Escape Michael Myers (The Game)


Here's a fun one to get you through a slow day. In anticipation of the release of Halloween Ends, a fun little game has been released where you, playing as Laurie Strode, have to evade the always-pursuing shape of Michael Myers!


It's pretty simple, with only left and right movements to escape Michael Myers, but there are cool little weapons that you can pick up along the way to extend your escape through different sections of Haddonfield.


I'm pretty terrible at it, but this game is still pretty fun and it keeps us in the Halloween mindset as we wait patiently for the final (probably not FINAL final...) chapter of the Michael Myers saga, Halloween Ends. Give this one a shot and see how far you can run!


Play the Escape Michael Myers Game here. And fight like hell!

  

Simulakrum Lab - "Christine"


John Carpenter's iconic theme song to his 1983 hit, Christine, still stands as one of my personal favorites. But Simulakrum Lab's 2021 cover really offers a nice refresh on the original, giving it a cool, modern synthwave feel. Enjoy!


 

Jumping Spider Prop Upgrade


My first new prop for the 2022 season is done, and I'm pretty darn happy with the results...


Right after Halloween last year, I had a chance to check out the clearance sales at the local Spirit Halloween and Halloween USA stores, eventually grabbing this Jumping Spider prop. I rarely ever buy anything from any of these types of pop-up Halloween stores, as I never find anything that I absolutely need for my haunt display. I ended up going back and forth on this one, eventually plopping the cash down, figuring that I could do SOMETHING to it to make it a bit cooler for the following Halloween.




As I'm finally getting into build mode for this season, I remembered this prop sitting patiently in my basement, and went to work on ideas to make this a worthy piece to fit in my display. Upon pulling the spider out, dropping in some batteries, and then watching its mechanical arm spring into life, I was actually pretty impressed with the lunging action as well as the quality of "spider sounds."

The only thing lacking was the spider itself. Bland and a little "cartoony" looking for my liking, but definitely a solid base to work from.

I decided that I'm going to have this in the far end of my display, hiding out in a dark, web-laden corner of my front yard. I will have him triggered as trick-or-treaters walk down the sidewalk, lunging out from a shadowed cluster of bushes. I think it will make a great jump scare. But as is, the spider was just too dark. I wanted something that was going to be VERY noticeable as it lunged from the darkness. So I started doing some spider research...


I ended up using this beautiful Yellow Orb Weaver for reference. A perfect combination of bright and bold colors on the body, but still incredibly creepy-looking. In reality, it's a fairly harmless garden spider, but it will absolutely terrify passersby on the big night.

The paint detailing actually went pretty quickly. I masked off the glossy eyes, and then gave the entire body a quick coat of flat black for a base color.


Once the base coat was dry, I mixed up a nice grey for the face and "fur ring" behind the head. I then painted the fangs white and gave each of the spider's eyes a dot of white to simulate a light reflection (I wanted to make the eyes look a bit more shiny and reflective).

After detailing the head, I went to work on the legs, adjusting the position of each, and then loosely painting a dull yellow ring pattern on each leg. I manipulated each wire-and-fabric positionable leg to look as close to real as possible...

And for the last (and most detailed) step, I painted the Orb Weaver's detailed yellow splotch pattern down the back, using a multi-surface acrylic paint (it has to be multi-surface in order to stick to the fabric of the spider's body). The most difficult part was mirroring both sides of the pattern. It wasn't completely perfect, but it looks really, really good as a finished piece.


This thing is going to look SUPER creepy as it jumps out at you. And it was the perfect choice as my first prop of the season - a quick project with a huge improvement in looks, and it really gets the creativity flowing for the next project on my list. The only thing left for this is to add a thick plywood base to further anchor it down during the lunging motions, and then to staple down that attached cotton spider webbing material around it. Once everything is finalized, I'll be sure to post up some video of this thing in action.

Watch out, trick-or-treaters!

  

Caldon Glover - "Summoning The Cartographer"


 

Thematically "Labyrintia" was imagined as a structure in space older than humanity that runs sideways to our own universe, connecting physical and temporal spaces in our universe and the ur-universe alike that would otherwise be impossible to reach. Sonically it uses a blend of primitive acoustic folk instruments, as well as organic and electronic sound sources to create an ancient and timeless sound that evokes feelings of the rituals of a cthonic cults lost in other realms, as they worked tirelessly to open a door into this endless maze, to find their way home or to further their journey.

Another fantastic upcoming dark ambient release from Cyclic Law, perfectly setting the tone for another weekend of work in the Cemetery.

Enjoy.


"The Thing" Posters By Rafa Orrico


Mondo is going to be offering up these really cool, limited-edition posters for John Carpenter's iconic sci-fi/horror film, The Thing, by artist Rafa Orrico. A very unique twist to a film that has been covered a million times over. I REALLY dig the bold 60s typography, the stark black-and-white imagery, and the expansive swaths of white space.

The Thing (Version 2), by Rafa Orrico.

The Thing (Version 1), by Rafa Orrico.

Version 2 is the clear winner for me. Such a great treatment and so well designed. And each unique element cleverly plays to Carpenter's vividly horrifying storyline. I don't always go after the always hard-to-get Mondo posters, but this one will be the exception.

Both of Orrico's The Thing posters will go on sale at 11 am CT, Thursday, September 15 on the Mondo Shop site. Good luck!

 

Boy Harsher - "Burn It Down"


From the brand new soundtrack to Halloween Ends, just released today (this single, along with the entire soundtrack are available now at Sacred Bones)! I'm really digging this one, with its subdued synthwave sound. Enjoy!


  

Haunted House Ads From The Past


I have always said that I was very fortunate to have grown up as an 80s Halloween kid in Northeast Ohio. We have an unbelievably rich history of haunted houses dating as far back as the early 70s, and continue to produce some of the best attractions in the country today.

When I was younger, I would race home from school every Friday starting in mid-September and grab the local newspaper. I would immediately pull out the Friday magazine insert, a small self-contained section that would have everything going on for the upcoming weekend. I would flip right past all of the boring concert and festival ads until I found what I was feverishly looking for... the ads for all of the local haunted houses!!

I can still smell the black ink that was slapped onto the porous newsprint paper (you know, the kind that transferred immediately to your fingers as you touched the page?). Page after page of glorious, horrifying clip art, spooky fonts, and outrageous claims. And don't forget the "celebrity" appearances to really seal the deal! I would mark off the ones closest to us, in hopes of having my or one of my friends' parents drive us to one (or more if we REALLY begged!) of those magical locations to get the wits scared out of us while gawking with utter excitement at all the gory props, masks, and scenes. Every weekend up until Halloween night was the same thing. And it was spectacular.

I recently came across this online article from the Akron Beacon Journal, my local newspaper. They had gone back into the photo archives and gathered up a HUGE collection of these old ads that appeared in the newspaper, dating all the way back to 1972.

I couldn't believe the instant joy as I looked through the ads. All those wonderful memories came flooding back as I scrolled, my smile getting wider the further I went.

Enjoy this amazing little slice of Halloween history from my neck of the woods. Most of these haunts are long gone, but their memories are most certainly not forgotten!












More terrifying than last year.


Hinckley's Haunted Hollow was one of the first haunted houses that my parents ever took me to. I remember it being an outdoor trail, which at that time was unique to other haunted houses in the area. I also remember this one being SO much fun!

Giant Gore House of Bloodview Heights. Best name ever!



All images courtesy of the Akron Beacon Journal.

Please do yourself a favor and check out the original article. TONS more of these awesome old haunted house ads that offer a glimpse into a bygone era. Enjoy!

 

Claudio Simonetti's Goblin - Suspiria 45th Anniversary Tour


I'm pretty excited about this one! Claudio Simonetti's Goblin has announced a full U.S. tour in support of the 45th anniversary of Dario Argento's Suspiria!


Simonetti's Goblin will be performing the iconic score live during a showing of Dario Argento's Italian horror masterpiece, then followed up by another set of Goblin's horror soundtrack classics. This one is a no-brainer for me.

I had a chance to see Goblin fronted by original guitarist Massimo Morante (RIP) back in 2013 and it was an absolutely amazing experience! They will be playing Cleveland four days after Halloween, which will provide a nice respite from my post-holiday blues. 

Don't sleep on this one. If they are playing in your area, I would definitely go check this one out!!



Arktau Eos - Catacomb Resonator


Every man is a catacomb resonator; our very being resounds with hidden desires, dreams of unknown origin, and deeper still, primordial voices of our buried ancestry. We are a labyrinth unto ourselves; and equally we stand as a totem-pole at the crossroads of a universe, gazing into distant horizons. We are a nameless grave from which the self divine may rise to witness new constellations light up on the darkening firmament.

It is this process which the sixth Arktau Eos album attempts to convey: led by abyssal psalmody, the sonic tapestry is interwoven with dusty, crackling electronics of a bygone era and other, subtler elements for an all-enveloping sound that readily lends itself to prolonged listening sessions.

--X--

I'm finishing the week off by going deep into the darkness. I absolutely love this release (along with another of their releases, Unworldes) and it's deep, hollow, dark ritual ambience is the perfect primer to set me in the direction of Autumn. Yard haunt prop work begins in earnest this weekend and this will be the soundtrack to power me through it. A prolonged listening session indeed.

Enjoy.


 

Countdown To Halloween, 2022


 

Welcome to September, group! Only 30 more days until the greatest month of all! Only 30 more days until the REAL party starts!

I just signed up to participate in the annual Countdown To Halloween, where for my TWELFTH year in a row, I'll be celebrating all October with daily blog posts all the way up to the High Holiday itself. Anything and everything Halloween! An orange-and-black blitz of all things creepy and cool!

If you have participated in the past, I hope to see you again this October. If you haven't yet, please go check out the Countdown To Halloween blog and sign up for the fun. And don't forget to grab their annual banner, this year created by Mr. Chad Savage himself!



I've got a few more things to roll out this month, but please stop by the Cemetery on October 1st to get this party started!

Only 61 more days until the big night. Are you ready?