Sunday, August 28, 2011

Halloween Costume Ideas - Goth Cartoon and Comic Book Characters

Since I am not throwing a Halloween party this year, I'll be attending a friend's party. This weekend, the theme for the party was announced! People will be asked to dress as cartoon or comic book characters, and as soon as I heard the news I started thinking of gothiky characters I would want to dress up as. The characters below were the first ones I thought of; check 'em out and let me know what you think!

Cassie Hack from Hack/Slash

The seriously sexy Cassie from the Hack/Slash comic books would be so wicked to dress up as! I used to have a similar haircut as her and wouldn't mind having it again, plus I could carry around a baseball bat and maybe a severed "slasher" head for good measure! While she isn't quite trad goth, I think she has a dark look that gives her a modern gothic aesthetic.

Lydia Deetz from Beetlejuice


I've always loved Beetlejuice, and Lydia Deetz is one of my favorite characters ever! I think it would so fun to dress up as her for Halloween...and this just might be the year to do it! She is definitely a quirky goth!

Wednesday Addams
Charles Addams' Wednesday Addams

Last year I threw together a Wednesday Addams costume for a last-minute Halloween party I attended, and it was a hit! In fact, I actually ended up winning "best costume"! I'm thinking about reprising that costume this year, since The Addams Family is another BIG favorite of mine and it all started with creator Charles Addams' comic strip back in the late 1930s.

Emily Strange

Ok, I've never been a big fan of Emily Strange, but I do admit I love her look and it would be super easy to recreate. Not sure if she really qualifies since she doesn't have a cartoon or comic (does she?), but she is definitely super-cute!

Gaz from Invader Zim

Gah! I adore Gaz and the Invader Zim series! I'm not sure most people would "get" who I was dressing up as, though. I would still love to dress up as her (I have the perfect purple wig I could use) and, if I did, I'd be sure to talk about my addiction to my Game Slave and Bloaty's Pizza Hog with other party guests (not that they would get it and I'd probably get really funny looks).

Lenore, The Cute Little Dead Girl

Lenore, The Cute Little Dead Girl was created by Roman Dirge and is about an undead girl who seems to have a rather deadly affect on those around her. However, I would need to get a blond wig and some cute skull hair clips to recreate her look...and again, most people are probably not familiar with this cult character. 

Nara Kilday from Dead@17

The undead heroine of Dead@17, Nara Kilday, would be the PERFECT costume! I mean, she's come back from the dead, has that gothy look and wields a frickin' ax to hack down her demonic enemies. Awesome! The only problem is the obscurity factor again (grrrrrr!) and that people (besides my awesome geeky friends) wouldn't recognize this character. 

Hmmmmm...decisions, decisions!

Do YOU have any suggestions as to what gothy cartoon or comic book characters I should dress up as for Halloween? Please leave me your suggestions below!

Halloween Finds at Bath and Body Works

 Spooky Soaps and Horrid Hand Sanitizers

I stopped into Bath and Body Works to check out their Halloween Boo-tique this weekend, and while I remember them having more goodies last year, they still had a nice selection. I particularly love their orange candle emblazoned with a sparkly bat (see pic below)!

 Cute Candles and Candle Holders

My favorite fall scent of theirs is "Creamy Pumpkin", followed closely by "Caramel Apple". Mmmmmmmm.... these scents never fail to remind me of autumn! I also luuuuurve their hand sanitizers, though I still have some left over from last year's haul and therefore didn't get any new ones this year.

More Halloween Goodies!

Bath and Body Works had lots of cutesy Halloween items this year, but not too many spooky ones, which was disappointing to me. Notably missing were last year's amazing haunted house luminaries. They had some other candle holders decorated with skulls, bats and other Halloween miscellany, which I plan to buy on future visits, but nothing quite as impressive as last year's offerings.

All in all, it was certainly exciting to see Halloween items on store shelves in-person! I can't wait until all the other stores are crawling with creepy Halloween arrays!

*Please note that while Bath and Body Works touts itself as a "cruelty-free" company, which I applaud, I have never verified if their items are vegan! Please check with the company itself if this is something you are passionate about.*

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Kale, Spinach and Apple Shake

 I always drink out of my favorite batty glasses :)

Saturday night was full of fun as Mister Spooky and I went to the Santa Ana Art Walk and ended up doing some bar hopping with some friends later that evening. Good drinks, good food and even better company were enjoyed into the wee hours of the morning.

Sunday morning came far too soon, especially since we had to get up early for a birthday brunch. We were definitely feeling the aftermath of the previous night and needed a healthy pick-me-up to get us through the day. After digging through our fridge all bleary-eyed, we came up with a kale, spinach and apple shake that  was surprisingly delicious! It also infused our bodies with plenty of vitamins, minerals and other goodies that gave us that extra "oomph" to get on with our day. 

In our juicer (we use a Breville BJE200XL 700-Watt Compact Juice Fountain) we threw:

2 bags of spinach
1 bunch of kale
2 apples

The result was a refreshing, re-energizing drink that smelled like freshly cut grass! And just look at the beautiful jewel-toned green color! Gorgeous! I thought the kale would give it a slightly bitter taste, but the apples actually mellowed the flavor and gave it some extra sweetness. The drink was delicious, delightful and definitely made us both feel much better!

If you are ever in need of a quick pick-me-up, I would definitely recommend making this concoction. I think a tiny bit of freshly grated ginger would also give it a nice kick if you need a boost to your immune system.

Sunday, August 21, 2011

First Halloween Purchase of 2011 (and a few other goodies)!

Greetings ghouls!

I just wanted to share a quick post showing you my first Halloween purchase this season! This weekend I headed to a local drug store to pick up a cool drink and some birthday cards. Lo and behold, what did I find in the greeting card aisle...Halloween cards!! They were so adorable I couldn't help but pick a few up...check them out below!

Boo-tiful!

I also treated myself to a few other goodies courtesy of Amazon.com (I have seriously been on a buying binge lately). I have been coveting these 1928 Boutique Victorian gothic black and diamond oval drop earrings and matching pendant necklace necklace for ages, and finally decided to treat myself! Aren't they gorgeous?

I love these so much!

Lastly, my friend (go check out her awesome beauty blog) has been raving about her Himalayan Rock Crystal Salt Lamps, so I decided to buy a pair. Himalayan salt lamps are nature's negative ionizer and help neutralize contaminants such as allergy and asthma triggers, mold and mildew, pet odors, etc. through the natural release of negative ions into the air. I got a pair of 7" hand-carved salt lamps and I already love them!! Not only do they look cool, but their soft glow is comforting and cozy. Check one of the lamps out below (with a few of my skeleton figurines for a nice spooky effect!)

Kinda reminds me of the Sankara stones from 
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom

I'm very pleased with these recent purchases...and super-duper excited that Halloween items are starting to pop up in stores! Stay tuned for what I'm sure will be many more posts on my fiendish finds!

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Happy Birthday, Mister Spooky!

Today is my love's birthday and I just couldn't let it pass without giving him a shout-out here!

Ti amo, mi amore, and here are some birthday songs in your honor!






Here's to many more years of celebrations together!

Muah!!

Friday, August 12, 2011

Tonight's Viewing: Madhouse (1974)

Madhouse (1974)

Price plays Paul Toombes, a horror actor whose trademark role is "Dr. Death". Years after a scandal ends his film career (his fiancee is murdered and Toombes ends up in an asylum, suspected but never convicted of the crime), the embittered Toombes revives his character for a television series. Cast and crew begin to die in ways that suggest scenes from Toombes's films (which are represented here by clips of Price's AIP efforts, including The Haunted Palace, Tales of Terror, The Raven, and House of Usher), and they all point to Toombes. Now, Toombes must find and confront the real killer, before he becomes the killer's next victim.

-Description courtesy of Wikipedia

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

The Birthday Massacre's "Imaginary Monsters" EP Out Today!


One of my favorite bands, The Birthday Massacre, released their new EP, Imaginary Monsters, today!

Check out what Metropolis had to say about the release:

Following up on the success of the most recent album Pins And Needles, The Birthday Massacre returns with Imaginary Monsters, a new EP consisting of three all new songs and five remixes. The three new songs, “Forever”, “Burn Away”, and “Left Behind” find the band at its creative apex. Dark, personal, and atmospheric, The Birthday Massacre builds on its compelling blend of gothic, rock and electronic music into a sound that is all their own. To give the fans another perspective on the aforementioned sound, The Birthday Massacre has had five colleagues offer their unique perspectives on tracks from Pins And Needles. SKOLD, Combichrist, tweaker, Assemblage 23, and Kevvy Mental and Dave Ogilvie add their own spin to TBM’s distinctive style. As a bonus, the EP also features the video for "In The Dark"!

Track List:
01. Forever
02. Burn Away
03. Left Behind
04. Pale [Kevvy Mental and Dave Ogilvie 'Rubber Unicorn' Mix]
05. Control [tweaker Mix]
06. Shallow Grave [Combichrist 'Good For Her' Mix]
07. Pins And Needles [SKOLD Mix]
08. Shallow Grave [Assemblage 23 Mix]

I like what I've heard so far and can't wait to give this EP a proper listen! The Birthday Massacre has never let me down before (though it's taken a while for some of their newer albums to grow on me), so I am confident I will like the new songs here. From what I've heard, my favorite remix is A23's "Shallow Grave" (of course that's no surprise considering Tom Shear's talent).

Check out more on The Birthday Massacre and buy the album on Metropolis!

For something a bit extra and super-cool, check out each band member's top 10 horror films on Bloody-Disgusting.com!

Saturday, August 6, 2011

Quickie Reviews - What I've Been Watching This Summer

Alexander Skarsgard makes me want to do bad things

See, I told you I was back…and this time it’s with something I haven’t done in a loooong time! Movie reviews! I’ve been catching up on quite a handful of flicks over the summer (though it's less than my usual movie-watching volume), so I thought I would share some quick reactions to the movies I’ve seen. By no means are these reviews as extensive and thorough as I usually do (which is why they won’t be posted on Fatally-Yours), but I figured I just had to get down my reactions to the following films, no matter how short these quickie reviews are.

Let's get started, shall we?

Sucker Punch – I loved this movie! I don’t understand why it is so hated. Though I thought the battle scenes became a bit redundant, I really dug the set-up of this film and really connected with it. I loved how the movie tackled the theme of escape and how the mind deals with trauma. I also liked the female leads and brilliant imagery, including the costumes, makeup and sets. God, but the idea of retreating into your “happy place” as a mode of coping and the interpretation of “reality” the film presented REALLY got me and made me love it all the more! I really applaud filmmaker Zack Snyder (who did a stellar job with the Dawn of the Dead remake) for doing something different and giving us such a gorgeous, effective and tragically beautiful movie that packs a lot of punch (ha, no pun intended!).


Stake Land – I had been waiting to see this film for quite some time, and when I finally got my grubby mitts on it I was glad to see it doesn’t disappoint. Its post-apocalyptic setting and violent, feral vampires got my blood pumping, but it also had well-developed characters I actually cared about and its sub-plot dealing with a fanatical cult played nicely into the proceedings and gave it some extra oomph. Not even the casting of Danielle Harris, who I’m not a big fan of, acting-wise, dampened my enjoyment of this wonderfully dark film.


Deadtime Stories – Ok, so I figured since this was a “George Romero Presents” kinda anthology I figured I’d give it a whirl…BIG MISTAKE! The three stories included, one about cannibals, another about a mermaid and the third about vampires, where for the most part absolutely wretched. The first two segments were mind-numbingly awful…the first one was the worst, with a meandering story, bad editing, cheap effects and a just-plain-dumb “twist”. I had hopes for the second story, as I am a sucker for anything mermaid-related, but it just wasn’t set up properly and moved far too slowly with a lackluster ending. The third segment was the best of the bunch (though that isn’t saying much), which is to be expected as it was directed by Tom Savini. However, no matter how good the third segment was, it was overshadowed by the pure atrocities that were the first two stories. I have no idea how George Romero got suckering into endorsing (and appearing) in this anthology series, but steer clear!!


YellowBrickRoad – When I saw the trailer for this it looked okay, but nothing to get too excited over. And after watching it I can say the same. I appreciate that the filmmakers tried to do something different with this, and on a low-budget to boot, but a slow-moving story and a disappointing ending ruins an otherwise intriguing film. A very “meh” experience for me.


Season of the Witch – Going in I knew this film was probably going to be cheesy and/or awful, but I gotta say I didn’t hate it all that much. Sure, it wasn’t the greatest movie ever, but it did have its charming moments! I especially loved seeing Robert Sheehan, who was on the British superhero show Misfits (a show I’m currently obsessed with ever since they started airing it on Hulu), as one of the main characters. Ron Perlman was fun to watch and Nic Cage…well, was Nic Cage! The ending was a bit cheesy and the pacing dragged in a few spots, but overall I didn’t mind spending 2 hours on this flick.


Hobo with a Shotgun – Another film that was on my “must-see” list, but unlike Stake Land, Hobo with a Shotgun was a total disappointment for me. Overall I found it a bore and too mean-spirited for my liking. I know the filmmakers were aping the great exploitation flicks of the ‘70s, but besides the crazy title and violence it didn’t feel like those films at all to me. I think I’ll stick to my Street Trash instead of this cheap one-gimmick pony, who basically has nothing going for it except for a cool title and a decent performance from Rutger Hauer.


[REC] 2 – I really enjoyed the original [REC] so I was stoked to check out the sequel. It was a pretty decent flick…a little more of a first-person-shooter feel, but fun nonetheless and enjoyed learning more about the “origin” of the “virus” that made everyone in the quarantined apartment building turn all zombie-like. I also liked that it went a different direction than I expected it to. If you enjoyed [REC] I highly recommend checking this out. Just stay away from the BS American remakes.


Red Riding Hood – Ok, so even though this looked like a Twilight (or Twatlight, as I like to call it) –esque werewolf movie, I decided to give it a chance as I am a sucker for fairy tale-based movies. Yawn. This movie was a snooze…there’s not much I remember from it except for the tiny thread relating it back to the original fairy tale. Not recommended.


True Blood Season 3 – I love this series and watched season 3 all the way through as soon as I could get the DVDs. I enjoyed how different characters were focused on, especially LaFayette (one of my favorite characters) and Tara. And I can NEVER get enough Eric (Alexander Skarsgard…DROOL!!!). Frankly, I find Sookie to be annoying and Bill to be a bore, so I’m glad they decided to branch out and focus on a few other characters. I’ve read the books, so I knew what was coming (though the show differs from the books), so I wasn’t surprised when they revealed what Sookie really was…I’m just glad they included Claudette (a big character in the books) and hope I see more of her and other new characters (Alcide!) in season 4 (which, BTW, I’ll have to wait another year to see since I don’t have cable).


The Rite – Another forgettable movie, one featuring Anthony Hopkins and exorcisms. Though I loved the Italian setting of this film, I wouldn’t recommend it as I’ve already forgotten much of what transpired in the story.


Rubber – An interesting and oddly brilliant little film, but one that most won’t “get”. Very avant-garde, often breaking the fourth wall and with a definitive message that pokes a lot of fun at society. Quirky, odd, but again, not for everyone. Check it out if you enjoy experimental cinema.


Drive Angry – I can’t believe how much I enjoyed this film! It packs a lot of different genres/themes into one film – action, supernatural, road movie, revenge – but it all works to create one batshit insane piece of movie magic! One of Nicholas Cage’s best films to date, and while I’m not a big Amber Heard fan, this is the film that actually made me like her! I usually don’t purchase too many movies these days (with Netflix and Hulu, who needs to?) but this one is going to the top of my “must-buy” list!


Other flicks I’ve seen recently include Tangled (so cute!), The Story of Ingrid Newkirk and PETA (inspiring and moving documentary if you are an animal-lover), Autopsy: Post Mortem with Dr. Michael Baden (I’ve read his autopsy book, but this documentary was focused on famous cases and very interesting from a forensics point of view), The Adjustment Bureau (a nice little mindbending movie with Matt Damon), Somewhere (I love Sofia Coppola’s The Virgin Suicides, but this one was a real snooze) and Urban Explorers: Into the Darkness (a cool documentary about urban exploration).

Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

Home Spooky Home

Hello lovelies!

It's been more than a month (!) since my last blog post so please accept my sincere apologies for leaving you in the dark so long! It has definitely been a crazy last couple of months...I've moved into a new place (whew, it's been a chore AND a joy getting it up to par!) and on top of that the "day job" has been so hectic that I've taken a hiatus from posting/writing on Fatally-Yours.

Mister Spooky (my wonderful boyfriend) and I are settling in quite nicely in the new digs, but we are still tackling lots of home improvement odds and ends that must be done before I feel totally at ease and can actually have a housewarming party. So far we've bought a fabulous new couch, painted an accent wall blood red and applied a spooky tree branch decal to said wall (see photo above). Next we must tackle mounting our flat-screen TV to the wall, buying a dining set and finally getting a new bed! Once everything is set up I'll be sure to post more photos. I'm just glad we are finally all unpacked...boy, I never realized how many books and DVDs I own!

But enough on updates about me, let's get the the important topic...Halloween!! I'm so excited to see Halloween items popping up in stores...from Pottery Barn to Bath and Body Works to Michael's, stores are starting to stock their shelves with orange and black! I'm also glad that summer is nearly over...this heat certainly does not suit me so I'm looking forward to the cooler days of autumn (though in Southern California this usually doesn't happen until November). This year, we are taking the year off from throwing our annual Halloween party (check out past years' photos HERE). Sad, I know, but I've just been too overwhelmed with life in general to focus on planning another stunning Halloween party. Plus, my family will be in town the week prior to Halloween and I'd like to spend as much time with them as possible (Disneyland, here we come!).

 Pottery Barn Halloween decor

So, fear not, dear readers...I am back, though I may be posting less than usual for a bit longer. I'm sure once Halloween season is in full swing you'll be seeing a lot more of me, though!
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