Turner Classic Movies Halloween Schedule 2018

Turn the lights down low. Pop up the popcorn. Light a few candles. And get cozy in front of that TV. Because tonight starts the annual Turner Classic Movies Halloween horror marathon! 

No "Hocus Pocus" here, just 28 straight days of some of the best in classic horror, leading up to an incredible, all-day Halloween horror celebration.

I'm clearing out my DVR now to make room for all the savory titles on this year's list! Check out the full programming schedule over at Turner Classic Movies, or check out a great, condensed horror-only schedule at Bloody-Disgusting.

Get to your couches early, because the classics start tonight at 8!!

  

  

Dr. Phibes Tombstone Prop

With a newborn in the house, time for Halloween is at a premium, but I finally finished my first prop of the year! A small homage to the 1971 Vincent Price classic, The Abominable Dr. Phibes.

I had one piece of white popcorn foam left in the garage, so I went to work with that, cutting a new shape that wasn't yet in the cemetery. I gave the entire stone a base coat of white ceiling paint, and then cut in the flourishes that I had picked up from the Davis Graveyard Etsy store. I used Gorilla Glue and spackle to make sure they were set and flush in the stone.

I then cut in a few cracks with an X-Acto blade and filled them in with black paint.
 

I then gave the entire front of the stone a wash of watered down black. I went darker with the paint in some spots for a streaked effect.

After the black, I used a coat of watered down green. I printed out a stencil for the epitaph, traced it on, and then filled in the letters using a Sharpie marker. The marker left the lettering a little bit lighter than if I had used paint, and it gave a nice, weathered look (somehow I forgot to take any pictures of this stage...).

When that was all finished, the only thing left to do was throw some spanish moss on it, bathe it in the glow of warm colored LEDs and snap away.

 

It's Here! Dogfish Head Punkin' Ale!

(EDIT: Okay, I'm going to try this again. Somehow, my whole post got deleted after I spent an eternity penning another one of my glorious masterpieces. Dammit.)

Today is the official start to my Halloween season, as I got to taste my first Dogfish Head Punkin Ale of the year. And again, it didn't disappoint. A nice spice note with a dash of pumpkin and a not-too-sweet cinnamon sugar aftertaste. Last year, I became a huge fan of Punkin Ale and it already appears that this will take the Pumpkin Crown again this year. A great pumpkin taste, a neon orange carrier and the word "PUNK" on the neck label make this a no-brainer. Punkin Ale gets the highly coveted FIVE Drunken Jackos!!! (Although in looking at their site, nowhere do they mention pairing this fine beer with prop making. It's the perfect pairing! C'mon guys!!)

So outside of drinking the nectar of the October gods, I have put together my "Halloweenie-Do List" for 2011. And I think I'm in trouble. 14 projects of varying scope and complexity. And by my count, we have 53 days to finish them all. Looks like I'll be buying more Punkin Ale and putting a cot in the garage...

On another note, we have also signed up to participate again in the 2011 Countdown To Halloween. And we are really excited to do it. 31 posts in 31 days throughout October. Give or take. At the Cemetery, the pink foam will be flying, the paint will be flinging and the fabrics will be flailing in a mad dash to get everything done for the big day. And the camera will be by my side, documenting it all. We hope to have some more goodies this year, too, so be sure to check back often (because hey, we can bribe our readers, can't we??). And the crew at Countdown To Halloween really outdid themselves this year, offering an amazing array of blog icons, featuring a who's who of horror icons. Of course we had to pick Dr. Phibes!!

Still one of my absolute favorite Vincent Price roles. So that does it for this quick snippet. Time to really get going on my list. I have a tutorial for my latest tombstone in the works and will be posting it once it's completed. But for now, maybe another Punkin Ale before my head hits the pillow, ready to dream sweet Halloween dreams...