Monsters from pipecleaners

They never let me make anything like this at summer camp! The people at Chenille Macabre offer "original hand-made monsters constructed from pipecleaners: werewolves, dragons, zombies, and who knows what else!"

Carving pumpkins in the nude

I guess that would be one way to avoid getting pumpkin guts all over my shirt.

Photo by Emil Jianu. **Warning: This site contains artistic nudity.

The king of pumpkin carving

Wow! This guy's pumpkins are amazing! I'd love to see one of his pieces in person.




(Via Boing Boing)

Skull shirt

Here is a fun new shirt from Threadless.

Facebook costume

Hang your coat on a knife

If you've ever wanted to hang your hat on a knife, you're in luck. Not one but two companies are now producing plastic knives that can be easily mounted as a hook for all your hanging needs. The products are pricey, and don't really look that much like real knives, so here's my piece of advice... go to a thrift store, buy a dangerous looking knife and try hammering it into your wall. Chances are it'll work fine and you'll save yourself $30.













(If, on the other hand, you're desperate for the hot new thing in the world of high design, you can find these knife/hooks here and here.)

Zooey Deschanel's Halloween video

This video for the song "Why Do You Let Me Stay Here" (by actress Zooey Deschanel's band "She & Him") is perfect for fans of the macabre. It features animated beheadings, ghosts, blood, and even skeleton nuns!

Virtual Tarantula

Control and play with a very realistic looking virtual spider in this interactive flash application.

Middle-aged Frankenstein

Here's a terrific looking computer-generated middle-aged Frankenstein contemplating his growing midsection.

Haunted table decor

This site has lots of great ideas for unusual haunted table decorations. Check it out.

Three-headed dog costume

Reach into my pants and take some candy

According to the ad copy, you should "put this creepy cardboard zombie at your door so trick-or-treaters can have a blast pulling candy out of the pocket in his stomach." To me though, it just looks like that poor kid is reaching down some zombie's pants.

Ugly stickers

Even before "Monster Initial" stickers hit the marketplace, there were "Ugly Stickers". From 1965 until 1976, Topps distributed a variety of stickers featuring gruesome monsters with common names.

Learn more about these ugly guys here.

Dracula in a bathtub

The artwork of Den Beauvais.

(Via Monster Memories)

Spell your name with "Monster Letters"

Back in 1974, Topps sold these "Monster Initial" stickers. Now, this very clever site will let you "Monsterize" any word.

UPDATE: I've discovered another great site with even more "Monster Initial" sticker images. In fact, not only do they have examples of every letter/artwork combination, but they also showcase some of the original rough artwork from the series.

Over 100 Frankenstein heads!

Here is just a small sample of sculptor Bill Luciani's amazing Frankenstein head collection. (Rumor has it he owns more than 100!)

Cool display

Here's a fun display. I really like the way he lined up the coffins/corpses like this. I may have to "borrow" that idea for next year.

Pumpkinrot-style groundbreaker instructions

Here are step by step instructions on how to build your very own Pumpkinrot-inspired groundbreaker.

Halloween magic with Ed Alonzo

I've always wanted to perform a Halloween Eve magic act out in my yard. If I ever get a chance to do that, I want it to be just like my friend Ed Alonzo's annual "Howl-o-ween" show at the Great America amusement park in California. Check out this great burned alive trick that he calls the "Chamber of Boom". (If you want to skip the set-up, fast-forward to 1:30. That's where the actual trick begins.)

Baby zombie

Cute pic. This was sort of my son's reaction as well.

(Via "Grim Hollow Haunt")

Skeletons on horseback

Here's another cool book cover. It comes from Alan Frank's "Horror Movies - Tales of terror in the cinema".

(Via "The Cobwebbed Room")

Crystal skull vodka

I've read more than a dozen articles about this product and I still have trouble believing it's for real. Not because there's anything particularly unbelievable about vodka that comes in an anatomically correct crystal skull vessel, but because Dan Aykroyd filmed this bizarre 8 minute infomercial.

Halloween in Italy

My parents were recently in Italy. While there, they dutifully kept an eye out for anything Halloween-related. It wasn't until the last day of their trip, but they finally saw these displays at a 99 cent store.

Electric Chairs

If you're thinking of building an electric chair for your haunt, you might want to check out this site. They have photos of 30 different chairs that are currently (or were previously) used in states across this country. (The image to the left is of the very first electric chair, created in 1890.)

Cool crypt

Using the basic instructions from "Carnival of Souls" for building a crypt, this yard haunter added a few design touches of his own and ended up with an unbelievable looking mausoleum to house his flying crank ghost.