Haunted labels

After hearing reports that the other labels I featured aren't worth the money, I stumbled upon this home haunter who created some of beautiful labels for his own potions cabinet.

Skull Candy

I thought I'd found the perfect new name for my site... "Skull Candy". Unfortunately, it's already taken. (And what's worse is that their company sells headphones! They don't have anything to do with Halloween! Oh well. Back to the drawing board.)

Monster bra

I originally saw this skull bra a few years ago at the annual Coney Island Mermaid Parade (in New York). A very clever idea. Obviously just thrown together for the day's festivities. Now, years later I'm trolling the internet and I find this)...

Someone's actually manufacturing and selling these!?! (They also sell a giant eyeball) version.) I guess it's true. There are no more original ideas.

New blog name?

I've been thinking about re-naming the blog. Not sure I'm still feeling "Halloween Hot List". Everyone else's sites sound so much cooler than mine; PumpkinRot, GrimVisions, TerrorSyndicate, AranaMuerta, etc. Maybe it's time to try something new. Any thoughts?

Bottles for your haunted house

Has anyone seen these labels in person yet? It seems like almost every online retailer with Halloween decorations has them for sale.

Digital Manipulations

Now that's what I call "taking it all off!" (Photo by Koen Hauser)

Skull mirror

I've been meaning to post something about this mirror for a long time. Of course, tonight's the night that I accidentally knock it off of the wall and three of the corner pieces snap off! Oh well. A little Crazy Glue to the rescue and now it's (almost) good as new. (Maybe the scars give it more character?) Anyway, it was a Christmas present from my wife and I love it. No idea where she found it, but it's great.
Check out the image on the left. When the flash went off, it cast a skull- shaped shadow on my refridgerator. Hmmm... that gives me an idea! Maybe I can alter my camera to cast skull shadows on everything...

UPDATE: Here's where she got the mirror.

Devil book plates

Check out these cool devil bookplates by Manifesto Letterpress. (Their devil graphic is also available on a poster and coasters.) And for skeleton-fanatics, they produce these bookplates and coasters as well.

Anyone seen this before?

I bought this at an estate sale recently but I can't find out any information on its origin. It's obviously a mask. (There are holes on vinyl flaps at either side of the lenticular image where an elastic may have once been.) Probably a child's mask. (It's very small. Approx. 4.5" x 3.75"). Other than that though, I don't have any information about it. (There are no identifying markings printed anywhere). Any ideas? How old do you think it might be?

Devilish wine stoppers

For all you oenophiles out there, here's a terrific pair of devil & angel wine stoppers.

Demon radiator cap

I wish I could get one of these for my car.

Demons and Angels

Speaking of M.C. Escher, here's his famous
"Demons and Angles" print.

Graveyard in a fishbowl

Check out this fantastic graveyard scene I found for sale on Etsy.





(There's something about this photo that reminds me of Escher's "Hand With Reflecting Sphere".)

Max Maven

Here's a great shot of my good friend Max Maven having a little lunch...

Phantom Roadster

If I could have my dream car, it would be this... the Phantom Roadster. Produced in 2007 by The Scare Factory, every inch of this "haunt rod" is tricked out, haunted perfection. Hand engraved tombstone brakes, skull mirrors, webbing on the windscreen and wing supports, skull suicide shifter and tombstone radiator (with the upper torso of a skeleton riding behind it). Whenever a gift giving holiday rolls around and my family asks me what I want, I always say "a Phantom Roadster". So far, no luck. Maybe someday though...

Ace of Spades

I don't remember where I found this image, but I think it's pretty terrific. If memory serves, it's actually poster sized!

Skull gate

Illuminations sells a 5 inch tall version of this skull gate, but I want to build a giant one for my yard.

Haunted Mansion tour from 1969

Check out this behind the scenes look at the making of the Haunted Mansion. Originally part of a 1969 episode of "Disney's Wonderful World Of Color," it's hosted by an 18 year old Kurt Russell and features his good friends, The Osmonds.

Tim Biskup skull paintings

One of my favorite artists, Tim Biskup, has done an amazing series of cubist skull paintings. They range in size from 24" x 18" (like the one on the left) to over 6 1/2 feet tall! (Like the one below). Check out some more of his work here.

Blacklight playing cards

For all you fans of both Halloween & magic I present
"Tragic Royalty" playing cards. A brand new design from the Bicycle playing card company that glows under black light. Red, devilish looking angels on the backs, skull & corpse-like glowing faces on the faces of the court cards, and a spiderweb Ace of Spades.

Skeleton Keys

A good friend just bought me a set of these glow in the dark skull caps for my keys. (I'm currently using the blue one.) They're made by a company called Fred & Friends. They offer the "Ultimate in style. Stuff that works, puts a smile on your face and doesn't cost a fortune." Be sure to also check out their "FreaKeys". They're pretty cool too.

Rehabilitated dishware

Next time you're in the market for plates, check out the work of Sarah Cihat. She buys plates from second-hand stores and reglazes them with cool images. She also makes this cool, limited-edition line of candles.

Recent Michael's purchases

Grabbed these three busts and the skull votive candle holder yesterday. I love that the Medusa bust is two-sided. Guess which side will usually be facing out in my house...

Amazing, Astounding & Absolutely Alive

Thomas Kuebler produces some of the most amazing sculptures that I've ever seen. Lifesize and life-like, I'd be thrilled to have any one of them in my home. Be sure to check out his gallery of witches, wisemen, beggars and freaks.

Recent Target purchases

Picked up a few items at Target this weekend. The large skull cookie jar is already on my kitchen counter. (Hopefully I'll be allowed to keep it there year round!)
The display in the glass dome will go perfectly with something I recently started building. (More info to come soon). And I love the frame that the lenticular image comes with. It's cheap vacu-formed plastic, but I like it so much that I may make a
mold and cast it into something more durable.