Rik Garrett is launching a new video series which explores “the historical exchange between art, science, and the occult.” The first episode covers the beginnings of Spiritualism.

(via Haute Macabre)

Flayed Human Skull Antipasto Platter – The “meat head” is a fairly standard Halloween party dish, but this one is quite nicely done. Also includes a link to a recipe for coal-black bread. (Hat tip to DeVries)

Voodoo Cloaks – A look at the “technicolor” clothing associated with the religion of Voodoo in Benin.

How Forensic Scientists Once Tried to “See” a Dead Person’s Last Sight – Smithsonian has an interesting article about the old belief in optography.

Goth Block – Heavy-duty sunscreen in a black container.

Klements – UK clothing company featuring unusual printed fabrics. I like the bird skeleton on Freaks.

Leatherback Turtle Mouth – The inside of a Leatherback turtle’s mouth looks like something out of a horror movie.

Haunted House Silhouettes – Downloadable patterns for making spooky window decorations. (via Shellhawk’s Nest)

13 Fun Facts About “Scooby-Doo” – A roundup.

Lost American Superstitions – Neat list of “lost” superstitions from early 20th Century America. My grandma subscribed to more than a few of these. (Hat tip to pdq)

Unconventionally Adorable Plush Toys – These knitted and felted creatures by Hiné Mizushima are weirdly cute.

Last week in Japan the opening of a national baseball game was “interrupted” by the ghosts from The Ring and The Grudge. Sadako (whose cleats, I believe, are my favorite part of this whole weird endeavor) pitched against a blood-streaked Kayako and her ghostly son. Because why not.

It was a promotion for the upcoming horror movie Sadako vs. Kayako, but I could just as easily believe that it was something the baseball team had decided to do for the hell of it. You could tell me literally anything happened in Japan and I would accept it without question.

Here’s a trailer for the upcoming movie. It’s a crossover in the Freddy vs. Jason vein, and according to Wikipedia the film was first teased as an April Fool’s joke last year. I can believe that, too.

If reincarnation is real, I wonder if I’ve ever read anything about my previous life without realizing it.
— rShowerThoughts

Dads in horror movies always have the most chill explanations.
“Our son is covered in pentagrams!”
Well maybe he’s just allergic to dairy.
— robfee

“You fought valiantly, soldiers. May your bodies one day interrupt an important infrastructure project.”
– ancient burial
— ReimannCometh

don’t worry about hipster zombies, they won’t eat anyone you know
— GrantTanaka

[me, attempting to communicate with the dead] “hey u up lol”
[ouija board spells out “READ AT 11:57 PM”]
— timcuckley

Sex with me is like tossing a hotdog down a hallway. It’s a lot more fun than you expected.
— justabloodygame

the only real downside of being a virgin is that u can literally be used as a blood sacrifice at any given moment
— cheezetits

You don’t need a parachute to go skydiving. You need a parachute to go skydiving twice
— rShowerThoughts

Tarantulas make great pets because when they die, rather than grieving you’ll feel an almost overwhelming sense of relief
— WheelTod

We are gathered here today because SOMEBODY *glares at coffin* couldn’t stay alive.
— donutsornonuts

1. Siouxsie and the Banshees’ cover of “Dear Prudence” became a top five hit for the band. What band originally recorded the song?
2. Today Transylvania is a part of Romania. However, when Dracula was published in 1897, the region belonged to which country?
   A) Turkey
   B) Poland
   C) Albania
   D) Hungary
   E) Serbia
3. In Harry Potter, what was Tonks’ first name?
4. Clive Barker’s dark fantasy novel Weaveworld involves the magical race The Seerkind attempting to avoid the attentions of a destructive force called what?
   A) It
   B) Shadowman
   C) The Scourge
   D) Bane
   E) The Darkness
5. The Orcs in Lord of the Rings couldn’t withstand sunlight, but Sauron and Saruman bred a stronger race which could. What were these warriors called?
6. Stephen King’s collection of short stories Night Shift included both a prequel and a sequel to his novel ‘Salem’s Lot. The prequel was “Jerusalem’s Lot.” What was the sequel titled?
   A) “One for the Road”
   B) “Nightflyers”
   C) “Graveyard Shift”
   D) “I Know What You Need”
   E) “Sometimes They Come Back”
7. This DC Comics superhero is the ghost of Boston Brand, a former circus acrobat who was allowed to return from the dead to avenge his own murder.
8. The religion of Santería emerged in the Caribbean but has its roots in the mythology of which West African people?
   A) Hutu
   B) Yoruba
   C) Zulu
   D) Berber
   E) Amhara
9. Frankenstein begins and ends with letters from an explorer named Captain Robert Walton describing his encounters with Victor Frankenstein and his monster. Where does he encounter them?
10. Charles Dickens’ The Uncommercial Traveller includes “nurse’s stories” recounted to him by his nanny. One of them was a retelling of the legend of Bluebeard, featuring a villain called whom?
    A) Chips
    B) Old Grim
    C) Mr. Feeder
    D) Doctor Death
    E) Captain Murderer

(Answers below the fold)

Read the rest of this entry »

Dust Buddies is a story about the friendship between two dust bunnies, Fuzz and Lint, who live peacefully under a couch. When an evil maid comes to clean the house and sucks Fuzz into her vacuum, Lint must overcome his fears and set out to rescue his friend.

(via The Presurfer)

High Noon Creations – Etsy shop featuring awesome headwear and accessories. I like the Bird Skull Mask, but I think my favorite is the Snail Shell Helmet.

Monster Body Art – Lara Wirth is a 16-year-old who enjoys turning herself into monsters. Her makeup effects are amazing. (Hat tip to pdq)

Easy Glass Eyeballs – Tutorial for making faux glass eyes. Useful for jewelry, art, or simply creeping people out.

Thingu – This Pingu version of The Thing is oddly compelling.

Skull Doorknobs – These are gorgeous. (via Spooky Moon)

Young Frankenstein Hoopla – Portrait embroidery. It’s all straight stitches, but the effect is wonderful.

If the Ancients Had Buzzfeed – Accurate.

Skelemental – All kinds of gorgeous metal skeletons. Look at this amazing coffee table.

Famous Last Meals – A modest collection of the last meals of criminals who received the death penalty. (via Jes)

The Costume Mercenary – Blog devoted to “photographs, sketches and concept art of pseudo-historical, fantasy, steampunk and scifi costume.” Gorgeous stuff.

Hayden Peters is one of the world’s foremost collectors of “mourning jewelry,” and he showcases “memorial, mourning, sentimental jewellery (sic) and art” on the wonderful Art of Mourning site. There are photos and descriptions of art, jewelry, accessories, textiles, and ephemera from many different periods and cultures. The site also has a nice resource section, including a discussion of common symbolism, a list of books on “funeralia,” and contact information for several vendors who handle such items.

This is a fantastic resource for funeral artwork and mementos mori, and it makes me wish I had the kind of disposable income that would let me collect this stuff. It’s just gorgeous.

Bonus Link: Collectors Weekly did an interview with Peters, discussing the history of mourning jewelry and how he got started collecting it.

It’s time for another bunch of random stuff 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.)

	Raven Cake This gorgeous thing is by Wicked Sinsations, who do lots of lovely cakes.
	Chalkboard Message This amused me vastly.
	Noneuclidean Sweater So did this. (via pdq)
	Folies Bergere Poster Although Folies Bergere ads never had quite the same oomph as the ones from the Grand Guignol, there are a few that are elegantly spooky. There are a couple others here.
	Spiderweb Gate This is by UK company Art of Metal, who have a lot of other neat pieces like this fairy mirror.
	Call of Cthulhu 1) I think this is an excellent name for a seafood dish and only regret that betentacled things don’t feature in it more heavily. 2) I kind of like the idea of ol’ H.P. having an aneurysm at the dilution of his creature.
	Goth Nails Assuming you have very steady hands, there’s a tutorial for this nail art here.
	Reddit Screenshot From this thread. Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow.
	Sea Creature Bags These handbags shaped like weird sea creatures are sort of awesome. From Japan, natch.

The Museum of Hoaxes has scans of a dinosaur hunting license that was issued in Vernal, Utah in the 1950s. Vernal is rich in dinosaur fossils, and the Vernal Chamber of Commerce handed out the licenses to drum up tourist interest. They’re apparently still available (the site that MoH links to is down, but here’s an updated license), although I notice that the name of the Deputy Lizard Warden has been changed; apparently Kids These Days haven’t heard of Alley Oop.

Something similar to this would be easy to create on a home computer, and you can change the license to the monster or cryptid of your choice. Just be sure to specify bag limits and other restrictions; you wouldn’t want to wipe out the local vampire population by over-hunting. They’d be a cute party favor, and would also look nice framed on a wall.