Oct 09 2013

Free Pumpkin Carving Stencils

Be cool: Don't stab vampires in the eye.

It’s funny. Despite all the pumpkin carving stencils that have been posted here, like the above vampire pumpkin stencil by the extremely talented Gary Pullin, there doesn’t seem to be as much interest in them as one might expect. After all, the article about Halloween coloring sheets quickly shot to the #1 spot not long after it was posted. Given the numerous requests for such stencils on other sites, it can’t be due to a lack of demand. No, it’s most likely due to the site’s selection of stencils being spread across several articles whose titles don’t reference pumpkin carving templates in any way. To fix this oversight, here are the rest of the stencils that have been posted here in the past:

Halloween Forum
Zombie Pumpkins
The Pumpkin Lady
Ultimate Pumpkin Stencils
Homestar Runner Pumpkin Stencils
Squidbillies Pumpkin Stencils
Arthropod Pumpkin Stencils
DLTK’s Holiday Crafts and Activities
Grasping Hand Pumpkin Stencils
Great Pumpkins: Crafty Carving for Halloween
Budget Celebrations: The Hostess Guide to Year-Round Entertaining on a Dime

You can find some great pumpkin carving tips in this classic article and these free Halloween window silhouettes can be potentially adapted into pumpkin designs. The other articles originally featuring those stencils are also worth a look due to all the other great Halloween goodies they contain.

Special thanks to Ghoulish Gary Pullin for use of the image!

As noted in previous “How-To” posts, Gravedigger’s Local 16 is not to be held responsible for the content on or anything that may occur (be it good or bad) as a result of visiting or downloading from any links on those sites (or constructing a project that’s detailed on them). Attempt at your own risk.

Oct 09 2013

Epic Vale

(or, how I tried to incorporate the NYCC and Welcome To Night Vale into a pun-title for this post.)

One of the more odd yearly October traditions in a city full of celebratory nonsense, the New York City Comic Con kicks off tonight or tomorrow or Friday, depending on what passes you bought. I went last year and though the experience was a positive one, I have no desire to repeat it.

Horror has a stronger presence in these comic-conventions that what I would have thought, but it’s not surprising. Comic book fans and horror buffs have a lot of cross-over, like punk and metal. It doesn’t hurt that there’s a new wave of popularity with television series American Horror Story, The Walking Dead, Hannibal and more. Plus, we’re still feeling the overall mainstreaming of monster movies over the last two decades.

20131009_140401

Last year had a gigantic The Walking Dead panel that had people lined up for hours, as well as a rare signing by Terry Pratchett and an appearance of Bruce Campbell to announce the (eventually disappointing) Evil Dead remake. The Walking Dead make a return and this year features Max Brooks talking about his comic line, a screening of Zombie Night with Darryl Hannah, Kevin Eastman talking zombie animals –wait, The Soska Sisters directed See No Evil 2 from WWE studios? Huh. They have a panel on Sunday if you’re interested (if you’re a masochist.)

As always, there’s something for everyone at this massive convention which means there’s a lot of crap with some good stuff in between. One of the events being held is a member of The Thrilling Adventure Hour corporation is interviewing the creators of Welcome To Night Vale, a podcast everyone in the world but me has known about for a while. A twice-monthly half-hour show, it’s a public radio events program from Night Vale, a desert town “where all conspiracies are true.” Being that my iPod shat the bed about a year ago, I haven’t used iTunes so I couldn’t see that it’s the second most popular podcast, second only to the NPR podcast. And it’s the most downloaded of all time or something. It’s popular.  Here’s the panel listing:

 

Welcome to Night Vale, a scripted podcast in the form of community radio from a creepy desert town, went in a single year from a quiet launch to the #1 podcast on iTunes in 7 different countries. Ben Blacker of The Thrilling Adventure Hour and the Nerdist Writers Panel talks with the creative team behind Night Vale about where the show came from, where it’s going, and what it’s like trying to make a podcast far outside of the usual format.

It’s a free show so you can catch up on all the past episodes. I’ve got it loaded up. Both the above Time Out New York and the AV Club today mentioned Welcome To Night Vale so I suspect it’s one of those alien mental germs disguising itself as a popular idea. I think Warren Ellis made a meme an alien invasion. Someone did. Maybe Welcome To Night Vale is like the last Sutter Kane book of In The Mouth of Madness. Someone better take an axe to your head. Either way, it might be a decent companion piece to your Halloween listening. Find out everything here. 

 

 

Oct 09 2013

Creating A Home Haunt For Less Than $100

With the economy and lots of professional haunted attractions either closing or going on hiatus, it’s far too easy to be leery about spending money on a home haunt. Especially when you see some of the amazing home haunts out there. But you don’t have to let a low budget keep you from having a great home haunt or Halloween display. After all, you can print out a lot of stuff that looks great under dim lighting.

Various stuff from around the house can be repurposed into spooky props too. For example, a stock or lobster pot can be used as a witch’s caldron. You can get even more goodies at thrift stores, yard sales and the like. Nothing demonstrates all of this better than the following video, which was uploaded by TheScaryVisions:

Cool setup, huh? I especially love the “Dr. Phobia” logo that’s painted on those old wooden fence panels. Who knew that a CSI: Crime Scene Investigation toy could be used as a haunt prop?

If the name of the above video’s uploader seems familiar to you, that’s because it’s the official YouTube channel for Scary Visions. has a ton of great information for haunters. Both that site and its sister site HaunTopic have tons of great advice for haunters. It should be noted how, despite the video being title “How to Create A Home Haunt For Less Than $100,” it’s not a how-to guide like the numerous tutorials featured on the site itself. Instead, it shows how you shouldn’t let issues like a low budget or seeming lack of space dissuade you from having fun on Halloween. The prop that you think doesn’t look up to snuff might look quite different to a visitor who only gets a quick look at it in the dark (or under colored lighting). This advice can also apply to haunted trail and hayrides as well. However, laws in your area might require you to have special insurance and a special type of building permit for your haunt, so checking with your local government beforehand is a very good idea.

Judging from ScaryVisions’ other home haunt videos, the rooms are monitored by actors who often control multiple scares, so the haunt’s creator clearly knows what he’s doing. It certainly which makes me feel much better about those chainsaws being left out as part of a display. I’m sure they don’t have any fuel in them, but still…

Oct 08 2013

Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper

In some hushed sects of the population, October is the time of The Feast Of Alice Cooper. Granted, Alice’s heyday of fear might still be back when seeing ballet dancers dressed as zombies and awkward bats would be considered controversial and scary. Still, the man continues to perform to this very day in the name of horrible and wicked and monstrous.  Tomorrow I plan on loading up Welcome To My Nightmare and then explore more of his classic discography. The movie version of Welcome To My Nightmare got the DVD treatment ten years ago and you can find a relatively cheap copy on Amazon (probably at normal prices if you looked elsewhere.) Might as well watch this clip before it gets pulled down. 

Oct 08 2013

The Curse of Horror Trivia

In famed travel writer Tim Cahill’s book Jaguars Ripped My Flesh, there’s an entire chapter devoted to the filming of the infamous “zombie vs. shark” scene from Zombie. However, those familiar with the movie will be very amused by the numerous errors in the story, including (but not limited to) the film being referred to as “The Zombie II” numerous times and the claim that it is a sequel to a Mexican horror movie!

While we’re on the subject of correcting errors, it’s often been claimed that the film Incredible Invasion (aka Alien Terror) is based on the H.P. Lovecraft story “The Whisperer in Darkness.” However, both the film’s writer and director have said this is simply not true. In fact, simply watching the film shows there’s no similarity between the stories!

The life size Nessie prop from The Loch Ness Horror was later reused in Amazon Women on the Moon.

There’s a moment in Monster on the Campus where the main character speaks to animal specialist Dr. Moreau via telephone! I know I’ve discussed the film’s influence on The Mighty Thor before, but I’m amazed at how much Marvel Comics seems to have borrowed from this movie about a man bitten by a fish irradiated with gamma rays who transforms into a violent brute. But lest DC fans start gloating, please remember that they’ve done more than their fair share of borrowing ideas.

Speaking of comic books, Eternity Comics once published a short-lived sequel series to Plan 9 from Outer Space.

Not only was there an official RPG adaptation of F. Paul Wilson’s The Keep, but I can’t help but wonder if the villainous Radu from Full Moon’s Subspecies franchise was named after the novel’s villainous “Radu Molasar.”

The character of Decapitron from Puppet Master 4 was taken from a never-realized project from Charles Band’s previous production company, Empire Pictures.

Fans of giant monster movies are sure to remember the goofy, buzzard-looking star of The Giant Claw. As it turns out, its original intended design was a giant streamlined hawk that was supposed to be animated by Ray Harryhausen! When he declined, the producer decided to save money on special effects and, well, the rest is history.

The theme music for The House on Haunted Hill was originally supposed to have lyrics!

Have you ever wondered why Sam Sherman added new footage to the previously-released Creature with the Blue Hand and changed the name to The Bloody Dead for its 90’s home video release? Well, it turns out he was trying to release the film in the 1980’s to capitalize on the popularity of the A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise and when a bootleg outfit got the film into video store shelves before him, he held off on it!

Despite classics like Dracula and Frankenstein being a huge part of American pop culture, The 1943 remake of The Phantom of the Opera was the only old school Universal monster movie to ever win an Oscar.

The Birds is partially based on true events. In fact, Alfred Hitchcock once speculated how rabies could have been the culprit for the incident that inspired Daphne du Maurier.

Oct 07 2013

Haunted Attraction Review Websites II

Haunted house for sale!

Despite the massive size of last year’s list of haunted attraction review websites, it turns out that I missed a LOT of sites. Here’s a new batch for you all to enjoy (presented in no particular order):

Hauntworld
HATU
Top Haunts
Haunt Rater
Scare Zone
Hallowoosh
Scare Raters
Spooky Review
Horror Tourers
Denver Haunted Houses
Haunted Reviewer
Haunted Attraction Review
NC Haunts Haunted Event Listings
Haunted House Ratings
ScuRRyFace Haunt Reviews
Dark Menagerie.com Haunt Reviews (alternate link)
Ohio Valley Haunts
Oklahoma Haunted House Reviews
Scariest Haunted Houses in Illinois
Visitor Reviews – Chicago Halloween Guide
Halloween: Haunted House and Haunted Attraction Reviews – OnezumiVeverse
Lady Hecate’s Ohio Haunted Houses Review

Man, Ohio and Illinois sure do love haunts something fierce! I also noticed how two of the sites I linked to last year now have alternate URLs:

Haunted Attraction Review
Constantine’s Haunt Reviews

Speaking of noticing stuff, it seems that visitors to my original list of haunted attraction reviews never click on the two links to older articles which also feature links to haunted attraction review websites. Since I don’t want anyone to miss out on these great resources, I’m reposting the following:

Goblinhaus
Mad Martian
HauntFreaks
Haunted Illinois
Is It October Yet?
Haunted House Chicago

Somehow I get the feeling that I’ll be finding even more links next year…

Oct 07 2013

On Halloween

Halloween is the one day of the year where the creeps of the world get to celebrate our creepiness and the rest of the world can just step back and kiss our wart laden asses.- Blag Dahlia

 

 

While the origins of Halloween emanate from Celtic pagan celebrations of Samhain mixed with a little bit of the Romam Parentalia, Halloween is best a holiday without any strict religious connotations. Every one, no matter what race, creed, background, religious denomination or tax bracket should be denied from enjoying Halloween. This should be a holiday for everyone.  Kids, parents, single people, married couples, people who are really into Halloween, people who aren’t into Halloween at all.

My attitude on Halloween is that it’s an inclusive holiday, specifically because it doesn’t have a religious connotation shared by the mass population. This might contradict an earlier sentiment oh how we shouldn’t use Halloween to marginalize a particular group or people. I understand that. But, the religious origins of this holiday aren’t significant to the general population of America (or most of the world) enough to warrant calling this holiday a ‘religious’ one. We should explain the origins but we should celebrate the current incarnation.

I knew people whose strict Christian background prevented them from celebrating Halloween, whose religious teachings said that any holiday that celebrated supernatural beings was doing a disservice to the divine creator because you weren’t celebrating Him. And I’m fine with that sentiment because that issue with Halloween is not based in Halloween itself. It’s based in that Christian teaching. Not all Christians view Halloween as horrible. And I don’t know of any Muslim, Jewish, Hindu or Buddhist objection to the holiday to make a statement. But what I do know is that I have never heard anyone be told “oh, you can’t celebrate Halloween because you’re…”  

Everyone should feel welcomed to celebrate, which is why racist and sexist costumes (which have no purpose but to degrade and marginalize a specific group) are counter-intuitive to a modern Halloween.

While I approve of having a historical sense of the holiday, I am quite fine with the modern incarnation being a celebration of being weird, creepy and spooky. Fear and its derivatives need a holiday. Fear is a healthy emotion, when taken in healthy amounts and having a holiday where people can safely experiment in different levels of fear is welcomed. Go to a haunted attraction. Watch a scary movie. We, as a civilization and as a species, should strive forward to reducing the elements that cause fear – poverty, crime, hate. But having a time of the year where people can go to a haunted house and have actors portraying serial killers come to life?

A nondenominational holiday that creates a safe place for people to experience fear, for kids to dress up in costumes and be creepy, for individuals to celebrate their weirdness? This is Halloween. This is what I like about it.

 

Oct 06 2013

Preview of the 2013 6’+ Halloween Episode

Because of 6’+, we have to keep an ear open for particular music all year around – specifically Christmas/Hanukkah and Halloween music. And most of the horror-themed bands that we spotlight don’t always do Halloween music. There is also a limited amount of subject matter one can sing about the holiday. So, when we find interesting songs about Halloween, we save them. Here’s a preview of what you’ll hear on the upcoming Halloween episode of 6’+, brought to you by THE MOANS  

Oct 06 2013

It’s Storytime!

Look out behind you Rondo Hatton!

Although best known for works of science fiction like Journey to the Center of the Earth and Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, Jules Verne has dipped his toes into the world of horror too. “Frritt-Flacc” (whose title is apparently onomatopoeia for the sounds of a violent storm) is the story of a greedy physician getting his comeuppance in a most unusual way.

Ah, creepypasta. It’s the horror fiction version of “copypasta” that’s given the world classics like Jeff the Killer, Smile Dog and the infamous Slender Man. But there’s so much more to it than those three. Check out this massive collection of creepypasta if you don’t believe me. If you aren’t sure where to begin, be sure to check out these helpful suggestions. That said, several of those stories feature content that isn’t appropriate for all ages.

Speaking of stories requiring content warnings, check out “The Sloan Men” by David Nickle and the Google Books preview of 100 Jolts: Shockingly Short Stories by Michael A. Arnzen.

If you love Lovecraft, you’ll definitely want to check out “The Plain of Sound” and “The Stone on the Island” by Ramsey Campbell, along with “The Doom of Yakthoob” by Lin Carter. You might also enjoy “Will” by Graham Masterton and “The Thing on the Roof” by Robert E. Howard. You might recognize those last two authors as the creators of The Manitou and Conan the Barbarian respectively.

As a special treat, here’s the rarest and most obscure Lovecraftian tale of them all: “Waters From Meron” by James Lankashire. As you’ve no doubt surmised from that link, “James Lankashire” is just the old pen name of Zombos’ Closet of Horrors creator JM Cozzoli. Just keep in mind that this was the first story he ever wrote at the tender age of 19. Hopefully if sales of his upcoming nonfiction ebook are good enough, he might be tempted to take another crack at writing horror stories.

I do realize that Lovecraft-based stories aren’t everyone’s cup of tea. Those preferring more traditional scary stories should visit Chilling Tales For Dark Nights. Such parties might also want to check out the literary works of Pumpkinrot. That’s right, he also writes ghost stories in addition to creating amazing decorations and short films. “8:18” is one of my favorite Pumpkinrot stories and I find it quite refreshing to read a “ghost story” that is actually a scary story about a ghost.

In my last collection of scary stories, I touched on the subject of invisible monsters and somehow forgot to include Fitz-James O’Brien’s “What Was It?” Which is odd, given how the ending so memorably differs from other tales of its type.

Things aren’t always what they appear to be. That’s a major part of “The Tree Is My Hat” by Gene Wolfe. The title might sound funny, but what happens in the story sure isn’t. Deceptive appearances are also a part of “Growing Things” by T.E.D Klein. Those who don’t read it closely enough might mistake this for slice of life story about a man reading old magazines, rather than see it for what it really is.

You’re going to want to fire up your PDF reader for the final two stories of this article. John Kessel’s Pride and Prometheus is a literary mashup of Frankenstein and Pride and Prejudice, while “Losing My Skin” is a story from the creator of the Garage of Terror home haunt that is (loosely) based on true events!

Oct 05 2013

Getting In The Mood: The Spooky, WE HAVE RISEN

By the time of writing, you can buy copies of this album off of Ebay.

The Spooky are a great band. They’re not that active anymore because horror punk bands don’t make any money unless you sound like early AFI or late Misfits. But go and pick up a copy of We Have Risen, because the vocal harmonies, the song writing and the overall sound of the album makes this a hidden gem. Or – hell, maybe The Spooky were huge back in 2007 and I have no idea what I’m talking about. Either way, I’m listening to this today to counteract the guy who’s blasting Rhianna out from his Toyota that’s parked on the street.

 

Oct 05 2013

Free Printable Halloween Window Silhouettes

And if you wanna make friends at the ATM...Do the creep...

Despite having covered printable Halloween decorations on this site in the past, I somehow missed covering one of the easiest and most effective decorations of that type: window silhouettes. You’d better believe I’m making up for that today!

Let’s start things off with some selections from the site that gave me the idea in the first place, Dave Lowe Design:

Zombie Window Silhouette Printables
Witchcrafty Window Silhouette Printables
Maniacal Window Silhouette Printables

He also has some great tips on getting the silhouettes to fit your window:

“You can cut these out of black foamcore, poster board or heavy black paper. Then simply tape into your windows. Here are a few simple ways to scale the images to fit your window first. No one way is best, whatever is easier for you.

– Take the image to Kinkos (or similar copy center) and have enlarged and printed as poster (if in your budget, they can also mount onto foam board for you).

– Project the image onto a board and trace. In that vein, project image onto sheer fabric or shower curtain, then paint on.

– Scale the image on your computer, print in sections and mount on board, then cut-out (most copy centers can tile/section image for you as well, cheaper than full poster print).”

But he’s not the only one with free window silhouettes:


Witch at the Window Silhouette
Halloween Templates
How To: Haunted House Silhouettes | MAKE
Printables » WebSpinstress Gothic Halloween
Printable Halloween Silhouettes – Tip Junkie
DIY Spooky Window Silhouettes Birshykat | Apartment Therapy

Google Books also has some good stuff for you. These witches would look great in a window (just look at this if you don’t believe me), as would these grasping hands I noted in yesterday’s installment of the Halloween countdown. If you want to make those templates larger, just use the instructions about enlarging patterns here. If none of the above silhouettes somehow don’t strike your fancy, you can always make your own.

I especially like these instructions for fabric-based “Wailing Windows.” They may take a little more work to make, but fabric silhouettes do have one advantage over paper ones. You see, using a hidden oscillating fan (placed out of view from the windows) can make them move around! But if you prefer paper, you can still create the illusion of movement by using a strobe light. Just be sure to have it operating on its lowest speed and aim it AWAY from the window to reduce the risk of epileptic seizure. I also recommend only using this for the upper windows of your home. Having some warning signs about the use of strobe placed around the neighborhood also wouldn’t hurt. If you can’t get access to a strobe light, a flashlight shining through a box fan should do the trick in a pinch. Even without any movement, these window silhouettes still look great when you light up the room. I personally recommend hanging white sheets behind them and, if possible, dimming the lights somewhat in the room(s) they’re stationed in.

On a final note, paper silhouettes also look great on stairs. Seriously, check it out!

Special thanks to Dave Lowe Design for the use of the image!

Gravedigger’s Local 16 is not to be held responsible for the content on or anything that may occur (be it good or bad) as a result of visiting or downloading from any links on those sites (or constructing a project that’s detailed on them). Attempt at your own discretion.

Oct 04 2013

Pick Up The Phone

Do me a favor. Go to www.creepsville.com. Give it a listen.

In the meantime, pick up your phone.

 

Oct 04 2013

Still More Tricks and Treats

Notice how worried the pumpkin in the elf hat looks...

Do you have a welcome mat? By following these instructions, you can turn yours into an “Un-Welcome Mat” for Halloween.

Those who want to decorate with stuff that’s more gruesome than cutesy should check out this incredibly easy to make Bloody Dripping Head Sack. Speaking of gruesome, here’s a free printable Halloween mask that is definitely not for kids. Those seeking more child-friendly fare should go here.

The Insidious Bogleech has some great pumpkin carving templates featuring the faces of various creepy crawlies. Those seeking more traditionally themed templates will love this vampire-themed one by Ghoulish Gary Pullin. It should be noted that the contest mentioned in the link has long since ended. Alternately, A Ghostly Good Time: The Family Halloween Handbook by Woman’s Day has some templates depicting grasping hands.

In need of an amusing and easy-to-make toy or awesome Halloween window decoration? Then check out this awesome fan-made jointed Vincent Price paper doll.

If you like free stuff, Doomed Moviethon and Goblinhaus have some free stickers you’ll be sure to love.

Those who knit should appreciate these free Halloween knitting patterns, in addition to these instructions on how to knit your own facehugger from the Alien franchise.

Remember back when I posted a bunch of links to websites devoted to behind-the-scenes details from the making of various sci-fi/horror films in a previous “Tricks and Treats” article? Well, I found one about the making of the Swedish horror movie Blood Tracks!

While we’re on the subject of horror movies, Head Injury Theater has compiled a handy list of horror movies with particularly bizarre scenes. You can find a prototype version of said list (with some different movies and jokes) here. Just keep in mind that some of the descriptions are NSFW…

Is playing the Arkham Horror board game not quite as fun as it used to be? Spice things up by downloading the free fan-made expansion Cthulhu: Dread Sleeper in R’Lyeh. It’s also a great way to introduce new players to the game, too!

To learn how to make the Halloween craft decorating this article (in addition to other goodies), check out these previous “Tricks and Treats” installments:

Tricks and Treats
More Tricks and Treats
Even More Tricks and Treats

Gravedigger’s Local 16 is not to be held responsible for the content on or anything that may occur (be it good or bad) as a result of visiting any links on those sites (or constructing a project that’s detailed on them). Attempt at your own discretion.

Oct 04 2013

6′+ Episode 77 is Up!

2013 Logo IconTo quote the description given at the new listing:

“CREEPSVILLE’13 is out now (www.creepsville13.com) and Strange Jason has worked himself sick in getting it ready (or, that’s what he says. He is sick, though.) That’s not going to stop the celebration of the spooky season as we have music from Doc Horror, The Decomposed, These Curious Thoughts, MEXICAN WEIRDOHS and more. Monstermatt Patterson paints himself black and orange while Dr. Gangrene prescribes a new recommended movie of the week.”

Remember to email 6′+ (contact at 6ftplus.com) or leave a comment below about the show, whether you liked it or not. Tell your friends, leave a review on iTunes, but above all – enjoy.

You can find all episodes of 6′+ over at the official site as well as on iTunes, Stitcher and Spreaker. They’re also on Facebook and Twitter.

Oct 03 2013

Nobody Tell Danzig About This Place

20131002_172634

My head feels like the skull on the left so I’m going to make this quick. Stopped by a local Mom & Pop party/halloween store and yes – they carry the same crap costumes that Spirit Halloween does. Same racist, sexist garbage. And hey have a box of skulls. So while Spirit is the worst offender, in my opinion, they’re not the only ones.

 

Oct 03 2013

Haunted Attraction Walkthroughs II

Since the response was so positive last year, I’ve gathered up another selection of haunted attraction video tours, both home haunt and professional. I’m afraid there aren’t any hayride videos this time around, but instead there’s several haunted trail videos (and even one for a corn maze) in addition to all of the haunted house goodness. Please keep in mind that strobes and other flashing lights might be present in the following:

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