A commenter once asked how I manage to find all of the stuff for these link dumps. I believe that the most succinct answer is, “Because I spend too damn much time online.”

Andrew Eldritch Interview – A “classic interview” which claims to be the source of all the Sisters of Mercy goth jokes.

The Birthday Skeleton – This comic about a Tooth Fairy-esque nocturnal visitor is sublime. (via Pixel Pixie)

Thick and Thin Designs – Etsy shop specializing in reusable acrylic cupcake toppers, such as ravens, zombies, and tentacles.

Death in the Afternoon – Ernest Hemingway’s absinthe cocktail. (The article is a little old; “real” absinthe is now legal in the U.S.)

3Doodler – This is pretty neat. It’s a pen which lets you “draw” 3D shapes using heated plastic filaments.

The Ash – Lovely digital photo that appears to be burning roses. (Hat tip to Bruno)

Ten Epic DIY Halloween Decorations – This site and I have a difference of opinion on what qualifies as “epic,” but the snake wreath is cute.

Funko Munsters Figures – Funko is adding vinyl figures of Herman, Lily, Eddie, and Grandpa to its Pop! line.

Geek Chic Wedding – Some really cute wedding details, including lots of Harry Potter stuff. I particularly like the dragon “hoarding” the wedding cake.

Snakes Invade Great Moments in Art History – Series of paintings which add snakes to various classic works of art. I think “The Birth Of Snake Venus” is my favorite.

Frockasaurus – Etsy shop specializing in alt clothing and cosplay stuff. I particularly like their damask skirt with a subtle Cthulhu design.

Jackalope Tracking Patch – Embroidered patch from the fictional Cryptozoology Tracking Society, featuring everyone’s favorite antlered rabbit. There are also Jersey Devil and Flatwoods Monster versions. (via Rattus)

Meet the Living People who Collect Dead Human Remains – Interesting article about people who collect bones and other human remains.

Why I Staged My Wedding Photos in a Coffin – The answer could just as easily be, “Why not?” but this article goes into some of the other reasons. (Hat tip to Jes)

Combat Kitchenware – Skillets with sword-hilt handles. This was a successfully-funded Kickstarter, but the associated website seems to be down so I’m just linking to the campaign page.

Walking Dead Beer – The Terrapin Brewing Company is releasing an officially-licensed Walking Dead “Blood Orange IPA.”

Goth Box – Kickstarter for a monthly subscription package of gothy stuff.

“Goodnight, Mommy” Trailer – I don’t usually bother with horror movie trailers, but this looks like it could be pretty decent.

Mermaid Tail Blanket – Pattern for a cute crocheted “mermaid tail” blanket.

Unicorns Are Jerks – Coloring book which exposes “the cold, hard, sparkly truth.” The same artist also has coloring books entitled, Fat Ladies in Spaaaaace, Dinosaurs With Jobs, and Mer World Problems (“You have to leave the sea kingdom to get tacos”).

p.s. – I’m going to be dragged, kicking and shrieking, away from the computer for a week. Due to the magic of advance scheduling blog posts will continue as usual, but if you email and I don’t respond I’m not ignoring you. (Or am I? Muwahahahaha.)

“We were ushered into the main part of the cavern, which was about the size of a two-car garage. It looked like Indiana Jones had set up a field lab, and then abandoned it. It contained a large table with broken shards of pottery, strange artifacts with symbols carved into them, guidebooks, hand written notes, cabinets of mineral specimens, a gram scale, a telescope, test equipment of various kinds, and many other odds and ends. These clues had been left there by an ancient civilization, and it was our job to decipher them.”

Escape Rooms are a type of real-life adventure game in which you are “trapped” in a room with other participants and have to use elements in the room to escape within a set time limit. They’re based on the “escape the room” video games in which the player is locked in a room and must explore their surroundings to escape. You have to be observant in order to find clues and use critical thinking skills to solve various puzzles which help you figure out how to escape.

Commercial venues for these games have been around for about 10 years–the earliest was probably “Origin,” based on Agatha Christie mysteries–but they’ve become hugely popular worldwide in the past few years. In the US there are locations in Washington DC, Los Angeles, and other cities nationwide (that last company also has locations in Madrid and London). Escape Room International lists locations in Australia, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, and Real Escape Game seems to have a rotating series of temporary locations. There’s also a large list of Escape Rooms worldwide at the Escape Room Directory.

Over on BoingBoing, Mark Frauenfelder describes a game he and his daughter participated in. It sounds like it’d be an unusual group activity for a birthday party, family outing, or even the dreaded corporate team-building exercise.

If hurrying to solve puzzles and decipher clues before you run out of air, the Elder Gods come through the portal, or some other horrible fate sounds like fun to you, find an Escape Room nearby and give it a try.

(Bonus link: Gamasutra has some tips for designing your own escape game.)

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.)

	Piñata Anatomy This is apparently by Carmichael Collective, although it doesn’t seem to be in the portfolio. I love how the various types of candy have been chosen to mimic appropriate organs. The same artist has some other interesting work here. (Bonus image: Bondage Piñata, found in the comments on BoingBoing where I originally saw this art. Heh.)
	Scary Fireplace Surround The cited source on Indulgy is Moberg Gallery, but the site doesn’t seem to have a search feature (what kind of site in 2015 doesn’t have a search feature?) and I didn’t feel like trawling hundreds of pages in hopes of stumbling upon it. Whatever. It’s pretty neat, and would look even cooler with flames in its mouth. Who wouldn’t want an angry screaming fire-mouthed head in their living room? Nobody, that’s who.
	Bat Earrings These winsome little bats are apparently by Etsy seller Lovecraft and Co. but are no longer in their shop. They’re simple enough that they might be DIY-able with polymer clay.
	Goth Mermaid Mertailor makes gorgeously realistic-looking mermaid tails and accessories, but I’ve only seen them in jewel tones and pastels before. This mermaid is more in line with the traditional lure-sailors-to-their-doom sea witches of old. The photo was done for a magazine feature; you can see other pictures from the same shoot here.
	Eye of Sauron Fire Pit This bit of awesomeness is by ImagineMetalArt, who also did the Viking Ship Fire Pit I mentioned in a link dump a while back. It is almost painfully metal. (Bonus links, found when I was trying to track the source: The One Ring Firering and the Witch King of Angmar Fire Pit.)
	Skeleton Poncho This is sold by Grandin Road, whose Halloween merchandise seems to come in two flavors: Gob-smackingly overpriced or reasonably priced but low-quality. At $34 I’m guessing this is the latter. I love the idea, though, and a similar poncho could be replicated with a number of different techniques: Knit, crochet, embroidery, or even fabric paint.
	Nice Things to Whisper When Hugging Someone This made me giggle.
	Ghostly Eye Makeup I’ve mentioned the amazingly detailed makeup designs of Tal Peleg previously. I like this one–entitled “Childhood Fears”–for the clever use of the eyelid as a blanket, and also because everyone needs more ghosts on their face.
	Halloween Bathroom Decor When I am Empress of the Galaxy, my first act will be to put the staff of Pinterest up against the wall for their crimes against meaningful search results. I have no clue where this came from originally, but I love the vintage Halloween theme.
	Taco Belle Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow. This wonderfully punny mashup is by AvantGeek, who has loads of other fun stuff in her portfolio. (For confused readers in countries where the chain doesn’t exist, Taco Bell is a popular fast-food restaurant.)

1. Instead of misty moors or gothic forests, the action of The Lost Boys is set in a California beach town called what?
2. Long before he was an A-list actor, Liam Neeson starred with Steve Guttenberg, Daryl Hannah, and Peter O’Toole in this uneven comedy about a haunted Irish castle.
   A) Dead & Breakfast
   B) The Time of Their Lives
   C) Scared Stiff
   D) The Frighteners
   E) High Spirits
3. David Tennant played reluctant vampire-hunter Peter Vincent in the 2011 remake of Fright Night. Who played the character in the original 1985 film?
4. In Poltergeist, what is the name of Zelda “this house is clean” Rubinstein’s character?
   A) Esmeralda
   B) Lyuba
   C) Tangina
   D) Isabella
   E) Zabrina
5. In order to open the gate for Gozer, Dana Barrett is possessed by Zuul, the “Gatekeeper.” Louis Tully is also possessed, by the “Keymaster.” What is the Keymaster’s name?
6. In Aliens, Ellen Ripley returns to the planet where she encountered the alien which killed her crew. It’s now the site of a human terraforming colony called what?
   A) Callisto 3
   B) Hadley’s Hope
   C) First Landing
   D) Solace
   E) Xiang Yu
7. Hellraiser is based on the novella The Hellbound Heart by what author?
8. Mickey Rourke and Robert DeNiro starred in this voodoo-tinged film about a private investigator searching for a mysterious missing man.
   A) Angel Heart
   B) The Devil’s Hand
   C) Netherworld
   D) The Serpent and the Rainbow
   E) Bleeding Rose
9. “One, two, Freddy’s coming for you. Three, four,…” what?
10. In Labyrinth, what is the name of Sarah’s dog?
    A) Oberon
    B) Bedivere
    C) Galahad
    D) Merlin
    E) Lancelot

(Answers below the fold)

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Novelty albums featuring animals are nothing new, but I have to admit that grindcore band Hatebeak–whose vocalist is a parrot named Waldo–takes novelty to a whole ‘nother level.

Waldo, along with humans Blake Harrison (from Pig Destroyer) and Mark Sloan (from The Index), formed the band in 2004. They released a couple of singles (one of which, “Bird Seeds of Vengeance,” was a collaboration with Caninus, a band which featured two pit bulls as singers. I swear I am not making any of this up) but broke up in 2009 without ever releasing a full-length album of their own.

That’s all about to change, baby. Hatebeak is back and has just released “The Number of the Beak,” featuring tracks with titles like “Roost in Peace” and “Hellbent for Feathers.” And I swear I am still not making any of this up.

Sadly, if you’re hoping for a tour you’re going to be disappointed. In an interview with Consequence of Sound, Blake Harrison informed us that Waldo isn’t up for live performances:

Parrots like doing this stuff—the mimicry is kind of like a form of play, so it’s more like they have to be in a relaxed…playful mood. You know the sound of your smoke detector when the battery is low? And it’s like a really loud chirp? He will do that when he’s uncomfortable.

The bird really shouldn’t and probably couldn’t–I don’t want PETA after me for subjecting a bird to like 120 decibels of distorted guitars. And you know, it’s kind of more of like a fun thing. Playing live would be a pain in the ass, and if it’s not fun I don’t know if I would necessarily want to do it.

Hatebeak’s album is available on Soundcloud and can be purchased on vinyl (still not making any of this up) on Amazon. Their previous discography is here.

To whet your appetite, here’s Waldo performing “Seven Perches.”

(via Neatorama)

Gothic Life – Site devoted to all things goth. Some pages look like they have the potential to be NSFW.

The Alphabet – David Lynch did an extremely creepy short film involving a little girl reciting the alphabet.

Questions for The Ghost – Amusing comic from Poorly Drawn Lines. (via Pixel Pixie)

BLT Kickstarter – This campaign to publish a collection of seminal punk ‘zine Black Leather Times has been successfully funded; I’m linking to the page so interested parties can get news about publication dates.

S.O.R.S. – BoingBoing has a review of a “futuristic diagnosis game” which seems to involve some kind of creepy conspiracy.

Long John Silver’s Introduces New Golden Fried Abomination From The Deep – The Onion reports.

Dino Pet – Dinosaur-shaped aquarium for dinoflagellates, plankton that bioluminesces.

Carnivorous Plant Macrophotography – These gorgeous detail photos of sundews make them look like plants on some alien planet.

Psychic Capital – A look at occult mysticism in Silicon Valley.

Morbid Motivational Tattoos – Similar artwork would be fun to hang in the office breakroom.

Long fingernails were a status symbol in Imperial China because they signified that you didn’t have to do manual labor. The wealthy wore special fingernail guards to keep their long nails from being broken, and over time the guards became more and more ornate.

They varied in both length and design: Some were cones that slipped over the whole tip of the finger, and others were more like a ring with a shield attached to the top. There are some photos of various styles at enticz, and a few others (including an interesting mesh design) at Dream Tree.

Today the guards are collector’s items, either simply displayed (as here, second photo) or converted into brooches and other jewelry. However, since they: a) Have a vintage pedigree, b) Make your fingers look like claws, c) Simply cry out for embellishment, and d) Actually have a quasi-utilitarian purpose (i.e., protecting long fingernails), I’d say they’re due for a comeback.

Highly-embellished modern versions are apparently available somewhere–the photo above is a modern set worn by China Steel–but don’t seem particularly easy to find (especially since search results are muddied with antique versions). Somewhat similar, and perhaps a good jumping-off point, are Thai dance nail wraps. They seem to be available in a variety of styles (search for “belly dance” or “Thai dance”), and could be decorated with paint or glued-on gems.

Another possibility is to make your own. Marlene Brady made an interesting set with polymer clay, then added chain and jewelry findings (there’s a photo of a second set she made here, which are unembellished but the clay itself is patterned). Other materials might include plastic, thin cardboard, or even stiffened fabric. Decorate with lightweight items of your choice, and you can protect your nails and look awesome whilst doing so.

I recently saw a post on Facebook asking for help; someone was putting together a horror trivia game night and realized that the topic was so huge that she didn’t know how to target her questions. She asked, “if you had to give me the top 5 things TRUE horror fans should know about, what would they be?”

My reply was that it was such a huge topic that I don’t think there’s any way to narrow down what a TRUE horror fan should know until you define what you mean by a “true” horror fan; people with an encyclopedic knowledge of slasher movies and people who are dedicated to Poe and Lovecraft could both reasonably call themselves horror fans but there may be virtually no overlap in their knowledge.

However, I think the question is interesting so I want to open it up to comments here: Are there some things that all (or at least most) horror fans should know about? If so, what are they?

We can also expand a bit: If you were putting together a curriculum for Horror 101, what would you want to be sure you covered?

If you’ve ever found yourself in need of a last-minute hostess gift, look no further than homemade seasoning salts (which are also worth making for your own use). They are cheap, easy to make, endlessly customizable, have a long shelf life, and can be made in bulk. You can even make ’em gothy, which means they’re a fun idea for a party (or wedding) favor, or as part of a gift for your favorite gloomy cook.

A quick word on salt: Some recipes suggest using flake salt like Maldon or even fleur de sel, but since you’re usually running it through a blender or food processor it seems silly to waste money on flakes that you’re going to whirl into oblivion. Your best bet is probably kosher salt. Don’t use table salt, since it usually contains anti-clumping agents.

If you want to get fancy, look into black lava salt; sea salt that’s been blended with activated charcoal. You can get it on Amazon or in bulk at places like Mountain Rose Herbs. It’s usually used as a finishing salt, but it’d be fun to use in some of these recipes too. It’d also be very attractive layered with other seasoned salt in a tall skinny jar.

There are a zillion different recipes out on the intartubes, but here are a few to get you started:

Vampire-Repelling Garlic Salt

1 C kosher salt
1/4 C peeled garlic cloves

Heat oven to 180F (if your oven doesn’t go that low, just use its lowest setting and adjust bake time accordingly). Combine the garlic and salt in a food processor and process until the garlic is pulverized and the mixture has a consistency of moist sand; 30 seconds. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread the salt mixture out evenly. Bake until dry, stirring occasionally, about 1 hour. Return to food processor and pulse several times to break up clumps.

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