Charnel House - "Within The Depths Of Isolation"

And with literally just a few minutes to spare, I finally make a contribution to Quarantine-o-ween. 

Surprise, it's a brand new track from my haunt ambient audio project, Charnel House!!!

I decided that I wanted to go bigger than just posting a few Halloween-inspired photos, but with limited time today, I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to pull this off. But somehow, I managed to crank this whole thing out in time to share it with all of the other Quarantine-o-ween revelers. I hope this provides some respite from your isolation...

So for those that don't know, Charnel House is an audio project that I started two years ago. I wanted to combine my love for the dark ambient music genre and audio that could be used in a pro or home haunt setting. I started playing around with field recordings and various samples, and came up with a few tracks. I then posted all tracks here for free, as my way of giving back to my beloved haunt community. But mostly I'm doing this because it's a ton of fun!

Check the link below to grab this track for free. And if you like it, go check out my Charnel House page and grab the rest of the tracks. 

Enjoy, and Happy Quarantine-o-ween!!!

In the new era of self-quarantine, the continued constriction of confinement 

becomes maddening as each second of the clock echoes deeper and deeper 

into the darkness of the isolated self…a discordant track composed 

to celebrate Quarantine-o-ween, March 31, 2020.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD "WITHIN THE DEPTHS OF ISOLATION."

  

Quarantine-o-ween: Halloween Atmospheres Vol. I & II

Happy Quarantine-o-ween! It's the second greatest day of the year!! A day full of Halloween fun to enjoy while waiting out our Coronavirus quarantine.

I don't have a lot of time today, with trying to work from home AND homeschool my son, but I can't let the day go by without doing something!

So here we go! A little something from the incredible Witching Season Films! Some much-needed Halloween atmosphere, packed full of spooky sights and creepy sounds from our favorite holiday. And they really nailed it in both volumes!!

So kick back, press play, and be transported straight to October!! Enjoy!

Tomorrow Is Quarantine-o-ween!

If you haven't heard, there's a new holiday for all us Halloween fanatics trying to stay sane during the Coronavirus pandemic. Part Quarantine, part Halloween, it Quarantine-o-ween!

A fun little event for all haunters and Halloween lovers. Something to do to prevent us from going insane...

Decorate for Halloween

Put on a Halloween costume

Take photos

Share Your Photos Online

#quarantineoween

I'm actually looking forward to this new holiday. And although I will be busy working from home AND trying to play teacher for my son, I am definitely going to do SOMETHING!! And so should you! Let's make this a day of Halloween fun, and don't forget to tag it #quarantineoween!

Check back tomorrow to see what I come up with. And also check out the Highbury Cemetery Instagram page, where I'll be posting up some photos.

Happy Quarantine-o-ween!!!

  

FrightProps 2020 Catalog Available For FREE!

Okay, haunters. If you're sitting around in quarantine, thinking about new prop ideas for Halloween, I might have something to help you out!

Every year, I keep my copy of the annual FrightProps catalog handy and flip through it until the pages practically fall out. It's one of my go-to resources for inspiration on what is possible for my home haunt display. Plus, it's a huge catalog crammed full of killer props of all shapes and sizes, AND it has a few handy reference guides. It really is an invaluable resource for both home and pro haunters.

And the new 2020 catalog has just dropped, FREE OF CHARGE! Head over to FrightProps and order one before they're gone. Because who knows when you'd have another chance to snag one (unless of course you are ordering something from them!).

And if you aren't into a physical copy, you can also check out a digital version!

Now get to work! Halloween is only 217 days away!!

  

Cinema Corona #02: Night Of The Demons

It's time for another gem from Cinema Corona, our little online place to gather, hang out, and enjoy some Halloween- and horror-related goodies from across the internet. A place to pass the time as we quarantine and socially distance ourselves in order to stay safe in these crazy times.

Tonight, we're headed back to the demon-possessed late 80s with another smash cult classic!

Night Of The Demons (1988)

Again, reviews for this 80s demon classic are all over, so there's no need for a full review here. It's the classic "bored teenagers break into an abandoned funeral home to party on Halloween night, accidentally awaken demon spirits who then possess the partygoers, and all hell then proceeds to break loose" horror film. But it's soooooo good! And the visual effects are pretty damn awesome, too. 

Look for everybody's favorite scene - Linnea Quigley's game of "hide the lipstick" - and let's not forget my favorite scene, where Angela does her fireplace strippy-demon-possession-under-a-strobe-light dance to the tune of Bauhaus' Stigmata Martyr. And of course, every single scene with ol' Stooge is pure 80s gold.

Equal parts scary and fun, this one is a great time. Enjoy!!

Cinema Corona #01: Black Roses

So here I am in Ohio, three hours before our mandatory stay-at-home order goes into effect. I'm happy to FINALLY be working from home, but I won't lie... I am getting a bit nervous about the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Luckily, people across the globe are doing things to connect and entertain others in any way they can, creating support networks to help us all get through these crazy times.

These acts are pretty amazing, and I have been inspired to do what I can to add to it. Especially for our little creepy community of haunters, horror fanatics, and Halloween freaks.

So I have decided to open up Cinema Corona, a new feature where I post up the craziest stuff I can find across the internet. A place where you can come enjoy something Halloween- or horror-related, that will take your mind off of things for a while. Some mindless fun in order to turn off your brain for just a bit...

If there's something you'd like to see, hit me up in the comments! Now let's have some fun!

I hope you guys enjoy this!! (And as always, please be smart and stay safe...)

Black Roses (1988)

My god, where to begin with this one? It has been reviewed many, many times over, so I'm not going to go deep with a review of my own. Basically, an unbelievably cheesy 80s heavy metal band (complete with their own Lamborghinis!) decides to play a series of shows in a quiet, nowhere midwestern town to the dislike of the town elders. (Footloose, anyone?) Mayhem ensues as the town's teenagers are slowly possessed, literally, because as it turns out, the band is actually a group of demons trying to recruit their minions. Literal demons. And the only one who can stop this evil, evil plan is the town's Magnum, P.I. look-alike, the high school English teacher!

Enjoy this one with its way-too-catchy 80s metal tracks (the title track, Me Against The World, is a legitimately awesome metal track and is featured at the beginning of the film), incredible 80s hair, an unbelievable scene where a stereo speaker demon eats future Sopranos actor, Vincent Pastore, and the laughably, laughably bad "demon" practical effect sculpts. They are so cartoonish, they look like they were made as a joke.

But even with all of that, this gem earns its cult status because it really is a great, late-80s heavy metal horror flick. Give this one a watch quickly, as I have seen it posted before only to be taken down quickly. Just don't watch it with the little ones, as it has some naughty words and some nakey scenes.

Slayer - "Epidemic"

Bringing a little fun to our quarantine downtime. Please remember to wash your hands and stay safe out there, haunters!

Haunting In The Age Of Corona

So within the past 48 hours, our lives have literally been turned upside down. The Coronavirus pandemic now grips the entire country and has become all anyone talks about.

Transworld has just announced that their annual Halloween & Attractions Show has been postponed. Haunts across the country have cancelled St. Patty's Day-themed events that were have to taken place this weekend. Concerts, sporting events, conventions, conferences and any other large gathering events have been cancelled, postponed or closed. And here in Ohio, all schools across the state have just been ordered closed for the next three weeks.

So what's a haunter to do?

Stop. Take a deep breath and exhale. We'll get through this.

Of course I do not know everyone's individual circumstances as it relates to this new pandemic, but regardless now is not the time to panic. Losing it now only leads to completely unnecessary shortages of toilet paper.

I'm not remotely an optimist, but I'm viewing this one a bit differently. It gives us a chance to hit the reset button. It also gives us a break from the hectic lives we lead, allowing us a rare chance to reprioritize things. Unplug and whittle away at some of the things that upon reflection, we might not truly need.

In these next few weeks, it might be necessary to put all things haunting on a back shelf for a bit. And I think that is okay. Take this time to make sure that you are prepared and informed. And most importantly, check in on friends and family. Because once this crazy outbreak is finally over, we're going to have to step up and support the hell out of our fellow haunters in the industry to make sure we ALL make to it Halloween!

(Actually, you can start right now! Most vendors are running their Transworld show specials online. Get show discounts from the safety and comfort of your home today!)


And in the meantime, please check out the CDC website for information on how to stay informed and prepared to deal with this outbreak. 

Stay safe out there, my haunt family. Let's get through this as quickly as possible, so we can all get back to doing what we love the most!