Art: Joseph Lara Skull Prints

New York based artist / designer Joseph Lara (sad Oasis) has recently produced a line of art, clothing and accessories featuring skulls and other macabre patterns. Each piece is hand printed and items include tote bags, shirts and even underwear.

To find out more about Joseph Lara and his work, check out the following websites:

• Sad Oasis (official website)
• Sad Oasis on Cargo Collective
• Sad Oasis Facebook Page
• Sad Oasis Web Store (opening soon!)

Many thanks to Joseph for permission to use the images!

More pictures after the cut below↓

Frankenstein Wax Ghoul on Lake George

During a short vacation to upstate New York, my friends and I came across a small little town named Lake George. Such town held a secret sleep for the winter, but open on the warmer months to just about the whole family. The House of Frankenstein Wax Museum holds beautiful figures inspired by Mary Shelley's novel, with a little bit of creepy and classical aesthetics.

The entire theme of the place has been inspired by various variations of the story, including James Whale's version of the monster tale. At the entrance, one witnesses the monster face-to-face, before uncovering more frightful (and literally educational) details.

If you're in the area, it is highly recommended that you add the museum to your destination.

For more ticket information and business hours, visit their website http://www.frankensteinwaxmuseum.com/

Who new such a remote place could hold such wondrous (and random) creepy delights!

Just a block away from the Frankenstein Museum, there lies Dr. Morbid's Haunted House. Frightful on the outside, it's all creepy inside as well. The two venues are simotenously managed, and open to the public ever through the year, except winter months.

http://www.drmorbid.com/

Fashion: MANIC PANIC

The original MANIC PANIC boutique

Started as a punk-style boutique by sisters Tish and Snooky in New York City in 1977, MANIC PANIC have been making the world more colourful and fascinating for over thirty years! The original store was frequented by musicians such as David Bowie, The Ramones and Cindy Lauper, drag queens and other subculture trend-setters, and its popularity grew in leaps and bounds. By the 90's, all kinds of celebrities, high fashion models, magazines and even movie makers wanted the MANIC PANIC look. 

Although the original shop on St. Marks Place closed some time ago, MANIC PANIC now offer a large range of products online through their webstores. One, St. Marks Place,  sells special sale and discontinued products, meaning that you might just be able to find that amazing colour you thought you'd never see again! 

Long Island City boutique

Long Island City boutique

As well as the webstores, MANIC PANIC also have recently opened boutiques in Long Island City and Venice Beach, along with a salon, which is also located in Venice Beach, giving a whole new generation the opportunity to visit their retail stores. Naturally, the brand's popularity and success has not been limited to the US and the millenium saw mass distribution begin in the UK, Australia, Italy, Germany, Belgium, Denmark, Spain, Poland, Austria, Czech Republic, Japan, Canada, and the Netherlands too.



Some of MANIC PANIC's beautifully bold hair dyes

Unlike some labels, MANIC PANIC's products are generally not over-hyped and work as well as claimed. For example, in my own experience, the semi-permenant dye colour, Vampire Red, came out really vividly even on mid to dark hair. The colour does fade a little after a week or so of washes, but it's only semi-permenant and so I would expect that from a bright colour. However, if you're blonde or pre-lighten your hair as recommended, the colour is likely to be highly visible for much longer.

Casket Basket

The cosmetics, too, have strong pigments, which means that they last longer as you don't need to use much. I particularly like their Casket Basket gift sets and the kits in their Creature of the Night collection. The Casket Basket contains: 1 Virgin white pressed powder compact, 1 Goth White creme foundation, Raven lipstick, 1 Black Magic glitter jewels eyeshadow, 2 nail polish, 4 eye/lip pencils, 1 black rose & 2 spider rings.



Casket Basket contents minus the rose, plus a pot of Scare Crow fangs



Everything is beautifully presented and well-protected in its packaging, so whether you buy it from one of the boutiques or online, you can be sure that it will arrive safely with whoever it's intended for (even if that happens to be you). The face make-up is definitely not meant for full coverage and is obviously not stage make-up, but it's great for everyday wear and subtle, yet noticable, paleness. The Goth White can dry out a little if you store it somewhere warm or leave it open a lot, but mixing a dab of moisturiser with it makes it as good as new.



Final Curtain

Knock 'Em Dead

















The Creature of the Night collection total look kits in Knock 'Em Dead (red) and Final Curtain (purple) are not only great products, but great value too, at just $20 for an eyeshadow, creme liner, face powder, lipsticks, lashes, application tools, plus instruction guides on how to achieve three different looks with each kit. In addition to the value for money, all MANIC PANIC products are animal cruelty free and vegan. They were even given an award by animal rights activists PETA because of that, so you can feel good about looking good too!

To buy the above or any other MANIC PANIC products, or to find out more, please visit the following websites:

MANICPANIC.COM

MANIC PANIC N.Y.C. Online Store

MANIC PANIC Boutique Venice Beach

St. Marks Place

MANIC PANIC Creature of the Night Collection

Thank you to MANIC PANIC for permission to use images from their websites.

Events: NYC Village Halloween Parade

"The organizers of the Village Parade are calling out to all horror fans, current and former residents of the New York City area, and all lovers of everything Halloween to reach deep down into their pockets and donate as little as one dollar to support one of the greatest Halloween traditions in the USA. Donations pay for everything from the fantastic puppets and entertainment in the parade itself to security for those marching and the happy people watching on the sidelines, the coordination of this massive gathering, and even the clean-up after the crowds are gone. It all costs buckets of cash so if you want to help keep the spirit of Halloween alive in New York City, pitch in a buck and tell everyone you know to spread the word. Your support means everything!

Now in its 37th year, this true folk art event features 60,000 people in costumes of their own creation, dozens of bands playing music from all over the world reflecting the ethnic traditions of NYC, performance troupes, floats, and its own style of Giant Puppets created just for the parade. It draws a happy, costumed audience of over 2 million spectators that occasioned the New York Times to call the Parade “the best entertainment the people of this city give to the people of this city.”  

Things kick off at 7 pm on Sunday, October 31st. Lineup is on 6th Avenue south of Spring and north of Canal. The Parade goes from Spring Street to 16th Street on 6th Avenue. It will be televised live on NY1 TV and WPIX Channel 11."

Via Dread Central

Art: Joseph Lara

This portrait of Elsa Lanchester in the 1930's James Whale classic, 'The Bride of Frankenstein', is the latest creation from aspiring New York music journalist and horror artist, Joseph Lara. With a love of all things spooky from childhood, and a background in painting, Lara naturally began combining the two.

Expect more ghastly ghouls, graves and ghosts from him soon!

You can keep up to date with him by visiting his page ⇒ here