Thursday, April 9, 2009
[2002] Year Without A Haunt
2002 was a year I opted out of doing my yard haunt. I think it was a transitional period of wanting to enjoy Halloween from the non-haunter's point of view. Maybe it was a subconscious way of me knowing that my haunt was going to grow in intensity the following year, and for all of my remaining Halloweens. Not really sure. I DO know that I needed the vacation and the Universe paid off in full - I ended up by chance walking through a borough of a colonial town. I was about to see how they spent their Halloween night. It was a sleepy little street of single homes and cobblestone sidewalks. I'd describe the experience as magical, and it might sound like I'm embellishing the event. Every single porch had at least one jack o'lantern blazing. The residents were giving out treats from their porches, sitting in chairs or on porch steps. Treats were impressive, bundled and homemade. Hot cider at one house from a lady dressed as a witch. Laughter was everywhere. Adults catching up with their neighbors while their children ran around unattended. Strings of orange lights in windows. Cornstalks on bannisters. The finest house had a small circular table out front - a woman dressed as a fortune-teller, hands hovering over a real crystal ball, handing out a tiny written fortune with each treat. And this is the finest part of the story - due to the incredible amount of jack o'lanterns smiling and frowning their finest stuff, the air on that perfect little street smelled of toasted pumpkin.
Almost seven years ago. It's been a warm thought each year as I hand out my own treats on Halloween night, knowing that those neat folks are doing their thing and making Halloween truly Halloween.
Image source.
Now Playing: ALIENS
The score for James Cameron's ALIENS is incredibly dark and sinister and some of these tracks would be perfect for a dark walk-through haunt, specifically Bad Dreams, Dark Discovery, Sub-Level 3, Complex and Queen. This powerhouse score by composer James Horner also contains some of the most exciting cues ever written for film (in my opinion).
Listen to samples here.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Fashionably Late
The Haunting of Ivy Hall's 2008 Halloween display photos.
Stunning and beautiful. So much Halloween in one place. Brilliant photography too.
The galleries.
Haunt Theory: Traditionalism
Was thinking about how traditional a haunt should be. Every Halloween morning, when I first start building the display, I spend a significant amount of time arranging cornstalks and pumpkins. I need my haunt to feel like Halloween before I even consider placing any groundbreakers, witches, or scarecrows. If the Traditional side of your haunt is covered, it'll enhance the entire display, regardless of the theme. Leaves, cornstalks, and jack 0'lanterns can make a haunt totally memorable in the absence of any homemade or store-bought props.
I joked last year that I wished someone would tell me that I wasn't allowed to use any props at all in my display - just natural elements. That'd be a really neat exercise in building a haunt.
Monday, April 6, 2009
Friday, April 3, 2009
Portsmouth, NH
Photo contests over the years, many of them featuring photographs of Haunted Overload props. Great photos here.
New Hampshire looks like a mighty great place to be in the Fall.
Image source.
Big Ol' House
Some large ghosts, pumpkins, and what looks like a very creepy cemetery.
I bet they give out huge candy bars.
Image source.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
More Beksinski
I've featured this late artist's brilliant works in previous entries and was looking through some more pieces this morning. Incredible breathtaking art, though art is too tiny a word for this guy's stuff.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Forgotten Halloween
Found these photos on Flickr.com with the following [very cool] description:
"My town has the most amazing garage sale day every September. I was at about the end of my drive through it last year... bike and trailer all loaded up with goodies. I found a small suitcase for a couple of bucks at one that was filled with old super 8 film and videogame cartridges. It also contained one of those plastic Time/Life point and shoot cameras that you see at every garage sale... except this one contained an undeveloped roll of exposed film. I finally got around to having it processed at the local Rite Aid, and these are the best of what was on there."
Image source.
Those are HUGE props.
Chris at the HauntStyle blog ran these photos through some filters to clear them up a bit. Pretty cool. Thanks, man.
Beloved
A fantastic haunt with incredible tombstones, and a great tutorial for making one of your own.
