"Oh, the Hallowe'ens we had then were grand!"

That is, if that poem of mine is to be believed.

Of course, I think every Hallowe'en is grand! There's just something special about our childhood memories of the Big Night, isn't there?

And if some of those moments were attended by cameras, you have real magic, a time machine for All Hallow's long gone... and hilarious glimpses of our kid selves.

Case in point -- longtime family friend and loyal S&P-brain Allie has graciously allowed me to hang this photo at the S&P from now on:

 

Allie and her brother, Hallowe'en 1978.

Yes, the very night HE came home.

I must point out a few things I really love about this image, beyond the already-perfect-Hallowe'en-ness of it.

-Her clown outfit just rocks, especially the hat. I haven't seen that kind of yarn in 30 years. Superb.

-Her brother is wearing a classic Topstone 'Ghoul' mask -- and it kind of looks like a bald, green Jerry Seinfeld.

-The pumpkin flashlight he's holding (and seemingly licking?) and the skull flashlight she's holding are still made today, from the same molds (and probably using the same plastic beads from the same supplier). I have examples of both in my Hallowe'en stuff.

-Allie the Clown is making the same face as the jack o'lantern on her brother's right, and his mask is making the same face as the jack o'lantern on Allie's left. Seriously. 

-Wallabees and deck shoes.

-The look in her eyes: "Just take the picture so we can get going!"

Allie, thank you for letting us hang this wonderful snapshot of Hallowe'en Past at the Skull & Pumpkin! You get free drinks this weekend!

Anyone else have pictures of their costumed childish selves? Let's show and tell!

DUMDUMSHREKPAPARAZZI!

Making Hallowe'en, pt. 7

Just a few late night snapshots of today's Poefixins™.

I give you the sickly, prematurely interred sibling of a dying family, Ms. Madeline Usher.

She really is rather fetching, especially having just clawed her way from the 'donjon keep'. Also, lighting is everything.

Another denizen of Poe's universe is our long-neglected Red Death.

The down side is that I do not really know how corpses were wrapped in their cerements in the days of ol' Prince Prospero. The up side is, neither does anyone viewing it.

He's going to be pulling his hood aside, hence this pose (made possible with wire, tape and tons of hot glue).

Still at it, more pics to come soon.

DDSPoe!

De' Witch Poster.

Hello again, loyal S&P-brains!

Busy-busy-busy time, as you all know, and as most of you are yourselves experiencing while building all of your incredible haunts and displays!

Last night I got a fair amount of work done, and will post that and tonight's work later this evening, but this post is just a few images from yesterday I thought you'd enjoy looking over.

No need to get up, just pass 'em around the bar.

Yesterday was Grandparent's Day at Kiara's kindergarten class, and 'Pa' wasn't going to miss it for the world.

 

 She's the light of my life, even as I check her scalp for those three little sixes.

I had a great time, but only wanted to mention it here because:

1.) I am a proud 'Pa' and 

2.) Because I got to see this:

Yes, it's blurry (I snapped it quickly while passing it on the way to Keek's classroom), and for most of you, it's no big deal. It's a cheap plastic sheet Hallowe'en door hanger.

But it really made me happy because where we live, most folks tend to be skittish-to-fearful about witches and some of them are just outright anti-Hallowe'en. To see a Happy Hallowe'en poster, with a witch on it no less, in the commons at the primary school does this old All Hallow's heart a lot of good!

I like to think it's Kiara's own spirit (what we've called the Keek Mojo for years) that brought it about.

But really it's just the great faculty and staff at that school. Way to go, Branson Primary, and Happy Hallowe'en.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Oh, another thing.

Here's how you transport a prop skeleton from the shop to your basement laboratory:

The cheapest, lightest weight, relatively realistic (*relatively*) skeleton I've ever seen in the decorations market, and I couldn't pass it up. Yeah, I'll have to alter a lot of it, and the skull will be replaced with the Red Death, but after last night's work it looks like I'm on the right track.

I got a lot of funny stares driving it home, but I got a lot of thumbs up and horn-honking smiles too. Yesterday really seemed to reinvigorate my sense of this area's Hallowe'en love. It may be spare, but where it exists it thrives.

Nice to remember.

Well, there's so much more to do today. 

Those of you who are also in the middle of your haunt work, be sure to come by on your breaks. For the rest of the month, all haunters get snacks, drinks and jukebox plays on the house! ;-)

I got such a great response over it last time that I shall use it again:

MELTYBOOHAGS!

De' Witch Woman.

Hello, Sunday guests of the ol' S&P.

I imagine the pub talk has recently turned to all things Octobery-sweet and spooky!

I hop in and out of the place, of course, especially during the Hallowe'en makin' time, but you all know that by now.

I wanted to show you something my uncle is building for his own haunted display (and hopefully he and I will combine displays for Hallowe'en 2011, stay tuned!).

As I mentioned in a very early post, Uncle Bill has been a Hallowe'en fanatic and haunter for a long, long time, and he and I have for decades been kindred spirits when it comes to our favorite time of year.

Okay, go back to this post and recall James Lewicki's incredible 'Witch Woman' painting that scared and delighted us kids...

Well...

Uncle Bill's bringing it to life.

Not nearly finished and it's already stunning. The spinning wheel's whirling colors, the ol' boo hag herself cackling and creaking, even the man's foot on the bed to the lower right honor the details of Lewicki's amazing image. Compare the two; as ever, clicking will bring up a larger version of the image.

Sensational. Can't wait to see it finished.

Bet you can't either.

"Turn and spin, come off skin..."

MELTYBOOHAGS!

For the kids.

The Skull & Pumpkin proudly serves

... as a treat for our younger guests and those grownups who enjoy their libation on the sane, sweet side.

It's delicious, and perfectly safe -- except for house elves.

MELTYBEER!

"Gummy Face, I love you,

Gummy Face, I need you!"

With apologies to Donna Fargo for sullying her '72 hit, I present for your shivery perusal an incredible gift I just received yesterday -- the opaque, gelatinous terror known as Gummy Face:

"Oh, I think it's cute, he reminds me of ..." *slap!* WRONG! He's the single most terrifying gift I've received in a long time, perhaps my entire life. Just LOOK at it!

It would be less disturbing to me if it were just a rubber face, one of those silicon stick-to-the-wall throwing toys, but it's a gummy item. It's EDIBLE, which adds a wholly transcendent level of disgust for me. I'm not really a gummy candy guy, but little colorful bears or good ol' Swedish Fish are fine with me; this is that horrible opaque, gummy horror that has always reminded me of the melting flesh from The Devil's Rain (especially in fleshtone like this!).

It would also be less disturbing if it didn't remind me of so many other odd things...

 

 

I think this one is spot on.

Yep. Pretty uncanny.

It's not that I don't appreciate the gift -- anything that makes me giggle and cringe in terror is a good thing.

But I won't be eating it.

I'm thinking that if I left it in its packaging (do gummies go bad? Is that a new reality show?), it will shrink down to a dark, hard little face... that I can then put in a bowl of water and watch grow over 600x its size like those other weird toys:

Gummy Face, you are candy, toy and traumatizing demon in one stark, scary little package.

And it looks like he was made from

MELTYBEADS!

Finally.

It has happened.

Like it does every year at this time, though it often feels like it will never come.

It has happened.

October.

Images of things which are simply October to me. 

Some of them are October to you too, perhaps; some are

none the worse for having been posted here before.

 Taken in our own backyard, Fall, 2004.

 Our cat, Halli (short, of course, for Hallowe'en).

When the old grandfather clock here at the ol' S&P hit midnight, the Hallowe'enith console radio began to crackle and whistle, and now there are some changes in programming.

First, a rather disturbing and interesting little radio drama from 1970, called The Peoria Plague. Rather like the classic Orson Welles War of the Worlds broadcast from 1938, this airplay is at once charming, amateur, and very effective. Devote the time, and it will pay off handsomely, I promise.

Up next in the ol' radio, a little mix of radio spookery of my own creation. The Pumpkin Glow of Your Old Radio has been  presented in the S&P's jukebox before, but I think it works well in the Hallowe'enith too, and should probably hang out there for the month.

Speaking of jukeboxes...

I've added some ear candy from my own files, medleys of-a-theme I whomped up to send to family and friends during the Hallowe'en season over the years.

First, we have clips and songs devoted to Monsters. Then, the same tribute to A Brew of Witches, then a miscellaneous Autumn Mix of goofy, rank amateur 'scary album' goodness.

I have decided to return to the playlist a very fun treat, a fully stereo '3D' binaural ride-through of Disneyland's Haunted Mansion. Plug in your headphones, close your eyes, and let your mind wander where hinges creak in doorless chambers, where strange and frightening sounds echo through the halls...

The final month before our Big Night... the last month of work, play, decoration, bright cool days and woodsmokey cool evenings is upon us.

Happy October, everyone.

DDSP.