Rainy Day Reference Hunt.

Hey Frightners.

Well it's been a gloomy day here in NJ, the kind of rainy day that makes you just want to curl up on the couch and watch movies all day and pretty much that is what I am doing right now, just watching Goonies one of my favorite movies of all time!

Now I haven't just sat around today. I unfortunately had to miss out on the NJ/PA Make and Take today due to some early morning errands but I did get out this afternoon to do some reference research and got a few helpful books that I'd like to share with you.

Now as you probably know by now I am adding a carnival section to my haunt this year. I will have my graveyard scene, a haunted mansion room and then a carnival that my guests can explore at will but the carnival is new to me so I wanted to do as much research as I could on traveling carnivals and sideshows.

I went to my local Barnes and Noble and got two books that I think will be a big help. The first is called " The Circus Book"  1870-1950, written by Dominique Jando. This is a wonderful book detailing every aspect of the traveling circuses from the mid 1900's to the mid 1900's. The pictures are just awesome and I am happy to have got it not just as a reference book but as a nice book to add to my collection of art books for my home office. I am sure I will be pulling inspiration from this book for years to come.

The second book I picked up was called " Ballyhoo: Sideshow Freaks, Jabbers and Blade Box Queens. Written by : A.W. Stencell. A.W. is a former sideshow circus owner and the stories and photos in this book are all his own. Mr. Stencell gives an in-depth look at the inner workings of a sideshow and I'd say this book is a must have for any circus or sideshow lover.

I'm looking forward to really diving into these book and am hoping the provide me some good ideas that I can try to add to my haunt this year. I did get back to work on my Twisted Toybox prop today. I added some molding to the sides, attached the hinges and lid to the box and am now trying to finish up the artwork for the panels. Hopefully next week I will have the panel art complete and then it is just a matter of installing them and then working on the motor mechanism to make the lid open and close on it's own. I'm excited about finishing this prop and look forward to sharing the final pictures and videos of it. Now back to reading my new books!

Stay Frightful!

Love'n Me Some Toys!

Hi Frightners!

So some of you may know already that I LOVE TOYS! I seriously am a Toys-R-Us kid and I never want to grow up!

I've worked in the toy industry as a designer for most of my professional career so I suppose it goes with the territory that I have such a passion for toys. Anyone who has seen my Blogtv episodes has probably seen some of my collection as toys decorate my home office. They are both cool to look at and a source of inspiration while I work on my art and various other projects.

I am always keeping an eye out for new cool and unique toys and because I am a haunt fanatic I am always  looking extra hard for some cool monster toys as well. I tend to love the independent toy companies more than anything. There are a lot of small companies out there that are making some really cool stuff. I suppose these companies aim at the collectors more than the mainstream markets but none the less I think the following monster toys are ones we could all appreciate!

The first company is The Monster Workshop. These guys and ghouls are from the UK and make some amazing..I'll say it again...AMAZING monster items!

They have a quite a few items such as their Monsters that you can purchase (AKA Adopt) from their Adoption Store. Most of these furry guys are hand crafted and in limited edition. They are fairly large in size, have great detail and are simply unique. Take a look at this guy, his name is Knutt. 

The next group of products come from their Taxidermy line. They make Monster Paws, Handbags and yes of course  30" x 40" Monster Area rugs - 

Finally, their newest additions to the store are their puppets. Now I could actually see these guys getting put to use in a haunt and am currently debating getting one myself. Here is the link for their puppets, PUPPETS HERE and here is a video of Mr. Cyclops in action. You can view the rest of the puppet video on their site.

The next company I'd like to feature is Schmancy Toys. They have currently released a plus series of what they call Zomberries. These are funny little fruit characters that feature embroidered seeds, needle-felted mold, eye sockets, eyeballs, brains and blood oh my!

These little guys come in all shapes and sizes ranging from 4" tall or 2.5" tall. It's a very limited run so I suggest that if you like any of them you grab them while you can. Here are a few of my favorites - 

Finally, here is a cool little guy from from Jason Frailey Studio. His name is Fibian, the Frog Boy.

Fibian hasn't been released yet for purchase and is still a work in project but I loved the design of him and it gives me tons of ideas for haunt projects. The concept of Fibian was a joint team effort from Matt from Onell Design and Marty from The God Beast. Check out these guys websites for some more cool stuff!

So I hope you frightners enjoyed a cool look at some neat monster toys. I always say inspiration can come from anywhere and for me, toys are close to the top of my list for things that can inspire great haunt ideas!

Stay Frightful!

Cool Car!

Hey Frightners!

So I forget where I saw this online but I'm thinking it's while I was doing my carnival research? What a cool cyclops toy car!! My hats off to whomever the artist of this car is, what a cool idea. Who wants to drive in a Barbie Jeep or convertible anyway?!

Spider Alert!

Hey Frightners!

Ok, for those of us who hate spiders you may not want to watch the following video however, if you can stand to watch or want to see something super cool than play away!!

This is a CG animated video called Loom which is produced by Regina Welker and directed by Jan Bitzer, Llija Brunck and Csaba Letay all of Polynoid.tv. Loom came out in 2010 and is featured on Vimeo.com It really is a stunning display of CG animation and displays a very vivid look into the successful catch of a spider.

I can definitely see playing this somewhere in the background of a haunt..it's just creepy! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Stay Frightful!


Loom from Polynoid on Vimeo.

Creepy Cool Makeup Effects!

Hey Frightners!

Wow! Liquid latex and cotton balls can really go a long way can't it! Very cool vein effect that I may try pulling off myself this year for the haunt. Enjoy!

An Interview With Bloodcrest Manor!

Hello Frightners!!!

Today I'd like to introduce you all to a close haunting friend of mine Joiseygal of Bloodcrest Manor!

I meet Joisey when I first started posting on Hauntforum and was looking for local NJ Haunters. Joisey is a member of the NJ/PA Make and Take group which I started attending a few months ago. She is well known for her love of Great Stuff Foam and Great Zombie Makeup techniques and costumes. She is an avid participant in various zombie walks and parades and has won numerous awards for the awesome costumes she builds!

Just this past year Joisey took her Halloween yard display to the next level and jumped into the world of the Haunt Walkthrough. For any of us haunters out there who do a walkthrough we know what added pressures it can bring but Joisey took it all in stride and created a great first walkthrough to be proud of!



Here is my interview with her which I want to thank her for in advance. It was a great read and a very informative one at that. If you are looking to take the next step to expand your haunt then Joisey has some wonderful tips and tricks that can help you do that and I cannot wait to see what she has in store for this year. Already she has some cool props in the works which she details all about on her YouTube page.

So Lets get to it shall we! Interview number 3 of the Deadtime Stories with Joiseygal of Bloodcrest Manor!

An Interview with Bloodcrest Manor.


1) Did you always love Halloween and Horror?
I've always loved horror movies. When I was 9yrs. old I watched a movie called, "Mothers Day" and was intriqued by the gory scenes. I loved the special effects in movies especially getting results with make up. I've always wanted to pursuit a career in make up, but life took a different a path. Although I haven't become a profesional make up artist I get to express my creativity through making props and costumes. I would consider Halloween to be my creative outlet!

2) How and when did you first start getting into haunting?
When I went to the Long Branch Haunted Mansion in 1980 I definitely wanted to get into the haunting industry. I was only 10 years old, but I knew scaring people is what I wanted to do. I just wish that the internet was available at that time because I would of definitely took advantage of the resources we have available today. The young generation that is interested in Halloween I would strongly recommend checking out the Halloween websites that are availiable. 

3) When did the love for making your own props start? What was your first prop you ever made?
That is a hard question because I can't recall the very first prop I made. I know about five years ago I enhanced a few store bought props that gave me the interest to make my own props. I think it was a spider victim that I used for the Scarecrow contest I entered at Williams Nursery. After the contest I displayed the prop in my yard. 

4) I heard you are the queen of Great Stuff spray foam? Care to elaborate on that a bit?
I love Great Stuff! I've made a 6ft. Instualted foam spider. I used it for my Crispy Critter ground breaker. I made a zombie victim with instulated foam guts and intestants coming out of the stomach. I use Great Stuff for Zombie costumes. I think Great Stuff is one of my favorite items to use for making props. The results are amazing and it doesn't take much effort. 

5) I see on your website Bloodcrest Manor you have entered a few contests like the Zombie Beauty Contest at the Asbury Park Zombie Walk and the Landi Comic Division at the Mummers Parade. The outfits look like they took a lot of time. Have you always been into making your own costumes and doing your own zombie makeup? Any zombie makeup tips and tricks?
Eighteen years ago I marched in my first Halloween Parade which was the Toms River Halloween Parade. It is one of the largest parades on the east coast and I thought it was amazing. I altered a costume that actually came in the top five in a category I entered so that gave me the ambition to create my own original costumes for future parades. I've been marching in parades for the last eighteen years making my own costumes and applying my own make up. I usually procrastinate, so the costumes I make are done the week before the parade. As for tips I would suggest to check out Youtube videos on Make up like: anaarthur81, petrilude, etc.

6) This past year 2010 was your first ever walkthrough. What made you take that big step and what was the process like working on expanding your haunt like that?
I did Halloween displays for three years before I wanted to expand to a Haunted Walkthrough in 2010. I worked for a professional Haunted House in October 2009 which was so much fun that I wanted to be able to do something similar in my yard. I also enjoyed listening to conversations and watching videos of other haunts that people had. As for the process of working on the haunt I started the second week of October setting up the front display and than continuing working through October to build the haunted walk through. A good friend of mine told me that once you go from display to haunt their is no turning back and to be honest I wouldn't want it any other way! 

7) You recently started Haunt Vlogging. How has that experience been and what got you into doing it? Any advice for someone who wants to vlog but may be a bit scared to take that step into doing it?
I have been watching the Bloodshed Brothers vlogs for almost a year now and HalloweenHellmouth for the past seven months and I have really enjoyed watching the day by day process of a Halloween enthusiast. The past six months I noticed more vloggers from the Halloween community including yourself Jay and that would be my subsitute for watching television programs. I think when I finally watched a girl vlog (Dionicia12) it gave me the convindence to start vlogging. I give the people that do daily vlogs a lot of credit because it is a lot of work, but I enjoy posting a vlog every other week to join in on the Halloween vlogging community. As for starting a vlog I would suggest just giving it a try if you love Halloween and want to express it through video. 

8) Any new props that you are working on for this years haunt? Any new sections your adding to the walkthrough?
I am adding three new rooms to my haunt. I am going to have a hallway with pictures on the wall with a mirror drop panel. I am going to have a butcher room with a glass display refrigerator that will have an actor inside. (the refrigerator will have the back cut open for ventilation) I also was able to get a sink and a toilet, so I will be doing a bathroom scene. 

9) If you had an unlimited budget to build the prop of your dreams what would it be?
I think if I had a unlimited budget than it wouldn't be as fun anymore. I think the fun of making a prop is finding that reindeer motor on the side of the road or going to a yard sale and locating a shiatsu massager. I enjoy reading post on the Hauntforum of people that scored items to create props. I think one of my favorite props that I made is a prop that I entered for the $20 prop contest on the Hauntforum.

10) What does Joiseygal and Bloodcrest Manor have in store for us in the future and beyond?!
Well I will be having a 100th subscriber contest for my Joiseygal Halloween Vlogs in the near future. http://www.youtube.com/user/Joiseygal?feature=mhum Also I will be changing rooms and expanding my haunt every year. Also I will be including pneumatic props in the near future because a good friend of mine gave me an air compressor.


I hope you all enjoyed my interview with Joiseygal of Bloodcrest Manor. Please travel over to her webpage to see more video and picture of her haunt Bloodcrestmanor.com. And also subscribe to her on her YouTube. That wraps up this edition of The Deadtime Stories. For more Deadtime stories please go to the Deadtime Stories page by using the link on the top right of this page.


Stay Frightful!!!

Pondering

Hey Frightners!

So I just wrapped up another successful BlogTv Episode. It was my fourth show and it was so much fun as usual! Like I have been saying, it's a great way to speak with other haunters and all my frightners in real time, talk Halloween, haunting, prop making and more as well as share useful tips and tricks. I highly suggest checking out a show if you haven't already. Not only can you see me live on the screen and talk with me but there is also always a large number of other haunters in the room that you can speak with as well and it is just a great way to catch up with everyone. It's always great to blog & vlog but getting that real face time is great. Below is a quick vlog that I did while counting down to tonight's Blogtv, I ponder a few thoughts and give a few shout outs.