“McLean, Virginia, December 1978”

By photographer Joel Sternfeld - click to enlarge

Click here for the backstory

Giants Walk on Halloween

Photo by @vault_of_scarlott

The Electric State

Just a few bits of artwork from Simon Stålenhag's narrative art book The Electric State (2017). I own a copy myself, and highly recommend it; it's a great read with stunning artwork.  I keep mine on my coffee table, and guests are often compelled to give it a peek.

A movie adaptation is set to release this year.  I just hope they're able to capture the atmosphere that Stålenhag so effectively crafted.  And they had better include some of the music he composed to accompany the book.

Book available for purchase on Amazon

Vine Creep and his minions

By tcarter on Halloween Forum.

I love the detailed spine:

I think this little fella is my favorite... he's just happy to be here:

You can see images of their process in this thread

Extra photos taken from this thread

Afternoon Tea with Tinnitus Rex

Storytime!

Back in January, on our first-ever date, my now-girlfriend (henceforth referred to as "The Ghoulfriend") suggested a spontaneous stop-in at Stardust Video and Coffee.  I'd never been, and she'd been wanting to take me for a while (when we were just friends).  I absolutely ate it up.  It was the most hipster establishment I have ever set foot in: Coffee, food, old bookshelves, a cocktail bar, an analog photo booth, eclectic décor, wall graffiti... But it was the live music that really did it for me.

Unbeknownst to either of us, Stardust was hosting a live performance featuring Daniel Fuller (aka Daniel Fuzztone), Billy Davis, and Jeff Matz. We entered the building to the most brain-buzzing distorted drones I've ever experienced live.  It was magnificent.

It's hard to place a genre on the music played that night, but "Improv post-rock shoegaze noise" would get you close enough I think. Here's a snippet from that night: 

When I spoke with Daniel after the show, I learned that Billy and Jeff are members of the local band Tinnitus Rex, a self-described "improv noise band".

Fast-forward almost two months, and I caught wind of an upcoming event: "Afternoon Tea with Tinnitus Rex"

(Source: Orlando Weekly)

The event was taking place tomorrow! I pitched the idea to the ghoulfriend, and she was all for it.  So, just like our first date, we headed to Ten10 Brewing Company for an impromptu date of listening to some of Orlando's finest noise-makers.

A video clip doesn't quite portray the sheer volume and intensity of their music, but here's a couple anyways:

We both had a wonderful time drinking tea and beer, spacing-out to music, and reflecting on the past two and a half months together.  Her and I agreed: we want to go on many more eardrum-destroying Tinnitus Rex dates!

Click here for the Tinnitus Rex website

Nosferatu...

.... does this word not sound like the midnight call of the Bird of Death? Do not utter it, or the images of life will fade - into pale shadows and ghostly dreams will rise from your heart and feed your Blood.

- Nosferatu (1922)

Artwork by Trevor Henderson

Snowed-in

 Photos by Matt Carroll

Click here for full album

Witch Posts

To protect the hamlets and villages at the edge of the bleak moors from wandering ghosts and the mossy padfoot, the locals erect witch posts. These weathered sentries, imbued with old magic, can be found dotted across the wind-battered borderlands. Some have been known to change positions when no one is watching.

Art and caption by @owillow_waly (Marc C. Green)

Lady M's Haunted Parlor

Just learned about this blog after reading a post over on Pumpkinrot's blog, and swiftly added it to my subscription list. (You should as well!)

Lady M is a very supportive member of the Halloween blogosphere, and a very skilled artisan.  I'm so happy to see an active creator like her on this platform!

Click below to view her blog!

Listening to: Spooky Love

do you want me still?
spooky love that kills

start this heart again
lay me down to rest
you bring me flowers still
spooky love is real

By vhs ghost

This song fits in to a very specific subgenre that is not fully recognized yet. I think it could be categorized as "lo-fi folk"

Click below to listen:

Sarah's Scarecrow

By the always-amazing @sarah_the_spook on Instagram.  Beautiful photos of a charming homemade scarecrow!

The Art of Rob Bowyer

These are just a few favorites of mine.  There are many more awesome pieces on Instagram: @massiveface , and make sure to check out his Linktree

Listening to: “Candyman” Theme

A wicked cover of the Candyman theme by the electronic music trio Magic Sword

Click below to listen on YouTube:

Fricks Lock

Another entry in Pumpkinrot's Hexeglaawe series!

Click below for a beautiful photoshoot and a spooky story...

Scarecrow Garden

By Scarecrow Atelier.  Amazing prop and excellent lighting. Just popped up on my Instagram feed.

@scarecrow_atelier

Listening to: Christmas Ambient

I hope everyone enjoyed their Christmas! If not, then rejoice in the fact that this stressful holiday season is finally behind us.

Today I enjoyed listening to this ambient electronic album by Ken Elkinson. It features ethereal covers of famous Christmas songs, perfect for that post-Christmas-dinner nap. 

Merry Christmas folks!

Click below to listen to the album

New Moon

Hey everybody! Things are finally starting to level out for me again.  I've been lurking around, dropping in on some of the other blogs (see sidebar →) once in a while.  I can't wait to go through the backlog and binge-read all the posts I've missed.  

Tonight is the last New Moon of 2023.  It marks a time of renewal and fresh starts!  For me, it marks the end of a very stressful (and very long) period of time. And boy am I ready for a clean slate.

I want to give another huge "thank you" to everyone who reads the blog and supports me and my work! I hope your post-Halloween season has been less stressful than mine!

Here's to fresh starts!

At Close of Day, by Maxfield Parrish, circa 1941

Halloween 2023: Postponed until next year

This October has not been kind to me.

I've put off writing this, partially because I haven't had the time or energy to put my feelings into words, but also because it feels like admitting defeat.  Still, with only one day left until Halloween, I see no reason to put it off any longer.

Due to extenuating circumstances, I've made the difficult decision to postpone my yard display until next Halloween.  I have had little time to work on props, and even when I have time, I've lacked the necessary energy or conviction.

Sadly, I think I had already given up on Halloween halfway through the month. This month has taken a mental and emotional toll on me that I never could have anticipated. Increased workloads and back-to-back emotional upheavals severely reduced my time and motivation. This weekend, I faced an unexpectedly harsh case of Halloweekend FOMO.  It all became too much. For one of the few times in my life, I just want October be over already.

What about the yard haunt?

I am still proud of the concept for this year, and I think it deserves a proper execution. Rather than executing a barely-half-baked haunt, I am saving the few props I've made and will carry over this year's theme to Halloween 2024.  Hopefully then, I will have the pleasure of sharing a fully-realized yard haunt with you all.

October 2016

Thank you to all of my regular and intermittent readers.  I hope the rest of you are having a fantastic Halloween season.  For my fellow haunters, I am very excited to see what you have created!

Happy Halloween,
Tjalgahorn

New shirt from Just Okay Company

Picked up this awesome Over The Garden Wall t-shirt from Just Okay Company.  They had a booth set up at a local market, and I couldn't pass it up.

They are currently taking online pre-orders for this shirt, which you can get here.

Here's a few other autumnal designs available on their website that I loved. Click each image for their respective store pages:

The Great Pumpkin Project: October 2nd 2023

A lakeside park, right off of the freeway.  The park is well maintained, so this jack probably won't last long, but it's on a popular pedestrian path and next to a well-traveled side road (Even at 1 A.M. I must have been passed by a dozen cars) so it should get some good visibility.

If you want to know more about The Great Pumpkin Project or participate yourself, check out this post of mine and follow @GreatPumpkinProject on Instagram!