Dear Chainsaw Man.

You know that archetypal chainsaw scare in EVERY haunted house? Yeah, well in my last post I bashed it, and apparently the God of Halloween has determined that I was wrong for doing it.
Mr. Scary Chase-you-around-with-lawn-care-items is now running around tearing up my dreams. I've had nightmares for the past two nights of Mr Chainsaw.
The first nightmare was something out of a damn video game.... It started off where I was working in a pop scare haunt, every one had chainsaws and I was trying to improve upon the scare. Then this discovery channel like pop up overlayed and fuzzed out the image and gave me the complete stats on a particular type of chainsaw while giving me a 360 view of the tool. Then all of a sudden I was in a house running down the stairs with mr chainsaw running after me, I just got out of the door, a'la Halloween (movie) and I heard his foot steps right behind me and woke up. It was like Doom meets Halloween meets Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
So this morning I wrote this on my FB after encounter #2 with mr chainsaw man.

Dear Mr. Chainsaw Man: As much as I am flattered that you enjoy hanging out in my subconscious and proving all my lofty ideals when it comes to horror incorrect, GTFO. ~~~Not really that cordially, nor yours,
S.A.S

I'll be going around and finding pictures of Halloween later today. For now I'm going back to bed.

Somthing I forgot to mention, and the nature of fear.

All of the pumpkins that will light on their own, will be evil. Glaring pumpkins with nightmare grins lighting of their own accord at your approach, oh.... oh yes....

It will be beautiful.

One of my friends once told me that Terror could only be derived from what I like to call the pop scare style: pop ups, loud noises, chainsaws, screaming, gore, spurting blood... all that rubbish.

I despise that sort of scare. I like scares to be a deep down, stays with you, "I should not be here", give-you-nightmares kind of scare. I like creep.

The best haunted house I ever went to was a cheap piece of work put together by a local group and hosted in the parking lot of the power company. No trailers were involved. The most vivid memories were of girls, decently young, in tattered and torn dresses, in chicken coup cages. They stared, made no noise, just stared at you as you walked past. It made you question, "why am i walking past these girls and not helping them?" It made you question what you were doing, and the more you thought about it, the more those girls stares ate at you.

I had nightmares for weeks. It bothers me even now.

That, THAT is a good haunted house.

I walk through pop scare houses and never flinch, I just smile and keep walking, giggling at the terror of my comrades. It takes real creep to get me.

Innovation, detail, creep. The more it begs you, no, DEMANDS that you think about whats going on, the more it gets to you.

I work for that and it heartens me that there are others like me who like the creep.

I like me some detailed displays, and this year.... this year will be awesome.

I'm Back!

And somthing awesome has happened. My Aunt, an extremely social creature who loves to throw a party, has invited my mother and I too decorate her house for a massive Halloween party.

It's my first chance to really go all out for a Halloween display. She has a HOUSE, a with a legit front yard and everything. I haven't found a Job yet, I'm still trying, but I'm skeptical that I'll find one before the Halloween season.

So needless to say my pumpkin beasts have taken a back seat for the year. This year is still the year of the pumpkin, and I plan on taking over the front yard with as many Jack O' Lanterns as I can. If I can afford to make them all real pumpkins, then I will, but if not I'll be making faux pumpkins.

The idea is that someone will walk up to the front yard, seeing a bunch of pumpkins in the yard, some (mostly happy ones) lit, some/most that seemingly had gone out before they got there. As they walk up to the door, pumpkins begin to light on their own by some ghostly hand. Lanterns on trees and in the porch area (most inspired by Pumpkin Rot's witch jars) light on their own as well. The creep factor will be insane.


I can't wait. God I can't wait. *continues R&D*

hehehehe, I get to freak out middle aged party goers. Life is good.

For Pumpkin Rot and Friends

I stumbled upon my Favorite Haunters work Today. Pumpkin Rot's Roots was on De-motivational Posters, as such i sent him The link. I went home from My electronics class today only to find that Mr. Rot had featured Greeter and Guardian on his blog.

So, for friends of Pumpkin Rot: May I present, Greeter and Guardian in some of my favorite photos of them from last year. This will be my last post until June, When I will be starting to make my artificial Pumpkins for my display this year. Enjoy.

Image by Strublay

Guardian and Greeter resting after a long night, This is my absolute favorite photo of these two, simply due to the light hitting Guardian.

Image By Strublay

Image by Strublay

Image by Strublay

I'll see you in June, my fellow Creatures. 

Greeter and Guardian: How freaks carve pumpkins.

Image by Strublay

The Greeter before the sun went down fully, you can see the paper bag luminaries with LED candles, I wanted to do more, but I didn't want the risk of them getting stolen.

Image by Strublay

The Guardian at his post on the table of food.

Image by Strublay

Greeter as one would have seen him walking up the steps.

Silly boys, and thier silly pumpkins.

Image by Strublay

The one who couldn't take it. "Phoenix Wright" Tried to carve a template pumpkin but unfortunately failed when his dragon popped out with the rest of the pieces he was trying to remove. When Perfect Timing and Phoenix went to Cici's to pick up Pizza, Batboy and I "fixed" PW's pumpkin by turning him over and carving 'xX' for eyes.The mouth just worked. We then took a pizza box (after we ate) set our victim on it, grabbed some pumpkin guts, the Bottle of Jack, Some candy Wrappers and a pizza crust and placed it all together as you see above. I decided to light him, which seems an unusual choice considering the abundance of vomiting pumpkins out there. This image is very very nice, the lighting of which aided by the neon bat behind "the one who couldn't take it". I'm glad we averted another soulless pumpkin.

Image by Strublay

Retro Gamers pumpkin, a soulless one. A template by pumpkin masters was used here, and the lighting was augmented by our Neon cat in the background.

Image by Strublay

Perfect Timing's pumpkin, a soulless one. Another pumpkin masters template.

A Haunting In Las Vegas

Image by Strublay

My mother did her house up this year, and this was an off year! all the images in this post is of my mothers work, and the heritage passed down from mother to daughter as years go by.

Above is one of the candelabras my mother purchased years ago. Don't be fooled by the lack of a scale, they are about 6 foot tall and 5 feet wide. Yes, those are REAL candles.

Image by Strublay

My mother didn't carve a Pumpkin this year, these were her substitutes.

Image by Strublay.

This is a wreath made by my grandmother, who has passed on. We display halloween items of our passed family every year, and this year Nana's wreath went up in moms house, Papa's Phantom Hat went up in mine.

Image by Strublay

I love this picture. Just had to share it.

Image by Strublay.

The gemmy ripoff of the Flying Crank ghost. The Lighting in this picture is perfect I think. 

Image by Strublay

Here is a neighbors house, I loved the little stakes.

Of the Halloween Sunrise

Image by Strublay

The Halloween sunrise. I've never experienced it before but since I was up so late, I figured no time Like the present. This was the state of my cobwebs BEFORE they tried to blow down. they were so pretty in the first rays of dawn.

Image by Strublay

The bats and my cheesecloth and sheet curtains. One can also see the faint outline of my neon bat in the window on the right.

Image by Strublay

That's one fearless little bat.

I would suggest enjoying the Halloween sunrie with a cup of vanilla caramel tea or a Pumpkin Spice Latte.

Pre Halloween Photos

Image by Strublay

I wanted to get some photos of my pre Halloween prep, and here are some of my favorites, above is the view from my kitchen looking at the orange haunted house night light and the purple glow of the LED lights we picked up this year in the other room. I love the contrast of the orange and purple lights with the darkness of my condo.

Image by Strublay

My decrepit wreath. Looks like it was attacked by spiders and moths. this entire thing was made in around 30 minutes using a 3.00 bare branches wreath, a bit of bag webs, a sign which was 50% off, and a strip of shredded cheese cloth stained with a combination of tea and supremely watered down craft paint.

Just the way I like it.

Image by Strublay.

Our pumpkins. The light one (second in line) is the Greeter, and the far one (bulge at the end) is the Guardian the other two became the soulless (template carved) ones.

Pumpkins grinning in ghastly delight.

Image By Strublay

 The greeter.

As the few T.O.T's walked up the stairs, the light of a strand of purple lights and apparently only four luminaries illuminated their way. As they made their ascent the wicked grin and insane eyes of the greeter became apparent, flanked by two more luminaries.They hesitated a moment before knocking on the door.

Image By Strublay

The guardian.

The guests took their food under the stare of this toothy beast, who guarded the food. Keeping the devil at bay, while making sure that one did not gorge them selves to bloatation.

Image by Strublay

 The grim gourds.

Greeter and Guardian, Sitting side by side after a long night, laughing at the two soul-less ones and the one who couldn't take it. They reminisce at the tiny bit of fun they had, and wonder if their kind will ever get their moment of glory. The creator reassures them: Next year will be the year of the pumpkin.

The list of pictures to be taken:
HF comrades displays here in town;
My Skeleton,
my spiderwebs,
my future curtians.
Pumpkins, pumpkins pumpkins
My pumpkin spice latte I get as I go home
my labcoat
my countdown sign
my mothers house and her sundries
the candy
the food from the party
I cant believe its almost here!

Of lights, graves and a major spider infestation.

Image by Strublay; Northwest Las Vegas

This was the first one I saw, A cute little house that was obvious it was trying to pull off something nice they did a good job I think.

Image by Strublay; Northwest Las Vegas

Here is its  little grave area.

Image by Strublay; Northwest Las Vegas

Spider infestation!

Image by Strublay; Northwest Las Vegas

Heh, VERY las vegas.

Memories of blacklight bulbs, bats, and poseable Skeletons made of paper.

Found on Flickr; Image by: Hey Paul

My Halloweens of memory, they consisted of white sheets over furniture, and bare black light bulbs, of carved pumpkins and paper decorations.

Found on Flickr; Image by: Whimsy Studios

Paper bats fluttered about the house, paper spiders crawled down the hall, there was a ghost made of starched cheese cloth, and a lilliputian grave yard, complete with tiny bats, small flying witch and a grim reaper lined the windows;

Found on Flicker; Image by: Riptheskull

 But the most vivid memory of all was the paper skeleton, an creation of western origin, with rotting skin falling off old bones. My mother put one of my Halloween shirts on him, to hide his gruesome insect infested torso.

The images forever defined my holiday.

I hate how its been commercialized. You cant buy memories as vivid as that.

Of Spiders, Steiner's, and web's aplenty.

Image by Strublay.

Went to Steiner's this evening, before my partner and I went out to take photographs of some of the decorated homes in NW Las Vegas, and, much to my surprise I was greeted by the green "glowing" work of radioactive orange spiders. As I walked inside, spider webs were everywhere and lights were all over the bar. It was a fantastic surprise and I turned around and grabbed my camera, with the complete intention of writing this post.  Above you see my view of the bar and the kitchen area, donned in Halloween display. How lovely.

Image by Strublay

Those are some damned industrious spiders. I mean, woah.

Image by Strublay

And then there was this guy, his eyes faded in and out, which was a nice effect.

I don't typically go for adverts, but I love the few occasions I can go to this place, so I'm plugging them.

If you want to go see this finery for your self, Go visit Steinerspub.com or go to Steiner's Pub at 8410 W. Cheyenne Ave. (And if anyone of the staff come here, Hi! ^_^)

Of candle holders, count down signs, and a Urban Vegas Halloween

Image By: Strublay

...and so it begins, my Halloween decorating has started in earnest, and the first feeble beginnings come out in the form of candles. Pulled out in September, I have reserved the pictures of them for this first, of many, posts of Halloween images taken by yours truly.

Image by Strublay

The sign. It counts down the inevitability of the dark night coming. I made it from foam core, velcro, a blacklight and a reversible hot orange/green card stock.  Total cost of the sign, with out the black light $2.00, with the blacklight $12.00. The entire project was inspired by several posts on HalloweenForum.com, and the font used was Green Fuz from 1001fonts.com.

Image by Strublay

My second story window, pumpkins, sign, and all.

I'm glad it started.

Of blacklights, jacklights, and creepy creatures of fear.

Found on Flickr; Image by DevilsChariot

Devils Chariot is back on my blog, with this creepy little dude with glowing green eyes. *Shutter*

Found on Flickr; Image by Slworking2

Black lights give everything that un-earthly glow, even foam tombstones with plastic skeleton hands. Yesterday I learned the actual atom level workings of the black light effect from some MIT OCW Vids I was watching, so the florecent glow of objects under blacklight holds a whole new meaning.

Found on Flickr; Image by FranieK

First some black light, and now some Jack Light. Orange and black, how charming.

Of spirits, brains, and the allure of green glass.

Found on Flickr; Image by nushuz

Spirits, no the liquid kind. a blood red drink an a skeleton hand glass. How appropriate.

Found on Flickr; Image by tangopango

The Brain Hemorrhage. Shot of choice for Zombies world wide.

Found on Flickr; Image by Macaw-frey

An inviting green bottle, or is it? Oh the allure of green glass.

Of Black Cats, Brooms and being Bee Witched.

Found on Flickr; Image by Cobalt123

He's so handsome! All he needs is an old lady in a funny hat, a broom, and a cauldron and he'd be set!

 

Found on Flickr; Image by Jim Murrell IV

Kitty and broom, wheres the old lady now?

Found on Flickr; Image by Boopsie.daisy

Oh the visual puns. Bee Witched... LOL.

Of Pumpkins, glowing gourds, and the simple pleasure of the pumpkin grin.

Found on Flickr; Image by Jim Murphy

Theres nothing like the smell of burning pumpkin flesh. I love all of the pumpkins in this image.

Found on Flickr; Image by Brother Grimm

  The guy closest to us is what caught my eye, his pointy grin and section of missing teeth make me smile.

Found on Flickr; Image by Seymour Digital Consulting

I used to be a fan of intricate pieces of art such as this. I've started to lean closer and closer to the traditional Jack for my favorites.