Tuesday, October 31, 2017

Happy Halloween!!!


I hope everyone has a wonderful Halloween! Sorry I didn't post everyday like I wanted to. I blame it on three things:

1. Pokémon GO ~ I'm addicted to this game and play everyday!


2. I have a new granddaughter that was born earlier this year. She's adorable!


3. I'm just plain lazy!!! :)

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

Monday, October 30, 2017

My Costume This Year and Party Pics

This year my wife and I dressed up as Hagar the Horrible and his wife Helga. My tunic was a thrift store blanket I cut up and my mother-in-law sewed together. The black x's on my legs is electrical tape. The helmets were gold, I spray painted them silver. The beard was crocheted by someone on Etsy. My wife hand braided her yarn hair.





 Here's some of the other costumes at the party we went to ~~

Our hosts: the witch doctor and his voodoo doll

 The Ring and Ghoulardi

 Shaun of the Dead

 Ted Bundy and Peg Bundy

 Bob Ross and a happy little tree

 Mary Poppins and a chimney sweep

 I love the '70s!

 The big bad wolf and Little Red Riding Hood

 Cruella DeVille and one dalmatian

Here's some of the food we enjoyed ~~




Saturday, October 28, 2017

DeBord's Halloween Festival 2017

On Saturday October 14th I attended the 22nd DeBord's Halloween Festival. For the first time it was held at Lock 3 in downtown Akron. Here's some of my photos.






After I took this guy's photo and told him I was a big Star Wars fan, he handed me a 501st Legion coin!

Belly dancers!

They had a pizza eating contest and costume contest hosted by Big Chuck & Lil' John and Son of Ghoul.


Me with local horror host legends Big Chuck & Lil' John!

I brought Big Chuck's book with me for him to autograph. He loves me! :)


Lock 4 lit up at night is really beautiful.

Thursday, October 12, 2017

New Halloween T-Shirt #1

This is actually the only new shirt I've got so far this season. It was five bucks at Walmart. But, I didn't have a Grim Reaper shirt.


Wednesday, October 11, 2017

The Dynamite Monster Hall of Fame; Count Morbida's Monster Quiz Book


Well, I missed a few days of the Countdown. Let's see how it goes the rest of the month! :)

Who remembers Dynamite Magazine from Scholastic Books? I loved that magazine when I was a kid. Here's a couple of monster books they put out:

The Dynamite Monster Hall of Fame
By Margaret Ronan ©1978

CONTENTS
Welcome
Meet the Count
Everybody's Favorite Monster
Monster Movies To Bug You
Larry Talbot and Other Werewolves
Go Get 'em, Godzilla!
Mummy's Day
Famous Monster Sayings
Monster Movie Monstrosities
Shock It To Me
How To Make Monsters
The Monster Hall of Fame Trivia Quiz

Count Morbida's Monster Quiz Book
By Suzanne Lord ©1980

CONTENTS
The Bat Yard
The Ghostly Ghastly Gallery
The Perilous Pain Parlor
The Den of Doom

I scanned this whole book back in 2008. You can find it here.





Sunday, October 08, 2017

Bonfires and Acorn Candy Cookies


Saturday night my wife and I went to a bonfire that friends of ours has every year. There was plenty of eating, drinking and talking. It was really fun.


We made Acorn Candy Cookies. Here's the recipe.

Ingredients:
Mini Nilla Wafers
Hershey's Kisses (we used the almond ones)
Butterscotch Chips (or pumpkin spice chips)
Frosting/Icing


Smear a small amount of frosting onto the flat bottom of a candy kiss. Press onto the flat bottom of the vanilla wafer. Smear a little more frosting onto the flat bottom of a butterscotch chip, and press onto the rounded top of the cookie. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Set aside to dry, about 30 minutes.

That's it! They are really easy to make. But, they are a little time consuming.



Friday, October 06, 2017

Dick Smith's Do-It-Yourself Monster Make-Up Handbook; How To Operate A Financially Successful Haunted House


Today's books offer some good ideas and tips for the Halloween season.

Dick Smith's Do-It-Yourself Monster Make-Up Handbook
By Dick Smith ©1965, 1985

CONTENTS
Introduction by Rick Baker
Preface by Dick Smith
Getting Started
Make-Ups With Simple Materials
Nose Putty & Mortician's Wax
Scars, Cuts, Bruises and Blood
Creating Weird Skin Textures
Artificial Eyes
False Teeth
Bald-Head Caps
Hair, Beards and Wigs
Advanced Make-Ups

How To Operate A Financially Successful Haunted House
By Philip Morris and Dennis Phillips ©1985, 1987

CONTENTS
Preface
How to Make Money
How to Fine [sic] A Location
A First Class Attraction
Legal And Safety Precautions
How To Advertise
Room Designs
Make It Fun
Easy Costume Guide
Make Up








Thursday, October 05, 2017

Clive Barker's A-Z of Horror; V Is For Vampire


Today's books are both A-Z guides.

Clive Barker's A-Z of Horror
Compiled by Stephen Jones ©1997

Official companion and guide to the critically acclaimed BBC television series.

V Is For Vampire: The A-Z Guide To Everything Undead
By David J. Skal ©1996




Wednesday, October 04, 2017

The Films of Boris Karloff; The Men Who Made The Monsters


Today I'm sharing a couple of cool big books that both have Boris Karloff on the cover.

The Films of Boris Karloff
by Richard Bojarski and Kenneth Beals ©1974

CONTENTS
I'm not listing the contents for this book because pretty much every movie Karloff made has it's own chapter. :)

The Men Who Made The Monsters
by Paul M. Jensen ©1996

CONTENTS
Foreword
Preface
Acknowledgments
1. James Whale
2. Willis O'Brien
3. Ray Harryhausen
4. Terence Fisher
5. Freddie Francis
Notes and References
Selected Bibliography
Filmography
Index



Tuesday, October 03, 2017

The Island of Dr. Moreau; The Hunchback of Notre-Dame


Today's post features two classic stories with newer movie covers.

The Island of Dr. Moreau includes the original novel by H.G. Wells and the screenplay adaption by Joseph Silva. The movie was released in 1977 and stars Burt Lancaster, Michael York, Nigel Davenport, Barbara Carrera and Richard Basehart.

The Hunchback of Notre-Dame is a complete and unabridged version of the original French edition. The movie was a CBS Television movie released in 1982 and stars Anthony Hopkins, Derek Jacobi, Lesley Anne Down and John Geilgud.


Monday, October 02, 2017

It's Alive! and The Omen


Today's share is a couple of paperback adaptions of 1970s horror movies.

It's Alive by Richard Woodley ©1977

The Omen by David Seltzer ©1976