"Sounds of Halloween" Cassette

Somehow we are already into our third weekend in October, and we're starting it off with another Freebie Friday! As with every Friday throughout October, I scour my collection of vintage novelty Halloween records and cassettes and then share them with all of you.

This time around, we have Distribution Madacy Inc's Canadian novelty gem from 1998, Sounds of Halloween.

Warning: This Cassette Is Not To Be Listened To In The Dark. Listen To This Cassette At Your Own Risk!

Sounds That Will Keep You And Your Children On The Edge Of Your Seat During Parties Or On Dark Stormy Nights.

"Spine Chilling" / "Hair Raising" / "Heart Pounding" Sound Effects

Instantly, with warnings like these, Sounds of Halloween completely hits the mark for me. Another in a long line of novelty releases with crazy, over-the-top warning labels, coupled with some really great cover illustration work. In researching this release, I actually found out that they put some effort into this, releasing at least three different covers: the cat & pumpkin (this one), a skull pumpkin & deranged hospital worker, and a really great pumpkin & haunted house.

They also had another similar release called Halloween Tricks & Treats, although it looks like it has slightly different tracks including a full-length Halloween story. And if it has anywhere near the quality that this release has, it is going on my want list right now!

Sounds of Halloween has your standard collection of Halloween sounds including thunder and rain, howling winds, snarling wolves, church bells, a pissed off cat, rattling chains, a few "borrowed" screams and laughter, creaking floors and doors, some weird and random space noises, a REALLY cool organ, and a few other odd sounds thrown in for good measure. But the production quality is higher than average and has a surprisingly full sound to it.

It's a fun, continuous 18-minute mix that hits the sweet spot for the nostalgic sounds of Halloween. The only drawback is that the same track is repeated on side two, robbing the listener of another potential 18 minutes of ghastly greatness!

DOWNLOAD "SOUNDS OF HALLOWEEN" HERE.

Therradaemon - "Ildspor"

I'm a huge fan of Norwegian dark ambient artist, Northaunt, with his lush, atmospheric soundscapes. But his best work by far is his side project, Therradaemon, in which he explores a darker, more sinister side of the genre.

The thick, dark, tense sounds produced on this release, particularly the track Ildspor, are a seasonal favorite around the Cemetery and would work unbelievably well in a haunt setup. Enjoy 11 minutes of pure dread!

Edgar Allan Poe - The Tell Tale Heart

The film that you are about to see is based on a story told a hundred years ago by America's greatest master of drama and suspense...

This story is told through the eyes of a madman... who, like all of us, believed that he was sane.

Here is surely the most bizarre, incredible version of Poe's infamous tale of madness. A disturbing animated short film created in 1953 by UPA, featuring a wonderful narration by James Mason. The nightmarish illustration and discordant music combine to create an effective creepiness that gives this short film a thorough sense of dread and makes it a very enjoyable watch.

A Halloween Nightmare

So it happened again. That nightmarish dream that always catches me off-guard in the days leading up to Halloween night. You know the one. Where it’s Halloween night, trick-or-treat is beginning and I suddenly realize that I don’t have anything set up. Nothing. I’m immediately smothered under a blanket of panic and dread…

And then I wake up. It’s completely dark and I have no idea where I’m at. Confused, I look around. I see the clock. 3:12 am. It was all just a nightmare. Again…

For the past 3 or 4 years, I have had this happen, and I’m actually used to it by now. The stress of the Halloween season manifests itself in this same dream that always seems too real. It almost serves as a warning to make sure that everything is ready to go.

And even this year, with our new location and a scaled-back display, the stress begins to mount and the nightmare still arrives. Luckily, I seem to be ahead of the game this time around. I’ve brought most of my props to the new house, and I now know when my official neighborhood trick-or-treat is (Sunday the 27th, from 5-7, which actually kinda sucks, but I’ll go into that a bit more at another date…).

So my internal warning has gone off and the final run-in to Halloween is on! Time to get those last few things checked off the list and hope that we have a good turnout. 16 days until the big night. Are you ready?

I'm headed back out to the garage. Good luck, everyone.

Black Moon - A Dark Ambient Industrial Mix

Since discovering the dark ambient genre many years ago, I have listened to it to help with falling asleep, while concentrating on projects at work, while working on Halloween props in the garage, and most importantly as the audio component in my yard haunt. I absolutely love it.

And one of the current go-to labels of the dark ambient genre is Cyclic Law, who consistently put out top-notch releases, including many cool mixes on their YouTube channel. Simply press play and get transported to a dark, ethereal place.

Last month they released Black Moon, A Dark Ambient Industrial Mix and I have been listening to it repeatedly. A really cool sampling from their most recent releases, all of which flow together into a nice dark, discordant atmosphere. Perfect for a night in the garage, hammering out this year's Halloween props!

Enjoy!

Reed Hill Cemetery - Medina, Ohio

It's time for another Cemetery Sundays post, where I take my camera through local cemeteries, photographing the richly ornate epitaphs and tombstones located within.

Last week, I mentioned the upside to moving into my new home, opening up an entirely new area of unexplored cemeteries. This week, I'll continue that with a cemetery discovered almost by accident.

Reed Hill Cemetery is a very small, old cemetery located one of the many backroads in Medina, Ohio. The only reason I discovered it was on a chance bike ride early one morning with friends. Although it was still dark, I noticed the shadowed outlines of tombstones as we raced down the road. I had just enough time to make a mental note of the intersection it was located at (I had no idea where I was at the time, as I was simply following guys who knew the route!).

As I started compiling my list for this year's cemeteries to visit, I remembered this one and located it on the map. As I arrived just after sunrise, I quickly realized that this cemetery had no signage whatsoever. No name, no nothing! In fact, I had to check Google Maps to find out what the cemetery's name was!

Nevertheless, I roamed the small grounds, which had a surprisingly large amount of great tombstones from the mid- to late-1800s, the target years for the most detailed tombstone work. Perfect reference material for future tombstones for my home haunt!

When I was finished, I had a camera full of great shots to share. So as always, sit back and enjoy (and be inspired by) Reed Hill Cemetery...

Royal Huntley. Aged 12 years, 2 months, 20 days. Killed by the falling of a tree.

What a rough way to go...

I haven't seen too many tombstones like this all-metal one before. Is it galvanized to prevent rust? Very unique, and such a great old western font used for Pemberton Randall's name.