Other than the Attack
Alligator Prop that I mentioned a few days ago, a house full of haunted portraits are top on my list of Halloween props to get when I’m rich. Unlike the alligator, lenticular portraits don’t go for obvious shock, but instead create an eerie mood. Guests in your haunted home will have time to look at the pictures from a distance and perhaps shiver a bit when they realize they are surrounded by creepy old paintings. As they begin to approach, a distinct change occurs within the frame, and the eerie mood culminates with a shock as your visitors realise there is more to the portrait than they first assumed. It’s a more sophisticated way to scare people than just using gore, as it takes time to absorb the full scene, which totally messes with their minds.

There are a few artists creating image-changing haunted portraits, but since I know I’m not the only one on a budget, I’ll begin with the most affordable of the lot. Morbid Industries makes a long line of creepy pictures, suitably called Gortraits (shown at left). Their “after” images are the most graphic so if you’re looking for the biggest shock factor, these are the portraits you want. These are set apart from the competition in that they are the only portraits to include a frame, and these frames are actually really cool. They are ornate and often in very unique shapes that add a lot to the portrait, even though the quality is in line with the price point. Both SpiritHalloween.com and BuyCostumes.com sell them for about $17-$30 depending on print size, but their selections are different so check out both stores for a full selection.

Eddie Allen‘s work was the first set of haunted portraits I had seen in person. (There are many of his pictures shown at the Bay Theatre in Seal Beach if you’re in So. Cal.) His changing portraits are perhaps the most widely recognized of all artists, and in my opinion, the funnest. His choice of changes often include wiley eyes, and funny (yet horrible) facial expressions. There are some limited edition prints, including Terrible Timmy, the evil clown. His smallest prints are 5″x7″ for $15, and the largest 16″x20″ prints costs $100. Eddie sells directly through his website, which is the best deal, but you can also purchase from Gorey Details.

Like Eddie, Norm Lanier is also from southern California and has a penchant for Disney’s Haunted Mansion. In addition to offering free blueprints of the Mansion for download, he has also created a portrait called The Phantom Ship, which was inspired by the ride. His work is the most varied with images that are subtle or graphic, horrifying or silly. Norm also takes commissions for custom Ghost Portraits where anyone can pop in and out of a portrait just like a ghost. His smallest prints are 5″x7″ for $15, and the largest 18″x24″ prints costs $135, all available directly through his site.

Tim Turner also offers a “spooktacular selection of deliciously evil changing portraits” from his site The Ghoulish Gallery. They’re a little easier on the wallet, ranging from $50 to $75. I feel as though I’d be beating a dead horse if I mentioned where he was located or what Disney attraction also inspired him, so I’ll skip that part. Tim has worked in the entertainment industry for over 24 years making monsters so if there was a way to determine qualifications for making horror themed lenticular portraits, he would be considered “dang qualified.”

Or if you’ve got the time and inclination, you could always make your own haunted portrait. Just don’t get one of those pirate or witch portraits that are new this year and available at Target or Buy Costumes. I’ve seen them in person and they’re far more sad than scary. Patronize a real artist and purchase from one of the fine stores mentioned above.

Even though Halloween is expected to generate over $5 billion in sales this year*, you don’t need a ton of cash to transform your home into a haunted house. Sure, that $8,900 Attack Alligator prop would be amazing, but what really sets the mood is lighting. Every Halloween event, from home Halloween party to professional haunt, needs spooky lighting to create realism with mood. Fake cobwebs and dangling rubber bats look pretty lame in the light of day, but place them in a dark room with flickering candles or well placed spot lighting, and they create the foreboding atmosphere they were intended to. The best part is that great lighting can be achieved quickly, easily, and on the cheap.

Candles are an obvious first choice, and can be used in a lots of ways. For a dramatic, gothic feel, try a candelabra with tall tapered candles like the one featured above from Illuminations. Luminaries are a common Halloween lighting solution, and new styles are breathing life into this old idea. The owl is not a common symbol of Halloween, but this black Own Lantern uses unique cut-outs to create a slightly menacing look that is perfect for the season. Bats are much more commonly used, but there isn’t much diversity in their design usage. I like how this iron Bat Lantern can be hung upside-down, like a real bat, and has a stomach that resembles a furnace. (Maybe it’s just me, but those thick grates remind me of eerie basements and horror films.)

Real candles can be used in any of these items, but fake candles have a lot of upsides worth considering. For flammable items such as real pumpkins and paper bag luminaries, electronic candles are required to avoid a call to the fire department. Even in flame-safe environments, fake candles will eliminate soot, smoke, and all fire hazard. Some places restrict use of open flame, and kids+candles should never be left unattended, so LED candles make great choices for dorm dwellers and children.

More spooky lighting is available from Fright Catalog and BuyCostumes, and Yard Haunter has some good lighting tips to further inspire you.

*Article via Ghost Droppings

Solanum Integrifolium is the Latin name for what is sometimes known as the Pumpkin Tree*. The nickname couldn’t be more appropriate; just look at those beautiful little “pumpkins”! Cuttings from this plant make gorgeous decor items for Autumn or Halloween and can be used in centerpieces, as ornaments on a Halloween tree, or on their own.

I’ve been seeing these for sale a lot recently at places like Trader Joes, farmers markets, and a few grocery stores. When I did a little research about them I found out why: San Diego County (where we are located) is where most of them are grown, due to the mild desert climate. Cut branches, adorned with the bright orange faux pumpkins, are becoming popular in fall flower arrangements, so you might be able to find them at a florist if you are not in southern California.

Like the Latin name suggests, the Pumpkin Tree is a member of the solanum family, which includes the likes of potatoes and eggplants. As you might infer, this means the little pumpkin shaped fruits are quite different inside than their namesake. Inside it resembles a pepper, with loose seeds and a mild peppery taste. However, westerners tend not to like the flavor and prefer to use it ornamentally. In Asian cooking, the tiny “pumpkin” peppers are more popular.

I tried to find an online retailer of the Pumpkin Tree, but came up empty handed. Seeds are available, but no mature plants or cuttings. If you know where to buy Pumpkin Trees online, please let us know in the comments!

*Other names this plant is known by are Chinese scarlet eggplant, Japanese golden eggs, ruffled tomato and tomato eggplant

On Halloween night, lawn decorations get the most attention simply because trick-or-treaters have to pass them to get their treats. Low lying fog, eerie colored lights, and spooky sounds are all just accents to your lawn decorations, which are the center of attention to your costumed visitors. My obsession for zombies brings us to an obvious choice for lawn decorations that should bring a scare or smile to anyones masked face.

First up is the Corpse Solar Light that cleverly combines a solar powered lantern held by an undead rising corpse. It rises 17 inches above the ground and requires no extension cord or batteries because it’s solar powered. Leave it out during the day and it will charge itself up to work at night. We own one of these and LOVE it. (Keep an eye peeled and you’ll see it show up in many of our photos.) Add a creepy tombstone to complete the look.

Next up is a ground breaking statue that looks a lot more realistic than the previous ones and doesn’t have a built in light. This personal favorite of mine is a zombie sculpture (shown at right) named “The Zombie of Montclaire Moors”. It doesn’t have much of a rotting corpse feel, but it does have some great detail. You wont find this one at any Halloween store because it’s an exclusive to Design Toscano. They have some really quality sculptures, including another one of my favorites, by the same artist Alan Dickinson, called The Creeper. This sculpture hangs on your wall and it looks like a shadowy figure is coming right through the wall. Very creepy.

Another rotting corpse rising is this Sewer Zombie that emerges from a “sewer manhole, surrounded by putrid green bile”. Yum! FrightCatalog has more than a couple ground breaking zombies, but I particularly like the look of Grimrot. With most of his rotting body out of the ground, an exposed rib cage, and a missing arm, Grimrot should startle even the most prepared trick-or-treaters.

Another undead rising prop worth mentioning is this Lighted Groundbreaker Skeleton that mysteriously only has his body underground but all appendages are sticking out, and light up. This one requires 2-AA batteries and has removable stakes so it can stick into the ground or on your floor inside the house.

Don’t forget to set the stage for these undead creatures with a tombstone, fog machine, spooky lights, and some scary sounds.

Etsy is the handmade little sister to eBay, and around fall the selection of DIY goodies takes on a decidedly darker tone. Think of the transformation that Martha Stewart undergoes during October; less kountry kitchen and more haunted house. There’s always a small availability of spooky items year-round, but right now Etsy is brimming with them. Artists like Nanny Norton stock their shops with handmade items like the art print entitled “Father and Son Pumpkin Under the Harvest Moon“. More unconventional mediums such as felt are utilized by Beesocks in creating decorative pieces like Mr and Mrs Frank N Stein Felt People. The site is really a mixed bag, and aside from the criteria of everything being handmade, you’re never sure what you’ll find when searching for Halloween themed items.

Charlie the Halloween Ghost Art Doll made by artfreak is 8.5″ tall and could make a great centerpiece for your mantle, Halloween village, or other holiday display. He joins other Halloween dolls like FrankenLobster and the creepy-cute cats and bats from blacklilypie. But Etsy artists create more Halloween decor than just dolls; Allen Kaperak bottles Disembodied Tongues, Trollflings creates mini Halloween trees and cyclops pumpkin pins, mirrorgirl makes coasters from vintage Halloween ephemera, and Sneddonia creates intricate spiderwebs and luminaries from copper.

If you’ll be attending or throwing any parties where there will be gift or candy bags, Nycole’s set of Halloween gift tags will be the memorable finishing touch. Just like your guests, each one is a little different. If you want something cute for you and your little monsters to wear during the season, check out the bat print bibs by Chenille Boutique.

I know these pictures are quickly making the rounds through the Interweb, but they’re too awesome not to mention. In preparation for the Zompocalypse, a few crafty individuals have created their own (cool-looking but non-functional) Zombie Preparedness kits. The original seems to have come via Gizmodo, and might have been a promo item for the slaughtering-zombies-in-a-mall 360 game, Dead Rising (although one person claims it originated in the SomethingAwful forums). They consist of a shadowbox containing a gun, bullets, and some clever stencilling and/or Photoshop magic. They’re probably not a particularly time-consuming or difficult project, but would definitely set the mood and start some interesting conversation where ever they are placed! If you create your own Zombie Preparedness kit (for Halloween decor or as a precautionary measure), we’d love to see your take on the idea. Your options are pretty much limitless.

As expected, there has been some discussion of the weapon choice on the various websites that these have been mentioned. The tourists balk about the absence of a flame-thrower or chainsaw, and Zombie Survival Handbook purists have lots of suggestions of their own. (The latter is one of my favorite groups of people, as they are the only ones who will engage you in a passionate explanation of how to properly re-dead the undead.) Personally, I’m torn. Looks-wise, a big old solitary shotgun is going to create a visual impact that no other weapon will. However, as someone who actually works on a plan of attack for the Zompocalypse, I want to see an assortment of mid-sized blades and rifles and way more than a couple boxes of bullets. Maybe I’m taking this project too seriously? Eh, I doubt that’s possible. Perhaps someone should just make a compromise. Maybe start with a big wall safe where all the real anti-zombie supplies are kept and cover it with your artistic In Case of Zombies shadowbox. Okay, that’s your new assignment kids; get to building!