The Return of Kolchak: The Night Stalker = Super Cool!

Kolchak: The Night Stalke

One of my favorite childhood TV series was Kolchak: The Night Stalker. I just read its being remade as a movie starring Johnny Depp and directed by Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead).  Kolchak was a crime reporter and he investigated and get caught up in all these cool supernatural crimes with vampires and zombies and demons and such. My favorite episode was "Chopper" about a headless motorcyle rider come back to kill people that had murdered him.

Kolchak is actually credited with the inspiration behind X-Files (not the alien conspiracy episodes but the episodes where there wasn't an alien). I know most people won't remember it unless you've seen the re-runs but trust me it was super cool and tapping Johnny Depp to play Kolchak in the remake is brilliant! I'm psyched!

Spyderwood

Really liked this idea of the shroud covering the tombstone and then recessing the inside to add details. My photo daytime photo doesn't do it justice but "Spyder" had to have spent a lot of time adding all the foliage and painting this one. It was a good weekend to get inspiration for this year's Shingle Creek Manor props!

Spyder's Halloween graveyard is called "Spyderwood". I think he should make a "Spyderwood" sign over his house in the same font as the historic "Hollywood" sign over Hollywood, California. Maybe add some bats or spiders around it!

Meeting the "Others"

Corpsified skeleton and wood toe pincher coffin by Dr. Terror Eyes

 So we went to our first "Make and Take" yesterday and got to meet some of the other Halloween people I've been conversing with on the forums. We were one of the first few to arrive and knew we had the right place by the hearse parked along the street out front, a subtle reminder that people love Halloween at all levels of the extreme. Actually, of the small group, I met another vintage hearse owner as well. I'm told he has done some extreme customizing to it including paint graphics and an over the top sound system. Hopefully I'll get to see it at the gathering in May and I'll get some good photos to post.

Our host "Ishwitch" and her husband did a nice job of organizing the event and we learned how to assemble a simple lightning machine and saw several other examples as well,  including the coup de grace, a six channel light and thunder show machine by Gemmy. Unfortuantely I don't see myself paying $160.00...well, maybe...

"Ishwitch", "Spider" and "Dr. Terror Eyes" ( you have to love the forum user names people come up with! ) displayed some of their props.  Dr. Terror Eye's corps-ification of a Halloween skeleton took all of a half  hour he said, using  a plastic painters tarp and a heat gun, then hitting it with some stain. That has to be the quickest, simplest and least messy method I've ever heard of and I'll let you be the judge on how it looks. Guess what we're doing this year...

Overall it was a darn good time. The other haunters were a friendly bunch and very sharing in their ideas and experiences building props. Once again if you live in Florida, come join us at the Florida Haunters. 

Florida Haunters - February "Make and Take"

Photograph property of "Ghostess", host of Florida Haunters

Going to the Florida Haunter's Group first "Make and Take" of the year this weekend. Been on the forum for about a year but first chance we'll get to meet some of the folks on the forum. If your a yard haunter, Halloween Forum, Haunt Forum, Garage of Evil and  a host of others are indispensable for seeing other people's work and getting tips and  ideas, but you might really enjoy being a member of your local groups and forums too. It's nice to know there are other people close by that have similar haunting obsessions, plus you all have the same environmental and weather conditions to deal with. The added benefit are the little "Make and Take" gatherings a few times a year. If your not a member of a local forum you really should consider it. If you live in Florida or visit Florida often, join us asap! I have found the people there friendly, supportive, and helpful. I think we are building lightning machines and fence panels this weekend! We don't have a lightning machine so its a good build for us. We already have too many fence panels to start a new design so will probably pass on that one.

Oh, and for Ghostess to get that photo above she actually took her "Bucky" skeleton to a beach..... I'm thinking obsession may have hold of her pretty bad! jk!