"Trek or Treat" Canada's First Ever Night Trail Run

Sometimes it's hard to exercise.  You know you should do it... you know it's good for you... but you're lacking motivation.
Ok, how about a 10k or 5k trek through an eerily silent valley, supposedly haunted by 200 year old ghosts of settlers past... at night?

How to Haunt Your View-Master

In the past when I've had large Halloween parties, I always liked to put things for party-goers to discover scattered throughout the shindig.  I never pointed them out to attendees.  Just sort of placed them randomly in small pockets of the house and/or backyard, for people to find and enjoy.

One item worth adding to that grab-bag of fun would be Ye Olde View-Master.
For adults who grew up with the stereoscopic toy, it's a trip down memory lane.  For those who never had the experience of holding a plastic viewfinder up to their faces to view 3D pictures--- it's a fun diversion while they're waiting for the bathroom or to get to the bar.  Though there haven't been any revolutions in ViewMaster technology, they've upgraded the basic viewfinder style and have even made a few holiday-themed versions including: a Halloween themed Pumpkin viewer which you can grab from Amazon HERE or from the links below.

But what to load it with?  After all, a View-Master sans discs (or "reels") is really just crappy binoculars that don't work.  Well there are  few options out there, but it requires some digging, eBay searching and knowing what to look for.

T-Shirt Tuesday: Seventh Ink - Who's Headless Now?

A couple of years ago, I was at a theme park in October and while winding back and forth and around and around, queuing up for a ride that would last a fraction of the amount of time I was in the line, a fellow queue-mate caught my eye.  He was wearing a black t-shirt with the brightest orange colors on it. 

As the line kept moving I was able to catch glimpses of the shirt:  a giant jack o' lantern, the red cape of a Headless Horseman... but as theme park lines often do: they split us in different directions and I was never able to get close enough to say "Hey dude!  NICE SHIRT!  Where'd you get it?"
Until today when I just happened to find the website for the clothing company Seventh Ink Shirts.
I wasn't deliberately searching for the shirt, but serendipity is funny in how it plays out and --boom-- there was this awesome shirt featuring a jack o' lantern being thrown by The Headless Horseman. 
Called simply "Who's Headless Now?" it's available for only $24 from SeventhInk.com HERE. 

That's not the only Halloween-themed shirt they have.  There's also a shirt called simply "3rd Anniversary Shirt."  Limited to only 55, the shirt features a giant pumpkin with the words "Seventh Ink" carved into it with two skeletal hands clawing at the top.  It's simple, and being so rare, not one that'll cause you to run into your t-shirt doppelganger. 

Check out their whole inventory for a lot of clever stuff like a Jaws-like shark coming out of the water complete with speech bubble saying "More please!", a glow in the dark Frankenstein's monster, and a Night of the Living BREAD shirt.  Glorious stuff.

BOOK REVIEW: It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown: The Making of a Television Classic

Most Halloween Addicts that I know watch the immortal television classic "It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown" at least once, come October.

But for those who want to see behind the curtain of this little animated classic, look no further than "It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown:  The Making of a Television Classic" from Harper Collins.

LEGO Halloween Minifigs: Tiny Toys, Terrifically Terrifying

LEGOS are great.  Part puzzle, part toy, they inspire creativity in kids of all ages.

The problem is:  they're expensive and they take up a lot of room if you're a collector and keep them built.  So as an adult (and I use the term loosely, ZING!) with not much time, and not much space to put into the various awesome sets out there, I was looking for something to collect, LEGO related, that tied into my Halloween obsession.
And thanks to Amazon and a lot of clever LEGO builders, I've found it.
MINIFIGS!

Halloween Scene: Batman Forever

Batman Forever is known for many things:  Jim Carrey in his prime; the beginning of the end for the '90s Batman franchise; and Val Kilmer as a blonde (BLONDE?!) Batman.
But what many forget is that this film has a nugget of fun called a HALLOWEEN SCENE! 
In fact, one could say that Halloween is to blame for the Bat Cave being destroyed in Batman Forever. 

What Percentage of Americans Have Their Birthday on Halloween?

Recently I finished taking an internet survey and was offered the "chance" to "win" some "great prizes" by answering a quick survey question.  Normally it's something along the lines of "How many American women have ever been to Hawaii?" or some nonsense that I usually click past, but on this particular day, the jack o' lanterns were smiling upon me as the question asked was: 

"What percentage of Americans have their birthday on Halloween?"  

Halloween, Alaska THE BAND

I've only covered one other band with the name "Halloween" in their title and that was the band "Halloween" (you can read that post HERE). But whereas that band was more heavy metal, the band "Halloween, Alaska" is anything but.

Jack O' Lantern Sandwiches

This is the second time I've marveled at Disposable Aardvark's mastery of the Halloween food display.  (The first was HERE with the jack o' lantern veggie party platter.)

No real "recipe" here, just some simple arranging and a hearty appreciation for Halloween. 
Plus, these kids are eating HEALTHY.  Check out this Halloween-themed lunch fit for a vegan:  "... snap peas; meatless meatballs; carrot coins; zucchini brownies; Jack O' Lantern sandwiches; grapes, broccoli."
I can't add much.  To suggest anything to make this look more aesthetically pleasing would cause it to be more unhealthy. 
Do they make orange bread?  Like, Cheetos orange? 
New Cheetos BREAD!  Turns fingers cheese-alicious orange!

Annual Halloween Art Exhibit

What if there were one place where fans and creators of Halloween art could kibitz, co-mingle and connect?  What if I told you that place EXISTS?

Well, it does.  

And it's called AVATAR!

Kidding:  it's called HalloweenArtExhibit.com.  

Per the website: 

"Professional, up and coming artists, crafters and fans can share your knowledge and work about Halloween.  Any visitor can view, shop and read this great stuff.  When you join the site (it's free), you can join in the fun and contribute too."

Members are not limited to just artists, but artists can certainly benefit the most from the site by getting their own customizable member gallery, profile page and blogs.  There's even a detailed Quick Guide to getting you up to speed on posting your work, which means less time fashioning HTML code and more time painting a jack o' lantern riding in a jack o' lantern car, waving at other jack o' lanterns, carving jack o' lanterns.   
Um.... I like Halloween.
Check out the whole site HERE at HalloweenArtExhibit.com. 

Special thanks to Halloweeniverse's Twitter feed for the tip on this!

Angel/Ghost & Devil iPad Covers

The iPad 2 has been out for about a month now but it's never too early to shop for your iPad's Halloween costume.

Yes, you read that right.

Why should humans and pets have all the fun?
For dressing up your iPad I recommend either the Devil Silicone case iPad cover which comes in red or black.  (Sure black stylish, classy and cool, but how many black devils do you know?  Exactly.)

Or for the lighter of heart you can go with the Angel Silicone case iPad cover which comes in light blue or white.
Honestly, I thought for sure it was a ghost.  Had I not read "Angel" in the title of the product, I thought for sure it was a "happy ghost."  Though I enjoy the light blue and white as "ghosty" colors really the perfect choice would be glow-in-the-dark translucent white.  Little tip from your Uncle Steve.  Get on that iPad cover people.

I covered (PUN!) something similar for a Devil iPhone cover back HERE on H.A.  But that was in years P.I.  (Pre-iPad).
Links to Amazon are below.

My Favorite Halloween Cards

Piggy-backing on yesterday's post about Hello!Lucky Halloween Cards, I feel I need to say this.
I love Halloween cards. 
Love 'em.

I don't know if it's the rarity of them that makes them so special or the brilliant oranges that catch my eye, or the fact that it's one of the few times you can get away with monster jokes in a greeting card... but I can't get enough of them.
Though I've pared down my collecting due to time, money and space, there are some things that I still can't help but hold on to or purchase instinctively when I see them. 
Like Halloween cards.

And though I may buy a lot of them, I DO try and at least "thin the herd" every October, sending them out to friends and family who will appreciate them.  In some ways I feel like Richard Pryor in Brewster's Millions when he mails that upside down airplane stamp to Granville & Baxter.  I think I lost that analogy half-way through typing it. 

Anyway, here are the few Halloween cards I have yet to mail, that I love (click 'em to make 'em bigger). 

The one at the top of the article is a top fave:  A jack o' lantern made up of hundreds of tiny Halloween clip art pieces.  Skulls, moons, witches hats, spiders, they're all there.  And just the smiling black on orange of the jack.  Great.  Inside? "Happy Halloween" on orange.  Simple.  Great.

Next up can't really be done justice with a scan so I'll describe it to you. 
It's a heavy card stock that is made to look like brushed copper metal. 

The only image on the front are three tiny jack o' lantern faces, in black, that have been letterpressed, or die cut, or some term I'm not sure of ---right into the card.  You could run your fingers over them in a dark room and feel the edges of the jack o' lantern's smiles. 
Each jack has his own personality, but they're all smiling.  No sad pumpkins here.
Inside?
"Have an Exceptionally Haunting Halloween." 
Using the word "Exceptionally" turns a classy minimalist card, REGAL.  
My only gripe with this card is that Carlton put a HUGE barcode sticker on the back.  HUGE. 
Look at the size of that sticker!
We got it, Carlton.  It's $2.99 in the USA.  Ease down on the bar code sticker sizes.  Geeeeeeeeez.

Lastly is the most twisted.  It's so twisted that I had to buy it because I couldn't believe a drug store would carry something so quirky.  You know what I'm saying:  sometimes you can tell the quality of your cards by where you buy them.  The more generic the store, the more you're going to get poorly drawn ghosts and an inside that says "Have a BOO-tiful Halloween."  Actually I think even THAT is more high-brow than what you'll get at some drug stores holiday card sections.

Anyway!  The card.   
The front has a long line of dried up skull and crossbones. 
The hues of the photo are brown and the skulls look dirty, brittle and old.  It almost doesn't even feel like a Halloween card. 
The inside is the kicker.

It says simply "Always follow your heart."
Then underneath:  "Happy Halloween."

Hows that for a slice of fried gold?
Seriously, that's something that Steve Martin would have written back in the Cruel Shoes days. 

Friggin' brilliant.  
Like I mentioned, I had to read it a few times to make sure I wasn't going mad.  Then I purchased it.  Now I just need to find a friend to send it to on Halloween who is hip enough to get the humor. 
And this is from Carlton cards too! 
Carlton: The too-big-sticker people. 
Whoda thunk it?

Click the pics to make 'em embiggenable if you don't believe me yourself. 

That's it.  Down to three.  Who will be the lucky three this October to receive the last of my card collection?  Who will be the coveted one who I send the "Follow Your Heart" one to?
Questions.
Questions.
And miles to go before I sleep.

Hello Lucky Halloween Cards

When I find something I like, I share it with you.
That's how Halloween Addict works.

So when I find a company that puts out some stylized Halloween cards ---stuff you're not going to find on that flimsy wire-spindle--spinney-thing in line for your prescription refill--- that I gush over... it gets featured here.

So it is that I found HelloLucky.com.  Though they specialize in letterpress and wedding invitations... hidden amongst the Save-the-Dates, Menus, RSVPs, and all the other square pieces of paper that getting hitched warrants, you'll find some of the best damn Halloween cards this side of Jack Skellington. 

And speaking of Skellington, you're not going to find any licensed characters on Hello! Lucky's cards.  Oh no. 
 Every card is a well designed piece of artwork in a retro-vintage style that harkens back to Beistle decorations, wax paper treat bags and Dia de Los Muertos.  

My personal favorite is the "Haunted House" Halloween card.  No jokes on the inside or witty saying. 
 Just a gorgeous depiction of a Haunted House on the front that's almost a "Where's Waldo" of Halloween fun. 
Just take a look. 
Can you find the mummy?  How about the tentacle?  What about the witch?  And it's all rendered in the three colors that warm my heart: orange, black and white.
Seriously, this is something I would love to have a framed poster of year-'round. 
The Hello! Lucky people plead to you on their site:

"Don't settle for the ordinary when there are so many delightful designs to be had!"

I enthusiastically agree.  Head over to HelloLucky.com HERE and if you're smart, you'll buy one of everything.

Halloween-Themed Movie FUN SIZE going into Production

According to the Hollywood Reporter, a new Halloween-themed film by a Colbert Report writer and directed by that gentleman to the left, Josh Schwartz (an Executive Producer for Chuck and Gossip Girl) is going into production at Paramount Pictures.  The film is described HERE as a cross between Superbad and Adventures in Babysitting set on Halloween. 
Hmmm... interesting, says I.
Though I really like those two movies, you had me at "Halloween." 

Some further internet digging found the Reporter article HERE that says:

"...the comedic script, which centers on a sarcastic teenage girl who is forced to take her little brother trick-or-treating on Halloween, then loses him and must find him before their mother finds out."

Hmmm... says I, again.
Can't help but think that sounds a little like the video game Costume Quest.  But really, there could be a million stories centered around a son/daughter who loses a sibling on Halloween and has to get them back ---and I'd go see each one.  (Maybe not at full price, I mean... like... that'd be like a bill-million dollars.) 

Further digging came up with  a touch of casting news:  the lead role went to actress Victoria Justice (whose previous credits include the TV series Victorious on Nickelodeon).

Paramount decided they want to make a go for opening it THIS coming Halloween season so let's hope they don't have any delays and have to open a Halloween movie in March... or worse... pull a Trick 'r Treat and shelve it for a couple years only to release it on DVD. 
Of course IMDB is saying the release date is 2014 so I'm not going to hold my breath.  
I'm being pessimistic aren't I? 
Look I just get very attached to movies about my beloved holiday.
I'll be sure to keep tabs on this one and continue to eat "Fun Size" snacks in support of the film.  It's the least I can do.

Monster Matryoshkas from SpoonSisters.com

You don't see too many classy Halloween TOYS.  When I say "classy" I mean something that rides the line between a decoration and art.

On a whim I did a little Google searching for "Halloween Stacking Dolls" ---don't ask me why, sometimes stuff just pops in my head--- and I wound up at SpoonSisters.com looking at their "Monster Matryoshkas."

If you don't have a Matryoshka-to-English dictionary, that basically means they're stacking dolls done in creepy faces.  Unlike the antique items that originated in the 1800s (I'm trusting the Spoon Sisters' website here, no actual research being done) these are made from plastic instead of wood and are cast in a bright (and very Halloweeney) orange.

There are six dolls that Partridge-Family-out to be:  a Grim Reaper, a zombie with bullet holes, a Chupacabra-like vampire (dunno why... maybe it's the bolo tie?), a skeleton, a mummy and a ghost.

If I had to nit pick I'd say drop the zombie and swap him out with a jack o' lantern-headed Scarecrow.
Otherwise these are pretty great.  And don't forget, they'll all fit inside each other which makes packing them up (should you ever do such a thing) and storing them super easy. 
Only $15.50 and you can snag them from SpoonSisters.com HERE.

Interview: Lew Lehrman, Painter of Dark from The Haunted Studio

If it's one thing that running the website Halloween Addict does for me, personally, is that it allows me to discover creative and interesting people, products and art that I may never have found if being a fan of the Halloween season hadn't brought us together otherwise.

I discovered Lew Lehrman's Haunted Studio soon after Halloween Addict was born and have been meaning to do a lengthy post and interview to give this master his due.
That time is now.
Lew Lehrman runs HauntedStudio.com a digital shrine to his paintings of haunted houses, ghosts, witches and Halloween which has earned him the moniker "Painter of Dark." 
His original works would look fantastic as the cover of a Spooky Stories compendium, an album cover for a Halloween sound-scape compilation or framed on your wall.
Lew's "specialty" is making a custom painting of YOUR OWN HOUSE complete with jack o' lanterns, ghosts, witches... and maybe even... Spider-Man...?

More on that after the jump...

Target Halloween 2010: Adult Party Planning Guide

Every Halloween, retailers but together new websites, displays, handouts and more.  If you miss picking up any of it, it's relegated to the delete bin or the meatspace dumpster... never to be seen again. 

As a Halloween Addict, I try and snag some of these little holiday treats to archive and share with the fans of Halloween.   Much like THIS 2008 Domo foldout I blogged about, Target puts out a bunch of different items that are free for those who find them.  This particular post is for the "Adult Party Planning Guide" that was available as a PDF download on the Target.com Halloween page (which has since been taken down).

Not nearly as pretty as the Domo flyer, it's still got a few little bells and whistles. 
Pros:  There are some quick recipes (sans pictures) and there are a couple games with pre-printed tags to cut out and use in their suggested reindeer games. 
Cons:  Super lame suggestions like: "Music:  Get a party mood going with some of your most atmospheric CDs."   Really?  REALLY?  THAT'S your suggestion?  Why not just write "Hey, play some music at your party.  People like music." 

Regardless of my rant on stating the obvious, click on the pics to make them bigger for a read, print or just peruse. 

Halloween in Spaaaaace - Mars500 crew celebrates...

Your first question might be "Wait... we sent people to Mars??!!" 
The answer is no. 
Not yet. 
BUT these gentlemen are the guinea pigs to see if we CAN send people to Mars in the Mars500 Study.
What is the Mars500 study?

I believe the website is best suited to answer this question.  So I quote. 
-ahem-

"The purpose of the Mars500 study is to gather data, knowledge and experience to help prepare for a real mission to Mars. Obviously there will be no effect of weightlessness, but the study will help to determine key psychological and physiological effects of being in such an enclosed environment for such an extended period of time."

There.  See?  That's a very intelligent way to basically say "Before we spend billions on sending people to Mars, we want to make sure they're not gonna flip out and kill each other like we've learned from the motion pictures."

As a sign that the men are doing fine (or that they're losing their minds) on Halloween 2010, they constructed homemade Halloween costumes out of stuff found in their "spacecraft." 

Looking at the pic, they came up with some pretty creative costumes for a bunch of guys trapped in a narrow space vessel millions of miles from earth... er, "simulated." 
The costumes were:

• A Doctor:  Pretty simple.  Just a face mask.  
• A Clown:  Man clowns are terrifying, huh?  Can you imagine being in space and waking up to a clown standing over your sleeping chamber?  Holy crap.  I'd blow myself out the airlock... just to get away.
• A Mummy/Zombie:  Can't tell which.  The kitchen knife sticking out of him confuses the issue too.  Mummy or zombie?  Then again, isn't a mummy just a gift wrapped zombie?
• Jack Skellington:  I believe this gentleman just printed out a picture of a Jack Skellington pumpkin carve and made it into a mask.  Good effort.
• Chilean Miner:  Who's the guy with the headlamp?  Is he supposed to be a Chilean Miner?  Is he the topical costume in outer space?  How do they know about that?  CNN?
• ???:  Not sure who the guy with the half-assed paper mask and shirt pulled over his head is.  If he weren't in [simulated] outer space, I'd bounce that guy from the party.  Because he IS in [simulated] space I'll give him a C.  Not failing. 

So now there is NO excuse for your lame "This is my costume" T-shirt or lame "I didn't have time to make a costume" excuse before you show up to that Halloween party.  
These guys are in [simulated] SPACE gosh darn it!  And THEY managed to pull off costumes. 
No excuses. 
These guys also get brownie points for the printed jack o' lantern in the upper left corner of the picture and this separate photo of a jack o' lantern balloon complete with a black bat by the "Be nice to the monster of the storage module." note. 
Important safety tip, thanks Egon.

How long do you leave Halloween decorations up?

I took this photo while walking the dog.
Look closely and you'll see that there's a pumpkin, painted to look like a jack o' lantern sitting on the porch of this apartment.
Not much to note except for the fact that this photo was taken IN MARCH.
MARCH!
Now, you know me, I'm a Halloween Addict.
But I know when to box up the decorations and turn the non-carved pumpkins into pumpkin pie.
But this guy (or girl)... he's a rebel.  He's hardcore.
MARCH.
FREAKIN' MARCH!
JACK O' LANTERN STILL ON THE PORCH!

So an informal poll, dear readers:  when do you put your Halloween decorations away?
OR:  What's the longest you've kept your Halloween decorations up?
Sound off in the comments below.

UPDATED: Costume Idea: Comic Book Damsel

What you're seeing isn't something on the funny pages ready to be smooshed with Silly Putty.
No, that is a real, live model made to look like a pixelated blonde damsel.  Amazing. 

I first discovered this fantastic idea HERE at CharmedTasha.blogspot.com.  After poking around the internet a bit more, here's the rest of the info I was able to dig up...

Created by a MAC cosmetics make-up artist named Karin Stone the look is based, not just generally on the art of comic books, but also inspired by the pop culture art of Roy Lichtenstein.

It's a pretty amazing visual trick.  And though you might not have the time and patience to do this to yourself or someone else, at least it can trigger ideas on how to pull off a similar idea.  Check out the rest of the "making of" shots HERE at CharmedTashas's blog.

UPDATE:  HERE's a YouTube tutorial on how to pull off a similar look from "UnlimitedElizabeth."

Halloween Scenes: Adam Green's HATCHET

I had been hearing about Adam Green's Hatchet for a number of years.  How it was an homage to the gory slashers of yesteryear.  How someone had finally created a new movie monster to take the place of the aging Jason Voorheeses and Freddy Kruegereses of the world.  And, after watching it, I can say that it IS all those things. 
It is also a horror movie with A HALLOWEEN SCENE.

The film itself takes place in the swamps of New Orleans, hardly Halloween-ish but certainly spooky, and it's around Plot Point One that our smiling jack o' lantern pops up.

Marybeth (our heroine) tells the rest of the Ten Little Indians the backstory of the creature that's been hunting them:  Victor Crowley.  It seems ol' Victor was born deformed and taunted by the local kids.  On Halloween night (yay!) the kids show up at the cabin in the woods to scare Victor by throwing firecrackers at the door.  Fire and wood don't mix and the cabin goes up in flames.  When Papa Crowley discovers the burning building and tries to save his son by hacking through the front door with a --wait for it-- "hatchet," he inadvertently cuts through the door and into the face of his son... killing?... him?... question mark?...

Compliments to Adam for dressing the nasty kids in non-stock Halloween costumes:  no pirate, cowboy and princess here.  Nope. 
Instead we are treated to a scary skull mask, a creepy clown (what clown isn't, right?) and a very Saw-like PIG MASK.  Yikes. 
(How come Collegeville never made THAT boxed costume?  Complete with a vinyl outfit that says "Bacon."  Mmmmm bacon.)

I think it's a great choice to have a newly created movie monster's origin happen on Halloween.  What better day to be born, right?  But Adam has demonstrated himself to be a big Halloween fan by releasing a couple of short films directly to the web, based on the holiday. 
You can check out The Jack Chop HERE and "Just Take One" HERE. 
CAUTION:  If you don't like extremely dark humor, gore and foul language... look elsewhere.  I should say the same about Hatchet.  Wait.  I just did.   

The Mystery of the Childhood Trick or Treat Skull Bucket Pail CONTINUES...

Back in September of ought-ten, I wrote up a post about my beloved childhood Halloween trick or treat skull pail and how I was searching for this long-lost item. 

Six months later, and some "Saved eBay Searches" I've gathered a bit more information about this elusive Halloween tchotchke.  

Turns out --as the old timers will tell you-- memory fades... and I believe the skull bucket I posted about back in September isn't the one I had as a kid after all. 
 I believe it's the one I've posted pics of here. 

Again, this is from an eBay listing that I missed (hidden in a "lot" of Halloween items and probably why I missed it) and I snagged the pics for research before eBay dropped the listing after 90 days.

This one is truer to what I remember for a few reasons: 
1)  The face:  I remember the eyes having the skull cracks around them and the black spray paint dobs which give it a slightly more sinister look than the previous one. 

2)  The weird jaw bone that you can see in the profile pic:  I remember that feature distinctly as my kid-self thought that it looked a little like a Vulcan ear even though skulls have no ears. 

3)  The handle:  I remember the handle went into two small holes in the top just like this one. 

Alas the most important thing that I can remember is absent from this photo:  the top.  Even as a kid, the top hole that was meant to hold candy was small.  Almost too small for my kid hands.  In order to get the candy out I had to turn it upside down and shake it like a candy piggy bank.

I've still got my keywords plugged in to my eBay searches.  Words like "blow mold," "skull," "pail," "bucket," and even "'70s" and "'80s."  Still have no idea who manufactured the thing.  Message boards have revealed that "Empire" was a popular one for making these types of Halloween decorations. 

If anybody has any leads, drop 'em in the comments below.
Until I find it, I continue to wander in the night... searching for a cure... like a Halloween-obsessed David Banner... Bruce Banner?... David Bruce Banner? 
Um... you know... the Hulk dude.

SPACED Referenced "Jaffa Cake" Gets a Halloween Edition!

Image courtesy likeaskeletonkey.com

I was recently loaned the complete series of the wonderful British TV show Spaced on DVD.

I had long heard about how great the show was and was already a fan of Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost thanks to such films as Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz and the upcoming Paul.

One thing you should know about me:  I devour special edition sets of DVDs.
If I really like something on DVD, I will dive in and swim around in every inch of every special feature.   

Spaced lived up to the hype heaped upon me by friends and fans.  As I blew through both brief seasons in a weekend (as is the nature of UK TV, I only had two seasons to get through and both only lasted 7 episodes) I was eager to tackle the numerous special features of the set.

What's this have to do with Halloween?
Bear with me, I'm getting to it.

There are two sets of commentaries on each episode.  One with just the cast and director, and one more recently recorded with some of the cast and celebs or noteworthy fans--- from the U.S. of A.

It's on one of these latter commentaries that Edgar Wright and other UK cast members were trying to answer the question asked by one of the guest commentators (not sure if it was Trey Parker, or Patton Oswalt, or Kevin Smith, etc.) "What is a Jaffa Cake?"  (A reference to which was made in the show.)

They proceeded to describe, as will I here now, that it was like a small cookie-sized cake with orange marmalade and the top covered in chocolate.  Something like that.  It was this odd description that led me to the wide wide world o' webs to really SEE what they were discussing.

Well a few Google clicks later and I realize that this UK-specific treat also has HALLOWEEN EDITIONS!
I love 'em already!
My research turned up TWO different incarnations of the Jaffa Cake in Halloween flavors.  McVitie's (which seems to have the Jaffa Cake monopoly) released a "Spooky Cake Bars" version and also per THIS PRESS RELEASE a "Lemon and Slime" cake flavor.

Image courtesy snackspot.org.uk

I must say I was pretty surprised that not only would a UK product recognize Halloween but embrace it with packaging featuring spider-webs, bats, a full moon and (on the Lemon and Slime) a jack o' lantern!

So I reach out to the few international readers that Halloween Addict has:  is this a regular occurrence?
The Halloween-edition Jaffa Cake?
Are they delicious?
Can I buy them here in the States?
Are the Halloween editions individually packaged to be given out to trick or treaters on Halloween?
Do they have trick or treaters on your planet?
U.S. people:  Have you had a Jaffa Cake?
So many questions... sound off in the comments below.

And America, if you haven't enjoyed Spaced yet, get on it.  Links are below. 

Scary Cheese

Looking to "class up" your Halloween party this year?  Well ditch the Solo cups and Cheez-Its and replace them with fine wine and SCARY CHEESE from iGourmet.com. 

Per the webstite:

Is it a trick or is it a treat?  This depends on who you present it to.  A definite treat for the adventurous cheese connoisseur, but a trick to the timid. 

If the cheeses are as bold looking as the sample picture, that's enough for my Halloween spread.

Look at that bright Frankenstein's-monster-like GREEN Basiron Pesto, or that Halloween-orange Aged Mimolette.  And let's not forget the crackers which are BLACK. 
BLACK CRACKERS. 
Madness. 

For $40 you get TWO POUNDS of these mysterious cheeses.  (Ok they're not that mysterious, check out iGourmet.com for specific descriptions of each.) 
If you're one of the "timid" that the website mentions, treat it like an adult version of Harry Potter's Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans and taste safely knowing you'll never encounter "Ear Wax."  

Recipe: Severed Toes in Bandages

As you've heard me proclaim in previous gross Halloween recipes like THIS cockroach and squishy eyes and THIS meat hand, I love the creativity of recipes made to look like something found at a crime scene even if I could never get down one bite of them, myself.

But I respect creativity and if Halloween Addict is anything, it's a repository for a lot of these gross clever Halloween recipes to inspire and/or serve at your Halloween shindig. 

Up today:  "Severed Toes in Bandages" from WomansDay.com (of all places!) HERE.
 Old timers will call this "Pigs in a Blanket" but I'll keep the mystique up by letting you feast on that photo and the recipe at the link above.

I'd go one step more and add a little ketchup to the non-toe-nail portion of each snack. 
Maybe scatter some of the BooBoo Bandages from my previous post on the table too. 
See?  I'm playing along! 
Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go puke. 

BooBoo Halloween Bandages:

Here's the scenario: 
It's October. 
You're cutting up a bright orange pumpkin, but half way through that jagged smile, you slip and nick your hand.  (Relax, it's just a nick... but you gotta be more careful in your zest for carving.) 
Why reach for a plain old Band-Aid or -ahem- "Fabric Bandage" when you can continue to celebrate your favorite holiday in First-Aid fashion.
In a "why didn't I think of that" stroke of genius naming here are:  BooBoo Bandages.

Available from TenderTreasures.com HERE, the bandages arrive in a box with picture of a ghost covered in the various strips. 

Inside the box you'll find 4 different strips to choose from:  black with white skull and crossbones, purple with white ghosts, yellow with black bats, and orange with black spider-webs.  

I only have two complaints:  1)  No black with orange jack o' lanterns.  (I mean they're called "Halloween Bandages."  What's more Halloween than jack o' lanterns?)

2)  I take offense with the tag line of the website TenderTreasures.com---- "For Women and Kids."
Hey!  What about "For Women and Kids and Men with a Peter Pan Complex?"
Hm.  That's a little wordy.
Ok they can keep it as-is.

Recipe: Mini Caramel Apples

Nothing quite screams "Halloween Party Snack!!!" like Caramel Apples.  Well... except "Help!  My house is on fire!"  Or "Get a crowbar!  My leg is stuck in the chipper!" 
Those scream well too, I guess.
Where were we?
Right.
Caramel apples.

Though they're great, they're a bit daunting at full size.  Even as a child, I found maneuvering my bites around a huge Granny Smith on a stick a bit of challenge and not in a "win a prize" kind of way. 

But thanks to people with too much time and enterprising minds, we now have--- drum roll--- the MINI CARAMEL APPLE.  Bite size.  No pits.  No stem.  Alllllll delicious. 

There are few recipes out there that vary between Mini Candy Apples to Mini Caramel Apples.  I believe that somewhere in between the three lies the true perfect recipe.  But I'll give you all three and let you decide. 

Recipe 1 from the Disney Family Fun website.
Recipe 2 from the woman who is Martha.
Recipe 3 from the Fine Stationery blog.

I tell ya, the miniaturization of snacks revolution that is going on is really opening up a whole new world of food for me.  First the cupcakes, now the Caramel Apples.  What's next?
I'll tell ya what:  miniature chocolate fountains.  Powered by USB. 
I could be dipping strawberries off a pencil right now.

Halloween Towels from House8810.com

There are many sites that specialize in kitsch.  But House 8810 certainly does it with flair. 

If you're looking for that set of off-beat Halloween towels that blend the black of the '50s-'70s decades and the white of Halloween, then this is your gray. 

I give you this:  a set of three Halloween towels.  Two of which look like they could have been hanging in your own mother's kitchen from that decade you think you know so well... and one features a single jack o' lantern sporting a Lone Ranger-like black mask. 

Simple.  Kitschy.  Fun. 

And that's what House 8810 is all about.
Sadly, this is currently their only Halloween item, but browse around and you may find something else wonderful like a cake cutter shaped like a wood saw.  Seriously.  

Go HERE to House8810.com to check it out.

Door Peninsula Winery's HalloWine

There are many wines that rear their spooky heads in late Fall.  Many flaunt a fancy label on a one-note red or white, but some take the Fall season to heart and come up with a concoction that is different enough to be made noteworthy.
Enter: Wisconsin's Door Peninsula Winery "HalloWine."

DPW has brewed a unique mix of Fall flavors:  a sweet apple wine mixed with nutmeg and cinnamon and their suggestion is to serve it hot as a "dangerous substitute for apple cider."
Their words of warning, not mine. 

Frankly, HalloWine had me with the name, label and bottle design alone (which you can see HERE at RuthAnnes.com).
Just look at that orange bottle with flapping bats, spooky black cat, jack o' lantern apple and a witch silhouette against a full moon (probably chasing E.T.). 

They get bonus points for having a haunting legend which RuthAnnes.com details here:

"As the legend goes, in 1665 Reginald w. Hallow brought his unique blend of fall harvest apples and mulled spices to ferment in the crisp Door County air.  He dubbed his creation Hallowine ... then mysteriously disappeared.  Three hundred thirty-four years later, Door Peninsula Winery honors Hallow's legacy conjuring up the distinctive autumn flavor of the region for a limited time. "

I'd pour some out for my dead homey Reginald, but it sounds too delicious to waste. 

Available only during the Fall Halloween season HERE at DCWine.com, so be sure to bookmark it and return to order it up.