Sure, traditional carvings are fun and all, but if you're looking to do something different with your pumpkin this year, don't miss this great BuzzFeed article filled with all kinds of unique pumpkin decor ideas. I'm a particularly big fan of these cool embroidered pumpkins by Blog A La Cart.
The following is an article from Bathroom Readers' Institute's Uncle John's Great Big Bathroom Reader.
The werewolf is one of the most recognized movie monsters in history, thanks in large part to the 1941 film The Wolf Man, starring Lon Chaney, Jr. Here's a behind-the-scenes look at the making of that classic film.
FRIGHT FACTORY
The early 1930s was the golden age of movie monsters. In 1930, Universal released the classic Dracula, starring Bel Lugosi; a year later it had another huge hit with Boris Karloff's Frankenstein. Inspired by their success, Universal decided to make a movie about a werewolf.
In 1931, they handed writer/director Robert Florey a title -The Wolf Man- and told him to come up with an outline. A few months later, Florey submitted notes for a story about a Frenchman who has suffered for 400 years under a witch's curse that turns him into a werewolf during every full moon ...unless he wears a garland of wolf-bane around his neck. The studio approved the idea and scheduled the movie as a Boris Karloff vehicle for 1933. A shooting script was written ...and rewritten ...and rewritten several more times. By the time it was finished, the script was about an English doctor who was bitten by a werewolf in Tibet, then turns into one himself on his return to London. Universal renamed the pictures Werewolf of London.
BAT MAN
By now, however, Boris Karloff was too busy to take the part ...So it went a Broadway actor named Henry Hull. Werewolf of London hit theaters in 1935. The movie wasn't very good: One critic has called it "full of fog, atmosphere, and laboratory shots, but short on chills and horror." That was largely because Hull didn't look scary. He refused to cover his face with werewolf hair, complaining that it obscured his features. Makeup man Jack Pierce -already a legend for creating Bela Lugosi's Dracula and Boris Karloff's Frankenstein- had no choice but to remove most of the facial hair, leaving Hull looking like a demonic forest elf. Werewolf of London was a box office disappointment. It was also Hull's last werewolf film.
SECOND TRY
In the early 1940s, Universal launched a second wave of horror films featuring Dracula, Frankenstein, and other classic monsters. They decided to give the werewolf another try, too. This second werewolf film started the same way the first one did: with the title The Wolf Man. This time the scriptwriter was Curt Siodmak. He started from scratch, researched werewolf legends himself, and used what he learned to write the script. The story he concocted was about an American named Lance Talbot who travels to his ancestral home in Wales and is bitten while rescuing a young woman from a werewolf attack.
Once again, the studio wanted to cast Karloff in the lead ...and once again he was too busy to take it. They considered Bela Lugosi, but he was too old for the part. So they gave it to newcomer Lon Chaney, Jr., son and namesake of the greatest horror star of the silent movie era. Chaney, Sr. was known all over the world as the "Man of 1000 Faces," for his roles in The Phantom of the Opera and The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Chaney, Jr. had recently starred in Man Made Monster, and Universal thought he had potential in horror films.
Wow, so I'm crafting a little bit of our Halloween costumes this year - my husband and I are going as Sweeney Todd and Mrs. Lovett (you can see the process here and here... I'll try to post more pictures tonight). I've made Sweeney's vest and razor, partially made Mrs. Lovett's skirt, made a stuffed rolling pin and cannibalized an old top to turn into hers. Plus I've dyed a LOT of stuff. I think this is pretty crafty. But that's nothing - I mean, nothing, compared to these utterly amazing and fantastic papier mache Where the Wild Things Are masks made by Craftster sjeanette.
She says she used a papier mache base, then painted them with acrylics and used all kind of various things for the details of their faces. And lots of hot glue, which I can totally relate to. Check out her post (link above) on Craftster and see individual pictures of each monster - they're really wonderful. Link
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Scary Terry makes Halloween and haunted house props. This one is called Skelevision.
The guest would enter a hallway and see themselves in a mirror at the end of the hall. All of a sudden, the lights would go out, spooky sound effects would play and then a skeleton would appear where they previously saw themselves in the mirror. The skeleton would be frantically waving its arms. After a few seconds, the skeleton would disappear and the guest would once again see themselves in the mirror.Complete instructions included. You'll also find plans for the Kitchen Sink Coffin, the Grave Stomper, and various moving body parts. Link |
From the Top Ten Best Ghost Photo Ever Taken at The Knight Shift:
See nine more eerie ghost photos: Link - via Seven Deadly Sinners |
Looking for a Halloween costume for your pooch that is less encumbering than most? Then consider this adorable Frankenstein dog hat by Etsy seller iheartneedlework -the shop also has fashioanable pet costumes for cats and guinea pigs.
Sure, your cat might be terrified of a random outside noise, a vacuum and the dreaded squirt bottle of death, but ghosts -meh. Need proof? Just look at these two cool cats trying to figure out what the big deal is with this stupid white howling thing.
Via Pets Lady
Atlas Obscura has compiled pictures and information about twelve different churches and shrines decorated with human bones. The picture above is from a wall at the Chapel of Bones at the Royal Church of St. Francis in Portugal. Due to a land shortage, in the Sixteenth Century, the resident monks decided to clear out nearby cemeteries and relocate the bones to the chapel:
However, rather than interring the bones behind closed doors, the monks, who were concerned about society's values at the time, thought it best to put them on display. They thought this would provide Evora, a town noted for its wealth in the early 1600s, with a helpful place to meditate on the transience of material things in the undeniable presence of death. This is made clear by the thought-provoking message above the chapel door: "Nós ossos que aqui estamos, pelos vossos esperamos," or: "We bones that are here, for your bones we wait." The immediate view as you enter the Chapel gives you some idea of its scale and the sheer number of bodies that are interred here - some 5000 corpses. Among them, in a small white coffin by the altar, are the bones of the three Franciscan monks who founded the church in the 13th century. Also included are two desiccated corpses hanging by chains from the wall next to a cross. One is that of a child.
Link via io9 | Image: flickr user Tiago Ribeiro
(College Humor link)
What if all our favorite pop culture vampires got together in the same room? Pretty much what you'd expect.
Artist Derek Yaniger created this adorable tiki-style illustration featuring Elvira hanging out in a graveyard full of zombies. He only made 80 of these great prints that are even autographed by Elvira herself. You can buy them directly through her website.
Link Via Laughing Squid
Shirley Temples are delicious and look pretty, but if you serve them before they've been mixed, they can make a fantastic Halloween drink. Just fill syringes with grenadine and serve them up in a glass of 7-Up.
These aren't real body parts -they're chocolate candy! Emmylou Cakehead is preparing for her Eat Your Heart Out Halloween pop up cake shop in London. This year's theme is "Feed the Beast."
We just had to share a few previews of these jaw dropping incredible life-sized The Kraken Rum flavored chocolate (purposefully dead looking) body parts. We’re pretty confident in laying down the gauntlet and saying that these will be the best liqueur chocolates you will ever see, plus of course being made with a dark spiced rum means they taste amazing.
Taste amazing, but looks simply gruesome! These body parts are from All Mine Patisserie. See more at Eat Your Heart Out. Link -Thanks, Miss Cakehead!
Want something amazing to enjoy at your Halloween party? Then offer up these blacklight-responsive Jell-O shots made with vodka tonics. Don't worry, the quinine from the tonic is all-natural and responds to blacklights. Beyond that, all you need are some cool bat-shapped molds.
Update 9/11/13 by Alex: You can get that Bat Ice Tray from the NeatoShop.
What did you want to be for Halloween when you were a kid? As you see here, redditor Lillibeth wanted to be a table. Did you ever go trick-or-treating in anything so strange? Or maybe you were kid who constructed your own costume -or maybe you had the mom who went all out for Halloween.
We would love to see pictures of your Halloween costumes. Whether you were a kid or an adult, whether they are awesome, odd, funny, or horribly embarrassing, find those pictures of Halloweens past and send them in! Tell us the story behind the costume, if you've got one. We will post as many of them as we possibly can on the Halloween blog in October.
And when Halloween draws near, we will select the top costume pictures and reward the senders with t-shirts from the NeatoShop!
Send your Halloween costume pictures to tips@neatorama.com and check the Halloween blog for the pictures to start popping up. You could be a winner this Halloween!
