Pinterest Boards?

I haven't become part of the Pinterest world yet.  I'll probably find too much stuff that I want to make.  But, I accidentally linked into a Pinterest board today looking at Halloween images online.  And, Wow!  

There are a lot of Halloween junkies out there with great ideas.  Things I haven't thought of in the hours and days I've spent mulling epitaphs and burnt bodies.  I found one Pinterest user - Dawn of the Dead - and she has over 100 Boards dedicated to Halloween.  Of course, I particularly enjoy the Graves/Cemeteries Board, but it is just fun to see what other people come up with.  Some really good ideas for haunt projects ready for your mind to take it to the next level.  

This link should take you to Dawn of the Dead's page: http://pinterest.com/zim2/

Does anyone follow another Halloween board on Pinterest the rest of us should know about?  Post a comment if you do.

Haunt Music

There are a lot of Halloween CD's out there.  From classic horror movie soundtracks to the standard family-friendly entertaining Monster Mash tracks.  Since what we do is a Yard Haunt, we need something a little different.  No singing, no clapping, no instrumentals.  We need MOOD!  Bone-chilling, over-the-shoulder-looking, make-you-think-twice-about-entering MOOD!  

Now I know that there are a lot of avid Haunters who'll disagree, but we have used with marked success for many years Martha Stewart's Spooky Scary Sounds for Halloween.  Yes, it is a single 40 minute track with several of the sounds looped, but our trick-or-treaters don't stay long enough to notice and/or are too scared to notice (I prefer too scared).  What we love about it is that the sounds seem distant, as if something is going on just out of sight on the other side of that impenetrable fog bank that you probably don't want to see or it to see you.  Owls, thunder, knives and cackling set the feeling of being lost in a graveyard and the fog just clouded the street lights so now you don't know which way the exit is.  Perfect for our haunt!  

Now, we'll admit that one of our goals every year is to make at least one child cry (and we are successful) but we don't want to scar them.  So, in between loops of Martha's melody, we have included some more frightening tidbits from the internet including a booming voice that announces, "Welcome To Hell" and then laughs while a poor soul is dragged deeper and deeper into the inferno, his terrified cries for help unanswered.  This one usually makes the little kids jump and the parents smile.  

So, love it or hate it, Martha's our go-to girl for our Haunt sounds but we're always looking to improve.  Who has something better?

Proper Halloween Yard Maintenance

The short answer: None.  (If only your homeowners' association didn't exist, right?)

We live in California and it hasn't rained here in three years.  Almost literally.  By the time we reach our venerated Halloween holiday, the hills will be scorched black (probably from a fire).  This year's particular weather problem has its benefits and its downfalls.  

Benefits first.  Because every ounce of moisture will have been sucked and drained from the trees, bushes and weeds the sound of Halloween should show up long before the holiday itself.  The quiet rustling of fallen leaves against the brisk cool air of October harkens the early arrival of the Feast.  That first night of the sound of crisp leaves running along the pavement feeds my soul with the promise of another eerie and wondrous spookfest in our front yard.  

And downfalls.  The water bill will be enormous this year.  Your Halloween yard is as important as your decor.  Ambiance, although set by lighting, decorations and music, has its organic roots in the grass of your lawn.  We like to partake in our final mow of the season around mid-September.  This ensures that by the time Halloween rolls around, the grass in our lawn has enough height to give the appearance that no one has taken care of this graveyard for years.  It is abandoned and its souls forgotten to the ravages of time.  

Image from Development Systems, UK.  www.devsys.co.uk

Talking Halloween

There are a lot of Halloween sites on the web for all manner of fetishes.  One of our favorites is www.halloweenforum.com where Halloween enthusiasts can reach out to other enthusiasts for inspiration and assistance.  

                                            

What Should a Halloween Tombstone Look Like?

Tombstones available at the big box Halloween stores look ridiculous.  First, they are too small and too thin.  Real tombstones have weight to them - they are marble or granite for Devil's sake!  Second, they don't look like real tombstones.  No tombstone in the history of humanity has said RIP with the grim reaper engraved.  (Although mine might have to just to prove a point) 

But, real tombstones are boring because granite is difficult to carve and expensive.  Actually, the most elaborate tombstones from the 1800's are made of marble because it is a softer stone and easier to work.  So, it begs the question ... what should Halloween tombstones look like?  We've spent hours debating this without resolution.  We have determined that tombstones should have the appearance of the weight of stone with typical lettering and grander than usual epitaphs.  

We want your Haunt visitors to stop and read the epitaphs on the tombstones.  What makes tombstones scary is the epitaph and realistic engraving of wilting flowers, not the grim reaper.  Fear is in the mind and each person is afraid of something different.  Our tombstones lay the foundation for your fear and your mind will conjure the rest.  No blood, no gore, no obvious images of fright.  Only subtle tremors of terror.  

Hell is Empty and all the Devils are Here

Hallowine

I live in Santa Barbara wine country just on the other side of the coastal mountains where cool nights and hot summer days make amazing wines.  But, alas, there are no Halloween or ghost wines here.  For that, I need to travel back to my home on the delta in Sacramento and Bogle Vineyards.

I moved to Sacramento in the dead of Summer in 2002.  While living there, my husband and I stumbled on a winery with vineyards just on the opposite shore from our home on the southern delta - Bogle.  We fell in love with their wines, in fact, I have a bottle of their Old Vine Zin in the cabinet at home right now.  When Bogle released its Phantom blend our love of a good red and a bloody good Halloween party came together in one rapturous sip.

Nowadays, Bogle is widely available but no less tasty.  If you run across this gem in the store, do yourself a treat (no tricks here) and take it home.  For more information about where to buy Phantom, visit Bogle's website at www.boglewinery.com.  

Haunted Houses

The first haunted house I was a part of was at Science Camp in sixth grade.  Our camp dates fell over the venerated Halloween holiday, but sixth grade Science Camp only comes once.  The counselors, in their infinite wisdom, or maybe just their love of Halloween too, set up a Haunted House.  

     I can't remember now how I was able to take part in the Haunt, it's been that many years, but boy was I excited.  Black plastic lined hallways with things hiding in the dark ready to scare every 12 year-old girl into shrieks of terror.  And I got the distinct pleasure and privilege of inflicting such torment by reaching out from underneath a table and grabbing unsuspecting ankles.  I loved it!  My first taste of Haunt and I was addicted!  

     Nowadays, haunting is a commercial enterprise, with untold numbers of professional haunts available every year.  But, there are some of us who still love yard haunts over the nightmarish terrors the professional haunters conjure.  If you're looking for any kind of Haunt, try these websites:

www.hauntworld.com

www.findahaunt.com

www.hauntedhouses.com

www.hauntedhouse.com