Happy Halloween

Halloween 1987:  Spook House

With the sounds of an 80's Hallmark Halloween cassette blaring from the base of a glowing corn stalk, we took the below photos late last night (we had to wait hours for a lingering storm to pass).  The SPOOK HOUSE opened its doors in the breezy cool air with witches, a scarecrow, a pumpkin ghost, and the dark funeral of our dear Morris Moundshroud.  

When Jenna suggested we do a throwback Haunt to the 80's this year, it felt kind of meta for me, and exciting.  I typically try to create a little world out there on the lawn and porch.  My goal is to transform it to where you almost don't see the porch ceiling, the windows, the door...or the house.  As those things feel like a distraction.  But this was an opportunity to say "Yeah, this is a Home Haunt.  This is what we would have built in 1987 if we were adults back then."  And we would absolutely positively have to use that old Hallmark soundscape.  

I couldn't be more thrilled with the end result, and for the suggestion to go back in time.  It was pure magic out there last night.  Old School magic.

Here are some of our photos...

Haunt Teaser

A little Haunt teaser for tomorrow's Halloween display...  Two-sided "tracts" getting dropped into each trick-or-treater's bag as I plop in their candy.  

What could possibly go wrong?

Halloween 1987:  Spook House

It's Almost Time...

Going to be taking Petrified Jack down soon so the Haunt can go up.  I love that this guy has been around since 2014.  I've used him most years since then to let the neighborhood know the Haunt will be coming.

He always looks startled that he won't be part of the big show...

The Devil And Deacon Giles

During our recent trip to Salem, we decided to visit a small speakeasy with a peculiar name, and a neat backstory...

There was a light mist in the air as we approached a small quiet storefront on a dark side street.  The red bulb told us we were in the right place.

Inside, there was a decent-sized crowd and fun music playing.  It was decorated for the season with a row of real corn stalks lining the interior of the bar.  There were two seats at the end of the bar and we grabbed them.  

The cocktail menu was impressive, and I hate that we don't live closer to this town.  We went with:

HOW DO YOU LIKE THEM APPLES?

Chai Rum | Brooksby Farm Cider | Pumpkin Syrup | Falernum **served frozen

and

HOUSE NEGRONI

Juniper Point Dry Gin | Amaro Diacono | Falernum | Orange Bitters

and then split a

CLOVEN CLUB

Dry Gin | Raspberry | Lemon | Beet | Aquafaba | Matcha

They were perfect cocktails and it happened to be, oddly enough, donut night, so we shared a delicious one called The Pumpkin King, all done up for the High Holiday.  The atmosphere and mood in that little speakeasy made it feel like Halloween was mere hours away.  

We walked to the car in the misty rain late at night proclaiming "We have to move to Salem!" 

Click here for their site.

Mark Your Calendars

Revenant Manor Teaser

Wonderful video below giving us a glimpse of what appears to be an epic year for the Manor.

Remembering THE MASK

You might remember an old blog post where I talked about my first Michael Myers mask.

I recently found it in a box of old masks I had accumulated over the years.  I was really surprised to see it as I had assumed it melted away at my parents' house in some abandoned Halloween box.  But there it was, battle scars and all, staring up at me, with the darkest eyes... the Devil's eyes.

I had forgotten that I had painted the lips a weird brown color.  I was trying to achieve that amazing shadowy look from the HALLOWEEN IV movie poster, where the mask has never looked better.  It's such amazing film poster art.  Meanwhile, I essentially gave Michael Myers some lipstick (it looked great in the dark though!).

Nothing but the best memories of being in that mask and overalls with faux bullet holes, sitting on my parents' cold cement steps in the shadows on Halloween night.  Sitting on the steps, staring at a street; not seeing the street, looking past the street; looking at this night, inhumanly patient, waiting for some secret, silent alarm to trigger me off... to hand out candy.

Behold Don Post Studios' THE MASK.

And here's the HALLOWEEN IV poster that led to those horrid dark lips.

Some Autumn Music

Falling Leaves, by Glenn Miller.

The trees in these parts are finally glowing yellow, orange, and red.  We drove around last night finding curb leaf piles for the Haunt since the trees around here are holding on to them for the time being.  I often wonder what a homeowner thinks when they see a stranger raking their leaves or "stealing" their curb leaf pile.  I'm pretty sure this would cause me some anxiety.  No one has ever questioned me though, so I'll never get to use my planned reply "Don't worry, I will return them after Halloween."

Click below...

Now Playing: Distant Reminder

By Myuu.

Click below...

Fertilizer

He ignored the local legends and planted his corn too close to the old cemetery. Too damn close.

Now Playing: Downbound Train

By Chuck Berry.

Click below (Haunted Overload)...

SRA

The Satanic panic is a moral panic consisting of over 12,000 unsubstantiated cases of Satanic ritual abuse (SRA, sometimes known as ritual abuse, ritualistic abuse, organized abuse, or sadistic ritual abuse) starting in the United States in the 1980s, spreading throughout many parts of the world by the late 1990s, and persisting today. 

Thanks, Patrick!

Halloween Pizza

When a favorite pizza joint decorates like they're on a sitcom's Halloween special.