The Day After...

Every inch of my body aches, but I couldn't be any happier. We set everything up and the weather held out, resulting in our best yard haunt show in years. And we had a much bigger turnout than I expected. I was able to get a little video and some photos before the night time rains came, and we were able to get everything torn down and back into the garage before getting too wet. 

I'm still riding the incredible high from last night's festivities, but I'm going to take today off and just melt into the couch for the rest of the afternoon. I'll have the photos ready to go for tomorrow. I hope everybody else had an amazing Halloween!!

 

Happy Halloween!!

This is it!! We've finally made it!! The high holiday of Samhain is upon us, so go forth haunters and give the best performance that you can. 365 days of planning and building all come down to this...

But most important of all, don't forget to have fun!!! This is what we live for, so enjoy every single second of it.

Alright, my 5 minute window is up. The props are all up, the audio is cued up, the foggers are full and the lights are all on. It's show time. Time to give the neighborhood the best damn show they have ever seen!!

Everyone one have the absolutely most amazing and incredible Halloween that you can.

But also enjoy this crazy heavy metal video from days gone by...

"Horrible Sounds of Halloween" Cassette

Okay, here it is, the final (and late) Freebie Friday for 2015, and we're ending it with another gem! Another cassette picked up on a whim, Horrible Sounds of Halloween is a short blast of vintage, novelty Halloween greatness. Based on the blandness of the label, I assume this was released some time in the mid 80s. An unassuming orange label on both sides with a generic font. I know this thing was mass-produced on the cheap!!

But the greatness of this cassette lies not in the label, but in the audio. More low quality "Halloween" spook sounds with a quickening heartbeat underlying the entire 15 minute track (the audio is repeated on the second side, which is kind of a letdown...). And although the quality leaves much to be desired, there are honestly some cool, creepy sound effects scattered throughout. For a purchase on a whim, I'm really happy with this cassette!! Happy Halloween, everyone!!

DOWNLOAD "HORRIBLE SOUNDS OF HORROR" HERE.



The FINAL Halloween Weather Forecast Update:

It looks like we may be able to pull this off!! As long as those showers hold off, we should be able to get through trick-or-treat AND have everything put away before the rain comes. Keeping those fingers crossed for one more day!!!

  

Ghost Play "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert" TONIGHT!

If, like me, you're a fan of the band Ghost, then you need to get your DVR ready. Tonight, they will be performing on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert on CBS, starting at 11:35 pm EST/10:35 pm CST. A perfect little treat on the eve of the big night!!

  

LED Spotlights From Deadhead Props

After building and displaying my cemetery gate entrance, I realized that something was missing. I was happy with the columns and REALLY happy with the arched sign, but at night, there was no pinpointed lighting on the arch. You couldn't clearly read the sign, boldly proclaiming the Highbury Cemetery name. So I went on a search for cheap LED spotlights. The only condition was that they had to be battery-operated (and cheap), as they were at the end of my driveway and I didn't want any extension cord mess to deal with.

Fast forward to a recent lucky eBay find from Deadhead Props. I had purchased LED eyes from them before and on a chance viewing of their eBay offerings, found the perfect solution! Their battery operated LED flood lights were small, relatively cheap, they ran on 2 AA batteries each and gave off a ton of light!!

I took them out to the garage and just set them up next to the cemetery arch to see how they would illuminate the sign. As I stepped back, I was very happy with the results. These things give off a lot of light for the size, and with the right positioning, should illuminate the entire sign nicely.

And as an added bonus, these things still work great while sealed in a ziploc baggie. Because I wouldn't want them to get wet when the inevitable Halloween rains come. Which brings me to my next point...


Halloween Weather Forecast Update:

I'm not sure how other peoples' forecasts went from rain to no rain, while mine slides closer and closer to being 4 straight years of having to dry everything out. Oh well, all of my props have survived the previous years' soakers, so I'll just continue to keep my fingers crossed and hope for the best. ONLY 2 MORE DAYS TO GO!!! ARE YOU READY!?!?

   

Revenant's Hauntcast October "Theater of the Mind" Segment

So I'm sitting here, watching the remnants of Hurricane Whoever drop a steady downpour of rain across Northeast Ohio. Only this time, I'm actually quite thankful. I know that had this been 3 days later, Halloween would have been shot. Also, because I only set up my yard haunt display on Halloween night, all of my lovingly hand-made props are still safe, warm and dry in the garage, attic and/or basement.

I seem to be in a completely different mindset this year in regard to Halloween. No real stress to get all those last minute props completed for the big night, because I only had one prop project this year. Everything is slowly being gathered in the garage and will be put out in a methodical yet relaxed order this Saturday. There's almost a sense of calm. It's quite strange, yet strangely enjoyable...

Back at the start of September, I had a freak mountain bike crash that left me with a broken finger. Long story short, I eventually had to go in and get three pins put into it to hold it together for the next 8 weeks. I was devastated. My Halloween to-do list went right out the window. 

But as the days went on, I slowly came to terms with what happened and started rewriting my new to-do list. A very short and manageable list. I was forced to take a step back and re-evaluate Halloween. I could either poo-poo the whole thing, or be content with the little I could do for this year. And then, I strangely became okay with it. In taking that brief time out, I had a chance to refocus on what it was that made Halloween so great. The fun of putting everything up and putting on the best show that we could for the neighborhood kids and their parents.

And as I set out to work on my stress-free list, I happened to download the Hauntcast podcast for October. I paid special attention to Revenant's Theater of the Mind segment, "The ABC's of Haunt Planning." As I listened, it was like a mallet over the head. He was talking about everything I was going through! Be happy with what you can get done and not stress about the things you can't. Nobody else will know. Perfect! It was a pleasant boost of reinforcement that Halloween, 2015 is still going to kick ass at Highbury Cemetery.

I have gone back and listened to that segment two more times. If you're getting bogged down in that pre-Halloween freak out, why not take a second, catch your breath, and take a listen...

DOWNLOAD THE OCTOBER HAUNTCAST PODCAST HERE.


Halloween Weather Forecast Update:

It's going to be close. We might get a light shower during trick-or-treat, but I'm going to keep the fingers crossed, hoping that it holds off until everything is put away for the night. Please, please, please...