The Miller Family Cemetery at Stoney Hill - Bath, Ohio

So I decided to do another Cemetery Sundays post. I didn't have much time, so I finally decided to check this little gem that is located a quick 5 minute bike ride from my house off the list.

I have been wanting to check out the Miller Family Cemetery at Stoney Hill for a LONG time. It's a small little cemetery nestled just off of one of the busiest roads in my town. In fact, if you didn't know about it, you (like the hundreds of other cars that drive by daily) would completely miss it.

It's a small cemetery comprised mostly of Hopkins and Miller family graves from the mid- to late-1800s. These families were the earliest settlers to the area in the early 1800s, and donated this land for a family cemetery. And although there aren't many graves here, the well-maintained cemetery has many old tombstones with wonderfully ornate epitaphs and designs. Perfect for my project! 

And something unique to this cemetery is that the groundskeepers took the older, broken stones and put them back together, setting them flat in concrete slabs for preservation. An interesting and unique way to save the historic old stones.

So sit back enjoy a quick trip through the Miller Family Cemetery at Stoney Hill...

Highbury Cemetery Logo, 2020

Each October, I like to start the annual Countdown to Halloween with the unveiling of my yard haunt logo for the year. It's a great way to set the tone for the spooky season, and it gets me motivated to finish all the planned projects for the year's haunt.

Since 2003, I have created an increasingly defined and prominent Highbury Cemetery haunt logo for the season. The logo is used on posters, stickers, and a very small batch of t-shirts. Each year, the t-shirts are hand printed here at the Cemetery and then given out as a thank you to everyone who helps put on the yard haunt on Halloween night. 

I'm a little late to the party this year, but after a bit of extra work, the new logo is finally done! So ladies and gentlemonsters, boils and ghouls, I proudly present the ghastly and gruesome logo for Highbury Cemetery, 2020:

 

"The Haunted Horror House" Cassette

Welcome to the Haunted Horror House. Just follow the footsteps from room to room and you'll experience the worlds that lie beyond each door. Turns your home into a chamber of horrors. Great for Halloween, Theme Parties, or around the campfire. Enjoy 40 minutes of original sound-score music and effects.

Step inside the Haunted Horror House. You're expected!

Recorded in 3-Dimensional Horror-Phonic Sound!

This week's Freebie Friday offering was picked up on a whim. I had never heard of The Haunted Horror House before, and there really wasn't any information available on it. But, it was in my budget (cheap!) and with that name, the silly cover graphics, and all of the wild claims plastered on it, how could I not pick this one up??

This cassette was released in 1990 by C.C. Marketing out of New York City. A quick search revealed that they were long gone. And info on the inside flap of the cover tells me their whole gig was releasing cassettes like this. Their list of other "greats" include Crazy Calls, Power Walk, The Massage Tapes, The Romantic Guitar, The Christmas Caroling Kit, Brazilian Dreams, and much more! Yeesh.

When I dropped the wonderful orange cassette into the deck and pressed play, I was somewhat surprised. It was good! I didn't know what "3-Dimensional Horror-Phonic Sound" was, but it apparently meant a high-quality sounding cassette, especially compared to other novelty Halloween cassettes from the era. And it was in fact, roughly 40 minutes long, split over the two sides.

Side A (1. Enter The House  2. The Hall of Horrors  3. The Rack  4. Mad Dogs  5. Where Am I  6. The Chapel of Chills  7. Chain Saw Massacre  8. Step Outside) has a nice collection of standard spooky sounds and cool echo and reverb effects, running continuously without any breaks between the tracks.  The Chapel of Chills not only has the best track title ever, but has a nice "gothic chamber with thunderstorms" music feel to it.

Side B (1. The Graveyard  2. The Basement  3. The Clock  4. The Swamp  5. Run For Your Life  6. Come Again!) is another collection of standard sounds that run continuously. Run For Your Life is the standout, with its odd and hilarious "snarling jungle cat" sound effect...

For a chance purchase, this cassette turned out to be quite a find. I'm surprised it doesn't show up more often with its high-quality sound and amazing cover art. This one is definitely going into the collection and will get a few more plays this Halloween season for sure! Enjoy!

DOWNLOAD THE HAUNTED HORROR HOUSE CASSETTE HERE.

Ignite Brewing Co. - Ignite The Jack-O'-Lantern Pumpkin Ale

Eight days into October and not one seasonal pumpkin beer has faced the dreaded Drunken Jackos rating scale!? It's time to put things right around here!!

Ignite The Jack-O'-Lantern

We have scoured the patch,

to find the perfect match.

A bright orange ball,

to light up your fall.

As this pumpkin ale,

will never fall.

To roll in the best season of all.

This review may be a bit skewed, as Ignite Brewing Company's Ignite The Jack-O'-Lantern Pumpkin Ale is brewed literally down the street in Barberton, Ohio. And being that it is one of the area's microbrews, distribution might not make it far outside of Northeast Ohio. But trust me when I say that we are starting this October's Drunken Jackos Rating Scale with a bang.

The first thing to notice is the really cool Headless Horseman linocut-style label art wrapping the tallboy cans. A most worthy offering to the spirit of Halloween, alongside the fun little poem above. Ignite really puts the effort in right from the start.

Upon cracking the can open, you are greeted with a slight earthy scent that slowly subsides into a sweeter note after letting it breath a bit. The beer pours a rich, beautiful dark red copper color with only the slightest head.

The beer starts with a smooth and sweet flavor, but transitions to a more spicy, dry, nutty lasting finish. I really enjoyed the complexity of this one.

Overall, the complex, yet still smooth and rich flavor is quite pleasant and makes for a great, drinkable pumpkin ale that stays away from that overly sweet "pumpkin pie" style of pumpkin beer. And because of that, Ignite Brewing Company's Ignite The Jack-O'-Lantern Pumpkin Ale earns a solid 4 out of 5 Drunken Jackos.

The downside of this being the limited availability, but you would have a nice collectible can if you can find it. It is definitely one to seek out and a great beer to start October off with. Cheers!

The Haunting Of Bly Manor

Don't forget, gang! The Haunting of Bly Manor drops tomorrow on Netflix! Time for a weekend binge...

Could it possibly be anywhere as good as the absolute masterpiece from 2018 that was The Haunting Of Hill House? The same creator as well as some of the same faces give me hope for this modern retelling of Henry James' classic horror novella, The Turn Of The Screw.

Midnight Syndicate - "Spectral Masquerade"

And they danced... A ghostly waltz by "soundtracks to imaginary films" composers, Midnight Syndicate. Haunting piano and gothic bells fill out this early fan favorite.

Lots of great Gothic atmosphere in this classic Midnight Syndicate track from 2002. And it is paired perfectly to scenes from Carnival of Souls, Nosferatu, White Zombie, and other classic horror films! Enjoy!