Thursday, September 29, 2011

31 Days of Halloween is Just Two Days Away!


October is upon us! In just two days it will be my (and most likely yours!) most favorite month of the year! And do I have some treats (and maybe some tricks) for you this Halloween season!

October 1st kicks off my "31 Days of Halloween" spook-tacular (check out last year's posts!), where every day I will have a Halloween-related post to share with you (check out other blogs participating in the 2011 Countdown to Halloween)! From top 10 lists to special exhibits (look for my upcoming post on Tim Burton's exhibit at LACMA) to recipes to movie reviews to special event coverage to fiendish finds to fun videos (and much, much more), I'll bring you 31 days of haunting Halloween fun!

What kind of posts do you have planned for the month of October?

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Update on Target's Halloween 2011 Selection + Halloween Jewelry

So, I thought I would mosey in to Target today and check out their Halloween selection, expecting it to be fully stocked. Unfortunately, I found out that they were still in the process of stocking their shelves with Halloween goodies and the selection they had out was rather lacking. They had some cute plates out, a few pumpkins, a bunch of kid's costumes and tons of candy...but not too many decorations. You can check out a few pics I snapped below:

I do love these cute pumpkins!

Very cute sippy cups (I love the skellie)

Awesome skull plates

One thing they did have a lot of was Halloween jewelry! They had tons of cute pieces, from earrings to bracelets to necklaces to rings! Check out the selection below:

Such cute bracelets!!

Silly headbands

Skeleton hands and broken heart necklaces 
(I bought the green necklace)

LOTS of adorable Halloween earrings. I kind of want them all.


More lovely earrings

Claw polish...love the coffin shaped bottles it comes in

I couldn't resist picking up some holiday candy
(how could I, with "Spooky" Nerds and 
Glow-in-the-Dark Ghost Dots?)

I also picked up some glow-in-the-dark skeleton hand hair clips, the green skeleton hands necklace and a three pack of earrings that include black bats, pink skulls and blue moons. 

My haul

So while I was disappointed that Target's Halloween stuff wasn't ALL out on the shelves, I was happy to walk away with some pretty cool finds. And I'm sure I won't mind going back next week to check on their stock. Tee hee!

Everybody Dies Horror Film Festival in Orange County this October!


Orange County is finally getting their very own horror film festival!

The awesome folks behind the horror-comedy cult hit Stupid Teenagers Must Die! are putting together an indie horror film festival right in my backyard this October and it sounds like it is going to be killer! Check out the press release below, which unveils the fest's first two short film screenings!

Just in time for Halloween, a brand new horror film festival is coming to one of the most terrifying places in the world: Orange County, California! Friday, October 21 - Saturday, October 22, the Brea Plaza Cinema will host the Everybody Dies Horror Film Festival.

The fest will present a variety of independent short and feature films displaying everything from brain-chompin' zombies to knife-wieldin' crazy killers. The weekend will be presided over by the festival's mistress of ceremony, the super sexy psychopath: Machete Betty.

This week, the festival is unveiling it's frightening line-up and the first two short films have been announced:

NOWHERE ROAD, directed by Benjamin Dynice and written by Ryan Parrott, is a horror thriller set in the outskirts of lonely highway. This live action short was shot over four days in Canyon Country putting it’s untrustworthy characters into the worst of situations. Cinematographer Michael Roy shot the film starring Jen Nikolaus, Mallory McGill, and Jacob Motsinger as the three hapless college kids. Matt Lasky and Sean Naughton fill the role of the hillbillies that stop to pick up the trio on their way back from hunting mountain lion. NOWHERE ROAD is produced by Benjamin Dynice and Austin O’Brien.

HORROR MOVIES SUCK is the story of George, a horror movie geek, who attempts to school his easily frightened roommate, Sam, on the ways of horror by showing him a rare underground film from the late 70's called 'Evil Comes to Soggy Bottom.' The scares onscreen ignite our viewers fear as the legend of this film literally comes to life. Director John Mark Triplett says "the concept originated from a conversation with a roommate who just didn't understand the appeal of horror movies. As a horror movie fan, I'm well aware of the cliches and short-comings of this genre and wanted to highlight those moments from a comedic perspective. The film plays out like a roller coaster, with the ups and downs reflected in the switching of perspectives from the guys watching the movie to the movie itself. Making this film was an all-out blast and one of the best experiences of my career."

Tickets are now on sale at the festival's web site: http://www.EverybodyDiesFilmFest.com

Sunday, September 18, 2011

Happy Misgivings Day!


If you love Halloween as much as I do, you've probably already started getting into the Halloween spirit. However, today was the official Halloween kick-off day for the spooky season as decreed by Ghoul Friday herself!

If you're into Halloween, you are probably already well-acquainted with haunter-extraordinaire Ghoul Friday (if not, go to her spookilicious site right now! Go on, I'll wait for you, even though it might be a while since she has so much awesome stuff on there...) and last year she decided that the 7th Sunday before Halloween (that was today, dear fiends) would be known as "Misgivings Day" and the official kick-off to the Halloween season.

Misgivings Day is all about celebrating the approaching autumn season and getting into the spirit of Halloween! Whether it's baking some fall-inspired treats, working on Halloween decorations (or, if you're a haunter, props), enjoying some tasty pumpkin spice tea and/or watching some Halloween horror films, it's the season to be spooky!

To be honest, I completely forgot about the holiday until I saw a fellow blogger's post, but luckily I was already doing my Halloween thing all day long anyway, despite being a bit under the weather! Today, I worked on planning and writing posts for my annual "31 Days of Halloween", had some yummy, autumn-inspired chili, burned some pumpkin-scented candles and of course drank pumpkin spice tea all day long (which was perfect for the cold I'm currently fighting)! Oh, and I was watching The Twilight Zone all day too! A very nice Halloween-inspired Misgivings Day, don't you think?

Did you do anything Halloween-y this weekend?

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

God Module's "Seance" Out Today!


Spooky kids! God Module's new album Seance is out TODAY and if you know what's good for you, you'll skedaddle to go pick up a copy!

God Module plays "horror industrial - black electro - murder wave" and, as I like to refer to it, "spooky dance music", which I think is the most appropriate description of their dark but dance-y music!

I've been a fan for years and haven't ever been disappointed with anything from them, so I'm very excited for this new album! They'll also be touring with Imperative Reaction (who also have a new album out!) and System Syn on the Tryptych Tour (I'll be checking them out at Bunker on October 28th!).

You can find out more about God Module and buy the new album on their official site!

Check out the video to their new song "Doppelganger" off the Seance album, which is comprised of clips from horror movies (can you name them all?):

Monday, September 12, 2011

Suspiria at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery this Friday

For one of their last screenings this summer, Cinespia is showing Suspiria (one of my favorite films!) at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery on a special Friday screening September 16th!


For those that don't know, Cinespia puts on a fantastic screening series where they show films (of every genre, not just horror) almost every summer weekend at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. It is an unforgettable experience watching films projected on a mausoleum wall with hundreds of other fans picnicking amongst the headstones! I unfortunately haven't made it to any screenings this summer (boo!), but it is definitely a must-do event if you are in Southern California!

Check out their official announcement below:

Suspiria - Directed by Dario Argento (1977, 98 mins)
gates 6:30 pm / movie 8:00 pm NEW TIME !!!
No reservation necessary
$10 donation tickets available at gate
Picnic Reservations and Parking Passes online
Parking $10

For one of Cinespia's last screenings we present the classic supernatural horror film by master Italian filmmaker Dario Argento. An American girl travels to a European dance academy, only to learn that it may be run by a coven of witches.

A stylish feast for the eyes, Suspiria is brimming with Italian design, phantasmagoric color, baroque sets and a wicked soundtrack by Goblin. The surreal visuals, special effects and '70s wardrobe is balanced by some genuinely scary suspense as the girl uncovers the secret of the ancient school.

Join us for one of the most creative and wild horror movies of the era....in the cemetery! No one under 17 will be admitted without a parent or guardian.

DJ Mahssa spins before and after the screening.

Bring blankets, drinks and picnic dinner for this screening below the stars.

For more info, check out the Cinespia site!

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Tonight's Viewing: Red State (2011)


Tonight I'm watching Kevin Smith's controversial horror film Red State. I've heard mixed reactions on this one, but I've been looking forward to checking it out for quite some time. Plus, I've enjoyed many of Smith's movies, so I'm intrigued how he fares in the horror genre.

In Red State, the abduction of three teenaged boys leads to a guns-blazing standoff between a military task force and a band of fanatical fundamentalists.

Check  it out for yourself on VOD!


Spooky Vegan Now on Facebook!


Sorry for the bit of self-promotion, but today I finally created a Facebook page for The Spooky Vegan!

If you would like to keep up-to-date with The Spooky Vegan on Facebook, please check out the page and "like" it HERE

Thanks so much!

Target's Halloween Shirts for 2011

Our neighborhood Target is tragically slow at stocking their shelves with Halloween items. but this weekend I decided to venture out anyway to see if they'd gotten off their lazy bums for once. As usual, they only had a small selection of items out, including some pet costumes, the beginnings of their Halloween section and their Halloween t-shirts. It seems they have less tees than last year, plus some repeats (disappointing!!), so I was a bit let down at the lack of selection. Boo.


I purchased the best shirt there, the "Little Miss Spooky" one, of course! I figured it was just too fitting for me to pass up!

I snapped a few photos of the other few items they had out as well:


I'll have to head back in a week or two (or try a different Target) to see if they have any more spooky holiday items out!

I hope your Target is quicker at getting out Halloween items than mine!!

Check out my post on last year's Halloween t-shirts HERE!

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Trick r Treat's Sam Goes Back to School


I love the holiday-themed promos director Michael Dougherty has been creating that feature Trick r Treat's incomparable Halloween defender, Sam!

The newest one has a back-to-school twist just in time for September!

You can check out the latest one below or on FEARnet!

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Tonight's Viewing: The Ward (2011)

 The Ward (2011)

In John Carpenter’s The Ward, Kristen, a beautiful but troubled young woman, finds herself bruised, cut, drugged, and held against her will in a remote ward of a Psychiatric Hospital.

She is completely disoriented, with no idea why she was brought to this place and no memory of her life before being admitted. All she knows is that she isn’t safe. The other patients in the ward, four equally disturbed young women, offer no answers, and Kristen quickly realizes things are not as they seem.

The air is heavy with secrets, and at night, when the hospital is dark and foreboding, she hears strange and frightening sounds. It appears they are not alone. One-by-one the other girls begin to disappear and Kristen must find a way out of this hellish place before she, too, becomes a victim. As she struggles to escape, she will uncover a truth far more dangerous and horrifying than anyone could have imagined.

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

OPI Spookettes Halloween Collection


OPI's Spookettes collection for Halloween 2011 is here! Check out the cute colors above, including He’s My Boo (orange), Mummy Knows Best (white), I Only Date Werewolves (black) and Zom-Body to Love (glow-in-the-dark green), plus some free nail decals.

Now available at most beauty stores or on Amazon.com!

Monday, September 5, 2011

Labor Day Weekend Halloween Haul


Ah, Labor Day weekend...for me, it means an extra day off from work (woo hoo!) and of course the unofficial kick-off to Halloween season! Mister Spooky and mine's anniversary also falls on Labor Day weekend, making it extra special for us!

This weekend I already told you about our trip to Roger's Gardens, which is transformed into a Halloween-lover's paradise this time of year, but we also visited several other places in my rabid quest for Halloween goodies.

One of our neighborhood Halloween stores opened up, and though its selection seemed pretty sparse, I did snap a few photos of interesting items they had.







We also visited several other stores (TJ Maxx/Homegoods, Michael's, Ross) and found quite a few goodies!



And here's a photo of some of the items I picked up, including a cute set of bat bowls, a haunted house serving tray, cute orange and black dipping bowls and some vintage-looking Halloween light boxes!


Sunday, September 4, 2011

Film Review: Don't Be Afraid of the Dark (2011)

Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark (2011)

Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark was one of the few horror movies I’ve actually wanted to see this year. I love big old houses with a disturbing past and the premise of creepy little creatures going after a child seemed pretty promising. The trailer even managed to freak me out with that infamous what’s-hiding-under-the-bed-sheets scene, not to mention Guillermo del Toro’s involvement in the film.

I have never seen the original made-for-TV movie the film is based on, but hopefully I’ll be able to track it down one of these days and give it a viewing, though I hear it is pretty cheesy. Still, I had somewhat high hopes for this reboot, even though Katie Holmes was in it (not a big fan of hers). This past weekend I escaped the cruel end-of-summer heat to seek refuge in a near-empty theater to give Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark a looksie. Now, I had been looking forward to this film for quite sometime, so I purposefully didn’t read any reviews of the film and tried to avoid all whispered opinions of it prior to my viewing. I also tried to keep my expectations in check, since horror has been such a let-down to me recently.

The film begins with a little girl, Sally (Bailee Madison) moving back in with her father (Guy Pierce) and his girlfriend Kim (Katie Holmes) as they are renovating a spooky old house in rainy Rhode Island. Little girl makes some interesting new friends who live in a hidden, sealed-up basement. Said basement is reopened, the little creatures are set loose upon the (mostly) unsuspecting household and “accidents” begin to occur. Sally soon learns the creatures want to claim her as their own, but no one believes her, until Kim begins some research on the house and learns some interesting information about the previous tenant and how he and his little boy disappeared. Can the creatures be stopped before they claim Sally forever?

This movie started out promisingly enough. The location was sheer perfection and I spent the majority of the film drooling over the amazing old house where the story takes place. In fact, I spent most of the film fantasizing about living there! Anyways, like I was saying it starts out promisingly enough with a jolting first scene and an introduction to our main characters and their rather dysfunctional family. The reveal of the creepy creatures comes very effectively as they whisper things to Sally throughout the old house’s ventilation system, but the middle part of the film lags as it focuses more on how Sally’s father believes her to be “disturbed” rather than believe her tale of monsters in the house and how he and Kim are always busy with the house’s renovations and don’t devote enough time to Sally. There’s a bit too much family drama and not enough unraveling of the clues of the previous tenant (a famous painter who left some rather interesting artwork behind). I think 30 minutes could have easily been cut as the film just drags on a bit too much.

I also thought the creatures should have remained in the shadows more, as I found their whispered promises far creepier than how they actually look. I also wish the film had played with light and shadows more, which would have made it more impressive visually and especially since light/dark is such a huge plot point. There were no real “scary” instances in the film (besides the creature hiding under the sheet, as seen in the trailer), which was disappointing. Sure, the whisperings of the creatures was spooky, but it was used so often that it lost all of its fear factor in a short time (it also didn’t help that the creatures sounded like Gollum from Lord of the Rings…“my precious!”)

However, it wasn’t all bad…I did enjoy the story (especially the backstory) and the fantastic setting, plus I was surprised that Katie Holmes didn’t annoy me much. The young actress playing Sally, Bailee Madison, did a truly amazing job and I’m sure she has a very bright career ahead of her!

Truthfully, though, the film just left me lukewarm and is unfortunately forgettable. I certainly didn’t hate it, but I didn’t love it either. The sad thing is that the film will probably fade from my memory and I won’t think about it until I see it hitting store shelves on DVD, and then I’ll just think “oh, ya…didn’t I see that?” and just walk on by.

Saturday, September 3, 2011

Halloween at Roger's Gardens

Today was Mister Spooky and mine's 5 year (!!!) anniversary (time really does fly when you're having fun), and since this year our anniversary coincided with the opening of Roger's Gardens' Halloween display we decided to celebrate by attending!

Roger's Gardens is an upscale nursery here in Orange County and every year they set up elaborate Halloween displays packed full of props, curios and unique spooky items. We go at least once (but usually multiple times) to check out their amazing Halloween displays (check out last year's post and photos HERE).

This year they really outdid themselves with their theme of "Blackstone Theater", where they invited guests to "Explore the remnants of the abandoned 'Blackstone' Back-Alley Theater. Roam dark mysterious rooms haunted by ghosts of performances past. Surroundings of strange objects, unique characters, and theatrical fascination will undoubtedly spark inspiration in artistic hearts. Enter a world of intrigue and bizarre beauty at Roger’s Gardens for a Halloween Experience unlike anything you’ve seen."

Check out the photos below!









I want everything in this cupboard!



I so adore owls!
 
Amazing Halloween notebooks...perfect for spooky kids in school!


A book on costumes from the 1920s to the 1950s (I WANT!)








 Absolutely gorgeous wings...too bad they were $400!!!

Me and a darling pumpkin!!
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