With Halloween only a week away, more and more people are getting into the scaring mood and in this week on SoulPancake’s “Subcultures” we follow Brandon Spletter and Jeff Schiefelbein as they build their own haunted houses. We follow their process of trying to make their haunted houses as scary as they can and meet the people who help them along the way. Even though they are working with a very small budget, we see how passionate they are in trying to scare people and make sure they have the best Halloween experience. This is a great way to show all the time and energy that is put into a haunted house and the people who’s job is to make sure people get scared.

It’s time to face the facts: the Zombie apocalypse is now and the undead are shambling among us. They’re gruesome, they’re hungry—and they’re bloody sexy with their brain-ravenous charm and a Keith Richards-like stagger.

For expert advice on how to cultivate the look, attitude and lifestyle of the undead, Zombie Eye for a Living Guy: Look Undead, Cook Undead. Dress Undead & Live Undead (Marion Street Press, October 2012) by J.M. Hewitt, with photos by Alexander Colby, explores the myth of the zombie sex appeal, investigating what makes these tattered, single-minded creatures so alluring. Written by an actual “zombie whisperer,” the book’s advice promises to release the average guy’s inner undead in one week, teaching him how to dress, groom, exercise, eat, date, decorate and shamble just like a real zombie. Acknowledging that one’s family may not understand the repulsive diet, tattered clothes or foul odors, these pointers contend that such sacrifices for popularity and seductiveness are all part of the program. Makeup tips, horrifically delicious recipes and practical lessons to be learned from zombie “life” all pair with striking photographs for an outrageous self-help guide just in time for Halloween.

Whether going through an experimental phase, blending in after the apocalypse or seeking out a killer Halloween costume, Zombie Eye for the Living Guy contains the essentials for acquiring that debonair, decomposing chic and mystique.

J.M. Hewitt has published short fiction featuring horror and fantasy themes in a host of online outlets, including The Harrow and Velvet Mafia. He lives and works in Portland, Oregon.

Alexander Colby is a photographer, a writer, and an editor for popular media, lifestyle, technology, and culture publications. He is a contributor to Guyshop.com, Movieline.com, Penthouse magazine, NewYorkCool.com, and Fangoria magazine. He covers male interest subjects for leading men’s magazines and menswear for online retail distribution. He is also a hairdresser and makeup artist. He lives in Astoria, New York.

eHow just launched their first Spooktacular Spark Contest. Each month, more than 100 million people visit eHow to gather information and ideas. They recently launched eHow Spark, a community for doers: a place where you can show off your projects, offer expertise, and gain exposure for your blog, books, and services.
How to Enter:

1. Create your Halloween project on eHow Spark and title it “Spooktacular Spark Contest: (name of project).” It can be a craft, costume, treat, or decoration. The only limitation is your imagination.

2. Upload photos of your Halloween project to show your progress and final product. We recommend using at least three images in the “Do it” stage and at least one photo for the “Done” phase. You can also build projects by recliping photos from your blog, and each clip will link back to your site.

3. Send a link to your completed project to spark@eHow.com no later than November, 1, 2012, 11:59 p.m..

eHow will select a First, Second, and Third Place winner from the completed boards, submitted by the deadline. Entries will be evaluated on theme, creativity, and original content. All Spark board clips must be original images.

Prizes:
First Place: $200.00 American Express Gift Card
Second Place: $100.00 American Express Gift Card
Third Place: $75.00 American Express Gift Card

Winners will also be featured on the eHow blog and social networks.

Create a Halloween pin board inspired by eBay’s
spooktacular inventory for a chance to win a $250 eBay Gift Card!

The No. 1 ecard app Appygraph launches
HORRIBLE new collection for you to personalize for loved ones

Appygraph captures little moments of happiness and makes it easy to build connections with your loved ones through your smartphone. The cards carry emotions much better than plain text messages and provide an instant, simple and easy-to-use alternative to traditional cards. You can also easily upgrade to collections based on a theme or season to share with friends and family. It’s never been easier to tell someone you’re thinking about them at milestones in your life, or to send seasonal messages when holidays come around.

The app provides a new way to send cards to friends when you’re on the go. Cards can be texted from phone to phone anywhere in the world, allowing your friend or loved one to immediately receive and enjoy your personalized greeting. Your beautifully customized cards can also be shared for free on Facebook, email, iMessage and other third-party services (such as WhatsApp) allowing friends and family to enjoy your own pictures and messages included in the card.

The company was founded by Swiss couple Charles and Valérie Massin after they explored together the possibilities of combining Valérie’s beautiful artwork with Charles’ coding skills. The Eureka! moment for the couple was when they received a basic text message about a friend’s baby, Ivan, who was healthily born on May 11th 2010, weighing 8 pounds. They felt that with new technology you should really be able to receive a beautiful ecard within minutes – and so the birth of baby Ivan gave birth to their new company.

Valérie Massin, co-founder and designer of Appygraph, explains: “My artwork has always been very important to me and popular in Switzerland, but Appygraph’s availability in the app store has given me a far wider audience than I could have ever have imagined! People love that they are sending on colorful, positive, hand-drawn images made expressly for our app.”

Having become the No. 1 ecard app in multiple territories, Appygraph has proven that a small developer with a passion for design can go up against the big names in greeting cards and give them a run for their money.

Charles Massin, co-founder of Appygraph, adds: “When people receive our ecards on their phone, friends and family always want to know ‘how did you do that?’ Our app really works like magic and we’ve gone from small origins to rank higher in the Apple app store than some of the biggest traditional greetings card companies like Hallmark and Disney.”

The Appygraph app comes in four languages (English, French, German and Spanish) and when you first download it you receive a free selection of cards, that we will be frequently updated for seasonal occasions. You are then able to add your own personal touch to the cards by adding in your own message and image, uploaded from your iPhone, before it is sent instantaneously to your recipient. Your message font and size is changeable and with a choice of 40 different styles, you are only limited by your own imagination.

Below are photos of Kat Von D, Tommy Lee, DeadMau5, the Oakland Raiders, and rapper Tyga having a rather frightening moment with a group of undead friends during Halloween Horror Nights.