Daniel Beaulieu’s final project for the Vancouver Film School’s 3D animation program is Malaise, a stylish, bloody SF short.

(via Neatorama)

Gothic Gardening – Five black plants “worth braving the sun for.” (via Burning Prairie)

Graveyard Photographs – Roundup of lovely detail photos in cemeteries.

Boston to Get Poe Statue – The city has chosen sculptor Stefanie Rocknak’s “Poe Returning to Boston,” which will be unveiled in October of this year.

O les mains – A surreal series of incredibly creepy digitally-manipulated images, showing limbs where they really shouldn’t be. NSFW for artistic nudity.

All Natural Arts – A variety of lovely artwork, including a bunch of tiny “sculptures” made from clock parts. (via Cat)

Jim Henson’s Labyrinth – I had no idea there was ever a novelization of the movie. It’s been out of print for a while, but is now available again. The novelization was overseen by Henson, and this version of the book includes some previously unpublished concept illustrations by Brian Froud.

Lace Steampunk Mask – Although the tutorial is designed for use with a machine-embroidered mask pattern which you’re supposed to purchase from them, the same general idea could be used with other masks.

Rossendale Fairies – A university lecturer claims to have inadvertently photographed fairies. Mmm hm.

Creature from the Black Lagoon Amigurumi – Oh my GAWD I have got to learn how to crochet.

Passover Cocktails for Each of the Ten Plagues – Too late for this year, but there’s always next time. I just adore that somebody took the effort to match drinks to plagues. (Hat tip to Kitten Herder)

This is a rather intriguing opportunity for artistic expression: Public Pool, an “artspace” in Hamtramck, MI will be creating a temporary record shop full of fictional albums and is inviting submissions.

They have what amounts to an electronic flyer providing modest details about the project (and they apparently have never heard of web accessibility because the whole page is a single image with no alt-text).*

From September 7 to October 18 they’ll be transforming their gallery into “The Last Record Shop.”

We’re inviting you to submit ORIGINAL ALBUM ART (for a standard 31.43 cm square cardboard LP album sleeve and interior label) from the MYTHIC recording artist of your imagining.

The finished sleeve should feature artwork back and front, including the artist/band’s name and track listing, along with – and this is important – artwork for the spindle label. Plus, liner notes, band bios, lyrics, however much (or little) you want to include – anything that brings to life your imaginary band’s legendary album.

A randomly chosen used LP acquired locally will be relabeled and slipped into the artist-created sleeves, and then sold at Public Pool, with all proceeds going to you, the LP sleeve creators (minus the evil record company cut, i.e. our modest gallery commission.) If we have enough great submissions, we might publish a book. Deadline is August 15.

There are no details on what an individual album might sell for, nor any indication whether contributing artists will receive any cut of book sales should they decide to publish one. Interested artists are instructed to contact coordinator Toby Barlow at publicpool.recordshop@gmail.com with questions and electronic submissions.

Overall it sounds like a really interesting project with a lot of room for imagination (although I do wonder how many Spinal Tap knockoffs they’re going to receive). It’d be fun to take photos of friends as “band members” and repurpose the kind of poetry we all wrote in high school as lyrics (or, if you’re musically inclined, play it straight and submit legitimate lyrics that you’ve written).

If you do submit something, be sure to let me know in the comments; I’d love to see everybody’s efforts.

(via BoingBoing)

*I realize I bitch about stuff like this a lot, but I’ve been a web developer for 20 years and Bad Web Choices cause me physical pain.

There’s a (probably apocryphal) story that Ernest Hemingway was challenged to write a six-word novel, and he responded with, “For sale: Baby shoes, never worn.” Over at io9 they’ve been riffing on this extreme flash-fiction idea with a series of posts inviting commenters to write six-word science fiction stories: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4.

Science fiction and horror are kissing cousins at the very least, so a lot of the contributions skew in that direction. Some are outright creepy:

It was moving under my skin.
— Blalock

“The snow… it… it… got hungry.”
— fogelmatrix

“Try to relax,” my parasite said.
— Claire B.

They ate dreams. Only insomniacs survived.
— x84jdh

Some are really evocative:

The monsters cry in their sleep.
— JennyGirl

The outsiders killed us last night.
— spagornasm

Walls had ears. Eyes, too, now.
— Daryl

The Old Gods come in peace.
— Phos

Death machine works, but it weeps.
— Matt

And some are funny:

Zombies placated! They just wanted hugs.
— nootrac4571

“The badger revolution humbled us all.”
— interrogator-chaplain

Room for rent, cheap. NOT HAUNTED.
— Long Lost Albatross

“Chess?” scoffed Death, “no way. Candyland.”
— ColinGagnon

(Most of them seem to be less “complete story” and more “really intriguing first sentence.”)

Want to play along? Write your spookiest six-word story and leave it in the comments! Here are a few to get you started:

“Believe in ghosts? I am one.”

The screaming isn’t real. Ignore it.

Tiny footsteps run into the closet.

“Mommy, why won’t it stop moving?”

There’s a really great article about you in tomorrow’s paper. Nice photo of you on the front page too. Wish you’d be able to see it.
— NightValeRadio

I am rubber and you are glue. We used to be people, but we angered a witch.
— donni

If your grave doesn’t say “rest in peace” on it you are automatically drafted into the skeleton war
— dril

The most powerful man in the forest is the lumberjack who decides which trees become guitars and which trees become toilet paper.
— markhoppus

Next time your roommate texts you to keep it down respond with “I’m not home right now…” just to give them some perspective.
— madamezooble

Accidentally fell asleep smoking an e-cigarette and when I woke up my whole house was on the internet.
— JermHimselfish

A big difference between childhood and adulthood is how much time you spend telling ladybugs their house is on fire.
— rolldiggity

For fun, you look through the wrong end of the binoculars. Very far away, it seems, there is a man reaching for something with gloved hands.
— NightValeRadio

Willy Wonka is the best movie about cheering on child murder
— briangaar

I want to defend a penguin in court just so I can say, “Your Honor. My client is clearly not a flight risk.”
— trevso_electric

NSFW! NSFW! NSFW! YouTuber Frank Dracman has put together nearly two hours of gore- and sex-filled grindhouse movie trailers. It is deeply mind-blowing.

Afterlife with Archie – Comic series that plunks the Riverdale gang into a zombie apocalypse. Weirdly, this is more than a one-off gag; the stories are reported to be quite well-written.

All-Girl Frankenstein – Interesting-sounding production of Frankenstein in which all of the parts are played by women. The same group has an All-Girl Edgar Allan Poe scheduled for later this year. (Hat tip to Pixel Pixie)

My Daddy Stays Home – A stay-at-home dad draws a cute little cartoon to put in his daughter’s lunchbox each day. Then he posts them on his blog with more adult captions to amuse the grownups.

Schrödinger’s Cat Speaks – The thought experiment from the viewpoint of the cat. This is oddly touching. (via xJane)

Peeps Seance – It’s the portrait on the wall that really makes this.

Moon Raven Designs – Etsy shop full of intricate, creepy jewelry. (Hat tip to Sisifo)

The Coolest Tattoo Artists in the World – These pieces are just astonishing.

Foreverrr – MC Chris’ concept album about the romance between “a lonely ghost and a grandmotherly sexbot who’s taken up residence in a haunted house.”

Archaeologist Tired Of Unearthing Unspeakable Ancient Evils – An amusing article from The Onion. (via WitchArachne)

The Birds to be Remade – Hollywood has apparently run clear the hell out of original ideas.

Your mind had better give me cab fare, because I’m about to blow it.

Intrepid commenter Pixel Pixie pointed me at Raven Armoury, which sells all sorts of amazing hand-forged swords, knives, jewelry, and sculptures. Specifically, she mentioned the gorgeous (and, it pretty much goes without saying, insanely expensive), skeleton cutlery that they offer. Although made by Raven, the pieces were designed by Andre Lassen, so I checked out his site and whoa, Nelly; we have found a kindred spirit.

In his bio he describes growing up being fascinated by arms and weaponry; at ten years old, a movie about the French Revolution inspired him to make model (working) guillotines. He’s friends with H.R. Giger and has fabricated pieces that Giger designed. He now owns The Tribe Gallery in Amsterdam, and sells his work there (and possibly takes commissions online as well; the site is a little unclear).

The site, to engage in riotous understatement, is a little hard to navigate. It’s worth persevering, though, because he has some insanely gorgeous stuff: Sculptures, knives and swords, jewelry, guitars (one of which Blondie played), and furniture. His overall style, including the decorative detailing on his weapons, puts me in mind of Conan-era Frazetta, with overtones of Lovecraft.

In particular, check out the gallery for his hand-carved wooden bat desk and matching chair. It has shot to the very top of my list of things I’ll own if I ever win the lottery.

Also worth a look is the “Film” section of his portfolio, which has a bunch of in-progress pictures for props that he built. They’d be a great source of inspiration for props or crafting.

(Thanks, Pixel Pixie!)

It’s time for another round of Death is Not an Option! The rules, as always, are simple: Given the choice of a pair of people, you have to decide which one you’d rather sleep with; choosing death instead is not an option. This time it’s science fiction villains.

The Terminator Matchup
800 Series (Terminator)	vs.	T-1000 (Terminator 2)

The Evil Businessman Matchup
Raymond Sellars (Robocop)	vs.	Jean-Baptiste Emanuel Zorg (The Fifth Element)

The Femme Fatale (Really Really Fatale) Matchup
Sil (Species)	vs.	Space Girl (Lifeforce)

The Artificial Humans Matchup
The Gunslinger (Westworld)	vs.	Roy Batty (Blade Runner)

The Whovian Matchup
Rassilon	vs.	The Master

The Khaaaaaaaan Matchup
Khan (Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan)	vs.	Khan (Star Trek Into Darkness)

The Wicked Women Matchup
The Borg Queen (Star Trek)	vs.	Number Six (Battlestar Galactica)

The Supervillain Matchup
Lex Luthor (Smallville)	vs.	Sylar (Heroes)

The All Darth Matchup
Darth Vader (Star Wars 4-6)	vs.	Darth Maul (Star Wars 1)

The Scary Psychos Matchup
Alex DeLarge (A Clockwork Orange)	vs.	Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen (Dune)

Leave your choices in the comments. And remember…Death is not an option.

One of the things I like best about running this silly blog is that frequently, rather than seeking out the weirdness, the weirdness comes to me.

Lisa Hix, a writer for Collectors Weekly, sent me this over the weekend:

Morbid Anatomy—a blog, library, curiosity gallery, and lecture series dedicated to the places where death and beauty intersect—often revels in the macabre, albeit in a thoughtful, intellectual way. Thanks to its swelling popularity, Morbid Anatomy is expanding into a three-story, 4,200-square-foot museum in Brooklyn this spring.

Learning to Love Death: New Museum Takes a Walk on the Shadow Side

I talked to founder Joanna Ebenstein about her strange fascinations with Santa Muetre, the holy saint of death; medical specimens; depictions of deformity and disease; superstition and paranormal research—and eccentric Victorian taxidermist Walter Potter. She explained why she thinks pondering mortality is good for all of us.

And then half a dozen of my friends sent me the same story, one with the suggestion that we all organize a field trip to New York for a visit.

So, yes; awesome blog Morbid Anatomy, which has maintained a small physical presence with limited hours for a while now, is expanding into a full-scale museum in Brooklyn. In addition to a café and gift shop, the space will include a lecture hall where “rogue scholars” can give talks on everything from ancient Egyptian funerary customs to jackalope taxidermy.

They’ve got a Kickstarter campaign to help build out the space, and some of the rewards look fantastic (one of them is the Halloweentown gates set piece from Nightmare Before Christmas).

The whole thing sounds very cool; if you’ve got a visit to New York planned, this would definitely be worth adding to your itinerary.

(Incidentally, be sure to check out some of the other articles that Hix has written; there’s some cool stuff about dark rides and creepy clowns and mourning jewelry.)