Hot Damn (again!)

Well, isn't this my lucky Halloween?

Some friends of mine invited me to go on a trip with them to HalloWeekends at Cedar Point, in Sandusky, OH. I've seen some photos of the park's Halloween event online, and the detail looks very good and it supposed to be a lot of fun. The haunted houses include a haunted mansion, a vampire's nightclub, a twisted toy factory, and a school for undertakers. I'm really looking forward to the scarezone "CornStalkers" a cornfield filled with hillbillies and possessed scarecrows. The whole thing looks awesome! Well, back to prop building!

PS: Big shout-out to Johnny Thunder of Hauntcast for joining my blog. Its just too cool!

Hot Damn!

OMG!!!!!!! I can't believe it!!!! I'm going to see the one and only Terror Syndicate haunt, DARK WORKS, in person this year!

I've always been a huge fan of Terror Syndicate, and the haunt. The props and sets have such a ghoulish and rotten look to them that I just love. Well, I thought, "Hey, wouldn't it be cool to see it in person?" I saw on the site that you have to be invited to attend the haunt in Pittsburg, PA. So I sent a nice, polite e-mail to the owner/operater, Steve Hickman, asking if I could come. I was honestly expecting a "no", but boy, did I get a shock when, just minutes after I sent the e-mail, Steve invites me and my parents to come over to see the haunt a week before Halloween. Not only that, but I get to see all the behind the scene stuff, so it should be awesome! I can't wait! Look out, Dark Works, here comes the HalloweeNut!!!!!!

Terror Syndicate.com

It's coming.....

Halloween, that is. Less than two months 'til the big dance.

Today was a very rewarding day of prop building. I've started building the Hangman's Crow, my first scarecrow, which I'm very proud of. Speaking of props, I picked up some VERY cool stuff at Michael's today. The props I bought include a funkin for my Sleepy Hollow scarecrow, a sign for ToTs, and, best of all, a five-foot tall talking witch prop for $50. The Witch looks kinda cheesey costume wise, right now, but I'm gonna give it an "Extreme Makeover, Haunt Edition". I hope to create a great haunt this year, and I'm striving to achive that goal.

PS: I know I said I would cover the Headless Horseman Hayrides today, but I ran out of time. Sorry.

ScreamParks (Part 1)

Hello, again, haunters of all ages.

Well, I hope to be busy working on one of my scarecrows this Labor Day weekend, and I've been looking for topics when it came to me: I've covered home haunts, but not any pro haunts! So I've decided to cover some haunted ScreamParks* before Halloween!

* ScreamPark: noun; a Halloween theme park consisting of haunted attractions.

The first one I want to cover is an old favorite: Universal Studios Florida's HALLOWEEN HORROR NIGHTS! Its been around since 1991, and has just gotten better since. This year's theme is RIPPED From the Silver Screen! and it just looks awesome! There are three haunts themed to the movies SAW, Child's Play, and an upcoming remake of The Wolfman. Two of the haunts are themed as re-imaginings of Frankenstein and Dracula, while the other haunts are done in the style of cheesey B-rate horror flicks. There's also a haunt called "Silver Screams" and is themed as an old haunted theatre. The mascot or "Icon" this year is called "The Usher", and is very creepy looking. Other attractions include Scarezones and two Stage Shows. Check out their awesome site, you won't regret it!

Halloween Horror Nights

Tommorow's ScreamPark: Headless Horseman Hayrides & Haunted Houses.

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.

Deadly Duo

As you might now know, one of my intentions with this blog is to give praise to yard haunts who deserve it, particularly little known ones. Today, I'll be covering TWO haunts: The Haunting of Ivy Hall, and the Dead's End Yard Haunt.

The Haunting of Ivy Hall is one of the classiest haunts around. The scarecrows, tombstones, jack-o-lanterns, and even the fog simply REEK of Halloween! The theme seems to be a haunted country estate, and they do a really good job of staying on theme. The website and the photography are simply amazing. See for yourself:

The Haunting of Ivy Hall

The second haunt I'm covering today is the Dead's End. Unlike Ivy Hall, which focuses on elegance, Dead's End has an earthy, even rotten texture and look. It has no real theme or story, but simply has different areas, each with its own theme. I noticed that most of their character's heads were masks from Death Studios, not surprising since their very popular among haunters. Unfortunetly, the haunt will not be around for 2009, due to a landslide. Hopefully, they will reappear in the future. Just take a look, you'll enjoy it.

Dead's End Yard Haunt