Summerween

Summerween takes place on the 22nd of June each year, but can really be celebrated anytime during the summer.

While it's true that I do believe one can begin celebrating Halloween "too early" (a sentiment not commonly shared by many of my spooky peers) I enjoy Summerween because it doesn't attempt to rush the seasons (at least not the way we celebrate it).

Big box stores are already starting to put out their fall and Halloween decorations despite the full-swing of summer's heat, tempting many of us to engage in autumnal daydreams and wistful consumption.  Trust me, I feel that temptation myself.  But just like how I could sit in a lawn chair with my feet in a kiddie pool and pretend I'm on the sandy shores of O'ahu, I know it wouldn't feel the same.  It would feel too.... empty.  Nothing compares to the real thing, the real Halloween.

And that's where Summerween comes in.

"jack-o'-melons" carved by The Ghoulfriend and one of her friends

Instead of futilely pretending it isn't 99° outside, or imagining the leaves changing color, or cranking my AC to "Arctic Circle" just so I can cuddle under a blanket next to the fireplace... Summerween seeks to uplift the summer season, making it more palatable to spookier folks like us by injecting some Halloween fun into it.

For our Summerween celebration, we got a group together out at a friend's lake house.  During the day, we boated, jet-skied, and drank cold beers and seltzers.  We carved jack-o'-melons after lunch, snacking on the red flesh as we worked.  After watching the sunset from the dock, we went inside and made homemade pizza.  We topped the night off with more beer and a screening of Scream (though admittedly, Friday the 13th would have been more appropriate).

The operating room

To me, Summerween is all about celebrating the wait for Halloween and accepting summer as a necessary part of that wait. We're enjoying our favorite parts of summer -swimming, eating popsicles and watermelon, cooking out, spending time outside with friends- and doing a couple Halloween-y activities to scratch the itch.  It feels like a throwback to Summer Vacation as a kid (except for the beer).  Instead of fighting summer, we embrace it, enjoy it, and declare, "This is how Halloween people do it!"  

I know not everyone feels this way, but for those who do, I hope you find ways to "embrace the wait" rather than trying to force the whole holiday of Halloween to arrive earlier.  After all, the real Halloween only comes once a year... that's what makes it so special!

Please Write In! - Halloween Creep

I am beginning to research and draft a future post on what I have started to call "Halloween creep" (in the same vein as "Christmas creep") and I'd love to hear your thoughts.

I've noticed the growing trend of stores stocking Halloween items farther and farther in advance, occupying shelves as early as mid-summer.  Many people are more than happy to begin to celebrate the holiday before Fall has even started, and it seems like this crowd is growing.

I'd like to hear what other Halloween people have to say about this trend.  Why are you happy to start celebrating early?  Or why do you prefer to wait?  For those that start early, do you feel the same way about people who celebrate Christmas early?

Whether you like or dislike this growing trend, weigh in by commenting below or emailing me at tjalgahorn@gmail.com.  If you'd prefer to stay anonymous in my final write-up, simply say so and I will leave out your name/handle.

Can't wait to hear from you!

Haunt Theory: The Role of Blue Light

~ Foreword ~

I believe that home-haunting shares a commonality with other forms of artistry in that the exchange of thoughts and ideas not only benefits ones artistic peers, but provides an opportunity for introspection on matters both philosophical and practical.

Pumpkinrot's Haunt Theory posts were of great benefit to me when I first started out. I still find myself going back to them each year to consider his wisdom and advice.  I highly recommend any haunter, fresh or seasoned, to give them a read.  Moreover, I believe every haunter should share their musings in a similar manner, as such commentary can only elevate our craft.  That is my intention for this post.

This post has mutated far beyond the initial scope I had intended, and has become a hyper-specific over-intellectualization of a niche aspect of haunt lighting. Whether or not this post "works" remains to be seen I suppose. You've been warned.

~ The Role of Blue Light ~

In a post on Haunt Lighting, Pumpkinrot cites a lighting tutorial by Rob of now-defunct SkullandBone.com.  Rot highlights Rob's placement of light sources and his emphasis on shadows.  I'd like to expand upon another aspect Rob touches on: color. Specifically, blue light, its place in haunting, and how it can enhance your display.  

So in my mind, orange has always seemed the obvious choice for general haunt lighting. It's the quintessential color of Halloween; matching the jack-o'-lanterns, the flickering candles within, and easily blending with the amber glow of street lights. Overall, a nice orange wash evokes a warm and inexplicably natural feeling.  But defaulting to orange has often led me to forget and underutilize its contrasting color, blue!

For the sake of this post, let's break down the usage of blue light into two main categories of use:

1: Prop-Specific Lighting

2: Wash and Backlighting

1: Prop-Specific Lighting

Certain props are more thematically effective when lit with a blue spotlight. In pop culture, ghosts are often portrayed as having a blue-ish glow.  Think The Haunted Mansion ride or any number of animated cartoons.  

The Haunted Mansion

Lonesome Ghosts (1934)

For this reason, I think blue light works incredibly well for giving a prop a "ghostly" or ethereal appearance. Blacklights are exceptionally suited for making an otherwise plain-white prop appear to glow with blue light while minimizing background illumination (fig 1.3).

fig 1.1 @hallowjean

fig 1.2 @gourdinfester

fig 1.3 House Bloodthorn
I'd be remiss if I didn't include a
classic blacklight flying crank ghost!

Aside from literal ghost props, other things like gravestones and statues can be lit with blue light for a similarly ethereal look.

fig 1.4
Pumpkinrot & House of Marrow
(Slightly greener than the other
examples, but the effect is there)

fig 1.5 Evil Vines Cemetery

When designing the lighting for your haunt, use your imagination and consider what other props work better (thematically) under blue light. The cobwebs in fig 1.5 are not spiritual in subject matter, but I think blue was still the most effective choice. 

2: Wash and Backlight

*Note: I may end up making a future post dedicated to light placement, but for now, just know that "wash" lights bathe a large area with a single color and "backlights" are lights that shine from behind a subject, forming an edge of color (also known as "rim lighting").  

When covering multiple props or large areas of your yard/house, blue light has a paradoxical effect. It provides plenty of illumination, but messes with the brain in a way where it can still be perceived as dark and shadowy. 

fig 2.1  Pumpkinrot

fig 2.2  Wicked Woods Cemetery

A blue wash light placed high up on a post or in a tree can evoke moonlight (fig 2.3). Yes, true moonlight is white, but bathing your haunt in plain white light can be a bit garish. Blue light is more appropriate for the night-time look even if not entirely realistic. The balance between realism and romanticism in haunts will likely be a topic covered in a future post. 

fig 2.3 House Bloodthorn

For the props that you do light with warm colors, blue still has an important role to play as rim lighting.  Blue light cast around the edges or on the side of an otherwise orange/red prop adds contrast, which adds depth (fig 2.4). Depth can also be acheived by simply alternating wash colors (fig 2.5). This is something I feel was lacking in my previous haunts (fig 2.6); something I hope to remedy this year.

fig 2.4 @gourdinfester

fig 2.5 House Bloodthorn

fig 2.6  My 2021 Yard Haunt
Everything looks a little flat
because of the homogenous color 

 ~ Conclusion ~

(is it over yet??)

 

I hope you were able to glean something - anything - useful out of this post.  Take some of these concepts and experiment with your own yard, props, and theme.  Also, I am eager for feedback on this post, and am curious to hear your own thoughts, so please drop a comment below and tell me what you think!  Thank you for reading, and Happy Haunting!

Haunt Theory: What's He Building In There?

What's he building in there?

What the hell is he building in there?

He has subscriptions to those magazines

He never waves when he goes by

He's hiding something from the rest of us

He's all to himself

I think I know why

He took down the tire swing from the pepper tree

He has no children of his own, you see

He has no dog

And he has no friends

And his lawn is dying

And what about all those packages he sends?

What's he building in there?

With that hook light on the stairs

What's he building in there?

I'll tell you one thing

He's not building a playhouse for the children

What's he building in there?

Now what's that sound from under the door?

He's pounding nails into a hardwood floor

And I swear to god I heard someone moaning low

And I keep seeing the blue light of a T.V. show

He has a router and a table saw

And you won't believe what Mr. Sticha saw

There's poison underneath the sink of course

But there's also enough formaldehyde to choke a horse

What's he building in there?

What the hell is he building in there?

I heard he has an ex-wife

In some place called Mayors Income, Tennessee

And he used to have a consulting business in Indonesia

But what is he building in there?

What the hell is building in there?

He has no friends

But he gets a lot of mail

I'll bet he spent a little time in jail

I heard he was up on the roof last night

Signaling with a flashlight

And what's that tune he's always whistling

What's he building in there?

What's he building in there?

We have a right to know...

Photo taken while visiting some family outside Louisville.
Original song by Tom Waits