We’re starting out this special Zombie (Good) Friday with an announcement that directly affects how awesome Halloween will be for the next couple of years. Unlike 2007, Halloween in 08′ and 09′ will be falling on perfect party days: Friday and Saturday! Since school and work won’t get in the way for many of us, that will result in more of everything we love about the holiday. More events and parties, entertainment on TV and in theaters, and even more crazy costumes and various stuff from Halloween retailers. It’s going to be one hell of a Halloween, folks. If you’ve ever thought to yourself “one of these years I’ll go all out for Halloween”, then you’ll be in great company in 2008.
And now, onto the undead!
Our 2nd favorite pop culture site in existence, RetroCrush, interviews George Romero and (positively) reviews Diary of the Dead. Robert, the brains behind the site, can also be seen in Zombie Walk, which is in the running to be a special feature on the Diary of the Dead DVD. If you want to see Zombie Walk or any of the other contestants immortalized in DVD format, be sure to give them a thumbs up vote.
Are you hazy on the connections between the Living Dead movies? Not sure if the Italian “sequels” really came from Romero’s original films, or how the Return series fits into the big picture? And what’s with all the remakes? The Genealogy of the Living Dead movies diagram will explain everything. How did I discover this? Oh, I was just browsing reviews of every zombie movie ever made in the ENCYCLOPEDIA ZOMBICA at Analog Medium. There’s actually a lot of zombie related reviews and info there, so it’s well worth a visit.
Delving even deeper into zombie movie reviews is the aptly named 365 Days of the Dead blog. It’s an experiment where the author one watches and reviews 1 zombie film a day for a whole year. Wow. Razor sharp reviews and and lots of embedded YouTube videos make it a lively read. Keep and eye out for DotD contest entries, which provide lots of unique fodder in a sub-genre that’s dying for some fresh blood. ZING!
So enjoy the rest of your Friday, and remember that it’s never too early to start thinking about Halloween. Now that you know it will fall on a Friday this year, will that change your plans? Are you likely to put more effort into your costume, party, haunt, etc?
If you’ve never made the acquaintance of Madame Talbot, you are in for a treat. Madame Talbot’s “Victorian Lowbrow” is like an e-curio cabinet, brimming with “one-of-a-kind gothic death-themed creations”. Entering their online store is like stepping back to a time when science was nearly synonymous with magic: when a few leaches and a mixture of alcohol, opium and a little sugar cured all that ailed you. As you navigate through the endless, eerie categories, you’ll be greeted with circus freak shows, folklore creatures of the night, southern Gothic, traveling medicine shows and archaic Victorian funeral practices. Sounds fun, doesn’t it?
They offer “unique dark art”, much of which is produced by Ashleigh Talbot herself. A skilled pen-and-ink illustrator, she creates such wondrous art as tombstone paintingsmourning dolls, and creepy Victorian posters. To add to the period-perfect mystique of these one of a kind items, Talbot does everything by hand, without the use of computers or a sewing machine. Now that’s dedication. Her sophisticated art style paired with the bizarre and ghoulish topics is our favorite mix for spooky decor. Like haunted portraits, it gives a more subtle, yet extremely creepy vibe that most Halloween/horror themed decor and art just don’t have.
There is also a selection of vintage items that would be equally great for grim room decor or as props for your Halloween haunt. Our favorite from this section is definitely the poison bottles, some of which are still full!
Whether you’re looking for nightmarish inspiration or want to go vintage Halloween this October, you can do no better than Madame Talbot’s. Step right up, and tell em’ 365 Halloween sent you.
I bet you thought we forgot about you, eh? Or maybe that we died from a fun avalanche on Halloween night? Nay, we have been recovering from one of the most awesome Halloweens in recent history:
Like good little Halloweenies we’ve been reminiscing over and sharing our photos, eating up the last of our treats, and… planning for next year! At most stores you’ll find Halloween items discounted like crazy, which is a great way to drive away the post-Halloween blues. (If you haven’t scooped up a 3′ skull-covered, faux stone funeral vase for $9.99, I would highly recommend it.) If you’re the list-making type like us, you probably found more than a couple ideas that you didn’t have time for, which means you have an entire year to breathe life into them by October 2008. Joy!
Now that The Big Night has passed for another season, things will slow down around here as we focus our attentions elsewhere. (I think I can hear the moan of holiday zombies already…) But never fear Halloween fan, we will still be updating year-round. Please creep on by anytime and drop a comment; those help keep us motivated!
As you can see in the slideshow, we had a killer Halloween season. What about you guys? What marvelous mayhem did you participate in? Tell us your stories, share your photos…
There are countless rites of passage that we experience during our transition to adulthood. Always educational, sometimes quite embarrassing, these are the times we recall years down the road. An event that inevitably happens for every little Trick or Treater is the Halloween you ask yourself “am I too old to go out this year?” What will your friends think? Will they laugh at your costume? Should you be at home watching scary movies or out TP-ing and egging houses that are giving out crappy treats? Perhaps you even wanted to show just how mature you’d gotten since last Halloween and chaperon your younger siblings while they get sacks full of candy. Or maybe it just got boring?
When did you know it was time to stop Trick or Treating? How did you spend your Halloween nights after that fateful year?
You’ve been toiling away on your costume (or pumpkin, prop, spooky art, whatever the case may be) to freak out the impending trick-or-treaters. Your creation can win you a handful of treats, too! Some of these contests are frightfully simple to enter, while the rest require varying degrees of participation. Whether you only have a moment to join a mailing list, or have set aside months to create a fantastic costume or prop, you’ll find a contest perfect for you.
MAKE/CRAFT DIY Halloween Contest: Submit images of your homemade Halloween creations to the flickr pool. Categories include pumpkins, costumes, decorations or gadgets, and food. Prizes: A trip to Maker Faire San Francisco and a bunch of other TBA prizes Deadline: November 4, 2007
Curbly Candy Corn Challenge: To enter, transform these syrupy wedges into something seasonally superior for your home. Or, take a cue from its traditional three color stripes, and use it as an aesthetic for you next creation. Prize: $75 gift card to Amazon.com Deadline: October 29, 2007 (extended!)
Etsy Costume Contest: To enter, make a handmade costume or accessory and put it for sale in your Etsy shop. Categories include Pet, Kid & Baby, T-Shirt Costume, Sci-Fi, Green, and General Awesomeness. Prizes: 18 winners will share over $2,000 worth of goods and prizes including $150 shopping sprees at Etsy & Threadless Deadline: October 26, 2007
BloodSucking Cinema Halloween Contest: Send them an email with your name, age, address and the subject line HALLOWEEN CONTEST! Include your USERNAME from the boards. As always new members are always welcome to enter, but they will check to see if you registered and are a member posting on the site. Prizes: Portable DVD Player, horror DVDs, and tons of various (mostly zombie themed) items Deadline: Not stated
Penelope Illustration Monster Mash: Create a monster by any means you prefer: drawing, sculpture, design, textile, etc. and submit a picture. Prizes: 3 winners get a $20 certificate to Amazon Deadline: October 31, 2007
October Oddness Drawing: Leave a voicemail (or e-mail a recorded submission) related to Halloween, ghosts, goblins, news and any other October related subject matter. Prizes: Podcast related swag Deadline: October 25 & 30, 2007 (depending on which prize you’re aiming for)
Raven’s Barrow Halloween Prize Pack: Just sign up for the e-mail newsletter for a chance to win. Prizes: A whole bunch of prizes Deadline: October 20, 2007
Halloween Photo Spell Contest: Take photos of letters or things that look like letters to spell out the word “Halloween” in one image. Prize: a gift card or some other small token Deadline: October 21, 2007
Fujifilm Picture Perfect Halloween Contest: Categories include Best Pumpkins, Cutest Baby Costumes, Best Pets, Best Kid’s Costumes, Best Teens and Adult Costumes. Prizes: A trip for 4 to PA for the HERSHEY Trick or Treat Adventure in October 2008, Digital Photography course, $50.00 Visa debit card, or a sheet of customized stamps Deadline: November 3, 2007
Disney Halloween Costume Contest: Upload a photo of your homemade costume and instructions. Doesn’t have to be 100% homemade, but costumes must consist of some homemade elements. Categories include Most Unique, Family Costumes, & Easy to Make. Prizes: All inclusive trip for 4 to Walt Disney World, digital camera, or “picnic basket” of goodies. Deadline: October 31, 2007
Do you know of any Halloween contests that we missed? Leave a comment so we can add it to the list.
The bummer about kids Halloween costumes is that they’re pretty much a one-time use item. Kids grow so dang fast, and unless you’ve got younger kids to pass down those costumes to, they’re useless to your family after the season. Thankfully, you can help out other families in need and give new life to a used costume at the same time. Preschool Rock has set up a Halloween Costume Exchange that allows you to donate your kids used costumes and get a 20% discount off a new costume for this year. Pretty sweet deal.
How Does the Halloween Costume Exchange Work?
Parents seeking free Halloween costumes:
Look through the listings of free Halloween costumes.
When a desirable Halloween costume is found, the parent contacts the Halloween costume donator via email to arrange for shipment.
Parent receives Halloween costume in the mail just in time for Halloween!
Parents wanting to donate a Halloween costume:
Complete the Halloween Costume Exchange Donation Form.
Your Halloween costume will be posted on PreschoolRock; PreschoolRock will email a code to you that will give you 20% off the cost of a new Halloween costume from Anytime Costumes.
How simple is that? So if you’ve got any kids costumes laying around please donate them so that a family in need can have a great Halloween.
Are you hazy on the connections between the Living Dead movies? Not sure if the Italian “sequels” really came from Romero’s original films, or how the Return series fits into the big picture? And what’s with all the remakes? The Genealogy of the Living Dead movies diagram will explain everything. How did I discover this? Oh, I was just browsing reviews of every zombie movie ever made in the ENCYCLOPEDIA ZOMBICA at Analog Medium. There’s actually a lot of zombie related reviews and info there, so it’s well worth a visit.
They offer “unique dark art”, much of which is produced by 
You’ve been toiling away on your costume (or pumpkin, prop, spooky art, whatever the case may be) to freak out the impending trick-or-treaters. 
