Now that we're about to head into the holiday dominant December, you may want to start thinking of great gift ideas for your favorite Halloween Addict.
You've heard me rave about Threadless tees in the past and I can't recommend enough a gift certificate or t-shirt from this site. There's a variety of artwork ranging from horror related, to ironically twisted, to just plain silly. Even if there's nothing the person wants on the first visit to the site, new limited edition styles pop up every week. Like today. Check out their "Vampires Beware" shirt. Printed on a deep blood red tee, it features all the weapons necessary to bring down a fanged foe. Subtle. Cool.
I was over on one of my favorite blogs Secret Fun Blog, and reading up on Kirk Demarais' coverage of the "Crazy 4 Cult" art show that took place recently in Los Angeles. While scrolling through the various images and oogling at art that I wasn't able to obtain, I hit upon the image at left... and smiled.
Entitled "I Am the Night" the piece is a great little tongue-in-cheek homage to Halloween holiday. Featuring a child dressed in a Ben Cooper-like costume not of Darth Vader, Casper or Chachi... but American actor Philip Seymour Hoffman. Brilliant. The vinyl bib portion of the costume even features a picture of Hoffman from the non-costume-worthy Magnolia. Brilliant. He's at a doorstep adorned with pumpkins and jack o' lanterns and real horror movie geeks will notice the wink to "1428" which is the address of the house from A Nightmare on Elm Street. Did I say this already? --Brilliant.
It sold for $2500 and, to the best of my knowledge, there are no plans to sell prints. Dammit. Who do I need to write to to make THAT happen? My congressman? The Mayor from A Nightmare Before Christmas? WHO? Check out the video below for more info on the art show or click on the links within the post for more great horror/cult themed art.
This Thanksgiving, why not seat the family around a table and furniture that looks like it was secreted from a hostile alien species that incubates in the stomach and bleeds hydrochloric acid? Why NOT, I ask?! Pass the cranberry sauce!
Well you can. Available through the Official H.R. Giger website: hrgiger.com you can order chairs, lamps, desks, lights and more that look like they were sold at a garage sale off that derelict spaceship in Alien. No prices are listed, but the site says to contact Giger's agent for placement of orders or more info... which means one thing: PRIIIIIIIIIICEY! But, hey, wouldn't it be great to be sitting at this thing and have that turkey pop open and the alien do the song and dance number from Spaceballs? "Baby telephone and tell me I'm your owwwwwn." Now pass the damn cranberry sauce.
As the nights get colder and the dark rolls in earlier, sometimes you just want to curl up with some comfort food. To some comfort comes in a little hors d'oeuvre called pigs in a blanket. But how do you spookify this routine eating of something that's generally bad for you--- but tastes so good?
How about a Pigs in a Blanket Yummy Mummy Hand?
Head on over to Dabbled.org for a recipe on how to concoct an edible 1,000 year old tasty mummy hand.
Might I suggest a theme night? For a black and white classic I recommend Universal Studios The Mummy. For those who prefer a color actioner the Brendan Fraser remake The Mummy. And for the younguns I recommend The Monster Squad. Wolfman may have nards, but Mummy has thumbs. Mmmmm tasty thumbs.
Stumbling around on the net, I managed to find this Photoshop Photo Contest. The rules were simple: Photoshop a specific jack o' lantern image (which they provided however you wish.
The results are pretty fun. Everything from this creepy M.C. Escher inspired photo to Shaq slam-dunking.
No matter who your cell carrier is, you can appreciate a good horror themed commercial spot. Like this one for the Sprint Instinct.
It's hitting all the beats of a decent parody: Screaming girls--- CHECK, masked killer--- CHECK, creepy voice to killer--- CHECK, creepy LAUGH to killer--- CHECK, some sort of crazy weapon--- CHECK, thunder and lightning--- CHECK.
Let's break it down a bit:
- The killer: I'm calling him a killer without even having seen him kill anyone. So that's presumptuous on my part. But he's wearing a mask that seems to be a mash up of Leatherface, Jason Voorhees and Dr. Decker from Nightbreed. He's got a creepy voice a la Scream, and a creepy laugh a la Dr. Giggles. They're covering all their bases here.
- The weapon: I can't... I can't tell what weapon he's carrying. The way they've cut it, it's in his hand and then there's a flash of lightning and then it's gone. Is it a crossbow? Anyone got a bead on this?
Anyway, I appreciate the effort that went into this spot. There's multiple versions so it keeps it fresh, and they even went the extra effort to put the screaming girls neck deep in water. They didn't need to do that. But they DID. Kudos for the extra production value, Sprint.
Grandpa leans back in his chair, a collection of wide-eyed children in a semi-circle at his feet.
Pigtailed little girl: "Tell us more about television grandpa!"
Grandpa: "Well back it MY day MTV used to play actual MUSIC VIDEOS."
All: "Ooooooo."
Well MTV has done what they do best: reinvented themselves... as themselves. The just-launched MTVMusic.com features MUSIC VIDEOS. Tons of 'em. All easily searchable by Artist, Song, Most Popular, etc. Search, Find, Click, Play. It's a super clean, easy interface. Nice job MTV.
So why is this on Halloween Addict? Because now I can watch all the music videos that influenced my horror tastes. Like the LONG VERSION of Michael Jackson's Thriller. Directed by genre vet: John Landis. Featuring zombies and a werewolf designed by Rick Baker and a classic voice-over by Vincent Price.
Or how about The Grateful Dead's "Touch of Grey" featuring the band playing as skeletons?
OR: The Nightmare on Elm Street 3 tie-in: "Dream Warriors" by Dokken and featuring the one and only Robert Englund as Freddy Krueger?
ORRRR: Ozzy Osbourne's "Bark at the Moon" featuring the Prince of freakin' Darkness as a werewolf with Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde tendencies.
It certainly isn't the end-all, be-all for music videos. I was looking for a few that aren't on there. For instance the Twisted Sister video "Be Chrool to Your Scuel" that featured Alice Cooper, make-up master Tom Savini and a zombie infested school (with a cameo by Bobcat Goldthwait). Yes, that's right I'm complaining about the omission of a Twisted Sister video. I grew up in the 80s. Leave me alone. I wanna rock.
It's quite a compendium and might only appeal to 30 somethings who want to revisit their teen years. A time when they were glued to a set that taught them that they want their MTV. So give it a whirl and be sure to let me know of any other scary vids that you discover with an "Ohhhhh YEAH! I LOVED this video!!!"
All the leaves are brown, and the sky is gray. I went for a walk, on a winter's day.
Now that it's November and old man winter is starting to blow his blustery cold winds, you need something to keep you warm and keep you occupied... Halloween style.
How about making your own skull scarf? It's much less messy than carving a jack o' lantern and it's crafty and fun--- if you like to knit. I really like the simple pattern and style of this. It's classic and stylish enough to get you through the whole winter. Head over to Knitty.com for directions on how to make your own felt "Yorick" scarf. Get it? "Yorick?" Hm? -sigh- Read some Shakespeare.
Election Day! Time to get out there and vote. Obaman or McCain. Steak or soup. Oreo or creamy white filling.
To help wean you from the Halloween holiday season, and keep your mind occupied on something other than the latest polls, how about some election-themed horror movies so you don't go through terror withdrawal?
Uncle Sam: Scripted by Larry Cohen (It's Alive) and Directed by William Lustig (Maniac) this shockploitation turns America's icon into a slasher. Features a cameo by Halloween's own P.J. Soles!
Masters of Horror: Homecoming: Directed by Joe Dante (HEY! He did GREMLINS!) and part of the hit or miss Masters of Horror series, it features zombies, Dante's trade mark mix of dark humor and gore and a political message on top of it all.
You're Not Elected Charlie Brown: I know I'm reaching here. But it DID air right after It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown last week. So... there's THAT.
One of the things I enjoy most about Halloween is when people go that extra mile to make it an enjoyable experience for all.
I have some friends who live in Brooklyn, NY and despite living in an apartment in a major city, they go all out in making sure the kids and adults trick or treating in their neighborhood get an EXPERIENCE. As they put it on their blog "Princess Pony Party Amazing":
"My strongest memories were of the houses in the neighborhood that really scared us when we went to the door to trick or treat."
I wholeheartedly agree. I can remember going trick or treating to an old couple's house in the neighborhood, The Ramages. In their entryway they had put a spooky red light bulb and, because Mr. Ramage was an artist and painter, he had created a giant wood plaque painted to look aged. In flowing calligraphy he had written: "To all the ghosts, ghouls and goblins. Please take a treat and do no tricks. Please take only ONE or monsters shall seek out those who break the rules." Something like that. I can't remember exactly. I was 8. And terrified. And there was a bowl full of giant-size Snickers, Twix and Butterfingers. Needless to say: I only took one. It's always hung on to me and to this day I think it was one the most simple and yet grand Halloween stunts. And those people didn't even answer the door!
So I wanted to share with you my friends' fantastic tale of what they did to give out candy and some scares for Halloween 2008. It's an inspirational tale and it certainly made a lasting, fun impression on the neighborhood kids. Click HERE and enjoy.
I've mentioned quite often on this blog how there doesn't seem to be any "event" Halloween programming anymore. Aside from a TV series episode that has a thin Halloween plot and the main characters dressed up in costumes, the days of gathering 'round the TV's warm glowing warming glow for a Halloween special are long gone.
So much so, that those who grew up with them lean on the old standbys to fill the void. Sure I still watch It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown religiously every year, but I know what's going to happen. And I know that Linus sure as heck'll show Charlie Brown next year. He'll see.
Then there's the last bastion of Halloween specials: The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror episodes. Think about it: these specials are the same cast of lovable characters but it's a DIFFERENT special every year. And this special has been running for TWENTY YEARS. I never seem to think of it as carrying the torch because since FOX started running the World Series, it's always aired AFTER Halloween. Holy crap I've been watching these for TWENTY YEARS. Seriously that just hit me. Whoah.
This year's episode brings us a mixed bag of parodies. You've got "Untitled Robot Parody" which sort of lampoons the Transformers toy line and films. "How to Get Ahead in Dead-vertising" seems out of place as it's a parody of the Emmy winning show Mad Men. I don't mind a parody of a niche show, but I only want horror and sci-fi-related subject matter in my Halloween special, thank you. And the piece de resistance "It's the Grand Pumpkin, Millhouse" which is the first time The Simpsons tackle a parody of It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown. This segment makes the special. It's also the first time I'm glad that Treehouse aired AFTER Halloween as I just watched Great Pumpkin a few days before.
I would love it if these were compiled on DVD in 5 or 10 episode chunks. I know that that means I don't have to buy the Season DVD sets, but still. To have them all together on one double disc set would be great. Not a half-assed version like they put out in 2003 that only included V, VI, VII and XII.
Well now that the episode has aired it really is the end of the Halloween Season. Normally that puts me in a bit of a funk but there's one silver lining to this cloud: Daylight Savings Time lets you "fall back" into bed for another hour of sleep. Wonderful.
November 1st. All Saints Day. The day after Halloween. Better known to myself as "deep sighing, depressing day."
The Halloween Season is over, but Halloween Addict will be cruising throughout the year with gift ideas for Halloween Addicts for the Christmas Season, reading lists, and other Halloween articles. Keep coming back!
I like to do a quick recap of the season with some of the cooler items. What were my favorite things of the Halloween 2008 season?
Just a handful this year:
1) M&M's Sleepy Hollow commercial. I've mentioned in past posts that I love that October TV because not only are you getting Halloween programming like Halloween specials, horror movies, and Halloween episodes, but you also get Halloween ADVERTISING. I REALLY enjoyed M&Ms Halloween-themed commercial featuring the Headless Horseman. They ran it a lot during AMC's Fear Fest '08 and it kept me glued to the set instead of flipping or getting up to pee.
2) Halloween Giant Chewy Nerds Whereas last year, my favorite candy were the Caramel Apple Sugar Babies... as they were nowhere to be found this year, they left mighty big shoes to fill.
Enter Mr. Willy Wonka. The king of all things candy.
Giant Chewy Nerds combine my love of jellybeans, my love of Nerds and Wonka candies, and my love of Halloween. It's as if Willy Wonka pointed Great Bambini-style at the heavens, and then hit an Oompa Loompa out into the stands. The colors of purple and orange were not only part of the Halloween palette but also my two favorite flavors. Also wonderful is that though these Halloween themed bags disappear, the candy itself has become popular enough to be able to be purchased at my local Target year-'round. No need to stock up. I can't say enough good things about these. I love them. I can't help but eat half a bag every time they're open.
3) Trick 'r Treat: The Unreleased Film I had the absolute pleasure of seeing this film in an AintitCool.com organized screening on October 23rd. My review will be retro-posted soon on Halloween Addict because I want to really take time in writing how wonderful it is. What you need to know now?: It's a love letter to the Halloween season, 80s horror movies, Stephen King, anthologies like Creephsow, etc. etc. etc. Again: I'll truly gush in my review to be posted soon. Write to Warner Bros. BEGGING them to release it in theaters and on DVD by October 2009.
That's it for this year. In hindsight, there weren't too many things that blew my doors in this year. But I know that these things happen in cycles and Halloween season '09 will be fantastic.
Now that we're about to head into the holiday dominant December, you may want to start thinking of great gift ideas for your favorite Halloween Addict. 
