Our Countdown Begins...


 

 

Svarte Greiner - "Easy On The Bones"




July Make & Take, 7-19-14





It had been almost two years since the Northern Ohio Home Haunters group had last gathered for a make & take, so it was well overdue that we get back together and get the collective juices flowing. I had been in a bit of a lull after this year's Midwest Haunters Convention and this was just what I needed to get back into my October groove.

And, it was nice to reconnect with some old faces as well as to meet some new...




Eric was kind enough to volunteer his garage for the Saturday afternoon gathering, and had it all done up with his new "Patient Skelly" as well as some work-in-progress tombstones.




Craig showed off his "Skelly in the Outhouse" prop: pneumatic opening door, talking skull routine with synchronized flashing LED eyes, wiper motor arm movements, red LED lights inside the outhouse and a fog machine under the seat, all controlled by a PIR sensor and prop controller. Yeesh!





We also had time to help Eric finish his talking skull, the project from the last make & take we had, two years ago!

But the highlight of the day was definitely Tracee and Matt's makeup demo. We got a hands-on demo with using gelatine for makeup effects...




(I had major makeup case envy...)



Applying some gelatine (a simple mixture of store-bought, unflavored Knox gelatine mixed with hot water and manipulated with a popsicle stick as it cooled)...



Adding a length of surgical tubing for a cyborg effect. The rigidity and adherance of the gelatine was much stronger than with liquid latex or spirit gum. Something that I didn't know, but am now very eager to try out soon!

(To point out, the white areas where the tubes are attached are actually a thin overcoating of latex. The latex is used to cover and "seal" the gelatine to keep it from hardening and to keep it soft and flexible.)

Tracee also brought some of her incredible mache projects...






And Matt brought a foam zombie head that he was working on...



 

Notice his left hand - we also had a "bloody wound" tutorial. He also brought some found paintings that he had made some "improvements" to...

 

(Note the shambling zombies added in the trees on the left side, the bridge and in front of the barn. Hilarious!)

After more than six hours of talking, eating, watching, working and fixing, it was finally time to depart - but not before one surprise from our hosts:






And just when you think you can't possibly top "Buttered Popcorn" or "Glazed Doughnut" Vodka as a party favor, the final surprise of the night came from Stacy (via Eric), in the form of 4 sections of cemetery fence and a handful of extra finials that she didn't need - FREE of charge!!! THANK YOU, Stacy!! This is a big piece to check off my build list for this year. These are going to look great stretching across the front yard cemetery this year!




A long overdue but very successful day, with our next project already in the works for our August get-together. I'll be sure to post up the info as soon as it's finalized. I can not wait to get working on next month's project—it's going to be in your face!!
 


Ringworm, Live in Cleveland 7-11-14


On rare occasions, this old guy still likes to get out to a show every now and again. Last night, I had the opportunity to see long-time Cleveland hardcore veterans Ringworm play at The Foundry. Killer set, although attendance was a little thin, especially for a local band...












Evans City Cemetery - Evans City, Pennsylvania


I made it back to Highbury HQ just in time to roll out a very special Cemetery Sundays edition. Usually, Cemetery Sundays is reserved for the month of October, when I roam the grounds of a local cemetery, documenting and sharing photographs of the old and beautiful tombstones. But I found myself near Pittsburgh and had some extra time, so I decided to check out one of the cemeteries that had been on the top of my list: Evans City Cemetery.

What is so special about this cemetery and what was it that put it at the top of my list? Ask any fellow horror geek and they'll tell you! It isn't often that you can visit a place that is part of horror film history. A place that started a revolution!

See, Evans City Cemetery was one of the locations for the filming of George Romero's zombie-genre defining classic from 1968, Night of the Living Dead!



If you'd like some music to go along with this post, I still have the film's soundtrack, ripped directly from the original vinyl (complete with "vintage" pops and cracks!) available for free here.

Many of the tombstones and other features that were used in the opening scenes of the film are still standing some 46 years later...



Upon entering the grounds, you'll find the original chapel (which is currently being renovated after falling into disrepair) where Johnny and Barbara parked to visit their father's grave.








 (Strange that George Romero isn't credited on the plaque as one of the directors!)




On the side of the building was an entryway, although I was not feeling adventurous on this day.






I also found the tombstones where Johnny and Barbara paid their respects, shortly before things take a turn for the worse...




"They're coming to get you, Barbara."





And I'm happy to see that after many people have visited and photographed this particular tombstone, it is still clean and vandalism-free.






And finally, when poor Johnny meets his end at the hands of the cemetery ghoul, his head is smashed against the Father Clyde Lewis Myers tombstone.



And while it is really, really cool to see the horror nostalgia of the grounds, it would be a mistake to not go and see some of the interesting and wonderfully weathered old stones throughout the rest of the cemetery...