Ash Wednesday

That day they fasted and wore sackcloth; they sprinkled ashes on their heads and tore their clothes.

- 1 Maccabees 3:47

Now Watching: CHURCH

[Un]Holy

One of the very few photos I took with my lame old digital camera that didn't like the Haunt lighting...
Though I like how this one came out.

Basement KING During Construction

Giant Thurible

With absolute certainty, I used the word 'thurible' more than any other human did in 2018.  Searching for the right incense thuribles for the CHURCH Haunt was rather stressful.  I came across this massive thing in my online quests.

Not that I'm an expert on such matters, but I'm thinking Jesus would be rather concerned about how much something like this cost.

Click below to see this thing in action...

CHURCH: Behind The Scenes

The magic of cardboard and duct tape...and mache.
Didn't use a single screw or nail...not that I'm bragging about that, as I think that would have made my life a little easier during construction.

I built the votive stand around a cheap aluminum shelf.  I used cardboard and small strips of crappy wood from Lowes that they sell in bundles for dirt cheap.

Feast Of The Three Kings

Image by Theo.

Wings

A screenshot from the footage Theo shot on Halloween night showing the way the Angel's branch/twig wings looked up close...

KING II

Photo by Theo.

Magi

In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, "Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage."

Photo by Theo.

KINGS

Here's another neat one by Theo.

Angels Waiting

Photo by Theo.

Wings

If you look real hard and mentally filter out the cornstalks, you'll see them.  Not really sure how I could have made these more visible without painting them a lighter color (which would have been a mistake I think)...

CHURCH: The Video

Click below to watch our 2018 Haunt video.
Filmed and edited by Theo.  Just cannot thank him enough for the beautiful photos and video he shot this year. 

Music from the works of Raison D'Etre.

Enjoy!

The KINGS

Photo by Theo.

Daytime Services

Image by Theo.

Happy Halloween

Opening their treasure chests, they offered Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.   And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another path.

Matthew 2: 1-12


Pumpkinrot and House of Marrow present...
Halloween 2018: CHURCH

I look back over the last year and I remember the notion of a Haunt called CHURCH (must always be capitalized) forming in my brains.  And I knew my good friend Theo from New Zealand would approve, as he has quite the interest in religious imagery.  Here's an excerpt from the original email exchange back on December 5, 2017:

Me:  I mentioned before how my brain works...where it comes up with something and then whittles and changes down to something totally different...a portion of the original large idea.... but I did have a notion for next year's Haunt... the name alone is what would make me do it... ready? haha...

Halloween 2018: CHURCH

how funny is that?

Theo: oh you're NOT! I'm trying to go to sleep and you drop THIS? (really my fault for always emailing you at like midnight my time)

And there it was.  An idea planted.  And two minds working over the coming months on what such a Haunt should include.  I knew the centerpiece had to be some kind of Triad, but wasn't sure if it should be some sort of statue of wood and limbs or human remains from a nearby cemetery.  And I knew there had to be two sentinel Angels watching all who approached.  I also knew it had to be ambiguous.  No back story accompanying this Haunt.  No idea why an abandoned church in some overgrown dark woods would be glowing brightly from pumpkins, filthy votives, and prayer candles on Halloween night.  

And I knew it had to have real incense burning on charcoals.  

Though something was happening as Theo and I emailed our concepts back and forth - the Haunt was becoming a two-man job.  And I didn't realize it at the time.  One day he asked how I'd feel if he visited the States for Halloween, so he could enjoy an American Halloween and see the Haunt in person.  Oddly and out of character [for me], it just seemed natural and logical, so I said ABSOLUTELY YES.  And thank God I did.

Collaborating with Theo made our CHURCH the way you see it in the photos below.  Ideas became solidified.  Form and layout were defined.  Atmosphere and mood were set.  

It was three days of hard work assembling the display.  Extremely hard work (speaking for myself as Theo seemed to have a source of boundless energy).  I could feel my usual Haunting "short cuts" being tested and challenged.  I could feel myself being pushed in every way to make the Haunt bigger, better, more detailed, WAY more organic, and something quite different from all of my Haunts before it.  So many people commented in person and online that this was the best Haunt to date.   And I agree with them.  And it's due to this wonderful collaboration with Theo.

And a special thanks to Theo for his photography.  All digital photos and the video were shot by him.  

Also wanted to thank my friend K.O. for sending me a photo of prayer candles one day months ago.  Having them placed along the wooden fencing was a great finishing touch and added so much atmosphere as trick or treaters approached our church in the woods.  

A final thought...
Theo and I were engaged in some wonderful discussions with a visiting neighbor who was very impressed with this weird installation of ours.  She asked so many interesting questions about why and how we did what we did and wanted to know what CHURCH was all about.  As I articulated that for whatever reason it appeared that whomever or whatever decided to make religious iconography from human remains in an abandoned church in the woods , she asked "...but didn't YOU guys make this?  What do you mean by 'who' or 'what'?"  I answered, "We just don't know who did this...or why."  

Our CHURCH is mysterious.

As Theo put it at one point, "It's like some form of...   Dark Sacred Energy."

Click here for the video (filmed and edited by Theo).