Halloween Leftovers: A Photo Post

Hello boils and ghouls!

I just wanted to share some leftover Halloween photos with you that I never got around to posting. The following were all taken on or in the days leading up to Halloween and include my photos of Disneyland, my costume and pumpkin carving on Halloween night! Please enjoy:

Me and my Halloween night pumpkin...I didn't blow the candle out 'til

Halloween was over!

 Me as Wednesday Addams and Mister

Spooky as a backwoods killer at a

Halloween party

 LOL...my Halloween night dinner...a Vampire Burger

from the always amazing Native Foods! 

It even came with garlic fries!

 One of my vintage-looking Halloween lamps.

It stays up year-round. 

 Our Spooky entryway! 

This also stays the same year-round too! 

Halloween specials (above and below) at 

Mother's Market and Kitchen!

 YUM!

 A cute pumpkin I spotted at my favorite grocery store, Trader Joe's

Halloweentime at Disneyland! 

My favorite time of year to go!

I loved all the pumpkins throughout the whole park

 Dia de los Muertos at Disneyland!

 Ghost Mickey Mouse containers at Disneyland 

 Too cute Vinylmation figure! I have far too many

toys already so I resisted buying it

 Ghostly cupcakes

 Grim grinning jack-o-lanterns at the Haunted Mansion

 Jack Skellington taking over the Haunted Mansion 

for the holidays

 Wow! Disneyland actually had a pumpkin tree!! 

It was hidden in Frontierland, but I found it

 Haunted Mansion...my favorite :)

Luckily it was the first thing we rode when we arrived

cuz it kept breaking down the rest of the day!

Haunted Mansion entrance

In all its early morning gory, errr, I mean glory!

Inside the Mansion - Toys from Sandy Claws, Jack Skellington style!

One of my fave parts of the ride that has been "Nightmared"!

I love the snow and pumpkins!

 Dearly departed

 I won this cute lil' guy at a Halloween party!

Ok, actually Mister Spooky won him for me...

I'm ashamed to say he totally schooled me

in horror trivia!

 Our friend's amazing digs all decorated for the 

Halloween party!

My Wednesday Addams makeup

The Business of Halloween

I received this infographic a few days prior to Halloween but haven't had a chance to post it before now! I love infographics and this one definitely has a lot of info related to 2011's Halloween!

Check it out and enjoy:

Via: Business Credit Cards Blog

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!

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.)

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!

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.)

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:

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?