Creepy "Head Stones"

Hey Frightners,

So today I saw something that I just had to write about and show you so you can see with your own eyes. Actual Head Stones! Noooo. these weren't grave headstones (who knows maybe they are?) These were concrete headstones of actual heads just laying in the front yard of a someone's house.

You see next to where my wife works there is this old house and the couple who lives there are supposedly pretty into the arts and have a lot of random sculptures surrounding their property. Well today I went with my wife to an Earthfest Festival in town and we drove past this house. She literally works right next door and told me that one morning they spotted through the bushes what looked like zombie heads coming from the ground but she wasn't sure so I asked her to stop today because I wanted to see these heads for myself and low and behold in the bushes were two stone heads fully grown over in moss.

These things were pretty cool! I didn't really have the guts to go ring the door bell and ask what the story was behind them and I wish I did because I would love to see if they were for sale but I did creep up and snap two shots of these guys. I mean they were awesome, they looked very old and the tops of the heads looked corroded, they almost looked like coral but these were made from stone. I supposed they were sculpted and possibly casted from real people but no matter what it was just weird that they would be lying right there in their front yard.

Well I hope you enjoy the pictures. It was a neat site and I guess it just goes to show you that if you keep your eyes peeled you never know when something weird might present itself to you. I hope to have the opportunity to find out what the story of these guys is one day and if I do you Frightners will be the first ones to know all about it.

It's Chiller Time!

Hey Frightners!

Sorry for the lack of posts this past week. I have a lot of material to get on here like some new interviews for Dead Time Stories, some new videos and vlogs I have promised and more so stay tuned this weekend and next week for a jam packed over load of haunt and horror goodness!

This weekend I will be at the Chiller Convention at the Hilton in Parsippany NJ. I have never been to this convention so I am excited to go and see what vendors will be there and what kind of events they will have going on. I know there are quite a few celebrity signings so it should be fun. I do hope to have a lot of video and photos to share with you. I'll be attending with my my friend Ghoulish Cop of the Devilseve Blog so it should be an extra good time!

I want to say a BIG THANK YOU again to all who posted and entered the Freaky Friday Giveaway. Our winners again were The Bloodshed Brothers, Dawn from Nickols Manor and Peanut Gnome. Those mystery boxes will be on their way shortly so next week I will post what the prizes were for everyone to see and I can't wait to hold the next Freaky Friday Giveaway this coming month. I will only be picking one winner from now on but every month you will have a chance to win!

The last thing I want to mention is that I see Chris Baker has updated his store site with some more Hauntcast T's, Hoodies and Baby Doll T's. From what I understand it's a limited run on these so if you don't have one and want one then make your way over there now and get one! I got the Hauntcast T awhile ago and it's a great quality so I think I am going to go get the Hoodie so I can get my Haunt on in the Winter time as well. Check out the HAUNTCAST STORE for more info.

Well Frightners....check back in Sunday night for some quick updates from Chiller with a longer blog/vlog coming to you on Monday. I hope all has been well.

Stay Frightful!

Frightguy~

Freaky Friday Giveaway Winners!!!!

Some Updates!

Hey Frightners!

Just a quick reminder that tomorrow is your last day to enter the "Freaky Friday Giveaway!" Just head to the post about it below, enter a comment (any will do) and POOF! Your entered! I will be announcing the winner on Saturday and revealing the prize next week so don't miss out on the first of many Freaky Friday Giveaways!


Here is just a quick update VLOG with some random babbling about a few topics as well as a quick review of the prop building books and videos by Steve Hickman of Terror Syndicate. Cool stuff!

Sarina Brewer.

Hi Frightners!

So as I have mentioned, this years haunt theme is a traveling Gypsy Sideshow Circus. I have started to do a lot of sideshow/circus research and the world of the sideshow is really and interesting one to read up on.

I want to have a sideshow tent or booth for people to view some various curiosa but of course I need some items to be a part of that show so I have been hunting around for items to both buy and for reference so I can make a few on my own and in my exploration into sideshow exhibits I have come across some very talented taxidermy and gaff artists.

Tonight I would like to highlight Sarina Brewer. Sarina Brewer is a self-proclaimed science nerd melding her past formal art training education with her passion for biology and the bizarre. Her childhood preoccupation with cryptozoology and anomalies of nature manifest themselves in her outlandish reveries of fur and flesh. With these influences, she has carved out an unusual niche for herself in the art world. She now specializes in creating fanciful composite beasts for discerning collectors around the world.

I invite you to take a peek at her website HERE which display a vast variety of her works both Traditional and Non-Traditional.  There is some really interesting stuff and if you are looking to add any unique items to your collection or need something extra cool and creepy for your haunt she even has items for sale. I hope you enjoy. I will be doing more post on the sideshow and world of curios soon so stay tuned!

A few examples of Sarina's work...

    Scaredy Cat

    Hand of Nosferatu

    Winged Monkey

    Merman

April 19, 2011 Skynet Has Become Aware!

Beware Frightners!

Today is the day Skynet becomes fully aware!

NJ/PA Convention Time!

Hey Frightners,

Just a heads up for those of you who are in the NJ/PA area or may be willing to travel for some haunting and horror fun. There are a few conventions coming our way in the upcoming weeks that I will be attending and covering in upcoming blog/vlog posts.

April 29th - May1st it's Chiller Time! No, I didn't say Miller time though if you want to have a brew at the bar be my guest! Yes The Chiller Theater Toy/Model/Film Horror Convention will be taking place at the Hilton in Parsippany, NJ. The guest list is huge and there are a variety of vendors. For more info check their website HERE.

Next up is the National Haunter Convention which takes place May 5th - May 8th at the Valley Forge Convention Center in King Of Prussia PA. There is quite a huge vendor list for this event along with various seminars & classes you can attend as well as bus tours to various haunts and a costume ball to top it all off. I have attended this show in the past and as someone who doesn't always have the means to make it to the Transworld Haunt Show in St. Louis this is a nice alternative. It's not as big (lets face it Transworld is the Grand Daddy Haunt Show) but the NHC has some good vendors that attend and is continually growing. I hope to meet up with some haunter friends of mine at the show and hopefully make a few purchases for the haunt this year. To learn a little more about the NHC check their website HERE.

Lastly, I wanted to mention Hauntcon in Louisville, KY. Yes it's not in NJ or PA but it is before both of the above mentioned conventions. It starts April 27th - May 2nd. Our friends from the Davis Graveyard will be teaching some really cool classes at the show one of which SOLD OUT! So I just wanted to say congrats to them for that and best of luck as well. I am sure the classes will go over well! For info on Hauntcon check HERE. Or do your best impersonation of a zombie walk and limp on over to the Davis Graveyard to see what GRAVE HAPPENINGS are going on.

I am looking forward to attending Chiller and the NHC. Even if you don't walk away with some goodies it is always nice to be surrounded by everything Haunt, Halloween and Horror related and it is always nice to meet up with and talk to other fellow haunters. I always learn something new or gather new ideas for my haunt by heading to these shows and highly suggest that if you have never been to one you give one a shot, if not these then one closer to your area.

If anyone is headed to Chiller or the NHC and would like to meet up and say hello please post below and we can set something up. I will be in my full Grimlock Manor attire with some Grimlock Handouts for everyone I meet with so I hope to see some of you at either show!

Obscura Antiques & Oddities

Good morning Frightners!

I constantly keep getting reminded how cool it is to work and live near New York because if there is something special you need or are looking for (especially for your haunt) you can find it in the city with a little detective work. Luckily I easily stumbled across this shop last night while watching tv.

Obscura Antiques and Oddities is located on 260 East 10th Street between 1st Avenue and Avenue A in New York City and as their name states they have an awesome collection of Antiques and Oddities for sale and they also have a tv show on the Science Channel detailing some of the crazy stuff that comes into their shop every day.

I was lucky enough to be flipping through the channels yesterday and caught the commercial for the show and saw that there was a mini marathon of it on last night starting at 9pm so I decided to watch and was instantly hooked! Seeing how I am doing a traveling gypsy carnival with sideshows and oddities I was very interested to see some of the offerings at the shop. But even if you have your own home or pro haunt you would still love almost everything in this shop.

The show is scripted somewhat like the show Pawn Starts (not Porn Starts kiddies!) Basically people from all walks of life come in either looking to buy something particular for example Electric Chairs, Monkey Skulls, Coney Island Side show memorabilia etc. OR they are there looking to sell a unique item of theirs. Some if the items I saw in the show last night that people brought were mummified ears, shrunken heads, a book made of human skin and a human thigh bone trumpet. It was pretty weird stuff but cool! You get to hear some of the history behind the objects how they were made, where they were found and then what they are worth. 

The shop does have a blog that you can follow and they will be offering a few of their items for online sale soon if you cannot make the trip to New York to visit them but I do suggest that if you are in the area that you make the time to go to New York and check them out. I will be headed there myself very soon and hope to walk away with some cool items for this years haunt.

I have attached their website and blog info below and there is a quick clip of their show for you to view. Again I highly suggest you check it out, its a fun show for people like us haunters and anyone who like the the weird, strange and macabre!

http://www.obscuraantiques.com/

http://www.ObscuraAntiques.Blogspot.com/

Contest Update..

Hey Frightners!

Just an update that the Freaky Friday Giveaway Contest is still running and will end on until Saturday the 23rd so there is still time to enter the mystery box prize!

There has been a GREAT response to this contest and I am really excited to pick the winner and reveal the prize to everyone. As I said before we have some great stuff to giveaway from vendors like mini-spot, frightprops, ghostride and more. The prizes will always be Halloween & Horror related and they will always be mystery box prizes so stay tuned every month for the Freak Friday Giveaway! Yes that is EVERY MONTH that you will have a chance to win some amazing stuff from us here at Grimlock Manor.

If you haven't entered than be sure to post your comment in the Giveaway post below..we have about 20 entries so far so join in the fun and have a chance to win some cool stuff! Also be sure to sign up and follow the blog!

I want to say a big thank you to some of my vlogging buddies out there who have shared information about this contest: dEdmonton TV, The Bloodshed Brothers, HauntoweeN, HalloweenHellmouth. I haven't caught all the vlogs lately so if you did happen to say happy birthday or mention the contest than I thank you as well.

Life has been a little hectic lately. My father had a minor heart attack this past week but is in the hospital and recovering well from it. I will still be keeping up the blog, vlogs and twitter as much as possible but for a short time the posts might be slightly less than once every day or two. I am sure my Frightners out there in Halloween Land will understand as we are all human and have to deal with the crazy speed bumps life throws at us from time to time. I don't normally share these personal details but since I have become closer friends with some of you on here I felt ok with keeping you in the loop.

So the show must go on! Expect me to be back with the contest results next week. I will try and sneak a post in here or there before then and for now let me leave you with the latest installment of dEdmonton TV below. I really think this is a great show that shares some great information from around the web dealing with our favorite holiday Halloween along with many other haunted goodies. Please check it out and subscribe!

Frightfully Yours,

Frightguy!

Freaky Friday Giveaway!

Hey Frightners!

Am I glad it is almost Friday! It's actually almost my Birthday! Yes I am happy to say that Sunday is my 31st birthday, yippie for me haha!

I was thinking about this birthday and you know how there are those few milestone birthdays in your life then there just seems to be all the ones in between? Well I actually like the number 31 because when you think about it the 31st is when Halloween is so my 31st birthday at least has that going for it, my most special day of the year which falls on the 31st is now my age. Big 31!

Anyhoo...In honor of it being my 31st birthday I felt like giving away a present. Why not share the wealth right?! I am not just going to be doing this giveaway this one time but I intend to keep it up and do it monthly and as the title of this post is called it will be named the "Freaky Friday Giveaway!"

Now once a month on a Friday of my choosing I will be doing the Freaky Friday Giveaway!" The post will be labeled Freaky Friday Giveaway! All you need to do to enter the Freak Friday Giveaway is leave a comment in that post and POOF! your entered! The cool thing about the prize is that it will be a mystery box! Now don't worry the prize will be something good and something that will almost always be haunt, Halloween or horror related. It may be a whole lot of little things or just one but you will simply have to leave a comment to enter to win. Please note..you can comment as much as you would like however you will only be counted one time. I will assign you a number by the order everyone posts so if you post first your #1 and so on and so forth.

Once a winner is picked (by random generator) and the prize is sent out I will reveal the gift the following Monday. I figure it's only fair to everyone to know what the prize was. Hopefully this will urge you to play each time.

I am running this giveaway for two weeks so there will be time to enter and time enough to get the word out. Simply leave a comment in this post, if you haven't subscribed to the blog yet then please subscribe and make sure you are available by email so if you win I can contact you and get your info to send you your Mystery Box Prize!

Good Luck Frightners!

The Freaky Friday Giveaway starts now!

Thomas Kuebler Creature & Character Sculptures.

Hey Frightners!

This past weekend was a good one for me as I got a lot of work done on one of my custom characters for this years haunt (new pictures coming soon.) We are adding a traveling gypsy carnival to Grimlock Manor this year. Last year we introduced the carnival theme ever so slightly into our always evolving storyline. We created one room dedicated to the carnival and everyone seemed to like it so much that this year it will be a full attraction apart from the mansion walkthrough we have been doing the past 3 years. So two shows in one!

I want to give a nod to Craig Schriber AKA Devils Chariot of both Haunted Tiki Island and this past years haunt The Haunt at Hellizondo. It was Craigs amazing work on his Russian themed Carnival of Risk that inspired the drive in me to do my own version. He and his minions do an amazing, AMAZING, job so if you haven't seen The Haunt at Hellizondo yet then go check it out HERE.

One of my biggest goals this year for the haunt is to really bring it to life with some custom made characters. We will of course have plenty of live actors but it's always nice to have those few static props to catch the eye of your patrons and for me it's fun to build them and learn new techniques as I go.

While looking for some inspiration I came across a wonderful Character Design artist by the name of Thomas Kuebler. Thomas spent over two and a half decades working in the corporate world of toy design prototyping and bringing robots to life in the animatronics field. Eventually Thomas set forth on a mission to bring the world inside his head to life by creating his very own highly detailed life size characters. His characters now have homes in various museums, private collections and have been featured in publications like Spectrum and Rue Morgue magazines.

I love the lifelike feel of his characters. Each character easily tells a story of their own and you can get lost in the amount of detail that Thomas puts into each of them from the clothing to each little unique accessory and prop that accompanies them. Below are only a few examples of his work but I invite you to take a look at his entire gallery on his WEBSITE and read more about Thomas and his work. I hope it inspires you to take a stab at making your own characters for your haunt this year as well!

Nuff Said..