David F. Sandberg makes amazing short horror films. I mentioned his short Lights Out – Who’s There a while back, but didn’t realize it was the second film in a loose “series” featuring a woman who really, really needs to move out of that apartment. The first in the series was Cam Closer, then Lights Out, after which came Pictured, Coffer, and the latest is Attic Panic, below.

Also be sure to check out his ultra-short See You Soon, in which he manages to scare the crap out of you in a mere 14 seconds.

Watching Sandberg’s stuff alone is a very, very bad idea.

It’s time for another bunch of random stuff I’ve found which I want to share but can’t hang a whole post on. Some of them have no attribution, so if you happen to know the source for any of these please leave a note in the comments. (Click to view larger.)

	Bat Manicure The Facebook group I found this on vaguely credited VampireFreaks, but I didn’t see any similar photos and didn’t feel like registering to do an in-depth search. Anyway. These would be impossible to type with, but I love the wavy edges.
	Poe Pocket Watch This lovely sculpture is by All Natural Arts
	Fluffy Moth Oversize moths seem to be a fairly popular subject for textile arts, and they always make me sort of melancholy because I want a kitten-sized moth as a pet. This lovely example is by Yumi Okita; you can see more of her work here.
	Castle Bed Huh. This is the first time I’ve ever done a Google image search and gotten back nothing but Facebook pages. That’s vaguely disheartening. Anyway, this is a completely awesome bed/play area (or bunk bed; it’s hard to tell). I kind of want a bed like this.
	Carved Crocodile Skull This astonishingly intricate piece is by Bali Organic Arts, which seems to be an artist collective. They’ve got a Facebook Page, website, and Etsy shop, where they sell carved wooden pieces as well as skulls. (It’s unclear whether their bone pieces are humanely harvested, so shop with caution.)
	Steampunk Chandelier A reverse image search turns up nothing but aggregator sites, so I’m not sure where this came from originally, but it is sublime. The little spidery hands holding up each Edison bulb are the perfect combination of steampunk and goth.
	Vampire Teabags This zipped pouch for carrying tampons is, as the Etsy store describes it, indiscreet. But it’s also, y’know, funny. It’d be pretty easily DIY-able with painted stencils or embroidery.
	Notice: Travellers from the Future This faux PSA for time travelers is by Miguel Marquez. I quite like the idea of printing up similar notices and posting them anonymously.
	Beetlejuice Cabinet Fiend4Halloween pointed me to this gorgeous piece by FourthDimensionCo. Their furniture is handmade, hence the price, but Fiend4Halloween notes that it might be possible to repurpose an existing cabinet with stencils. Be sure to also check out the same seller’s vintage-style carnival ticket booth.
	Steampunk Fairy I unfortunately have no information about who made this pretty thing; in a reverse image search, all roads lead to Pinterest and/or Facebook. I’d guess that the wings are something like plywood or maybe acrylic, cut with a jigsaw and painted. I adore the detailing on the dress.
	Shoulder Chain I like this interesting jewelry idea by Etsy seller xTarnishedx. It’s like a fancy epaulet.

This went viral a week or so ago but just in case you haven’t seen it, it’s worth a look. Sergei Polunin, who was with Britain’s Royal Ballet until recently, dances to Hozier’s bluesy hit “Take Me to Church” in this impressive video.

It’s time for another bunch of random stuff that I want to share but can’t hang a whole post on. As a pleasant change, I’ve actually got attributions for all of the images this time. Yay.

	13th Floor Sign The fabulous Dead Spider posted this on her site without comment. It would be perfect to hang on a closet or bathroom door.
	Fang Napkin Rings This idea by Family Chic is such a great use of brightly-colored plastic fangs.
	Funky Bat Necklace lilruby Jewelry made this necklace using “rusty black charms from B’Sue Boutiques and a plastic skeleton head.” There’s another view of the same necklace here, and lots of other neat stuff on her site. (Also check out the selection of bats from B’Sue.)
	Spider Box Woodworker going to pieces makes cool wooden boxes with spidery legs. There are more examples in his gallery.
	Never Trust the Living This cute cross-stitched Beetlejuice quote is by Etsy seller CinemaStitches, who has several other amusing ones as well.
	Beholder Hat Jen of Twist & Loop made this awesome “beholder” hat with needle-felted eyes for a craft contest. Sadly, despite much begging in the comments, she doesn’t have a pattern available and won’t take commissions.
	Fabric Headboard This would be a great way to use up scrap fabric, or to showcase favorite band T-shirts. There are instructions for making a similar headboard here.
	Beasty Buddies A whole line of silly fleece hats, including horned Viking helmets and several different monsters (the one pictured is named Bumblezor).
	Wicked Baroque Chalkboard Available from Houzz, it would probably be possible to DIY something similar using an interesting picture frame and chalkboard paint, but I love that this one comes with bat-shaped magnets.
	Marauder’s Map Dress Ali of permets-tu drew the Maurauder’s Map on a dress to wear to Leakycon. There are no build notes, but she commented that she never wanted to use another fine-point Sharpie in her life, so I’m guessing it was just a stencil and a whole lotta work.

In the mid-1960s Disney released Chilling, Thrilling Sounds of the Haunted House, an LP album composed mainly of sound effects collected by the Walt Disney Studios sound effects department. Despite the title, its only relationship to the Haunted Mansion attraction was that some of the sounds were eventually used in various places during the ride.

Side 1 consisted of ten vignettes narrated by voice actress Laura Olsher (including one track called “Chinese Water Torture” which today is remarkable mainly for its cultural insensitivity); the second side contained a variety of sound effects intended for use in creating one’s own stories.

YouTube user doctordel has kindly uploaded the entire album. If you, like me, were scarred impressed by this album as a child, prepare for a stroll down memory lane.

In El Ladrón de Caras, a woman visits a private detective and reveals that she’s being pursued by a criminal who steals faces. The film was created by students at the PrimerFrame school of animation, and manages to tell the whole story without dialogue.

However you celebrate, may your days be merry and bright and your trees nonlethal.

(via Para Abnormal)

Bonus Link: If you’d like a little bittersweet with your holiday, go read Truman Capote’s short story A Christmas Memory

Our sixth Secret Santa Can Suck It pretend-gift exchange was heaps of fun, and everyone’s imaginary gifts were great.

Here’s a list of all the participants. Follow each link below to see what they chose for their giftees!

• Cobwebs (Recipient: Pixel Pixie)
• Pixel Pixie (Recipient: Kathy White)
• Kathy White (Recipient: WitchArachne)
• WitchArachne (Recipient: xJane)
• xJane (Recipient: ShellHawk)
• ShellHawk (Recipient: Goth Gardener)
• Goth Gardener (Recipient: Cobwebs)

Kathy doesn’t blog, so she sent her gift to me for posting here. It’s splendid.

My Gift to WitchArachne would be a full ride ticket to CostumeCon 33 which will take place in beautiful Charleston, Virginia in April 2015, all expenses paid.

Included in this gift is an open cheque to the fabric store of your choice where you may purchase whatever fabric, patterns and notions you need to make your costume(s).

All masquerade entry fees are included. Secret Santa only asks that you post your pictures on Art of Darkness so that we may bask in reflected glory.

In this unsettling short film by animator Ethan Clarke, three passengers wake up on a train they don’t remember boarding.

Egad; it’s another bunch of random stuff I’ve found which I want to share but can’t hang a whole post on. Some of them have no attribution, so if you happen to know the source for any of these please leave a note in the comments. (Click to view larger.)

	Paranormal Pretzels Although I’m always impressed with people who have the patience and skill to pull off intricate edibles, these pretzels are definitely more my speed. Cute, easy to make in bulk, and simple enough that kids could help.
	Knit Brain Hat These hilariously awesome “thinking caps” are custom-made by Etsy seller tomspecsdiggs. It might be just possible to DIY something reasonably similar by sewing coils of home-decorating trim to a knit cap.
	Corpse Prank If you’re having some landscaping done and want to cause some excitement, this would be the way to do it.
	Skeleton Hands Hair Clips These were available on Etsy but Morena’s Corner has easy instructions for making your own.
	Glow in the Dark Cupcakes I have mixed feelings about these cupcakes by Hoosier Homemade. Tonic water glows under black light (and it’s great at Halloween parties to serve in mixed drinks or put in a tabletop fountain), but it’s also bitter. This recipe uses it both as the liquid component of the frosting and as a finishing dip, and responding to questions in the comments the author says that you can taste the tonic “a bit.” Adults might not mind, but little kids probably wouldn’t approve. If you’re making them for adults, you may as well embrace the flavor and make Gin and Tonic Cupcakes instead. Then dip as for the original recipe.
	Corpse Coins Madame Talbot’s Victorian Lowbrow makes a lot of interesting framed curios. This one features coins supposedly taken from a corpse’s eyes, along with a short description of that particular funeral practice. It’d be an attractive and super-easy addition to a wunderkammer or a sideshow-type haunt. (And be sure to check out all of the other curios on those pages; there are all kinds of great ideas.)
	“Hail Santa” Sweater loveandasandwich made this splendid sweater to wear to holiday parties. It’d be perfect for a company “ugly sweater” contest.
	Cobweb Tiara Alexandra Tiara had this listed in their Folksy shop, but it’s been sold. Something pretty close could be DIY’d with wire and patience.
	“Alohomora” Key Rack This Harry Potter-inspired key rack is available on Etsy, but wouldn’t be hard to DIY with some screw-in cup hooks.
	Batman Cake When Geeks Wed did a feature on “half-nerdy” wedding cakes split between traditional icing and fandom-related stuff. This one particularly amused me because the subtext is so clearly, “I want lots of pretty flowers and ivory icing and it’ll be so elegant.” “I’m Batman.”