I finally have something of substance started for this season's haunt build! I was going to keep it under wraps, but I'm REALLY excited with the start of it, so I decided to show a little sneak peek.
I intend to build two decayed scarecrow figures to flank my cemetery gate entrance this season, both engulfed by large bunches of cornstalks. As I have it roughly sketched out, the figures will be emaciated, decayed and grotesquely twisted...
But for now, I simply have the start of the first figure, a custom painted "Harvester" scarecrow latex prophead from our friends at Closed Casket Studios. I wanted to give it a more rotten look, so I did a quick black wash near the bottom edges, around the neck rope, and flowing down from the eyes and mouth. And if you look closely, I have also added streaks of white "bird doody" at the top of the head - something that will carry over to the torso as well - giving this figure a sense of vulnerability, anguish and disrespect.
I hope to reveal the first full figure, complete with horrific name and backstory, very soon. The adrenaline is flowing and the rest of the figure will develop quickly. But because they will be positioned at the front entrance to the haunt, I intent to put a painstaking detail into each figure. So here is the start...
Another horror legend has passed. Tobe Hooper, director of classics like Poltergeist and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, died Saturday at age 74. Rest in peace, Tobe.
You can read more about Hooper's passing here. And the question that comes to my mind is that in losing two giants in the world of horror films (George Romero and now Tobe Hooper), which directors will step up and become the marquee names to lead the genre through the next generation?
Image courtesy of MovieStillsDB.com
And as I did with the passing of George Romero, I will sit down tonight and toast Hooper with a viewing of his 1974 masterpiece...
Time to fire up the old turntable! Today, Sacred Bones Records announced the preorder for the new John Carpenter release "Anthology: Movie Themes 1974-1998."
Thirteen classic movie themes, originally composed by John Carpenter and newly rerecorded with his new band. The preorders are already selling out, so get on it while you can!!
And if a new John Carpenter record wasn't enough, he has also announced a new set of tour dates to support the release!! It looks like he's skipping the great state of Ohio again, so it looks like I'll be making the trek up to Detroit to catch the show.
I was fortunate enough to see his last show in Detroit, and it was absolutely amazing and fun. Read about it here.
It's time for the 2nd Annual Cleveland Haunt Club Haunted Garage Sale! If you are in the Cleveland area this Saturday, August 19th, why not stop out at the Bay Village Community House in Bay Village, Ohio, and score some cool new haunt, Halloween and horror gear!
I made it to the first annual sale last year and sold 90% of my entire table in the first two hours. Tons of people, tons of vendors and tons of fun! Come on out and say hello!
Feel the cold winter air on bare skin atop Majestic Cathedrals. Hear the
archaic chanting echoing from never ending halls below. Taste the iron
from blood filled chalices of forgotten secret orders. Bow down on
bruised knees before the serpent pillar in Sacral Monasteries. Partake
in rituals hidden but practiced since the dawn of time.
Wow.
I absolutely love this track. It starts off light and airy, with the serene sounds of birds and nature, and then quickly dives into a cold, desolate choral droning that sounds like it emanates from the hollowed out shell of an old stone cathedral. This track has a TON of atmosphere, and would work really well in a Gothic haunt scene (the Davis Graveyard abbey, anyone?).
And the faceless, hooded figure in the video below. A perfect choice for a new monster mud figure. I need to make it happen!
A quick glance at the calendar and I realize that it has caught me by surprise yet again.
100 days until Halloween. Dammit.
Why not whip up the next image in the Highbury Cemetery Graphic Series, and then get out into the sweltering heat of the late July night and get some new Halloween props done??
Good idea...
Lots of new posts coming, I swear... The project list is written out (again), and now it's time to start crossing some things off. Time to get to it.
A cold, weathered hand pierces the rust-laden earth of a late autumn night. Reanimated decay becomes the evening's guide. Masked faces bask in the fiery glow of a jack-o-lantern's illumination. A lifeless finger points the direction toward the next porch-lit house. For this is the night of ghouls and goblins and tricks and treats. This is the night of Hallowe'en...