The House on Haunted Hill.

Hi Frightners!

Well it's official! I am the proud 1st time home owner!

Yesterday my wife and I closed on our first home and we couldn't be more excited! Of course with all the excitement comes the understanding that there is now so much to do. We need to clean, paint, move in and make this place our own and I am sure there are bound to be speed bumps along the way but regardless it is still surreal as I sit here typing this up in our apartment that we indeed own a home now.

The funniest thing about all of this is since every one of my friends and family knows how much I am into Halloween most of them have pointed out all the things I can do to haunt the house this October and I just had to laugh about that because other then us haunters out there and those who know us the best who actually buys a house and say "and this is where the grave yard will go" or " Yeah, I can set up at least 3-4 rooms in my garage for a walkthrough!" 

I can't lie, as I walked through the house yesterday I thought of how I would decorate and do things but my secondary thoughts always had to do about haunting. It's a funny thing how haunting has really become a lifestyle for me and many fellow haunters I know. It's in everything we do and it's about the only thing we can talk about but man is it fun!

I am happy to own my little slice on earth and can't wait to get to work on it starting today but just know that in the back of my mind I will be thinking of a thousands to turn my house into the house on haunted hill this Halloween season!

Stay Frightful~

Sketch Theater

Hi Frightners!

As always my endless thirst for creative inspiration continues and recently I have been focusing my attention on the craft of sculpting, molding making and painting. I suppose it has all been coming from watching Faceoff, Monster Man and Monster Makers most recently but regardless of that monster making is just something I am getting more and more into.

I really want to improve in the areas I listed above and become a more versatile artist. In the past few years I have experimented but have never truly focused on practicing these skills and constantly trying to better myself at them.

As a home haunter and graphic designer in general millions of ideas continue to swirl in and out of my head and I have come to the full realization that I need to really push myself to start creating some of these visions for my haunt because the normal ghouls and ghosts aren't cutting it for me much anymore. How many times can I create an oversized spider, carve a tombstone or create a scarecrow? Well I could do it endless because lets face it it is fun! however, I do strive to do more.

For me haunting is an outlet to simply be creative. I can't lie, I have a normally creative 9-5 job as a graphic designer but the work normally starts and stops on the computer. I can't get dirty, sculpt with clay, heat and bend pvc, carve foam or do anything along those lines at work but when I come home from work I can sit in my dungeon and start to let my imagination run free using what ever tools and supplies I have at the ready to create one of a kind pieces of art but ya know sometimes the best pieces can't be realized until you do have an initial concept down on paper so this all brings me back to sitting down at a computer before I can even get to the fun stuff!

I have been reading up on some of my favorite concept artists out there to learn more about their processes and one of my favorites of whom I would like to share with you is Jordu Schell.

Some of you may be familiar with Jordu's work as it can be seen in a number of big budget movies but most recently he was featured in a few episodes of The Monster Makers on Travel Channel. Jordu is an extraordinary concept artist and sculptor and in his latest interview on sketchtheatre.com he talks about his process and even explains how the best designs usually always start with a sketch.

The coolest thing about Sketch Theater is you can watch each artist that is featured on the site actually go through the process of creating their sketches. All of the videos are usually done in time lapse but to see where they begin and how they go through their thought process of creating each sketch I find to be very inspiring.

I highly suggest reading Jordu's interview, checking out sketch theater and taking at least one peek at the entire process of Jordu creating the sketch above by watching it from the links provided below.

http://www.sketchtheatre.com/
http://www.sketchtheatre.com/jordu-schell/jordu-schell/

I suppose before I start doing any new sculpts this year I will need to start doing my own concept drawings and sharing all my dark creations here with you. Maybe I can get some helpful suggestions along the way that will help me pick which concepts to try to fully realize but it's definitely time to start to get to work because Halloween is only just around the corner!

Stay Frightful~

Slow and Steady wins the race.

Hey Frightners!

Well as the title says things at Grimlock Manor have been slow yet steady these past 2 months or so but it should all eventually pay off in the end. We are weeks away from our closing date on our first home! I am SOoooo excited to move in and though my first plan of action is to get our nursery all set up for the arrival of our first Tot (May 31st) my brain is also in overdrive about how I will be haunting our house this year!

We will be living in a very haunter friendly neighborhood in Roselle Park NJ. Our street connects with Bender Ave which has been deemed Halloween central for the past however many years. I have been to the "Bender Experience" which is what RP natives have dubbed it and I have to say it is a sight! Every house has a display and every display  has some theatrics going on from actors dressed as zombies rising from their graves to the mad scientist in his lab bringing Frankenstein to life, Bender has it all but as you near the end of Bender ave you come upon Henry Street which is where we are located.

Even though we are not right in the middle of Halloween Central I am sure I can create a display that engages everyone to walk cautiously close enough for me to scare them! I've never had a house of my own to haunt but needles to say I am eager to move in and get to work! There have been so many things I have wanted to do that I have been limited in doing because I am not haunting my own property but now I have no limitations and it's time to unbind the demon wings and fly!

My haunters life is evolving and new challenges await not to mention needing to get into some new daily habits with taking care of a ToT but I welcome it with open arms and am looking forward to what I can accomplish. Some people would say it's time to slow down now and the focus has to be put towards others things but I don't see it like that, maybe I am wrong and will be telling you that later down the line in future posts but I like to believe that slow and steady wins the race and my life as a haunter only has just begun!

Stay Frightful.

Giant Snake Invades Grand Central Station NYC!

Hey Frightners!


Check this awesome snake out! It's called the Titanoboa! The Titanoboa are said to be linked to modern day snakes and anacondas. Several years ago scientists from the University of Florida, Toronto and Indiana University unearthed fossils of this prehistoric snake and now we are getting our first glimpse of what this massive snake may have looked like 60 million years ago! I for one would not want to be dinner for this bad boy!

This whole build really has me inspired to get to work on some massive props for my display this year. I have been contemplating doing one large center piece display this year so we shall see. In any case enjoy the video below for a look behind the making of this massive snake!

Scary St Patty's Day!

Hey Frightners!

Don't forget to catch the Leprechaun marathon today on SyFy!! All three movies! I'll be watching while drinking a Harp and eating some Lucky Charms cereal!!

A Blanket of Spiders!

Hey Frightners!

CHECK THIS OUT! Thousands of wolf spiders blanket an australian farm after fleeing a rising flood. It's pretty crazy how they have spun their webs. You can read the full story HERE and check out some of the pictures below.