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Fröhliche Krampusnacht!

Photo courtesy of Unknown/Pinterest.

It's Krampusnacht, and that means that all of the bad children will be visited by Krampus tonight! Krampus, the Christmas Devil and evil counterpart of St. Nicholas, is a cloven-hooved, goat-demon that punishes bad children with a lash of his birch branched switch, then transports them to Hell inside the wicker basket upon his back.

Have you been good this year?

Enjoy these images of Krampus from various European Krampuslauf parades. I'll be writing more about these parades in an upcoming post!

Photo courtesy of Smithsonian Magazine/Dominic Ebenbichler-Reuters/Corbis.

Photo courtesy of goout.net.

Photo courtesy of Spajzgirl.

Photo courtesy of Sean Gallup/Getty Images.

Photo courtesy of Bernhard Knaus/MeinBezirk.

Photo courtesy of Fest300/Krampusnacht 2013.

Photo courtesy of National Geographic/Sean Gallup-Getty Images.

The Dickies - "Silent Night"

I went into dangerous territory with yesterday's "cute Halloween" post, I know. Time to bring it back down to the usual lowbrow level.

Enjoy this Christmas classic. PUNK ROCK STYLE!!

Gruss vom Krampus!

Have you all been good girls and boys this year? If not, you'll be visited tonight by Krampus, the European cloven-hooved, goat-demon who punishes bad children during this holiday season. With a flick of his long tongue and a lash from his birch branched switch, you'll be placed into the basket upon his back and transported to Hell to receive reprimand for all of your misdeeds...

Photo courtesy of Sean Gallup/Getty Images.

Photo courtesy of Hexe Productions

Photo courtesy of Fest300/Krampusnacht 2013.

"A Creepy Christmas 2019: Krampus Returns" at The Factory of Terror

It's hard to believe that Christmas is right around the corner. It seems like Thanksgiving was just last week. Where does the time go?

The only good thing about the yuletide season's quick arrival is the return of Christmas-themed haunts! And tonight, I'm going to blow off some steam with some good AARGH (Akron Area Regional Group of Haunters - cute, no?) friends down at the Factory of Terror for their annual Krampus haunt!

It wasn't that long ago that we were going crazy celebrating the Halloween season, but now it's time to get our Krampus creep on. And what better place than the Factory of Terror.

If you're in the Northeast Ohio area with nothing to do tonight, why not meet us down in Canton for some jolly good scares!? And did I mention themed drinks and snowball fights?

Fröhlich Krampusnacht!

Gruss vom Krampus!

Have you all been good girls and boys this year? If not, you'll be visited tonight by Krampus, the European cloven-hooved, goat-demon who punishes bad children during this holiday season. With a flick of his long tongue and a lash from his birch branched switch, you'll be placed into the basket upon his back and transported to Hell to receive reprimand for all of your misdeeds...

Have you been good this year?

Fröhliche Krampusnacht!

Photo courtesy of Sean Gallup/Getty Images.

Photo courtesy of Matej Divisna/Getty Images.

Photo courtesy of iamexpat.de

Photo courtesy of adobestock

And enjoy "Cloven" from the 2015 Michael Dougherty film, Krampus. Douglas Pipes' perfect track to accompany you on your trip to Hell...

The Damned - "There Ain't No Sanity Clause"

A ripping punk "Christmas" classic from The Damned. From the There Ain't No Sanity Clause ep, originally released in 1980 on Chiswick Records.

"Krampus" Soundtrack by Douglas Pipes

Okay, just one more Krampus-themed post for 2017. But first, a little story...

Back in the winter of 2015, I quickly decided that I wanted to see Michael Dougherty's new holiday horror film, Krampus. After his now cult classic, Trick 'r Treat, became a mainstay in my Halloween traditions, I figured I'd give this one a shot to see if it would be added to my Christmas traditions as well.

The day before Christmas Eve, I had a late afternoon physical therapy session. I was rehabbing from surgery on a badly broken finger, thanks to an awesome mountain bike crash earlier in the summer. The therapy session was an hour long and I was completely against heading back to work at 4:00 on the day before Christmas break, so I decided that I was going to the movie theater to see Krampus instead. Alone.

Truth be told, I had never gone to a theater to see a movie on my own (which is kind of weird, because I have done just about everything else on my own!). I walked up to the ticket counter and waited in line to get my ticket. I got to the counter and said, "One ticket for Krampus, please." The young girl working the counter looked up at me with a startled look on her face. Smiling, she said, "Wow! Someone NOT here to see Star Wars!"

D'oh! As I looked over to the entrance into the theater, I could see the line. EVERYONE was in line, waiting to see Star Wars: The Force Awakens. My palms got sweaty...

I grabbed my ticket, quickly walked past the line and found the theater number that was playing MY film. I walked in and looked around.

Not a single person in the theater. "Cool, I'm early so I get first pick at a seat." I of course picked a seat right in the middle of the theater for maximum sight and sound.

The previews started playing and I kicked back and relaxed a bit. Still nobody else in the theater.

After the endless parade of previews to films that I had absolutely no interest in seeing, the movie started. I could still hear the line of people outside the door, waiting for Star Wars. But still nobody else came into my theater.

Ten minutes into the movie, I made the joyous realization that nobody else WAS coming in. I had the whole damn theater to myself!! I kicked my feet up onto the seat in front of me, and with a relaxed grin, I sat back and enjoyed the hell out of Krampus. Alone in a theater, the night before Christmas Eve.

It was probably one of the best theater experiences I will ever have.

And because of that, Krampus will always hold a special place in my heart. But also because I really enjoyed the film, too.

One year later, Waxwork Records put out an incredible double-vinyl version of the film's amazing soundtrack, composed by Douglas Pipes (who also composed the soundtrack to Trick 'r Treat, another favorite of mine!).

I was able to score the limited double-picture disc version, featuring the amazing "evil elves" from the film. Pipes has done an amazing job of merging cheery holiday melodies and menacing, tense, dark rhythms to create a new Christmastime classic.

I absolutely love everything about this soundtrack and it has become a staple in my post-Halloween playlist...

Fröhlich Krampusnacht!

Merry Krampus Night!

It's December 5th, and that means that all of the bad children will be visited by Krampus tonight! Krampus, the Christmas Devil and evil counterpart of St. Nicholas, is a cloven-hooved, goat-demon that punishes bad children with a lash of his birch branched switch, then transports them to Hell inside the wicker basket upon his back.

Photo courtesy of National Geographic/Sean Gallup-Getty Images.

Photo courtesy of AP Photo/Matthias Schrader.

Photo courtesy of Sean Gallup/Getty Images.

Both National Geographic and The German Way & More have great articles on the history and legend of Krampus. And while its origins are in Austria and the surrounding southern Bavarian regions, the legend and imagery are taking hold here in America, too. Krampus events seem to be popping up all over the country.

But nothing can compare to the traditional Austrian KrampusLauf (Krampus Run) parades in Europe. I've only been able to check them out via various YouTube videos, but I am definitely putting a wintertime KrampusLauf trip to Austria on my bucket list. This looks to be an absolutely incredible and unique experience that involves the whole town. What really makes me curious is how a meager home haunter from Akron, Ohio could somehow get connected with a Krampus performer in Austria and don a traditional costume and perform in one of these parades!?!?

Check out this video of the 2017 KrampusLauf from Schladming, Austria:

Fröhlich Krampusnacht!

Fröhliche Krampusnacht!

All photos courtesy of Fest300/Krampusnacht 2013.

"Krampus" Masks from Trick or Treat Studios

From Trick or Treat Studios:

Trick or Treat Studios and Legendary are proud to present the officially licensed Dark Elf Sheep Cote Clod, Dark Elf Window Pepper and Krampus Halloween Masks from the new Christmas Classic, Michael Dougherty's Krampus.

These amazing masks come directly out of the screen used Resin Masters, which were provided to Trick or Treat Studios by Weta Workshop and finished by our Art Director, Justin Mabry.

I am REALLY impressed with the detail in these new masks and I can definitely see the Dark Elf Sheep Cote Clod making its way into my collection quickly.

All three are now available for pre-order at Trick or Treat Studios.

Merry Christmas...

...from everyone at Highbury Cemetery! We hope that Santa has brought you all kinds of goodies for being good little boys and good little girls. We're going to take it easy here for another week, but the countdown to Halloween 2012 will start on January 1. If you want to take your game to the next level, you have to get up pretty early.

But for today, we're going to relax and enjoy the company of friends and family. We hope that you will too!! Merry Christmas everyone!

- Highbury

Dear Santa...

7 more days until Christmas, and I've finally figured out what I want from you. If you check your lists, you will most assuredly find me on the "Nice" list this year, as I tried not to terrify too many children this year at the Cemetery, I obeyed my parents and I always ate my vegetables. So if you could find it in your jolly heart, I only want one thing under my tree this year...

I REALLY want the book, Empire of Death: A Cultural History of Ossuaries and Charnel Houses, by Paul Koudounaris.

Thank you, Santa!

Love, Highbury

From Amazon.com:

From bone fetishism in the ancient world to painted skulls in Austria and Bavaria: an unusual and compelling work of cultural history.

It is sometimes said that death is the last taboo, but it was not always so. For centuries, religious establishments constructed decorated ossuaries and charnel houses that stand as masterpieces of art created from human bone. These unique structures have been pushed into the footnotes of history; they were part of a dialogue with death that is now silent.

The sites in this specially photographed and brilliantly original study range from the Monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Palermo, where the living would visit mummified or skeletal remains and lovingly dress them; to the Paris catacombs; to fantastic bone-encrusted creations in Austria, Cambodia, the Czech Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Germany, Greece, Italy, Peru, Portugal, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, and elsewhere.

Paul Koudounaris photographed more than seventy sites for this book. He analyzes the role of these remarkable memorials within the cultures that created them, as well as the mythology and folklore that developed around them, and skillfully traces a remarkable human endeavor. 290 photographs, 260 in color.

I could think of no greater gift to a Halloween haunter like myself than a book such as this, just chock full of incredible information and absolutely beautiful photography. This would be a centerpiece of reference material sure to take Highbury Cemetery to the next level in 2012.

As an added bonus, you too can see the incredible collection of photographs at the book's accompanying website, Empire de la Mort. I visit this site regularly, perusing the beautiful photography and each time my mind races, planning to replicate every shot in next year's home haunt. All photos below are from Empire de la Mort. Do yourself a big favor and take a few minutes to check it out.