This clip is fairly old, but the addition of dialogue from the Dr. Who episode Blink makes it…magical.

(via Topless Robot)

I got this in my email and thought I’d pass it along to anyone who might be interested. I don’t want to post her phone number publicly, but you can drop me a line and I’ll supply it upon request. Her email address is Melissa.Ruiz@mtvnmix.com (Note the caveat that one member of the couple should be Hispanic.)

Hello there,

I’m in the casting department at MTV Tr3s and were looking for alternative weddings for our 4^th season of our show and I wanted to extend this casting to you and your clients I thought you might have some interesting weddings coming up. We are looking for some Gothic, Pagan, Wiccan, Same sex, hand fasting Themed & Halloween weddings for our show Quiero Mi Boda on Tr3s which takes an inside look at cross-cultural weddings and the hustle and bustle surrounding them. However, I would like to review all weddings happening from October until next year. Honey moon money involved for the couples that make it on the season let me know if you know of any cool couples getting married this year or next year? Keep in mind one of them should be Hispanic, we can set up a meeting today to discuss any questions you might have for me just let me know or you can reach me at the number below!

*Melissa Ruiz*
*Casting Coordinator*
Tr3s Quiero Mis Quinces/Boda

Om Nom Nom Welcome – This is a brilliantly easy Halloween porch decoration.

Anatomical Skull Makeup – Tutorial for a great-looking “Dia de los Muertos”-style skull face.

Cave Spider Hiding Itself – The arachnid equivalent of an ostrich is sort of adorable. (Hat tip to Beans)

12 Gorgeous Gourds – Lovely dried gourds cut and made into lamps. Something similar (but much simpler) might be accomplished with dried Halloween-type gourds and a Dremel tool.

Skull Ornaments – These pretty chromed-glass skulls would look great on a Christmas tree.

Halloween Vampire Nails – Video tutorial on creating a great-looking “blood-dripping nails” manicure. The same channel has lots of other nice tutorials, like Toxic Nails and Black Gold Lips. (Hat tip to Sisifo)

Brave New Pattern – The Prodigal Sock is looking for “beta knitters” to test a cute little skull-patterned baby hat.

X-ray Laptop Skin – FunFuzion makes a line of “fool the eye” laptop skins. This one is nicely skeletal.

Gabriel von Max Exhibit – An exhibition entitled “Be-tailed Cousins and Phantasms of the Soul” is going on this month at the Frye Museum in Washington. (Hat tip to xJane)

Frozen Ghost Vodka – It probably tastes like lighter fluid, but the label is magnificent.

I’m a fan of the old LucasArts point-and-click adventure games like Day of the Tentacle and Grim Fandango, so I was most pleased to discover Mockery’s Trick or Treat Adventure Quest. It’s a free Web-based Flash game, but quite a large and intricate one, and both the graphics and the gameplay hark back to LucasArts-style videogames.

You are Little Johnny, a kid in dire need of a Halloween costume who has to make do with what he can put together using household supplies. Once you have your costume pieced together, out into the real world you go for some Trick-or-Treating! But this isn’t your average night in suburbia… many strange things are afoot and it’s up to you to solve the puzzles if you want to enjoy all the delicious Halloween candies!

Sounds like the perfect way to help pass the time until the 31st.

(via Halloween Addict)

Vincent Price was one of Tim Burton’s lifelong idols, and Burton’s first short film was created in his honor. Vincent is based on a poem written by Burton, and Price himself provided the narration.

The film has never been widely released (it’s included as an extra on a couple of DVDs), but the intrepid xJane alerted me that it’s available on YouTube.

(Thanks, xJane!)

(No prizes, but if you can answer them all without googling you get bragging rights.)

1. Boris Karloff has portrayed Frankenstein’s monster, the Mummy, and Dr. Fu Manchu. What other actor–who also had a part in some of the Star Wars movies–has also played those three roles?
2. Created in the wake of Godzilla’s success, Gamera is a giant, fire-breathing what?
   A) Octopus
   B) Elephant
   C) Stegosaurus
   D) Turtle
   E) Parrot
3. What well-known Eurythmics song was covered by Cruxshadows on their “Until the Voices Fade” album?
4. In this classic short story by W. W. Jacobs, a couple is given an artifact which grants them three wishes, but each one comes at a terrible cost.
5. In the voodoo religion, loas are intermediary spirits which are often worshipped in their own right. Which of these is NOT a loa?
   A) Damballa Weddo
   B) Ogou Feray
   C) Baron Samedi
   D) Oreille Singe
   E) Erzulie Fréda
6. Named for the mythical Mars’ acolytes, Fear and Terror, the moons of Mars are called what?
7. Winston Smith met his greatest fear in Room 101. What was it?
8. The Blob’s theme song (of course it had a theme song) was written by Hal David and:
   A) Warren Zevon
   B) Art Garfunkel
   C) Don Ho
   D) Burt Bacharach
   E) Paul Anka
9. The drum machine used by The Sisters of Mercy on many of their albums also “runs” an advice column on their Website. What is its name?
10. What did Sarah Connor work as before the Terminator arrived from the future?
    A) Police Officer
    B) Teacher
    C) Waitress
    D) Secretary
    E) Taxi Driver

(Answers below the fold)

Read the rest of this entry »

Last year Shellhawk’s Nest solicited Halloween memories from various spooky bloggers, asking them to share the things that make this time of year so special.

She’s following up this year with October Dreams, where guest bloggers will be sharing their favorite ghost story. Several spooky folks (including myself) will be scaring ourselves silly all month. Go check it out!

Dracula Clothing – Goth and steampunk fashions. Since they’re based in Prague, they’ve got a better claim to the “Dracula” moniker than a lot of companies.

Dilbert – These seem like valid questions.

Bowlingheads – Remarkably creepy German ad campaign featuring “decapitated head” bowling balls. If you like to bowl, this is a heck of an idea for a custom ball.

Top 10 Movies About Death – Roundup of movies where death “stars.”

Matcha Recipes – Powdered green tea confers a moldy-looking green to a variety of foodstuffs. Good for a Halloween party spread.

Blood Spatter Fingernails – Creative use of nail polish.

Organ Transport Lunch Cooler – Never worry about anyone stealing your lunch out of the office fridge.

Realistic Spider Prop – Tutorial for making surprisingly lifelike little spiders.

Pumpkin Pie Leather – Instructions for making “fruit leather” from pumpkin puree.

The Pig with the Froggy Tattoo – Trailer for the new Muppet movie which parodies the incomprehensible Girl with the Dragon Tattoo trailer.

This is my favorite kind of project: Something where the results look like you spent way more time and energy than you actually did.

Over at The Crafty Nest there’s a lovely tutorial for making Halloween-themed “jar cookies.” In addition to a recipe and instructions, there’s also packaging suggestions and free downloadable labels.

A jar of these would be a great last-minute hostess gift, and the assembly is simple enough to be a good project for kids. They’d also be easy and inexpensive to make in quantity as party or wedding favors.

If the M&M recipe isn’t really your thing, just search “jar cookie recipes” for lots of other varieties, from cranberry-oatmeal to gingerbread to butterscotch chip. You could also substitute hot cocoa or soup mix if you prefer.

Add a scrap of Halloween-print fabric tied with ribbon or raffia and you’ve got a perfect, fast gift.

(via Cult of the Great Pumpkin)

Saturday Night Live has a “dress rehearsal” before each live show, and if it runs too long sometimes sketches are cut. Sometimes these cuts border on the criminal.

(via Topless Robot)