Go for the Gore: Fake Body Parts and Other Halloween Decorations that Really Set the Mood
If you want to create a truly scary Halloween atmosphere for a Halloween party or for Trick of Treating using fake body parts is a great way to do it. People are always thrown off balance by the appearance of a bloody limb, a random eyeball, or a skeleton hanging menacingly in a corner. The trick to making your event truly scary and not just a random collection of fake looking body parts is how you use them. Here are some tips for using fake body parts to scare the costumes off your guests at your Halloween party:
Don’t overdo it – If you pile a bunch of fake parts on top of each other, or use too many props then your scary party will look like a backstage party at a production of Sweeney Todd. It won’t be scary, it will be laughable. Halloween decorations have come a long way over the years and these days it takes a lot more than it did in the past to scare people. Using fake body parts and fake blood subtlety is the best way to really scare people. A few realistic fake body parts combined with the right staging will be terrifying to your guests and will make your Halloween party the most talked about party for the rest of the year.
Avoid cliches – Sausage intestines and fake plastic fingers are too cliche these days. Instead of falling back on those old tricks use fake arms, plastic skulls, hearts, and other body parts made in today’s high tech plastics and other materials that will feel realistic. A good paint job and some fake blood will make a dismembered foot sticking out of a bloody shoe or a fake arm hanging from a meat hook in the ceiling truly scary. A candy dish or chip bowl made from a plastic skull is always a crowd pleaser, but you can also make a Jello heart from a plastic mold that looks frighteningly real and will even jiggle and move like a real organ and place that on the snack table to scare everyone. You can also buy brain molds to make realistic looking, edible brains. Eyeballs in the food are also a Halloween favorite.
Get creative – The best horror movies are scary because they creatively use death and gore to scare people. Instead of just dumping random plastic body parts around your home really make an effort to set a scene to provide the most dramatic effect. A fake torso hanging from a hook in the ceiling or a head suspended from a chain in the wall isn’t necessarily scary. But combine those fake body parts with a little fog, a colored strobe light positioned right on the body part, and Black light instead of traditional light and the effect is terrifying. Recreate a scene from your favorite horror movie or create your own horror movie set by setting up each room as a different scene. Your guests will be terrified, but they will love it.
One of the best Halloween sites http://www.CavernsOfBlood.com has launched with a new design. This great site is celebrating it’s tenth year online!
It is a Halloween and Horror site with humor. With free online games, the magic 8 ball of horror, a virtual haunted house, horror movie trivia, free Halloween and horror graphics, animated gifs, fonts, Halloween midis, Halloween sounds, horror movie villain, jigsaw puzzles, celebrity horror secrets, biorhythms, blood and gore.
Check it out:
Zombieland was one of the most anticipated movies of 2009 among horror and indie movie film fans. The film is a comedic horror film about four strangers who meet and become friends in a post-apocalyptic USA that has been overtaken by zombies. The four main characters choose to be known
by names of the places they come from or are trying to get to so the story follows two men who are called Columbus and Tallahassee and two women called Wichita and Little Rock as they try to make it to an amusement park that is reported to be zombie free. Columbus is trying to get back to Columbus, Ohio to find his family. After losing his son to zombies Tallahassee is determined to find the last Twinkie left on Earth, and the women are just trying to make it to the amusement park, Pacific Playland, where they assume they will be safe from the zombies.
Neither the men or the women trust each other at first and they routinely pull cons and tricks on each other along the way. After they first meet Wichita and Little Rock steal Columbus and Tallahassee’s car and all their weapons and take off without them for Pacific Playland. Luckily Columbus and Tallahassee find an SUV that still runs loaded with weapons and they take off after the women. After spending time together Columbus begins to fall in love with Wichita but the love story is secondary to the main story which involves a lot of shooting, a lot of zombies, and a lot of high speed driving.
As the group travels towards Pacific Playland they pass through Hollywood and they spend some time with Bill Murray, who appears in the movie as himself. At first the group assumes that Murray has been turned into a zombie as well because he looks and acts like a zombie but after they are in his home he reveals that he only puts on zombie makeup and acts like a zombie so that the zombies will continue to leave him alone. He spends his days living in his home and playing golf. There is a misunderstanding and Columbus ends up accidentally shooting and killing Bill Murray. Murray’s cameo appearance ups the comedic side of the movie and there are many witty exchanges between Columbus, Tallahassee and Bill Murray.
Eventually, after lots of adventures, the group arrives at Pacific Playland. Tallassee does find the a Twinkie, but Columbus realizes that his family and friends in Columbus, Ohio are either dead or zombies and he is better off staying with Wichita, Little Rock and Tallahassee. While at the amusement park the women turn on all the lights and start riding the rides which makes all the zombies in the area notice the amusement park which they had not noticed before. The converge on the amusement park and the four friends are left to fight off the hordes of zombies who are trying to kill them. They battle the zombies and together manage to kill them all. At the end of the movie the four leave Pacific Playland together in search of new adventures.
Zombie movies are always popular, but audiences love Zombieland because it’s funny and has a lot of action but remains tongue in cheek throughout the whole movie.
Just Say No To Permanent Saturday Halloweens!!!
KEEP IT 31
Here's your chance to defeat Spirit Halloween's proposal to change all Halloweens to Saturday and keep Halloween on October 31st.
Present day Halloween festivities and beliefs are an amalgamation of superstitious traditions and religious beliefs of many cultures, some 3000 to 6000 years old. There is no reason to change an already great holiday celebration, especially not for extra retail sales.
Follow the link below and sign the petition to tell congress how you feel:
Petition Against Proposed Permanent Saturday Halloweens Petition
The Petition Against Proposed Permanent Saturday Halloweens Petition to U.S. Congress was created by and written by Donald E. Hill (jazzinfour@yahoo.com). There is no endorsement of this petition by HalloweenNews.com, express or implied.
Here's your chance to defeat Spirit Halloween's proposal to change all Halloweens to Saturday and keep Halloween on October 31st.
Present day Halloween festivities and beliefs are an amalgamation of superstitious traditions and religious beliefs of many cultures, some 3000 to 6000 years old. There is no reason to change an already great holiday celebration, especially not for extra retail sales.
Follow the link below and sign the petition to tell congress how you feel:
Petition Against Proposed Permanent Saturday Halloweens Petition
The Petition Against Proposed Permanent Saturday Halloweens Petition to U.S. Congress was created by and written by Donald E. Hill (jazzinfour@yahoo.com). There is no endorsement of this petition by HalloweenNews.com, express or implied.
HALLOWEEKEND MOVEMENT COMES KNOCKING
National Retailer Spirit Halloween Launches Campaign for Permanent Saturday Halloweens
NEW YORK, October 1, 2009 – Last year, Halloween fell on a Friday, inspiring revelers to celebrate all weekend. This year, with the beloved holiday on a Saturday, trick-or-treating can start at dawn. But every year can’t have a Halloweekend. Or can it?
Spirit Halloween believes Halloweekend can – and should – be every year. The leading seasonal retailer proposes that costume-loving, home-decorating fans of all ages give Halloween its own permanent home: on the last Saturday of October.
“With homework, jobs and busy weekday schedules, Halloween often doesn’t get the attention it deserves,” said Steven Silverstein, Spirit Halloween’s CEO, who is leading the uprising. “We’re tired of seeing this enchanted holiday getting lost on a weekday, disappointing ghouls, goblins, witches and warlocks. Halloween deserves a Saturday to call its own, and we all deserve a Halloweekend.”
“Saturday Halloween will let adult and kids alike trick-or-treat earlier and longer, while adding more jobs to the economy,” Silverstein added. “Halloween-related retail sales are as much as 30% higher when Halloween falls on the weekend versus a weekday. Halloweekend could mark a turning point in global economic recovery.”
To rally Americans, Silverstein recently marched up Capitol Hill with supporters Wonder Woman, Popeye, Scarecrow and Dorothy at his side. A concerned citizen captured never-before-seen video of the march which can be viewed at www.spirithalloweekend.com. The new Halloweekend online hub also gives instructions on how to join the Halloweekend movement in your local community and on Facebook.
About Spirit Halloween
Spirit Halloween (www.spirithalloween.com) is the largest seasonal Halloween retailer in the country with 725 locations in strip centers and malls across the United States and Canada. The authority on all things Halloween, Spirit has offered one-stop shopping — ranging from costumes to décor and party goods to accessories — for more than 25 years. In addition to being a fun and interactive event for shoppers, Spirit stores offer complete selections of costumes and accessories for infants/toddlers, children, ‘tweens, teens, adults, and even pets. At the heart of Spirit Halloween is the Spirit of Children program, which is devoted to bringing the fun, imagination and fantasy of Halloween to pediatric patients in hospitals and rehabilitation centers across the United States.
HALLOWEEKEND MOVEMENT COMES KNOCKING
National Retailer Spirit Halloween Launches Campaign for Permanent Saturday Halloweens
NEW YORK, October 1, 2009 – Last year, Halloween fell on a Friday, inspiring revelers to celebrate all weekend. This year, with the beloved holiday on a Saturday, trick-or-treating can start at dawn. But every year can’t have a Halloweekend. Or can it?
Spirit Halloween believes Halloweekend can – and should – be every year. The leading seasonal retailer proposes that costume-loving, home-decorating fans of all ages give Halloween its own permanent home: on the last Saturday of October.
“With homework, jobs and busy weekday schedules, Halloween often doesn’t get the attention it deserves,” said Steven Silverstein, Spirit Halloween’s CEO, who is leading the uprising. “We’re tired of seeing this enchanted holiday getting lost on a weekday, disappointing ghouls, goblins, witches and warlocks. Halloween deserves a Saturday to call its own, and we all deserve a Halloweekend.”
“Saturday Halloween will let adult and kids alike trick-or-treat earlier and longer, while adding more jobs to the economy,” Silverstein added. “Halloween-related retail sales are as much as 30% higher when Halloween falls on the weekend versus a weekday. Halloweekend could mark a turning point in global economic recovery.”
To rally Americans, Silverstein recently marched up Capitol Hill with supporters Wonder Woman, Popeye, Scarecrow and Dorothy at his side. A concerned citizen captured never-before-seen video of the march which can be viewed at www.spirithalloweekend.com. The new Halloweekend online hub also gives instructions on how to join the Halloweekend movement in your local community and on Facebook.
About Spirit Halloween
Spirit Halloween (www.spirithalloween.com) is the largest seasonal Halloween retailer in the country with 725 locations in strip centers and malls across the United States and Canada. The authority on all things Halloween, Spirit has offered one-stop shopping -- ranging from costumes to décor and party goods to accessories -- for more than 25 years. In addition to being a fun and interactive event for shoppers, Spirit stores offer complete selections of costumes and accessories for infants/toddlers, children, ‘tweens, teens, adults, and even pets. At the heart of Spirit Halloween is the Spirit of Children program, which is devoted to bringing the fun, imagination and fantasy of Halloween to pediatric patients in hospitals and rehabilitation centers across the United States.
A BROOM WITH A VIEW
from Kristen Lawrence’s
HALLOWEEN CAROLS™
Music for the Autumnal Season
Think more Harry Potter, less Freddie Kruger; more pipe organ, less “Monster Mash.” It’s time to take a sophisticated step away from all the sound effect CDs of creaking doors, screaming, and bubbling cauldrons. With more elegance and intrigue, less horror and kitsch, a new collection of original Halloween Carols™ has just been released on CD – A Broom With A View – written, recorded, and produced by Halloween aficionado Kristen Lawrence.
Haunting, witty, and beautiful, Kristen’s unique writing style embraces musical influences drawn from the ages, from medieval plainchant to modern day metal. Lawrence, a classically trained organist, has studied the holiday’s history and decided that the rich tradition of All Hallows Eve merits its own seasonal carols. To date, she has over 60 carols written, each waiting its turn to be recorded. This CD is the second release from her collection.
“I love it and think it is remarkably fresh and original – the pieces could be movie scores. Grown-ups who have loved this holiday from afar can come out of the woods because we finally have elegant Halloween music all ages can enjoy,” says Academy Award winning filmmaker Kieth Merrill. Pacific Symphony’s Assistant Conductor, Maxim Eshkenazy, calls A Broom With A View an “interesting, intriguing, and fascinating listen. Definitely an absolute must for Halloween.”
Kristen grew up in the temperate trick-or-treating weather of Orange County, California and calls Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion her second home. She writes music with her black cat “Molly Macabre the Halloween Cat” at her side. Molly is a featured “vocalist” in the song “Cats In The Catacombs.”
Other sweet treats from the CD include: “Mostly Ghostly” – a wailing pipe organ introduction; “Vampire Empire” – a succulent waltz with harpsichord, organ, and kick drums thumping like heartbeats; and two versions of the traditional “Souling Song” – “All Hallows Version,” which explains the medieval Christian history of All Hallows with cathedral bells and organ, and “Samhain Version,” which explains the pagan origins with drums, organ, and guitars. As Kristen’s singing and compositions range from richly intense to delightfully quirky, this CD will appeal to all ages and types of Trick-or-Treaters. Broom with a View is currently available
A Broom With A View is available at www.cdbaby.com and www.dfjamsstore.com coming to iTunes and Amazon very soon.
twitter.com/HalloweenCarols