Apparently, I’m the last one to know about modifying LEGO “mini figures” (the little dudes and dudettes): there are a lot of sites out there on the topic! If Legos aren’t your thing then you may have missed this phenomena too, but like many subjects, if you add at least a vaguely creepy aspect to it then it’s a lot more interesting. Case in point: A Lego Revivening and some Lego Halloween Monsters at Flickr. Look at those details!
Like the unrelenting undead, many Lego fans just keep barreling forward with their ideas and take the next logical step into making movies. My favorite of the ones I found is All of the Dead, a very short black and white film containing some great zombie chaos and cliches. Another funny Lego zombie shorty is Toxic Waste. Watch for the full sized items in the door barricading scene towards the end. There’s also a very abbreviated Lego Chainsaw Massacre, and a painstakingly shot-for-shot accurate Thriller with Legos. You haven’t seen anything until you’ve watched a Lego guy’s skull get bashed in with a hammer or try to do the Thriller dance.
What other creepy stuff can you do with your little Lego dudes? The evil mad scientists at Evil Mad Scientist Labs show you how LED lights + LEGO Minifigures = tiny creepy Halloween decorations. It’s a dang easy project and makes for very unique Halloween decor.
Have you made or found any creepy Lego projects online? Drop us a comment!
If you would have asked me prior to Halloween if I was pleased about the delay in broadcasting the Simpson’s Treehouse of Horror XVII, I would have stabbed you with the retractable knife from Sean’s costume. But today, 6 days after Halloween, I’m thankful for any spooky morsels of media that keep the holiday spirit alive.
If you’ve got teh Internets (which you apparently do), you might have watched this episode sooner, as it was leaked over a week early. For the rest of us in the US it debuted last night, November 5th. The 17th installment of the Treehouse of Horror definitely has a different feel to it, and people are divided in their opinions. Many reviews summarily dismiss the episode, calling it “ham fisted” and “hit or miss”, but these opinions come almost exclusively from those who were “unsettled” by the Iraq War commentary at the end. But let’s not be myopic. On one hand I agree that, without the Simpson’s-standard comic twist at the end, lines like “You said we’d be greeted as liberators” are almost as sobering as they are funny. However, just because 2 of the 22 minutes in this episode reference the Iraq debacle doesn’t negate the rest of the humor. Light hearted or notorious, part of the beauty of the Simpson’s is their ability to weave current events into their storylines!
It’s hard to rate XVII next to previous episodes because each one has its own feel, and because Simpsons standards have always been excellent. The Oregonian aptly said “…the standard set by the 16 previous Treehouse episodes is so high, that a show that features lines as clever as that is still, by comparison, substandard.” Yes, it has some dud jokes and recycled ideas, but those are overshadowed by the overall clever and topical writing. OK, and the cannibalism, destruction, and rolling around naked in the mud. Those always help. Treehouse of Horror XVII is a soon-to-be classic, and in my opinion, one of the best Halloween episodes yet. If only we could get a decent DVD released…
The Big Day is finally here! All your preparation and excitement are paying off today. All year it feels far away, and then BAM you’re watching the sun begin to set on Halloween night. Everyone has their own rituals for this day to make it memorable and fun. On a weekday like this year we finish our day at work or school, get home around sunset or dusk and; put on a costume, throw or attend a party, trick-or-treat, visit an outdoor event, watch scary movies, prepare and eat a themed meal, pass out candy, pass out drunk, cause trouble, go to a club, attend a “harvest festival” or other church event, chase the paranormal, tempt monsters of the night, or do nothing and all and go to bed early. Or a hundred other alternatives, depending on your location and tastes.
What are you doing today and tonight? What are your Halloween traditions? How’s the season been for you in general? Please answer our polls and leave some comments below.
PS- Come back tomorrow for a Halloween decompression. We’ll make you feel all better.
Picture credits to Rob Alder and Harpersbizarre for their zombie and candy photos, respectively. Thank you!
I think it’s probably that other huge holiday that encourages the spirit of giving, but Ray from Raven’s Blight wants to share some Halloween freebies with you anyway. In addition to the 300+ spooky paintings, illustrations, and other artwork on display at his site, he also offers an ever-growing collection of free Halloween paper crafts. Using cardstock paper, you print out his intricate artwork, do some careful cutting and gluing, and you’ve created your own Hearse Playset, Deluxe Coffin Giftboxes, or Zombie Mask. There are tons of designs available beyond those, including other masks and playsets, board games, dice games, mini monsters, and book covers. It’s a fantastic resource for Halloweenies and those interested in “goth art”. The projects range from simple to “you’ll spend all afternoon on this”, so you can undoubtedly find activities to keep you and your kids occupied as you countdown the last few days to Halloween.
There is also a free Trick or Treat Bag available from Free Digital Scrapbooking. Create super cute little bag for your favorite Trick or Treaters. A Halloween Treat Box is also available for download. After you download the PDF, simply print, cut, fold and glue. It makes a great party favor or gift for you most special trick or treaters!
Don’t have an awesome printer? How about a tree? Using this fairly simple tutorial you can learn to transform maple leaves into a bouquet of firey Autumn-colored roses. Since you can use many other materials besides maple leaves, the possibilities are endless with this idea. I would like to see a creepier version made from dark or painted leaves, swaddled in some cheesecloth or other rags. What a perfect bouquet for a
Corpse Bride Sexy Adult Costume
With only 13 days until Halloween left, it’s time to brush up on your photography skills so you can artfully capture your memories of the big night. After all the preparation you’ve done with decor and costumes, you’re going to want to document it all on film (or your memory stick). It’s easy to end up with Halloween photos that are overexposed, monotonous, or just plain unattractive to the eye. Using a few easy design and photography techniques, you can make sure that your photos are well-lit and “draw the eye”.
- Use the Rule of Thirds– Place the main subject or points of interest off-center to achieve striking composition.
- Learn to shoot in low light– Don’t rely on a flash, which is often times too harsh for pictures that are taken at night or in otherwise very low light. You can utilize higher film speeds/ISO, slower shutter speeds, and varied lens aperture/f-stops to achieve well-lit shots. Using a tripod when taking long exposures will help prevent camera shake and blurred images.
- Diffuse your flash– There are times when you simply must have additional lighting. You can soften the light from your camera’s flash by placing a DIY diffuser in front of it. Try using any of the following: women’s nylon stockings, a square cut from a translucent juice or milk jug, scarf or other very thin piece of material, tissue paper, cellophane, or frosted disposable cups (like Dixie brand).
For more detailed tricks, the New York Institute of Photography has an excellent article that addresses specifics like photographing trick-or-treaters and Jack-o-Lanterns. For a shorter read and more general tips, Digicam Help offers 8 Tips to Keep in Mind for Halloween.
While visiting a Pumpkin Patch is usually available throughout Autumn, it makes a particularly fun event during the month of October to help get you into the spirit. Patches vary from region to region, but many of them offer events like costume contests, hay rides, face painting, small haunted houses, corn mazes, and more Fall fun. It’s also a nice opportunity to support local farmers and see a variety of pumpkins that you might not see at your local grocery store. Best of all, visiting pumpkin patches is free! At PumpkinPatchesandMore.org you can find listings for pumpkin patches (and related events) for all of the USA, as well as the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. Local Harvest also offers a search that locates small farms, farmers markets, and other local food sources where pumpkins can be purchased. And you thought you’d be chilling at home this weekend.
Sean and I were lucky enough to find a local patch that had a great atmosphere and lots of activities, which we have been patronizing for 7 years now (Johnson Brothers at Goldenwest College in Huntington Beach, CA- check them out!). We don’t even have kids, but we find ourselves here every year among the families, fighting the leaf-filled punching bags, petting the farm animals, and perusing the pumpkins. I think it’s a good indicator that anyone can have fun at a pumpkin patch. Not to sound too sappy, but it’s also nice sometimes to find activities with a slower pace that just allow you to smell the crisp October air and hang out. And as any Halloweenie will tell you, it’s a lot funner than just picking up your Jack-o-Lantern to-be at the grocery store.
