Hey guys, it’s Sean, remember me? I haven’t been posting very often, but rest assured I’ve been working behind the scenes. I’ve risen shortly to tell you about some Halloween flavored t-shirts newly available from Threadless.
The one that caught my eye the most is the Derby of the Damned, which portrays some girls you don’t want to go up against in your next roller derby match. Or would you? Either way it’s definitely a 365 Halloween favorite due to the great artwork, color, and zombie/of-the-damned theme. I’m sure the pink chainsaw had something to do with it as well. Be sure to snatch this one up quick as I’m betting it will sell out quickly.
For those that need more orange in your wardrobe there is the nicely designed When I Was Pumpkin shirt. It opens our eyes to what our skillfully carved jack-o-lanterns might see on Halloween night. Another shirt, that looks to be a hit with the kids, is the Imposter. With it’s simple skeleton theme and glow in the dark print it’s a great t-shirt to sport when you know you’ll be in some black lights, or just plain darkness.

For those that don’t know how Threadless works, t-shirts are printed when users vote for them highly. So in an effort to get some more Halloween type shirts printed we’d like to encourage everyone to vote for the design entitled Pumpkin Eaters. Check it out, rate it yourself and feel free to vote for some other designs you’d like to see printed on a shirt.

October has got to be the most popular month for horror movies. Everyone seems to crave a little scary viewing, even if they don’t identify as “horror fans”. Just try calling your local video rental store and checking stock on classics like The Exorcist, Scream, or Halloween– or just flip on the TV and see how many times those movies are rerun.

Whether you’re a veteran of gore or just want to get a little spooked this Halloween season, director Sam Raimi has a treat for you. You don’t even have to leave the house to rent it or have cable TV! He produced a series of exclusive shorts for FEARnet (a pretty cool horror and thriller website and video-on-demand provider) called Devil’s Trade. The story follows characters who buy a mysterious wooden cross from an online store called Devils Trade, and discover that the item is cursed. And not “fall on your face in public” cursed or even “break a couple bones” cursed. The 25 minute series is rated TVMA for good reason: while tension is its best asset, there’s no shortage of freaky, gory deaths. For such a short series, there’s a good amount of character development so you’ll actually care when each person gets he axe, which has become rare in new horror.

For another free short horror series, check out the new FEARnet exclusive that promotes 30 Days of Night called Blood Trails.

Imagine if you dedicated an entire day to creating a Halloween project. What couldn’t you make with 20-30 hours and a vision? Norma Jean spends that much time on each one of her handmade horror dolls, giving attention to the smallest details. They are totally one of a kind, and she even sculpts the heads, hands and feet herself. All that handmade TLC is going to cost you, but sometimes you have to splurge for art. (Plus, supporting spooky artists is a always a good thing.) There are such gory categories as dolls with head injuries, mad scientists, and perhaps my favorite, the skeletons convicts.

If you’ve got a barren chamber door, she also has super detailed, ornate Halloween wreaths available. Actually, they’re kind of like Halloween exploded into a wreath shape with all the activity going on (and I mean that in a good way). If you’ve got a specific style in mind, she does take custom orders but be sure to plan at least 2 weeks ahead.

Hey Halloween fans, we’ve got some juicy new articles and tutorials coming your way…

• Tomorrow we’re heading to the Halloween Haunt @ Knott’s Scary Farm. Last year they won the “Best Halloween Event in the World” award from Amusement Today. Hopefully that will make our claim seem less like hyperbole when we say it’s absolutely the best haunt we’ve ever attended (and we’ve seen a lot). It’s been a few years since we make the trek, so we’re chomping at the bit to see this year’s spectacle. Expect a full report in a few days.
• In other news, we’ve improved the search function on the site. Now all the search results are showing up so you can quickly scan through our whole site via the search box. Additionally, the tutorials now have thumbnails so you can quickly tell the difference between them and a regular old blog post. Handy, eh?
• On the 13th we’re headed off to a major Halloween shindig, and among other devious implications, that means that you’ll soon see a new featured recipe (with pictures of course). If we do a test run then the recipe will be up within a week or so, otherwise it should be up by the 15th. Just in time to add it to your Halloween party menu.
• There is also a new Halloween decor tutorial in the works to spice up your window and freak out your neighbors. Give us about a week.

That’s it for now. Want to see more? Then submit your own creepy creations and fiendish online finds! We want to hear your tales, see your photos, try your tutorials, and view your favorite creepy links… and so does the rest of the Halloween community.

Welcome to October! Less than 30 days to get all your Halloween plans together, including choosing a killer costume. If you’re still unsure what to dress up as, I’ve got a roundup of links that are sure to get your creative juices flowing.

Not sure where to start? The best tip I know of is to choose a Halloween costume that you’re genuinely interested in becoming. If you spend your days dreaming about how badass ninjas are, then be a ninja! If you really like a character from a movie or comic, become him or her for Halloween. For all you mavericks out there who want to do something truly original, dream up your own character. Feel free to borrow from any themes that appeal to you, whether they will “make sense” to other people or not. Grab a wig, a loud jacket, some face paint, and be who/whatever you desire. That’s the magic of Halloween, kiddies.

And now onto the costume idea sites. If you know of a website with inspiring costume ideas, leave us a comment.

• Costume Critic: Peruse and rate hundreds of costumes. This site has great browsing capabilities so you don’t have to waste time sorting through themes that you aren’t into. I love looking at Costume Critic throughout the year, too: it’s a good pick-me-up when Halloween is still months away.
• Halloween Costumes Group: My favorite flickr group. Filled with tons of inspirational photos. Lots of creative homemade costumes, as well as better views of ready-made costumes.
• Costume Party Group: People in costumes. Or costumes without people in them. Or people who are merely disguised a bit, or perhaps dressed a little funny… feel free to stretch the definition a bit.
• Instructables Costume Tutorials: Learn to make a costume, step by step, with a How-To from Instructables. The first 3 pages of results are great.
• Costumes Group: Costumes of all shapes, sizes and colors. Halloween as well as those dressed to the nines in something fantastical.
• Science Fiction/Fantasy Convention Costumes Group: Pretty self-explanatory, eh?
• Masked Faces Group: This group doesn’t allow Halloween masks, so instead it is full of more creative mask options.

Photo by Georgios Wollbrecht

I’m seeing a lot of DIY Halloween action this year, and it’s still relatively “early” in the season. I predict we’re in for a great year. Keep creating, Halloweenies!

One industrious sweet tooth decided to revamp the holy grail of Halloween treats and make homemade candy corn. Melisser wanted to enjoy its simple sweetness sans the sucky ingredients, so she tweaked a recipe from the Epicurious Editor’s Blog- with perfect results- and shared her success story online. Visit her blog for a step by step recipe with pictures. If you make your own homemade candy corn, let us know how it turned out!