet student who unwittingly unravels the terrifying secret of her new school is routinely cited as one of the all time scariest horror films and is solely responsible for cementing Dario Argento’s place in cinematic history. Suspiria is an undeniably visceral experience, assaulting, not only your eyes, but your ears as well.

We can’t thing of a better way to spend a cold, dark October night than to let Goblin’s super eerie soundtrack creep into your brain as Argento drenches the screen with his dreamlike technicolour palette.
Flashback Record’s very own Graham Murphy will be spinning Italian Doomy Prog and Kraut Rock to set the mood before and after the screening and the Rio Cinema has been kind enough to leave the bar open throughout the film and after, a brilliant night is guaranteed. All for a measly £7."

Via Horror-Movies.ca and Hackney Hive

Saturday 9 October 2010

Toys: Edible Gingerbread Playhouse

Dylan's Candy Bar, the world's largest candy store, have made a fairytale witch's dream come true, with this huge edible gingerbread playhouse. (Don't worry, there's no oven! You're safe!) For everyone else, if you just ignore the little Christmas trees and turn the snoman into a pumpkin man, and you've got yourself a fantastic Halloween playhouse!

"...This unique edible playhouse is handcrafted of 381 lbs. of gourmet gingerbread and 517 lbs. of royal icing by the expert confectioners at Dylan's Candy Bar®. The munchable manor, which stands 6.6 feet high by 5.25 feet wide by 4.1 feet deep, incorporates the best confections from the world's largest candy store in New York City. With literally thousands of signature gourmet sweets from which to choose, it is both artfully designed and decadently delicious. It includes giant cookies, lollipops, gummies, mints, gumdrops, and (of course) a candy-encrusted roof. There's also a lollipop tree inside, just for good measure. CEO and self-proclaimed Candy Queen Dylan Lauren was inspired as a child when she watched the classic movie Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory..."

It looks pretty amazing, but comes with an equally amazing price tag of 15,000 dollars! But if you do happen to be a particularly rich witch, you can head over to Neiman Marcus and buy yourself one. Even if you're not willing to spend that kind of money on confectionary, it's still worth heading over to Dylan's Candy Bar for their Halloween candy and contest (open to US residents only) HERE!

Neiman Marcus link via Geekologie

Friday 8 October 2010

Food and Drink: Bat Cookies

I decided to try using a cookie mix instead of baking from scratch as I usually do and came across this! Dr. Oetker's 'Halloween Bat Cookie Kit' will make a spooky addition to any seasonal party food this year, or just a creepy and cute treat for any occasion! They're really simple to make, since all you have to do is combine the ready-prepared dry ingredients with some butter/spread, cut out the bat shapes (cutter included) and cook for 10 minutes! Simple!

They came out really well and I don't think anyone, no matter how young, would have any difficulties making these. So they're definitely a good choice for those of you with little monsters or just those of you with less time/baking experience.

If you want to add anything like chocolate chips, nuts or fruit, you will need to add a little more butter/spread and flour to ensure that you have enough dough to go over the extras. It may be better just to add those on top of each cookie instead though.


 
The kit includes:
  • Cookie mix
  • Bat cookie cutter
  • Black writing icing
Makes 6 cookies
(I managed to make 7 and probably could have done 8)

 

In addition to these kookie cookies, Dr. Oetker also make a Halloween Cupcake Kit and Halloween Apple Decorating Kit as well! I want to try them out some time.

More pictures and a cookie recipe (for anyone who can't find the kit but still wants to make Halloween cookies) after the jump↓

Thursday 7 October 2010

Scary Sounds: Halloween & Horror Music Part 2

Part 2: Horror Soundtracks 1

Ever since I was a child, it was always the sounds in horror that really set the eerie scene and sent chills down my spine. What is heard but not seen is always far more frightening, as it lets your imagination conjure up your worst nightmares long before you ever see them on the screen. So therefore, this entry is dedicated to the first 6 in the series of entries about excellent soundtracks!

In no particular order:
  • The Omen - Ave Satani (Jerry Goldsmith)
  • The Exorcist - Tubular Bells / Fantasia for Strings (Mike Oldfield / Hans Werner Henze)
  • Halloween (John Carpenter)
  • Suspiria Theme (Goblin)
  • Candyman Theme (Phillip Glass)
  • The House on Haunted Hill (1999 version) (Don Davis)
Videos after the jump↓

Tuesday 5 October 2010

Halloween: Jack-o'-Lanterns

In the previous entry, I talked about the book  'Great Pumpkins: Crafty Carving for Halloween', by Peter Cole (with Jessica Hurley). Well, this time, I'm going to show you some pumpkins that Madame Luciel and I carved, including one from that book! 'Witches' Brew' was one of the stencils included and is a spooky and fun design. We didn't use the stencil because Luciel carved it freehand and, even though in the instructions it says you need a lot of tools, we managed only using the pumpkin, knife, bowl, spoon, tea light and newspaper.

'Witches' Brew' stencil
'Witches' Brew' from 'Great Pumpkins'




















Some of our Jack-o'-lanterns are below:
Our version of 'Witches' Brew'

Our version of 'Witches' Brew', lit up

Some more of our jack-o'-lanterns (original designs)
For instructions on how to make 'Witches' Brew', click the jump below:

Monday 4 October 2010

Books: Great Pumpkins - Crafty Carving for Halloween

A few years ago, a friend of mine gave me 'Great Pumpkins: Crafty Carving for Halloween', by Peter Cole (with Jessica Hurley). It's a very useful and fun 80-page instructional book that takes you through getting creative with your ghoulish gourds!

25 amazing Jack-o'-lantern ideas are featured and each one has a stunning photograph by Kate Kunath, description, "you will need" list and guide on how to make it. Also, stencils for some of the designs featured are included and all of the pages are made from thick, glossy paper, which enables you to have the book next to you whilst you carve. Handy!

For photos of some of the fantastic creations, click the jump below↓



Friday 1 October 2010

Music: The Candy Spooky Theater - SPOOKYWONDERLAND

I know I promised horror soundtracks for the next music entry, but, since one of my favourite bands just released their new album, obviously I need to write about that instead. :P Tokyo horror rock band, The Candy Spooky Theater, have just released 'SPOOKYWONDERLAND'! 



"Summary: After years of waiting, The Candy Spooky Theater have finally released their first official full length album! Containing a mixture of new songs and Candy Spooky classics, the album is a must have for fans of the band, and people wanting to liven-up and fully grasp the Halloween season!"

[SPOOKYWONDERLAND] on sale Oct. 1st, 2010
Distribution: Tainted Reality
Disk number: TRCS-004
Limited: 20copies
Price: 30.00USD

Tracklist:
01. SPOOKYWONDERLAND PARADE -Introduction-
02. PRINCE OF DARKNESS
03. The LIVING DEAD
04. SPOOKYWONDERLAND PARADE -CABARETTA-
05. La Dance Macabre
06. SPOOKYWONDERLAND PARADE -SPOOKY HALLOWEEN-
07. THIS IS HALLOWEEEN(Danny Elfman cover)
08. SPOOKYWONDERLAND PARADE -Kill You!-
09. Alice
10. SPOOK HOUSE
11. SPOOKYWONDERLAND PARADE -Finale-
12. TRICK or TREAT -End Credits-
13. Let's Meet With Chocolate And Candy


If you're outside of Japan you can buy the album from Tainted Reality's web store but copies are limited to 20 (13 left) or, if you live in Japan you can purchase it from one of the following stores: GURUGURU (also ships overseas), little HEARTS, RISKY DRUG STORE, Like An Edison, 自主盤倶楽部 (Meguro Rock May Kan) and ZEAL LINK.

This is technically the band's second album, but since the first was a collection of previously released singles, I suppose it doesn't count. Anyway, I had high expectations for this album, and honestly, I was not disappointed. The new songs are wonderful and all in English and the reworkings of the 3 previously released tracks are great too. Full review after the jump ↓
 
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...