First thought: “Spider dog, spider dog, does whatever a spider dog can…”

Second thought: “That bit with the hanging body parts is stupid; spiders don’t dismember their prey before wrapping it up.”

Third thought: “I want a spider dog.”

Edgar Allan Poe Sweater – Some people wear Christmas sweaters. This is a Halloween sweater.

Cabinets of Wonder – Neat book about wunderkammer.

John Brosio – Painter of weird, often unsettling scenes. The site gallery is somewhat annoying to navigate; you can see examples of his work collected here. (My favorite is the guy with the giant squid. You can just see him thinking, “Dammit, again?”)

The Frosted Petticoat – Etsy shop full of unusual, very detailed, chocolate in the form of things like gears and buttons. (via Cat)

The Graveyard Book – Neil Gaiman’s wonderful book has been adapted as a graphic novel, with each chapter illustrated by a different artist. That link is Vol 1; here’s Vol 2. There’s an excerpt from the first chapter here.

Creepy Carnival Bat Ride – Online class for creating a Halloween decoration themed like a spooky carnival ride. (Hat tip to Kathy)

Great Moments in Dystopian Knitwear – An amusing roundup of knitted garments in dystopian movies. (via Burning Prairie)

Unicorn Princess Shoes – The “horn” heel is…certainly unique.

Best Friends – I love this illustration by Khoa Le of a “pet” who just wants to sit on its owner’s lap.

“Rocky Horror” Makeup Collection – MAC Cosmetics is releasing a 21-piece collection themed around RHPS.

Duck! Here’s another bunch of random stuff I’ve found whilst trawling the deeps of the intartubes. A few 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.)

	Wire Trellis This six-foot trellis made from barbed wire is by The Dusty Raven.
	Chinoiserie Cabinet This antique cabinet is by Thomas Chippendale. In the home of my dreams, this houses my wunderkammer.
	Skull Combat Boot These are Iron Fist’s “Sugar Hiccup” design, also available as heels. I initially thought the skulls were made of seed beads, but up close they appear to be sequins. If you’ve got a steady hand the design would be reasonably easy to DIY.
	Monster Matryoshka These gorgeous things are cast resin, hand-painted by Gravlax? (That isn’t a question. The blog name is “Gravlax?”)
	Crocheted Slug This cute li’l gastropod is by Lesley Stanfield. She also has a snail and caterpillar.
	Vampire Shoes These are some of the most hilariously over-the-top shoes I’ve ever laid eyes on; extra points for taking “stiletto heel” literally. They’re a custom job by Jitterbug Boy.
	Lace-back Skull Dress As nearly as I can tell, this is by Premonition Designs. It’s available at Amazon.
	Maleficent Cupcake These dark chocolate cupcakes with raspberry filling are by Sinister Sweetshop. There’s a recipe at the link, plus a “raven wings” version of the decoration.
	Ombre Nails There’s a tutorial for this effect at Style Den.
	Skull Shawl I am heartbroken that there seems to be no pattern or design source for this. The original photo appears to be from a photo shoot done by Russian photographer Dis.
	Ouija Cake This is a replica of the Parker Brothers’ game board, and since the small print looks hand-lettered I’m going to assume the pictures are also drawn by hand. I like the slightly-3D larger letters and numbers; they appear to be icing or possibly chocolate. They seem to be a little more regular in shape, so they may have been filled in over a template and then placed on the cake when set. Country Living has a free download of the same design which can be printed onto an edible cake topper (or printed on paper to use for non-cake purposes); the rest of the cakes in the slideshow are also worth browsing. Also check out this roundup of ouija cake designs that I found during my search for this cake’s creator.
	“The Shining” Manicure The artist says that she did this by hand using “a striper brush and a lot of patience.” You can do the same if you are similarly endowed with a small brush and patience. I expect a similar effect could be achieved by gluing down thin printed paper and then embellishing with “blood.”
	Skull Ear Cuff This is available at eBuy9. Considering the surprisingly low price I question if it looks this good in reality.
	Vampire Nails I have no bloody–so to speak–idea where these originally came from. Instead I will point you to Tea & Vampires, which has a nice roundup of vampy nail art.
	Ceramic Skull Vases These are by Pottery Barn, and are lovely if you have the sort of disposable income that will allow you to drop $100 on a vase. Otherwise, I’m thinking this might be fairly DIY-able with an existing vase, a clay skull, and some paint.

BoingBoing recently featured an article about the creation and marketing of a new card game called Slash, the object of which involves pairing up fictional characters. That game sounds fun, but what caught my eye was something in the comments: The thread included several complaints about the game Cards Against Humanity and its playability seeming stale after a while. Commenter snowmentality offered this solution:

You know what also works amazingly well? CAH tarot readings. A simple Celtic Cross tarot spread, laid out with CAH cards: hours of party entertainment.

Well that’s just brilliant.

For those not familiar with the game, Cards Against Humanity is an irreverent card game in which players select their “answer” cards which best fit a “question” card. (So, for the question “What are my parents hiding from me?” answers might include “Harry Potter erotica,” “Italians,” and “Grandma.”)

So yes, I can definitely see the potential hilarity in having one’s “future” card in the tarot spread wind up as something like “Tentacle porn,” “Grave robbing,” or “Raptor attacks.”

CAH is a great party game anyway, and once you feel that you’ve exhausted its potential in its intended use, you can start all over again with this variation. Good stuff.

1. In ancient Egyptian mythology, after death your heart is weighed against a feather. If it’s lighter than the feather, you may continue your journey. If not, it’s devoured by this demon.
   A) Tawaret
   B) Ammit
   C) Sekhmet
   D) Bes
   E) Ma’at
2. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are Pestilence, War, Famine, and this entity, who rides a pale horse.
3. In Norse mythology, people who don’t die in battle generally wind up in the murky realm of Hel. Warriors who die in combat are sorted by the Valkyrie: Half go to Valhalla to hang with Odin and the other half go to the field of Fólkvangr, ruled over by this goddess of love and beauty:
   A) Frigg
   B) Sif
   C) Freyja
   D) Angrboda
   E) Gefjon
4. Who is the House ghost for Hufflepuff?
5. “Catrinas” have become closely associated with Day of the Dead celebrations. What are they?
   A) Glass ornaments
   B) Bread decorated with bone-shaped cutouts
   C) Drawings of the deceased
   D) Little tin altars
   E) Skeletons dressed in fancy clothing
6. In Greek mythology the god of death, Thanatos, is the twin brother of this god of sleep.
7. The ghost of a dog named Kabar is rumored to haunt the Los Angeles Pet Cemetery. Who was Kabar’s famous owner?
   A) John Wayne
   B) Rudolph Valentino
   C) Marlene Dietrich
   D) Errol Flynn
   E) Bette Davis
8. The events of this Shakespeare play are all set in motion by the appearance of a ghost.
9. One of the most famous ghost photographs is the 1936 picture of the “Brown Lady” descending a staircase. What building does the Brown Lady allegedly haunt?
   A) Peoria State Hospital, Bartonville, Illinois
   B) Princess Theatre, Melbourne, Australia
   C) Napier Prison, Napier, New Zealand
   D) Empress Hotel, Victoria, British Columbia
   E) Raynham Hall, Norfolk, England
10. The supernatural Wild Hunt has various leaders in different folklore; Odin is most popular in Germany and Scandinavia. In France and England the Hunt is most often led by this legendary king when he isn’t snoozing in Avalon.

(Answers below the fold)

Read the rest of this entry »

This short film featuring Alan Rickman stalking a young girl has an awesomely creepy twist ending.

(Hat tip to WitchArachne)

This concludes the latest Link-Dump-a-Go-Go. Regular posting (and once-a-week link dumps) will return on Monday.

27 Places Straight Out of Nightmares – a.k.a. “Goth Vacation Suggestions.”

Human Skull Lyre – This is pretty metal.

Thrift Store Finds: Halloween Makeover – Some great suggestions for giving thrifted metal candlesticks, trays, and other items a spooky makeover. (Hat tip to Pixel Pixie)

50 Scooby Doo Background Paintings – I want a bunch of these blown up and framed.

The Great Big Book of Horrible Things – A “definitive chronicle” of history’s 100 worst atrocities.

Werewolf – This sounds like a fun party game.

Fairies – Amazingly detailed “fairies” made of taxidermy insect parts. (Hat tip to Bruno)

Louis Armstrong Sings Death Metal – An amusing mashup.

Baby Bat Playing with Toys – This li’l rescue bat playing with a mobile will melt your heart.

Fencing Language in The Princess Bride – Westley and Inigo weren’t just making stuff up.

Supermanatee (and Friends) – Artist Joel Harris has a whole series of superhero-costumed manatees, and they are all blorpily marvelous. They’re available as prints and T-shirts.

Know Your Double – A field guide to doppelgangers.

Tattoos Inspired by Books from Childhood – I particularly like the Gorey ones.

Harry Potter Wedding Cake – This is just astonishingly detailed.

Hardback Reading Lamp – DIY project for turning a hardback book into a bedside reading lamp. If you’ve loved a book to death until its pages are falling out, this is a neat way to breathe new life into the cover.

Andreas Scheiger – Sculptor whose series Evolution of Type includes several “dissected” letters (plus a few more that look like fossils).

Unlock Some Inspiration – Decorating ideas using antique keys.

The Perfect Cake for Your Last Day of Work – The next time there’s a going-away party I may have to try this.

Make Your Own Hippogriff – Sadly, this tutorial uses fabric rather than alchemy.

DrFaustusAU – This artist’s faux-Seussian renderings of movies like Silence of the Lambs and The Evil Dead are splendid.

Spotter’s Guide to Rare and Unusual Patronuses – They can’t all be stags and otters.

The Pleasure’s All Mine – A history of “perverse” sex.

Smelling Death – Interesting article about “crime scene cleaners.”

Bosch’s 600-Year-Old Butt Music – One of the tortured sinners in Bosch’s “Garden of Earthly Delights” has musical notes inscribed on his ass. Somebody transcribed them.

AlexanderJansson – Artist who creates weird, whimsical illustrations. (Hat tip to Cat)

Cthulhu Lulu – Knit your own tentacled beanie.

Life Before Death – Intriguing photo series featuring people before and after they die.

Leather Bat Bow – Neat hair bow/bowtie.

The Game Over Tinies – Series of cartoons in the style of The Gashleycrumb Tinies, only celebrating the deaths of various video game characters.

Nightmare Before Christmas/Haunted Mansion Tarot – Hey, neat. In 2001 Disneyland did a promotional event to celebrate the 10th anniversary of NMBC’s release, and each guest who attended received a deck of tarot-ish cards. They’re occasionally available on Amazon or eBay for astoundingly high prices. There are some better images of the individual cards here.

Owl Door – I have no idea where this is from but I love the carved door.

Light-up Wand Tutorial – Great instructions for making a Harry Potter-esque wand that lights up.

Game of Phones – tumblr1 made a mini Iron Throne for her iPhone to rest on. It is sort of wonderful.

Dragon Drink Dispenser Stand – This metal dragon is pricey, but it’d be an awesome investment for future Halloween parties. (via Poopisan)

Charlie the Flying Fox – This injured flying fox being fed grapes is adorkable. (The skins have been peeled off the grapes, so he probably thinks he’s bat royalty.)

Schadenfreude Mints – “As delicious as other people’s misery.”

Ghost Friend – Heh.

Coffin Hill – This horror graphic novel sounds intriguing.

Disenchanted – Humorous fantasy about an undead king trying to get rid of a cursed sword.

Eerie Reaper – Fabric with a subtle skull-and-black-cat design. I like the Eerie Encyclopedia too. (via Old Fashion Halloween)

25 Disney Villain Tattoos to Die For – I…I don’t know if I could sleep with a guy who had a giant Ursula chest tattoo.