"Beyond The Black Rainbow" Soundtrack, 2014

I recently discovered the 2010 Panos Cosmatos-directed retro 80s science fiction film, Beyond The Black Rainbow, due in large part to the film's soundtrack being co-released on vinyl (hooray!!) by Death Waltz Records and Jagjaguwar.

While the film itself is a stunning visual feast for the eyes, the soundtrack is what really stands out. Sinoia Caves' minimalist, synth-driven tracks drive home the dystopian ambient undercurrent of the cold and sterile environment that envelopes the main characters.

I cannot recommend both the film and the soundtrack enough! Beyond The Black Rainbow is now streaming on Amazon Prime. Enjoy!

Listen to the entire soundtrack playlist here.

 

The United Monster Talent Agency

Directed by Greg Nicotero. See how many famous faces you can spot in this hilarious short...

Adler Westfield - Part Three: The Final Costume

Lost or Forgotten Photography set up at this year's Midwest Haunters Convention and were taking photos of everyone at the Saturday night masquerade party. We decided to get in line and get a photo:

The Adler Westfield costume (complete with saggy mustache), in its completion, along with cohort Jimmy T:

Photo by Lost or Forgotten Photography.

See the rest of the Lost or Forgotten Photography photos from the masquerade party here.


 

Happy Friday the 13th!

And don't forget to check out tonight's Honey Moon!

 

Midwest Haunters Convention, 2014: Part Three

So after an awesome Friday bus tour followed by a great Saturday trade show and pizza party, we were now ready to top it all off with the marquee event of the weekend, the Saturday Night Masquerade Party...

We got back to our hotel room with a couple of hours to get ready. Full makeup and costuming applied in record time and we were ready to hit it. But not before a quick MHC selfie:

We quickly made our way to the ballroom with camera in hand...

Our fellow Northern Ohio Home Haunters: Stacey, Sabrena and Vince.

The family that slays together, stays together!

"Allen Hopps" and the Haunters Hangout crew. Allen, is the heat gun hot?

After a quick tour of the lobby, it was time for the Body Art Fashion Show.

BOOM!

We ended up skipping the "Miss Scary Midwest" and "Scariest Costume" contests in order to get some fresh air and fresh drinks, but we came back to snap a few more photos.

A fellow reveler with an eye for fine follicle detail. I commend you, sir!

After taking this photo, I found out later that this was actually Hector Turner, creator of the Halloween Haunt Calendar. Glad you could make it down from Canada, Hector!

Hauntcast's resident g-host, Chris Baker, is rounding third and heading for home. I'm glad I didn't meet up with him in a subway bathroom stall (that's a Warriors reference for all of you young folks out there). RIP, Hauntcast!

At the end of the night, the feet were hurtin' and the 'stache was saggin' so it was almost time to call it a night...

 

...although Jim was still having a great time, as evidenced by the large grin.

And yes, as we made our way past the hotel bar, the usual suspects were there, ready to continue the party on until the wee hours.

A big thanks to ActionJax for the following photos. I was so busy shooting everybody else, I forgot to get a couple pictures of Jimmy T and myself. D'oh... 

I'm still waiting the photos that were taken by Lost or Forgotten Photography. When they are finally uploaded, I'll be sure to post a link so that we can see all of the insane costumes at this year's party.

Photos by ActionJax.

At 3am and finally makeup free, I staggered into bed, putting an end to another incredible Midwest Haunters Convention. We woke up Sunday morning, packed our gear and headed home. The entire ride back, we talked about all of the events that we managed to pack into one weekend, and how we couldn't wait to do it again next year.

And now our official countdown can begin, because they have already announced the dates for 2015. I'll be sure to see everyone in Columbus on May 29-31!!

  

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...