Sunday, October 30, 2011

Happy Halloween

October 31, 2011 Super excited to reveal this year's Halloween project: SWAMP FOETUS. Something I've wanted to do for a really long time - make a movie. So instead of a yard haunt theme, Swamp Foetus refers to a short film we have made over the last 9 months.  The movie's score is a fantastic original piece by my friend Jon Glassett. I'm floored that he did this for me. It is truly stunning. And I'm way beyond grateful. In addition to the film, I'll be posting a SWAMP FOETUS image gallery in the days ahead, as well as photos from our yard haunt tonight, a modest and traditional affair, unrelated to the Swamp Foetus theme. So click below to watch the film (or download and save it). Or click HERE to watch it on Youtube...though I'd recommend viewing it first by clicking above. 

74 comments:

Anonymous said...

Such a TREAT! Beautiful shots and lovely props. Thank you, thank you, and HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

~R

Rot said...

Thanks, man.
So glad you dug it.

Halloween Queen said...

I loved it :) Everything looked awesome!!! Great job :) HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

Jeff said...

Well worth the wait! Very, very nice. Sundance look out!

Happy HALLOWEEN!

Kyle said...

Fantastic! Purely and perfectly Hallowe'en.

Marrow said...

Rot,
I've just finished my display, and have been taking pictures and handing out candy for the past few hours. I'm exhausted.

I found this post, and with unbearable exitement, watched SWAMP FOETUS, and checked out your new tinies.

...Words cannot express the incredible spooky beauty of SWAMP FOETUS. The most amazing thing I have ever seen. Superb. You are a true artist. A true legend.

I'll get back from school tomorrow and re-watch it over and over again, study the gorgeous new tinies, and then begin writing up a HUGE comment on this.
You've been warned ;)

But now, I need to sleep. I'm too tired for anything else. Thank you so much for the most amazing Halloween treat ever,
Marrow

Rot said...

Thanks, all.

And Wow. Thanks, Marrow.

Amy said...

Very cool. The long field shots were my favorite!

Great work guys...looking forward to seeing the haunt pics from the new place.

GhostTown said...

Happy Halloween!

Shani said...

Amazing!!! Absolutely amazing Pumpkinrot! Cudos to you and Bean for a job well done. I can imagine that you two had a blast doing it. =) Just a perfect combination of gorgeous props and beautifully creepy music. I love it!!! And now I can forgive you for not putting up a scarecrow at Peddlers Village LOL! I kid I kid...although it really wasn't the same. ;-)

crudedoodle.com said...

This is pretty amazing. So much fun to see a Halloween witch carrying a pumpkin across a field with Johnny Appleseed in it! Can't wait to see the pics of her "babies"!
Great score, too!

Wren said...

Such a wonderful Halloween treat :) Wishing you and bean a very happy halloween!

JD said...

So that's how you make your props...

crudedoodle.com said...

love the new tinies. the drowned girl is creepy and wonderful!

Anonymous said...

That was amazing and just wonderful! After all I have gone through these past couple of days, that gave me the Halloween boost I needed. You,Bean, and Jon did an excellent job.

Can't wait to see more....

Anonymous said...

Cool and creepy as always! Love the black goo squirting from the mouth. High tech!

NecroBones said...

Wow, that's really awesome dude! Good job. Totally creepy. I loved it.

Anonymous said...

Hey Rot,

Big Fan of yours. Brilliant work with that video. That was truly a Halloween treat. You are the King of Halloween good sir. I am looking forward to your yard haunt pics.

Happy Halloween,
Rob

ScottT said...

FANTASTIC!!! Love the utterly creepy image of the witch walking in the background with the scarecrow in the foreground. What did you use to shoot it? Digital SLR?

Rot said...

Thanks!

I shot the entire film using the video feature on a four year old digital camera.

Very low tech

Heather said...

LOVE!!! Love the witch walking back at dusk shot! The cemetery shots were awesome! Well done Rot and Bean!!! Thanks for sharing and Happy Halloween!!! :D

Wikkedmoon said...

Wow, what a huge treat to start of my Halloween day. Your (yours and Bean's) dedication to your art and craft is truly genius. Great score as well. I'm really at a loss for words.

I hope the weather is cooperating.

Happy Halloween.

Her Strange Kind said...

Wow, I really enjoyed that, especially the long shots and when the little larval creature wiggles its way into the corpse! *shudder* Amazing work!

Ghoul Next Door said...

Spooktacular! I really loved the scene in the mausoleum; seeing your creations in motion is so eerie and wonderful!

Really happy when I saw today's forecast too, hope the weather is just as perfect for you guys. Happy Haunting!

Sara said...

I really enjoyed the film! Fantastic, and *incredibly* creepy. Your witches are THE BEST and it felt SO WEIRD to be watching her move, like I wasn't supposed to be seeing it, lol. LOVED the score. LOVED the Tinies, so fun!
I can't say anything new from what everybody else has said, but you guys are so awesome and talented. You are making Halloween a fresh and fun holiday every day .
I am still eagerly looking forward to your yard haunt, be it modest or not.
HAPPY HALLOWEEN to you and Bean!!!

Mr Black said...

That was wonderful. The highlight of my Halloween day.

Anonymous said...

Haunting, Beautiful, Amazing. Thank you for a great beginning to this Halloween!

Jesse said...

Very creepy and totally cool! Great job Rot!

Rowan said...

You are my hero! I been a fan for 4 years. Keep up the fantastic work!

HauntDaddy said...

That is one of the greatest short stories put to film I have ever seen. The talent and skill you poses are amazing!!! Happy Halloween

James Colton said...

You really should make more of these. It was very well done and beautifully eerie. Happy Halloween!

wicKED said...

Your most amazing achievements yet, and that is saying something! Well done! Thanks for the treat!

Happy Halloween to you and Bean!

Autumnleaf said...

Thankyou. THANKyou, Rot and Bean for such a treat. I think my favorite shot is the pull-back at the end to show all the swamp babies.

Happy Halloween...may it be a perfect day for you!!

Eric Lowther said...

This is awesome, I love it!

Happy Halloween, I'm off to the haunt for the grand finally. Have a good one tonight!

Eric

Rob B said...

Amazing... A new genre of haunting is born. ..I am really in awe of the beauty.

Happy H,
Rob

Arcane said...

Amazing! Rot and Bean you did a marvelous job. The story, scenery, props and music all blended together beautifully. And gosh that witch is creepy. I'll be watching this again and again. Were these new shooting locations or ones you have used before?

Christine said...

I love your blog and I am loving Swamp Foetus! You are truly talented...keep up the great work!
*Have A Wickedly Good Halloween*

Adam Hazlett said...

Totally stunning and beautiful. You are a master. Have a Very Happy Halloween

Goneferalinidaho said...

That was the first thing I did today, watch your video, that is. That was really cool. You guys did a terrific job. Happy Halloween!

Faith said...

Awesome Rot!!! What a great Hallowe'en treat!

Happy Hallowe'en to you and Bean!

Sam Kadi said...

Im going to wait to watch this tonight when it is not so bright and cheery outside, hope everyone has a great night. Thanks in advance Rot.

Ghastly said...

Very creepy and beautiful . . .

Thank you Rot and Bean for bringing Halloween to yet another level this year.

Happy Halloween to all!!!

Jay

Mantan Calaveras said...

Happy Hallowe'en

Frankenrock said...

Fanfriggintastic Rot. That witch looks killer.

Happy Halloween man!

Rot said...

Thanks so much, everyone.

We just got done setting up the display and we're really excited....

I really appreciate the comments...SO glad you guys dig the movie.

Scared said...

Nothing better than a creepy witch! Love those long shots of the witch walking. Classic! Happy Halloween!

All Together Dead said...

Happy Halloween to you both, I haven't seen the video yet, but just couldn't hold my excitement... Bretchen has been my favorite since you introduced the series, but I think Furn and Grickle are sneaking up on my adore list....

40kaddict said...

Happy Hallowe'en Rot, just to let you know I took inspiration from one of Bean's etsy pumpkins:

http://img2.etsystatic.com/il_570xN.279015918.jpg

and created this:
http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/385473_10150383792388497_669903496_8261904_1876106711_n.jpg

All the best

All Together Dead said...

ok so now I have watched the video as well, BRILLIANT and the score was a perfect choice... perfection.

SaraB! said...

This was so wonderful, really cheered me up on a Halloween that has being going not-so-well. (Greedy trick-or-treaters plus real life stuff.) Fantastic job, Rot and Bean. You truly are both masters of Halloween spookiness.

Leelahel said...

I think my eyes just turned into heart shapes. This is LOVELY!

You did a GREAT JOB!!!

Jason-v said...

Wonderful!!! Happy halloween all!!!

Brian said...

Fantastic film Rot! You had me at burrowing pumpkin creature! ;)

Grim said...

Happy Halloween, Rot and Bean... I hope you guys had a good one. Great work on everything. Sooooo awesome!

K.O. said...

OMG OMG OMG OMG!
What an amazing treat! You all did such a great job! The special effects with the corpse totally floored me. I also loved the witch's face, the first cavelike set with the candles, the purplish-red sunset wide shot, and the tombstones. SO many memorable images in this short film. And the music fit perfectly! Wow. I mean, damn--you guys really made something special. I always thought your props would be great on film, and boy was I right!
I also LOVE the additions to the Tinies. Elsa is incredible!
HaPpY HaLlOwEeN!!!!!!

Marrow said...

Part 1

I've had a whole day or so to think about how to word this comment.

SWAMP FOETUS is amazing.
I never dreamed that you would end up making a short film - this is incredible.

Prepare for a LONG comment.
I couldn’t help but gush like the mad fanboy that I am.

Chronological evaluation of SWAMP FOETUS:

The wall of candles is amazing! I love all the dripping wax! The wall seems to be made entirely out of tissue mache - dang!

The witch comes into view with her creepy skeletal face and black eyes - she looks stunning!
Love the shot of her running her long black fingers over the pumpkin, and then lifting off the lid with all the dangly guts attached. The table is also a very rot-esque tissue mache design - fantastic!

The little pumpkin foetus seems almost cute in its first stages of growth – that doesn’t last long ;) Very cool to see Bean’s work in a non-Etsy prop of yours.

All the long shots of her journey are great! So cool that Johnny Appleseed made a guest appearance. The witch’s long black cloak looks amazingly spooky blowing in the wind.
The woods she ventures into remind me a lot of the woods in ‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’ – the ones that Jack wanders into one late Halloween night. Those rolling hills and tall colourless trees. It looks so very cool and creepy!

I really like the subtle transition between spooky forest and spooky graveyard. Seeing the statues, I couldn’t help but be reminded of the terrifying ‘Weeping Angels’ from Doctor Who (if you haven’t heard of them, look it up on YouTube. Nightmare-inducing stuff).

My already unbearable excitement rocketed when she stopped in front of the old, gothic mausoleum. The shot of the doors opening is my favourite shot in the whole thing - the ancient cobwebbed doors pulling apart and letting in rays of white light looks amazing!!! When light then fell on the desiccated corpse in the coffin I nearly died of awesome.

She plucks the pumpkin foetus out of its orange home, and it tilts up its tiny head and raises its tiny arms like a baby taken out of the womb months early.

The special effects in the next sequence are so insanely cool. The pumpkin foetus wriggling and squirming into the ribcage of a rotten corpse is spine-tingling. The black ichor splurting from the corpse’s open mouth looks amazing. But the best part comes when the foetus grows inside the corpse’s torso. The decayed skin on its belly splitting and pulsing, the black mush that was its internal organs showing between the cracks.

I was amazed when the pumpkin child emerged from the corpse, shakily trying to stand and then raising its head towards its mother. Its movements look so real and natural! No idea how you managed that.

Marrow said...

Part 2

Another favourite shot of mine is the witch crossing the field at dusk. I really loved the change in music as she journeyed through the swamp, but I’ll talk more about Jon’s amazing score later.

The strange tree-like growth that she placed her baby on looks super-cool and very organic. It reminds me a little of a ribcage. Of course, the very best part of the film was the slow zoom out showing all the other pumpkin/skeleton creatures in their various stages of growth.

*End of chronological evaluation. Not end of comment!*

The props in the film were all stunning. I loved the witch costume, especially the tall crooked hat.
The pumpkin foetus was amazing, and very cool to see grow throughout the film. It’s elongated head reminds me of Pumpkinhead. It’s thin legs and arms made it seem both creepy and fragile, just as a baby should be (except for the creepy part!).
The mausoleum corpse looks great and so very real, it send shivers up my spine.
Finally, the swamp pumpkin and/or skeleton things are so cool and inventive – I LOVE their long noses and general absolutely-amazing-ness.
I am very curious as to how you did the effects, but I’m afraid it’d spoil that special movie magic.

The score by Jon Glassett is his very best work yet. The pounding drums, Carpenter-esque synths and strange sounds all add to the epic feel of SWAMP FOETUS. There are parts of the score that sound like trumpets, bells and violins. Listening with headphones gives the full amazing effect. It progresses flawlessly throughout the film, and changes to fit the feel of each scene. The score seems to grow like the foetus itself, and is a superb mix of Dark Ambient, John Carpenter and epic orchestral-ness. So many spooky sounds and synths – Jon did an incredible job.

The new Tinies are lovely and creepy.
Elsa scares the hell out of me. Really. I can’t look at that picture without feeling truly unsettled.
Furn is so very cool, I love your props that seem like animals. Grickle has a great old-school look about him, and the long list is like a twisted version of Santa’s good/bad list. I can imagine him ticking off each corpse with it’s own blood.
And Hesh is an almost charming figure, all dressed up in his best suit. VERY cool.

I am most eagerly awaiting your 2011 gallery. Cannot wait to get a good look at those props in the last shot of the movie.

Amazing work, Rot, Bean and Jon. SWAMP FOETUS is a film right up there with Trick ‘r Treat.

Your best work yet.

Just so incredible.

NoahFentz said...

Due to the early winter our town has been without power since Saturday. No power. No internet. No heat. First thng I did when we got our power back was to see what treat you left us. This video definitely warmed me up and lifted my Halloween Spirit...

Thank you.

Happy Halloween
Mr.Rot and Ms.Bean!!

Rot said...

Noah, that is just awful.
I can't believe how many people were without power...and for how long.

Marrow, thanks, man.
Really thrilled you dug it so much.
I appreciate the write-up.

I'll share some tales about filming...and more thoughts on Jon's amazing score in future blog posts.

Senõr Jalogüín said...

Love the film--it's a Hallowinner! The Tinies are great too. I'm sure you know Creature Feature, a band that makes dark but fun Nightmare Before Christmas-like music. One of my favorites is "A Gorey Demise", the perfect song to accompany your Tinies.

Ray said...

Brilliant! I'm pretty heavy into the Halloween thing as a career and you and Bean help keep me inspired throughout the year. Thanks for all your hard work and stunning visuals!

James Colton said...

I wanted to let you know that Swamp Foetus has been featured here:

http://noxrequiem.blogspot.com/2011/11/end-of-season.html

Again, great work, and thank you for your inspiration!

STOLLOWEEN said...

Very cool concept to make a film using your props...it was great...to create a film that tells a story without dialog is a tough feat which you pulled off beautifully. What a perfect treat. Thank you!

Kenneth Mark Hoover said...

Not bad. Some haunting images.

MorbidMariah said...

WOW. Just fantastic, Rot, Bean, and Jon! I have to say, my very favorite part was when the little larva/fetus thing wriggles into the corpse and then when the newborn emerges and looks up at mother. SPINE CHILLING and just freakin awesome. Your props are always magnificent, but your props MOVING...holy nightmare-come-to- life, Batman! BRAVO!

Mr. Chicken said...

Great work, Rot. I think this is your best film yet. The illusions are uncanny...the world needs more puppetry. That witch is alive! It's a hauntingly beautiful piece, as usual, but the fact that you matched the feeling of the images and movements to the look of your creatures (with a digital camera, no less!) is really something. Bravo. Can't wait to see the next one.

Sean said...

Your movie was incredible! I come to your blog at least once a day to see what you have posted or linked to. Definitely puts a sinister grin on my face.

The Undertaker: said...

Grotesque and mysterious and chilling and organic and...BEAUTIFUL! What a treat! Thank you!

Anonymous said...

Once again, you continue to amaze. You perfectly capture the mood and the atmosphere of Halloween. Please, please keep up the good work.

RebelShade said...

Been away from the computer, What a treat!!! It's great so see some of the back story come to life for your creations. Awesome!!!!

Ghostess said...

Very creepy, always a pleasure to see what you've been up to. The film is a visual treat for those of us who love your work.

Spider Rider said...

My artist co-worker watched over my shoulder and said "I'm going to have nightmares tonight". I love the wide shots of the witch crossing fields. There was such a dark beauty to your film, fantastic!

3rik said...

Amazing work all the way around!

Stephanie D said...

My gosh. How your mind works.