Halloween season begins

Starting with bad news: The manager of a grocery store told me that he heard there would be a shortage of Monster Cereals this year. I hope he's wrong - fingers crossed!

Good news: Disneyland's Halloween Time started last week. I visited the Haunted Mansion and I LOVE the gingerbread house this year. The gingerbread house actually opens and closes his mouth like a hungry monster - he even has a colorful tongue inside.

Pumpkin Donald welcomes you into the park

The French Market restaurant (across the plaza from the Haunted Mansion) has a special seasonal entree right now - a muffaletta sandwich served in a Jack Skellington coffin! It was tasty and it comes with a side of chips. I like this better than the trinket/ornament giveaways that require 13 visits to the park to collect the set. I'd rather just have a coffin lunchbox! We skipped dessert, though they looked very nice this year.

The coffin has a twisted vine handle, and a little surprise built into the bottom. You have to take the sandwich and paper out to see it.

No, I won't tell you what it is!

Target had some good Halloween stuff out - I got a silver skull candle that claims it will bleed red wax out the eye sockets. Exciting!

As far as home entertainment, I've already scared the crap out of myself with The Exorcist 3 and Fire in the Sky. I downloaded the entire works of Edgar Allen Poe to my e-reader. Yes, I have it in book form, but it's so heavy and cumbersome to read from. E-readers FTW.

Next up: Haunts at Universal Studios and Knott's both open soon. There's a new haunt this year in Newport Harbor - Ghost Ship. My favorite theater The Maverick is adding Frankenstein Has No Legs to its weird repertoire (puppets and Frankenstein? GET OUT OF MY DREAMS AND INTO MY CAR). Stages OC is touting DRAGULA - drag queens and Dracula (yes, please). And the beautiful El Capitan theater is showing the Nightmare Before Christmas in 4D meaning they'll have weather effects to go along with the plot of the movie. I think of NBC as a Christmas movie and not a Halloween movie, but I hope I'll find time to go see it.

General spooky-time update

August - one step closer to Halloween time!

It's still just rumor, but rumor has it that a Munsters re-boot with a dark origin story is being pitched to NBC.



The truth comes out about Frank Darabont's exit from The Walking Dead. They claim it was budget issues what done them in.

The Addams Family musical is coming to SoCal. It'll be at the Pantages June 5-17. Despite my love for all things Addams and musical, I think the show looks like absolute normie dreck. Having said that, I'll probably still go. What can I say, I enjoy punishment.

Thankfully the Maverick Theater will satisfy my need for spooky theater with Frankenstein Has No Legs. I saw Hamlet Has No Legs from the All Puppet Players and it was really funny. They're fundraising if you've got some extra cash.

Lastly, have you given any thought to your Halloween costume this year? I'm strongly considering "murderous bride"...mostly because I know where I can get an unwanted wedding gown for free, and because I looove dumping blood on things. And carrying a weapon sounds fun. As usual, I have no idea where I'll GO on Halloween, but I'm sure it will involve a costume.

Alternative gingerbread houses

I've been craving a weird/spooky/haunted gingerbread house, but sadly lack the time to make one.

For now, I'll have to make-do with photos of houses that others have made.

This one is just...so detailed! So much care was put into it. From far away it looks fairly normal, but!...


Lots more amazing pictures at the source.

This one was on display last year at the Haunted Mansion Holiday ride in Disneyland.

It's a "Scary-go-Round"

This has been flying around the internet - a gingerbread crackhouse. (It's probably NSFW)

Haha, well done, JaneMinty! I feel like I can smell it, and it doesn't smell like gingerbread.

-MM

Zombie poetry

[SORRY, POETRY MAGNETS NO LONGER AVAILABLE]

Before you go on your long journey through zombie-infested territory, check out these zombie poems.

Back toward Earth now

You will be very dark or soulless

Do not crave his lonely struggle

Many living spirits had but one chainsaw

Who was for gnawing dead prey all night

We give slow thrills

If you loved Oregon Trail as a kid, and you love zombies now, you'll love Organ Trail.

Good luck, fiend.

-MM

Link Horde

Zombies are generally grotesque and ugly, but this animated video Zombigotchi! makes zombies seem adorable.

Sears has a way to make XXX-mas shopping more palatable - the Zombie gift guide. Unless you've been living in an abandoned mall, you've probably already seen this. Check out the videos for extra fun and a peek at my pal Jenny (outerwear).

Discovery Channel has a new show called Oddities. I haven't had a chance to watch it yet, but if all their customers are like this guy, I'm hooked. He's like real-life Dracula. Except not a vampire. Thanks to Merricat Blackwood for the tip.

Alone, in a darkened room...The Count.

Can you find all the monsters in this vintage Muppets illustration? Scooter and Janice need your help!

For those unable to let go of Halloween, there's an ongoing horror art exhibit Horrorwood at the WWA Gallery in Culver City. The show runs until December 4th.

This weekend in Santa Ana, the Bowers Museum is closing their Weird and Wonderful exhibit. The collection boasts shrunken heads, Egyptian Mummy masks, and the last of OC's Grizzly bear population.

Speaking of taxidermy, this Dr. Seuss taxidermy is just awesome.

The San Diego Museum of Man in Balboa Park has an exhibit called Strange Bones: Curiosities of the Human Skeleton. And as long as you're in the area, check out Ion Theater's Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Both are small, a little creepy, and very good.

If all this travelling is making you hungry, maybe you'll find something good in my new(-ish) pumpkin cooking blog.

Finally, for a little dose of cute, check out Misery Bear in Dawn of the Ted.

-MM

Zombie Poetry / The Walking Dead

Unhappy November! It's always sad when another October comes to a close, but this year the sting was relieved by The Walking Dead premiere. AMC's new show was the scariest, most tension-filled television premiere that I can think of, and it rivaled Bob from Twin Peaks in terms of fear. If you asked me to choose between Bob and that horrible, limbless creature from The Walking Dead, I would just run. It's like deciding if I'd like to die, or be dead.


KILL IT WITH FIRE

Maybe these zombie poems from D.C. of Atlanta will help me decide.

[SORRY, POETRY MAGNETS NO LONGER AVAILABLE]

I see

Lonely undead humans shuffle aimless-ly

Flesh so very cold with delicious braiiiiiins

Craving the strange feeling

Humanity struggles through

Crack is hell

The formatting on this one is interesting:

Walking

Searching Shuffling

Lost

Life

Walk

and

Wander

Listen

and

Groan

Feed

and

Crash

Eat

Change

Die

Zombie poetry magnets are available year-round. Get yours before the zombie apocalypse hits.

-MM

Southern California Halloween activities

First, some business. Someone sent us an email this week asking if we're going to stop selling magnets for the year after Halloween - no! The spooky poetry magnets are for sale year-round. Every day is Halloween.

If you've waited until now to start thinking about a frightening Halloween activity for the weekend, you've come to the right place. Here are my favorites, listed in no particular order.

Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios

Year after year they have highly-themed, quality mazes as well as some scare areas around the usual Universal Studios park. The backlot area is particularly scary since it does seem like a free-for-all in the woods, and crazed killers lurk everywhere. Tickets are $59 at the gate. Here's last year's review.

Knott's Scary Farm Haunt in Buena Park

Read my Knott's Haunt review for details. Tickets are $46.00 at the gate. It's an old standby that won't disappoint, and this year had several great mazes.

Night of the Living Dead / Zombie Love at the Maverick Theater in Fullerton

I was lucky enough to attend both this year - Night of the Living Dead gets better every year, and I couldn't recommend it more. Each year they add a little something to the show that makes it different and better than the previous year. But let me say that if Scott Johnson ever stops playing Ben, it won't be the same for me. I now trust him - and only him - with my zombie-killing needs. Read my review for Zombie Love over at Spooky Little Girl's blog. It was also entertaining, though nothing can compare to NOTLD, and I wouldn't recommend it if you don't like musicals. Tickets for both shows are most likely already sold out, but it never hurts to call and ask.

The Olde Towne Music Hall in El Segundo

I went to their showing of Dracula and loved it. The Mighty Wurlitzer is front-and-center in the theater; before the movie we heard everything from traditional, carousel-style organ music to a cover of the Beatles. It's a treat, and a glimpse at a simpler time. Every Halloween weekend they show the original silent Phantom of the Opera, and the organ is played as the score to the movie. Personally, I never need to see anything Phantom ever again, but if I hadn't seen it recently, I'd go just for the live music. It's a cheap evening too - tickets are $8 and concessions are about $2 each.

The Dia de los Muertos event at Hollywood Forever Cemetery

I understand that it gets crazy-busy, so if you can manage the horde, you'll love the altars, the Day of the Dead processional, and beautiful costumes. Tickets are $10, parking is non-existent. It's an L.A. tradition, so maybe the chaos is worth it.

Old Towne Haunt in Pasadena

When I visited, it was great - truly scary. The Old Towne Haunt doesn't have the same quantity of mazes as a theme park haunt, but they make up for it by scaring the crap out of you for the 15-20 minutes that you're there. They find clever ways to breathe new life into their mazes, and the scare-actors are usually pretty dedicated. Tickets are $14, and there's a front-of-line pass for $19.

Zombie Joe's theater in North Hollywood

Currently showing Attack of the Rotting Corpses. I haven't seen this particular show, but I like the small theater, and the I-could-die-here vibe that I got when the doors were closed and the lights went out. There's artwork on display in the lobby, and concessions are cheap. Tickets are $15.

There are also lots of lovingly-crafted home haunts - and there are even probably a few in your neighborhood - but it takes some looking to find them. If you want to stick close to home and you don't want to pay a lot of money, I recommend searching your city's website, and these sites:

Alley Cat Scratch - they meticulously list haunts from Burbank to San Juan Capistrano. I'm sure you can find something on that site that is in your neck of the woods.

HauntedHouse.com - they also have a list of many of the smaller attractions. Use the top navigation if you're not in CA.

If you don't like my suggestions, here are a few reviews from my friend Spooky Little Girl:

Los Angeles Haunted Hayride in Griffith Park; tickets are $25-$60

Reign of Terror in Thousand Oaks; tickets are $13-$20

Or if you just want to stay home and watch a scary/corny movie, don't forget about Elvira on Saturday night, and your Netflix subscription. Netflix Instant has some great movies, with my personal favorites being the old-school monster movies, and the campy classics.

Killer Klowns from Outer Space - a campy tradition. With terrifying clowns.

Dracula A.D. 1972 - a bizarre spin on Dracula that focuses on a group of beatnik kids in England in the 70s.

The Munsters: Season 1 - If you want to make Halloween a light, family affair, you can't go wrong with the Munsters.

Them! - my personal all-time favorite creature feature. It's a classic B-movie that does tend toward hokey-dom, but I think it holds up surprisingly well.

Enjoy your weekend! If you have any questions, or you want me to add something to this list, drop me a line.

-MM