Horror Shock LoliPOP: September 2011

Friday, 30 September 2011

Blogger Zombie Walk Post: When Zombies Make Cakes

So finally, here it is, The Blogger Virtual Zombie Walk~!

Sadly, I didn't manage to complete the original idea I had for the post and I was getting a little worried I wouldn't have anything to post today. However, luckily enough some of my zombie friends, from the graveyard across the street from my house, stopped by and demanded to use my kitchen ("KITCHEN OR BRAAAAINSSSS!"), so I thought I'd photograph their culunary efforts. No zombie photos though, because the flash drives them crazy!

They aren't very tidy fellows, but they produced a rather lovely little cake, featuring gingerbread self-portraits. Of course, them being in the latter stages of decay meant that they left some unplanned decor, in the shape of their random body parts, on the confection as well. Fingers, hand bones, ears...

One of them even lost his tongue!

But worry not for this poor zombie, dear readers! For he managed to reattach it with some icing and piping gel! After some trial and error experimentation on the little gingerbread folk, that is...

Unfortunately, I never got to taste this cake, as it was made of pureed brains and I am a vegetarian. But judging by their noisy devouring, I think we can assume it was delicious. Or, at least that I'm safe from the undead and their fragile chomping jaws for a while. Hurray!

Now that you've read Horror Shock Lolipop's contribution, I absolutely must insist that you go to the next blog on the walk below for some rotting good reading↓ If you're doing this in order, the next one down should be Vanessa Morgan :)

Thursday, 29 September 2011

Books: The Shining PART TWO?

Apparently Stephen King has now finished the sequel to 'The Shining', and the title of this book is 'Dr. Sleep'. The book is about Danny Torrance who is all grown-up. He, (trying my hardest not to make any sarcastic comments) runs into a gang of psychic vampires, who call themselves 'the tribe'. Also in the book someone is trying to prevent the Kennedy murder?

What are your thoughts on the sequel?

~~I personally believe he ran out of ideas. He just put a lot of ideas in a hat, drew out a few and voila.~~

Source: Iltalehti IMDb Slashfilm

Tuesday, 27 September 2011

Fashion & Halloween: The Ultimate Halloween Contact Lens Guide!

Alright hairy men and dreadfully gorgeous ghoul-ladies, this is the ultimate Vagina-Guide for your Halloween contact lenses! I will present the best sites for three price ranges. And the reason for why I am already posting a guide for lenses is, better get them -before- they are sold out or that they won't come in time. Ready? set, now go!

YouKnowIt

I have already mentioned YouKnowIt before, and I will do it yet again, hence they are the best site when it comes to cheaper lenses. They have a very quick dispatch time, free worldwide shipping. Site is easily navigatable, lenses are colour-,theme-, and brand-cathegorized. If you're on a low(er) budget for your costume, this is the best site. YouKnowIt is really known, so trust me, the most popular lenses will be sold out the closer we get to Halloween.
(They also sell costumes and make up for your halloween needs as well.)

EuroLens

Eurolens sells also cheaper lenses, but this is the best place to get more expensive Special Effect lenses. They also sell Sclera lenses, and bigger lenses than the normal size. Click on the link above and it will take you right away to the FX lenses. They have a very broad selection of these kind of lenses, which is always a huge plus. Not to mention the price compared to other sites.

WARNING: If you live outside the US, your lenses will arrive first after 3-4 weeks. I have ordered twice from this site, and never found any kind of options for faster shipping. They do have faster shipping within the US though, which, well, is quite unfair. I had to wait almost a month for my Angelic Blue lenses, so if you're going to order from EuroLens, ORDER NOW.

9MM SFX

Now for the most expensive and most amazing lenses for your halloween needs. These lenses are custom made, takes around 5-10 business days to complete, prescription lenses may take longer. You'll be amazed of what kind of lenses they offer. Also check out ABOUT section, you'll find a long list of movies which 9MM provided lenses for.

So also bear in mind, when halloween is getting closer, they also will be getting more orders. Order already now, to be on the safe side. Especially if you're going for sclera lenses, (and never used them before), you will have time to practice putting them in, since you'll really need the time.

>>All the photos in this blog are from 9mm.<<

Monday, 26 September 2011

Events: Amsterdam Zombie Walk & Halloween Party

Ah, zombie walks! Making humans into beautiful rotting creeps since who knows when. Their popularity seems to have grown along with the love for all things walking dead recently, but this zombie walk is different because...it's in the Netherlands! Honestly, that's the important difference here, because I'm writing about it for Johnny Madrid/Tim E. who lamented that nothing like this ever happens in the Netherlands. Well, here you go! (You know, because the Netherlands only consists of Amsterdam, obviously. Heh.)

The Walking Dead Zombie Walk & Amsterdam Halloween Premiere Party

On Saturday, October 29th, 2011, a horde of infected undead will spew into Amsterdam to take part in The Walking Dead Halloween Party and Zombie Walk. These zombie-only events are being organised by Amsterdam Halloween and FOX International as promotion for the zombie series 'The Walking Dead', season 2 of which premieres in the Netherlands in October 2011.

The walk, which is free to participate in, leaves from Metrostation Rokin (NZ-lijn) at 8:30pm, meaning you need to arrive at 7:30pm. After the walk, there will also be the Amsterdam Halloween Party/Walking Dead Launch Party at WesterUnie from 10:00pm - 07:00am. Tickets for the party cost €27,50 each.

For more information on both events, you can check the sites below:

Amsterdam Halloween

The Walking Dead Zombie Walk on Facebook

Event found via Dutch Daily News

Television & Reviews: The Fades, Episode 1/6

'The Fades' is a 6 part supernatural horror serial, currently showing on BBC Three, that centres around a teenage boy (Paul - Iain De Caestecker of 'Lip Service' and 'Coronation Street') and his inadvertent stumbling into a battle between the living and the dead. This will only be a quick review, as I often think it's unfair to judge a whole serial solely on the first episode.

Whilst on a location/prop scouting hunt with his horror-obsessed friend Mac, Paul sees a man (Neil - Johnny Harris of 'New Tricks' and 'Whitechapel') and woman (Sarah - Natalie Dormer of 'The Tudors' and 'Game of Thrones' soon too) embroiled in a grisly fight with some kind of creature. When he returns home, Paul begins having apocalyptic nightmares, which are so terrifying that they cause him to wet the bed. I wouldn't have mentioned the bed-wetting specifically, but they make quite a big deal out of it in the show.

Neil later finds Paul at home and explains that the creature he saw was a "Fade", which are the ghosts of the dead who's souls do not "ascend" after they die. It isn't about good and evil, Heaven and Hell; the ascension is completely random. Those who ascend move onto somewhere else, and those who do not are trapped on Earth, eternally wandering in a land they cannot touch. However, a "Fade" has managed to break through to the human world and is now on a killing spree, and Neil fears that more angry souls may follow suit. So, of course, he and the others fighting the Fades (including Helen, a female priest played by Daniela Nardini of 'This Life') need Paul's help.

The first episode was very much an introductory one to let the audience get to know the characters, their relationships with one another, and the basic story premises. It manages this task quite well, whilst still keeping the plot reasonably entertaining, by moving events along at a steady pace and not re-explaining the details repeatedly. (I don't know about everyone else, but my attention span is not that short. Once or twice will do thank you!) Having said that, there are quite a few dream scenes that are essentially just Sarah and then Paul crawling about in ashes, but they did change slightly each time, so I'll ignore that.

I think the main part of the storyline that I really disliked was the sub-plot involving Paul, his sister Anna and Anna's friend Jay (Sophie Wu of 'Casualty' and 'Hotel Babylon'), whom Paul has a crush on, of course. It makes the show have the feel of a teen drama/soap opera and it's really unnecessary. This is made worse by the fact that Anna (Lily Loveless of 'Skins' and 'Bedlam')'s acting is way over the top, even for the portrayal of a teenage girl! I suppose some people might also find Mac (Daniel Kaluuya of 'Skins' and 'Psychoville') annoying, as the horror-geek character has been done numerous times, but actually I found his horror-related commentary pretty amusing.

Other than that, there are also a few cringe-worthy moments when Neil is explaining how the souls "shine" before ascension and fade out if they don't ascend, but ignoring that as well, 'The Fades' is not bad so far. It's not an outstanding show, but perhaps given some time to develop it could be. Really, I'm determined not to just dismiss this series like I did with 'Bedlam'. Besides, it's worth watching, if only because it's not yet another series about zombies. I love zombies, but enough is enough already!

If you missed episode 1 of 'The Fades' last Wednesday, you can catch it tonight (Monday) at 10:30pm and tomorrow (Tuesday) at 4:10am on BBC Three. Alternatively, you can watch it online through the BBC Three iPlayer (see links below), where it will be for the next month (I'm not sure if those outside the UK will be able to watch it there though, sorry). Episode 2 airs first on BBC Three this Wednesday, 28th September, at 9:00pm, when "Neil takes Paul to see an ancient Fade, who foresees his importance in the looming battle". Let's hope it doesn't turn into 'The Sixth Sense' meets 'The Matrix', eh?

The Fades Episode 1 on BBC iPlayer

The Fades writer, Jack Thorn's blog about the show

The Fades broadcasting schedule

Saturday, 24 September 2011

Events: Blogger Zombie Walk

Do you like zombies? If you do, you've come to the right place! If you don't, well...you should read this anyway. Very soon - next week in fact! - the second annual Blogger Zombie Walk will take place, and this year we're taking part too, so you know it's going to be amazing ;P

Bloggers that want to participate can click the picture above to see full details on the Ghost Hunting Theories blog. Once you've registered, you'll need to make a zombie-themed post on Friday, 30th September, with a list (and link to) all the other participating blogs along with it. The list will be in the same order at every blog, so anyone who reads each post can easily follow the "zombie walk" to the next blog.

Friday, 23 September 2011

Fright-day Foods: Halloween Cake Bars & A Bug Casket Cake

It could be the jack o' lanterns in the window. It could be the various disgusting decorations on the door. It could be the vile zombie/blood soaked/stitched together hostess that greets them at the door. It could be the eerie music floating over the windy October air. I don't know the reason, but the trick or treaters venture to my house on Halloween each year. So, as I like to be sociable for one out of 365 days, those who bother to dress up receive some sort of sugary placation. Below is a photograph of some of the "treats" I gave out last year. There were also candies on offer, but these cake bars and mini rolls from Cadbury seemed most popular...

The cake bars were also the right size to make a casket for the top of a cake I made last year. There are no how-to guide photos unfortunately, but I can tell you what it's made of.

The cake is a basic chocolate sponge cake recipe, he casket in the centre is a Cinder Toffee cake bar decorated with icing, the bugs are almonds painted with food colouring and detailed with icing, and the maggots are cashew nuts with icing lines on them. Very simple and fun to make. I did rush it, so it wasn't the neatest thing I've ever produced, but then again, for Halloween, I don't think it has to be!

Fright-day Foods: Spooky Flapjack Fingers

This week, as well as posting a spooky food tutorial for Fright-day Foods, I thought I'd also post some creepy confectionery that I bought/was bought for me last year (no, I don't get Halloween gifts, but when people see Halloween/horror things, they feel the urge to get it for me apparently, heehee). The first item is Spooky Flapjack Fingers from The Fabulous Bakin' Boys. Being quite honest, the "spookiest" thing about these is the packaging, because the actual product is essentially just finger-shaped flapjacks with jam in the middle. I don't know what else I was expecting really...~~actual bloody fingers.~~

These were one of the gifts I received last year, so I don't know how much they cost, sorry. I think they were purchased in Sainsbury's though, so perhaps they'll have them again this year. I am glad they at least made the effort to put out a Halloween product, complete with spooky rhyme, though. Whilst those of you in the US might be used to seeing a mass of Halloween fare in the shops each year, here in the UK there usually isn't much, so anything like this still makes me smile!

Sunday, 11 September 2011

Science Sunday: Mind Controlling Cordyceps & Zombie Insects

Imagine you're an ant, going about your day & minding your own business, when all of a sudden you start to feel a little strange. You try to walk down an innocent looking tree, but instead your brain makes you walk up. You don't know what's going on, so you turn to your colony for assistance. They'll know what to do, right? Well it turns out, they do, and quickly drag you as far away from the nest as they can so that you don't infect anyone else. Now you know there's a real problem, which isn't helped when you start to feel a movement inside your tiny exoskeleton. Then, all of a sudden, it all goes black and a weird, alien creature bursts out of your body. R.I.P. Mr. Ant.

Cordyceps infected bee (Photo: Erich G. Vallery, USDA Forest Service)

Whilst that might sound like the plot of a bad B movie, it's actually a (very simplified) version of a real phenomenon. It isn't in fact an alien creature, but a genus of parasitic fungi called cordyceps that attack insects by infecting them with their spores. The spores grow inside the unfortunate bugs until they eventually explode out, causing the death of the effected creature.

There are literally hundreds of different species of cordyceps, each adapted to prey on individual types of insects. One species, cordyceps unilateralis, implants its spores into unsuspecting insects, infecting their brains and causing them to become living zombies. The cordyceps then forces them to walk as high up into the trees as they can, which goes against their natural behaviour. This ensures that the parasite's spores will spread over the widest area possible when they eventually burst out. Creepy stuff!

Saturday, 10 September 2011

Art & Toys: Rotten Rainbow Zombicorns by Abomination Nursery

Rotten Rainbow Zombicorns

These zombie unicorns are new custom horror toys from the ever-creative Abomination Nursery. If you could never quite decide whether to be a pretty princess or a little horror fiend, these are definitely for you!

With their pointy uni-horns, zombicorns would make for pretty deadly zombies, don't you think?

Art & Toys: Bob Conge / Plaseebo - Brain Rider

'Brain Rider'

Bob Conge / Plaseebo will be showing the above, one of a kind, 'Brain Rider' custom at the Toy Art Gallery's “Brain Evolution” Custom Group Show. Conge's custom displays his distinctive figure-painting style and is a combination of the Jumping Brain and a version of Plaseebo's much loved Skulloctopus. The exhibit features interpretations of Emilio Garcia's 'Jumping Brain' figures submitted by artists from around the globe. Other contributors include Daniel Goffin, Itokin Park, Tokyo Plastic, Nebulon 5 and many more!

The 'Brain Rider' backstory

"Toy Art Gallery is proud to present Emilio Garcia’s “Brain Evolution” Jumping Brain Custom Group Show. Emilio’s signature creation has enraptured collectors since it’s debut, and this show truly captures the evolution of the Jumping Brain as it explodes across a huge array of forms and mediums. “Brain Evolution” features exclusively produced 6” resin Jumping Brains customized by a huge selection of artists from around the world."

'Brain Evolution' will run from 7pm - 11pm on September 16th and continue until October 10th, 2011 at Hollywood's Toy Art Gallery.

Friday, 9 September 2011

Fright-day Foods: Filo Blood Fountains

On the surface, this isn't strictly a horror-inspired dish, but when you pair it with other spooky foods and a scary setting, it really works well. It's especially easy if you make the Blood Shakes we featured previously too, as it has the same strawberry sanguine sauce. You can find the sauce guide here: Blood Shakes in Syringes. Alternatively, you can just make the simple strawberry only version from the following guide.

Recipe and how-to guide after the cut below↓

Thursday, 8 September 2011

Nostalgia: Childhood Horror Cartoons

The other day, I had a very nostalgic flashback to my childhood as I was cleaning old VHS tapes away in the garage, and to my suprise, I found my Count Duckula tapes. I mean who didn't watch Count Duckula, The Addams Family, Little Dracula, or even those old Bugs Bunny halloween specials? Not to mention the numerous other amazing cartoons.

But these days, sadly the cartoons and children's television shows are more, well to be blunt, f*cked up. I randomly was watching a children's show on the TV, and it truly felt like having an epileptic seizure and an acid-trip at the same time. I had one of those 'I have been poisoned' moments, "This drink tastes like almond! I have been poisoned!" ...Anyway, you get the point, hopefully. (Not that cyanide gives hallucinations, but that is hardly the issue here!)

What I am trying to say is, what the hell are these people creating? And thinking THIS is a lot better to show kids than something by far more educational like The Addams Family. Very poorly drawn and animted shows, colours flashing, men in costumes bouncing and touching each other, oh! So educational. If I ever have kids, I will show them these kind of cartoons I watched and grew up with.

What cartoons did you watch as a young ghoul?

Wednesday, 7 September 2011

Movies: Beetlejuice 2... rumours?

Hello there little monsters!

Don't know if I should call this good news or bloody awesome rumours... because nothing's official or confirmed yet but there seems to be loads of talk about a sequel of the amazing "Beetlejuice" movie!

Actually there have been rumours and talking about this sequel for ages but apparently now they're becoming more intense and there's a high chance that it will make it to the big screen sooner or later.

There was even a script for it called "Beetlejuice goes Hawaiian", but the screenplay has been rewritten over the years several times, so who knows if it will be the final one.

I'm so interested in this sequel I'll keep you all up to date as soon as I have more info in my hands... until then, see ya little monsters! ;)

Movies: New Frankenstein movie!

Hello there little monsters! long time no see!

I'm deadly busy, but I will try to bring some interesting stuff from time to time, and I'm starting with great news for Frankenstein fans (like me!).

Apparently, 20th Century Fox is working on a retelling of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. It will be directed by Shawn Levy and the script is being written by Max Landis, but there's very little info about this project right now.

What do you think about it? High or low expectations? In my opinion, no one will ever be as good as my beloved Mr. Karloff... but this could be quite interesting! Wohooo!