Ghost Ship Day - A Tribute to John Carptenter's The Fog

Attention boils and ghouls!

In order to celebrate John Carpenter’s The Fog turning 31 this year, I’ve decided to organize a group of horror bloggers to pay tribute to the film. I call it “Ghost Ship Day”. What we’ll do, is on the 21^st of April this year, everyone who wishes to participate simply has to post the event’s logo on their blog, along with something related to The Fog. It doesn’t have to be directly related to the movie, it can be anything in any medium, from videos to art, as long it is both nautical and spooky! I myself will be posting the opening ghost story video from The Fog. Let me know by April 2^nd if you wish to participate so I can e-mail you the logo and the list of other blogs participating. Contact me at halloweenutblog AT gmail dot com. I hope you all can take part in this fun event!

2011 Home Haunt theme

I gave you guys a clue to my costume this year, which in turn has helped inspire my haunt's theme this year. It was my original theme, and the silent horror film it's based on is what got me started haunting. Being back in my old stomping grounds has given me a sense of Halloween nostalgia. So I've decided to give an old theme another go. So, without further ado, here it is, my theme announcement video:

Hey, Kid! Wanna see something scary?

Frankenstein (1931) has always been a favorite. It's the first horror film I ever saw. Now, Dutch filmmaker Richard Raaphorst has begun putting together a frightening and grotesque new twist on the story. He calls it Army of Frankenstein. The basic premise is that at the end of WWII, an increasingly desperate and occult-obsessed Hitler found the journals of Victor Frankenstein, and sets about to create an army of creatures built from the bodies of fallen Nazi soldiers. It was interesting that I found the trailer now, right as I'm doing a report on Nazi Propaganda for my school. The trailer seriously gives me the creeps. Probably 'cause it's so damn convincing (not to mention the soundtrack is nightmare fuel)! It's been made to look like footage of Nazi graverobbers at work. If you're not frightened easily, click here to see the trailer at TwitchFilm.com.

UPDATE: TwitchFilm has announced that shooting for Frankenstein's Army will begin shooting this Spring!

My First Halloween Party

Wow, that was a lot of fun! I just got done taking down most of the decor from last night's party. What a fricken' BLAST!!!! Now I've gotta say, there were some drawbacks from the party. First, only three out of 18 people invited showed up, and those who didn't only let me know the day before the party. Gee, thanks guys (sarcasm). So there was a lot of last minute scrambling to change some of the stuff for the party, making it more or less a chance for me and three good friends to hang, watch horror movies, eat pizza, and jam to Rob Zombie. It was fun. But would I try it again? Probably not. I know at least one person invited ditched my party to go to some other party with his little brother. So that's a good indicator people weren't interested. Oh well. I had fun, and so did my guests, who I'm glad to say, all came in costume.

Oh, and how could forget the decor!?! It was as elaborate as many of my haunts, if not more so! I made guests walk around the side of my house through some gravestones, cornstalks, and luminaries to get to my back door, where I had a strobe light. Sadly, my fog machine went bust, so I wasn't able to show off my laser vortex. But the real treat was inside the house. Candles galore, and masks, static Trick-or-Treater props, severed fingers and rubber roaches floating in the soda barrel, green and blue LEDs illuminating things, and the spider's lair-themed foyer. Peoples jaws hit the floor. There was plenty of food, and we all had a good time. It was fun showing my friends Trick 'r Treat for the first time, and watching them scream and jump. After Trick 'r Treat, we watched The Hangover, and listened to more music.

One of the best things to come from the evening was that I may have a future assistant haunter for next year. I'm considering moving the haunt back here to my dad's house in Ohio, and going the extra mile for a really special something. One of my friends, named Grace, expressed interest in helping out next year with props and costumes. Personally, I can't wait. She seems to really enjoy Halloween, and has a lot of potential. Well, folks this is HalloweeNut saying Stay Scary!!!

A new addiction

Great. Just Great. I find something really cool and addicting, but I find it right before school starts. Ah, well, better late than never. I've finally decided to check the HauntCast podcast, and now I'm hooked! This podcast is designed for Home Haunters and Halloween enthusiasts. The show has many features, including horror movie reviews, interviews with Haunters like Stolloween (maker of some the best paper-mache props), coverage of conventions like HAuNTcon or Transworld, letters to the propmasters of the GARAGE OF EVIL, and much more. Plus, the show comes equiped with a truly bizzare sense of humor, that's still funny. Overall, great show, lots of fun. Go check it out, it's free!

www.HauntCast.net

OK, I'm panicking!!!!!

Oh, no. Less than 80 days until Halloween. And not one prop built yet! One thing is certain: I feel so doomed. :(

I was planning on building three scarecrows back in July, but with my mom's wedding, and getting ready for School, I've been busy. My stepdad, Ben, says not to worry, but I still feel doomed. But enough moaning and groaning. On to other news.

I am seriously awaiting the debut of two horror films: Midnight Syndicate's The Dead Matter, and Warner Bros.'s Trick 'r Treat!

I have always been a fan of Midnight Syndicate's music espically Gates of Delirium and The 13th Hour. The make the classiest Halloween music. So, I figure, if anyone can make a great scary movie, it would be them.

Midnight Syndicate

The Dead Matter

Trick 'r Treat justs looks like great bloody good Halloween fun. It looks like the film makers were trying to capture the spirit of the season with this film. Its coming out on DVD and Blu-Ray on October 6th. Can't wait!

Trick 'r Treat at IMDB

And finally, I've decided a theme for next year's haunt. I'm really excited about this theme, and I think I may keep this theme for several seasons! Maybe I'll make a teaser video. :) Well, talk to all you ghoulies later.

Favorite Halloween Sites & Blogs

Whew! I gotta say, things have been very busy 'round here, what with my Mom's wedding (which turned out beautifully, I may add)! But now, life's back pretty much normal, save for my black cat Nigel being sick :( Anyways, I've decided to share some of my favorite Halloween websites. But not just any websites; these are sites I feel will put the Halloween mood ANYTIME of the year! I promise you'll like 'em!

First, there's ShellHawk's Nest. This is a very fun little blog, with some very amusing posts. Its good for some light-hearted silliness.

Second, we have the Pumpkin Queen's Halloween Haven! The lady who writes this blog is really good with words. Her posts always make me yearn for Halloween and wish that it was October all year-round.

Third, the Captain's Ramblings. Very good for information on the latest horror movies. Also very funny.

Fourth, my favorite blog of all time: PUMPKINROT! What can I say about this man, this genious? King of the Scarecrow, Master of the Arts Macabre! Just check out his site, and you'll know what I mean!

Fifth, the Haunting of Ivy Hall. Unfortunately, its not update very often, but is loaded with great imagery and atmosphere.

Sixth, there is the Universal Studios Florida haunted house event, Halloween Horror Nights! This is one of the most realistic collection of haunted attractions in the industry, and some of there event themes are absulutely incrediable!

And finally, there's Haunted Overload. While I love haunted attractions that go for realism, this haunt's visual style cannot be beat. I so wish I could visit it in New Hamsphire.

Well, that's all for now. I'll post again soon!

Heads Will Roll!

Hello again, fellow spookables, to the Misadventures of the HalloweeNut. I do believe it’s time for a Movie Review. The movie: Sleepy Hollow!

I wound up watching the movie after a particularly painful incident involving me falling off a zip-line in a friend’s backyard (man, did that HURT!) After I calm down from my 12 foot plummet, I settled down to watch a movie and relax. Now Sleepy Hollow is one I’ve wanted to see for a VERY long time. Once my dad gave the OK, I settled down on a comfy couch in a dark room to watch Sleepy Hollow!

The Plot: We are introduced to Inspector Ichabod Crane (Johnny Depp), a detective in New York City, circa 1799. Ichabod’s scientific methods of investigation into crimes are way ahead of his time, and he’s considered crazy by his collogues. In order to get rid of the pesky Ichabod, the police chief sends to the town of Sleepy Hollow, where three people have been found, decapitated with an axe! It’s soon revealed the killer is non-other than the infamous Headless Horseman, the ghost of Hessian mercenary from the American Revolution. Now it’s up to Ichabod to stop the Horseman before he kills everyone in Sleepy Hollow. But how do you kill someone who’s already dead?

All in all, I’d give this great little horror film 4½ stars out of five. From the ultra creepy opening scene, to its blood-drenched climax, this film will put you in the Halloween mood anytime of year. A must-see for all Halloween fans!

Also, here's a link to nice yard haunt themed to this move:

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow