Monday, October 31, 2011

31 Days of Halloween: Wishing You a Happy Halloween!


The time is nigh, ghouls and boils! It's finally Halloween!!

I've been waiting and preparing for this day all month long (thank you for celebrating with me during my 31 Days of Halloween!), but now that it is here it is definitely a bittersweet feeling. I'm overjoyed that today is my most favorite holiday, but at the same time I'm sad because I know that Halloween season is drawing to a close. Of course, I have next year to plan for, but over the next few weeks I'll be going through Halloween withdrawals, like many of you other Autumn people out there. Symptoms include hoarding of all candy corn and pumpkin-flavored edibles, repeated viewings of The Nightmare Before Christmas (hey, it helps to ring in the Christmas season!), slowly taking down decorations (while sobbing a little...in fact this usually makes me so sad that I purposely leave what some might consider "Halloween" decorations up year-round), trying to preserve jack-o-lanterns for as long as possible and a general malaise that lingers for the first few weeks of November.

 I'm a sad pumpkin after October

But enough doom and gloom...it's Halloween and let's enjoy this most ghoulish holiday! Since Halloween falls on a Monday this year, it will be a low-key Halloween night with just me and Mister Spooky (we attended a friend's Halloween party over the weekend). We are planning on carving pumpkins and watching some classic horror movies. I'm thinking viewings of Dracula, The Wolf Man and Frankenstein are in order. We also might watch some Halloween horror movies, like Halloween and Trick 'r Treat. We never get any trick or treaters, but just in case we have a big bowl of Halloween candy (Sour Patch Kids, Nerds, Twizzlers, Swedish Fish...pst! They are all vegan!) for any stray spirits that show up on our doorstep.

 How I fancy Mister Spooky and I are :)

What are you doing tonight? I'd love to hear what you have planned for this eerie evening in the comments below!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Sunday, October 30, 2011

31 Days of Halloween: Satan's Little Helper (2004)


I love a good Halloween horror movie, and I’m not talking about your usual haunted house flick. No, I’m talking about movies that put you in the spirit to spook, movies that haunt your dreams with visions of Halloween and really inspire you to get in the season.

One such gem of a Halloween film is Satan’s Little Helper, part perverse satire, part vicious horror film and a whole lotta fun!

Young Dougie (Alexander Brickel) is obsessed with a video game called Satan’s Little Helper, in which a character helps Satan send people to Hell. It’s Halloween day, and Dougie and his kooky, spacey mom (Amanda Plummer) are picking up Dougie’s sister Jenna (Katheryn Winnick), who is back home from college just so she can take Dougie trick or treating. Problem is, Jenna’s brought her boyfriend Alex (Stephen Graham) home for the holiday and Dougie is pissed…so he storms off to wander the neighborhood alone, clothed in his own Satan costume.

Dougie comes upon a creepily masked serial killer who is going house-to-house, killing people and then re-arranging them on front lawns and porches as macabre Halloween decorations. Dougie thinks he’s finally found his Master and brings Satan home to meet mom and sis. They think the person under the mask is Alex, trying to please Dougie, so they think nothing of the weird behavior. Dougie goes on a crime and killing spree with “Satan,” thinking it is all just a game…until his “Master” attacks his family that is.

Satan’s Little Helper is a fun, darkly humorous flick that borders on satire. You’re never quite sure if director Jeff Lieberman (who has created other cult classics like Just Before Dawn, Squirm, Blue Sunshine) meant it as a social commentary on kids being desensitized to violence or if he just wanted to have a bloody good time, but whatever the case he succeeds in creating a cult classic!

Though the character of Dougie is unbelievably naïve at times (what kid, no matter how desensitized, would think that an old lady being hung out of a window is all part of a game and not real?), I couldn’t help but get sucked into the imaginative story. The whole Halloween setting really helps with the story, especially due to the fact that everyone is in costume and things are expected to be gruesome. The killer, whom we never learn much about, has it pretty easy since no one can see his face and no one really takes the dead bodies he leaves in his wake to be real. My favorite part is when “Satan” gruesomely kills a black cat (very cringe-worthy in of itself!!) and uses its blood to write “BOO” on the side of a house he’s already decorated with a very real body. A lady with her two trick or treating kids asks our killer to pose for a picture, which he obligingly does!

Now, this is by no means a perfect film. For one, the character of Dougie does grate the nerves with his stupidity. For another, the acting at times isn’t all that great. The film also has a low-budget look (it was shot on digital in 2004) that will turn some viewers away. The story is engaging, but towards the end it starts to drag a little bit. Still, despite these flaws Satan’s Little Helper is an extremely fun and clever horror movie.

Buy it on Amazon!

(Ed. note: My review was originally posted on Fatally Yours October 20th, 2008.)

Saturday, October 29, 2011

31 Days of Halloween: Vegan Halloween Recipes

My vegan Halloween sugar cookies!

It's almost that time, lovelies! In just a few days it will be Halloween! Woot!

And in preparation for that grand holiday, I wanted to share a handy list of delicious vegan Halloween recipes for your enjoyment and use! Below you'll find links to autumn and Halloween-inspired vegan recipes that I've posted in past years as well as the ones I've posted this year. 

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Autumn Chili and Cornbread

Spicy Pumpkin and Black Bean Burgers

Jack-o-Lantern Sandwich Cookies

Halloween Sugar Cookies

Caramel Apples

Dia de los Muertos Pumpkin Spice Muffins

Pumpkin Brownies

Pumpkin Pie Hot Chocolate

Enjoy!

Friday, October 28, 2011

31 Days of Halloween: Hellbent (2005)


Most well known for being the first gay slasher movie, HellBent is a by-the-numbers horror flick that nevertheless is a blast to watch! Unlike typical slashers, the characters are extremely likable and you care about what happens to them. The wild setting of the West Hollywood Halloween carnival adds to the thrilling atmosphere of the film and the spectacle of muscular men all done up for All Hallow’s Eve kept this girl spellbound! HellBent has to be the horror film with the hottest male cast ever!

The night before Halloween, a gay couple is brutally murdered by a man wearing a devil mask. Not letting the murders dampen their Halloween spirit, the next night four friends head off to celebrate at the annual Halloween Carnival. Responsible Eddie (Dylan Fergus), shy Joey (Hank Harris), outgoing Chaz (Andrew Levitas) and model Tobey (Matt Phillips) all dress to impress and join the flamboyant festivities despite there being a killer on the loose. After inadvertantly making themselves targets for the killer, the men are stalked and methodically killed by the devil-masked murderer.

Sure, the plot is a little thin, but aren’t all slashers? The difference with HellBent is that is actually makes the effort to develop its characters and make them likable. Writer/director Paul Etheredge-Ouzts definitely did an outstanding job with his characters. He makes them human, each with their faults and drama going on, but each very likable. The actors also did a wonderful job at portraying these characters. There were no stereotypical, over-the-top theatrics, just believable characters. I was especially impressed with Matt Phillips’ portrayal of Tobey. As the film progresses, his confidence slowly dwindles and leaves him very vulnerable. Each of the actors had a chance to delve a little deeper than most horror films would have let them and show a spark of humanity in their characters.

The film is low budget and it shows in some places. The picture is always a bit grainy and the lighting in some of the scenes is a little off. Still, despite the film’s budgetary constraints, for the most part it looks great! There are some stunning shots like the killer’s silhouette in the woods, a disorienting dance floor scene and the shots of the Halloween parade and carnival, among others. Despite the story being a little stale and familiar, the candy-colored visuals kept my interest the entire time (not to mention the amazing-looking actors!).

The violence and gore are pretty middle-of-the-road in HellBent. While there are some pretty impressive decapitations and stabbings with the killer’s weapon of choice, a hand scythe, they aren’t really anything that horror fans haven’t already seen before. Nevertheless, the fact that the audience actually cares about the characters makes the murders that much more effective. We are affected by them a bit more because we come to care about the guys. My favorite scene is the dance floor murder, where one of the characters gets murdered under the disorienting strobe light. We’ve all experienced the dizzying effects of strobe lights, and it’s not hard to imagine that a murder could be pulled off under our very disoriented eyes under one of these brightly pulsating lights.

For those fuddy-duddy’s that don’t think they can handle a “gay” horror movie – relax! There is no full-frontal nudity and just one hinted at sex scene towards the beginning of the film. The rest just shows kissing and not much else…so quit worrying your pretty little head and just enjoy the film! There is much fun to be had with HellBent!

If you are looking for a fun, Halloween-themed horror movie with a bunch of hot guys in it, HellBent is definitely hotter than Hell!

Buy it on Amazon!

(Ed. note: My review was originally published on Fatally Yours September 2nd, 2008.)

Thursday, October 27, 2011

31 Days of Halloween: A Disneyland Halloween

My family is in town, so by the time this post goes live, I'll be at the Happiest Place on Earth, Disneyland! I try to make it to Disneyland during October because 1.) I love it there and 2.) they just have the cutest decorations this time of year and 3.) Haunted Mansion turns into a Nightmare Before Christmas spectacular!

Fun fact: Did you know that Disneyland only started its Halloween celebrations in the late '90s? Yup, they've only been decorating the park for Halloween and having corresponding activities for about 16 years (I found this out when I searched for vintage Disney Halloween photos and didn't find any)!

Nonetheless, I've gathered some photos (I do not claim ownership of any of these) for you to enjoy of the Happiest Place on Earth decked out for Halloween! So while I am at Disneyland today, perhaps I can share some of the fun ambiance with you!











Here's a fun Disneyland 2011 Halloween commercial featuring your favorite villains:

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

31 Days of Halloween: Best Halloween iPhone Apps

If you're like me, you LOVE spooky games year-round, but in particular for Halloween! So, below I've collected some of my favorite games for the iPhone to play this time of year.

In no particular order:


Plants vs. Zombies - I've been addicted to this game ever since it was first released on PC! I love the cute (but tough) plants and the colorful cast of zombies!


Scene It? Horror Movies and Scene It? Horror Movies 2 - The best horror trivia app I've played ... awesome design and a variety of games that contain horror trivia from the classics to new favorites that will  keep any horror fan entertained for hours!



Candy Catch and Monster Munch - Two cute little games where you either catch and/or dodge Halloween items falling from the sky. A fun little time-waster for all ages!


Monsterpieces - Eric Pigors' create-your-own-monster app! I've previously blogged about Pigors' awesome artwork here, and this app features his artwork PLUS you get to build your own monster that you can save to your camera roll and share with friends!


Pumpkin Carnage - In this game you shoot a pumpkin out of a cannon and control its projectile, trying to hit as many items as possible, while avoiding those that will smash your pumpkin. I love this game - so simple, yet so fun!


Infect Them All! - Another zombie game, though in this one instead of killing zombies you ARE the zombie and are trying to infect as many others as possible!

So there you have it, a few of my favorites that should have you entertained for hours!

What are your favorite Halloween and horror-themed apps?

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

31 Days of Halloween: Pumpkin Carving Party with Pumpkin Cheesecake Brownies

 A few of the pumpkins we carved plus my Pumpkin
Cheesecake Brownies (left) and Pumpkin Chocolate
Chip Cookies (right)!

This past weekend Mister Spooky and I hosted a pumpkin carving party for our close friends. We are taking this year off from throwing a Halloween party, but we still wanted to do SOMETHING to get all of our friends together and celebrate the spooky season. And what better way to do so than pumpkin carving?!

Since it was a casual affair, I decided to go relatively easy on the treats. I made some vegan pumpkin cheesecake brownie bites (see recipe below) and vegan pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. Both were HUGE hits! I also served orange-colored chips to go with the pumpkin theme (Spicy Sweet Chili Doritos are vegan!), hard cider and regular spiced cider (Trader Joe's brand is yummy!).

 My bat kitty and Skellington-esque pumpkins!

While carving our pumpkins we watched Halloween-themed movies like The Simpson's Treehouse of Horror, Night of the Demons and Trick 'r' Treat! It was a wonderful, relaxing and fun night with friends!

Check out the recipe below for the pumpkin cheesecake topping! The original recipe was a bit vague, so I've fleshed it out a bit more (after some trial and error) to make it easier for you, dear reader!

 Vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake Brownies! 
I served mine in individual small bowls to
make devouring them easy for our guests.

Vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake Topping for Pumpkin Brownies

First, start with a basic vegan brownie recipe (I posted a TO DIE FOR recipe for pumpkin brownies HERE!). After you have that batter all ready to go you can start on the pumpkin "cheesecake" topping.

Ingredients:

1 container vegan cream cheese (I use Tofutti brand)
1/2 container firm silken tofu (use 3/4 of the container if you want your topping to be a little thicker)
3/4 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp. salt

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Use vegan shortening to grease a cupcake pan or use cupcake liners. Alternately, using a regular 8x8" brownie pan (or 9x13" if you are making a bigger batch) works as well.

Using a food processor, blend the vegan cream cheese, silken tofu and canned pumpkin until smooth. Add the remaining ingredients (sugar, spices and vanilla) and mix until well blended. If you want, you can even add a little orange food coloring (just make sure it's vegan) to give it a more intense orange color!

Pour your brownie batter into your cupcake/brownie pans, then pour the pumpkin cheesecake topping over it, creating a yummy layer! The batter is enough to cover 24 cupcakes or the brownie batter for one 9x13" pan. If you make less brownie batter (say, enough for just 12 cupcakes or an 8x8" pan), then you can make a REALLY deep pumpkin cheesecake layer...mmmmm, decadent!

Bake the brownies according to your brownie recipe (usually around 30 - 35 minutes) and take out when a toothpick stuck into the middle comes out clean.

Let cool and enjoy!

Monday, October 24, 2011

31 Days of Halloween: Video Tutorials for Creepy Halloween Makeup


One of the (many) things I adore about Halloween is the makeup that goes along with the costumes! Makeup can make or break a costume, so it's important to get it right...luckily, there are many amazing makeup artists who upload Halloween makeup tutorials that show you step-by-step how to create creepy Halloween makeup looks. I posted vids last year HERE, go check those out as well!

Enjoy some of the my favorite tutorials that I've picked out this year (one of my fave artists is Angie aka goldiestarling, so you'll see many of her stunning looks below!):

Marie Antoinette's Ghost

Rotting Corpse (True Blood inspired...warning: Season 4 spoilers!!)

Spider Queen

Evil Doll Tutorial

Samara from The Ring

Skull Mask

Lily Munster

Sunday, October 23, 2011

31 Days of Halloween: Mad Monster Party (1967)


Looking for something ooky and spooky to watch this Halloween? Look no further than the kooky Mad Monster Party! Created by the same folks that brought you stop-motion animation Christmas specials like Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Mad Monster Party is a howling good time for the whole freaky family!

After finding the secret of life, Baron Von Frankenstein (voiced by Boris Karloff) has finally discovered the secret of destruction (“I, Baron von Frankenstein, master of the secret of creation, have now mastered the secret of destruction”)and is inviting all his favorite monsters to his castle for a celebration! He also plans to announce that he is retiring and bequeathing all his secrets to his (gasp!) human heir, the clueless Felix Flanken (voiced by Allen Swift, who also voiced most of the monsters). The Baron’s assistant, lovely redheaded Francesca (voiced by Gale Garnett), doesn’t take too kindly to the news. She and the other monsters, including Dracula, Frankenstein’s Monster and his Mate (voiced by Phyllis Diller), The Wolf Man, The Mummy, The Invisible Man, Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde, The Hunchback, The Creature from the Black Lagoon and so on, plan on taking Felix out before he inherits the Baron’s secrets!

Mad Monster Party is a mad, mad, mad little movie that is a joy to watch around Halloween! With newly restored editions, I really think they should play this on television around Halloween just like they play all of the other stop-animation movies around Christmas! It’s got some spiffy musical numbers, lots of adult humor and overall just looks amazing!

The character design is amazing, especially considering how many monsters are running around. Besides those mentioned above, there is also the hilarious Chef Mafia Machiavelli (“Here we have the antipasto – black widows pickled in their own poison, smoked lizards and snakes, and marinated mice.”), Yetch, the creepy, Peter Lorre-inspired servant (Yetch: “It’s me, your Don Juan.” Francesca: “I Don Juan to look at you”.), a groovy skeleton band called Little Tibia and the Fibulas (“It’s the mummy!”) and, of course, the uninvited It that crashes the party later in the film!

The scope of the film is very ambitious, and seems much bigger than other Rankin/Bass productions like The Year Without Santa Claus or Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer. The setting of Baron Von Frankenstein’s towering castle, with its crocodile-filled lagoon and man-eating flora and fauna, is absolutely stunning and really invokes nostalgic feelings from childhood, especially when accompanied by the stop-motion animation! This is definitely one for the spooky kid in all of us!

If you are looking for some light-hearted fare this October, Mad Monster Party is one classic film to check out! Even though they slip some decidedly adult humor in there, it is still suitable for young tots, too! Anyone looking to regain some Halloween spirit should definitely watch Mad Monster Party – it never fails to put me in a kooky mood!

Buy it on Amazon!

(Ed. Note: This was originally posted on Fatally Yours, on October 13th, 2009.)

Saturday, October 22, 2011

31 Days of Halloween: The Halloween Tree Animation and Poem


The wonderful YouTube user Nocturnaloner (who created the gorgeous Halloween animation "Kingdom of Witches" that I posted about HERE during last year's countdown) has crafting another beautiful video for the Halloween season!

The animation uses words from Ray Bradbury's immortal book The Halloween Tree, is inspired by a painting of William Fahey of the same name and is accompanied by the score to the opening sequence of The Halloween Tree cartoon. ::Swoon:: What could be more Halloween-y?

Behold, I give you "The Halloween Tree"!


Friday, October 21, 2011

31 Days of Halloween: The Art of Pumpkin Carving with Ray Villafane


Tomorrow night I'm hosting a pumpkin-carving party, and I wanted some inspiration so I can make my pumpkin victim's proud! So of course I immediately thought of the legendary Ray Villafane, creator of some AMAZING pumpkin sculptures!

 Dang...how can I top that?!

If you're into Halloween, you've no doubt already seen Ray Villafane's amazing pumpkin carving art. His stunning life-like creations have been featured in countless magazines, newspapers and TV shows, not to mention having graced places like the President’s Quarters in the White House and Bermuda’s Sousa’s Gardens. This year, Ray's Villafane Studios will even be carving pumpkins for Heidi Klum's annual Halloween bash in Vegas!

 Medusa Pumpkin by Villafane Studios

Get me outta here!

Check out the video below from CBS News:


The intricacy and detail of Ray's work is simply jaw-dropping, and definitely puts my pumpkin carving skills to shame!

Skull Pumpkin

Probably the most well-known carving of Ray's, 
the Predator pumpkin!

Oh, and to blow your mind even further, Ray doesn't *just* do crazy complicated pumpkin carvings...he also sculpts using sand and also makes action figures and toys for companies!

 Ray Villafane and his Dante's Inferno-inspired sand sculpture

You can find out more (and check out more pumpkin art) at VillafaneStudios.com!

Thursday, October 20, 2011

31 Days of Halloween: Adam Green's Halloween Shorts

Adam Green and his company, Ariescope Pictures (responsible for flicks like Hatchet, Hatchet II, Spiral, Frozen and a segment in the new Chillerama anthology),  have been releasing short Halloween films for years now so I thought that in the spirit of Halloween it was high time I share some with you, dear readers! 

The shorts feature lots of familiar faces, including Green's friends Paul Solet (director - Grace) and Joe Lynch (director - Wrong Turn 2) and actors Joel David Moore (Spiral, Hatchet) and Clare Grant (The Graves), plus many more! 

Check out some of the hilarious shorts below!

The newest, DOWNLOADING AND YOU 1950's PSA

SEXY NIGHTMARE SLAYERS

JUST TAKE ONE

THE TIFFANY PROBLEM

And my fahkin' favorite, JACK CHOP!

Check out more shorts on Ariescope's website!

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Limited Edition Trick r Treat Posters on Sale 10/20


Whoa...thanks to the awesome PumpkinRot's blog I discovered these AMAZING limited edition Trick 'r Treat posters that go on sale TOMORROW, October 20th (just in time for my little sister's birthday - Happy Birthday, Sea-Star!!)!


There are only 225 of the "orange" design and only 90 of the "black" design. They are going for $45 a pop, and won't last long. Designed by Phantom City Creative and offered by Mondo Newsletter, these are absolutely gorgeous and of course I WANT!!

They will go on sale tomorrow at an undisclosed time, so check out Mondo Newsletter's Twitter to learn when you can pick these babies up!

Also offered are posters for Sleepaway Camp and The Burning, which are pretty sweet as well!



Check out the Mondo Newsletter HERE!

31 Days of Halloween: Every Other Day is Halloween (2010) Documentary


In C.W. Prather’s documentary Every Other Day is Halloween, viewers are taken on a nostalgic and whimsical trip back in time to the golden age of television horror hosts, a time when local TV’s witching hour was ruled by ghouls and boils introducing old black and white movies for a generation of delighted fans. Prather focuses on one of the most well-known and longest running horror hosts, Count Gore De Vol, played by Dick Dyszel, as we are given a glimpse into his wacky world.

Though Count Gore De Vol is a very recognizable horror host and still makes regular appearances at conventions and hosts his own online horror show, I wasn’t that familiar with the character’s creator, Dick Dyszel. This documentary does a wonderful job at connecting the audience to the kind man behind the well-known cape! From his beginnings as playing Bozo the Clown and Captain 20 for local kid’s shows on Channel 20 in Washington D.C., we see Dyszel’s growth and desire to do something for the adults – hence Count Gore De Vol’s first show in 1973!

We are shown lots of vintage footage of Dyszel as his different characters, with the focus of course on the Count. We also see interviews with people Dyszel’s show, Creature Feature, influenced, including writers like Steve Niles (30 Days of Night), filmmakers such as Jeff Krulik (Heavy Metal Parking Lot), Scream Queens Leanna Chamish (Stakes) and Eleanor Herman (Night Beast) as well as a new generation of horror hosts including John Dimes (“Dr. Sarcofiguy”) and Jerry Moore II (“Karlos Borloff”). There are also lots of nostalgic recollections from regular old horror fans who watched his show when they were kids as well as from the man himself, Dick Dyszel. In one touching segment Dyszel recalls having Forrest J. Ackerman on the show and we are treated to rare footage of the interview.

Much of the footage shown in this documentary is rare or has never been seen before, adding to the deeply nostalgic feel of the documentary. Though I was too young to recall Count Gore De Vol’s long-running TV show Creature Feature, I still deeply appreciate the era of horror hosts and especially pioneers such as Dick Dyszel. When horror hosts seemed a thing of the past in the early ‘90s, Dyszel resurrected Count Gore De Vol and decided to host his show on the Internet (and this was back when people were still on dial-up). He is considered the first ever Internet horror host!

Nowadays, we are seeing a resurgence of horror hosts, many who claim Dyszel and his Count Gore De Vol character were huge influences on them. Many of these modern horror hosts are interviewed, including Penny Dreadful, The Bone Jangler, Karlos Borloff and more! It’s amazing to see what a gigantic impact horror hosts like Dyszel made on today’s performers and it’s pretty heartwarming to see such a great guy like Dyszel still getting adoration from fans!

Hard-working horror hosts like Dyszel basically reared a generation of horror fans and influenced a whole new breed of horror hosts to go on and inspire another generation of horror fans. Since many horror fans have horror hosts to thank for introducing them to the genre, it’s quite a treat to watch this documentary and get a behind-the-scenes peek at Dick Dyszel’s long (and still going strong) career as Count Gore De Vol!

If you are looking for a superb documentary that takes you down memory lane, check out Every Other Day is Halloween. It’s a fascinating and fun look at horror host Dick Dyszel’s life and will make you nostalgic for the golden years of horror hosts as well as make you excited for the horror hosts in years to come!

Buy it on Amazon!

(Ed. note: This was originally posted on Fatally Yours May 19th, 2010.)

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

31 Days of Halloween: Vegan Pumpkin Brownies


This time of year, I obsess over anything pumpkin-related (ok, I obsess over anything pumpkin-y year-round, but pumpkins are much easier to come by this time of year). And I'm a sucker for vegan treats any time of year, so when I saw Vegansaurus (OMG...frickin' amazing site, go there RIGHT NOW if you have not yet experienced their most excellent snarkiness) posted a vegan PUMPKIN BROWNIE recipe, I was over the (spooky) moon!

Please visit Vegansaurus' original post or check out their recipe below (which I've tweaked a little)!

Vegan Pumpkin Brownies

Ingredients
1/2 cup vegan butter (I use Earth Balance)
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup pumpkin (I use Farmer's Market Foods Organic Canned Pumpkin)
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cinnamon
3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup (one 3.5 ounce bar) roughly chopped dark chocolate (vegan chocolate chips would also work!)

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Melt your butter, and mix the ingredients in order, making sure each is well combined before moving on.

Grease and flour an 8x8” baking pan, pour the batter in, and bake for 26 minutes (I don't know if it was my oven or not, but I had to bake mine an additional 10 minutes).

If you’re hungry (or you have to share), double everything, pour into a 9x13” pan, and bake for 32 minutes.

YUM!! These came out ooey, gooey and absolutely decadent! They are extremely rich, moist and full of chocolatey and pumpkiny goodness and pair perfectly with a big mug of pumpkin tea or coffee!

Monday, October 17, 2011

31 Days of Halloween: The Art of Eric Pigors

Eric Pigors is an amazing artist I’ve admired for many years who has a very dedicated fan base in the horror/gothic communities. He has had quite a career, spending 15 years at Walt Disney Feature Animation Studios doing art on such films as The Lion King, Treasure Planet, Aladdin, Hercules, Beauty and the Beast and most recently Princess and the Frog. Eric even sold an original feature idea to Disney called “Silly Hillbillies on Mars”.

After working at Disney, Pigors started his own company, called Toxictoons, where he has created his own monster-inspired art and animation. Pigors even made a seven minute animated film called, Let’s Chop Soo-E! that ran on MTV's Liquid Television. Pigors’ Toxictoons were released as stickers by Posterpop and by Mezco Toys under the line “Let’s Play in the Morgue”.

You’ve probably seen Pigors’ art on concert tour shirts he has done for Metallica, The Murderdolls, The Ghastly Ones, Genitorturers, Scum of the Earth, Psychocharger, 69 Eyes and many others.

Of course, with all his spooky artisticness, Pigors has created some truly memorable Halloween artwork, which you can enjoy below!







AND he has a fun app called MONSTERPIECES where you can design your own monsters!! Check it out on iTunes!


Don't forget to check out all the gruesome Halloween goodies on the Toxictoons' site!
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