I, Robot

Beastcraft Props produces characters for professional haunted houses.  They've made some amazing animatronics, but most of their work, understandably, is various flavors of undead and monsters.  Their latest is something different- an interactive robot.  I love the craftsmanship and theming on this.

 

 

The Pumpkin King

It's the most wonderful time of the year.  Dustin Drerup of Beastcraft Props celebrates the season with this gigantic pumpkin creature.

 

The Dark Portal

The Wicked Makers YouTube channel has a great tutorial on creating a massive inter-dimensional gate prop.  Well, it's great right up until the end, when you're directed to their Patreon to find out how the projected video effect was actually done. That said, the construction details alone are worth a watch.

The Thing in the Box

The Hammerspace Community Workshop brings us one of the coolest Lovecraftian Halloween props I've seen.  I can't wait to see the finished project.

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A post shared by Hammerspace Community Workshop (@hammerspaceworkshop) on Oct 6, 2019 at 8:38pm PDT

Attack of the Mega Tentacles

Looking to add a bit of Mythos magic to your Halloween decorating?  Calebkraft has the answer- giant inflatable tentacles.

In conjunction with Make he's posted a tutorial on YouTube showing how to turn some cheap plastic drop clothes and a box fan into immense, wavering tentacles.  It's essentially a DIY version of the giant inflatable lawn decorations available at big box stores.  Given how inexpensive the technique is there's a lot of room for experimentation.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

More and more stores are now rolling out their Halloween goods, and there's some really cool stuff available this year. I'm making an effort to publicize this kind of thing because I've inevitably found myself saying "I wish I'd bought that back around Halloween" every year. Usually around February/March, when I have lots of time for projects.

The Dollar Tree chain has their usual assortment, and there's lots of things a propmaker would find useful. Their "skeleton garland" has become the go-to base for all kinds of mummified fairy projects, even though I find the figures a bit crude. That said, even goofy skeleton bits can be re-purposed to add some detail to larger projects.

One thing Dollar Tree really goes nuts with is body parts- fingers, ears, eyeballs, feet, and hands. The fingers are a great base for mummified fingers, while adding a coat of raw latex to the ears turns them into great trophy necklaces ala "The Walking Dead". Both the hands and feet are seriously undersized, but they're still a great base for projects. And, of course, EVERYTHING IS A DOLLAR!

The Rite-Aid chain is a bit "Meh" so far, but they do have a cool little "Groundbreaker" set. It includes two skeletal arms and a skull designed for yard display, as though an animated skeleton was bursting forth from the ground. All the pieces are undersized, something that's not surprising given the $19.99 price point. The skull is a little crude, but it's a good foundation for larger projects. The arms are far better. They're ideal for anyone looking to do a mummified hand or arm. Pose the fingers with a heat gun or hot water, lay on some paper mache skin, add some fingernails, and you're in business.

The Unquiet Dead

Great minds, and all that. Anthony Souza brings us a grave marker for the surprisingly popular Joseph Curwen, along with a tribute to Arthur Machen. I find the idea of sequentially dated tombstones for Curwen scattered across the United States, and the world, incredibly amusing.

The Not Quite Final Resting Place of Joseph Curwen

Part of Jeff Devine's Halloween display was this tombstone for Joseph Curwen from Lovecraft's "The Case of Charles Dexter Ward". Not surprisingly, there wasn't actually a body under the marker. Heh.

The Worm Shall Turn, Redux

Following up on Sunday's post about the "squirming worm" video, a kind emailer pointed out that the creator of the clip removed the original sometime during the week and then posted a new version.



It turns out the video was part of a contest entry by the creator, "GOT", in a Halloween prop contest over here at HauntForum. His entry includes a full materials list and build description.

More From Bob's Basement

Over the weekend I posted a link to the new website and video documentary about Bob Burn's and his famed Halloween shows. The second part of the documentary is now available, and it demonstrates that Lovecraft pops up in the most surprising places. The final minute of the webisode includes a surprising tidbit of information that, if my eyes don't deceive me, also provides a handy link between Lovecraft and "The Creature from the Black Lagoon" when you're playing "Six Degrees of Separation".

If you can't wait, the Reverso-Text(TM) spills the beans:

."noogaL kcalB eht morf erutaerC ehT" morf tius namlliG eht fo sgel dna smra eht setaroprocni emutsoc eht taht wohs ot sraeppa hpargotohp llits ehT ."ledoM s'namkciP" fo noitatpada "yrellaG thgiN" eht morf emutsoc luohg eht gniraew rotca na derutaef snruB .rM yb no tup wohs neewollaH "tenalP neddibroF" ehT

Just cut and paste it over here to decode.

Home Is Where The Haunt Is

Over the last decade the haunt industry has exploded in the United States. Much of that growth is thanks to the internet allowing amateur-level home haunters to exchange information on techniques and technology. That in turn created a growing pool of semi-professional haunters that created an unparalleled demand for new props, tools, and materials as they moved up into the ranks of the old school "dark attraction" professionals.

Naturally, trade shows have become an integral part of the industry. One of, if not the, most important is Transworld, an annual gathering where dozens of vendors display their wares. The latest show wrapped up last week and there were was some amazing stuff on display.