ScareFX

Halloween 2010 - Another Successful Year

2010-11-01T14:56:00.002-04:00

A close to perfect year weather wise. A wind kicked up about mid-way through Trick 'r Treating, which of course killed the fog effects but otherwise everything went great. We gave a few scares and everyone left with a full-sized Hershey bar.

Sleepy Hollow Scarecrow Head

2010-10-21T14:07:00.002-04:00

Carved a Funkin this morning. Think I might have cut myself.

Distressing the Animated Coffin Top

2010-08-30T17:18:00.002-04:00

I had a question about creating the texture on the Animated Creepy Coffin. Since I used soft cedar fence boards for that prop, it was pretty easy to use a rasp bit on my electric drill to distress the wood.

No special technique was used. Just go at it until it looks like you want it to look.

Inside the Animated Creepy Coffin

2010-08-25T20:26:00.005-04:00

Many of you have seen the Animated Creepy Coffin I made for Halloween 2006. I never got around to doing a proper how-to for that coffin.

However, I've had several questions about the mechanism used in the prop so I dug up several old images of the internal mechanics.

The bottom of the front of the coffin lid is attached with a couple of hinges.

A wiper motor with a crank arm powers the coffin lid at the top.

A clevis pin and a couple of brackets attach the crank arm to the top of the coffin lid.

Giant Skull

2010-08-23T12:41:00.003-04:00

Like many others this year I could not pass up getting one of the giant skulls from our local Costco. The sound is lame and I really don't like the LED eyes but I think I can use this skull as part of an huge imposing creature for Halloween this year.

Fall Is On The Way

2010-08-22T19:16:00.004-04:00

There are certain indicators of the impending return of the Halloween season. One is when our local Costco begins stocking my favorite seasonal brew. Happy camper here.

Trick 'r Treat Scene 2009

2010-06-23T12:29:00.003-04:00

As I mentioned in a previous post, our Trick 'r Treat scene was one of the few we were able to get set up during the very rainy Halloween 2009. Unfortunately, the rain let loose again before I could get many good night photos. The photograph above is one of the few that I managed to take with the Nikon D90. I think the sheet draped scarecrow and the fence worked pretty well.

Black Eyed Pumpkin

2009-11-16T07:33:00.003-05:00

I keep our old jack-o'-lantern's around after Halloween and watch them as they decompose and return to the soil. This year a mold has turned the eyes of this jac black.

Trick 'r Treat Sam Prop 2009

2009-11-11T17:47:00.002-05:00

I continue to get questions and comments about our Trick 'r Treat Sam prop that we made a couple of years ago. I'm glad the movie finally came out so more people will learn what it's about.

Our Trick 'r Treat scene was one of the few we were able to get set up during the very rainy Halloween 2009. Unfortunately, the rain let loose again before I could get any good night photos. But here is a picture of Sam right before we put him out that evening.

Sam was quite a simple Halloween prop to make. Here's a short description of what I used.

For the base, I built a PVC pipe armature based on the estimates of this calculator (http://www.zombietronix.com/calculator_biped.php).

For the hands, I used $6 Don Post severed hands purchased at Spirit Halloween that are slit at the wrist and fitted to a piece of PVC connected to the frame. A couple of pieces of burlap were used as "fingerless gloves" over the hands.

For the head, I used a Styrofoam wig head covered in burlap stitched up the center with button eyes and manila rope around the neck.

The pajamas were cut out of two pieces of orange craft felt purchased at JoAnn fabrics. It was cut to be larger than frame size so it would be baggy. Those two pieces were sewn together along each side. I used some poly fill inside the pajamas to give him some body bulk.

The candy bag was purchased at Big Lots a couple of years ago. It has a bloody hand that can be dangled on the outside or left inside the bag. The stick candy was carved from a circle of wood and a wooden dowel and painted to match the one in the movie.

A pre-Halloween photo

2009-10-22T20:12:00.002-04:00

I always like to take a night shot or two before Halloween to see how things are looking. It's not quite right yet but we still have few days to go.

This was picture was taken with a very old Canon Digital Rebel (1st gen). Need to see how things will look with the Nikon D90.

Trick 'r Treat [Blu-ray] (2008)

2009-10-16T11:18:00.004-04:00

If you didn't get the Blu-ray addition of Trick 'r Treat, you're missing some good special features. The commentary by Dougherty, Burns, Wilkins and Pipes was great and really told the story behind the movie. The "Trick 'r Treat: The Lore and Legends of Halloween" was excellent as well.

It's also nice to have a digital copy that will play on our computer. Although a DRM-free version would have been better.

Hopefully this year more people will recognize my Trick 'r Treat scene and appreciate my Sam prop that I made TWO years ago.

ScareFX Wiper Motor Rocker Project Description

2009-10-13T13:29:00.003-04:00

Quite a few haunters have asked about the inner workings of the Rockin' Granny Halloween prop.

I've put together a project description on the ScareFX web site.

I also posted a video of the "undressed" prop in action.

ScareFX Rockin' Granny 2009

2009-10-08T23:25:00.003-04:00

Here's our latest Halloween prop made with a wiper motor. She'll be part of a new scene this year. It's a misdirection prop created to set up the scare.

Maggot Buffet Mask

2009-10-04T18:45:00.003-04:00

We received our newest mask yesterday. That was just in time for our adding it to our latest prop. The mask was made by Bump In The Night Productions and was purchased from Grim Reapers. It's called Maggot Buffet.

Spinning Spider Web Night Video Clip

2009-09-16T17:16:00.004-04:00

I posted a short video clip of our spinning spider web victim prop on Halloween Night 2008.

You can check out a how-to for the project on the ScareFX web site.

http://www.scarefx.com/project_spider_victim.html

Zombie Crossing Sign 2008

2009-03-28T16:01:00.002-04:00

If you have not played around with befunky.com for adding effects to your images, go and check at that free service. I uploaded a picture of our "Zombie Crossing" sign from last year and this was the result.

Flaming Pumpkin Clip 2008

2009-03-24T20:57:00.002-04:00

This is a short video clip of the flaming pumpkin I made last year. It's just a foam pumpkin from Micheal's with a silk flame. It was modeled to look like the one in the unreleased horror anthology, Trick 'r Treat, written and directed by Michael Dougherty.

Images Broken

2009-02-27T12:48:00.002-05:00

I moved one of my sites recently to a new server. Unfortunately that move has broken many of the image links on this blog. I'll be going through the posts and relinking the images.

Dusting of Snow on Rotting Pumpkin

2008-12-07T12:52:00.004-05:00

We got our first bit of snow last night.

Porch Skelly

2008-10-25T10:59:00.003-04:00

This shot was hand-held at 1/60 second - f/5.6 - ISO: 3200.

ScareFX Ghost 2008

2008-10-18T23:55:00.012-04:00

Tonight we have our ghost flying in the upstairs window. I shot a short clip with a Nikon D90 in video mode. The low light capability of that camera is quite impressive.

The still shot had the following EXIF metadata:

Size:2.9MB 10/18/2008 11:35:30 PM
Dimensions: 4288 x 2848 pixels
Camera make NIKON CORPORATION
Camera model NIKON D90
Camera Date 2008:10:18 23:35:30
Resolution 4288 x 2848
Flash Not Used
Focal length 105.0mm
Exposure time 0.067s (1/15)
Aperture f/5.6
ISO 3200
Metering Mode Matrix
Exposure Shutter Priority

I can't believe how sharp a hand held shot with a 105mm lens can be at 1/15 of a second exposure.

Some Boney Dude

2008-10-11T23:16:00.005-04:00

Some boney guy is sitting on my front porch in my rocking chair. I'm going to need him to move on before Halloween.

Porch Framework

2008-10-11T23:05:00.004-04:00

For the past couple of years I've put up a framework to that makes putting together my Halloween porch scenes much easier. The framework is made of simple 2" x 2" pine boards attached at the corners with metal bracing brackets and anchored on the bottom with angle brackets.

Rotten Realty

2008-10-10T12:34:00.004-04:00

I'm sure my neighbors looked twice at the realty sign in front of my house.

Zombie Baby

2008-09-27T18:18:00.007-04:00

The latex prop is from Spirit Halloween. I had a 20% off coupon and could not pass on the deal. A zombie baby will fit right into our theme.

Halloween Night Photos 2007

2008-09-05T17:26:00.003-04:00

Here is a slideshow of some photos taken last Halloween night.

Nox Arcana - Grimm Tales

2008-09-04T22:01:00.006-04:00

With their new CD, Grimm Tales, Nox Arcana invites you to enter the Realm of Fable, where goblins, elves and sylvan spirits dwell in the deepest shadows of the forest beneath the wicked Witch Queen's spell of eternal darkness. Immerse yourself in a haunting soundscape of bewitching melodies, eerie sound effects and pulse-pounding orchestrations as you explore an enchanted land of dark fairy tales and childhood nightmares.

Nox Arcana is derived from two Latin words, which roughly translate to "mysteries of the night." It is a great interest in ancient lore, gothic literature and classic horror that unites Vargo and Piotrowski in their neverending quest into shadowy and dangerous realms.

This is another good CD from Nox Arcana. I'll be using some of the tracks in my haunt this Halloween. Get your copy from Amazon today.

Prop Details Coming Soon

2008-08-15T22:33:00.003-04:00

I've been getting a lot of email messages requesting information about some of the props I've built over the last couple of years. I'll be posting photos and details over the next couple of weeks. Check back soon or subscribe to my feed.

Halloween 2007 Video

2008-04-25T17:25:00.002-04:00

ScareFX Yard Haunt 2007 from Woody Carr on Vimeo.

Costume 2007

2007-11-01T21:23:00.001-04:00

Here's a flash photo of me in my costume this year. In the dark and in the landscaping, I blended in very well. It made it easy to get some good scares and it was fun listening to kids comments since many did not know I was there.

Backlit Foggy Graveyard

2007-10-27T21:12:00.001-04:00

I did a fog machine test tonight with a PVC pipe chiller to make sure everything was functioning properly. I shot this image from my porch.

Flaming Pumpkin

2007-10-24T23:10:00.000-04:00

This house safe version of a flaming pumpkin is modeled after the awesome real versions on ExtremePumpkins.com

Check out the video below the still photo.

Survive the UNdead this Halloween

2007-10-24T18:21:00.000-04:00

The folks at Common Craft are worried about you and your brain this Halloween. You see, it's zombie season and they want you to be prepared. To help, they made this 3 minute video that will make sure you survive, brain intact.

Somthing Got into Charlie Thrasher Prop Frame

2007-10-23T22:18:00.003-04:00

I had a request from fellow haunter Slimy to post some pictures of the frame and motor mount used in my Something Got into Charlie prop.

Here's a link to some additional photos.
http://scarefx.com/project_thrasher.html

10 Foot Witch Catches Possessed Little Girl

2007-10-21T22:15:00.001-04:00

This giant witch caught a wicked little girl this afternoon in our back yard. She went on to boil the evil child in the cauldron right after this photo.

How Much Is That Zombie in the Window?

2007-10-20T23:20:00.002-04:00

Our zombie decided he wanted to look out the window until he can work his way outside. There also seems to be a green glow coming from the half coffin tonight.

Moon Over Our House

2007-10-20T23:18:00.001-04:00

I took a picture of our house tonight with the moon just over the ridge line. The moon is blurry but the props look pretty good.

Something Got Into Charlie

2007-10-18T21:20:00.001-04:00

Charlie was on his way home to the suburbs after a long day at the office. As he arrived in the driveway, he felt as if his was going to be sick. He had no idea what was about to happen to him...

View the video here...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AkWk3snr0lQ

Spazm in a Cage

2007-10-16T20:03:00.001-04:00

I built a cage for Spazm. He's made by Morbid Industries. I hung him out on the porch tonight to get some lighting ideas.

Scarecrow Prop Up for Halloween 2007

2007-10-14T21:46:00.001-04:00

We have officially begun decorating for the Halloween 2007 season for this year. Our Pumpkinrot scarecrow has taken it's place between the corn stalks. The ground breaker toe pincher coffin was also put out.

Trick 'r Treat Sam

2007-10-09T22:37:00.001-04:00

Below is a stylized image of a prop I'm working on for this year. Here's what it is based on...

"Trick 'r Treat"

Michael Dougherty's new horror movie, produced by Bryan Singer. "Trick 'r Treat" is four interwoven stories that take place on Halloween with such characters as a staid high school principal who is a Halloween serial killer, a college-age virgin seeking that special guy, a woman who hates dressing up for Halloween and whose husband is obsessed with the holiday and a group of young teens who pull a cruel prank.

View the trailer.

The rules of Halloween:
1. Wear a costume.
2. Hand out treats.
3. Never blow out a jack o' lantern.
4. And ALWAYS check your candy.

While little is known about the character, the most haunting image of Trick 'r Treat is Sam, the Spirit of Halloween who enforces the holiday's ancient traditions. To the untrained eye, Sam looks like a little boy out for a night of gathering candy, but what's hidden under the orange footy-pajamas is anything but sweet. The burlap sack with button eyes and a stitched-on smile shrouds something sinister, and while his half-eaten lollipop may look like a tasty treat, when wielded by little Sam, it becomes a deadly weapon. If Sam appears on your doorstep this Halloween, you better be wearing a costume and you better have a bowl full of treats, or you'll be in for one hell of a trick.

Dry Halloween

2007-10-02T15:32:00.002-04:00

Here's a Halloween episode of Tiki Bar TV.

Dayshots from Halloween 2006

2007-09-27T21:57:00.001-04:00

I never posted any daylight shoots of our 2006 yard haunt. Picasa has a new embedded slide show feature so I thought I'd use it.

Animated Creature Frame

2007-09-23T08:44:00.001-04:00

This PVC and steel armature is powered by a wiper motor.

Nox Arcana - Shadow of the Raven

2007-09-14T15:28:00.008-04:00

"Ye who read these words are still among the living, but I who write shall have long since gone my way into the region of shadows. Plagued by ghosts from the past, my soul can find no release from its eternal sorrow. Lost loves, spirits of the dead... madmen and devils have each in turn visited me here in the solitude of my chamber, to haunt and torment me. I implore you to heed my tale, as I relate the grim and ghastly things that befell me in my darkest hour... once upon a midnight dreary..."

Today I received the latest Nox Arcana CD titled "Shadow of the Raven".

From their web site:

Delve into the haunted realms of Edgar Allan Poe, as Nox Arcana enriches the classic tales of the literary master of the macabre with a lush musical tapestry of Victorian elegance and Gothic nightmares. This dark soundscape of ghostly melodies, mournful dirges, eerie sound effects and ominous orchestrations is accompanied by Joseph Vargo's lavish artwork depicting Poe's classic horror tales, and even offers fans a hidden "gold bug" riddle.

I really like the Edgar Allan Poe tie-ins and the CD artwork is fantastic. Good stuff!

Nox Arcana fans will want this one in their collection.

Sound Effects Recorder

2007-09-11T21:23:00.001-04:00

Sound effects for Charlie will come from Cowlacious Designs

Snake and Vulture

2007-09-11T21:20:00.001-04:00

More inexpensive latex scene setters.

Stone Raven on Pedestal

2007-09-02T21:49:00.001-04:00

Another 40% off Michaels purchase. It's 24 inches tall and made of resin.

Web Tombstone

2007-09-02T21:44:00.001-04:00

This is the last of the tombstones purchased for this year. It's another small 20" resin stone bought from Michaels for $9.95 with a 50% off coupon.

Don Post Witch Mask

2007-08-29T20:55:00.001-04:00

I read on a post HauntForum that Costco had some oversize masks for sale. I stopped in today during lunch and sure enough they had this huge Don Post witch mask for $24.90. There were others as well but I need to add another witch to my scene this year to make it a trio. This mask should be a nice basis for the last one.

However, these are not Death Studios type masks. It is low quality latex and has cutouts for the mouth, nose and eyes. But for less than $25 it should suffice.

The skull in the picture is there to give it some scale. The mask is quite large.

Crow on a Pedestal

2007-08-28T23:10:00.001-04:00

Big Lots also had this crow on pedestal for $14. It's another resin prop so it should be very durable.

New Skull

2007-08-28T23:08:00.002-04:00

Big lots had a decent looking skull for $7 so I picked up one.

Motors and Power

2007-08-28T22:50:00.001-04:00

I got a couple of new wiper motors and power supplies from the Surplus Center. I really like these Trico motors.

Davy Jones Waterfall Projection

2007-08-27T22:40:00.000-04:00

Our family just got back from 10 days of vacation in southern California. It's was our first visit there and of course we had to visit Disneyland if only to compare it to Disney World.

We rode the Pirates of the Caribbean ride and I got a decent video of the Davy Jones Waterfall projection. I love the effect. Wish it were simple and cheap to do.

R.I.P. Tombstone

2007-08-15T22:37:00.001-04:00

Purchased this 20" tombstone from Michaels this afternoon. With a 40% off coupon, the total cost was $12. It's made of a heavy resin material.

Yeah...yeah...I know. I could made many more stones if I'd used the money to buy pink foam and paint. But the truth of the matter is my graveyard is about filled up right now. Until I expand the fencing, building six or eight new large stones is a waste (and a storage problem). Maybe next year. These little stones will make a nice addition this year and can be used inside for "decorations" until they go outside.

Skeleton Tombstone

2007-08-10T21:26:00.001-04:00

Got this 24" tombstone from Michaels tonight. With a 40% off coupon, the total cost was $15. It's made of a heavy resin material which should stand up well.

Finger Food

2007-08-10T18:37:00.001-04:00

Michaels had these fingers for $4. I got a good reaction out of a co-worker when I put one in her chair while she was at lunch. I love a screamer.

Hand in a Bag

2007-08-10T18:33:00.001-04:00

Big Lots had a hand in a bag. I'm going to use the hand for something else. But it's a decent prop for $13.

Blurp Charlie

2007-08-10T17:33:00.002-04:00

Got this guy from grimreapers.com. The cost was $39.95 plus shipping. They shipped it fast. I like that.

It will form the basis of new animated prop this year. Stay tuned for that.

UPDATE 2009: The mask has gone up in price since 2007 and is not listed on GrimReapers main site but it is available on their Amazon Store.

Vampire Boy Bust

2007-08-04T15:46:00.001-04:00

Still spending money at Michaels. Another 40% off coupon and another $12 for this mean looking child.

Spazm Finds a New Home

2007-08-03T19:38:00.001-04:00

Yesterday I received my first order this year from Jeff at TheFrighteners.com. He had a great deal on Spazm. Terrific customer service and excellent pricing. Check out his goodies.

Creepy Female Bust

2007-08-03T19:35:00.001-04:00

My second purchase from Michaels this year. Also 40% off with a coupon.

Vampire Bust

2007-08-03T13:53:00.001-04:00

So the shopping season has begun. Michaels has put out their Halloween merchandise. So I stopped off after work with a 40% off coupon and $12. Picked up this guy. Very nice for the a money.

Halloween Photos 2006

2006-11-07T16:56:00.001-05:00

Owl

2006-10-19T11:33:00.002-04:00

I saw this owl last year in The Crow 1994's collection. I found it this year for a good price. It's much better than the all black one I had.

Rat

2006-10-19T11:32:00.001-04:00

I liked this foot long rat so I added it to the collection.

Both New Coffins Together

2006-10-09T10:10:00.001-04:00

Animated Creepy Coffin

2006-10-09T10:03:00.001-04:00

This new prop was designed to look like this Creepy Coffin commercial prop. When I saw it online and in the stores, I liked the concept and the look. However the commercial version was static and made of Styrofoam. And it cost $99.

Instead of buying that prop I took the money and built this 6-foot animated version. It uses a wiper motor to open and close the hinged front. The outside chains and lock are plastic and foam but inside there are five pieces of real chain swinging and banging. A couple of ACC arms replaced the foam ones on the commercial version. It cost me less than $100 to make and will outlast the commercial version by many years.

Here's a picture. A how-to project description will be posted next month. Here's 10-second video clip showing the motion.

Corpse in a Coffin

2006-10-08T12:38:00.002-04:00

I added a corpse to my $25 Toe-Pincher Coffin. Here's a picture.

Crazy Camo

2006-10-08T12:28:00.001-04:00

I ordered some Ultra-lite Crazy Camo Nets from Barre Army Navy Store. I placed my order last Wednesday and it shipped the same day and arrived Saturday. They have a good price on high quality netting that meets anti-fire certifications. Good stuff.

$25 Full-Size Toe-Pincher Coffin

2006-10-04T11:30:00.001-04:00

This year I built a couple of full-size toe-pincher coffins to compliment the half-size coffin we built back in 2004. I posted a project description on the ScareFX.com site. Here's a picture of the coffin that will be the home for a new corpse I'm currently making.

New from Spirit Halloween & Spencer's Gifts

2006-09-21T20:19:00.001-04:00

Purchased a couple more latex props today. The demon came from Spirit and the spider from Spencer's. The demon will be in the graveyard and the spider will be on the porch. Both are nice sized props. I really liked the details on the demon and black widows are the creepiest spider to me. It will replace the tarantula on the giant web this year.

ScareFX.com Gets a New Look

2006-09-20T15:55:00.001-04:00

I've updated the design of the ScareFX.com web site. The content from the old site is still in place with the same page names so links and bookmarks will not be broken. I'll be adding new content continually over the next couple of months.

Poseable Gargoyle

2006-09-19T22:38:00.001-04:00

This little poseable gargoyle came today.

The 2005 Grave Digger

2006-09-14T17:19:00.001-04:00

The Crow 1994 asked about the details of the grave digger prop I made last year.
Here is what he looked like on Halloween night 2005.

The mask is a display copy (no cutouts for the eyes) called Gravedigger from Death Studios. A wig head was used inside the mask (with some plastic grocery bags stuffed into the gaps. The wig head was placed over a 1/2" PVC "neck".

The hands are Star Wars Emperor Palpatine latex hands from BuyCostumes. Heavy wire was placed in the hands so they could be positioned on the shovel and lantern.

The frame is 1.5 inch PVC pipe and fittings with chicken wire to provide some "body". The frame is slipped over iron re-bar driven into the ground. The 1/2" PVC neck is inserted into a reducer fitting placed in the 4-way fitting. Here's a great calculator that can help with proportions.

The coveralls are from the local Tractor Supply Company.

Did the Rounds at the Stores Today

2006-09-14T14:18:00.001-04:00

I'm off on Thursdays and it's raining so I thought I'd check out the merchandise at the stores today. The Spirit store is not open yet and I've already gotten the things I wanted from Big Lots this year. So I went to Party City, Halloween Express, Spencer's Gifts, and Target.

I saw a nice Black Widow spider at Spencer's. I think I might add that one to my spider collection. They also have the Scary Demon with Cross which is definitely on my list to add to the graveyard.

Halloween Express has tons of costumes and quite a few props. I saw a couple of spiders and a giant roach that looked pretty good. They had a couple of latex vultures that looked better than the one in Spencer's.

I picked up a couple of the large poly-resin gargoyles and a poly-resin cross from Target today. Last year I waited too long to the get the bigger ones and had to settle for the smaller canine gargoyles. Those poly-resin props are nicely detailed for the money.

My giant toad arrived from the Toy Lounge today. I like him.

Bones and Eyeballs...

2006-08-15T22:29:00.001-04:00

Vlad, over on HauntForum.com, put together a group buy with Marilyn at Anatomical Chart Company. I picked up another Bucky, some body parts and a Mr. Thrifty spider. We got excellent prices on these goodies. If you're not a HauntForum member, these group buys are yet another reason to join!

Finials for a PVC Fence

2006-07-28T23:20:00.001-04:00

If anyone is building a PVC fence, I wanted to point out of a source for finials.

I purchased the plastic finials pictured below from DecorativeIron.com. The item number is 16.2029.

These square finials will fit over 1/2" schedule 40 PVC. However, it is a very tight fit and it would be very difficult to get them on without heating up the PVC. If you use a heat gun to warm the PVC, the finials slide on very quick and easy. It creates a very good fit after the PVC hardens. In fact, it's very difficult to get them off.

Shipping was a bit high from DecorativeIron to Virginia at $14.53 for 100 finials, keep that in mind if you order.

BUT... they look pretty good and they kept Bucky inside the graveyard.

Scarecrow Showdown at HauntForum

2006-07-20T08:42:00.000-04:00

Zombie-F's HauntForum has another prop building contest underway. The Scarecrow Showdown will be the last this season. They have some great prizes and there will be some terrific scarecrows built for this contest. Check it out.

http://www.hauntforum.com/showthread.php?t=2699

It's a BAD Seed

2006-07-08T13:18:00.000-04:00

I received my second order from Jeff over at TheFrighteners.com today. The Bad Seed Creature Reacher looks good. I'm not going to be using it as a costume but as part of my reworked riser prop.

Here's the entire costume in a catalog shot.

This is the prop I will rework using the Creature Reacher.

Out of Darkness

2006-07-06T10:09:00.001-04:00

I received my copy of Midnight Syndicate's new retrospective CD in the mail yesterday. The CD features re-recorded and re-mastered horror music classics from Midnight Syndicate's Midnight Syndicate, Born of the Night, and Realm of Shadows as well as four previously unreleased tracks. I purchased my copy from Jeff over at TheFrighteners.com. He has good prices and quick shipping.

For more information and some sample tracks, head over to MidnightSyndicate.com.

A Couple Favorite Disney World Props

2006-07-03T21:31:00.001-04:00

I'm thinking I need to make a hearse and some more tombstones.

HauntForum Contest Voting Now Underway

2006-07-02T14:13:00.000-04:00

If you have not visited Zombie-F's HauntForum, do yourself a favor and head over there. The 2006 Tournament de Tombstone voting is taking place. Some great tombstones were made for the contest and it will be hard to choose the best.

http://www.hauntforum.com/showthread.php?t=2578

Got Some Inspiration Care of a Trip to FLA

2006-07-02T13:36:00.001-04:00

We took the kids down to Disney World last week. While the Haunted Mansion is looking old and tired inside, it was still great to snap some photos while in line. There are a couple of edited images below. However the lobby of the Hollywood Hotel still looked wonderfully creepy.

March Madness?

2006-03-30T15:30:00.000-05:00

It should be time to get out of the prop making slump but I'm still not motivated... Perhaps soon.

Snow comes early to Virginia this year

2005-12-05T22:08:00.001-05:00

Richmond has roughly a 2 percent chance of seeing a snow of 4 inches or greater during the first 10 days of December. The 50-1 shot occurred yesterday.

A Successful '05

2005-11-01T09:48:00.002-05:00

The weather this Halloween was fantastic. We had nearly 100 kids ring the doorbell for candy and at least 50 or 60 adults visit our yard haunt. It was a beautiful night for Trick-or-Treating.

Fellow HalloweenForum and BlogCrypt member Vikeman, his wife Brenda, and new baby Blake stopped by for a visit. It was really nice to meet them.

I took some long exposure photos. Here's one of the shots at the end of the night. The lighting was not as bright as it appears.

More pictures can be viewed in this gallery:
http://www.scarefx.com/halloween_2005

Night of the Living Dead On Web

2005-10-21T15:27:00.001-04:00

On2 is showing Night of the Living Dead on their web site. http://www.on2.com/

"Watch the full-length movie in Flash 8. In celebration of Halloween, On2 Technologies is proud to present George Romero's classic zombie horror flick, Night of the Living Dead."

Head In A Jar

2005-10-20T10:56:00.001-04:00

I think this prop looks great. Easy to make too. Take a look at the original here.

Bandwidth Blues

2005-10-19T09:24:00.000-04:00

I got a warning from my web hosting company that my bandwidth for the month is almost gone. I do not want to upgrade my package for the entire year just to meet the demand for this single month. I have removed all the images and video clips from the site to keep it from being locked. Sorry if you see broken image links over the couple of weeks. They will be back soon.

Flaming Extreme Pumpkin

2005-10-18T10:12:00.000-04:00

That wacky guy Tom over at extremepumpkins.com has a video of a flaming demon pumpkin. He used kerosene soaked toilet paper to keep it burning for 45 minutes. Great stuff!

Our FCG Is Flying

2005-10-17T22:30:00.001-04:00

I put another prop on display early this year.

I rigged up "Vicky" to fly in our guest room dormer above the Pumpkinrot Scarecrow.

The picture was shot at f/4.5 for 25 seconds. She's not as bright as the image.

Night-shot of Scarecrow

2005-10-14T21:03:00.001-04:00

In the years past, I've really never put any props out before Halloween. I love the "magic" that comes with a display "appearing" on the big day and "disappearing" late that night. But I decided to put selected items out early this year. Last night I put up our Pumpkinrot Scarecrow. Tonight I took a pic.

Grossferatu

2005-10-11T08:18:00.001-04:00

I know. I said I was not going to buy any more props this season. But I'm a sucker for a good deal.

I bought a Grossferatu prop from Fright Catalog for $39.99. It had been priced at $99. He arrived today. I had read that some folks thought the paint job was too dull. But I like it. I wish the lips and eyes were a little less pink but overall I think he's a pretty creepy dude.

Paying homage to the Master

2005-10-02T17:33:00.001-04:00

Our Pumpkinrot Scarecrow

My son and I got our scarecrow built this afternoon. We could not let another year pass by without having one in our little yard haunt. The inspiration is here: http://www.pumpkinrot.com/pages/Page3.htm

Modified a Gemmy Remote

2005-09-15T18:51:00.002-04:00

Walmart is selling the Gemmy Fog Machine for under $20 this year. I picked up one to use with my new pop-up. I want to control the release of fog with the same timer that is controling the popup. A regular fogger timer will likely not be in sync with the scare.

Hauntmaster Products does have a solution, however they cannot make the modification during this busy time of the season. I decided to make the modification myself. Basically I installed a low voltage relay connected to a mini-jack in the remote. Then I plugged a wall wart into the remote's jack. The wall wart then plugs into my controller so the timer is able to "push the fog button".

Here's what the inside of the remote looked like prior to adding the relay.

I used 9 volt DC Mini Relay that I got from Radio Shack. The contacts were rated 12A @ 120VAC/24VDC. I used a panel-mount Size M Coaxial Power Jack and a Size M Coaxial Power Plug.

I dry-fitted the relay into the remote to determine the best place to place the jack. I drilled a 1/4 inch hole on one side and checked the fit.

I then followed the diagram on the back of the relay box and wired and soldered the coil pins to the coaxial jack.

I then wired and soldered the common pin to the white wire in the remote. Next wired and soldered the the nomally open pin to the green wire in the remote. I fit the relay into the remote, mounted the jack into place and screwed the case shut.

Here's what the modified remote looks like. I tested it out and it works perfectly.

Boxed an Interface

2005-09-15T18:39:00.002-04:00

Jim over at Hauntmaster Products sells a nice little 120 Volt A.C. interface for $6.

It's basically lets a high voltage circuit control a low voltage circuit. I bought a couple to control my new sound recorder/players from Cowlascious Designs.

I like things a little more tidy so I mounted them each in a project box today. Each fits nicely into a 3x2x1 box.

Two Pair

2005-09-15T13:46:00.001-04:00

I made the rounds at the discount stores today. I got some of the fake barbed wire from Walmart. It was only $1.94 for 20 feet. That's way cheaper than any other place I've seen it.

I also got the two skulls below from Big Lots. I saw them last year but did not get back before they sold out.

The two gargolyes below came from Target. They are made of resin and were $8 each. That had a larger version too but they wanted $20 each for those.

Bucky Got Aged

2005-09-11T16:42:00.001-04:00

Today was a BEAUTIFUL day here in Midlothian. I took advantage of the weather and aged a bucky that I'm going to use in my "Talking Skeleton in a Cage" prop. It's really kinda amazing what a little Aged Oak Minwax Gel Stain will do to enhance the look of those bones.

Pneumatic Cobweb Gun

2005-09-05T23:01:00.001-04:00

Lotus, over on HauntForum, built a simple pneumatic cobweb gun. I used his design to make one myself. I bought an 80-watt glue gun for $8.50 from Michaels using a 50% off coupon. I bought 1/4 inch copper tubing, a control valve and a connector to hook it up to my compressor. Total cost of those materials was about $11. So I've got less than $20 in the gun.

Like Lotus, I zip-tied the setup to the glue gun. That makes it easy to adjust the position of the air tube.

I'm going to have to play around with a bit more to learn the proper technique but the design works well. It does eat up glue sticks so I'll be searching for some cheap ones.

Thanks Lotus!