Happy Halloween 2011 ~ Day 31

Here's hoping you got more treats than tricks, your scares were all fun ones and no aliens really tried to take you to their mothership.

Happy Halloween from this Ghoul & her Boils!

MY Not So Scary Halloween Party ~ Day 30

It's Candy the Chandy all dressed up for Halloween!

The Food

Ah Man! There's no more Mummy Dogs?!

More punch Mommy!

Evidently I didn't give him enough punch!

Photo Booth

Happy Halloween!

Sloppy Jacks Recipe ~ Day 29

A fun take on Sloppy Joes. The perfect pre-trick or treat dinner.

What you need:
1lb of ground beef
Small can Manwich
1 Refridgerated Pizza Dough
Chives/Green Onion tops cut in 1" pieces
Orange Food Color Spray

What you do:
Brown your meat; drain
Mix in 1/2 - 3/4 of the can of Manwich(using the whole can will make your meat too wet and the inside of your sloppy jacks will be soggy)
Set Aside

Roll out pizza dough and cut in three sections; across horizontally then vertically making 9 squares of dough.

Place a dollop of meat mixture in the middle of each square. Fold corners in and pinch dough together. Place pinched sides down on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake on 350° for 20 - 25 minutes.

Let cool slightly then spray with orange food color spray. Make a small hole in the tops of your pumpkins and put in your chive or green onion.

Serve to your Ghouls and Boils. Maybe they'll eat less candy that way. Maybe not.

Enjoy!

Modern Horror Movie Trivia ~ Day 28

1. In the beginning of Stephen Kings The Mist what is the painting a depiction of?

There are many paintings on the walls that are actually movie poster depictions, such the one to his far left for The Thing. It has been erroneously reported that this is the painting David is working on during opening credits, when in fact it is the image of the Gunslinger from Stephen King's Dark Tower series.

Stephen King draws inspiration from all avenues but he is well known for taking his own life events and incorporating them into a horrific story. The mist is based on an experience he had near his home when severe storm rolled through his home town, the next day while at the supermarket with his son he imagined a winged creature flying through the store.


2. In the 2001 horror movie Session 9 where does Simon say he lives?

Simon is the dark alter personality that patient Mary Hobbs other personalities are reticent to talk about. Mary has been undergoing therapy sessions at the asylum and most personalities share freely. By the end of the film, you hear Simon explain to the doctor that he resides in the weak and wounded.

The Danvers Insane Asylum, which is the setting for Session 9 is rumored to be the birthplace for the lobotomy and may have been the inspiration for Arkham Asylum from the Batman comic strips.


3. In the movie Hard Candy what is the drink that Hayley spikes for Jeff?

Central to her plan to make Jeff pay for his alleged pedophilia Hayley must drug him. She does so by explaining that she never drinks anything she did not pour herself and proceeds to make them both a screwdriver.

Unlike most movies today, Hard Candy only contains nine minutes of music in the entire film. The remainder of the background noise consists of heavy breathing and other ambient sounds.

4. In the first installation of the Saw movies what started the timer on the reverse bear trap that Amanda was wearing?

The jigsaw video left for Amanda left no doubt about the status of her head once the timer ran out. She is told where to find the key to stop the timer, what she is not told is that the timer is not activated until she stands from her chair to retrieve the key.

There is a video short referred to on the internet as Saw .5 that was used to pitch the idea to studios and actors. The original full-length film depicted David as the one in the reverse bear trap but in the end, it was this Saw movie short that became the official scene.



Source: http://www.squidoo.com/horrormovietrivia

Terror Behind the Walls ~ Day 27

***So sorry days 27, 28 & 29 did not post automatically. Darn Blogger!***

Eastern State Penitentiary is the America's most historic prison. It is also a massive haunted house.....in a REAL PRISON! Can you imagine!

Opened in 1829 as part of a controversial movement to change the behavior of inmates through "confinement in solitude with labor," Eastern State Penitentiary quickly became one of the most expensive and most copied buildings in the young United States. It is estimated that more than 300 prisons worldwide are based on the Penitentiary's wagon-wheel, or "radial" floor plan.

Some of America's most notorious criminals were held in the Penitentiary's vaulted, sky-lit cells, including bank robber Willie Sutton and Al Capone. After 142 years of consecutive use, Eastern State Penitentiary was completely abandoned in 1971, and now stands, a lost world of crumbling cell blocks and empty guard towers.

I was watching Making Monsters on the Travel Channel tonight when I learned about Terror Behind the Walls at Eastern State Pen. They were making a monster for one of their exhibits. Naturally it's a 13 room tour that takes about 45 minutes. 45 minutes of haunted house! All while walking past dark, empty cells not knowing who or what lurks in the dark. Can you handle it? Well, the good news is at the end of the tour you can much on some funnel cake, provided you still have an appetite. And if not you might as well join Monster Mash spun by Zombie DJ.

And, Hey! It's all for a good cause. It a non-profit org that uses the revenue to preserve history. Nothing scary about that.

So, would you go....to prison....on purpose at Eastern State Pen? I totally would if I lived closer. If you've been tell us all about it, would ya?

Classic Horror Movie Trivia ~ Day 26

1. Village of the Damned is an adaptation of what famous novel?

Filmed in the UK in 1960 and is a horror film about mutant children based on the novel, The Midwich Cuckoos.

This film was originally planned as an American release but MGM decided the virgin birth spin was too inflammatory for American production. Of course, the movie was an instant hit with creepy children possessing mental abilities and a cold nature. Once the movie was printed and released for American audiences there was one notable difference from the UK print, the children's glowing eyes.


2. Night of the Living Dead was originally a black and white horror film created in the late 60's, how many times has the movie been colorized?

At three different occasions labs have created a colorized version of this classic zombie flick, 1986, 1987 and 2004 were the respective dates with a fourth revision planned for 2009 which will take the 2D movie colorize it and present it in 3D.

Surprisingly there was little criticism about this grisly movie after its release. The main problem critic Robert Ebert had was the theater policies of the time that allowed children as young as five or six to purchase a ticket. In an age where graphic video games, cartoons and television did not exist this must have been quite a shock for young children.


3. Upon what real life serial killer was the movie Psycho based on?

Ed Gein was a serial killer and grave robber from Wisconsin in the 1950's. He admitted to killing two women, whose heads were later found in his home. The most significant correlation between him and Norman Bates is probably the similarities in their mothers. Both are portrayed as teaching their sons that all women were prostitutes and immoral.

In the now famous shower scene from Psycho in which Norman takes his first victim, Marion Crane, chocolate was used to simulate blood. This was a common enough occurrence during the era of black and white horror films.


4. Was the Texas Chainsaw Massacre a real event?

No, despite the opening credits that state what you are about to see is true, the movie was a fiction based loosely on true-life serial killers Ed Gein and Elmer Wayne Henley.

The idea to be intentionally misleading at the outset of this film was to highlight the many lies being told by the federal government at the time. Hooper, one of the writers on the film felt that Vietnam, Watergate and the oil crisis were gross intentional misinformation presented by the government and his characters highlighted the fact that he felt man was the real monster.

These classic horror films have indeed stood the test of time. To this day, you can still feel the horror even though they lack the detail of today's Technicolor movies. That in and of itself is a testament to the fact that these are indeed great films that changed the horror genre forever.



Source: http://www.squidoo.com/horrormovietrivia

Pumpkin Carving 101 ~ Day 25

I have a confession. Until today, these were the only Halloween decorations in my house. Are you as shocked as I am depressed about it? I know, right?

I was driving through town last night and passed a house covered in cob-webs and Halloween lights and I promply burst into tears. I keep telling myself that the remodeling we've been doing will be worth it and I'll have an even better place to decorate next year. But then I think, next year, like as in 365 MORE days from now. And then I want to cry again.

Anyway, I tried to redeem myself today by doing a little pumpkin carving with the kiddos. And I have to tell you about the greatest thing ever. Ever.

Meet the Pumpkin Gutter. If you don't have one you must stop reading this and drive on over to the local Wal-mart right now. Go. I'll wait.

Now. I don't know about you but I've owned every pumpkin carving kit ever made and that piece of plastic with teeth that's included never does the trick for me. I'm an avid pumpkin carver, I admit it. But even if you're not this thing is worth all of the five hundred eighty seven pennies it costs.

It's fun to boot. You can even use it in the smaller pumpkins.

Anybody can do it and it makes quick work of the not so fun part so that you can get on with the so fun part.

Next, if you carve even one pumpkin a year, you're going to want to invest in some carving tools. You can get the cheap ones (left) which work great or, for a little more, you can upgrade to one like this Martha Stewart set (right). I like this one because it comes with the gouging tools which really come in handy. By the way, did you know they make a carving kit for your Dremel? That is totally going on my Christmas list. (Along with a scroll saw....just in case any of my family's reading this!)

To make things a little easier you might want to use a pumpkin carving template. Google them. Free. Easy. You can also find some from Southern Living, here. Do not, I repeat, do not let your child try talking you into free handing Mickey off a Disney World bag onto your pumpkin. You were warned.

And last, but certainly not least, spray the inside of that masterpiece daily with a mixture of bleach and water - I use Clorox Anywhere spray - to keep flesh eating bacteria from forming. Or you can wipe the inside with petroleum jelly to keep it hydrated. Don't let all that hard work go to waste!

I have one final tip for you. If you mistakenly thought maggots only eat meat, I am here to tell you they eat pumpkins, too. This is especially good to know if you're keeping your pumpkin indoors. And it rots. Without your knowing it. Because you didn't know you were suppose to spray it with bleach water, no one ever told you, and you find yourself, the day of your Halloween party, cleaning maggots off the buffet, the floor, the walls....BLECH.

Not that that's ever happened to me.

Based on True Events Horror Movie Trivia ~ Day 24

1. What real life water related drama did the filmmakers of Open Water, Chris Kentis and Laura Lau survive just three days after the DVD release of the movie?

Chris and Laura were in Thailand with their 7-year-old daughter when the devastating tsunami hit the island. Over 200,000 people perished in the storm but Chris, Laura and their daughter survived.

Interestingly enough this is one horror/thriller based on a true story that is close to the actual tale. Tom and Aileen Lonergan disappeared during a scuba diving expedition off the Great Barrier Reef and it was two days before the couple was noticed missing. Another little tidbit is the fact that filmmakers used real sharks as opposed to mechanical variations normally used in these types of films.


2. In the Serpent and the Rainbow, what is the name of the zombie-making drug?

The drug named in the film is tetrodotoxin, a drug that can make a living person appear dead. The way the movie depicts the administration of the drug, by blowing it into the victims face is more consistent with a mind-altering drug known as scopolamine.

Interestingly enough the author of the non-fiction book on which the film is based hated the movie. He commented at one time that he went to Borneo to escape the hysteria.


3. The Exorcism of Emily rose declares what specific time to be the devils hour? And why?

Three am is called the devils hour in an evil attempt to mock the Holy Trinity and in direct opposition to the time it is thought Jesus died on the cross, many scholars put it at three pm.

You might be surprised to find out that many of the unholy body contortions of Emily Rose were achieved by actress Jennifer Carpenter were done without visual effects. Her performance won her a Best Frightened Performance from MTV.


4. In Wolf Creek the psycho killer uses a little torture technique called "head on a stick" what event does he credit with the invention of the tactic?

After cutting Liz's fingers off her explains that during the Vietnam War, they figured out a way to extract information from captives while leaving them unable to run away. Head on a stick is a torture tactic that involves severing the spinal column.

This film is shot on location in southern Australia, an area known as arid and sunny. On the first day of shooting, it commenced raining forcing the directors to incorporate it into the movie. The interesting fact is this particular area had not received rainfall in over six years.


5. What did John Bell claim he offer Kate Batts in exchange for use of her land?

The deal they spat and shook upon included the use of the Bell's slave Samuel and a $100 loan. However, he neglects to tell the council that he charged her 20% interest, which was against the church usury law. Though he clearly broke, their law they determined is punishment was the loss of his good name, of course, Kate Batts had other plans.

This movie is inspired at least in part by the same Tennessee witch legends as the Blair witch project. Though there are many claims about this legend, such as documentation proving this was the first incidence of a human death from a spiritual entity, none of the claims can be substantiated.



Source: http://www.squidoo.com/horrormovietrivia

Cute Little Monsters ~ Day 23

You guys! I'm exhausted! The only day this weekend we got to be bed before 2 or 3 am was last night and I think I was comatose by 9 pm. You'd think after that and the 6 hour trip home I'd be rested but not so much. I think it must've been the shopping trip to IKEA that took it all out of me. But it was worth it!

Tomorrow is the week before Halloween and I've got some fun things in store so I'm going to need my rest. So, I leave you with a few pics of the cutest little monsters I know.