Grimlock Manor

Ruadh DeLone

2012-02-12T10:32:00.000-08:00

Hey Frightners!

While thumbing through some of my favorite sites looking for some inspiration for some prop projects for this years haunt I cam across these cool photographs by photographer Ruadh DeLone and wanted to share with you.

Ruadh DeLone is a photographer out of Rheden, Netherlands. He started out drawing as a child and then moved to photography in 2007. His work focuses on portraiture with a bit of surrealism. DeLone has quite a few series of works; one inspired by his inspiration from Dutch Baroque painter Johannes Vermeer, and another series entitled “Vergänglichkeiten” which I believe means ‘transiency.’ This series features figures with the face slightly obscured by plastic, and a ghostly image of skulls and bones overlaid on the face. Pretty cool and Freaky!

Stay Frightful~

HAUNTCAST MAGAZINE?! AND MORE!

2012-02-12T06:50:00.000-08:00

Hey Frightners!

The movement to bring back Hauntcast is still on going and each and every day more and more vendors and haunters are stepping up to sweeten the pot if you do subscribe to the show. All of the discounts alone will well exceed the $100 subscription. As a home haunter myself these savings would be well worth it not to mention all of the raffle giveaways and now Hauntcast the Magazine! It's a no brainer!

After much discussion with Chris we have decided that if we reach our 250 subscribers and Hauntcast does go back on the air that we will also create Hauntcast The Magazine. The magazine would expand on the show, the shows segments and more. Instead of just hearing how to make all of those cool props on the show we would offer how-to tutorials with detailed instructions. Expanded interviews with pro and home haunters. Reviews on horror comics, books, video games and movies. An illustrated comic featuring skully and all his mishaps in the dungeon. The list for what we could do in the magazine could go on and on but it will only happen if you subscribe!

Just think. A yearly subscription to any of the other top haunt magazines out there might cost you $50 or more. A year subscription to Hauntcast will cost you $100 and you are getting 2 radio shows, a mountain of vendor discounts and a magazine.

Below is a quick synopsis of what's been going on once more and a list of all the cool stuff you will get with your subscription to Hauntcast. Please spread the word, post to your blogs, vlogs, facebooks or anywhere else you may lurk across this vast interweb. You, the fans, can bring Hauntcast back!

Stay Scary!

Can Hauntcast be resurrected? Can you re-animate the Scream Team? There is a fan based movement underway to bring Hauntcast back from the nether-realm. This is the last and only chance for Hauntcast to live again. If 250 fans subscribe for $100 Hauntcast will be back on the air in April. That’s less than a movie ticket once a month. The haunt industries best vendors have stepped up to donate thousands of dollars worth of discounts as well as spooktacular prizes if 250 subscriptions are reached by 3/8/12. Check out these discounts and raffle items:

Subscribers will receive discounts from these great Vendors:

Juneau Studios ~
Save $50 of their DVDs. You pay $19.99, retail price $69.99.
Receive a $250 certificate for any order of $1150 and save 60% on freight orders.
( Jay Juneau is also now offering to raffle off his lizzie borden prop..this thing is freaking amazing and so is Jay Juneau!)

DC Props ~
15% off his amazing props and mechanisms *except sale items, not valid September and October.

Fright Theatre ~
15% off all product *except sale items, not valid September or October

Dark Imaginings ~
20% off our changing portraits, $75 off custom changing portraits, as well as other discounts on our other products and services (graphic design, web design, video effects, etc).

Mini Spot Light ~
15% off all lights

Necrotic Creations ~
15% off their entire productline

Monkey Basic ~
20% off all software

Vox Noctis Voiceovers ~
$50 off any custom made voice over.

Shellhawk Creations ~
15% her amazing hand-made pottery and FREE shipping.

DBGgraphix ~
50% OFF a logo or poster design for their haunts.

Ghosts of Olde Towne Petersburg will be starting up with the very first haunted walking tours on selected nights in April. Hauntcast fans can purchase 50% off admission tickets. That offer is good for the entire 2012 season.

Total Terror! Haunted Attraction – 50% off admission price by purchasing tickets online.

Hauntcast The Magazine ~
Free (at least two issues a year, maybe more)

If we reach our goal will will be raffling off prizes Such as:
DC Props – Spitter mechanism
Juneau Studios – (10) $70 DVDs
Fright Theatre – Prop
Mini Spot Lights – LED lights
Necrotic Creations – $100 cameo
Woodloam – $55 Celtic Tombstone
Terra – Handmade tombstone of choice
Vox Noctis – $100 dollar coupon
Dark Imaginings – $49.95 value 11×14 changing portrait. You can pick the portrait.If the 11×14 is too large for them then they can choose a smaller version (5×7 or 8×10). The winner will have to pay the shipping fee, though, which is $10.

and more to come.

Hauntcast 2.0???

2012-02-07T17:53:00.001-08:00

Check it out Frightners...You can bring Hauntcast back and here's how:

UPDATES:

Tim Burton Valentine's Day Cards

2012-02-05T07:54:00.000-08:00

Hey Frightners!

As a huge Tim Burton Fan myself I just got a news letter in the mail about this brand new set of Valentine's Day Cards. There are 12 cards that come in a pretty sweet gift box. I don't even know that I would give them out if I bought them haha!,but they are a pretty cool and if you have any Burton fans in your life I am sure they would appreciate one of these so check them out!

http://www.steelespublishing.com/Default.asp?Redirected=Y

A New Home To Haunt!

2012-02-04T08:35:00.000-08:00

Hi Frightners!

Well I hope I still have a few readers left haha! I know I have been so lax on posting but that's just because so much has been going on and I am doing my best juggling act right now.

My wife and I are 3 months away from having our first baby (AKA ToT!) We are very excited but it has been a mad dash to get things ready for our growing family and with a growing family came the concern for our need to have more space.

We currently rent the top floor of a 2 family home and have done so for the past 3 years. It has been great. We have great land lords, are in a nice area of town and are close to all of our needs however, we don't own it and it's hard to do all of the Halloween projects I would love to do since I don't have my own workshop and can't really build anything to massive like I would like too. Space has been a growing concern and a lifestyle such as being a Haunter has started to look bleak.

As most of you know I have been haunting at my parents house for the past two years and though they get into the spirit and help with the process and do enjoy the end result I am starting to feel I have over stayed my welcome. It's tough when you need to store all of those props when it is all said and done and the weeks it takes to set up definitely makes it a bit difficult on them not to mention I need to pull back on all of my design ideas because not everything I would like to do are ideas that my parents feel comfortable with. Try telling someone whos house you are haunting at that you want to erect a 2 story facade in front of their house...ummm yeah they didn't go for that! Haha!

With my families growing needs and my will to continue haunting on a higher level we started the process of looking for our first home and I am happy to say that we just bought one! It was a long process as of course it wasn't easy and never seems to be but we picked a house that we really feel fits all of our needs (even the Halloween related ones!)

Above is our new home! Cute little place huh? Looks are deceiving though as this house has a lot of space and the perfect amount of room for all the projects I have in mind for Halloween. I know it's crazy to some when I keep pointing to Halloween as a selling point to a house but I kid you not when I asked our Agent to find me a home that I can haunt that was in a Halloween community.

We will be living in one of the biggest Halloween towns that I know of, Roselle Park. The town offers a town wide decorating competition for Halloween each year and almost every house gets involved especially those on both my block and the adjoining block of Bender Ave. which shuts down for a huge Halloween parade in which over 1,000 people attend each year fully dressed in costume. My kind of town!

With a nice front yard and a large two car deep garage I can already see visions of how Grimlock Manor will look in the near future. Maybe now I can build that facade I have always wanted and hopefully mine will be the home the trick or treaters dare each other to go to each and every year..mwuuuahahahahaaa!

Kim Graham Studios

2012-01-22T08:12:00.000-08:00

Good Morning Frightners!

While thumbing through some of my friends most recent Facebook posts I came across this amazing photo that features a large Tree Troll Sculpture by Kim Graham.

The photo was posted by fellow haunt blogger Brian Foreman of Scaryvisions.com if you have never visited the Scaryvisions website I highly suggest doing so because Brian has some of he most up to date haunt industry and community news out on almost a daily basis.

Now back to Kim Graham and her amazing Tree Troll. What struck me most about this tree troll is that it is entirely made from Paper Mache! The Troll measures in at 12 feet tall and was built by Kim and a group of volunteers with completely non-toxic materials.

There are a lot of Paper Mache artists out there and may (like Kim) I have still yet to stumble upon however when I do I am constantly reminded of the versatility of using mache to create amazing works of art.

As a home haunter we are always looking for creative ways to stretch our money and still be able to create eye catching props for our haunts and what Kim said when asked "Why use Paper Mache for this project" really is spot on. (You can read the full backstory here http://kimgrahamstudios.com/troll.html)

Kim explains that most sculptors never get the chance to work large as it can be very expensive. A lot of materials are toxic, require safety equipment and a lot of ventilation or at the very best at least an outdoor site is needed but that is the joy of working with Mache as the sculpture was done in doors in a space no larger than the actual sculpture with no ventilation and only the use of recycled paper products.

I think this Tree Troll is just another great example of how beautiful and sophisticated paper mache can be as a medium to create a number of different props, characters or what have you. It's an easily affordable medium (water, flour, paper) and with some patience you can create just about anything so don't be afraid to give it a try, it's not hard and with some imagination and a little bit of patience I think you will find it to be a great tool you can add to your prop making arsenal.

I have yet to really develop any massive props of my own using paper mache and have mostly worked on smaller items but I would like to take a stab at something lifesize in the near future. I highly suggest checking out Kim's website to learn more about the process of making the Tree Troll and to see all of her other awesome works of art. kimgrahamstudios.com and if you do happen to create something or have in the past please feel free to share!

Stay Frightful!

Matt Valentine - House of Torment Austin,TX

2012-01-21T10:27:00.000-08:00

Hey Frightners!

Well it's a snowy day here in New Jersey and because of the weather our pro haunt meeting with the school board of Secaucus has been cancelled and we are working on setting up a new date to meet with them so I am stuck in doors today working on other projects while catching up on some TV shows like Face Off on SyFy Channel.

I loved watching last years Face Off and if you are not all that familiar with it its a competition/elimination series that explores the world of special-effects make-up artists and the unlimited imagination that allows them to create amazing works of living art.

In each show the contestants are presented with various challenges and themes and are given a limited amount of time to create one of a kind characters that could be featured in any Hollywood film or show. Themes have been Zombie driven, Wizard of Oz re-imaging, Unique Horror villains and more and the contestants do not disappoint with their work.

The skill levels of the contestants have varied. Some have established FX companies and already have worked in the field for a number of years and others are fresh out of school looking to prove themselves so the competition is fierce yet fun!

Being someone who loves Halloween, Horror and the world of special fx I have been instantly drawn to this series since it's conception last year. Many of us who run professional haunted attractions or even us home haunters like to dabble with creating our own props, masks and special fx for our haunts and I have come to find after watching the first two episodes of this years Face Off I have a little more of a reason to route for someone on the show and it is because this contestant happens to be the Art Director of one of my favorite Haunted Attractions The House Of Torment his name is Matt Valentine.

Matt is a completely self taught artist. His philosophy is that horror must be lethal, dangerous and fashionably high end to be worthwhile. Matt has surgical precision with his detail even taking the time to give his creations a unique back story. Matt currently runs his own business Global Fear Enterprises which will make its debut at this years Transworld Haunted Attraction Show yet his handy work can already be seen in one of the top rated professional attractions the House of Torment.

Needless to say it's nice to know there is a haunter on the show to root for. I have always loved the creativity of the house of torment and their unique approach to creating their monsters, sets and overall the level of detail they conjure up and a lot of that is a testament to Matt's creativity.

I am looking forward to this years show and what Matt will bring to the table. His Underwater Creature (Seen Above) was amazing and I can't wait to see what's next. If you want to learn more I suggest spending some time on the Global Fear site (HERE) check out the videos, store, Facebook and more and I hope you enjoy the uniqueness of Matt's design as much as I do and don't forget to check out Face Off on SyFy as it really is a fun show and though I am just highlighting Matt here the artists are all pretty amazing in their own right.

Stay Frightful!

Planning things out.

2012-01-15T07:43:00.000-08:00

Hi Frightners!

Well it's good to be back with a new post. Things have been busy on my end. My "Scream Team" of Dave, Rich and Johnny have all been working hard to put together our presentation for our Pro Haunt for Secaucus Highschool. We are meeting with them next weekend and intend on going over every little detail from haunt layout and designs to our full marketing plan and more.

We have been holding our own meetings to discuss our plans and have been each working on various portions of the haunt planning and presentation and are now fully ready to present our idea to the school board, fire marshalls and various other school officals.

It's pretty much go time now. Once we have a seal of approval we can determine the best place to start putting are plans into action and one place we intend on sharing our new pro-haunt venture news is at Hauntcon this May!

Each and every year I have personally been traveling to the National Haunters Convention in Vally Forge PA since it is less than 2 hours away from me and this year on the same weekend Hauntcon is coming to town! It's a hard having to choose between the two but our team has decided to go to Hauntcon since we have never been not to mention a lot of our haunt industry and community friends seem to be attending. Heck one of you may be reading this right now so if you are attending please let us know in the comments for this posting and we would love to meet up with you!

At the show we will have apparel with our haunts name and graphics, business cards for our company (yes we formed a company!) and hopefully plenty of posters and flyers for our haunt. We hope to spread the word about our new venture and our haunt. It will be the first time we reveal our haunt name and our plans to all our friends so we are very excited!

All of this planning has definitely made it hard to continue to post consistently on the blog so I may not be popping up with a new post every day but I will continue to spread the word of how our process is coming along.

After next weekend I should be able to share our first Trailer for our haunt and possible our new website we have been working on for our company whos name we we reveal soon!

I have to say this whole process thus far has been very exciting. I didn't have as much support my first go round with Grimlock Manor but my current Scream Team has been a blast to work with and I think what we have been cooking up is really going to surprise a lot of people. I am so ready to get things green lit and can't wait to share our first tid bits of info with all of you so please sit tight just a little longer!

Again, if you intend on attending Hauntcon this year please let us know in the comments. We would love to meet as many people as possible!!

Stay Frightful!

New Years Updates!

2012-01-02T07:37:00.000-08:00

Hey Frightners,

Did a new vlog this morning to post to my youtube page with some haunt updates and other related news. Lot's of babbling I know but some fun stuff to share!

Happy Boo Year!!

Scary Christmas!

2011-12-25T08:57:00.001-08:00

Have a scary Christmas Frightners!!!

The Zombie Night Before Christmas!

2011-12-22T18:12:00.000-08:00

Hey Frightners!

Here is a great classic re-written by Scary Jane for all of us zombie fans out there! Enjoy!!!

The Zombie Night Before Christmas

‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, except for a mouse;

The mouse came from a medical research lab test,
But didn’t completely die like the rest;

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While nightmares of spiders danced in their heads;

And mamma in the kitchen had spotted the mouse,
Whacked it with a hammer and got blood in her mouth;

Inside her body there arose such a clatter,
As the virus mutated to make her mad as a hatter.

Away out the door she flew like a flash,
Ran down the street moaning, covered in a rash.

The moon shone on her as she ran down the lane
Seeking to quench her new hunger for brains.

When, what to her rotting eyes should appear,
But a group of carolers singing with cheer.

Their cheers turned to screams as she bit at their heads,
Soon the whole group was lying there dead.

But that didn’t last long as they rose to their feet,
They now also wanted some brains they could eat.

From door to door and throughout the night,
Zombies ruled the town and everything in sight.

The army was called in with big guns and tanks,
They surrounded the town and protected their flanks.

But a little old lady, now undead and quick,
Bit the arm of a soldier, and made him get sick.

The soldier was taken to HQ to be checked,
And soon the army base was totally wrecked.

The army, the guard, and the mighty marines,
All failed to stop the bloodthirsty fiends.

I wanted to run, and was turning around,
Then down from the sky St. Nicholas came with a bound.

He was dressed all in kevlar, from his left to his right,
He knew how to protect himself from zombies that bite;

A bundle of weapons he had flung on his back,
And he looked like an action hero ready to attack.

His eyes — how they twinkled as he fired his guns,
His cheeks were like roses, his aim second to none!

His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the blood of the zombies covered the snow;

The pins of grenades he pulled with his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath;

He had a broad face and a little round belly,
And his axe cut through zombies like jelly.

He cut off their heads, to kill them for good,
Saving the world as only few could;

A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread;

He spoke not a word, but finished his work,
And burned all the bodies; then turned with a jerk,
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up from the rubble he rose;

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight,
“Those damn zombies really ruined my night.”

You've Been Naughty!!!

2011-12-21T20:15:00.000-08:00

Taking some time to develop.

2011-12-20T19:46:00.000-08:00

Hi Frightners!

I know it's been a few days if not weeks since my last post and I just felt I should chime in. I am still here and have some drafts written that I need to finish before I start posting again but I've been pretty busy as of late with last minute holiday shopping and preparations so I have been slacking a bit on the blog so I do apologize and promise more is coming!

I have also been busy working on the pro haunt which there is some news to share with you on that front. We have secured a domain name for our company, yes company. Us four amigos will be joining together and the haunt will be presented by out company which is called........wait for it......

Yes you will just have to wait for it haha! I am sorry...let the boos start now but we really want to wait until the logo design is complete and the website is more presentable. What I can promise is is that at Hauntcon this year we will all be there in force with flyers, T-Shirts, Business cards and more to promote our haunt which we have also named as well as promoting our company.

Dave, Rich, Johnny and myself have all been working hard on every aspect of our haunt design. A full business plan is being drafted by Rich. Dave is creating a full 3D layout of all 3 haunts...yes 3 haunts in one! And myself and Johnny are developing all of the logo design as well as renderings of each of the 3 facades so needless to say we have been BUSY!

There may be a few more days between each post in the coming month but I assure you I am here and working hard to bring you some cool new updates and content. Hopefully by next week you will get to see our first logo design as we reveal our haunt name to the haunt community. We will need to think of a cool way to do this so let us know your thoughts in the comments.

Do you want us to reveal on BlogTV. Do you want a full Vlog on Youtube? Or is simple blog post cool enough? Perhaps a podcast even?? HMmmmmm....I will entertain all but if you are reading this post I would love to hear your thoughts on how you would like us to continue to update you about our pro haunt venture. We will take all suggestions under consideration and give credit where credit is due!

Stay frightful!

Paranorman

2011-12-11T09:47:00.000-08:00

Hey Frightners,

Some of you may have already heard of the new stop motion movie ParaNorman coming this August 2012 by the same makers of Coraline Laika pictures.

ParaNorman is about a misunderstood boy who can speak with the dead. Norman takes on ghosts, zombies and grown-ups to save his town from a centuries old curse. Sounds pretty cool to me, I mean if there are zombies and ghosts and a century old curses how could you go wrong?!

The first trailer was recently released and from the looks of it it's going to be a neat little film. If you haven't seen it yet please take a look below and keep checking the website out for future details HERE!

They Shoot They Score!!

2011-12-10T16:24:00.000-08:00

Hey Frightners!

Some quick updates on the pro haunt situation for you. In case you haven't been keeping up with any of the recent posts I am teaming up with Dr. Death of Pandemic Cemetery & GhoulishCop from Devils Eve to create a professional haunt for Secaucus High School next year.

This week we took a trip to meet with our contacts at the school and discuss the entire set up process for next year and see first hand where we would be constructing our haunt and in that process we were given the biggest gift we could have ever imagined. An over 20,000 sq ft hockey arena to use however we please!

In the midst of our conversation the school principle Dr. Bob told us that instead of trying to work around the school schedule and the many events that go on during the week at the school which may impact and even disturb our build process he had what he thought may be a better idea and asked us if we would be willing to take a little car ride to check something out. Naturally we said sure and a few minutes later we ended up at the Secaucus Hockey Arena.

Myself, Dave and Rich all looked at one another and back at the arena in shear amazement when Dr. Bob proceeded to ask us if we would like to use it to build our haunt for the school. He said we would have full access to the rink with no interruption. We could come and go as we pleased, build any day or night seven days a week and months in advance of our opening date. Of course this seemed to be a no brainer and we said absolutely!

The rink not only offers a HUGE space to build the haunt we envision (and yes the ice will be covered by flooring in case you were wondering haha!) but it also gives us plenty of space for our patrons to park, an ideal location that is close to a major highway that runs in and out of New York and simply endless possibilities for marketing and more.

This really is going to be a challenge for us as we couldn't have ever imagined having something so immense to use. Some pro haunts probably don't have this type of space but the trick part is using it wisely and of course filling it out.

We will need to be clever as we proceed to format our plan of action and begin a virtual layout of the space for a presentation that we will be giving to both the principle of the High School Dr. Bob and potentially even the Mayor of the town who Dr. Bob believes will be very excited and supportive of this event.

Tomorrow is a big planning day and you can bet I will have pictures, video and more information to share with you all. We are all very greatful for this opportunity and excited at the potential that it presents for one heck of a haunt! It's time to get to work and let the creativity begin to flow!

I hope you will all continue to check in on our progress.

Stay Frightful!

Frightguy~

Furry Bones!

2011-12-06T05:45:00.000-08:00

Hey Frightners!

Goooood Morning! I'm up early today putting together this mornings Vlog and of course here I am writing my blog post for today and I suppose I am getting an early jump start because today is going to be a busy and exciting day as it is the first time that I will be headed to the location of where our pro haunt will be next year to check it all out.

I will be headed to Secaucus High with Dr. Death & GhoulisCop this afternoon at 2PM to take some measurements and have an initial kick off meeting to discuss the haunt for next year so I am really looking forward to that. I hope to get some more pictures and video to share with everyone and hopefully post tonight but until then lets get into some other cool stuff that we can talk about right now!

Now a few weeks back I went to Cape May NJ with my wife to spend a weekend at one of our favorite little Bed and Breakfasts Elaines. I have raved about Elaine's in previous blog posts. It is a cool little B&B right smack in the heart of of Cape May. Elaine's not only features the towns only Haunted Mansion dinner theater but the B&B itself is reportedly haunted and trust me, my wife and I can share a lot of stories about that being true!

Any-hoo! While we were in Cape May we usually like to take to the Washington Street Mall which is a 3 block concourse which has been around since 1972. This is the best place to walk around and take in the small town atmosphere while browsing some pretty interesting shops. If you like old antiques, cool nic nacs or are simply just looking for some good eats and drinks then Washington Street Mall is the place to go while your in Cape May. It is also a great starting place for those new to the Cape as you can visit their visitor center and book an excursion on one of their many Trolley Tours and or Horse and Buggy Rides. I suggest the Ghosts of Cape May tour or the tour of the Physick Estate which is an amazing victorian mansion with haunted past!

While browsing through the shops that weekend I came across these really fun resin casted characters called Furry Bones! Furry Bones are the brain child of an artist by the name of Misaki. Misaki grew up in Tokyo and moved to LA just before her 17th birthday. While in the states she studied art and anatomy. Her interests in both anatomy an her love for Manga and Japanese Anime have been the driving force behind her Furry Bone collection.

I was instantly drawn to her collection because the first thing I noticed when I saw them on the shelf were their skull faces and me being a Halloween nut and loving skulls how could you not be drawn to that! As you can tell the "Furry" in Furry Bone is in reference to the characterization of each of these little guys as they all represent a different animal of sorts. The "Bone" well of course that refers to their bone faces.

I would have loved to take each and everyone of them home that day but I decided to start my Furry Bone collection with the monkey holding a banana haha! I mean come on, it's a monkey holding a banana! I mean what's better than that haha! Well of course there are plenty other Furry Bones with their unique characteristics and charm each to themselves so it was a hard choice to just pick one but I am looking forward to adding one here and there little by little and at a modest $8.75 a piece you can easily grow your collection by leaps and bounds and fear not!, once you have them all Misaki also has an abundance of other Furry Bone Collectibles like Furry Bone plush animals, salt and pepper shakers, coffee mugs, and more!

With the holidays around the corner my suggestion is a cool Furry Bones collectible for the Halloween fanatic friend, spouse or family member of yours. You can't go wrong and I promise you will love them to DEATH!

Furry Bones DOT COM

Furry Bones BLOG

Meeting Number One.

2011-12-05T10:04:00.000-08:00

Hey Frightners!

Here is a video update of our pro haunt venture along with some quick clips of the school and just us BS'n at our meeting.

Tomorrow will be the first time we get to see the space in person and take measurements. With those measurements we will begin to lay out the wall panels in AutoCAD and begin the design of our haunt.

We spoke about potential theme ideas for the haunt and about a brand new haunt name specific for this venture so all in all it was a great time meeting with everyone and we are all looking forward to tomorrow walkthrough which I will be sure to video and provide for you all to see.

Stay tuned for more updates each and every day.

Stay Frightful!

Pro Haunting We Will Go!

2011-12-04T09:58:00.000-08:00

Hey Frightners!

Well if you haven't heard the news just yet next year I will be teaming up with GhoulishCop and Dr. Death along with my friend and design genius Johnny Cross to create an all new professional haunted attraction in Secacus NJ, name to be determined.

This will be my second go run at running and producing a professional haunt and the rest of my teams first time doing so and it is very exciting. Probably more so this time around then my first mainly because of the passion each of us bring to the table for this venture which is very infectious...(in a good none zombie virus kind of a way!)

First let me explain how this came to be...

A short time after Halloween my sister in law who works as a teacher in Secaucus High School told me about how their Junior class does a haunted high school fundraiser each year to raise funds for project graduation and prom however, next year the people who normally help produce the haunt will no longer be available to help leaving the Junior class in a bind. The principle of the school wanted to continue the haunted high but with no one with haunt experience on board it seemed to be a great uncertainty if that would be at all possible but it was then that my sister in law asked me if I would be interested.

Naturally I had the instant sparkle in my eye but knowing how much time and energy would be needed to put on a quality show the likes of that they had never seen I wanted to be able to bring a team together with the know how and talent to help make this a success so I put the word out to a few local haunt buddies of mine and formed the team above and now have begun the task of developing an all new haunt for Secacus High!

A little about our team...

I'll start with GhoulishCop. I met Rich when I first attended the NJ/PA/NY Make and Take group a little over a year ago. Rich and I instantly clicked. He shared the same crazy sense of humor as I did and the insane passion for haunting. Like me he can't get enough of watching the endless haunt videos and prop tutorials on Youtube, loves working with paper mache and is a Haunt Vlogger and Blogger much like myself. We have attend a few haunt conventions together and are now working on both of our first 3 Axis skulls. I guess you can say their is a budding Bro-mance there haha! I am happy to have him on board. His skills in mache not to mention fearlessness in trying to build anything will be a great help.

Next up is Dr. Death! I was first introduced to Dave by his fiance Nichole whom I went to high school with. Both Dave & Nichole attended Grimlock Manor when we first opened up and just this past year they reached out to me after learning how close by we lived to one another. I began to learn more about Dave and his insane skill at building animitronic props and prop controllers through his website Pandemic Haunt Production and shortly after that Dr. Death began his very own Vlogs on Youtube where he began to talk more about his haunt and all his creepy creations! Dave's ability to build almost any animated prop will surely lend it's hand to I am sure some pretty intense scares!

Finally, Johnny Cross. Johnny has been a long time friend and past co-worker of mine in the design field. We have worked on many projects before and his design skills and knowledge run deep. Pair that with an insane love for haunted houses and horror and I am sure our marketing material will be both eye catching and fear inducing. With marketing being a key to any successful haunted house I feel confident to have Johnny on board as a key member to our haunt team.

Our first meeting was yesterday and there was plenty to be discussed. We had a few pictures of the space to look over and discuss how to best utilize and their were plenty of ideas put on the table. One of the biggest notions we want to squash is that a high school haunt cannot compare to many of the pro haunts out there. When people normally think of a haunted high school they think of black plastic walls, a million strobe lights and a few cheesy scares. They also think that the only theme will revolve around a haunted high school and teachers yelling at you to get to detention or principles telling you that your expelled but we want to dissolve that way of thinking and provide an experience that no one will expect. Yes this is a haunt taking place at a high school but the environment we will put you into will be anything but a school surrounding with ghoulish teachers yelling at you. We want to create a nightmare that you won't soon forget!

The months to follow will all be exciting as we continue to develop our haunt, create an identity and work towards our opening night in mid October. Be sure to keep an eye out for more posts about our pro haunt developments and for other perspectives on it be sure to check out both Dr. Deaths Youtube Vlogs and GhoulishCops who will both be posting on the subject.

We should be revealing the name of our haunt in time for the HAuNTcon Tradshow this year which we will all be attending so that is the first big date that we all look forward too!

Until then...

Stay Frightful!

Zombie Murder Explosion Die!

2011-12-02T20:09:00.000-08:00

Hey Frightners!

I have a few great in depth posts coming in the next few days all of which are in the works and currently being written but I wanted to give you something to gnaw on for a little bit and speaking of gnawing and biting what would be better than Zombie Murder Explosion Die!

ZMED comes from the wildy insane minds of Jeff Campbell Creator and Artistic Director. Andrew Racho Director. And Finally, Scout Raskin Producer. Each has worked on various shows on both Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network and are now ready to tackle the Zombie Apocalypse!

The trailer seems funny and the website already has some great content to sift through so be sure to check it out HERE!!!

Enjoy the trailer below and keep and eye out (but don't forget to pop it back in!) for the series to hit in he new year.

Stay Frightful!

Trunk or Treat - A growing Trend.

2011-11-29T09:29:00.000-08:00

Hey Frightners.

I ask you this...what happened to the days when you got home from school, put on your costume that you (or your mom) worked so hard on and ran out the front door to meet your best friends to go Trick or Treating? I remember staying out until the street lights came on. We would run up and down the streets kicking through the leaves with our candy sacks while looking for the next house we would say "Trick or Treat" at. It was one of the best nights of the year to be a kid and now times or I should say traditions seem to be changing for Halloween.

Kids today and their parents seem to enjoy the door to door Halloween adventure less and less and perhaps it is because of a new tradition that is growing ever popular, a tradition that makes it easier or more convenient for our little tot's and their parents. These days some parents feel it's not safe to let their kids go walking door to door. They don't know all their neighbors or trust what kind of treats are being handed out by the ones they are not all to familiar with. Because of this a new trend has begun to pick up these past few years. A trend that seems to be a threat to our classic way of trick or treating and it's called Trunk or Treat!

Trunk or Treat is a Halloween event that is often conducted by your local church or school. People gather and park their cars in a large parking lot. They open their trunks or backs of their vehicles and decorate them. Once decorated they pass out candy from their trunks to the parade of little trick or treaters thus providing a safe family environment for all to experience.

If you ask me handing out treats from the back of your car sounds just as creepy as going door to door maybe even worse but I suppose it's the idea of doing it in a safe environment in daylight hours that makes this the type of Halloween experience most parents today want for their youngsters but I can assure you that with a ToT of my own on the way I will be kicking it old school going door to door in classic Halloween Style! Maybe my tune will changes in the years to come but for now home is where the haunt and Halloween is and should remain.

Now I am not knocking Trunk or Treating...actually I applaud the efforts of some trunk or treaters as a few could be deemed mini haunters. As a matter of fact it's almost an entirely new style of haunting in and of itself. Before I wrote this post I decided I should really give Trunk or Treating a chance and look it up just to see if anyone was taking the decorating part to the extreme because lets face it...if your just opening your 67' Chevys rust old trunk and handing out candy that's just pretty weird and ummmm lame!

So what did I find?? Well there are actually a few websites dedicated to Trunk or Treating and people do actually get pretty creative with it so here is a quick inside look at what some of these Trunk or Treat Haunters are doing to haunt our their cars.

First I'll take you to the website I came across when I first started to research this new trend. The site is called Trunkortreat.homestead. This site provides the perfect explanation of Trunk or Treating. They go over almost every detail of it down to the actual decoration of the vehicles and they even provide a nice size photo album dating back to 2006 so Trunk or Treating has actually been around a bit longer than I had even known. As a matter of fact I believe this was the first year I ever heard of it and actually finally saw it in action at two local schools I live near.

It was nice to see all the kids dressed up in their costumes of choice and there even a few who looked to have made their own costumes. Now I didn't see many cars decorated to the extent of the ones you can find on the TrunkorTreat website but overall I could tell that the spirit of Halloween was still there, maybe not in the way that I know or love but it was present.

Here are a few pictures of decorated cars which will provide you with the extent at which this new breed of Car Haunters will go to decorate for the kids....

I particularly like the one with the dragons lair and smoking dragon on top of the car and the one with the haunted house facade and witches cauldron out front. These two really go above and beyond and I guess if you can't get the door to door experience at least these Car Haunters are bring the right kind of Halloween memories to the kids because what would Halloween be without a few cool decorations that will haunt our memories for a life time (in a good way of course mwuuhahahaha!)

I will always be a home haunter at heart decorating my house with ghoulish tricks and treats for all who dare to come ring my bell and hope that this new trend can coincide with our classic way of doing things but with a ToT of my own on the way I begin to to wonder if a future of Trunk or Treating will one day be upon me? If it is let it be known now that Frightguy will be pulling all the stops but for now, at least for a little while, my feet are securely planted in the ground as a home haunter fighting to keep Halloween the way I have always known it to be..an adventure!

Stay Frightful!

Black Friday!

2011-11-25T06:48:00.000-08:00

Hey Frightners!

Tis the season for haunt savings fa lalalala la la la laaaaaa! Just a heads up that Black Friday is here and that doesn't just mean crazy savings on home electronics and more at your local stores but it also means some nice savings on Halloween goods from some top vendors in the business.

Prices on top quality props, motors and effects usually inflate the closer we move towards Halloween but after Halloween has come and gone a lot of vendors are looking to push overstock items out the door to make room for new inventory so you have to keep your eyes peeled on their websites for some great deal. Sometimes those prop controllers, 3 Axis skulls or even the little extra detail props that would look good in your cabinet of curiosity all go on sale for bargain prices that are even sometimes less than what we would normally see them being at a haunt trade show so start looking around on your favorite haunt vendors websites to see what (if any) deals you may be able to score. Even if a percent off has not been listed prices may still be slashed a bit.

Here are a few of my favorite vendors to frequent that do have a few deals going on so take a look and get a head start on next years haunt while the getting is good!!

• Monsterguts
• Frightprops
•Ghostride

~ Frightguy

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T08:08:00.001-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving Frightners!!!

Something Wicked This Way Comes..

2011-11-22T20:26:00.000-08:00

Hi Frightners!

Very short post tonight but the title says it all. Something wicked is brewing here in the dungeon of Grimlock Manor for what could be a very interesting 2012 for us. Do you dare to guess what it is???

Some plans are in the works and as soon as I have the full details I will be back with a full report but until then stay tuned in for more prop focus videos and a full slideshow of all our picks from this years haunt. We hope you have been enjoying our haunt video from this year as well as the Madame Leota prop Video. Up next is our Mini Minion Prop focus video. Here are a few pics of him below...

Stay Frightful!

Madame Leota Prop Focus.

2011-11-20T08:59:00.000-08:00

Hey Frightners!

So I decided to break down my haunt video for 2011 and start some prop focus videos. I will be posting picture slide shows of some of my favorite new props from this year, how they came to be and the process of them coming together.

The first is my Madame Leota spirit ball. This was the hit of the show this year and really was a last minute decision but one that I am happy I did. I have seen this prop created and have watched videos of various set ups with it on youtube but never thought of doing my own until I watched a how-to by Mr. Chicken and Shellhawk to favorite haunters of mine! They did a great step by step and gave me the confidence that I could do one of my own and well below is the proof that it can be done!

I found this to be a fun first step into the world of projection effects and one that I am eager to continue on with next year. I highly suggest to anyone who hasn't tried doing one of these to take a stab at it. It is instantly gratifying and really effective. People just seemed to gravitate to this and really loved it which I am glad they did so please enjoy the video below and if you have any questions or comments please post them and don't forget to watch the full Grimlock Manor 2011 haunt video right below this post.

More prop focus videos coming in the following day. Next up is the Mini Minion which was one of my most favorite build this year!

Stay Frightful!

We Have a Video!!!

2011-11-17T21:59:00.000-08:00

Hey Frightners!

Well the wait is over, we have our first official video for Grimlock Manor 2011! We really have been procrastinating for way to long so we finally sat down tonight to edit this together. I think I would have liked to have given some more time to the editing but seeing how I am off to a wedding tomorrow and will be away for most of the weekend and the fact that I am aiming to enter into the 2011 Home Haunt of the Year contest who's deadline is November 20th at 12PM EST I figured lets just get it done!

I am pretty happy with what we did this year for the haunt and for the video. We had a ton of pictures and video to sift through which is kind of the reason why I have been putting doing the video aside...I just didn't want to go through it all cut, splice, and add music but in the end it's not too bad. A lot didn't make it in..we actually had an entire carnival section which we haven't shown here but next week we will do a full picture slide show video of everything because we have build pictures, day time pictures, and night time pictures. I would also like to do a few focus videos on some of our props alone such as the Mini Minion & Madame Leota.

I think there is plenty that we looked at this year and said we could have done better or we could have done certain things differently but overall I liked the variety of what we had. Next year I want to tidy some things up and I am looking to add more projection effects (maybe a quartet of singing busts?) I am also setting forth to build my first ever 3 axis skull but I won't be alone in my venture as my good friend Ghoulishcop from the Devils Eve blog will be joining me as we both build a 3 axis skull together. I have never really had a "Haunt Greeter" so that will be my intention with this and I am really looking forward to it!

Well I hope you enjoy the video. If you have any questions please feel free to ask, leave comments and I will do my best to answer. I hope you enjoy Grimlock Manor 2011 and I am looking forward to 2012!!

Stay Frightful!!

Some Cool Ghouls.

2011-11-14T20:08:00.000-08:00

Hey Frightners,

If you haven't heard the latest and final Hauntcast be sure you check it out. Most of my goodbyes are on my final segment of Access Hollyween but again I want to say here on my blog that it has been a pleasure to have the opportunity to work with the Scream Team and also connect with some great fans of the show.

Though my time as a Scream Team member was short I walked away with some great friends and an awesome experience. I learned a lot not only about radio and what it really took to put together such an outstanding show but about what it really meant to be a Halloween fanatic.

We do this because we love not only the Halloween Holiday but this community. Haunters are some of the best people I have ever know. I have made so many genuine friends through haunting. Some of the nicest and most generous people. Most of you I have met at conventions here and there, some I know from my own area and local Make and Take and others I have only had the pleasure of exchanging emails from time to time with but without a question my general feelings are haunters are the best and this community we have is one I am greatful to be a part of.

Hauntcast did help me open up some doors to new friendships within our community and it gave me another avenue to connect with you all and that is something I appreciate very much. Anyone who knows me personally knows I really love Halloween and haunting, I live and breath Halloween every day and any opportunity to share my passion with other like minded hauntaholics is one I cherish.

I can't predict if Hauntcast will stay in an eternal state of slumber from here on out but I can say that I will try to continue to provide "Edutainment" much like Chris always said was what Hauntcast tried to do. My blog has been an outlet for me to share my passion for Halloween and I will continue to strive to make it both entertaining and informative. I have some new projects and ideas in mind for the future of this blog as well as other media formats I would like to branch out to and take a stab at so please stay tuned for some future updates on all that but for now I tip my hat to Hauntcast and everyone who made it what it was which was the number one radio show for haunters and halloween fanatics!

Heres to my haunted family, cheers and stay scary!

RIP HAUNTCAST

2011-11-11T18:43:00.001-08:00

Back To Elaines!

2011-11-11T06:07:00.000-08:00

Hey Frightners!

So this weekend the wife and I are head back to Elaines Bed & Breakfast in Cape May. As per the book "Cape May Haunts." Elaine's is considered one of the more haunted locations in Cape May. Cape May itself has a very haunted past and most of the Bed and Breakfast's, Hotels and other various landmarks all have their very own chilling tales but having experienced a number of head scratching event's while on past stays at Elaine's I tend to believe there is something paranormal going on there.

Being a haunter I consider Cape May a great spot to travel to in NJ for haunt inspiration. The victorian era homes, the old cobblestone pathways and storefronts and village atmosphere conjures up many spooky images in my mind not to mention the many Ghost Hunting excursions they offer. Even Elaine's has their very own Haunted Mansion Dinner experience which I have attended. They put on a great show which is full of special effects, animatronics and live actors. It's a lively or in this case spirited experience!

I'm looking forward to another stay at Elaine's and Cape May and will post about my adventure as soon as we get back. Until then stay frightful!

What I Saw.

2011-11-08T19:00:00.000-08:00

Hey Frightners!

Well I am still going through all my pictures and video of the haunt this year and yes I really took that many! In the past I always fell short of having a lot of pictures and videos to look back on and I wanted to be sure I got everything this year... the down side is its hard to figure out which ones to pic and how to edit it all together into my haunt video this year but what I decided to do tonight is post some pictures from what I saw around town this year as well as post some links to fellow haunters that live close by me who's haunts are definitely worth going to see.

I will start with a few pictures. The pictures below all belong to homes in Roselle Park NJ. This is a great Halloween town to live in and where I hope to own a home shortly! The town actually holds a town wide decorating contest and urges the residents to get into the Halloween Spirit and you can tell by these few pictures that they really do get into it which is nice to see.

To explain a little more about Roselle Park NJ, it's where my wife grew up. It's a great mix of people and kids of all ages and every Halloween the streets are packed with Tot's. The most famous street notorious for it's off the wall home haunt displays is Bender Avenue. They normally block off Bender and hundreds of Tot's along with their parents go dressed up to the block to Trick or Treat and to show off their costumes. It's almost like a mini parade just without the floats and all that jazz.

I took a little car ride the weekend before Halloween to see some of the displays as people were decorating getting ready for the big night and these were the few shots I got...

All of them were neat in their own way but I really liked the witch silos as well as the over sided Devil in the last picture. The witch silos gave me some cool future prop ideas for Grimlock Manor. It's funny how simple they are to create and what a dramatic effect they have. I didn't really have the opportunity to go back to any of these at night as Halloween ended up being postponed in the town until November 5th due to the snow storm most of NJ experienced but I hear by Halloween much more was added to these displays and with their lighting at night they looked even better.

On Halloween I actually traveled to my friend Sharon's haunt Bloodcrest Manor. You may know Sharon as Joiseygal which is her haunt handle. Sharon also does weekly vlogs on YouTube in which she details her on going prop builds and all that is going on with her haunt.

I had never been to Joisey's haunt in person and only have ever seen pictures and videos so it was a real treat to be there live in person to see it in all it's spookyness! Joisey is one of the many haunters who has taken her display to the extreme by adding a walkthrough to it which I can say from experience is a daunting task that requires a lot of hard work and time but she really uses that time wisely to set up one heck of a haunt.

Joisey not only had a lot of tricks up her sleeve with some cool special fx props but you can tell she has experience in how to set up a great scare. Joisey has been working as an actor at various pro haunts for the past two years (maybe more?) The experience she has gained through the pro haunts really shows up in her haunt as you wind your way through various scene set ups that all cater to different fears. She misleads your senses and does a great job to disorient you in order to shock you at the very last moment and I have to confess she made me jump a few times!

If you ever have a chance to see Bloodcrest Manor in person then I suggest going. This is one Home Haunt that continues to grow and deserves some attention. I for one plan to add a trip to Bloodcrest Manor to my to do list for Halloween from here on out.

Here is a quick day time walkthrough and keep your eye posted on Joiseys YouTube channel for future updates.

To wrap up this post I have one final haunt which is only 5 minutes from my house and until this year I never knew existed which is one thing I love about being a home haunter, each and every year you seem to find a new haunter to get to know and there is nothing better then finding out that their is someone who shares your same passion as a haunter and Halloween fanatic and they live only a stones throw away!

I came across Pandemic Cemetery which is run by Dr. Death AKA Dave this past summer as I received an email from his wife who I actually went to High School with! Small world huh?! Mrs & Mrs Death actually came to Grimlock Manor in our first year and finally followed the paper trail to myself a few years later. We have begun to talk and I look forward to meeting up with them soon and learning more about Pandemics past and future and though I couldn't make it to see their display this year Dr. Death has created a great video of his haunt this year which you can view on his YouTube Channel which I highly suggest checking out because Dr. Death himself actually posts videos quite often on all the props he is working on and the process of putting them all together. It's a nice behind the scenes look.

I will leave you with the Pandemic Cemetery 2011 video below which again is amazing stuff and overall it was a fun Halloween season in which I got to see some great haunts that have inspired so many new ideas. I can't wait to get started on Grimlock Manor 2012 and look forward to seeing what new haunt gems I find next year.

Stay Frightful!

Bluckys On My Mind!

2011-11-06T07:19:00.000-08:00

Hey Frightners!

Happy Sunday! It's a beautiful day here in NJ and I am eager to get outside and stretch my legs for a bit because they are feeling a bit creeky like a skeletons which makes me think about the 2 Blucky Skeletons I have sitting in my truck right now.

Last week I went to Spirit Halloween on it's last day and found everything to be %50 off! I immediately felt like a kid in a candy store as I began to rummage through what was left in the large New York City based Spirit store.

Many things caught my eye but then I came across the Blucky Skeletons. Now I know a few readers of my blog may not now what a Blucky Skeleton is but its those inexpensive blow molded skeletons you seem to find in about every store during Halloween. They usually are around $20 and are a nice way to add a full sized prop at a budget price to your cemetery scene for Halloween. Heres a picture of one right below..

Now as funny as it seems I have never purchased a Blucky. I know, I know..shame on me. It seems like a prop that every home haunters should have in their arsenal but I always sat their while in the store saying to myself "do I really want one of these?" "They look pretty cheesy.." But the fact is Blucky's really are versatile if you give them a chance so this time while I was in Spirit Halloween with %50 off signs spinning in my eyes I told myself how could I pass on two Blucky Skeletons when I am basically getting one for free so I grabbed them up and headed home with them!

For Halloween 2012 I really want to add some standing props in the graveyard. I have only ever had my Caretaker, his boney dog pal and a large Grim Reaper but in 2012 I would love to have some corpsed skeletons that appear to be walking towards the tot's with their arms outstretched and these Bluckys give me the perfect opportunity to do that.

I have begun to check online for various props that have been made from Bluckys along with corpsing techniques and even motorized applications that have been added to them and to my surprise (though I shouldn't really be surprised at this point) I found quite a few good sources three of which I would like to share with you.

The first source is from Spookylake.com They provide a nice tutorial on how they corpse their Blucky Skeletons. Here is a quick list from their site of what they use for the process..

The tutorial on the site is very detailed as they break down each body part and how they treat it with the materials. They provide just around 15 pictures of the process so you can see what each step looks like and they end result looks pretty darn good. It's just one take on how you can take this inexpensive prop and elevate it to new scary heights.

The second source is from the website Instructables.com I really like this website and there is actually quite a few great Halloween How To's on it if you do some quick searches. This particular tutorial was for how to corpse a Blucky and again it gave a nice step by step break down with some great pictures, three of which you can see below..

The last site really reminded me about what I said originally about these Blucky's being a versatile budget prop. The website is Cindybob.com and they show you how to add simple Animation to your Blucky by using some simple and inexpensive servos from Servocity.com They used these servos to add slight head movements to three distressed prisoners in a dungeon scene which you can see below. I think they came out great and it goes to show you what a little ingenuity can do.

I am not 100% sure what the future of my two Blucky's will be but a complete overhall of them seems to be on the horizon. So to sum this post up I guess I can say the moral of the story is don't leave a good Blucky behind because they can provide a real scare to your haunt this upcoming Halloween season if a little TLC is given to them.

Submit Your Videos!!

2011-11-05T16:03:00.000-07:00

Hey Frightners!

Well even though Halloween has now officially come and gone I am still re-living every moment of it as I currently sift through all of my videos and pictures of our set up for Grimlock Manor this year.

It's about that time to create my haunt video for this year which has become a common practice among haunters as a means of sharing with each other and showing off our displays. You can often find these videos on youtube by searching for "Home Haunts" or even "Haunted House's" or you can head to forums such as Hauntforum.com or Halloweenforum.com to see videos and or pictures of haunts from all across the nation.

Not only do our videos and pictures become our own personal diaries but they are also used to enter many of the online contest that are provided to us haunters in which some of the most respected and well know haunters both pro and home vote on them and crown winners in categories such as Home Haunt of the Year, Best Static Prop, Best Video Production and Propmaster awards just to name a few.

These awards offer us a chance to have our hard work viewed by everyone in our haunt community and it is simply amazing just to be able to view all the time and effort that goes into everyone's haunts and their efforts to produce a video that best features their creative master pieces for that year.

Two of the most notable contests that run every year are the Home Haunt of the Year contest provided by the Home Haunters Association. They award 3 top prizes which offer great prize packages for it's winners. All you need to do is sign up for free on their website and register your haunt then submit your video or pictures for the judging process. The videos and pictures of all the entries are placed on the website for everyone to view which is a nice bonus and provide hours of viewing fun.

The second is the Haunters Video Awards. They award prizes for 11 categories and also create a DVD Set for all it's entries. I purchased the set last year and it was amazing! It was 5 discs full of home haunt videos from all over. It's just great to sit back with some popcorn and experience what everyone created and it's always inspiring and gives me that continued drive to push the limits and experiment with new ideas for my haunt each and every year.

All in all, even when Halloween is over our community keeps up the Halloween spirit and shows it's support with fun contest's such as these which makes being a Home Haunter that much more special. If you have a home haunt and have never participated in either of these contest please take the time to go to their websites and watch all the past entries and hopefully be inspired to participate this year. If anything it is a fun way to share your love for Halloween with everyone else. Also don't forget to check out the Halloween forums I listed above. They often provide their own stand alone contests and even produce DVD Sets for their registered members as well.

Now it's time to get back to work on my video for 2011. I am looking forward to sharing it with you Frightners and hope to see your pictures and videos soon! If you have any pictures and videos of this years or past years haunts that you would like to share with me or other readers of this Blog please post links in the comments section for this post as it would be great to see what you have all done!

Stay Frightful!

Mini Minion Final

2011-11-02T19:13:00.000-07:00

Hey Frightners,

So last night we took a peek at my Madame Leota prop and tonight I would like to share with you one of my favorite prop builds of this year the Mini Minion.

When I set out to create the Mini Minion I knew I wanted to sculpt something and use some various corpsing techniques but I wanted to do it on a smaller scale, I had also wanted to create a wire armature that I could twist and bend so that I could shape a dramatic pose for my tiny creature and as soon as I knew it the Mini Minion was born!

This was a great learning prop for me because I have been wanting to get more into the world of sculpting and using armatures and this prop lent it self perfectly to that. I was happy with the overall look of the Minion in the end but now that Halloween is over I want to re-work some of his finishing details as well as add more detail to the cage he is held in.

Before I get to his pictures from the haunt I wanted to post some quick links to his entire process from start to finish just in case you missed any of the posts here on the blog so please feel free to go back and look at how he came to be:

• http://grimlockmanor.blogspot.com/2011/08/mini-minions-in-progress.html
• http://grimlockmanor.blogspot.com/2011/08/continued-work-on-mini-minion.html
• http://grimlockmanor.blogspot.com/2011/08/mini-minion-update.html
• http://grimlockmanor.blogspot.com/2011/09/mini-minion-face-close-ups.html

With this build under my belt I want to add at least two more of these guys to next years haunt which was my intent this year but time didn't allow it. It should be fun to make him some ghoulish companions in crime so keep an eye out for a Mini Minion Part 2 build coming soon!

So without further adieu here is the final Mini Minion from this year. Hope you enjoy him!

Madame Leota Makes Her Appearance!

2011-11-01T21:17:00.000-07:00

Hey Frightners!

Well the post Halloween blues have already begun to set in but already my mind has turned to all the ideas I have for next year!

As is the case every year in NJ mother nature decided to check in with her latest nuisance and this time she opted to drop 6+ inches of snow on top of us! Snow in October?! Really!

Many of my haunt buddies had issues with their displays because of this storm and a few even experienced some bad damage to their props but what was most unfortunate was the lack of Trick or Treating that went on because many towns actually put the kibosh on Halloween all together because of the damage the storm did. We just can't seem to catch a break these past few years.

I still managed to enjoy my Halloween as my wife and I made some rounds to check out a few local haunts in our area which I will write about in an upcoming post but for now I would like to start sharing with you a few pictures from my haunt.

Luckily I held my Halloween party for friends and family the weekend of the 22nd. We had 70+ people come to Grimlock Manor to experience this years show and were thankfully blessed with a cool crisp October night perfect for haunting!

One of my favorite props this year which turned out to be the big hit was our Madame Leota Spirit Ball. It was my first time experimenting with projection effects and though I am no pro at it just yet I had a lot of fun setting this up and am now looking forward to adding more projection effects to our display next year. Thanks goes out to Mr. Chicken & Shellhawk for the great tutorial on this effect. If it wasn't for the both of you I may not have tried this.

Below are a few pictures of Madame Leota as we had her set up the night of the party. We used a deconstructed Gemmy Spirit Ball, foam wig head (as is) and an Eyeclops Mini projector that we bought on Ebay brand new for $40. We surrounded Madame Leota with about 25 hand made candles which we made from Toilet Paper & Paper Towel Rolls that we dripped hot glue from then added tea lights to and painted an off white color and finally we hid the projector with a number of creepy picture books an a large half skull.

I did take pictures of the process to set this effect up from deconstructing the ball to setting up the projector so I will be sure to do a future post on that but please enjoy the pictures and stay tuned for the full video of not only Madame Leota in action but an entire walkthrough of Grimlock Manor 2011 Haunt.

Happy Halloween!!!

2011-10-31T14:34:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween Frightners!

Wow...it's here! Well it's 5PM here in good Ol Jersey and the Tots are out in force doing their trick or treating. My wife and I are getting ready to head out tonight and explore some of the local haunts in the surrounding towns. We love to try and see a few haunts if possible and since a few of our haunt buddies are close by we want to stop by and say hello.

Our first stop will be at Pandemic Cemetery a haunt located in Metuchen NJ that is put on by Dave Dankanyin. I actually went to High School with Dave's wife Nichole and she recently contacted me awhile back explaining how they came to Grimlock Manor the first year we were open as a Charity haunt for the public. Seems like Dave's love and passion for Halloween is the same as mine and though he is a smaller haunt he packs a punch with various animitronic scares and some great detail all of which he builds himself so I cannot wait to see his haunt live and in person!

After we stop at Pandemic we will be headed to a fellow NJ/PA Make and Take friends haunt Bloodcrest Manor. This is run by my haunt buddy Sharon AKA Joiseygal from Hauntforum. Sharon or Joisey as I call her provides a full walkthrough experience for all the Tot's in her neighborhood. I have done a interview with her which you can find on my Deadtime stories page. I have only ever seen pictures and videos of Sharon's haunt and have never been able to actually go so I am excited to finally make it out this year and let her scare the crap out of me! Haha!

Finally, we will be making our last stop in Roselle Park NJ. Each year the town has a town wide decorating contest to see who can make the scariest home haunt. There are quite a few people who join in the fun and put on some really nice displays and if you really want some Halloween Overload you need to stop by Bender Avenue in Roselle Park. The shut down the enter block and every house decorate and puts on a show. There are hundreds of people who attend the haunts on Bender in full Halloween Garb, it's such a site. I swear that one day I will live on that block!

Well it's time to go get dressed and ready for my Halloween Adventure. I hope you enjoy your Halloween in whatever way you celebrate. Embrace the spirit of the Great Pumpkin and have a frightfully ghoulish time!

Happy Halloween!

Grimm TV Series Pilot Review.

2011-10-28T08:53:00.000-07:00

Hey Frightners!

Well with Halloween only days away the TV Networks are in full swing with their 31 days till Halloween specials along with some new series premiers that could help satisfy our dark cravings after the Halloween season has come and gone. One of those new series is Grimm on NBC.

Grimm is a new drama series inspired by the classic Grimm's Fairy Tales. It follows the story of homicide detective Nick Burkhardt who discovers he is descended from an elite line of criminal profilers known as "Grimms." The Grimms are charged with keeping the balance between humanity and the mythological creatures of the world and in the pilot episode detective Nick comes to realize that all those fairy tale creatures he thought were just stories aren't really just stories after all.

My wife and I caught the pilot episode for free on iTunes and went into watching it with low expectations but in the end we were pleased with the show and excited to see what was in store for future episodes. The cast is likeable and David Giuntoli who plays detective Nick Burkhardt did a great job, it's easy to like his character and want to see how he develops his new found power of profiling the mischievous creatures of the world. The pilot revolves around the story of the big bag wolf. Seems there is a wolf stalking anyone who is wearing red (little red riding hood anyone!) All in all it's worth some attention moving forward and should be a fun watch.

Every once in awhile the networks do a dark drama right and hopefully this time they will have a winner on their hands. The actual TV premier is tonight at 9PM EST on NBC but check your local listings for your time and channel. It appears that the iTunes version does not show the entire one hour premier but does provide a full episode. I assume as the series moves along they will be shortened to half an hour episodes and the premier is just two episodes in one but we shall see.

If you happen to check it out please feel free to come back here and post your take on Grimm. It would be cool to see what everyone thinks!

The Grimm Website: GRIMM

Stay Frightful!

Early Pics....

2011-10-24T19:21:00.000-07:00

Hey Frightners!

Just wanted to post some early pics from Grimlock Manor 2011. We have a bunch of pictures and video to sift through but for now here are 3 favorites of the Mini Minion, Madame Leota & Our Vanity scene in the seance room. Hope you enjoy!

Cool Halloween Light Show.

2011-10-20T19:37:00.000-07:00

Hey Frightners!

I have been sifting through some haunt videos and pictures the last few days just to see what people have posted recently of their haunts for this year and at the same time have come across a few good haunts from years past that I have missed.

The one below is by Mark Goodson who's full youtube channel you can view HERE! Mark has a nice variety of props and lighting effects and has even started to get into some digital effects that he has created himself but overall I am always a sucker for a cool lightshow. One day I'd like to give one a stab myself but until now I will sit back relax and enjoy Marks like many others!

Cyclops Shark!!!

2011-10-18T19:33:00.000-07:00

Hey Frightners!

Just in time for Halloween comes the discovery of the Cyclops Shark!!!

While most of these discovers wind up being fake this cyclops shark is actually the real deal! This shark was sliced from the belly of a pregnant mama dusky shark caught by commercial fisherman in the Gulf of California earlier this summer.

Researchers have examined the preserved creature and found that it's single eye is made of a functional optical tissue however, the malformed shark was unlikely to survive outside the womb and is now destined to sit on the shelf of some mad scientists lab...well not really I just made that part up hehe, sounded good though!

To read more about this interesting cryptic creature check out the link to it's full story HERE!

I guess that one eyed shark costume I had in mind isn't so creative anymore huh?!

Stay Frightful!

Sneak Peak!

2011-10-17T19:51:00.000-07:00

Hi Frightners!

Hope all is well in Halloween Land. We are almost set to go for our opening night party this Saturday. It's down to the final little details and then this Thursday and Friday the cemetery goes up and we should be done!

As I was working on the haunt last weekend I took a few short video snippets of the seance room which you can see in below. Not everything was fully set up nor was all the lighting fully installed and on at the time of the video taping but I think it will give you a sense of where this room is going.

We will have a huge abundance of flicker candles and a few real candles on and there will be other dim lighting set on flicker circuits so it appears the lights are short circuiting. Also the music won't be Rue Morgue Radio by the Creepshow haha...that just happened to be on so we had a cool lightshow going with it...we will actually have a storm track playing and besides it you will hear Madame Leota calling in the spirits. We might mix in a subtle third track of ambient music but haven't really decided yet.

I hope you enjoy the little sneak peak. We will start taking final pictures and video this Friday night so the cemetery setup and carnival section are to come and of course a final look at the seance room all edited together for our 2011 haunt video!

Can't wait till Saturday and of course Halloween! I can't believe its upon us!

Stay Frightful!

Carnival Set Up Pics & More.

2011-10-15T14:34:00.000-07:00

Hey Frightners!

So last night was productive as far as special effects are concerned. We set up the Madame Leota Spirit Ball on her table and placed all the candle sticks around her but unfortunately we did not light all the candles because we didn't want to take each of the individual tea lights out of the foe toilet paper roll candle sticks we made, light them, place them back in, take the pictures then take them out again to turn them off...overall...we were lazy haha!

The video tests are posted below. It's pretty dark since we didn't have any additional lights on in the room so you can't really see the spirit ball or the table it is on or anything else for that matter but once we have everything in place we will take better pictures and video. Overall I am happy with the effect and I am sure it will be one of the more interesting ones at the party for people to see.

We also went ahead and made a moving Quija Board last night with an additional mirror ball motor we had laying around so we will place that on the table as well with some books and other gothic decorations surrounding it. A trip to Home Goods is on the list for those items, they have some great odds and ends in that store that are perfect for a haunt so if you haven't checked out a home goods near you then I highly suggest it (if you have one.)

Also, we have some pictures from the carnival set up for you. These were taken last week. The strong man bell is here, the Carnival Of Souls signage and some of the tent. Everything was someone what incomplete. The carnival sign is lacking its lighting, the strong man bell is doesn't have it's bell yet and of course the freak cages and tents weren't close to being done but at as I write this post they are much farther along. The freaks are in the cages and are fully built out. Lights are strung and signage is in place. We still need to set up the rotten candy vendor but that will happen tomorrow.

All in all it's coming together and we will be working on it up to the last minute as always but I am happy with the progress and should have more posts with update pics and video for your shortly!

Stay Frightful!

Madame Leota Effect In Progress!

2011-10-14T11:15:00.000-07:00

Hey Frightners!

So I am still working away on my haunt and have been taking video, pictures, and audio while I have been doing it so I can upload here and share and finally today I am steps away from completing this years display with the last addition of Madame Leota!

A few months back the gracious Mr. Chicken of Mr. Chickens Yard Haunt & Shellhawk of Shellhawks Nest did a BlogTV episode where they did a full build start to finish of the process of making a Madame Leota Projection Effect for your Halloween Display. They took the time to show how to record a custom video of yourself as madame leota (in this case it was Shelly doing acting!) then they proceeded to show how to edit the video, make the DVD, set up the crystal ball display and finally project the video. All around it was a great and inspiring BlogTV that made me say "Let's give it a try!"

I went out and purchased the Eyeclops Mini Projector which is the same projector that they used in the tutorial. The price ranges from $40 up to $60 depending on where you get it. I purchased mine on Ebay brand new for $40. It's a nice projector, small and compact and easy to set up and use. It's not something that is great for huge crystal clear projections but for this specific prop it does the trick. The only downside is that you will need to purchase your own RCA cables for it as it does not come with them. Now if your using a DVD player then you should have some RCA cable but if your going to be using your computer or and iPod like I am using you will need to get the right kind of RCA cable with the right extensions so you may be looking at another $30-$40 on top of the price of your projector so thats just an FYI but bottom line is this...$80 for a projector isn't bad for this type of use however, if your looking to do bigger and better projection effects in the future it may be worth investing in a much better higher end projector. For me this does the job and doesn't break the bank.

Now that I have my Mini Projector I downloaded my Madame Leota video which you can find on Youtube. There are a lot of versions. You can convert the video into an Mpeg format using a site such as Zamzar.com

I added the video to my iPod and set it to loop and TaDa! Poof! Like magic there it was projecting onto my foam wig head. Now all thats left to do is put my wighead into a crystal ball ( I am using the Gemmy Spirit Ball which I already had) add a wig and set up the projector until it all lines up right.

Now you may need to do a little light sculpting and add some paper clay to the wig head to get some better features and a better effect but for this year I am happy with what I have and will aim to do a better presentation next year. I may even give the singing busts from the Haunted Mansion a try next year or perhaps a few singing pumpkins....projection effects have endless possibilities and there really is an instant gratification to them that comes much easier than some other props you have to slave over so if you don't have one I highly suggest giving it a try in the future.

I will be adding video of my Leota once it is fully complete in the set up but for now take a look at the quick test picture above for my progress and the vide below of how I intend to set mine up.

Happy Haunting!

Skeletons Can Be Sexy!

2011-10-10T18:52:00.000-07:00

Hey Frightners!

A warning...this is not for the faint at heart and may not be safe for younger viewers or those of us who are reading blogs during our work hours!......

Now that I have warned you I bring you the current exhibit at the Museum of Sex in NYC. French sculptor Jean-Marc Laroche is currently exhibiting his newest pieces in what he calls ""Lovers in the Hereafter."

These are life-sized sculptures of skeletons in various sexual positions just in time for Halloween! I guess you can say these skeletons were really in the spirit! The works which are made from resin and steel, can only be described as, well, expressive in nature.

I came across this exhibit by chance today as I always pass the Museum Of Sex on my way to work (It's literally up the block from me.) I had to do a double take when I saw the two sculptures above in the window display of the Museum. There was of course a huge crowd outside staring and taking photos so naturally I stopped to see what it was all about. You never know what you'll see in NYC...guess thats why I like working there!

I knew I saw skeletons right away so that got me excited (but lets not get out of hand folks..) I was excited that they were skeletons not because of what these particular skeletons were doing with one another. They were literally boning. Man I am on fire with the jokes huh?! Anywhoo..

It was a pretty interesting exhibit and I though it definitely warranted some attention. The collection is much more extensive than just the two pics above and to see more just play the video below. There is actually some other cool and creepy stuff to see. It will definitely make you think a little differently the next time you see a skeleton...who knows what your skeletons in your haunt set ups are doing after dark...hopefully not being bad to the bone!

It's been awhile!

2011-10-04T19:43:00.000-07:00

Hey Frighters!

Sorry I have ben away for a few days, I have been working hard on getting the haunt up and ready for our annual Haunted Mansion Party which is October 22. We are only two weeks away with still lots to do since we have an entire carnival section this year!

I have been taking a lot of videos, pictures and even some audio of my haunted thoughts throughout the day as we set up so once I have more time I will get that all together for you all to see and will get back on track with the blog posts but I do have something cool to share tonight, a cool website I came across with some interesting stuff and it's called What On Earth!

What On Earth has all sorts of cool randomness! They have items to decorate with, party supplies, gifts, collectables and more and what caught my eye was some pretty interesting Halloween Items, ones that are a bit different then we are used to and are more on the playful and whimsical side of the holiday.

One of my favorite pieces are the "What Lies Beneath Garden Sculptures." These yard dwellers are very cool and unique sculpts that sit perfectly on the ground as if peeking up from the soil. I think they could be used in various different ways for a haunt and I definitely will be investing in the pair and adding them to a tombstone set up this year.

Be sure to check out What On Earth for a bunch of their other Halloween offerings all of which are uniquely different and if you ask me...pretty cool!

Black Baroque

2011-09-26T18:36:00.000-07:00

Hey Frightners,

So I am an avid Etsy lurker if you didn't know? I love jumping on there to see what people are making and coming up with. There are so many great crafty people out there making some really cool stuff and I just wish I could buy it all but I do try to make a few purchases from time time especially around Halloween time because I love to get a few items that are unique to decorate with around the house and in the haunt and today I credit my wife for forwarding me a cool shop I wanted to share called Black Baroque.

Black Baroque is a unique shop that sells upcycled dictionary pages with some very interesting art prints printed right on them. Prints vary from anything such as Birds, Anatomy, Ocean Life, Curiosities and more! These prints would all go great with the right vintage style frames as they are displayed in on the site and they would be the perfect pieces of art to hang on your walls to start a conversation at your Halloween party, in one of your may haunted hallways of your haunt or simply as an all year round piece in your home.

Some of my favorites are the Edgar Allen Poe, Skull Pocket Watch and Underwood typewriter which my wife and I actually own and love!

I hope you will enjoy some of these and remember to take a stroll around Etsy every now and again for some great finds and unique pieces to add to your collection. Lets support our crafty friends!

Asylum Laser Tag!! Zombie Fest!

2011-09-24T10:29:00.000-07:00

Hey Frightners!

Well it's almost October and already the the Pro-Haunts and various Halloween related events are beginning to open up all around the globe and I myself cannot wait to make my way out to a few new haunts this year!

I try my best every year to experience a few new places if time and money permits it because as much as I love to be the one scaring people it's always fun to get scared as well not to mention that I get to see some really cool set ups and jot down some ideas after seeing what some of the pro haunts out there come up with.

This year I have my eye set on a few new places I have never been one of which is right here in NYC and it is called ASYLUM LASER TAG. This is not like any laser tag. At Asylum Laser Tag the outfit you with a real semi-automatic paintball gun modified to play laser tag. You have the real weight of a gun with the rapid fire power to kill some zombies!

At Asylum Laser Tag you can compete against other players in various scenerios or try to make it out alive by shooting as many zombies as you can in Zombie Fest!

There seem to be a lot of these types of laser tag and paintball zombie shoot'em ups popping up all over this year and I think it would be a fun and new experience to try out so be sure to check your area for ones like Asylum Laser Tag as I have seen a few different place located in various states across the US.

Now...it's time to go GET SOME! and kill me some Zombies!!! Grrrrr...

The Tree People!!!

2011-09-22T17:57:00.000-07:00

Hey Frightners!

This is one of the many reasons I love working in the city because you never know what you will see!

Yesterday I was taking a walk in a nearby park by my job and I came across these awesome tree people sculptures! The parks name is Madison Square Park and it is known for it's contemporary public art program which displays a wide variety of media by artists ranging from emerging to internationally renowned. You just never know what you are going to see which is what I really love about going there.

Now I am not sure of the name of the artist that is currently displaying their works at the park but this was one of a handful of sculptures I came across in my walk and I thought it was super cool and would be a great piece of inspiration for a future Halloween prop project. Not for this year but maybe for next.

I love how they are rooted into the ground. I actually remember seeing PumpkinRot create a creepy version way back in the day which I absolutely loved. The picture is below.

It's always good to keep your eyes peeled for inspiration and I will surely be headed back to Madison Square Park soon to take some snap shots of the other unique sculptures that are there and if I can I will try to provide a link to the artist who created "The Tree People." Cool stuff!

Stay Frightful!

BRAINSSS!!!

2011-09-19T19:12:00.000-07:00

Hey Frightners!

This never ending prop list of mine is making me go crazy and my brains are turning to Jelly!

Naa..just kidding but I did happen to come across this really cool Giant Gummi Brain by the people at FIREBOX.COM

These Gummi brains are lifesize and would be a perfect edition to anyones Hallowen party or as a prop for your zombie costume! Check them out!

What a great day for a ride!

2011-09-17T13:03:00.000-07:00

Hey Frightners!

So today I decided to venture out for a ride around town and make some stops along the way looking for Halloween treasure!

No, that's not me you see in the car above! Haha! That is my new buddy Steve. I picked up Steve at Walgreens today. I felt bad seeing him hang there needing a home and obviously some food since he looked so skinny so after bribing the cashier with $30 I took Steve home to be among others like himself.

Steve is from Pitini Enterprises I believe. Even if he isn't you can check out Pitini in the future to find the same style skeletons for $30 a piece. I think they have run out of them for the year but you can still get their catalog and sift through their products which in my opinion are pretty good and very affordable.

Walgreens actually had a great supply of Halloween items this year. There were a few animated props, hanging decorations and your run of the mill tombstones but the skeletons were the best.

The skeleton itself is very lightweight plastic. It is nowhere near a bucky quality but obviously at $30 we aren't to expect that. The limbs move easily as does the jaw which is a nice feature and the overall size is about 5ft so if your in the market for a lifesize skeleton on a home haunters budget then run to your local Walgreens and get yourself your own Steve today!

My good buddy Steve is going to be featured as my Rotton Candy attendant this year at Grimlock Manor Carnival of Souls. We are going to do a variation on the cauldron creep which there is a video of below however, our Rotton Candy Creep..AKA Steve will have the Rotton Candy container closer to his waist and set on top of a table. The stirrer will only be arms length , made of PVC and attached to a deer motor which you can purchase at Kindys.com for $9.99. Overall this change in design saves me a little cash but still gives me the cool effect of Steve stirring the Rotton Candy pot.

The Rotton Candy Attendant prop should get started some time this coming week. I don't forsee it taking us to long to complete but the actual detailing may take just a little time as we want to add some light up eyes from Hauntbots which we already have and then we need to stain Steve to give him some color and get him clothed up!

To cap off this post today I also went to AC Moore and Halloween City. AC Moore has all of their Halloween products fully out and on display now and the best thing I saw there was that they were carrying Funkins which are those carvable foam pumpkins. I have never seen these in person but they do look quite real so we bought one to try it out and if it works out nicely my wife and I will buy a few more for the haunt this year.

Halloween City which is someone just like Spirit had a few nice props and scene setters. I didn't see anything that really caught my eye except for these oversized foam skull heads with light up eyes that were pretty neat but otherwise we left there empty handed. They were also carrying the Pitini Skeletons but their price was $50 which I expected from a Halloween store. I may go back for one oversized skull but for now it can wait.

So back to the prop builds for me. Halloween is gaining up on us and will be here as soon as we know it! Check back in soon for more prop build updates!

Stay Frightful!

A quick look at Cauldron Creep by the good folks of The Haunt at Hellizondo!

Twisted Toybox - In Motion!

2011-09-11T19:12:00.001-07:00

Hey Frightners!

So as promised the twisted toy box (minus paint) is complete! Today I finished up installing the motor into the box to make the lid open and close and I am pretty excited at the outcome.

Though it is a simple up and down motion of the lid it is still always cool to add any kind of motion to a home made prop and I tell you... once you do one prop that has some motion you won't want to stop! Every prop you build from that point on you will start asking yourself if you can add some kind of motion to it! Lol!

My haunt has always had a focus on static props and relied more on actor scares rather than animatronics but seeing how this year we will be more of a display only haunt I wanted to try to add subtle motion to most every prop so my guests will have a little something more to grab their attention.

This twisted toy box was a very simple and inexpensive build and if you are looking to make your first animated prop than I would highly suggest this build for any beginner. I cut some corners in order to move this build along and will most likely go back and re-do this prop in the off season to make it more durable but for my purposes this year I am happy with this.

The cost to build this prop is probably no more than $40 but it could be less depending on what you have lying around. The motor which you can purchase from KINDYS.com is $10, the wood will cost you around $20 or less depending on what kind you get, I suggest something lightweight. The aluminum is only $2-3 and then there is your various screws, washers, and kotter pins that you may need.

You can easily put one of these boxes together in a day with all the supplies at the ready and once it has been assembled there are unlimited effects you can do with the box. You can hook up a motion sensor so it only activates when someone passes by or you can add a fog machine on the inside with some lighting or maybe even some pre-recorded monster sounds. Just use your imagination but all in all it's a simple and rewarding build.

I am currently working on the graphics to complete the overall look of the box. It should look like a toybox in the end, a twisted toybox! An evil clown face will be on the front panel followed by alphabet letters on the other panels and there will be a hanging clowns head on the interior of the box so when the lid lifts up you can see the clown looking out at you.

I will be posting one last post on the toybox once it is fully complete and hope you have enjoyed this video. If you happen to make your own twisted toybox please let us know and feel free to share.

Stay Frightful!

Mini Minion Face Close Ups.

2011-09-11T05:30:00.000-07:00

Hi Frightners!

Just some updates from the haunt for ya. Yesterday I got back to tinkering with my twisted toybox. We cut the aluminum to create the arm that raises and closes the lid, drilled the holes needed to attach it to the motor and all that is left to do is install the motor and attach the arm to the lid and hopefully it works! I'm aiming at finishing that up today that way all I need to do to it is paint and add the graphics. That will be a big check mark off my list.

I think I will say this each and every time I talk about the progress of putting the haunt together but WOW, I can't believe how fast Halloween creeps up on us. There are only 49 days left and though that still seems like plenty of time those days just count down in a flash.

Today I am going to be going to check out and see if our local Spirit Halloween Stores are open or not. There are a few that seem to be popping up in our area and I know that some have open with some limited inventory for now until they begin to fill out their stores as the month goes by.

I'm a bit spoiled because there are two Halloween stores I frequent in NYC so I have access to props and costumes almost all year around if I need my Halloween fix but having the Spirit stores close by to home is always nice. They do have a few clown props this year that I think I may invest in for the Carnival of Souls but that is still TBD at this point. Here is one of my favorites Honky The Clown!

Anyhoo! So I'll leave this post with a few pictures of the the mini minion. He is almost done, his face is basically all corpsed up the way I like it and only the vaseline marbles need to be added for his eyes. I will be grabbing the rest of the supplies I need to create his cage today and will get some update pictures of him once he is all closed in. I am hoping to create another one of these if I have the time because I think two is always better than one but there is still so much more left to do!

Keep those doors open!

2011-09-10T07:23:00.000-07:00

Hey Frigtners!

Well October is drawing near and most of us haunters have begun to clear out our storage spaces of our halloween decorations and props in order to start decorating our homes for the Halloween Season but have you ever found yourself without enough hands to carrie those boxes up from the basement or down from the attic only to find that you need help to open your door so you can pass through?

Well fear not! The Neatoshop has just what you need in a pinch! Ouch! Yes something is pinched alright! It's that Zombie Door Stopper! Poor little guy got caught under the door and can't get out but lucky for you he is helping out by keeping that door jammed wide open so you can transport your props to and from their storage spaces with ease!

This little guy will not only be helpful to keep your doors open but he will be a nice subtle addition to your Halloween decor this year, one of your many hidden gems around the house that people will surely take notice of at your Halloween party so check him out as well as the other cool Zombie products at the Neatoshop.

Stay Frightful!

Beetlejuice Remake or Sequel?

2011-09-10T07:13:00.000-07:00

Hey Frightners!

Well my fellow haunt friends have you heard this news yet? A new or possibly re-booted Beetlejuice is in the works!

Warner Bros. is reportedly set to reboot the 1988 Tim Burton - Michael Keaton comedy Beetlejuice with the intention on advancing the storyline from the original.

Producer/Director/Writers David Katzenberg and Seth Grahame-Smith will write two scripts for Warner Bros. They say they want to make big movies that are based on big ideas inspired by the comedies they grew up loving i.e. Beetlejuice.

Personally I am not sure what to think about this. Most of todays movies are sequels or reboots of originals and not many are original ideas. I can't say I am totally against this because there are plenty of reboots I have seen and looked forward to as well as sequels but it all depends on what their intentions are for Beetlejuice.

In the first place I don't see how you can cast someone new to play Beetlejuice. Michael Keaton was the ghost with the most and anyone else wouldn't be the same and I don't think there is any arguing that. A re-boot would just seem to be silly but a sequel I can feel a little better about as there are other sequels in the works that I am excited about like Ghostbusters.

I think this will be a touchy subject with fans of the original but until more details are made clear I will reserve some extra critical judgment on this one. All I will say is that there are certain classics that should remain just that...classic. We shouldn't go re-envisioning something that was perfect just the way it was however, if original cast members and even potential directors can capture that same movie magic and progress the storyline with a sequel that us hardcore fans can come to appreciate then I am all for it.

Magic Stone Productions Halloween Documentary

2011-09-06T18:59:00.000-07:00

Hey Frightners!

Well I have been working away on the haunt this past labor day weekend. It was the perfect long weekend to get things going in the right direction and start to make sense of all the plans I have had written down in my haunt journal for the last few months.

I got more work done on my freak props for the freak show I am having this year as part of Grimlock Manor's Carnival of Souls. I am currently still pressing ahead with my midget clown prop. I began to frame out his body, I added PVC support to it, gave him a neck and began to sand down his face to get ready for primer and paint. The battery that makes the propeller on his hat spin is now installed into his head and everything really seems to coming together nicely for him. I think he is still a week or two away from completion but I am excited with how he has been coming along.

The second freak which also is underway is "The Sandman." The idea came from fellow haunter friend Mark AKA 4rekiller. My main objective with the freaks were to make 3 interesting ones that didn't lack in details but I didn't want them to be entirely labor intensive either. Mark suggested doing a sandman prop and that idea clicked right away...I'd make a duct tape torso add a mache head and hands (which I had from a previous years prop) and then make him look as if he was rising from a pile of sand. It's a pretty easy build and though it's not complete just yet I think the effect will be pretty interesting!

There is still plenty to be done and I am sure it will come down to the wire but I feel good about this years haunt and to add to the excitement I got some good news today!

A few weeks back I applied to be a part of a haunt documentary that is being produced by Magic Stone Productions. The film itself is for NBC Universal and they have been casting for their show for the past month now. The show which you can read more about HERE, is aimed at the world of the Home Haunter. It's an inside look at how we prepare, plan, build and create our haunts and ready them for the Halloween season and to my surprise I was called to be a part of the show!

I personally love every documentary or show that is geared towards Halloween but have always thirsted to see more about the Home Haunters of the world. I think Fearnet did the best behind the scenes when they did their feature Route 666 The Scariest Home Haunts but it's been awhile since we have seen anything like that and now I have the chance to be a part of this new documentary by Magic Stone and am really looking forward to it!

Taping is set to start mid September but beyond that I do not have much to share and am just learning the details as I go so keep and eye out and an ear open for more updates.

I also want to quickly congratulate Joiseygal of Bloodcrest Manor and Tishanne who is the gracious host of the NJ/PA/NY Halloween Make & Take group as I have recently heard they both have been asked to take part in the show as well.

It should be an interesting experience and I look forward to doing the Home Haunt Community proud!

Hexbug Nano!

2011-09-03T07:52:00.000-07:00

Hey Frightners!

So I was watching my Saturday morning cartoons...haha! I just have to laugh because at 31 yrs old I am still watching my cartoons but as I stated many times before I love my cartoons! They make me smile and forget the constant rigors of daily life but I digress...

The reason I point out the cartoon watching is because most of the commercials during cartoons are for toys and games and one new toy that is coming out that really struck me as the perfect Halloween prop for your haunt was Hexbug Nano which can be found on the Hexbug website http://www.hexbug.com/

What I liked so much about these little guys is how realistic they moved like little scattering cockroaches..it was both cool and gross! Now there brightly covered bodies would not work for a haunted house setting as they would look like the toys that they are however, with a touch of paint these could very well look like the real thing scampering along the flood, a bookshelf, or anywhere else you can imagine.

At about $5 a piece I doubt we will be buying large quantities to make a massive invasion of bugs running around our floors but a handful of these jumping around in a jar or display in a mad scientist lab set up or simply in a cabinet of curiosity might be cool so check out the video below and be sure to go to the website to see more and purchase your own Hexbug Nano to creep your friends out this Halloween season! http://www.hexbug.com/

The Halloween Mix To Die For!

2011-09-01T19:12:00.000-07:00

Hi Frightners!

So lately I have been listening to a lot of various mix tapes by different DJ. These tapes usually mash up different songs together in interesting ways and I started to wonder is maybe there was a DJ out there that actually did a DJ mixtape mash-up of Halloween Songs and low and behold I found one by the name of DJ Cab.

DJ Cab has created a 2 hour long mix tape for Halloween called the Halloween Mix To Die For! It's a fun mix of both classic Halloween songs like Thriller, Monster Mash, and other various Horror movie theme songs mixed in with some of todays best dance music.

It's a fun mix and it's something different from the norm. What I like best is it's a great mix that you can put on at your Halloween party and it's a free download from MIXCRATE.COM You can listen to and stream it direct from the website or sign up for a free membership to mixcrate and download it right to your computer.

So if your looking for something a little different this Halloween check out DJ CAB's Halloween Mix for a Horrificly Good Time!

Hauntcast 34 Coming Soon!

2011-08-30T19:54:00.000-07:00

Hey Frightners!

Just a reminder that Hauntcast 34 airs Thursday September 1st! In this months Access Hollyween I provide a huge list of links for some cool online stores that are offering some unique and affordable Halloween props and other various Halloween related items that are great pick ups in a pinch. I also shout out some great Halloween mix cds that are free for download so don't forget to listen in and download from either the iTunes store (FOR FREE!) or from HAUNTCAST.NET

Stay Scary!!

Fiji Mermaid Prop

2011-08-29T14:00:00.000-07:00

Hi Frightners!

So I have been in prop making mode like crazy. Basically I am trying to fill out my Cabinet of Curiosities for my haunt. Thus far I have started a Dead Pixie, Shrunken Head and now I am on to a Fiji Mermaid which I am posting pictures of below.

These are all smaller props that are quick and easy to do and will bring you the best bang for your buck especially if you have a cabinet of curiosity in your haunt or a freakshow of sorts. Seeing how I am working in a circus theme this year I needed a hole bunch of strange little oddities to put on display but didn't want to spend all that much to create them.

Now I am not totally done with this Fiji Mermaid but in case you have a few free hours and want to make something cool let me go ahead and tell you how I made this little gal.

( Mermaid Fully corpsed with stain application.)

Now remember I still have a few steps to go before I am complete witth her but the base is there. Now all you will need for this is this:

1) A small skeleton. I picked up a strand of skeleton garland from my local dollar store for...yup thats right $1! There were 4 plastic skeletons on the strand all about 6 inches in length. So thats a whole lot of Fiji Mermaids! I am actually using one for my Dead Pixie Prop.

2) Tin Foil. Most of us have some tin foil at home and you will use this to create the tail section of the mermaid.

3) Cotton Balls. This is to add texture over top of the tin foil.

4) Mold Builder Latex or Glue. Now I used both and suggest you do to for a better effect but if you don't want to spend money on the Mold Builder latex which costs about $15 then Elmers Glue should work just fine.

5) Cheesecloth. You can get Cheesecloth in your local hardware store and normally it is only a few bucks and a little goes a long way!

6) A small piece of cardboard. You can find this almost anywhere around your house..if anything just use a paper towel or toilet paper roll. This is for the flipper of the tail.

7) Wood Stain. A small can is fine, you will only need a small drop or two from it, any color of stain is ok. I got a medium finish.

8) OPTIONAL: Sculpy and a wig. These two supplies are really up to you. I am using both for some extra details. The wig is just so I can pull a few strands of hair off to use on the mermaid and the sculpy is so I can sculpt a little sea shell bikini for the mermaid.

Now on to the build!!

Building her or him, is really super easy.

First, remove the arms and the legs of the skeleton. These will only get in the way while you build and corpse your mermaid but DON'T throw the arms away, you will need them in the end.

Second, Take a small section of tin foil, maybe about a 6" x 6" square of it, you be the judge, and begin to wrap the top portion of the foil around the hips of the skeleton, the remainder of the foil should be shaped into a tail shape.

Then, cut out a flipper with your cardboard and tape it on to the end of the tail. Now you should have your basic mermaid shape.

Unroll your cotton balls and thin them out. Apply a thing layer of either glue or mold builder latex to the entire foil and flipper area front and back and then add the flattened cotton balls to it. To matte down to cotton balls go over them with a coat of the latex or glue. The cotton balls shouldn't be puffy or dry at this point, they should be gooey and fleshy...ewww!! Hehe!

( Mermaid with the cotton balls and latex application)

Once almost dry take small squares of cheese cloth and begin to wrap the entire tail. I only used about 2 layers. Brish the cheese cloth with at least 2-3 coast of glue. The cheese cloth is going to give you a cool scaley texture for your fish bottom. Let this totally dry.

( Mermaid with Cheesecloth wrap, to the side are the mini clam shells for the bikini.)

Now you should have a pretty dried up looking mermaid and your read for your last step which is the stain.

Using a small brush or sponge soak up a very small amount of stain onto the brush or sponge and begin going over the cheese cloth. The cloth should look fully browned when complete. Be careful not to soak it to much as it will take longer to dry. I did not have to re-dip my sponge into the stain a second time and neither should you. You can even add some stain to the plastic skeleton too to age it more.

Your done!! Well almost. You will need to add your arms back on to the mermaid with some hot glue. You can position them however works best for you. Be sure to give them a little stain as well.

If you have a wig around, I suggest sacrificing some hair from it and adding a few strands to the head of the mermaid.

With some sculpy and some leftover cardboard you can even fashion a clamshell bikini!

( Sculpy is easy to mold into little clamshells. )

I will post final pictures of my mermaid fully complete and in its glass case but thus far this has been a fast and fun project that anyone can do in a short amount of time and with a small budget so have some fun with it and get your Fiji on!

Stay Frightful!

Poe Bust & Mausoleum.

2011-08-28T12:37:00.000-07:00

Hey Frightners,

Just taking a break between props to look at some haunt videos on Youtube and came across this great projection prop of an Edgar Allen Poe Bust set into a very cool Mausoleum that yo just have to see!

Projection effects have really been gaining steam over the past two years and more and more people are learning how to both create them and put them to use in their haunts and I really think that is great because it just adds another dimension to a haunt and with the right set up it can be a great focal piece that will make all your tot's and visitors stop and stare in wonderment! This year I am attempting my first Madame Leota projection effect in a seaunce room I am building in my haunt so I am excited to see the reaction it gets, if good I will try more projection effects in the future.

The Youtube channel where you can find this effect plus a video of the Mausoleum being built is listed HERE. Please check it out, there is some great stuff there and if you have done a projection effect or know of any other neat ones you have seen please feel free to share!

Mini Minion Update.

2011-08-27T19:35:00.000-07:00

Hi Frightners!

Well most of today I have been hunkered down inside due to "Hurricane Irene." I put it in quotes because thus far it hasn't been much more than some hard rain here in Jersey though right now the wind is picking up slightly. I suppose if it is going to get worse then it will happen more over night and into tomorrow but all in all it has forced me to work on my props for this years haunt and that isn't a bad thing!

I have been paying some attention to the mini minion today and began the cotton ball and latex application to his body but before that I used some sculpy to add some fleshy features to his body. I also added a few ribs and a sternum to him as well to help bulk him out a bit.

In this first picture you can see his body, now more bulked out from the sculpy, cotton balls and latex.

In the next two shots I decided to begin to give him a slight mummified look and began to wrap him with some cheese cloth. I brushed on a light coating of Elmers in certain spots to help keep the cheese cloth attached but I wanted most of it to be soft to the touch.

His head used to be pretty clean but I also applied some cotton balls and lated to it as well to give him some fleshy patched which I will end up painting when dry. I will probably use a light color stain to go over the skull with and may even try adding a stocking to the skull first then applying the stain over top and gently rubbing certain areas of it with my thumb to create holes in the stocking. I have used this technique on large bucky skeletons before with great results. It looks like skins ripping away from the bone.

Next up are some little clawed hands and feet which I will make out of sculpy. The stumps of the hands and feet on the minion are still just the metal of the armature so once I sculpt the hands and feet I can first slide them over the armature to make small holes in the sculpts then bake them. The idea here is that I will be able to put on and remove the hands and feet and if I want to make various other sets in different poses I can and they will be interchangeable.

Once he is painted and all his parts are in place the last step will be to add his eyes which again are vaseline marbles which glow under a blacklight. I also believe the cheese cloth will give off a nice glow as well. When he is fully complete the it will be time to cage him in and detail the cage itself.

I'd like to make at least one more of these guys for my freakshow but we will see what time will allow with so many other projects still to be done. I did want to try to add some motion to my next minion and make his head spin like the exorcist but we will see.

More to come soon!

Stay Frightful!

Continued Work on the Mini Minion.

2011-08-24T19:06:00.000-07:00

Hey Frightners!

Tonight I continued working on the Mini Minion. I began to flesh out his body in tin foil and masking tape and still have at least another layer of them until I can begin with the cotton ball, cheese cloth and liquid latex application.

He is coming together fairly easy so far and I'm pretty excited about him. If I can finish at least 2 of these guys I will be happy but I am aiming for three. More progress pictures and video soon!

Mini Minions In Progress!

2011-08-23T18:27:00.000-07:00

Hi Frightners!

So tonight I began my Mini Minion Props. What are Mini Minions you ask? Why my Mini Minions are little ghoulish creatures who will happily feast on the souls of the living if provoked however, if left alone and treated well they will happily obey their masters commands and do whatever work or order that was assigned to them. They love to feed on small animals, the deader the better..for some reason they do not like the live ones??

These little guys will be featured as part of my freak show in this years haunt. They will be hanging by small cages and under a blacklight because there eyes will be made of vaseline marbles which glow and eerie glow in blacklights.

Currently, as you can see by the pictures, I am working on the wireframe body of the first of 3 minions. The arms are in place as are the legs. Now I am going to start bulking out the body with tin foil and then will most likely cover the foil with either a combination of cotton balls and latex or possibly a mache mixture using cheese cloth...we shall see. The entire minion will eventually be cloaked anyways so not to much detail will be needed. His face is where the most attention needs to be paid.

Please feel free to leave any comments or suggestions you may have, I hope you will enjoy the process of the Minion build...I'm looking forward to them being complete!

Stay Frightful!

NBC Wants You!

2011-08-23T06:12:00.000-07:00

Hey Frightners!!

So I am sure some of you Home Haunters out there have already seen this floating around out there on various haunt sites vlogs and blogs but if not NBC is currently casting for an untitled Halloween Special they are producing.

Magic Stone productions and Brainstorm Media announced that they have signed a deal to produce the documentary and are currently accepting submissions for the cast here at http://www.homemadehaunt.com/

The casting directors are searching for passionate Halloween die-hards who live to scare through creating amature haunts and would like to share their creations with the world.

If this sounds like something you would be interested in then head on over to the website in the link I provided above and fill out the submission. It would be great to see a few of us haunters get on the show so submit, submit, submit!

I will keep you updated if there is any word on my submission and will also fill you in if there is any more word on the show, who gets picked so on and so forth! Either way, it should be a fun show to watch and I am really looking forward to it!

Stay Frightful!

I love my Cartoons, Especially When They Feature Zombies!

2011-08-20T08:01:00.000-07:00

Hey Frightners!

So um yeah...its Saturday Morning and of course I am watching Cartoons..why aren't you!

Yes, yes I know and have heard it over and over "when are you going to grow up and stop watching cartoons?!" Fewy! Toys R Us said it best "I don't want to grow up", Cartoons are fun and hilarious and I will always love them especially when they feature Zombies!!!

One particular cartoon I have been watching recently is "Regular Show" By JG Quintel on Cartoon Network. It's a pretty hilarious and random show about two 23-year old friends, a blue jay named Mordecai and a raccoon named Rigby which are both employed as groundskeepers at a park which is run by their high-tempered boss Benson who just so happens to be a living gumball machine...um yeah haha!

Both Mordecai and Rigby often attempt to avoid the work they are given and enjoy themselves by doing the most random things however, they often have to pay for their irresponsible actions as they get into more trouble then they thought. The typical result is Mordecai and Rigby going through bizarre and surrealistic misadventures.

One such adventure which I just watched last night was called Grave Sights. In order to raise money that they need to do repairs on the house they stay in Mordecai and Rigby decide to hold a horror movie night in the old abandoned cemetery that is owned by the parks department they work for. Of course all hell breaks lose when they accidentally reanimate the living dead of the cemetery and need to stop them from eating all the movie watching guests who are oblivious to that fact that the zombies they are seeing are real (they think they are a part of the 3D zombie movie they are watching.)

Its a fun episode and for us halloween and zombie loving junkies out there it's a perfect watch! There is also a nod to Ash from the Living Dead movies. I've added the show below so have some fun this weekend and get your haunt on by watching the Regular Show.

Ghoulishly Delightful Music!

2011-08-20T07:10:00.000-07:00

Hey Frightners!

I'm about to start my propapalooza build a-thon this weekend and was looking for some new music to download and listen to and at the suggestion of a friend of mine I downloaded a free compilation CD by a DJ named "Girl Talk" Now this is a mash up CD full various songs mixed together to form new one hence the "mash up" the songs featured are both rock, metal, hip-hop and various oldschool rap and they all come together nicely but what really sold me on downloading the CD (though it was FREE!) was that the album cover had a skeleton on it haha! Of course it all comes back to my Halloween roots!

So if your looking for some new music, like rap, hip-hop, rock and metal than try out GIRL TALK for free and if anything just enjoy the skeleton art cover haha!

In other new album news...I just got my copy of Midnight Syndicates Carnival Arcane CD and have fully listened to it front to back a few time so far and really like it! I think this has to be one of my favorite CD's of their thus far and of course it fits my carnival haunt perfectly! I already used one of their tracks titled "Mesonoxian Visitors" in my first audio teaser clips for my haunt this season which you can preview in the post below this one.

Every year I send out small audio clips leading up to my haunts opening which give my guests a narrated progression of the storyline of my haunt. I feel it helps to tie everything together and make one cohesive experience so when they arrive to the party or as I call it "The Show" they feel like they are entering the world that I have been building through the audio clips they have been listening too. All the characters that are in the audio clips are ones they will meet when they arrive and of course "The Show" reflects what's been going on in the audio clips so for example this year I am doing the carnival and the first clip (belows post) is the carnival coming to town. My character "Mr. Adderhat" is talking to the pit boss of the show telling him to get everyone ready to set up the show which in reality is exactly what I am in the process of doing..getting ready for Halloween!

Overall it's just another layer of my haunt that I enjoy doing, I love setting the stage for everyone who is going to come and see what I have created for this year and it helps bring them into my little world even more. It's like reading a book that you love and finally seeing that book being made into a movie. You have always had images of what the characters and the settings in the book look like and finally you get to see it all come to life.

So now it's off to build freak cages and more! I will be back either late Sunday or Monday with some picture posts of my build progress and hopefully there is a lot to share with you because it will make me feel goo to have completed a lot this weekend seeing how the days are flying by!

Stay Frightful!

Welcome to the Carnival!

2011-08-18T20:12:00.001-07:00

Hi Frightners!

A quick Audio Teaser for my haunt this year. More to come!!

Spider Web Balloons!

2011-08-16T20:41:00.000-07:00

Hey Frightners!

Ok, well I was only going to post once tonight but I think this is worth getting up here now! Tonight I came across a cool post on how to create a Spider Web Balloon and it looks really REALLY COOL!

There are a few steps to this process and I have to admit I haven't yet tried this application yet myself but I will most certainly be giving it a whirl because based off the picture it is a really cool technique!

Check out the process HERE!!! to see how it is all done and if you do happen to give this a try or you come up with a neat alternative please leave it in the comments and let us all know how you did.

Prop Updates.

2011-08-16T19:46:00.003-07:00

Hey Frightners!

These last few weeks I've been busy trying to speed along the progress of my new props for this year. I've got a few updates.

The first is my little demented clown prop. I have been slowly sculpting this little guy with paper mache and paper clay and finally am at a point where I've added on his ears, placed in his teeth and am almost ready to sand him down and removed any of the roughness from the paper clay as well as fill in any little small gaps he has. Once all the sanding is complete (maybe this weekend) I'll start on his paint and finalize plans for his body structure which is being made from canvas and polyfiber stuffing. He is going to have super long arms and will be swinging from his freak show cage. I also have a small battery powered motor that I am going to use to make the propeller in his hat spin on it's own. I'm looking forward to seeing him done!

Next, I have been collecting tons of paper towel and toilet rolls to use for stems on various mache pumpkins I have been making but I also started fooling around with making candles with them as well! This is based off the same PVC candle technique most haunters use where by you drip glue gun wax around the sides to simulate a candle drip, fill the tube with either insulation foam or in my case paper and then add a flicker tea light to the top. I haven't fully painted these yet but you get pretty close to the same effect as you would the PVC. Thought these are less durable than he PVC and I wouldn't leave them outside especially in the rain they do work great as indoor candles.

Finally...(though I have a bagillion props still to do!) I am working on a dead fairy prop for my cabinet of curiosity. I have seen quite a few versions of these that use little plastic skeletons that have wings fashioned to them and are corpsed so I figured I would try my hand at doing one as well. I bought a cheap strand of plastic skeletons at the dollar store and a clear plastic jar. I have some rocks to place at the bottom and will add some moss and twigs eventually too but I think this little guy is going to be an easy and nice addition to the cabinet!

SOOoooo...thats what I have going on. I will start decorating my haunt the beginning of September which is the earliest I have ever started putting it up but I intend on giving it my best effort this year.

I do still have plenty to build such as the freak show cages, a madame leota effect (after seeing the demo done by Shellhawk and Mr Chicken on BlogTV I had to give one a try!) and I do have a few other freaks to create for my freakshow so it's still quite the checklist but I know I can do it!

I hope you are all finding success with your prop builds and haunt plans. More to come soon!

Frightguy~

Dionsaur Vs. School Children!

2011-08-13T07:24:00.000-07:00

Hey Frightners!

So last night I was introduced to a new video website WIMP.COM. While on Wimp.com I watched a video called Dinosaur VS School children and really was amazed by the detail of this Dinosaur costume and thought it would be cool to share with all of you.

LINK TO THE VIDEO

This screen captured video above doesn't do the costume any justice so please be sue to visit the link to watch the full video. This really struck me as a great costume for any haunt out there and in the right setting with the right lighting I am sure you would scare the crap out of someone! I'm also sure the costume costed a pretty penny too but it would be fun to see a home haunter out there try to replicate this one day.

Any-hoo...it's a fun video and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Stay Frightful!

P.S....after some quick research I found that the costume came from the live stage show WALKING WITH DINOSAURS. I remembered this being advertised in NYC awhile back and now wish I would have gone to see it. Maybe it will be back around again in the future but you can at least check out the cool website which features footage about the show. http://www.dinosaurlive.com/about-the-show/

The Freakshow is Coming!

2011-08-10T20:01:00.000-07:00

Hi Frightners!

So if you have listened to Hauntcast 33 already and heard my Access Hollyween segment you already know that this October there is a new Halloween Special hitting the web via Youtube called "The Freakshow!"

The Freakshow is a collaborated effort from some of Youtubes Haunt Vloggers. Each Haunt Vlogger will host a segment on the show and each segment covers various different topics such as Prop Building, How to set up and run a Walkthrough Home Haunt, Halloween History, Top 5 Haunted Places, Make Up Effects and more!

I am excited to be a part of this Halloween special and really think it is going to be something fun to watch and the best part is it will air on October 1st so you can watch it while finalizing your haunt and getting ready for the big day!

Below is a quick intro teaser so enjoy and please stay posted here for updates!

- The Freak Show Halloween Special
- Airing October 1st on the HauntoweeN Channel

Gris Grimly's PINOCCHIO.

2011-08-09T20:06:00.000-07:00

Hey Frightners!

For those who don't know, one of my favorite artists is Gris Grimly. I have been following his work for a few years now and simply love his re-envisioned story books. One of my favorites is 2004's Edgar Allen Poe's Tales of Mystery and Madness Illustrated by Gris Grimly.

Now in 2011 Gris Grimly is releasing Atrum Secretum a new book which for better or worse is one of the single most haunting books I have ever gotten a chance to sit down with. It is thirteen years of the author/artist's most secretive thoughts laid out in both text and illustrated format.

I highly suggest ordering this book and adding it to your collect. Gris is definitely one of the finer dark artists out there. If you love people like Tim Burton or Guillermo del Toro then Gris would definitely be up your alley.

Speaking of Guillermo del Toro. He is working with Gris Grimly and the Jim Henson Company along with Mark Gustafson, the animation Director on "The Fantastic Mr. Fox to create Grimly's version of Pinocchio in full stop motion fasion!

In Grimly's re-envisioned Pinocchio, Pinocchio will embark on a series of adventures and prove himself to be as indestructible as his love for his father. For more on the collaboration check HERE!

I will be doing an update post on Gris Grimlys Atrum Secretum once I have read through it but I do urge you to pick up a copy as well as I am sure you will find it a ghoulish delight!

I leave you tonight with a few concept pictures of Grimlys Pinnocchio. Enjoy and stay Frightful!!

Evil Clown Prop Update!

2011-08-08T19:14:00.001-07:00

Hey Frightners!

Started to make some more progress with my Evil Clown Prop. Check it out!

Hauntcast 33 Tomorrow & New Access Hollyween!

2011-08-04T19:46:00.000-07:00

Hi Frightners!

Remember, Hauntcast 33 airs tomorrow along with an all new Access Hollyween segment for your listening pleasure!

This month I talk about Sleep No More, The Freak Show Halloween special and I even highlight some cool prop tutorial videos from some of my favorite haunt Vloggers.

Be sure to check in..before you check out...Mwwwhahahahahaha!!!!

Stay Scary!

Frightguy..AKA Grimlock your resident grave digger!

Sedlec Ossuary.

2011-08-02T19:13:00.000-07:00

Hello Frightners!!!

Well tonight I have a pretty kick ass post. I've been digging around for something cool to post and I am pretty excited to share this post about the Sedlec Ossuary tonight.

The Sedlec Ossuary is a small Roman Catholic chapel, located beneath the cemetery Church of All Saints in Sedlec, a suburb of Kutna Hora in the Czech Republic. The ossuary is estimated to contain the skeletons of between 40,000 and 70,000 people, many of whom have had their bones artistically arranged to form decorations and furnishings for the chapel.

History -

Henry, the abbot of the Cistercian monastery in Sedlec, was sent to the Palestine by King Otakar the second of Bohemia in 1278. When he returned, he brought with him a small amount of earth he had removed from Golgotha and sprinkled it over the abbey cemetery. The word of this pious act soon spread and the cemetery in Sedlec became a desirable burial site throughout Central Europe. During the Black Death in the mid 14th century, and after the Hussite Wars in the early 15th century, many thousands were buried there and the cemetery had to be greatly enlarged.

Around 1400 a Gothic church was built in the center of the cemetery with a vaulted upper level and a lower chapel to be used as an ossuary for the mass graves unearthed during construction, or simply slated for demolition to make room for new burials. After 1511 the task of exhuming skeletons and stacking their bones in the chapel was, according to legend, given to a half-blind monk of the order.

Between 1703 and 1710 a new entrance was constructed to support the front wall, which was leaning outward, and the upper chapel was rebuilt. This work, in the Czech Baroque style, was designed by Jan Santini Aichel.

In 1870, Frantisek Rint, a woodcarver, was employed by the Schwarzenberd family to put the bone heaps into order. The macabre result of his effort speaks for itself. Four enourmous bell-shaped mounds occupy the corners of the chapel. An enormous chandelier of bones, which contains at least one of every bone in the human body, hangs from the center of the nave with garlands of skulls draping the vault. Other works include piers and monstrances flanking the altar, a large Schwarzenberg coat-of-arms, and signature of Rint, also executed in bone, on the wall near the entrance.

When I saw these pictures I was truly taken back by the artistry of all the bones pieced together to form an entire room along with all types of other works. I guess you can say Frantisek Rint was one of the earliest haunters alive!

Stay Frightful,

Frightguy~

Credit goes to Jim Hardiman for the pictures.

For more information on the Ossuary go to:

Wikipedia.org Sedlec Ossuary

Hauntcast 33!

2011-07-31T07:18:00.000-07:00

Hey Frightners!

Just a reminder that Hauntcast 33 premiers next Friday so don't forget to listen!!

Stay Scary!!!

Terra's Hell Horse Prop.

2011-07-28T20:03:00.000-07:00

Hey Frightners!

Well I just wrapped up writing my segment for Hauntcast 33 which airs August 5th! I think I got some cool news and links for everyone so I do hope you enjoy the August edition of the Access Hollyween segment on Hauntcast.

Im constantly scouring the internet for cool haunt news and jotting down everything I see and read as potential topics of interest in my Access Hollyween segment but this is one link that I just simply have to share right now and it's a video for Terra's Hell Horse prop (as I dubbed it.)

I find there are always a few haunters each year that end up working on that one prop that becomes near and dear to them, that one prop that becomes their baby and focal point of their haunt that year. Those are the props that I love to see and learn what the process was that went into making them because the time and effort it took to make them really always shines through. Terra's Hell Horse prop is one of these types of props which simply amazed me and I am glad she posted a video of her process because it helps me appreciate it that much more.

Terra, great job! As Chris Baker would say on Hauntcast...I am not worthy! I am giving you my mad props for your prop and am looking forward to seeing what it looks like when it is finally set in its place this Halloween!

Enjoy the video everyone!

Random but cool!

2011-07-27T19:10:00.001-07:00

Hey Frightners,

I don't know what I was looking up that I ended up coming across this but wow! Can you imagine having this laying on your lawn on Halloween?!

Fake a Ghost.

2011-07-25T21:03:00.000-07:00

Hey Frightners,

Here is a nice tutorial on how to fake a ghost by using the peppers ghost effect and some video edition software.

I have been dabbling with the peppers ghost effect for the past two years in my haunt with some luck here and there. It's really a great effect if used correctly and will definitely amaze your friends and family. I highly suggest trying it out! I will be working on some new peppers ghost effects this year for my haunt and will be sure to video my process of setting them up.

Uncle Creepy Stop Motion Animated Short.

2011-07-24T14:19:00.000-07:00

Hey Frightners,

I came across this Uncle Creepy Short last Friday while poking around Youtube for some Halloween animations. It's pretty cool! I'd love to see an Uncle Creepy Halloween Special or some sort of half hour series but until then a boy can dream! Enjoy....

Vincent Price Presents by Blue Water Comics.

2011-07-23T17:31:00.000-07:00

Hi Frightners!

Today I kicked back and caught up on reading some comics I had bought recently. There was one in particular that I think all you haunters out there may like and it was "Vincent Price Presents" by Blue Water Comics.

This is a monthly ongoing series by Blue Water Comics which features some of Prices's films as well as some new frightening tales all featuring Vincent as different characters all of which are sure to send shivers down your spine!

One tale I enjoyed that I highly suggest is issue #26 "House of the Raven." If you like spooky old mansions, werewolfs and ghost then you will enjoy House of The Raven.

You can purchase these comics online on Amazon or at a local comic book shop and don't forget to check out the Blue Water Comics website for other titles such as Stephen King, The Blackbeard Legacy and Jason & The Argonauts The Kingdom of Hades.

Stay Frightful!

Faces of the Great Pumpkin Art Contest!

2011-07-23T09:28:00.000-07:00

Hey Frightners!

Cool news for all you contest lovers out there. Cult Of The Great Pumpkin is running an art contest from now until September 30th on their WEBSITE. The concept is simple: Drawn, Paint, Sculpt or otherwise create a portrait of The Great Pumpkin. That is, YOUR VISION of The Great Pumpkin. Since nobody's ever seen him (or her!) his appearance is completely open to interpretation. Go to the contest page HERE! to view all the rules.

My wife and I will be entering since we have missed out on a few recent contest due to our busy schedules with work and life but this sounds to be a fun contest and there are some really great prizes from companies such as Sinister Visions, Zombie Pinups, Flashback Weekend and Retro Zombie Tiki Terror.

If any of you Frightners enter please keep me posted and maybe I can post up some of your entries here on the blog along with mine and my wifes.

Stay Frightful!

Star Wars Monster Bobble Heads.

2011-07-22T14:38:00.000-07:00

Hey Frightners!

Very cool Start Wars Bobble heads that have been monsterfied by Funko Toys. Funko also makes a great line of classic monster movie bobbles too!

Ray Bradbury's Something Wicked This Way Comes.

2011-07-20T17:51:00.000-07:00

Hey Frightners!

So as most of you know I am a big comic book fan and though I stick mainly to reading my super hero stories I always keep my eye out for anything horror related and luckily today I came across the authorized graphic novel adaptation of Ray Bradbury's "Something Wicked This Way Comes!"

Now I haven't actually read the actual book (shame on me!) but I have read The Halloween Tree and own the VHS animated version of it so I figured it was a no brainer to pick this adaptation up and give it a whirl. The introduction was written by Mr. Bradbury so that told me he must have given this adaptation his seal of approval.

Now if you don't know the story of Something Wicked This Way Comes it goes a little something like this:

"Cooger and Dark's Pandemonium Shadow Show howls into Green Town, Illinois, at three in the morning, a week before Halloween.Under it's carnival tents are a mirror maze that steals wishes; a carousel that promises eternal life, in exchange for your soul; the Dust Witch, who unerringly foresees your death; and Mr. Dark, the illustrated Man, who has lived for centuries off the misery of others. Only two boys, Will Halloway and Jim Nightshade, recognize the dark magic at work and have a plan to stop this anchient evil if it doesn't kill them first!"

Since I am adding a dark carnival of sorts to my haunt this year I saw this book as the perfect read for me. I am interested in what Mr. Dark's carnival has in store for both Will and Jim and what Dark illusions they will experience. Maybe the story will inspire some ideas for my haunt?

Since this is a graphic novel it is fully illustrated in comic book fashion. The drawings remind me slightly of the animated Halloween Tree, special simple clean lines. There is no color as it is all in black and white but that doesn't bother me much. I am less then half way through the book and will give a full review when complete but if you are a fan of Ray Bradbury and his works then I think you will like this adaptation.

To purchase the graphic novel adaptation of Something Wicked This Way Come you can go to either AMAZON or the publishers website FSG Books.

I intend on picking up the full book once I have read through this to compare but overall I am looking forward to what seems like another cool and creepy Halloween Story by Ray Bradbury!

Stay Frightful!

Creepy Babies!

2011-07-19T19:16:00.000-07:00

Hey Frightners!

Today I was reading through the newest edition of peanutgnomes Haunter News and one of the stories was about these new baby doll Harry Potter toys made by artist Tracy Ann Lister. These dolls are super creepy, especially the Voldemort doll! Ewww!

Check out the write up and see who is who and how to order the Potter babies HERE!

Storm King Pictures

2011-07-17T21:08:00.000-07:00

Hi Frightners!

Well today I had a BLAST at Storm King (http://www.stormking.org/) Here is a little bit more about Stomr King as taken from their pamphlet that we received upon entering today..

"Storm King Art Center is a museum that celebrates the relationship between art and nature. Over 500 acres of landscaped fields, rolling hills, meadows, and woodlands provide a dramatic setting for more than 100 post-World War 2 sculptures by internationally renowned artists. At Storm King, exhibition space is defined by earth and sky.

Visitors discover monumental sculpture set against vistas of the Hudson Highlands. As seasons, weather, and light change, so does each visit to Storm King. Storm King's museum building contains galleries for smaller sculptures, special exhibitions, and the Visitor Center."

Overall this was an amazing place were you can wander for hours on end. I think it is impossible to see everything in one day as you can get caught up for endless periods of time just looking at one sculpture or the various country wide views set atop huge hills that stretch as far as the eye can see. I have never experienced anything like it.

You are free to hike the entire way or you may choose to rent bike or bring your own and if you would like they have guided tram car tours or guided walking tours but we just enjoyed hiking by ourselves and getting lost in it all.

Each piece and sculpture you came across was different and unique. Some seemed super modern, other looked like they crash landed from space and then there were those that looked like they were left behind from the golden ages.

From a haunters perspective it was interesting to see what kind of materials were used in each sculpture. Everything from Metal, Tires, Concrete, Terra Cotta, Glass, Mirror, Stone, Wood and more was used. It was just so interesting what such raw materials could create. It goes to show you with an imagination you can really build anything you want with whatever you want.

If you are visiting the NY/NJ Area I highly suggest making time to visit Storm King because it's one of those places unlike anything you have ever seen and if you love art and sculpture its perfect. It only costs $12 to enter the park but be sure to bring a lot of water if you are going during the summer time as there aren't many any stops a long the hike where a water fountain or rest room can be found. There is one cafe area and the visitor center where you can get some water and food so come packed with your own snacks beyond those two stops. Dress according to the weather and make sure you got some good hiking sneakers or boots on if you are going on foot. As I stated above, there are 100's of sculptures spread all over and they do provide a map for you to follow and pin point any that you may want to hike to but the fun of Storm King really is just getting lost in it all and seeing what you might find around that next corner or as you come out of a twisting and turning woodland trail, you never know what your are going to see next!

Enjoy the pictures below and if you have any questions about any of the pieces and who they were made by, what materials were used or anything at all just let me know in the comments and I will do my best to answer.

Stay Frightful!!

Storm King.

2011-07-17T07:36:00.000-07:00

Hey Frightners,

What great prop building weather we have had this weekend! I hope all my haunt buddies out there are having just as nice weather and are getting things done!

I still feel behind but I guess I will until the very last moment as I am always scrambling to add final details up to the very moment that I open my haunt up to everyone to see.

Well today I won't be doing much prop building but it is another inspiration day for me as I'm taking a ride with my wife and some friends to STORM KING. Storm King is an art center located one hour north of New York City in Hudson Valley. It has a huge collection comprised of over 100 massive sculptures which are all located among sprawling hills and a beautiful country side landscapes. You hike through the entire park and as you make your way you come across these massive works of art and are free to take pictures and get up close and personal.

Not to much of this is Halloween related but because I do view what I do as a haunter an art of sorts I do like to try and pull some inspiration from where ever I can. You never know what will inspire your next wicked creation!!

Please enjoy some of the pictures below. I will be back with another post and follow up tonight along with my last set of pictures from the Copps Hil cemetery in Boston.

Stay Frightful!

http://www.stormking.org/

Hauntcast BlogTv Drink & Think 1 in the Books!

2011-07-15T07:10:00.000-07:00

Hey Frightners!

Thanks to all who participated in the Hauntcast BlogTv Drink & Think! I had a blast and I hope you all did too! Hopefully we continue to do it in the future.

Hauntcast Live on BlogTV Tomorrow!

2011-07-13T18:06:00.000-07:00

Hey Frightners!

Please join the entire Hauntcast Scream Team live tomorrow night @ 9PM EST on Blog TV. This will be the Scream Teams first ever Blog TV Drink and Think and we hope to see you there to share in all the fun! Make sure to click the link below and friend the Hauntcast Blog Tv page and then tune in tomorrow!

http://www.blogtv.com/People/hauntcast

Kings Chapel Burial Ground

2011-07-12T18:32:00.000-07:00

Hey Frightners,

So tonight I bring you the Kings Chapel Burial Ground which is the oldest burial ground in the Boston Proper but not the oldest Burial ground in Boston. Kings Chapel is the site of the graves of many historical figures in Boston's history and was Boston's only burial site for over 30 years (1630-1660), it is also a stop along the Freedom Trail.

The one interesting thing about this cemetery which probably has nothing to do with the actual cemetery is what appeared to be an endless well off to the right hand corner of the cemetery. I am not sure what this structure was? Maybe it was a well, maybe it was some sort of drainage but whatever it was it was well surrounded from anyone trying to climb on in! You will see the structure in the pictures below.

The gravestones were just as cool and still depicted many of the same death heads as seen in the Granary Burial Ground Pictures.

Enjoy!

Granary Burial Ground - Boston

2011-07-11T17:07:00.000-07:00

Hey Frightners,

I am going to do this in 3 posts just to separate the Cemeteries as to not confuse them and their pictures. The first is the Granary Cemetery. This is one of the most famous in Boston and has a lot of prominent people buried there such as John Hancock, Ben Frankiln, Sam Adams and Paul Revere just to name a few. One of the things that I thought was cool was how Paul reveres tombstone was actually super small and only said "Revere's Tomb" on it. Directly to the left of his actual headstone was a more recent monument for him which luckily was there or you would probably walk right by his actual tombstone. I hope you enjoy the pictures and hopefully you will find some good reference among them for any future tombstones you may build.