Toys: Sock Horrors

Madame Horror's 'Sock Horrors' are devilish monsters from a land called The Doldrums. They are intent on liberating their fellow socks from their human oppressors and are responsible for all the missing socks in the world!

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Okay, maybe not, but they are pretty cute :) Click below to go to the Sock Horror website and shop.




 
Monster pictures after the jump.

Movies: F

F is a new horror/thriller from British director Johannes Roberts ('When Evil Calls', 'Forest of the Damned'), which was premiered at London's Film4 Fright Fest on August 27th this year.





Plot:

"The college day ends, the school building becomes a vast complex of dark corridors, eerily quiet classrooms, empty save for a few staff and children. What none of the remaining teachers and pupils realize is tonight is going to be a night they will remember for the rest of their lives. Viciously attacked by a pupil in the past English teacher Robert Anderson was devastated when the governing board refused to back his lawsuit to avoid bad publicity and scandal. Now a burned-out, world-weary alcoholic trying to reconnect with his daughter, Anderson must finally face his most terrifying demons. For the school comes under relentless attack from a faceless threat intent on causing maximum mayhem. Alone Anderson must battle brutal bloodthirsty killers, and his deepest fears, in a desperate battle for the survival of those he holds most dear. Will lessons be learned? "

I can see why they'd choose to use this idea for the film. In the UK at least, there have been a few notorious cases of teachers unable to defend themselves from violent pupils in recent years and, the stereotype of youths in hoodies is fairly synonymous with troublemakers, so it's easy to evoke menace with this imagery. Of course, there's plenty who don't wear them who engage in antisocial behaviour and plenty of people who do wear hoodies because...they're cold, but that's the stereotype.

Anyway, back to the film! It looks like it might be good, but to be honest, the roaring and leaping about done by the hooded figures seems quite strange within the context. I suppose without all of the superhuman abilities the assailants appear to have, the film may have become another tale of teen delinquency rather than a horror movie, but 2008's 'Eden Lake' (directed by James Watkins and also released through Optimum) managed to be a fairly creepy psychological horror/thriller with perpetrators who were even younger. However, I guess the unusual capibilities of these kids is more to convey the feeling of fear, rather than to have any kind of realistic value (despite the trailer suggesting that 'F' is "based on real events").

Nationwide UK release is set for September 17th.

Music: Dr. Cyclops Records

With artists such as DieMonsterDie, The Crimson Ghosts and The Dead Next Door to their credit, US horror punk / horror rock / psychobilly label, Dr. Cyclops Records, focus on the scarier side of music.

We are a record label dedicated to all things Horror, we are fans of Horror Movies, Sci-Fi movies, and the undead. Horror Punk, Death Rock and Psychobilly is the music that sets are souls on fire, and there is no doubt Halloween is the greatest time of year! We Believe Horror Music( Horror Punk, Horror Rock,Deathrock, Psychobilly,) is all closely connected and is a genre of music that is very unknown and the possibilities are endless, Creativity in world that is bland, imagine if you will a music, that incorperates theatrics into not only the lyrics but the image and live show.As well as a lifestyle. There is no doubt that if you love Horror Movies, or the "Horror" Life style, if you like bands such as: Danzig, Samhain, Kiss, Alice Cooper, The Misfits, The Cramps, Mad Sin, or even newer bands like: AFI, Alkaline Trio,TYpe O Negative, The Horrors and even Gwar. If you love Halloween, then this music is something you will LOVE!! And something you should checkout! Horror Punk in our eye's is here to stay, we love it. all hail the walking undead!

Dr Cyclops Records also have a free sampler available for download, which you can acquire by e-mailing them through their contact section.

Website: http://drcyclopsrecords.net/

Movies: The Raven

John Cusack has officially announced (via his Twitter page) that he will play Edgar Allan Poe in the upcoming movie 'The Raven', joining fellow cast members Ewan McGregor and Jeremy Renner. The film, which is "a thriller set in the last days of Edgar Allan Poe's life, when he gets wrapped up in a serial killer investigation," was written by Hannah Shakespeare and Ben Livingston and is to be directed by James McTeigue. The release date is as yet undisclosed.

News via Bloody Disgusting
Photo by Kevin Dooley

Shopping: Creepy Collection

Horror shopping and decorations again! However, whilst the previous entry was dedicated to budget Halloween decor, this time we're going to the other end of the spectrum and looking at a store that's for fit for professional haunters and those of you who've been amassing your weath during your long years as members of the undead! Established in 2003, Creepy Collection has been specialising in anamatronics and props, aimed at ghost houses and Halloween/horror-themed events for 7 years.

As you would expect from a high-end, large-scale vendor, the items supplied do not come cheaply, with prices ranging from a hundred dollars to a few thousand. However, Creepy Collection do offer a huge selection of products, even providing fully made rooms of props for convenience and some of the cheaper "economy" props could even make an affordable, one-off addition to a private house. Even if the costs on the site run a little too high for your means, it's still worth having a look just to see all the ghoulish treats on offer!

Website: http://creepycollection.com/

Home & Garden: Budget Halloween Decor

This charming crocheted table adornment (left)  and devilish Dead Fairy decoration (right) would be ideal for everyday use, or even Halloween parties. The doilie first appeared on Lipstick and Laundry and the decoration is by user Varifiresis on on the Craftster.org forum. Dollar Store Crafts also gave tips on how to make them, both, although the Dead Fairy guide on Craftster is very thorough. Whilst you're on the Dollar Store Crafts site, you might also want to check out the guide on how to make a styrofoam spider and post on spooky Halloween decor.

Thanks to Kei for sending the Dollar Store Crafts link to me!

Other how-to craft sites:

Better Homes & Gardens Halloween decor page

Halloween kids Crafts at Kaboose

AllCrafts Halloween page

Halloween Web's party decorating ideas page

Halloween crafts page at AllFreeCrafts

Horror Crafts

Geek Crafts horror & gore section

More Halloween craft pictures after the jump...

Movies: Berberian Sound Studio

"Every horror film in Italy has its sound twisted and sharpened at Berberian Sound Studio. Only the cheapest, nastiest and most abhorred films pass through these studio doors. Entering this twilight world of cinema is Gilderoy, the unassuming sound engineer from Dorking, England. Having previously recorded sound only for local documentaries, Gilderoy is hardly prepared to enter a studio of horror populated by sleazy directors, desperate actresses, freaks, troubadours and troublemakers. "

This is the premis for 'Berberian Sound Studio', the new film from the award-winning British director Peter Strickland (director of 'Katalin Varga'). There hasn't been a lot released about the film yet, as shooting only begins this Autumn, but I must admit that even just from that small amount of information, I'm really curious to see how this develops.

Via 24framespersecond and HorrorMovies.ca

Food and Drink: Spooky Cakes & Horror Muffins

Today I thought instead of just showing you other people's spooky creations, I'd share some of my own! The above photo is a chocolate coffin-shaped cake, which features a marzipan skeleton. The whole thing was great fun to make; especially the figure! If you'd like the recipes for anything in this entry, let me know.

More of my creepy confectionary after the jump.

Theme Parks & Haunted Houses: Kunz Geister-Schloss

The delightfully cheesy and colourful picture above features Munich, Germany's Kunz Geister-Schloss (Kunz Haunted Castle). I've watched a few videos of it, which look absolutely amazing! You walk through parts of it and sit in a ghost train for others, whilst the "castle" does its best to scare you with a combination of animatronics, actors, props, lighting and sound. Next time I 'm in Germany, I need to visit this place!

Website (in German): http://geisterschloss.com/geisterbahn.html

Ghostly videos after the jump.

Shopping: TheHorrorDome.com

Ah, the end of August is looming, casting a gloriously gloomy shadow over September and welcoming Autumn. That can mean only one thing: the best day of the year is coming up. That's right! My birthday! HALLOWEEN!

Whilst I'm sure you're all already prepared, just in case you need anything extra for this years grotesque gatherings and spooky seances, look no further than TheHorrorDome.com, the "Halloween superstore"! They have everything you could want from horrific halloween masks and zombie risers to creepy dolls and haunted clocks! And more!!

Not only do they sell great items, but they even provide free how-to guides in their prop directions section. Guides featured include such ghastly delights as 'Horror Ribs', 'Vampire Blood' and 'The Army of Darkness'.

Movies: The Last Exorcism

Presented as a 'found footage' movie, Daniel Stamm directed supernatural tale 'The Last Exorcism' opens in US theatres on August 27th.

A troubled evangelical minister agrees to let his last exorcism be filmed by a documentary crew.

 

I'm not expecting much from this film, but I always enjoy exorcism movies no matter how ridiculous/predictable/overdone they are, so it'll still be worth watching. The power of badly told stories compells me!

Official Site: http://thelastexorcism.com/

Animation: Ernest, le Vampire

I owe many thanks to my friend Nasu-hime for finding out that the cartoon I loved when I was a child so much that I forgot the title of it was in fact the French show, 'Ernest, le Vampire' (Ernest, the vampire)!

"Each morning as dawn breaks, after nights of lunatic activity, Ernest the Vampire settles himself comfortably into his coffin and falls asleep. Ernest is somewhat clumsly and does not exactly strike fear in the heart of others. He is never short of ideas but they invariably end in catastrophes."

So of course, I thought I'd share it with you!





Except that I watched it on a German TV station, so it was called 'Ernest, der Vampir', not that it really mattered anyway though, because there isn't any dialogue. If you want to buy the series on DVD you can do so from the ICTV website.

Ah, spooky childhood memories!

Speaking of which, if you happen to read this entry, tell me - what's your first horror/Halloween-related childhood experience? Anything from trick or treating to being completely freaked out by a movie to hearing an urban legend.

Movies: Let Me In

Based on the Swedish vampire novel by John Ajvide Lindqvist and the movie of the same name (directed by Tomas Alfredson), 'Låt den rätte komma in' (Let the Right One in) has been remade by 'Cloverfield' director Matt Reeves as 'Let Me In' and Hammer Film Productions and is set to be released in the US on October 1st.

A bullied young boy befriends a young female vampire who lives in secrecy with her guardian.

Having never read the original novel, I cannot really make any judgements about this film from the trailer. However, the difference between the two screen adaptations appears to be that 'Let Me In' seems to play up the horror elements of the story, whilst 'Let the Right One In' focused much more on the relationship between Oskar and Eli (Owen and Abbey in 'Let Me In') rather than the fact that Eli was a vampire. The setting too has been changed from Sweden to New Mexico, US as well as the character names, and that will surely have some bearing on the story too.

Like so many remakes, 'Let Me In' has the potential to be a good movie. However, I guess we'll just have to wait and see whether or not Hammer and Reeves take that potential and use it.

Offical US Site: http://www.letmein-movie.com/

Official UK Site: http://www.letmein-movie.co.uk/

Viral Site: http://www.helpme.net/
(solve the riddles to gain access)

Music: SaTaN

Tokyo horror rock band, SaTaN released their new album, '13 I Scream' at the end of June. I did actually receieve my copy of it from the Starwave Records store the day before the release, which was great, but I haven't gotten around to reviewing it until now.

Anyway! I was already a fan of this band because of their previous releases (a mini-album and 2 singles) and the live performance of theirs that I had the pleasure of attending last year, but I have to say, thanks to this album, I now like them even more. I absolutely LOVE it! The tongue-in-cheek horror lyrics (which are, by the way, entirely in English), driving guitars, crazy vocals and occasional use of spooky synths make this album fantastic! The genre sways between black metal, horror rock and even a little punk, quite frequently and it works very well and creates a style that is both influenced by other artists (for example, older Murderdolls) but remains unique to SaTaN at the same time. Admittedly, with regards to the lyrics, sometimes their English is not perfect, but the meaning of the songs is clear (plus, they've included a Japanese translation of the lyrics, which makes it even clearer what the lyrics are supposed to mean).

I was going to finish by recommending my favourite songs from '13 I Scream', but honestly, I can't choose because every track is great!

Buy online