A Halloween Night Mini Display

I had to have SOMETHING in the yard on Halloween night! After Sunday's trick-or-treat, we took most of the display down in anticipation of Wednesday's heavy rain and wind. So yesterday, I went out and set up a small display, if for no other reason than to appease the Candy Corn gods. And maybe for one more night of Halloween enjoyment for myself, too...

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HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Happy Halloween to all from Highbury Cemetery! May the Candy Corn gods look down upon you in favor on this day and grant you the opportunities to celebrate the high holiday in the manner you see fit.

Another year's worth of planning, building, and most importantly celebrating the season comes down to this. So go forth and revel in All Hallows Eve. Our High Holiday. Carry on the traditions that make the season so great, for we are the anointed that keep the spirits alive, nurture them, and pass them on to future generations. We are Halloween...

  

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Happy Halloween to all from Highbury Cemetery! May the Candy Corn gods look down upon you in favor on this day and grant you the opportunities to celebrate the high holiday in the manner you see fit. 

Another year's worth of planning, building, and most importantly celebrating, the season comes down to this. So go forth and revel in All Hallows Eve. Our Holiday. Carry on the traditions that make the season so great, for we are the anointed that keep the spirits alive, nurture them, and pass them on to future generations. We are Halloween.

  

The Trinity

All three of my new sheet ghost props are now complete and together, haunting the Cemetery for eternity...

 

Happy Valentine's Day

 

Happy Valentine's Day! May you get to spend it with your forever...

 

Closed Casket Studios Haunt, 2021

One of the things that I really wanted to do this Halloween season was take time out of my busy schedule and go see other peoples' haunts. Fortunately, with the various weekend trick-or-treat times, I finally had an opportunity.

On the night before Halloween, I was able to make it over to Dave Shonk from Closed Casket Studios' amazing yard haunt.

Killer props featuring his signature Closed Casket work, tons of trick-or-treaters running around, and perfect weather made for a great time. Seeing his work really inspired me for my display the next night and gave me motivation to improve on what I have and to go even bigger next year.

Enjoy the stunning work of the Closed Casket Studios haunt, 2021:

While the display looked great during the daytime, it was absolutely taken to the next level after dark, when the lighting adding so much more depth and dimension.

That scarecrow head looks vaguely familiar... (it's the same Closed Casket Studios The Harvester prop head that I use on The Harvester of Brine, centerpiece of Highbury Cemetery! The only two copies in existence and both look amazing, if I do say so myself!!)

  

Winter's Slumber

My Halloween props have been put away after another incredible October season, ready for their hard-earned winter slumber.

Luckily, we still have plenty of posts to get through before we do the same...

  

FrightProps 2020 Catalog Available For FREE!

Okay, haunters. If you're sitting around in quarantine, thinking about new prop ideas for Halloween, I might have something to help you out!

Every year, I keep my copy of the annual FrightProps catalog handy and flip through it until the pages practically fall out. It's one of my go-to resources for inspiration on what is possible for my home haunt display. Plus, it's a huge catalog crammed full of killer props of all shapes and sizes, AND it has a few handy reference guides. It really is an invaluable resource for both home and pro haunters.

And the new 2020 catalog has just dropped, FREE OF CHARGE! Head over to FrightProps and order one before they're gone. Because who knows when you'd have another chance to snag one (unless of course you are ordering something from them!).

And if you aren't into a physical copy, you can also check out a digital version!

Now get to work! Halloween is only 217 days away!!

  

Hangin' at Closed Casket Studios, 2019

For the past two years, I posted this exact same thing. I have the amazing luck of living five minutes away from Closed Casket Studios, so I get the chance to go hang out with Dave, drink a few beers, talk about everything Halloween, and check out all the new pieces he has rolling out this year. There are definitely worse ways to spend a Friday night!

This year the post comes a bit later than usual, as I skipped the Transworld show with them in March. I usually go over just before the show and post up some teasers as we're headed due west to St. Louis. There's been a lot going on over in my neck of the woods this year, so I'm behind, but there are still some really cool new sculpts and pieces creeping out from Dave's basement.

If you missed the Transworld show, you can still check out his new work at the upcoming Midwest Haunters Convention in Chicago this June. And if you're there, be sure to tell him that I sent you. You won't get anything special or anything, but at least I'll know that someone is still reading this blog...

And if you're going to miss both shows, just sit back and check out the photos below. You can always visit his site and pick up any of his pieces there! Enjoy!

Does this mask make me look fat?

And then finally the man himself. Proudly displaying his major award, the 2019 Transworld Vendor Excellence Award. Well deserved, my friend!!

 

Hangin' Out at Closed Casket Studios

I've always said that when viewed through the lens of a haunter/Halloween fanatic, my home town of Akron, Ohio is a pretty cool place to be. I have one of the oldest running haunts in the country, the famed Haunted Schoolhouse and Laboratory, a mere 10 minutes down the road. I have one of the longest haunts in the country, Canton's Factory of Terror, a mere 40 minutes down the road. And I have literally dozens of other haunted attractions in all directions around me. And don't forget the quick 2 hour jaunt to the Midwest Haunters Convention in Columbus each June...

But even closer than all of those cool locations is a sweet little prop shop that is an unbelievably quick 5 minute hop from the Cemetery: Dave Shonk's Closed Casket Studios. I actually met Dave when he was a wee lad getting in trouble with his local fire marshal. Since then, he has continually upped his home haunt game, eventually went pro for a bit, and has since started his own mask & prop shop. I've been to his basement shop a few times before, but I recently had the chance to hang out a bit, share a few beers and stories, and check out his new pieces for 2017. It definitely looks like I'll be adding a few more of his prop heads to the display this year!

But wait, there's more!

And as an added bonus, it looks like I'm headed to Transworld's Halloween & Attraction Show this week with the Closed Casket Studios crew! I'm beyond stoked for this opportunity, as I've never been to this show before. Be sure to come visit us at booth 406. I'll be the guy with the camera around his neck, shooting everything in sight! Stop by, say hi and buy something killer from Dave! See everyone in St. Louis! 

And if you can't make it to the show, stop by next week when I'll share all (most of?) my stories and photos.