I'm adding a new feature to my October blogging this year: Halloween 'zine reviews!! Growing up as a punk rock kid, I collected many a fanzine through the years. Small, DIY handmade photocopied, low-budget mini magazines that covered all aspects of the music genre, created and produced by the very participants within that scene. There's just something about holding a small magazine that was created and assembled by hand that always felt so tactile and genuine to me. And when I later became a home haunter, I discovered the same medium and immediately began collecting them.
First up is GroovyDoom'sHaunt 'zine series. I ended up picking up the entire 10-issue series from the Etsy store and I'm so glad I did. Haunt absolutely nails the Halloween nostalgia in each issue, with pages crammed full of black-and-white Halloween ads, photos and article clippings from the 70's and 80's (my wheelhouse!).
As I flipped through each issue, I was transported back to those magical October days of my youth when I would race home from school and grab the Friday magazine insert from the newspaper, quickly scanning newsprint page after newsprint page of local haunted house ads (which in Northeast Ohio there were tons!) until my fingers were black from the ink. And then at dinner, I would BEG my parents to take me and my friends to each of them.
And while each issue of Haunt is a quick read, there is still enough old Halloween fun to keep me greedily grabbing for the next issue.
The entire Haunt 'zine series is a must-have, with super-cool illustrated covers and loads of old Halloween and haunted house ads. Each issue is a total blast to flip through and is a welcome slice of Halloweens past. And the photocopied black-and-white pages take me back to being a punk rock kid again.
Okay, Northern Ohio haunt lovers! Valentine's Day is next week and what better way to show your love than by bringing your special sweetie to Cupid's Revenge at the Haunted Schoolhouse February 10 & 11 in Akron!!
Two nights of ridiculously fun and scary Valentine monster madness, with event-only souvenirs and themed-specialty cocktails guaranteed to make your date night...extra special.
And if you don't have a date? That's okay! Just meet me at the gate because I'LL BE WORKING THE QUEUE LINE BOTH NIGHTS!!!!!
And in the odd chance that you miss me, you're still bound to see Kal, Larry, and all those dumpster babies...
Enjoy that smell of love in the air this weekend and get there early to get in on all the, uhh...fun. Come see me and get scaaaaaaared!! Grab your tickets here!
Two weeks until October, and the Halloween bug is FINALLY starting to kick in.
Last week, I was going through photos of last year's haunt display and I came upon the shot above. It was shot by my neighbor, and until now was never published. I thought the image was too heavily edited and I ended up just keeping it on the side.
But as I look at it now, I realize that it's an incredible shot and it got me excited about this year's display and the Halloween season in general.
I took this summer off from all things Halloween and it turned out to be very beneficial. With just over a month to go, I'm diving into a few new projects for this year's display, checking the opening dates for all the local haunted houses, and most importantly, getting excited for Halloween night.
I'll be back on October 1st to kick off another super fun Countdown To Halloween, and I already have a daily list overflowing with Halloween goodies!
It's always nice to get a little haunt-related fun outside the month of October. For the third or fourth year in a row, a small group of us were able to get together for a St. Patrick's Day-themed haunt at the Factory of Terror in Canton, Ohio. It really has become our new tradition! The Factory of Terror runs its standard haunt, yet adds a little Irish magic in each scene with the addition of shamrocks, leprechauns and other green shenanigans. It was also nice to see such a large percentage of female haunt actors this time around. Well done, ladies! The show ran two nights this year, thinning out the crowds on each night. We were able to get through all sections of the haunt without waiting, so it seemed like we were done in no time. Which was fine, because it got us out for the after-haunt snacks and beverages quicker! Another fun, off-season haunt is in the books and now we are looking forward to April's "Slasher Fest Friday the 13th" haunt. Big thanks to Stacey and Vince for meeting me for the annual St. Patty's tradition!
This past weekend, I got the chance to go check out Love Bites, the Valentine's-themed haunt event at the Haunted Schoolhouse and Laboratory here in Akron, Ohio.
I've been going to the Schoolhouse for years, as it's literally 10 minutes away from the Cemetery, and every time I go I get a little nostalgic, as it was one of the first haunted houses I ever went to growing up (I think my first trip was maybe 1985?). I've always loved the haunts, especially with this year's new ownership changeover and much-needed updating. This weekend's Valentine haunt was no different, with a few added lovey-dovey touches and an overall fun and great show with a large turnout.
Come get a kiss from the infamous DuWayne/Tater!!
Smoochie! Smoochie! But what made this trip a bit more special was that for the first time in 35 years, I got a nice little behind-the-scenes tour, thanks to the haunt's makeup artist, Dave from Closed Casket Studios. And while the staging and makeup areas were a bit smaller than I thought they were going to be, what was contained in both had the nostalgia kicking in like crazy...
The absolutely first thing I noticed was this amazing gem tacked to the wall. I couldn't believe it! An original early, early poster from the 70s/80s. ADMISSION TWO DOLLARS!! FREE BABY SITTING!! They just don't make haunt posters like this anymore. And look at all that glorious retro haunt art. It was a thing of sheer beauty!! God, I wanted to take it home with me. I wonder if they would ever let me borrow it to scan it and maybe make a limited run of screen printed reprints of it? I would probably buy all of the copies!! After drooling over the poster for a few minutes, I checked out all of the other old art and props in the staging area and then the makeup room...
An unused prop (possibly from Unit 70?) that stood at least 9 feet tall!
Cemetery friend Randy Skalos from Haunt on Williams Street came all the way from Conneaut, Ohio to check out the haunt with us. He was digging this prop, too.
Not sure how old this piece was, but damn was it cool!
Ugh, how much for the killer Frank mask!?!?
The art on the back door of the Schoolhouse's original old school bus! (Another great thing about the new ownership was their understanding in keeping a lot of the original elements for the nostalgic types like me. I loved checking the old bus out as it was now proudly displayed near the ticket booth. Well done!) So after the haunt and behind-the-scenes tour was over, it was time to head out for some drinks and grub with the crew. But not before making a quick stop at the merch table and adding a hilarious and awesome new haunt shirt to my collection...
From the pitch black darkness, I was jolted awake from the sound of the alarm clock buzzing in the other room. It was my son's clock. That meant that it was 6:30 am. Strange, because I distinctly remember setting my own alarm for 5:30 am, just before completely passing out from total exhaustion. That was about 11:45 last night... As I tried to pull myself out of bed, I groaned from deep aches and pains that ran the entire length of my body. The middle of my back was one giant, twisted knot. My lower back felt like two dried skeletal bones painfully grinding together. My knee had been tweaked somewhere along the line, and was now swollen tight and stiff. My heel felt like a sharp concrete block that I could barely put pressure on. I literally felt like I had been run over by a dump truck. But still I was grinning from ear to ear. As I sat and reflected on the whirlwind events from the previous night, the grin began to glow and an excited buzz began to course through my veins. Last night's Halloween trick-or-treat celebration was awesome. Absolutely awesome. And that growing buzz helped dull the deep aches and pains from the previous day's long and heavy workload. Our depleted crew of three began our annual Halloween yard haunt setup at 9:00 am. It was a razor sharp battle between schedule and clock. Our goal? Everything and everyone had to be in place and ready to go by 6:00 pm. That gave us just 9 hours to get it all done. Sound crazy? I knew we had a lot of time, but we would still need to be incredibly efficient to get it all done. Especially working as a team of only three. And without an extensive and detailed setup plan, we never would have made it. Somehow, some way, everything was up and running at 5:57. All props, all lighting, all audio, all electrical. Everything. I had to stop and take it all in for a brief moment. A testament to our dedicated work and a finely detailed plan to get it all done. I took one deep breath. Exhaled. And then raced into the house. I had roughly 5 minutes to get my makeup done... I threw in some colored contact lenses, whipped up a few grungy streaks and colors across my face, and haphazardly assembled a costume out of pieces of my MHC Masquerade Ball costumes from the past three years. And I stepped out into the haunt at roughly 6:10, ready to greet the oncoming hordes of trick-or-treaters racing to our crypt door. And the trick-or-treaters kept coming. And coming. And coming. It was a relentless onslaught of kids, parents, friends and curious neighbors all night long. At times, it was impossible to count all the people coming and going through the cemetery arch. But they kept coming. The two hours of trick-or-treat flew by, but each of us, now numbering 11 total actors and helpers, had an incredibly fun time. And the weather was absolutely perfect. The nighttime air was dry, but perfectly chilly and crisp. The clouds thinned, revealing the murky glow of a near-full moon. The wind even died down, allowing for some of the thickest plumes of fog I have ever seen in my many years of displays. The final trick-or-treaters left at about 8:30 pm, and I quickly grabbed my camera, wildly snapping photos throughout the display. And by 9:00, it was time for the evening's crescendo: the tear down. 11 individuals working together to get it all taken down and put away, leaving no trace of the events that had taken place just an hour earlier. The magic of the day's events was now complete. Setup of the display, an amazing haunt visual and auditory show, then a complete tear down, returning to the stark plainness of an unlit, empty yard. But the best part of the evening sat in a coffin at the top of the driveway. All night long, people brought donations to our first annual Halloween canned food drive. The coffin was nearly filled to the top by the end of the night. When I went to see how much we had collected, I was beside myself in shock. Neighbors and friends had really stepped up and filled the coffin for a cause! It was the perfect ending for an absolutely perfect night...
After everything had been stashed away and the annual thank you t-shirts had been given out, I limped up the stairs to upload all of the evening's photos. I was very happy with what I was able to capture! I'm currently going through and picking the best of the best to present here and across the interwebs. I'm incredibly proud of what the team was able to accomplish last night and incredibly humbled by the outpouring of support from the rest of the neighborhood. Check back tomorrow night for a full gallery of Highbury Cemetery 2017 shots and a detailed review of the evening's events.
Another Midwest Haunters Convention has now come and gone, and the old bones still haven't fully recovered. Another ten days worth of tours, classes, haunts, costumes, tradeshow and other general late night party madness jam packed into three unbelievable days!
After a quick drive to Columbus, I had the chance to meet up with Brent Wilson from Planet Doom Haunt (all the way from Idaho Falls, Idaho!) and we jumped on the bus for the Friday Night Tour - a tour of the brand new ScareFactory prop shop followed by a trip to the legendary haunt, The Haunted Hoochie at Dead Acres!
Immediately, I knew we were in for a hell of a night when we boarded the very last bus out. The driver? One part Ric Flair, one part Joe Biden, one part Evel Kneivel, but all business:
The "WOOOOOO!s" rang out (which may or may not have been started by yours truly) as we departed for our first stop, The ScareFactory. I had actually toured the ScareFactory a few years ago, but I was excited to see their new building. Once we arrived, we were not disappointed. This place was massive. They still had a lobby full of their incredibly detailed movie figures as well as a huge warehouse area full of their deeply discounted haunt props and animatronics...
Still my favorite piece in their collection!
After a quick tour through the endless spaces of the ScareFactory, we hopped back on the bus for a quick ride over to the main feature of the night, the Haunted Hoochie!!
I had also been to the Hoochie a few years back, but this particular trip blew me away. The Hoochie is widely known as one of the most extreme haunts in the country, but those extreme elements now coupled with their new investments in props, high-end animatronics and scenery (including a new fuselage section from an actual airplane, once used in an Arnold Schwarzenegger film?), rocket this haunt into my Top 5 All Time Haunts. It's like the haunt now has to be taken more seriously. Outside of the craziness that makes the Hoochie what it is (I compare it to being at a GWAR show!), the haunt is genuinely incredible. I am definitely driving back down to visit the Hoochie again in October. From what we saw Friday night, I can't even imagine what a full-on, in-season haunt would be like...
Don't get too close. The queue line fire-breather...
And yes, the woman at the bottom right had to have been at least 80 years old. God, I hope I'm still going to haunts when I'm that old!!
After a late return to the hotel bar, we hooked up with Highbury regular James and planned out the next day's events. Classes, trade show, lunch and the infamous Masquerade Ball!
We woke up (relatively) early on Saturday and set out to get as much in as we could. We took a couple of great classes and canvassed the trade show floor. I snapped away wildly as I toured each booth. The layout of the show floor seemed a bit more spaced out, allowing us to tour the entire show quickly. Tons of cool props, masks and other products from a wide variety of vendors...
I think I snapped this photo about one second too early... :)
It's almost time!"
And a special shout out, as always, to fellow Akronites and good friends, Closed Casket Studios for allowing me to sneak in on Friday and have a beer with you guys while you set up the booth! You guys are killing it!!
Two bad muthas...
Spoiler: Look for The Harvester, this killer new scarecrow prop head in the Cemetery this year. I'm hoping to make some killer new pieces for this year's haunt with it!
That retro cool red skull almost went home with James. Almost...
After a few laps around the tradeshow floor, we all went back to our rooms to prepare for the night's main event - the infamous Masquerade Ball!
We chilled out a bit with a couple of beers and a viewing of the 1932 Bela Lugosi classic, White Zombie, before donning the night's costumes. The makeup and costume all seemed to go quickly and smoothly, and for once I was ready to go with time to spare. I was really excited to show off this year's new costume prop, the Necromancer's Staff. We headed out, camera and staff in hand, ready to tear it up...
We made our way to the ball, quickly grabbing photos of the amazing costumes, drinks from the bar, and conversations with friends. The night really seemed to fly by as we quickly went through the Body Art Fashion Show, Ms. Scary Midwest Pageant and Scariest Costume Contest.
A few drinks, a few snacks and a few laps around the dance floor and the event was already over. Luckily the fun was just getting started as the masses flocked to the hotel bar to carry on the evening's merriment.
I quickly found out that a six-foot-tall staff in one hand and a cold beer in the other didn't leave much time for photos, so I snapped a few pictures between rounds and got what I could. In previous years I was intent on getting as many photos as I could, but this year was much more relaxed and carefree...
Highbury Cemetery friends and MHC institutions Vince, Stacey and Sabrina Rager!
The always-incredible makeup and costuming from the ladies at Svenpuss Productions.
YES!! I got "fingered" by the Nasty Witch!!!
The Three Stooges: James, Brent and myself. Nyuk, nyuk, nyuk.
Really the only Body Art Fashion Show photo you need. Photo by Brent Wilson.
The goat! Flashing the horns. Photo by Brent Wilson.
At breakfast on Sunday morning, James and I talked about how much fun the convention was this year. Way more relaxed and stress-free than in previous years. Some people complained about the convention being smaller, but I liked the fact that it was a bit spread out and you could easily navigate the floor. Plus, there were still a ton of great wares from some really great vendors. And, I got to meet a lot of my fellow haunters from Haunters Hangout in the flesh. It was amazing to see how far some haunters came to be there! All in all, the 2017 Midwest Haunters Convention will go down as one of my favorites.
A huge thanks to long-time haunt brother James for coming down and raging with me for another non-stop weekend. A big thanks also goes out to new haunt brother Brent Wilson for stepping up when I was looking for someone to go on the Friday night tour with. We ended up raging all weekend and we're already making plans for MHC, 2018.
And I would be remiss if I didn't end this post with Brent's unbelievably rad MHC 2017 video (please watch all the way until the end!!). A perfect overview of a crazy, crazy weekend.
A cold, weathered hand pierces the rust-laden earth of a late autumn night. Reanimated decay becomes the evening's guide. Masked faces bask in the fiery glow of a jack-o-lantern's illumination. A lifeless finger points the direction toward the next porch-lit house. For this is the night of ghouls and goblins and tricks and treats. This is the night of Hallowe'en...
