When we talk iconic horror franchises, you don't get much bigger than Halloween, the earliest and one of the most prolific ever. Now Justin Beahm has taken on the Herculean task of compiling a history of the entire series. From that first trip to Haddonfield right up through the upcoming Halloween 3D, Halloween: The Complete Authorized History will cover the entire history of The Shape.
The book is scheduled for an October 2013 release. You can follow all the updates on the book, and we're sure there will be plenty along the way, at OfficialHalloweenBook.com and on the Halloween Book Facebook Page.
From the Press Release Trancas International Films is proud to announce Halloween: The Complete Authorized History by Justin Beahm is now in production, taking the iconic franchise from screen to page in what will be an exhaustive exploration of all 10 films, as well as Halloween 3D, now in pre-production. Timed for release in October of 2013 in celebration of the series' 35th Anniversary, Halloween: The Complete Authorized History will tell the story of each picture via dozens of interviews with the people who made it happen from directors to producers, composers to F/X artists, writers to stunt personnel.
Halloween: The Complete Authorized History will be heavily illustrated, containing hundreds of rare images, documents, props, artifacts, and promotional materials culled from the Trancas archives and personal collections of those involved. In addition, the book will feature historical genre magazine articles relating to each film's release as well as new original artwork from some of today's most notable talents.
Justin Beahm is a contributing editor at Fangoria magazine, a senior writer at Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine, and is now Editor-In-Chief of HalloweenMovies.com. In addition, Justin is Creative Director of Hip Bonz merchandise company and Vice President of the sCare Foundation, a non-profit group of horror genre personalities dedicated to combating teenage homelessness and poverty (more at Scare Foundation Online).
When we talk iconic horror franchises, you don't get much bigger than Halloween, the earliest and one of the most prolific ever. Now Justin Beahm has taken on the Herculean task of compiling a history of the entire series. From that first trip to Haddonfield right up through the upcoming Halloween 3D, Halloween: The Complete Authorized History will cover the entire history of The Shape.
The book is scheduled for an October 2013 release. You can follow all the updates on the book, and we're sure there will be plenty along the way, at OfficialHalloweenBook.com and on the Halloween Book Facebook Page.
From the Press Release Trancas International Films is proud to announce Halloween: The Complete Authorized History by Justin Beahm is now in production, taking the iconic franchise from screen to page in what will be an exhaustive exploration of all 10 films, as well as Halloween 3D, now in pre-production. Timed for release in October of 2013 in celebration of the series' 35th Anniversary, Halloween: The Complete Authorized History will tell the story of each picture via dozens of interviews with the people who made it happen from directors to producers, composers to F/X artists, writers to stunt personnel.
Halloween: The Complete Authorized History will be heavily illustrated, containing hundreds of rare images, documents, props, artifacts, and promotional materials culled from the Trancas archives and personal collections of those involved. In addition, the book will feature historical genre magazine articles relating to each film's release as well as new original artwork from some of today's most notable talents.
Justin Beahm is a contributing editor at Fangoria magazine, a senior writer at Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine, and is now Editor-In-Chief of HalloweenMovies.com. In addition, Justin is Creative Director of Hip Bonz merchandise company and Vice President of the sCare Foundation, a non-profit group of horror genre personalities dedicated to combating teenage homelessness and poverty (more at Scare Foundation Online).
It's here! It's here! Our favorite day of the year! If you're reading this page right here, right now, it's most likely because you realize that Halloween is more than just a spooky occasion to be celebrated once a year. Horror fans live this kind of thing every day while the rest of the world plays catch-up annually!
As always we celebrate this day with a couple of modern classics that have made us smile from ear-to-ear. So, ready or not, let's check in with some of horror's biggest heavyweights in a manner that is ... shall we say ... a bit against the grain. Sit back, relax, and enjoy these truly vintage treats!
Have a very happy Halloween, guys! Stay safe! Eat, drink, and be scary!
The one week every show on TV gives us special Halloween episodes, Walking Dead shrugs and says, “It’s Halloween 24/7/365 around here, bitches.” Instead we get an episode about loss, grief, and tragedy, and how the last casualty of war is hope.
The survivors are surely fighting a war at this point. It’s a strange war, with one side reduced to pockets of resistance fighting against an army with no generals, no political motives, no real goals at all other than the total annihilation of the enemy. In other words, it’s war in which surrender is not possible. Unless you kill yourself, and even then you might end up hanging from a tree, recruited for the other side post-mortem.
This episode featured some tight writing, blending the action with the slower moments effectively. It also played with some different ways to evoke tension in the audience. For instance, we start out seeing Shane at some point in the future, shaving his head (his head wasn’t shaved when we last saw him with Otis at the high school). This would seem to sap the tension from the whole episode, since now we know Shane survives the escape from the school. Yet we know by his drastic head shaving that something traumatic happened. What was it? Did Otis make it? Did they not return with the supplies in time to save Carl?
When we get to the high school and see Shane and Otis fleeing the herd, we’re back to good old white knuckle zombie terror. I’ll admit that, despite all my complaining last week, the character development in this series really raises the stakes for the zombie scenes. It goes beyond simply liking the characters. Everything is so interconnected that we see all the consequences of someone getting taken out by zombies. If Andrea were to die, we worry not just about her but about the pain it would cause Dale. We’re worried about Shane and Otis, but also Otis’ wife and Lori, Rick and Carl.
Lori loses hope in the face of the impending death of her son. Everything she said seemed perfectly logical, from her perspective. I know plenty of people who’ve expressed similar doubts about having children, and they don’t even live in Walking Dead world. Saying it out loud when Carl hadn’t actually died yet seemed pretty cold though. Oh, but he saw a pretty deer! Well, as long as he’s got something worthwhile to live for, by all means, let’s try and save his life.
The remnants of the gang back at the motorhome didn’t accomplish much of note. Sonia cried. Dale was pathetic. Andrea was bitchy. Daryl was awesome. Can we just have a show about Daryl and his travels through the zombie apocalypse, sharing morsels of redneck wisdom? “Don’t wipe your ass with poison oak, son.” The interactions back at the Greene farm were more enlightening — Maggie and Glenn’s chat about prayer gave us some welcome insight into the characters. It’s a tough subject to tackle realistically, because how anyone’s religious feelings change in that kind of situation is not only deeply personal, but also impossible to predict. It seems inconceivable to me that anyone could continue believing in god in the face of such relentless tragedy, but there are plenty of people who’d see it all as direct evidence of heavenly wrath.
Speaking of heavenly wrath, Shane would probably be going straight to hell if he wasn’t already there. Fleeing the high school, he shoots Otis in the leg, wrestles with him for a few precious moments to get the supplies away from him, wastes another bullet on him, then leaves him to an agonizing death, shredded limb from limb by zombies. It was an incredible and stunning betrayal. The problem is, it didn’t make any sense. Otis had just offered to sacrifice himself holding off the zombies while Shane escaped. Why not just take him up on his offer? Or at least just shoot him in the head? No wrestling delay, no wasted bullet, no horrific death for Otis. I just don’t get it.
Before we wrap this up, time for another zombie ecology lesson. The latest issue of Scientific American had a short piece about a virus that infects gypsy moth larvae. It completely changes the caterpillar’s behavior, causing them to hang out on leaves during the day, when they’d otherwise be hiding on branches. It also makes them stop molting and continue feeding while moving up to the top of the tree. There they become, as the article puts it, “virus-filled sacs” that burst and rain virus down onto the leaves for other caterpillars to eat, infecting them too.
Now, many viruses are only transmittable by direct contact with bodily fluids. If it is extremely deadly, the virus’ hosts will tend to die before the virus can be transmitted. The gypsy moth virus has found a way around this by killing the host in a spectacular, virus-spreading manner. The zombie virus in Walking Dead has evolved another solution — somehow animate dead bodies, causing them to become vectors for the disease even after the host has died (how the metabolic energy for shambling around is provided is a question that might not stand up to this kind of scientific scrutiny — photosynthesis, maybe?).
This week’s episode gave us a strange clue to the nature of the virus. Zombies will consume dead flesh (they ate the legs off of the tree hanger Daryl and Andrea found), and a bitten dead body will become a zombie. However, the zombies seem to know when a corpse is already infected, because they don’t stop to eat other zombies that have been felled by gunshots. In other words, the hunger instinct in the zombies is only being triggered insofar as it helps to spread the virus. Interesting.
Live in the Los Angeles area and looking for a fun way to ring in Halloween? Besides getting drunk and puking in your costume? Well, Dread Central has hit up the majority of this year's haunts, and we offer this handy little weekend guide to all things spooky!
DELUSION: Hands down, this is the best haunted attraction in Southern California. Set in an actual run-down Victorian mansion, attendees experience a full-on interactive play, running for their lives from escaped mental patients and witnessing wild stunts unfold right before their eyes. Must be seen to be believed! Read our full report here.
THE LOS ANGELES HAUNTED HAYRIDE: One of our favorite Halloween traditions takes viewers through the hills of Griffith Park on an incredibly elaborate ride through cannibals, carnival freaks, and cult members. And don't pass up the "Dark Maze," which sends you into pitch blackness with only a piss-poor lantern as your guide. Read our full report here.
QUEEN MARY'S DARK HARBOR: Back for its second year, Dark Harbor blends together traditional mazes and scare zones at a real-life haunted location. This attraction is all about darkness, and the ultra-trippy "The Cage" is not to be missed. Well worth venturing to Long Beach to experience. Read our full report here.
OLD TOWN HAUNT: For a more personal scare zone, head out to Pasadena for this gem, which is currently enjoying its eighth year scaring the shit out of people. Set in the labyrinthine basement of the historical Union Savings Bank Building, this attraction reuses sets from actual movies and television shows like "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and takes people in much smaller groups to make your haunt more personal. Claustrophobia is the name of the game (there's even a crawl-space section that most were too chicken to enter), and the entire place is decked out with some impressive sound work and animatronics.
SINISTER POINTE: We have yet to visit the new Sinister Pointe attraction in the O.C., but they've previously entertained us with their SAW and Silent Hill mazes. This year they have a double dose of original mazes that promise a whole new interactive twist on the usual haunted attraction.
ROTTEN APPLE: The Rotten Apple gang are actually a family who run a yearly attraction out of their house in Burbank, CA. But don't let that deter you: Their annual mazes are some of the most imaginative and elaborate you'll ever see. And best yet - it's FREE (don't be a douche...remember to tip them). People line up for blocks every year, and the wait is well worth it so don't overlook this hidden gem!
We're always walking a fine line when it comes to music news here on Dread Central, but a couple of pretty cool music playlists geared toward Halloween crossed our desks this week so we thought we'd share them with you guys. Whether your tastes run more toward "Chillers" or "Thrillers", we think you'll find something you like. Read on for the details, and give them a listen.
PLAYLIST: Halloween Chillers
From Carter Maness: Yes, I know you love a good costume. And really, what's better than going crazy, hopping from party to party, dancing and fighting for bar position? I take a different attitude. Halloween is all about darkness and getting legitimately spooky. I'll save the dancing for next week. In the meantime, here are some favorite Halloween Chillers (some spooky, all sweet) from Creep, Dawn Golden & Rosy Cross, Chairlift, The Field, and more.
PLAYLIST: Halloween Thrillers
From Hillary Kaylor: Chillers are well and good, but let’s face it: Stopping at spooky is kind of weak. For me Halloween is strictly about screams and sweat, straight-up thrills, nightmarish parties, and sweet sweet (ear) candy. The louder, the weirder, the filthier, the better. Between witchy Purity remixes, Hussle Club dubstep, blinded-by-blood Atari Teenage Riot cries, and Koralleven’s rave horsewhip skinning Britney Spears, our Halloween Thrillers playlist will prepare you for the darkest day of the year. And when it comes, you best dance ‘til you die.
Let us know what you think of these choices, and share some of your favorite Halloween tunes in the comments section below.
It's nice to see our country moving in the right direction as far as acceptance of those different than ourselves. Sure, we've got a long way to go to be a completely accepting society, but we're on the right track. Here in New York we see people celebrating diversity all the time. We have the Gay Pride Parade, the Latin American Pride Parade, and those are just two of the more popular ones. However, even with all that, one group has been consistently overlooked...and they're pissed.
The undead have tagged October 31st as Undead Pride Day, and they've launched a website to get their message across. The Official Undead Pride Day website is a place where anyone undead, be they ghouls, banshees, zombies or vampires, can post a message letting the world know it's time they get treated just like everyone else, undead or not.
Cruise on over to the site and check it out. I've gotten a chance to see some of the work uploaded on there, and I guarantee you'll get a chuckle out of it. Also, if you happen to be undead and are inspired by the work of others, feel free to upload your own piece, video, audio or text, and let your voice be heard (even if it is just a guttural growl). Don't forget to follow the movement on Twitter (@undeadprideday). Power to the (undead) people!
Uncle Creepy brought me on board here at Dread Central earlier this year, and I've been truly having a blast writing for all you gorehounds. However, there is something I've been dying to write about but had to wait for the right time. Well, it's that time, Halloween time, and I'm finally getting my chance to write about one of my favorite websites, Zombie Pumpkins, easily one of the greatest Halloween sites around.
Site owner, pumpkin pattern designer and basic jack-of-all-trades badass Ryan Wickstrand has been overlord of the pumpkin carving world since 2003, and he continues to improve and add to the site every year. And not only is Wickstrand a brilliant artist when it comes to designing patterns, he's a gorehound himself (and fan of Dread Central)! Wickstrand's love of horror is blatantly obvious in the patterns he creates. Yes, he has the obligatory Elmo, Kermit the Frog and Hello Kitty patterns for the kids. It is a business after all, and the more diverse he can be, the bigger the fanbase he can grow. But where Zombie Pumpkins excels is in the horror imagery department.
Wickstrand currently has 254 patterns online and is adding to it all the time. And I'm not just talking during October. He posted a My Bloody Valentine pattern in February. I'm telling you, the man is on the ball! But the real highlight of his empire is the Movie Monsters section of the site. Sure, he's got the classics in there -- Frankenstein, Dracula, The Wolf Man -- but there's so much more.
Genre fans will love this collection as there are some true gems amongst these patterns. Where else can you find a pumpkin carving pattern of Karen Cooper from the original Night of the Living Dead? She's there with no less than three House of 1000 Corpses patterns. You can carve the monster from John Carpenter's The Thing or Cheryl the Deadite from The Evil Dead. They've even got the classic, worm-eyed undead from Lucio Fulci's Zombie. And as a bonus to all you loyal Dread Central readers, Ryan Wickstrand has given us a FREE PUMPKIN CARVING PATTERN of Fulci's Zombie! Click the image below, and enjoy. All you need is a printer, some pumpkin carving tools, a pumpkin of course and maybe... some guts.
Believe me when I say they are all there. The new and classic Michael Myers, masked and unmasked Jason Voorhees, plain and stitched Chucky, Leatherface, Cujo, Hannibal Lecter, Pinhead…the list is amazing.
And that's just the movie stars. From TV they've got Sookie and her vamps from "True Blood," "Dexter," "The Addams Family," "The Simpsons" and his newest pattern, just unveiled: the awesome bicycle girl zombie from "The Walking Dead."
Is music more your thing? How about a Rob Zombie pumpkin? Zombie Pumpkins has three Rob Zombies and the Living Dead Girl herself, Sheri Moon Zombie, too! Ozzy, Angus Young, Marilyn Manson and Iron Maiden's iconic mascot Eddie.
Trust me; if you've got any inkling to carve a pumpkin this year, this is the place to go. Zombie Pumpkins charges a very reasonable fee for its patterns, and you can choose several pay options. You can get signed up for as little as $2. Come on; you can spare two bucks to amaze and impress your friends, can't you? And believe me; they will be amazed and impressed by your dexterity. As difficult as these things look, they aren't that hard to produce at all. Wickstrand assigns each pattern a difficulty level, and even if you've never seen a pumpkin before, you can get through an Easy Level pattern with no problem. And once you've got the first one under your belt, you'll be banging out Challenging and Advanced Patterns in no time!
Do yourself a favor and head over to Zombie Pumpkins. There truly is something for everyone. And while you're there, send Ryan Wickstrand a message telling him how cool he is and that Doctor Gash and the rest of the crew at Dread Central sent you.
If you’d like to look both literate and lovely this Halloween, Heavy Red has got you covered. The leading gothic couturier has designed an Alice in Wonderland dress, with a whole host of quirky fun accessories. Your Alice Halloween costume kit includes a teacup little goth hat, Harlequin stockings, playing cards ring, optional skeleton key or teacup necklace, decorative pocket watch (decorative only, so you might be late for a very important date), and optional Mad Hatter or White Rabbit or Lewis Carroll quote temporary tattoo.
ALICE en déshabillé – NOIR ALICE IN WONDERLAND COSTUME & CORSET
From the Heavy Red Fall 2011 Line…
Style# 1120
*PRE-ORDER*
Alice en déshabillé, the limited edition Couture Noir costume by Heavy Red.
Chasing the White Rabbit, Alice finds herself teetering on the edge of a dark abyss – a rabbit hole into Another World. Should she follow, should she not? The wind blows her skirt, Alice loses her balance – the decision has been made – she tumbles in and whirls down, down, down into the darkness. As she falls, her dress catches on a branch here, a floating chair there – endless down, down, down. Suddenly without warning, Alice hits the bottom very hard, head over teacup. “Where am I?” Someone says, “She’s late, she’d better get dressed!” “Dressed??? I am . . . oh dear, it seems my dress was torn off in the rabbit hole!!!”
Alice has landed in Wonderland en déshabillé . . . . . . . . . . .
en déshabillé {French: state of partly dressed or scantily dressed}
You’ve waited and now she is here…Tragic Alice wanders through the darkness, facing danger and despair at every turn as she finds herself forever lost in WoNderLAnD in her underdress and corset. Beautifully innocent & vulnerable, yet undeniably sexy. Heavy Red Couture Noir presents its finest costume to date, with endless ways to customize it to you. The Alice en déshabillé in Wonderland costume is unparalleled in both its unique vision and dark beauty. The dress and corset are of the highest quality, and when Alice’s adventure is no more, the pieces can be integrated into your wardrobe for use all year round.
The Dress:
The ever exquisite Alice mustn’t be late for her tea party. This dashing dress full of curiosity and torment will showcase the beauty of your pale face and glistening tears. The super soft, cream cotton dress is rich with details, double seam bodice quilted cups, edged ruffle bodice and waistline, covered buttons, artistic seam lines which move with the shape of the body, quilted waistline in garter belt shape, a fully layered dress skirt, with an inside panel of ruffles. The shape of this dress is incredibly flattering and versatile. The back of the dress creates a long series of V-shaped ruffles going down to the back of your legs. The dress has corset lacing in back to allow you to cinch the waist as tight as you want. The dress has a back zipper and adjustable straps. At the waistline are 8 sewn cream straps. These straps can be left dangling, can be tied in bows, or can be used to tie up the front panels to reveal your ruffled underskirt. Two black ribbons are also included which can be tied to the straps to hang down or be tied in bows. Ribbons can then be removed to change the look or for easy care and cleaning. This dress can be worn in so many ways and was designed not only to fit all shapes and sizes with ease and perfect adjustment, but to allow you to be the Alice you are, be you naughty or nice.
The Corset
The dark blue faux leather corset (all Heavy Red clothing is animal friendly) is an amazing piece for this costume and to add to your permanent wardrobe. The corset holster has three adjustable buckles in front, above and below the bust for a very flattering look and one across the tummy to give you extra support and flatness where you might need it. The shoulder straps are also adjustable up to 5″. Long torso, short torso, big bust, small bust, tiny waist, not so tiny waist – you will have no problem finding the perfect fit. The back is a fully laced corset with steel bones. The corset is lined with organic cotton. You will be able to cinch yourself as tight as you like and get the great shape you desire. This piece will look amazing over many different Heavy Red dresses and shirts!
What is included in the costume:
-Cream Alice Dress
-Blue Corset (which can be changed to black for an additional fee)
-Harlequin stocking set (full length harlequin stockings and sheer black thigh highs to go over them)
Additional Accessories for your costume:
We are offering many accessories to tailor and customize the look of your costume.
We are offering a discount package which will include the costume and several accessories – see Costume page for details.
Accessories include:
-Cream net and ruffle gloves
-Alice necklaces
-Bangle or pearl bracelets
-Handmade hats which feature teacups and skeleton keys
-Wearable art (Heavy Red Temporary Alice Tattoos)
-Various additional Alice stockings
-Masks
View the costume page to see what is available at any time.
*Please note the costume and all costume accessories are considered seasonal items and are not eligible for refunds. All costume sales are final, however you may exchange the costume for another size providing we still have that size in stock.
This costume is now available for PRE-ORDER. We expect to begin shipping the costume the 1st week of October.
Don’t forget we will again be hosting the best Alice contest open to all those who purchase the Alice en déshabillé costume!
Time to add a little fun to your Monday afternoon. While not news by any stretch of the imagination, there are a couple of audience reaction clips floating around YouTube that we had to bring to your attention. Have some time to kill? Pull up a chair and dig on the terrors of days gone by!
Below you'll find videos for the theatre recorded crowd climax of the original John Carpenter classic Halloween and a sampling of the absolute hysteria surrounding the release of The Exorcist. Before viral marketing there was just plain word of mouth, and rarely did two films generate more of it than the following.
Bring back memories? Makes you wanna watch 'em again? Of course it does. How about you share your favorite theatre-going memories with us in the comments section below! Come on, kids! Dish the dirt!
When we talk iconic horror franchises, you don't get much bigger than Halloween, the earliest and one of the most prolific ever. Now Justin Beahm has taken on the Herculean task of compiling a history of the entire series. From that first trip to Haddonfield right up through the upcoming Halloween 3D, Halloween: The Complete Authorized History will cover the entire history of The Shape.
We're always walking a fine line when it comes to music news here on Dread Central, but a couple of pretty cool music playlists geared toward Halloween crossed our desks this week so we thought we'd share them with you guys. Whether your tastes run more toward "Chillers" or "Thrillers", we think you'll find something you like. Read on for the details, and give them a listen.
It's nice to see our country moving in the right direction as far as acceptance of those different than ourselves. Sure, we've got a long way to go to be a completely accepting society, but we're on the right track. Here in New York we see people celebrating diversity all the time. We have the Gay Pride Parade, the Latin American Pride Parade, and those are just two of the more popular ones. However, even with all that, one group has been consistently overlooked...and they're pissed.
Time to add a little fun to your Monday afternoon. While not news by any stretch of the imagination, there are a couple of audience reaction clips floating around YouTube that we had to bring to your attention. Have some time to kill? Pull up a chair and dig on the terrors of days gone by!