Highbury Cemetery Logo, 2021

Welcome. Here we are again. October 1st...

IT'S OFFICIALLY HALLOWEEN SEASON! And it's time to start the annual Countdown to Halloween! An orange-and-black blitz of 31 posts in 31 days, all leading up to our high holiday of All Hallows Eve!! This is our 11th year celebrating all things creepy and cool with the Countdown to Halloween blog party, and we are still going strong. Can you feel that crisp, electric excitement in the air!!??

We've got a long list of blog posts all lined up and ready to go. A full month stuffed with tricks and treats, so be sure to check back daily because this party is going nonstop straight through the 31st! And you don't want to miss out on the good candy, do you??

So let's get this thing started, shall we!?

Each October, I like to start the festivities with the unveiling of my yard haunt logo for the year. It's a great way to set the tone for the spooky season, and it gets me motivated to finish all the planned projects for the year's haunt.

Since 2003, I have created an increasingly defined and prominent Highbury Cemetery haunt logo for the season. The logo is used on posters, stickers, and a very small batch of t-shirts. Each year, the t-shirts are hand printed here at the Cemetery and then given out as a thank you to everyone who helps put on the yard haunt on Halloween night.

So ladies and gentlemonsters, boils and ghouls, I proudly present the ghastly and gruesome logo for Highbury Cemetery, 2021:

As an added bonus, I'm bringing back my unofficial official banner art for the Countdown to Halloween! PLEASE FEEL FREE TO GRAB IT AND SHARE IT WITH EVERYONE! It's yours to spread far and wide, to help celebrate the greatest month of all!

And I won't stop there! Be sure to come back daily for more spooky fun, as I'll be bringing back the Freebie Fridays segments where I share more vintage gold from my ever-increasing collection of classic novelty Halloween "spooky sounds" records, tapes and CDs! Kick back and share a toast to the pumpkin gods as we sample an array of new pumpkin beers and rate them on our dreaded Drunken Jackos pumpkin beer rating scale! And of course, I'll have tons more daily Halloween hijinks to carry us closer to that big night! So settle in, take a deep breath, and let's get this pumpkin party started!!

And if you're REALLY in the festive mood, why not sign up at the Countdown to Halloween page and throw your own party!? I'll be sure to stop by and I'll bring the snacks!

Welcome, October!

Welcome. Here we are again. October 1st...

IT'S OFFICIALLY HALLOWEEN SEASON! And it's time to start the annual Countdown to Halloween! An orange-and-black blitz of 31 posts in 31 days, all leading up to our high holiday of All Hallows Eve!! This is our 10th year celebrating all things creepy and cool with the Countdown to Halloween blog party, and we are still going strong. Can you feel that crisp, electric excitement in the air!!??

We've got a long list of blog posts all lined up and ready to go. A full month stuffed with tricks and treats, so be sure to check back daily because this party is going nonstop straight through the 31st! And you don't want to miss out on the good candy, do you??

So let's get this thing started, shall we!?

In previous years, I would kick off the big party with the reveal of my annual Highbury Cemetery haunt logo. But I'm going to switch it up a bit. In truth, I'm still putting the final touches on this year's logo and will reveal it soon. So in the mean time, I created a new piece to share with you all...

It's my unofficial official Countdown to Halloween banner for 2020! I was in a vintage mood and created this fun little piece. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO GRAB IT AND SHARE IT WITH EVERYONE! It's yours to spread far and wide, to help celebrate the greatest month of all!

And I won't stop there! Be sure to come back daily for more spooky fun, as I'll be bringing back the Freebie Fridays segments where I share more nostalgic gold from my ever-increasing collection of classic novelty Halloween "spooky sounds" records, tapes and CDs! I might even have time for a couple of new Cemetery Sundays segments where I grab my camera and tour a local cemetery, photographing the beautifully ornate old tombstones within. Kick back and share a toast to the pumpkin gods as we sample an array of new pumpkin beers and rate them on our dreaded Drunken Jackos pumpkin beer rating scale! And of course, I'll have tons more daily Halloween hijinks to carry us closer to that big night! So settle in, take a deep breath, and let's get this pumpkin party started!!

And if you're REALLY in the festive mood, why not sign up at the Countdown to Halloween page and throw your own party!? I'll be sure to stop by and I'll bring the snacks!

  

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: Highbury, The Pro Haunt Actor - Pt. 2!

Here I go again!

Last October, I had the chance to fulfill a lifelong haunter's dream by working as a pro haunt actor at the infamous Haunted Schoolhouse and Laboratory here in Akron, Ohio. It was only two nights, but I had an absolute blast each night!

I quickly found my haunt groove and the entire experience felt completely natural and quite energizing. After the second night, I was absolutely exhausted, but determined that I would definitely do it all again.

And tomorrow, I get my next chance! I will again be guest acting, this time at the Schoolhouse's "Cupid's Revenge" Valentine-themed haunt. And I can't wait. I guess my first stint was good enough to warrant a call-back to do it again...

So if you're in the Northeast Ohio area with nothing to do on a Saturday night (because you have already fulfilled your Valentine duties on Friday night like I have), get to the Haunted Schoolhouse and Laboratory. Free chocolate bars! Free commemorative wristbands! A Valentine photo op with your sweetie! And a chance to meet me!! I will again be working as a queue line actor, looking to scare the YELL out of you!

And if this spot is any indication, this weekend's haunt is going to be one hell of a party!! "More dumpster babies!"

Look for me tomorrow night! I hope to have a Valentine-themed costume, but I only have roughly 8 hours to create something cool from this...

Time to get to work...

One Week Until MHC, 2016!

Nothing like waiting until the last minute. As usual...

Even though I started in March, the costume is nowhere near done. I'm still waiting on a package with a few pieces for it (which probably won't even show up in time), but somehow, I'll be able to throw something together for this year's Midwest Haunters Convention Masquerade Ball.

Oh, and I have six days to finish it! MHC is next weekend!

Going to get to the thrift store today to gather up the last remaining pieces to tie this year's costume all together (the devil is in the detail!), and then crank it all out in the garage. If everything goes according to plan, I should be wrapping it all up late Thursday night, as I'm packing to leave early the following morning.

Here's a couple of teaser shots of what I have so far. I'm going a little bit bloody this year, as I got a bottle of FrightProps Blood Formula and I've been splattering it on everything! 

Say cheese...

Also, for anyone going to MHC this year, we have decided to skip the Friday night tour and after party. We just toured the ScareAtorium two years ago and the Beach Party with the old Playmate sounds a little bit too goofy...

So if you're in Columbus Friday night with nothing to do, why not join us as we go check out Arcade Super Awesome, a local bar/pinball arcade, complete with a pizza shop downstairs! It's about a 10 minute cab/Uber ride from the Convention Center. A few of us are going to grab some pizza and a few drinks, and play the hell out of some pinball. And we'll STILL be back at the hotel bar in time for last call!

 See everyone in Columbus next weekend. It's going to be insane!

 
  

Countdown to Halloween, 2014

31 posts in 31 days? We did it last year, and this year we are going to do it again! It's time for the annual Countdown to Halloween! This year, the posts will be flying at you fast and furiously ranging from props how-tos all the way to haunt soundtracks that can give your yard or home haunt that extra creepy edge. We're also going to bring back our weekly installments of Cemetery Sundays as well as our fan favorite Freebie Fridays!

I have a few more posts to roll out in September, but the madness starts right here on October 1. Join us for the party, won't you?

Midwest Haunters Convention, 2014: Part Two

After a fun filled Friday full of tours and partying, we got up Saturday morning with a thick fog clouding our brains and tried to get ready for the Trade Show floor. We pulled our bodies out of our slumber and headed down for a quick breakfast.

On the way to the trade show, I noticed someone who was a little worse off than we were from the previous night's festivities...

As we entered the trade show, we quickly noticed Froggy's Fog in their usual spot, doing their usual thing.

As we toured the rest of the show, we noticed that there seemed to be a few less vendors there than in the previous few years. Some of the usual suspects were there (and was it just me and my foggy brain, but was Stiltbeast Studios NOT there??), but it seemed like most vendors had smaller booths. Still, we were still impressed by what was available...

Vigo, for all of you Ghostbusters II fans!!

Lots of full-body characters on display in the different vendor booths...

And lots of foam weapons were available...

...as well as a five-foot-tall animated skull. 

After we got about half way through the show, it was time to go meet fellow members of the Northern Ohio Home Haunters Group for lunch. We made our way over to North Market for some Holy Smoke BBQ. Pulled Pork and Chicken for everyone (except for Jimmy T, who found a Polish vendor and scored himself some gas-inducing Old World treats)!!

 Photo by Stacey Rager.

After filling our bellies, it was time to get back to the show with renewed vigor...

Just hanging around...

 

And yes, we got to see the stars of Making Monsters, Ed and Marsha Edmunds of Distortions Unlimited. Unfortunately, there were so many people around their booth, we never got the opportunity to actually meet them. Maybe next time...

If you look closely, you can see Ed in the top left of the photo, wheelin' and dealin'.

During the trade show, the judging for the Kids' Costume Contest was held and Alexis, age 6, won "Best Costume" with her incredible Queen of Hearts costume:

She even got an interview with Inside The Haunt Industry! And when she pulled out that severed head on stage, I absolutely cracked up. Off with their heads!

 

When we finished exploring the trade show (and emptied our wallets to a few of the vendors), we made it back to the room for a quick nap and then it was up to the 19th floor for the Garage of Evil pizza and beer hotel party.

 

We even got a visit from Transworld's (and now MHC's) Jen Braverman. It was cool that she took a few minutes out of her busy schedule to come up and hang out.

Before we left, fellow Northern Ohio Home Haunter, Lane, correctly guessed the number for SteveO's big giveaway and took home this ridiculously cool GoE ouija board...

And after a quick refueling with some pizza and beer and a complimentary GoE fridge magnet, it was time to get back to the room so that we could make our transformations for the big masquerade party...


 

Midwest Haunters Convention, 2014: Part One

Never has three days gone by in such a whirling, dizzying flash. A nonstop ride with the pedal pushed firmly through the floorboard, head out the window screaming for more. And this was our trip to the 2014 edition of the Midwest Haunters Convention in Columbus, Ohio.

In sitting down to pen this entry, I'm still scratching my head, trying to piece together a coherent timeline of what happened to who, what, where and when. We'll start at the beginning...

Good friend Jimmy T and I made our way down the construction- and accident-filled highway towards Columbus. A routine two hour drive quickly became a five hour headache, but after arriving late at the hotel and checking in for the weekend's events, we were more than ready to get the party started. We made our way to the waiting buses ready to escort us to the Friday night tour.

A short trip through Columbus took us to our first destination of the evening: The ScareFactory, the world's largest manufacturer of animatronics for the haunt industry.

As we entered the main doorway, we were greeted by an absolutely amazing cast of figures filling the front hall and offices. Classic monsters and instantly recognizable characters from a large array of horror classics:

An ominous sculpt of Boris Karloff as Im-Ho-Tep in The Mummy:

Stare deep into the eyes of Vincent Price as Nicholas Medina from The Pit and the Pendulum:

Boys and girls of every age, Wouldn't you like to see something strange?

After staring in amazement at the collection of figures in the front hall, we were then able to tour the real gem of ScareFactory: the enormous, open warehouse studio in the back. It was really cool to see the inner workings of the studio and to meet and talk with some of the employees who worked there. It was great to get info directly from the creators of the amazing pieces that were on display:

Chh chh chh, ahh ahh ahh...

A T Rex head that was actually used in the film, Jurassic Park:

Some of the craziest animatronic armatures I had ever seen:

 

And there be plenty o' pirates, mateys:

This demon towered above the full size gate entrance. It must have been at least 20 feet tall:

A hallway full of animated corpses:

After completing the tour of the ScareFactory, it was then time to hop back on the bus and head out to our second destination, the ScareAtorium, one of Ohio's best and largest haunted attractions.

Unfortunately, we were one of the later buses to arrive, which meant that we had plenty of time to talk about the ScareFactory tour. And that is because we were at the end of a very, very long line. It took us well over an hour before we were able to get in and tour the haunted attraction...
 

And pictures were prohibited inside, so here is the lone shot I was able to get:

All joking aside, the ScareAtorium was a great haunted attraction, with two separate haunts inside. The Northland Asylum was ominous and creepy and Rip's 3D Funhouse took insanity to the third dimension. I had been through a couple of 3D attractions before, but some of the scenes in Rip's 3D Funhouse (especially some of the mazes) popped out way more. A great haunt that I'd love to go through again during peak season.

After touring the haunt, we were all allowed to see the ScareAtorium costume room to see the vast collection of costumes used throughout the haunt. That was quickly followed by a visit to their incredible makeup room, where we had the chance to meet and speak with Slappy the Clown, who also happened to be the haunt's head makeup artist.

The final treat (I guess...) was a couple of sliders and a drink from the friendly neighborhood White Castle food truck. I hadn't eaten at a White Castle in a long time. But hey, it was free and my stomach was empty, so it was worth it. Thanks, White Castle!!

We then boarded the bus, bound for our final destination of the night: the afterparty at VUE. It was the perfect end of the tour, having the chance to regroup with friends over a couple of cold beers to talk about everything we had seen.

ActionJax, Jody, Jimmy T and the fine gentleman whose name I completely forgot (sorry!)

They even had 2 x 4 Jenga. And when it crashed down, everyone in the bar could hear it:

After a few rounds, it was closing time, so we hopped a cab back to the hotel, ready to call it a night. That was, of course, before we walked past the hotel bar and saw a large group of friends that weren't quite ready to call it a night...

So we joined them!

Everyone was toasting a good start to the weekend's activities. Although the friendly police officers didn't seem to be sharing in our joyous mood...

After the final round of the night, we staggered up to our room, crawling into bed well after 2am. A good start to the weekend, indeed...