Horror Section - "Hell On Earth"

Here's a great one for your weekend! Horror Section's brand new track, Hell On Earth, from their upcoming release "Part III: Return To Rot" (wanna preorder it now?). A perfect little pop punk homage to the horror classic, Hellraiser III: Hell On Earth.

What started in hell will end on earth. Enjoy!

  

2024 Pumpkin Dump Video

Just a quick Instagram video to share from this year's Pumpkin Dump. Another successful drop at another local, abandoned house. They really do make a great backdrop!

Enjoy!

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Witching Season Films - Halloween Atmospheres: The Complete Series

Immerse yourself in a perpetual state of Halloween nostalgia and chilling ambiance with "Halloween Atmospheres," a mesmerizing compilation of eerie visuals and haunting music crafted to evoke the magical whimsy of Halloween all year round.

Nearly two-and-a-half hours of Witching Season Films' trademark visuals guaranteed to give you the black-and-orange warm fuzzies. SO much lush, nostalgic Halloween atmosphere to help get you into that seasonal spirit. Kick back and enjoy these amazing October vibes!

  

Spooky Sounds of the Morgue

Here's a fun one for the weekend! Last October, I ended up grabbing a copy of Fright Rags' limited edition "Spooky Sounds of the Morgue" 7" record and t-shirt bundle. It's a really cool, nostalgic old school "spooky sounds" record with a great illustration on the cover and on the shirt. Along with the soundtrack, animator Mickey Miles created a full video to go along with it. And it is crazy!

From the Fright Rags YouTube channel:

Do you accept the Fright-Rags Fantom's invitation to enter The Morgue?!... Immerse yourself in a macabre auditory & visual experience, as he sends you on a waltz through a nightmarish journey. Each hair-raising note is guaranteed to send shivers down your spine & leave you checking the corners for the boogeyman. Good luck!

And if you missed out on this release, don't fret. This is expected as a full digital release this Halloween. Enjoy!

Transworld 2023 Walkthrough Video

So here's a post for everyone (like me) who WASN'T in St. Louis this weekend for the annual Transworld Halloween & Attraction Show! 

I spent the weekend looking at all the YouTube, Facebook and Instagram posts and videos from the annual Halloween tradeshow, and it looked like the show was phenomenal again. Next year, I REALLY need to get back there!

I settled on posting this show walkthrough video from Brick Thunder because it did a great job of showing everything from the tradeshow floor. So much variety and so much volume!

Enjoy the video and maybe, just maybe we'll see you there in 2024...

  

God Jul

Wishing all of my fellow haunters, haunted house freaks, Halloween enthusiasts and fans of the macabre a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from Highbury Cemetery! I've decided that for the first time in quite a few years, I'm skipping the annual Christmas day posting of the "Grandpa scene" from Silent Night, Deadly Night.

Instead, I'm just going to post this wonderful little video from Pär Boström. A beautiful clip of his music set over a cool little scene of his father's homemade Santa village. (But don't worry, Boström's masterful ambience still draws on a bit of the darkness. So there's no for concern that I have suddenly gone soft!)

Everyone have a wonderful Christmas day, and we'll get back at it in short order. Enjoy!

  

Jan Terri - "Get Down Goblin"

Okay, I hope you liked the previous post about a little Halloween cheese on a Tuesday. Because if you did, you are going to LOVE this one.

As I was wrapping up this morning's Bollock Brothers post about kitschy music that is surprisingly/annoyingly catchy (and you end up singing it all day, like me), my thoughts wandered to other Halloween tunes that had the same effect.

And this one immediately popped into my head. You couldn't blame me for the first one, but you ABSOLUTELY can blame me for this one getting suck in your brain. It's the 1994 "internet famous" hit from Jan Terri, "Get Down Goblin."

It's a "so bad, it's good" Halloween classic with poor audio production, silly lyrics, ridiculous video choreography, and an absolutely amazing, catchy chorus that is way better than it has any right to be.

There is something just so endearing about this whole thing. I will freely admit that I'm a fan of this song, and you will be, too. Because you'll be singing it to yourself for the rest of the day.

Push play and enjoy! And you're welcome...

 

Halloween Atmospheres: Volume IV

Who's ready for a quick jolt of pure October?? I absolutely love Witching Season Films'  Halloween Season series, and their brand new chapter is their best yet. You can sit back, press play, and instantly be transported directly into the middle of the Halloween season no mater where (or when) you are. So very good for the haunter soul!

Halloween Atmospheres: Volume 4 is the fourth part of our "Halloween Atmospheres" series. It is a compilation of spooky atmospheric visuals and music designed to set the perfect Halloween atmosphere 365 days a year. It is the ideal companion for Halloween parties, carving pumpkins, or just whenever you need a Halloween pick-me-up.

And eagle-eyed viewers should find the opening shots somewhat familiar, as it is a shot-for-shot homage to the opening sequence of Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers! Someone went through ALOT of work to create this one and the end product is so, so good!

Enjoy!!

  

Haunted Overload Daytime Walkthrough

So you might have seen this posted over at Pumpkinrot's blog (does anybody still visit his site?? wink, wink), but this video is just too gorgeous not to share and share again. 

In 2016, Mrs. Highbury and I took an October trip to Salem, Massachusetts. But the true highlight was driving over to experience Haunted Overload, a personal bucket list haunt in Lee, New Hampshire.

To this day, Haunted Overload is still at the top of my all-time favorite haunts list. And it's not even close. The design and scale is unlike anything else you have seen, and the organic decay throughout the outdoor wooded haunt gives a truly creepy feel as you walk from one absolutely stunning scene to the next.

And watching Grimm-Life Collective's amazing daytime walkthough video only pushes Haunted Overload further to the top. So much intricate detail on such a grand scale. And with a daytime walkthrough, you can stop and appreciate every little detail and take your time to really absorb each scene.

After seeing this one, I realize that it's probably time for me to head back up for another Haunted Overload experience.

Who's coming with me??

John Carpenter - "The Dead Walk"

I'm patiently waiting for this one to release on February 5 on Sacred Bones Records. Man, that seems far away... 

More wonderful work from the synth master himself!

Count Spookula's Horrorthon: Halloween Special

Enjoy this hilarious, lowbrow horror host schlock special from Witching Season Films. Happy Halloween, Count Spookula!!

Witching Season Films - Halloween Atmospheres: Volume III

I had to wait on today's post, but it is SO worth it! Tonight, Witching Season Films just premiered their newest video, Halloween Atmospheres: Volume III. Ready to immerse yourself into the pure essence of spooky Halloween fun and nostalgia?

From the Witching Season Films YouTube page:
Just in time for Halloween! Halloween Atmospheres: Volume 3 is the third part of our "Halloween Atmospheres" series. It is a compilation of spooky atmospheric visuals and music designed to set the perfect Halloween atmosphere 365 days a year. It is the ideal companion for Halloween parties, carving pumpkins, or just whenever you need a Halloween pick-me-up.

There is something so satisfying and strangely calming about this video. I absolutely love it, and I hope you will, too! Enjoy!!

Die Pagger Buam - "Kramperl, Kramperl, Besenstiel"

Ummmm, what??

ASHTORETH - "Rite II-Fire" Video

A wisp of smoke where Spirit hides

wills the fire to refine and cleanse that of old

The new video from Belgian artist, ASHTORETH. A wonderfully dark soundscape for a dreary, cold and wet morning...

Subtype Zero - "Inhumane"

I've been meaning to post this one for a while now. Local Cleveland band Subtype Zero is absolutely killing it with that "'86 Slayer" classic thrash sound. I picked up their first LP when it was released and it is killer all the way through. This is a band that I'm definitely going to check out live!

Ghost - "Dance Macabre"

For me, this track ranks right at the top alongside Square Hammer and Ritual as Ghost's best songs. And today, they released the new video for Dance Macabre. Enjoy!!

Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats - "Mind Crawler"

This very well may be the greatest music video ever created. Ever. And damn if the song doesn't kill it, too.

Ghost - "Rats"

Yes, I still love the band Ghost. News of a new single brought me back into the fold and I'm really excited about the announcement that their next record, Prequelle, will be released June 1st.

The video for their first single, Rats, was released today. Featuring their next "new singer" Cardinal Copia, this one really makes me laugh. The choreographed dancing is pretty corny, but they really take it over the top and the song is very catchy. I absolutely love the feeling that they aren't taking it too seriously and having a ball, all the while giving the middle finger to all the "metal purists" who continue to scream about them not being metal.

I love this band.

John Carpenter - "Christine"

Iconic horror director and composer John Carpenter's newly re-recorded theme for his classic 1983 film, Christine, set to a brand new video. But this time, the driver of the cherry red '58 Plymouth Fury isn't Arnie Cunningham...

Midwest Haunters Convention, 2017

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!

Allen Hopps, doing what he does best.

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.