Halloweenify your holidays!

If you’re like us at Netherworld Haunted House, you live for Halloween. You cannot wait for October to roll around, for the leaves to turn, the air to cool off, and independent pumpkin patches to sprout up along the highways. The rest of the year serves as nothing more than an eleven month waiting period for your favorite day to arrive.

But why wait? 364 days is far too long to endure while you plot and prepare your home haunt and the latest and greatest jack-o-lantern designs. With just a little bit of imagination, you can turn every holiday into a Halloween-infused celebration. Don’t let the greeting card companies dictate the aesthetic of your monthly festivities – with year’s end decorating in full swing, let’s take a quick look at a few ways to “Halloweenify” your holidays, and make every celebration feel like 10/31!

First of all, forget silver, gold, red and green. There’s no rule that says your Christmas tree can’t flourish in orange and black. If you’re going the artificial route, there are a number of different color options available, including black.
A white or red tree can make a dynamic base for your Halloween holiday tree, as well, depending on how you intend to accent it. You may wish to start with some red icicles, or for an even eerier effect try glow-in-the-dark icicles

Now you’ve prepped the canvas – time to spice it up!

Ornaments are an easy outlet for your creative expression. You can turn pretty much any Halloween icon into a tree-ready bauble, with a little bit of finesse. Rubber bats, mini skulls, or even plastic toy spider rings can be used to adorn the branches. If you feel crafty, a quick search online will produce tons of vintage Halloween images. Simply print them out and cut them to fit a frame ornament, available at most hobby stores . If you prefer straight-from-the-box to do-it-yourself, there a few companies that offer stylish Halloween ornaments .

If your tree lights don’t give off heat, why not string up that leftover candy corn for a different type of garland (don’t want a dripping mess one evening!)? And you can always pull out those strings of jack-o-lantern patio lights to drape on your tree or fireplace mantle.

Tree topper? How about a decorative pumpkin or black cat candy bucket? Just cut a small hole in the bottom, slide it over that top bough, and you’re all set. Or a grinning skull in a Santa hat may be more to your liking – the possibilities are endless. However you choose to spruce up your spruce for the season, there are plenty of options available to make it a unique statement and help continue to enjoy Halloween into the New Year (speaking of which, there’s no need to count down the seconds watching a shiny ball drop – a leering jack-o-lantern can be just as effective).

Of course, you can always add a splash of “The Nightmare Before Christmas” or some fine Krampus gear for a bit of flair in your Halloween-themed holidays – there’s a fair amount of items to be found around the web to make that happen. So whether you decide to cram a bit of spookiness into this year’s season, or start planning for your 2012 holidays, we hope you’re able to unleash a little mad-scientist skill and enjoy All Hallow’s year round!

What are you supposed to be?

It’s a simple enough question, really. You hear it every year, when your homemade Ronald Reagan-as-a-rapper costume doesn’t go over so well, or the folks at the office Halloween dress-up party don’t get your whole Star-Trek-red-uniform-zombie idea. You tried – you had a unique idea and you were depending on the intuitive powers of those in your orbit to catch the joke. Oh well, there’s always next year.

But more to the point, what ARE you supposed to be? Is there a method behind the madness of Halloween costumes? A spark that ignited the masquerade craze flame? Where exactly did this notion come from, and what does dressing up say about us? To answer these questions, we have to dig way back in the history books, to where it all began…

The holiday of Halloween, taking place every October 31st (in case you didn’t already know!), is believed to have experienced its birth in the Celtic festival of Samhain. This marked the end of harvest, and the beginning of the “dark days” of autumn and winter. It was believed that around this time of year the mortal and supernatural worlds were closest to one another in proximity, and in order to ward off evil spirits large bonfires were lit. People would walk between bonfires with their livestock, believed to be a cleansing ritual, and the bones of slaughtered animals were thrown in. Sacrifices – possibly human in nature – were made to the gods in an effort to aid in this endeavor. Although most historians disagree that Samhain is the proper origin of Halloween, at the very least this lent influence to the evolving traditions of the holiday, paving the way for many of the customs we now embrace as part of this celebration.

Later, the Christian holy days of All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day, falling on November 1st and 2nd, paid tribute to the saints and recently deceased souls which had not yet ascended to heaven. It was believed that these spirits walked the earth until All Saints’ Day, and on All Hallows’ Eve – October 31st – the dead had one final opportunity for revenge on any who had wronged them in mortal life. In order to hide themselves from any such vengeful entities, potential victims would disguise themselves with masks and costumes.

The practice of donning a costume and knocking on doors for candy for the holiday appears to have begun around the fifteenth century in Western Europe, evolving into the late 1800′s when Scottish citizens would masquerade (known as guising) and visit homes with carved out turnips – not pumpkins – to receive cakes, fruit and money. All Saints’ Day and All Souls Day’ were celebrated with costume parades and parties, and while rural farmers celebrated the holiday as a fertility rite in the United Kingdom, their cosmopolitan counterparts in the cities took a more carnivalesque approach. It wasn’t until 1911 that guising hit North America, with children taking up costumes and trick-or-treating around the neighborhood in Kingston, Ontario.

Early Halloween costumes tended to reflect the pagan and gothic nature of the holiday, and for the most part were considered child’s play. Costumes traditionally featured spookier elements, depicting ghosts, witches, devils, skeletons and a variety of other supernatural icons, obviously influenced by the superstitious roots of the holiday itself. They were strictly homemade, until the 1930′s when companies like Ben Cooper, Inc. began to release manufactured costumes at the retail level, to capitalize on the increasing popularity of trick-or-treating in the United States. As the years progressed, the motif of costuming evolved to include historical figures and pop culture characters, and today it’s possible to find a Halloween costume depicting pretty much any aspect of modern life. Now knowing the original purpose of the disguise, you may want to be a bit more selective in your choice of costumes – you never know who an angry displaced spirit may be looking for.

Large retail chains now stock plenty of costumes and props every year as Halloween rolls around, featuring everything from children’s’ costumes to adult fashions to outfits designed for pets. Role-playing on the fan convention circuit has produced an entire generation of advanced costumers, who seem to make any day of the year Halloween with lavish self-produced ensembles that rival the best of Hollywood. Needless to say, this is one tradition that doesn’t seem to be going away anytime soon.

So next Halloween, when someone spots you in your cape and mask made of various Louisville Sluggers and asks “what are you supposed to be?”, instead of answering “Batman!” (get it?), look them square in the eye and reply “I’m hiding from an earthbound evil entity wishing to exact vengeance upon me”.

That’ll have them scratching their head!

Fans of The CW’s “The Vampire Diaries” will have plenty to sink their teeth into this Labor Day weekend, as Dragon*Con presents series stars David Anders (Heroes, Alias) and Sara Canning.
The series follows events in the town of Mystic Falls, Virginia. The main storyline focuses on the love triangle between human Elena Gilbert and Stefan and Damon Salvatore, vampire brothers with dark pasts. Adding to the drama is the appearance of Elena’s malevolent doppelganger Katherine, who seeks revenge against the town, Stefan, Damon, and Elena. The show has been renewed for a third season, debuting in September 2011.
“The Vampire Diaries” (filmed in and around the metro Atlanta area) currently airs Thursday evenings on The CW- visit the official website at cwtv.com/shows/the-vampire-diaries
Dragon*Con’s Dark Fantasy track will present panel programming spotlighting this cult phenomenon.

Netherworld Haunted House is a proud sponsor of the Dragon*Con Dark Fantasy track.
Please visit us at our Dragon*Con booth, September 2-5, 2011, located on the Marquis level of the Atlanta Marriott Marquis. We’ll have plenty of surprises and fun going on all weekend, and you can find us featured in the Dragon*Con parade Saturday morning. fearworld.com

Few names are as synonymous with horror illustration as Swamp Thing co-creator Bernie Wrightson. A master of the macabre, Wrightson is well known to fans for his lavishly rendered work on DC Comics’ horror titles of the 1970s.

Bernie Wrightson returns to Dragon*Con in 2011, as part of its silver anniversary event. Lending his instantly-recognizable talent to Batman, The Punisher, Spider-Man (graphic novel and film), Stephen King novels and 80s comedy movie blockbuster Ghostbusters, Wrightson’s legendary, intricately detailed work on Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein is considered by many to be his masterpiece.

Fans can meet Bernie all Labor Day weekend at Dragon*Con, and can catch a special panel program spotlighting his work during Dragon*Con’s 25th anniversary celebration. Visit his official website at wrightsonart.com

NETHERWORLD Haunted House is a proud sponsor of the Dragon*Con Dark Fantasy track.
Please visit us at our Dragon*Con booth, September 2-5, 2011, located on the Marquis level of the Atlanta Marriott Marquis. We’ll have plenty of surprises and fun going on all weekend, and you can find us featured in the Dragon*Con parade Saturday morning. www.fearworld.com

Every year the HARVESTMAN grows out of the flesh of a new host. We have captured a transition picture as he alters the form of his new body and becomes a living gateway to the outer realms at NETHERWORLD Haunted House.

…and cue music!

Playlists are fun. Picking out a handful of songs that elicit a mood or theme and compiling them into one homemade album of your choosing can help set the scene for pretty much any event. Birthday parties, exercising, driving, work – it’s easy to alter the aesthetic to your liking with a few simple clicks.

I personally enjoy throwing together theme songs that can accompany any of my many interests. Be it reading a book, going on vacation, tossing back a few bourbons, or just unwinding and settling into a particular spirit, I probably have a playlist assigned to it.

For your amusement and entertainment, here is my favorite Halloween-inspired mix tape.

CD.

MP3.

Whatever…

This one never leaves my side, with a copy in the car, one on my iPod and one in my home CD collection. It’s October year-round if I so choose.

And I do so choose!

Dead Man’s Party - Oingo Boingo. The ultimate Halloween rock tune – this one has it all.

favorite lyric: Leave your body and soul at the door…

More Human Than Human - White Zombie

favorite lyric: I turn the world around with a skeleton hand.

Transylvanian Concubine - Rasputina. I first heard this on a favorite episode of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and it’s been stuck in my head ever since.

favorite  lyric: Fangs ruin any cute pout.

The Beast in Me - Johnny Cash. Although dealing more with inner demons than the “bump in the night” variety, it’s still an atmospheric little haunter.

favorite lyric: In the twinkling of an eye might have to be restrained.

Creature from the Black Lagoon - Dave Edmunds. A jangly tune about the single greatest movie monster ever created? C’mon!!!

favorite lyric: The unsuspecting maiden will be clutched from where she sleeps.

Joan Crawford - Blue Oyster Cult. What could be scarier than the prospect of a resurrected abusive film legend causing the apocalypse?

favorite lyric: Their eyes have turned the color of frozen meat.

Red Right Hand - Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. . Eeerie…

favorite lyric: He’ll rekindle all the dreams it took you a lifetime to destroy.

Scarecrow – Siouxsie and the Banshees. A rollicking, haunting ode to a Halloween staple.

favorite lyric: I’ll slip away by floorboard creak.

Werewolves of London - Warren Zevon. As if this one needs any explanation…

favorite lyric (you guessed it): I saw a werewolf drinking a pina colada at Trader Vics, and his hair was perfect.

Undertaker – The Peculiar Pretzelmen. A musical murder mystery that is simply soul-searing.

favorite lyric: The sound that fatal weapon made when pushed back in its sheath.

Nosferatu – Blue Oyster Cult. The quintessential hard rock power ballad about undead romance and unrequited love.

favorite lyric: My crew is dead – I fear the plague.

Godzilla – Blue Oyster Cult. ‘Nuff said!

favorite lyric: Oh no, there goes Tokyo – go go Godzilla!

(Don’t Fear) the Reaper - Blue Oyster Cult. Face it. These guys ARE HAlloween music.

favorite lyric: Came the last night of sadness, and it was clear she couldn’t go on.

Tubular Bells - Mike Oldfield. I was too terrified to see “The Exorcist” as a youngster after hearing the theme song on the radio. Too. Damn. Creepy.

Bela Lugosi’s Dead - Bauhaus. Brrrrr….

favorite lyric: The virginal brides file past his tomb strewn with time’s dead flowers.

Funeral for a Friend - Elton John. Another instrumental, this one is pure atmosphere. When they finally lay my bones to rest, I’d like to think this will be playing in the background.

The Munsters Theme - Various. I’ve honestly never heard a bad version of this song, which always puts a crooked smile on my face as it evokes memories of creepy cool!

Delilah – Tom Jones. Simply the finest song about jealous rage ever laid down to vinyl!

favorite lyric: I felt the knife in my hand and she laughed no more.

Swamp Witch - Jim Stafford. A fairly creepy tune from a guy mainly known for lighter fare.

favorite lyric: Snakes hang thick from the cypress tress like sausage on a smokehouse wall.

Pet Sematary - The Ramones. I can’t get enough of this song! It’s pure horror magic, Ramones-style!!!

favorite lyric: I don’t want to live my life again.

Of course, scary songs are like scary anything – what creeps one person out may not creep out another. So mix up your own strange brew for a little soundtrack the next time you’re feeling haunty…

Ben Cooper – the High Priest of Halloween

I’m not really a nostalgiac guy. I don’t wax poetic about “how things used to be”, or long for “simpler times”. But, much like anybody, I guess I do have a sort of sentimental side when it comes to the stuff that summons fond memories. A song from summers at the lake, a particular model of automobile that the family enjoyed Sunday drives in, that hot dog stand with the curly fries served in a funnel cup to hold the malt vinegar we covered them with. Okay, fine. I AM nostalgiac…

Of all the fun times and memorable events that led me to this point in my life, none are more affectionately etched in my mind than those surrounding Halloween. Growing up in western New York state, Halloween brought about cool crisp air, multi-colored foliage strewn about the ground, and stacks of boxed costumes on the department store shelves. Droves of characters lined the displays, their plastic faces leering through the thin celophane window that allowed us a glimpse of what to expect on the streets come the night of October 31st! Some were well known to us – cartoon favorites, movie monsters, television stars – while others (my favorites!) were generic creatures created especially for that magical day! Devils and witches and apes and all sorts of ghouls and ghosts and whatnot vied for the opportunity to be taken home by some excited child, who would try it on repeatedly day after day in anticipation of the  candy-filled evening to come (it never came fast enough, and was always over way too soon). Our adolescent version of walking the red carpet on Oscar night, I suppose…

Thank heaven for Ben Cooper! A costume and set designer for the legendary Cotton Club in Harlem, as well as the Ziegfeld Follies, he established Ben Cooper, Inc., in 1937. By the late 40s, Ben Cooper, Inc. was one of the most popular and prominent costume manufacturers, and by the time the company folded in the 1990s the name Ben Cooper was synomymous with Halloween. I still recall with great wonder the fantastic Groovy Ghoulies costume I wore as a youngster – Frankie came with a nifty little rubber bat on an elastic string, complete with squeaker (probably the coolest rubber bat i have EVER seen – I’d kill to have that thing today), and was the hit of my circle of friends!

There was something so magical in slipping on that flimsy fabric costume, pulling back the elastic band of the mask and slipping it over your head, instantly transforming you into the character of your fancy. Somehow, seeing the world through those tiny eye holes made the night even more spectacular. Onward you’d tromp through the neighborhood, ready to haul in the biggest bounty of candy treats imaginable! And the next day, it went back into its box, to find retirement in the garage or basement, among the previous years’ costumes that no longer thrilled you in the same way.

Ben Cooper, Inc. costumes have become a favorite of Halloween collectors and nostalgiasts alike, inspiring everything from custom costuming events to art gallery showings. The following link provides a nice variety of images of Ben Cooper cosutmes through the years:

http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=ben+cooper+halloween+costumes&form=QBIR&qs=n&sk=&sc=6-18

You may find the very suit that you donned in your early days – I’m sure you probably have one or two kicking around the attic somewhere – dig it out and find it a place of honor on a shelf in your home, to remind you of those October nights of yesteryear counting out your candy on the dining room table…

Although Halloween is still ten months away, for the pure of heart the season never seems to go away. They eat, drink, sleep, breath and literally live All Hallow’s every day of the year (want a real treat? Take a peek at the true Halloween fan’s Christmas tree!).

But how does the discerning Halloweener satisfy that October craving in the dead of winter? By turning to a few key sites and stops that cater to the haunt crowd year-round. Be it film, television, music, art, fashion, design or literature, there are any number of genuinely unique and exciting places to get your post- or pre-holiday fix. This week we’ll take a look at what the art world has to offer, and how a few well-placed pieces of spooky imagery can fill your crypt with the Halloween aesthetic a full 365 per year!If you’re looking to deck the walls with boughs of scary, there are some amazing artists on the web churning out fine art with a devilish slant.

If creepy is your bag, then you may enjoy the cartoonish ghouls of Eric Pigors at www.toxictoons.com. Featuring everything from fine art prints to t-shirts to toys to stickers and much more, Unkle Pigors (a former Disney animator and lover of all things ghastly) delivers a smorgasbord of fiendish fun.

Prefer a more retro style? You can find some incredible fine art prints by Ragnar at http://www.vegalleries.com/RagnarPhantomime.html Featuring a very stylized take with a vintage Ben Cooper influence, this series of images is simply stunning to behold. You’ll want to explore the site a bit for a nice selection of Halloween (and non-Halloween) themed works by a true modern master. Visit Ragnar’s official site at www.littlecartoons.com.

Another outstanding creator of macabre art is Jeff Preston (http://jeffpreston.net). A gifted painter with a love of old-school horror, Preston is a talent whose work ranks right up there with the likes of Basil Gogos, Frank Frazetta and Norman Rockwell (yeah – he’s THAT good!).

If you’re a comic book geek, you may already be familiar with Eric Powell and his award-winning series “The Goon” (if not, get to your local shop and scoop up some of these highly entertaining stories). Powell offers up a truly original blend of horror and redneck humor with his compelling comic masterpiece. Learn more about Eric Powell and The Goon – and pick up some fun merch – at www.thegoon.com.

If none of these fine folks are your particular cup of poison, a quick search for “Halloween” or “horror” on Deviant ART can provide you with any number of interesting art options. A collective of illustrators, sculptors, photographers, digital painters and more, ranging from novice to professional, Deviant ART is an endless resource of talent. Many members offer prints of their work for sale on the site, in addition to online galleries. www.deviantart.com.

Once you’ve settled on that perfect piece – or pieces – to adorn your own haunted home, the next step is finding the perfect frame design to compliment your choice. While a visit to your neighborhood frame shop can provide any number of matte and molding combinations, narrowing your options down to one final layout can often be mind-numbing. Should that prove to be the case, you can feel comfortable in handing the job over to the masters at Frame Fetish www.framefetish.com. Fast, reliable, and – most importantly – honest, Frame Fetish can turn any work of art into a unique treasure that is guaranteed to enhance your presentation tenfold.

Perhaps something a bit more three-dimensional is in order. Then you owe it to yourself to get acquainted with sculptor/painter Tom Taggart www.tomtaggart.com. Taggart’s whimsical sculptures, clocks and ornaments are a fantastic way to spice up your collection with a vast array of display-ready artwork unlike anything found anywhere else.

The uber-talented Doktor A. is another master working in both the 2D and 3D arenas. Widely recognized as one of today’s premier toy customizers, the good Doktor has produced a fine assortment of limited edition art figures and fine art prints. Discover this crafty chap at www.spookypop.com.

These are but a few examples of the ever-growing community of talented individuals catering to the scream scene. If you’ve come to the conclusion that your home or office could use a healthy dose of a Halloween-inspired makeover, this is as good a place as any to start!

Take a look at the NETHERWORLD Haunted House Pumpkin King on the set of Rob Zombies Halloween 2!

Nothing like a 17 foot tall pumpkin monster to get you in the mood for Halloween!