October 31, 2011

The Night of Nights




























May your candles burn bright, your fog hang low and your pumpkin lids singe ever so sweetly.




October 5, 2011

Halloween 2010 Redux

Here are a few shots of the haunt last year...


I hesitated posting them because the majority of the photos did not come out very well and I really had to ramp them up in Photoshop. Uncooperative weather for lighting setup, not covering the street light as we did the past year, additional lights left unhooded, no budget to speak of and a wingman with not one, but two broken wrists really hampered us this year.

Due to economic times, the only new prop for 2010 was a Celtic Cross tombstone, based on Hector Turner's design, that I made out of foam board left over from 2009.

The only other change was to the Tree of Woe. In 2009, to accommodate the Halloween Tree motif, the witch jars that came with the haunt were hung on the outside of the fence. With LED tea lights in them, they were quite dim and went pretty much unnoticed. The crown-of-thorns skull was hung over the lower window and also went pretty much unnoticed. In 2010, I decided to hang the witch jars from the tree (with real candles) and the crown-of-thorns skull as well. I'm pleased with how it turned out.

Regrettably, I wasn't able to put together a video for 2010, as my video editor's 30-day trial expired and I put off purchasing the program. When I finally got around to updating it, they had upgraded to a newer version and wanted even more money... that I didn't have. Frustrating to say the least.

The frustration continues, so far, for 2011 as our economic situation has not improved. Our only camera was dropped and damaged, long after the warranty had expired of course. Still no video editor and lack of funds leading to lack of building materials is leading to nothing new being added to the haunt this year. I did receive a Bucky skeleton (my first) from Chris Baker for the work I've been doing for Hauntcast, which was really cool. Sadly, it'll probably have to stay in the box until I can get materials to corpse it properly. I don't want to half-ass it.

I'll probably just be playing with the arrangement and lighting of the haunt this year. Maybe some small additions and that's about it.

I was generously given a great haunt to care for and build upon and I love it. I want to do it the justice it deserves. But between last year and this year, at least so far, I'm starting to feel like I'm resting, however involuntarily, on Rob's laurels. I have plans and ideas. Right now I just lack the means to see them through the way I'd like to. Hopefully, that will change in the very near future.

At any rate, I'm not letting the tough times dampen my spirit. Here's hoping that you are all faring well in your haunting endeavors and I look forward to seeing what you all come up with this year.

More photos from 2010 here.