Art & Events: Art Macabre Death Drawing Salons

Art Macabre death drawing salons are "macabre death drawing events in London and beyond. Creative salons resurrecting the art of life drawing with added theatricality." For around £10-£15, you can draw both male and female models - ranging from fully clothed in elaborate costumes, to painted in body make-up, to nude - posing in a variety of macabre scenes and settings, according to the theme of the evening. Drawing materials are also provided & attendees must be 18+.

Upcoming themes include Kiss of the Vampire (Sun. 16th Feb.), PUNK IS DEAD – MORTE COUTURE (Tue. 18th Feb.), Global Curiosities: Japan (Sat. 1st Mar.), MARDI GRAS: Masquerade Special (Tue. 4th Mar.), and Global Curiosities: India (Sat. 15th Mar.).

For more information, to buy tickets & to stay up to date with upcoming sessions you can visit the websites below:

• Art Macabre Death Drawing website
• Art Macabre on Twitter
• Art Macabre on Pinterest

Events: Seriously Staked: Vampire Symposium

Seriously Staked: Vampire Symposium

Seriously Staked: Vampire Symposium 2014 is being is co-organised by ASSAP (the Association for the Scientific Study of Anomalous Phenomena) and the Anomalistic Psychology Research Unit at Goldsmiths College and will take place on Saturday, 8th March 2014, at Goldsmith's College, University of London, UK. 

The event features a number of guest speakers and...

"...brings together a wide variety of subject experts and academics to talk about a range of questions concerning vampires. These include: 

Can science explain vampires?
Do real vampire hunting kits exist?
How have vampires impacted western culture?
What is the crossover between vampires and other anomalous phenomena?
Was Transylvania vampirism a communist trick to attract tourists?
What is the London vampire community today?
Do real vampires exist?"

Early bird tickets cost £15, with regular ticket prices being £25; full-time students are eligible for free tickets.

To find out more information or to purchase tickets, you can visit the Seriously Staked website.

Event news found via The Spooky Isles Facebook Page.

Fashion: Skull & Rose Fascinator by LuLu O'Neill Hats

This fantastic skull and rose print fascinator was a gift from my sister last year, but I only just got around to posting about it here. It's by a UK-based designer and milliner called LuLu O'Neill who trades and teaches hat-making classes in Spitalfields Market, London. I love it!

For more information on LuLu O'Neill's work, you can visit the sites below:

• LuLu O'Neill at Spitalfields
• Slightly Scarlet Facebook
• Slightly Scarlet MySpace

May Monster Madness: The Wellcome Collection

From May 1st - 7th we're taking part in the May Monster Madness blog hop! It's kindly being organised by Annie Walls, and the goal is to post about something spooky or monster-related every day for seven days. Obviously, that's what we always post about here, but the event is open to bloggers of all genres too!

I'm a little monstered-out today (shocking, I know!), so for the first post I'm going to share some of the spooky and strange exhibits on show at the Wellcome Collection in London! It's a museum filled with tons of unusual and fascinating items relating to medicine over the ages. I hadn't heard of until last year when Kei, of Unfortunately Oh!, suggested we should visit it during a trip to London. It's such an intriguing place and many of the exhibits are interactive, providing yet another layer of interest.

There's much more than just creepy crawlies and oddities - artificial limbs, paintings, glass eyes, masks, folk art, mirror etchings, a table full of all the pills a person takes in their life, exhibits about the human genome and DNA, figurines, torture devices and so much more! They also have temporary exhibits that change every few months as well. However, since this is for May Monster Madness, I'll leave out the other photos this time.) Oh, and did I mention that it's totally free to get in?

The above exhibit was a little larger than life-size (the transparent figure in the background was a cross-section of a real human body) and when you press the buttons on the podium, the part of the body listed next to them lights up on the model. We noticed that compared to all the other parts of anatomy, the brain was not very bright!

There were also a few blocks of shelves filled with anatomical models of assorted human body parts nearby as well (pictured above). 

The above wonderful pair were in one of the displays in the 'End of Life' section of the 'Medicine Man' area. As was the gorgeously intricate sculpture made out of wax and cloth:

And these Egyptian canopic jars (jars used to house the internal organs of the dead being prepared for mummification):

In a different area of the same room there was a Peruvian mummy. There was a drawer you could pull out underneath, with a cast of his hand inside, which you could touch. It was pretty strange really.

Those of you out there among the zombie population might also be pleased to know that they currently have an exhibit running (29th March - 17th June, 2012) called 'Brains: The Mind as Matter'.

"Our major new free exhibition seeks to explore what humans have done to brains in the name of medical intervention, scientific enquiry, cultural meaning and technological change. 

Featuring over 150 artefacts including real brains, artworks, manuscripts, artefacts, videos  and photography, 'Brains' follows the long quest to manipulate and decipher the most unique and mysterious of human organs, whose secrets continue to confound and inspire. 

'Brains' asks not what brains do to us, but what we have done to brains, focusing on the bodily presence of the organ rather than investigating the neuroscience of the mind."

Personally, I would love to see that one too! For now, however, I'll leave you with...the torture chair...

Looks comfy, eh? o.O;

This post is part of the May Monster Madness blog hop!

Places: Highgate Cemetery, London

Highgate Cemetery is a Victorian graveyard situated in London, England. It is divided into two parts - East and West – that, although very near to one another are, in fact, separate spaces. All but one of the photos feature Highgate (East) because Madame Luciel and I had the pleasure of visiting it not too long ago.

Highgate Cemetery (East)

Built in 1839, Highgate (West) is the older portion of the cemetery and, although we only visited the east on this occasion, it is an extremely beautiful and elegant place as well. When it was initially designed by Stephen Geary, only this part of the cemetery existed and, as it increased in popularity, it became an extremely sought after place in which to have a plot. 

Highgate Cemetery (West) entrance

As the Victorians' macabre obsession with death and the afterlife even diffused into having 'fashionable' places to be buried, Lavish Gothic revival-style tombs and gateways were built, situated alongside leafy trees and wildflowers. The site continues to be a highly desirable location and some notable names laid to rest in there include poet Christina Rossetti, scientist Michael Faraday, and author Beryl Bainbridge. 

Highgate Cemetery (East)

Highgate Cemetery (East)

Although the western side still remains open to the public, it is now only accessible by way of supervised guided tours, in attempt to protect the Victorian mausoleums and tombs from further vandalism. Those with a deceased loved one buried in this half are given special passes, which enable them to visit unaccompanied. Had it not been for our time constraints, we would have ventured there as well, albeit with a tour guide.

Moving on...in 1854, the "newer" Highgate (East) section was constructed and, although it doesn't contain grand structures like the 'Circle of Lebanon' and 'Egyptian Avenue' as the west does, it is still a stunning location! However, unlike Highgate (West), after you pay the entrance fee (cash only!), you're then free to roam and explore, unsupervised, as much as you like.

Highgate Cemetery (East)

Tall trees, ivy and many other varieties of flowers and plants sprawl and weave between the gravestones, with numerous paths winding their way around the grounds. There are a huge amount of decorative, visually striking and easy to find  tombstones, and it's worth visiting Highgate (East) for those alone. As with Highgate (West), there are also some well-known occupants, such as philosopher Karl Marx, Sex Pistols manager Malcolm McLaren, author Douglas Adams, television presenter Jeremy Beadle and the screenwriter for 'The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari', Carl Mayer. There is also a memorial grave to those who died whilst working for the London Fire Brigade.

Highgate Cemetery (East)

However, there are also some less visible graves that have unusual/interesting features, or intriguing epitaphs. For example, there are carvings of pet dogs sitting on some, Masonic symbols, Chinese characters, and photographs of those who have passed away on others and even the word "DEAD" carved out of another. Therefore we would recommend spending a few hours in the eastern part at least in order to fully appreciate all the treasures it contains.

Highgate Cemetery (East)

Tours of Highgate (West) cost £7 for adults, £5 for students, whilst unaccompanied entrance to Highgate (East) costs £3 for adults and £2 for students. Children are also admitted, but I'm unsure of the price. For more information about opening times, directions, cemetery occupants and anything else you want to know about Highgate, please visit the official website:

http://www.highgate-cemetery.org

More photos of our visit after the cut below↓

Events: The Buried Alive Halloween Ball "The Deadly Seduction of the Orient"

This year marks the arrival of the first Buried Alive Ball; a charity event run by The London Bridge Experience Foundation. The ball will be held on three nights (October 27th, 28th & 29th), in London, UK and is to take place at a "top London venue". 

This years theme: The Deadly Seduction of the Orient

Starts: 6pm

Finishes: Between 12am - 1am

Price: 
£195.00 per person (for bookings of less than 10 people)
£175.00 per person (for booking of 10 or more people)

The Event:

• "You will be given cocktails on arrival, before you are taken to the London Bridge Experience and the Tombs for the extreme Halloween after dark show, "Phobophobia". All guests will receive VIP entry.  

• After being scared and excited, you will be brought back for a gourmet five course dinner; with the "Living Dead" tribute acts offering entertainment throughout the meal, as well as street performers, magicians and fortune tellers.  

• There will be a free unlimited bar, table wines and beer all evening, as well as tempting "chilling cocktails" and "shock shots"  

• Your group will receive a gift of a professionally taken photo of you in your horror attire. 

• A professional compere will keep you laughing throughout the evening, there will be a high chance to win a dream holiday in the fabulous raffle. Don't forget to save some pennies for our Charity auction, you have the chance to buy some fabulous items and experiences. 

• When you have finished your feasting, the banqueting hall will transform into a lively place to dance the night away."

Age Restriction: 18+, ID required

Is the ball fancy dress?

"We would like all of our guests to arrive in either fancy dress or black tie, there is a list of costume suppliers on our website to help you. We will also be selling masks on the night. We would ask our guests to remain tasteful, and the use of fake blood to be restricted, due to the carpets and walls of the venue. We will have a team of make up artists at the venue to make up the guests, or if you are bringing a large group we can arrange for the team to come to your offices before hand and do the make up."

 Website: http://www.buriedaliveball.com

The ball itself looks like it will be wonderful and the extra of getting into 'Phobophobia' as well is great! Although I've never visited when they've been running 'Phobophobia' (this year it's running 17th Oct - 1st Nov), The London Tombs (the horror themed part of the London Bridge Experience & Tombs) is really enjoyable, odd and fun at any time of year. If you have the money to attend, Buried Alive seems like it will be a fabulous new edition to the Halloween season and I'm also interested to see what projects The London Bridge Experience Foundation works on in the future. 

Events: Bizarre Magazine's Summer Ball

Bizarre Magazine's annual Bizarre Ball is once again approaching fast. This year's revelry will take place at The Scala in London, on May 21st and will be hosted by Bizarre's Alix Fox and caberet performer Des O'Connor. It promises to be a strangely wonderful night for those who attend!

The line-up is as follows:

"Featuring...
THE FUTUREHEADS
KUNT AND THE GANG
FLAY and DEVILLES CIRCUS OF MARVELS
BIZARRE 'BATTLE OF THE BANDS' WINNER


Plus...
DEE CHRISTOPHER (magic)
CHRIS CROSS (contortionist)
POST MODERN SLEAZE and THE SEDITION GIRLS (suspension artists)

Hosted by...
Bizarre's own ALIX FOX
The legendary DES O'CONNOR

DJs...
MARK JONES
SCARLETT NYMPH
DJ TREBOR
DJ BOD"

Ticket prices:
Standard: £22 (+ booking fee)

Bizarre Magazine Subscribers / Students: £17 (+ booking fee)

Event times:
8pm - 3am
Event location:
The Scala, 275 Pentonville Road, London N1 9NL
Map & Directions


Tickets are on sale now and you can purchase them here:
http://www.bizarremag.com/bizarre-events/bizarre-ball/8413/ball_tickets.html

Events: Classic Horror Campaign Double Feature

"Guys and ghouls, the Classic Horror Campaign has an announcement to make! We are launching the first of a series of Horror Double Bill events this Easter on Good Friday at the Roxy Bar & Screen in London!

Starting at 3pm on April 22nd we are proud to present a screening in the old tradition of the BBC Horror Double Bills of “Night of the Demon” (1957) followed by Hammer’s classic “Vampire Circus” (1972)!

We advise you all to get to the venue early as seating is limited and tickets are only available on the door at £5 per person. However, the Roxy Bar & Screen is renowned for serving excellent food and the kitchen opens at 1 o’clock so why not join us for lunch?

As well as the movie screenings there will be some horror dvd giveaways and the opportunity of appearing on the Classic Horror Campaign website when we post coverage of the event.

More details of The Horror Double Bill event will be posted on the Classic Horror Campaign Facebook page so check it out regularly for updates."

Classic Horror Campaign Website:
http://www.classichorrorcampaign.com/

The Everyday Bizarre: Street Creeps

Hello all! I am Ciel and a new contributor here on HSL. Just wanted to introduce myself, so I hope you will enjoy my posts :)

I'll start off with what I call a 'street creep'. Unusual and creepy scenes from everyday life!

Shot was taken on the bus ride through London. I was still half asleep at the time, so you can imagine the shock I had! XD.

I'll look forward to posting more street creeps, I'm sure I will run into more weirdness on my travels.

Movies: UK Suspiria Screening

16th October 11.30pm start - DJ & Bar Open until 2am Tickets £7.00

"Cigarette Burns Cinema is continuing its partnership with Dalston’s Rio Cinema and together we are bringing you none other than one of the creepiest films ever made. Just how it needs to be seen, fully uncut, bold, disconcerting and LOUD – SUSPIRIA.

This tale of an innocent American ballet student who unwittingly unravels the terrifying secret of her new school is routinely cited as one of the all time scariest horror films and is solely responsible for cementing Dario Argento’s place in cinematic history. Suspiria is an undeniably visceral experience, assaulting, not only your eyes, but your ears as well.

We can’t thing of a better way to spend a cold, dark October night than to let Goblin’s super eerie soundtrack creep into your brain as Argento drenches the screen with his dreamlike technicolour palette.

Flashback Record’s very own Graham Murphy will be spinning Italian Doomy Prog and Kraut Rock to set the mood before and after the screening and the Rio Cinema has been kind enough to leave the bar open throughout the film and after, a brilliant night is guaranteed. All for a measly £7."

Via Horror-Movies.ca and Hackney Hive

Halloween: The Ghost Bus Tours

I recently had the chance to go on the Ghost Bus Tour in London, UK. It was silly, spooky fun and so I thought I'd include it in our Halloween list of things to do!

The bus leaves from outside the Grand Hotel on Northumberland Avenue, which is just down the road from Charing Cross tube station, so it's quite a convenient location. You're supposed to arrive 10 minutes before the tour you're going on, and so the bus probably won't be there, but there's a sign for it, so it's pretty easy to find. There's also a lot of other buses passing by, but you'll easily recognise the Ghost Bus, because it's painted completely black.

"Tour Info

All aboard the ‘orrible omnibus for a ride around the dark side of London. The Ghost Bus Tours’ classic Routemaster has been redesigned to give passengers London’s first ‘Fright Bus’ service. On-board actors and technical trickery combine to create the scariest tour in town. A creepy conductor provides the commentary for this sinister sightseeing show, revealing haunted palaces, unmarked burial grounds and the skeletons in the capital’s cupboard.

1.The Ghost Bus Tour takes you around the City, West End and even goes south of the river.

2.Tours depart from Northumberland Avenue which is just off of Trafalgar Square. The Bus stop is outside the Grand Hotel, nearest tubes are Charing Cross and Embankment.

3.All tours are subject to availability please check the dates you wish to travel to make sure they are available.

4.Please arrive at least ten minutes before the start of the tour you wish to go on.

5.Advanced booking is recommended as there might not always be tickets available on the night.

6.The Bus can be hired with or without the tour for parties, weddings...and funerals. Please call us for a quote.

7.Please note, the bus cannot wait for latecomers and tickets are non refundable.

8.Please note, the consumption of alcohol on the bus is not permitted."

At first there weren't many people on board, but it was soon comfortably filled up and the atmosphere was better because of that. The tour lasts about an hour and an half and there are actors, stories, sound and visual effects, smoke and shaking to entertain you on your way, as well as London's sights of course! There's even a (pretend) seance to take part in! Also, although it's not something that bothered me, the descriptions of deaths and torture are quite graphic, just to warn you.

If you live in London, you might not enjoy it as much, but I go there quite often and still found it entertaining. However, it is an activity that's very geared towards tourist (though there were some people from South London on the bus I took). You can either book your tickets in advance, or buy them on the night (though you might not get a seat), or you could even book the whole bus for a private party or tour. Check the official website for details.

Website: http://theghostbustours.com/