This tutorial shows you how to make realistic pickled punks. Label on the bottle on the right reads:

UNKNOWN SPECIMEN: RECOVERED FROM CHEST CAVITY OF DECAYED ANIMATED CORPSE. ANIMATION OF CORPSE CEASED UPON REMOVAL. SPECIMEN BEGAN TO DISSOLVE WITHIN MOMENTS OF REMOVAL FROM HOST. DISSOLUTION CEASED WITH FORMALDEHYDE AND ACETONE. HAITI, 1894

Making Canned Halloween Monstrosities

Over at Boing Boing Gadgets, Brownlee spotted these, er, handy skeletal serving forks. Skeleton serving forks (BB Gadgets)

Yoder says: "University of Washington scientists have shown that crows recognize individual human faces, and hold grudges against people who have been mean to them in the past."

To test the birds’ recognition of faces separately from that of clothing, gait and other individual human characteristics, Dr. Marzluff and two students wore rubber masks. He designated a caveman mask as “dangerous” and, in a deliberate gesture of civic generosity, a Dick Cheney mask as “neutral.” Researchers in the dangerous mask then trapped and banded seven crows on the university’s campus in Seattle.

In the months that followed, the researchers and volunteers donned the masks on campus, this time walking prescribed routes and not bothering crows.

The crows had not forgotten. They scolded people in the dangerous mask significantly more than they did before they were trapped, even when the mask was disguised with a hat or worn upside down. The neutral mask provoked little reaction.

Friend or Foe? Crows Never Forget a Face, It Seems (New York Times)

Autumn is upon us, so I’m busting out all of my favorite fall records. First up: anything and everything Jill Tracy has ever touched with her long, thin, alabaster hands.

As can be plainly seen from this gorgeous music video for “Haunted by the Thought of You”, Madame Tracy is one classy dame. Cool as a cucumber. Who else do I know who could maintain such an unflappable air of poise and elegance as reanimated hearts, levitating chairs, creepy humanoid automata, and even the arse of Satan himself loom directly behind her? No one!

Jill Tracy performing live in NYC. Photo by Don Spiro.

I’ve been swooning over the Victorian parlor pianist/netherworld chanteuse ever since a video for her seminal song “The Fine Art of Poisoning” was released a few years back, but she’s been casting her Ghostly Gloom Glam Queen spell for well over a decade (since long before this latest incarnation of the “dark cabaret” movement picked up speed), always with unparalleled grace and sincerity.

The songs collected on her latest album The Bittersweet Constrain (two in particular: “Sell My Soul” and “Torture”) do indeed invoke a delicious sort of pleasure/pain, not unlike the burn of real wormwood absinthe trickling down the gullet; unsettling and exhilarating as receiving a languorous tongue bath from a black cat at midnight on some foggy, windswept moor. Highly recommended.

Also see:

• Kurt Weill: September Songs
• Jacques Brel: “Ne Me Quitte Pas”
• Nico: “No One is There”
• Edith Piaf: “No, je ne regrette rien”
• Tiger Lillies: “Bully Boys”
• Dresden Dolls: “Sing” (alternate cut)
• Reverend Glasseye: “Seventeen Lashes”
• Nicki Jaine: “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”
  
• 2007 Edwardian Ball (Rosin Coven, Vau de Vire)
• Vermillion Lies: “No Good” live
  
• The Ditty Bops: “Wishful Thinking”
  
• World Inferno Friendship Society: “Tattoos Fade” live
• HUMANWINE: “Wake Up” live
• Sepiachord Magazine: “Music of a Past that Never Was”
  

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Post tags: Culture, Faboo, Fairy Tales, Fashion, Music, Theater

Last weekend I stopped by artist Dan Hillier's stall at the Brick Lane Upmarket in east London and was treated to these four eye-popping new prints. I've got the serpent man up in my office and he gets cooler every time I look at him. New Dan Hillier prints

See also:
* Engraved Victorian tentacle-horrors from Dan Hillier
* Dan Hillier's tentacle horrors -- now on moleskine notebooks!

From time to time, I find myself in the company of emo boys and goth girls, as one so frequently does these days. And while these sensitive purveyors of darkness may look down on me for my summery color schemes, lack of full-sleeve tattoos and/or corneal piercings, and the fact that I own the most recent Journey album -- and enjoy it -- I have something that puts them all into kohl-lined awe.

And that is: In the summer of 1993, when I was working as a film critic in California, I visited the studio in San Francisco where Tim Burton and Henry Selick were filming The Nightmare Before Christmas. I "toured" the sets (which meant admiring miniatures from above while not touching anything, lest one messed up hours of animation), coming within inches all the parts of Halloweentown that the emos and goths wished they lived in.

Later, I and other critics were herded into a room for an interview with Burton, Selick and Nightmare composer, Danny Elfman, who was also the singing voice for Jack, the skeletal ruler of Halloweentown. As part of that interview, we saw a rough cut of the section that would become the song "Jack's Lament." The animation was done, and so was the music, but the vocal track for Jack hadn't been laid down yet. So Elfman got up and sang the song live. Perfectly.

Now, as an old school fan of Elfman and his '80s band Oingo Boingo, this was thrill enough for me. But when I recount it for the gothlets, their eyes get all wide, and then the envy comes. Bitter, black-clad envy, that eats at their soul like a wee hungry gargoyle.

Why Nightmare Persists
But while taunting emos and goths is fun, it also points out something about The Nightmare Before Christmas: A decade and a half after its 1993 release, this strange little musical is more popular than it was when it was released, a fact evidenced by annual re-issues in theaters at Halloween and by yet another DVD edition of the movie released this last Tuesday (the fourth home edition of the film, which also has at least two versions of the soundtrack available on CD and MP3). Nightmare hasn't managed to eclipse the other Disney musical of 1993 (that would be The Lion King), but it has significantly more social currency among teens, twenty-somethings and even more than a few thirty-somethings, especially the ones who were, are, or want to be, just a little alienated from the mainstream.

Why this film? What's the secret to the long-running afterlife of this Disney animated musical? There are a number of reasons, but my theory is actually a simple one:

Actors Needed!. PAID POSITIONS Now hiring for Navy Pier's new not-for-the-feint-of-heart, scare-your-pants-off, no-kids-allowed Haunted House. Auditions on Saturday, September 13th, 2008 12pm to 6p...

HorrorSociety.com is proud to announce our second indie horror film festival…and this time its gonna be a brutal one!

We pulled off the first one in Cincinnati, Ohio. One of the most conservative cities in the Midwest! Now its time to unleash the HORROR in the city of Chicago!

On October 11, 2008 at the Portage Theater in Chicago, Illinois - we are bringing you the most brutal, blood filled, extreme horror ever seen on the big screen. 12 hours of underground indie horror!

From NOON until MIDNIGHT the Portage Theater will be drenched in Blood and Gore as we present the “Horror Society Film Festival”

This festival will bring you titles never before seen on the big screen, and hell some of them probably should be outlawed, but we have strong stomachs here at HorrorSociety and we are big fans of GORE. So we have decided to give these filmmakers their shot and get these titles shown to the public. Most of the films that will be shown are filled with the most extreme horror, special effects, brutal and ultra-violent story lines, and some shit that just has to be seen and can never truly be explained.

We are unleashing the GORE on Chicago, so be prepared!

And yes, with every ticket purchased, you will receive you own BARF BAG, just in case you need it!!

Saturday, October 11, from NOON to MIDNIGHT at the Portage Theater in Chicago! Check below for directions to the theater.

Get your tickets at the door starting now! Only $15 for all 12 hours!! You will be able to order tickets online soon, so stay tuned for more info on that. Tickets will be available at the door on the day of the festival as well!

There will be a free prize raffle with every ticket purchased. Guests, film schedule, and vendors will be announced closer to the event so stay tuned for that.

http://www.horrorsociety.com/chicago

Movies:

Vagrant
http://www.vagrantthemovie.com

Eating Razors
http://www.ftbomp.com

The White Lie
http://www.ftbomp.com

Gateway Meat
http://www.ftbomp.com

Squeal
http://www.squealmovie.com/

A Few Screws Loose
http://www.afewscrewsloosemovie.com

Snip
http://www.snipthemovie.com/

August Underground’s Penance
http://toetagpictures.com/site/

Us Sinners
http://www.ussinners.com/

Dead Bones
http://www.dead-bones.com/

Darkness – The Vampire Version
http://www.13thdream.com/

Get ready flesh eaters because the Lving Dead have arrived. As the ZOMBITHON approaches and the Movie Making School gains popularity we have a treat for you this week as we have the legends JOHN RUSSO and RUSS STREINER from the cult classic Night of the Living Dead stopping in at the show. They will be discussing the upcoming Zombithon and their Movie Making School. In addition we have a body bag full of HAUNT INDUSTRY NEWS covering the Tim Harkleroad's Haunt Book, Boneyard FX, The Complete Stories of Netherworld, A Band of Orcs, Doyle's Made in Hell Hot Sauce, The Dead Matter Cemetery Gates, Howl O Scream, The Myers House, Eerie Horror Film Festival, Fur Fright, Zombithon and more industry news for this week! Morbid downloads from RFR to Deadite Listeners and ghastly goodies. There is another Winner for the Screamline Studios Graverobbing Giveaway and Twisted Tunes spinning right from the grave. So all you Fright Freaks, Haunters and Halloween Junkies...Sit Back, Relax and Rot Away to...Rotting Flesh Radio!!!

Driving last night and got a whiff of burning leaves and wood smoke on a breeze that was 20 degrees cooler than the rest of the night. Good to know that September has advance scouts in the area.

Woman at the store the other day asked me why I wear a jack-o-lantern pendant. I asked her why she wears a crucifix pendant. She said “It’s a symbol of my religion.” I said “Yeah - exactly.”

Just cleaned my Rapidographs. For some, an annoying task; for me, a Zen-like ritual in preparation of my favorite season. The ink will flow. Oh yes. There will be ink…

Featuring the Chicago area Premiere and first ever Drive-In screening of
Clive Barker’s "MIDNIGHT MEAT TRAIN"
The Midway Drive-In
Saturday September 20, 2008
91 Palmyra Road
Sterling, Illinois 61021
www.themidwaydrivein.net

Clive Barker’s "MIDNIGHT MEAT TRAIN", the original "THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE" (1974), "I DRINK YOUR BLOOD" (1970), and at least one more feature (to be announced) will be showing on the HUGE Midway Drive-In screen. This will be the very first Drive-In screening of "MIDNIGHT MEAT TRAIN" anywhere in the United States!

The evening will also feature raffles of great prizes between the films.

This is your chance to support "MIDNIGHT MEAT TRAIN" and independent Horror films at the Box-Office AND to be able to enjoy an evening of entertainment in the comfort of your own car. This is more than a night at the movies. This is an EVENT!

The Midway Drive-In (located between Sterling and Dixon Illinois in Northern Illinois) is the oldest operating Drive-In in Illinois. The screen is 90 feet across! The Drive-In also has a newly remodeled and upgraded full service concession stand, which will be open most of the night. The FM stereo has been upgraded to Dolby Digital. This produces incredible stereo sound which is transmitted over your FM car stereo.

We will be posting a list of local hotels in case you wish to stay overnight. Mark the dates and get ready to party all night!

Gates open at 7:00PM
Show starts at Dusk

Admission price will be only $10.00 per adult!

Visit www.flashbackweekend.com or www.themidwaydrivein.net for more info, or call (847) 478-0119.

Sinister Visions Presents the Zombie Pinup Beauty Pageant, Saturday, September 27th at 7:00 p.m. at the Chicago Horror Film Festival. The CHFF will be held at Chicago's Portage Theater, 4050 N Milwaukee Ave.

The contest will be hosted by Chad Savage (unless he finds somebody better) and judged by Zombie Pinups/Fearwerx/Zombie Army Productions Diva CHRYSTYNE, Zombie Army Productions favorite zombie Kitty, and surprise judges yet to be announced!.

Zombie Pinups get in free on Saturday - Regular zombies get in for 50%!

Judging will be based on quality of make up / effects and costume. There will be a First, Second and Third Prize.

All contestants will be photographed for a special gallery at ZombiePinups.com; winners will, of course, be featured on the main page at ZombiePinups.com.

To get an idea of what we're looking for, visit the gallery at ZombiePinups.com, and start planning your character NOW!

Sinister Visions Presents the Zombie Pinup Beauty Pageant, Saturday, September 27th at 7:00 p.m. at the Chicago Horror Film Festival. The CHFF will be held at Chicago's Portage Theater, 4050 N Milwaukee Ave.   

The contest will be hosted by Chad Savage (unless he finds somebody better) and judged by Zombie Pinups/Fearwerx/Zombie Army Productions Diva CHRYSTYNE, Zombie Army Productions favorite zombie Kitty, and surprise judges yet to be announced!.   

Zombie Pinups get in free on Saturday - Regular zombies get in for 50%!   

Judging will be based on quality of make up / effects and costume. There will be a First, Second and Third Prize.   

All contestants will be photographed for a special gallery at ZombiePinups.com; winners will, of course, be featured on the main page at ZombiePinups.com.   

To get an idea of what we're looking for, visit the gallery at ZombiePinups.com, and start planning your character NOW!

The Flashback Weekend 2008 2nd Annual Zombie Pinups Beauty Pageant was a huge success! Thank you everybody that participated; special thanks to host John LaFlamboy and our judges Reggie Bannister, Chrystyne, Dementia and Kitty!

Photos been posted here: http://www.zombiepinups.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=98; here are the winners!

Join the Worth Historical Museum and Edward Shanahan who has been published in 3 paranormal books and has been given the name 'Spiritual Observer' on a walk and bus tour to some of the well known and hardly known haunted locations in the
Chicago S.W. Suburbs, including Bachelor's Grove.

For more details on this tour visit the Haunted Historic Locations web site at:
http://hauntedhistoriclocations.com

Also for a paranormal web site of photos, video tours and more, visit Edward Shanahan's - The Unexplained World at:
http://theunexplainedworld.com

TransWorld Exhibits is proud to co-sponsor the 2009 International Association of Haunted Attractions (IAHA) Banquet and Awards Ceremony. The banquet, which takes place on March 27, 2009 at the America’s Center in St. Louis, Missouri serves as IAHA’s annual meeting and will include a cocktail hour, a dinner and industry awards ceremony.

“TransWorld Exhibits sincerely appreciates all the time and effort IAHA has put into helping build a national awareness of the haunted attraction industry. We are delighted to be working with a professional affiliation that represents so many haunted attractions across the nation and we look forward to a long and healthy working relationship going forward.” said Jen Braverman, Executive Vice President, Transworld Exhibits.

The awards dinner runs concurrently with TransWorld Exhibits 14th National Haunt and Attractions show to be held March 27-29, 2009. To help extend the Halloween selling season and generate more revenue for your business, TransWorld is expanding into additional market segments which include amusement parks, campgrounds, family fun centers, zoos, agri-tourism, casinos, water parks and more. TransWorld Exhibits will also be running seminars and tours to create the ultimate show experience.

We have our films selected, the schedule is in place, and we are getting ready for our best festival yet!

Check out our website at chicagohorrorfest.com as well as www.chicagohorrorfest.withoutabox.com for the full event schedule as we prepare to show you such films as; "Midnight Movie", "Dark Reel", "Spine Tingler: The William Castle Story", "Bonnie and Clyde vs. Dracula", and many more...

Then there are also the contests. While not all contests are finalized, some that we do have ready to announce is the, "I Want to Hear You Scream." Contest. Come and scream your head off for you chance to win, while showing how you can scream like a scream queen doing it! Judged by Master Ron Fitzgerald himself, and this contest is open to both ghouls and ghoullettes

So Are READY FOR Not 1...Not 2...BUT 3 NIGHTS OF SPINE-TINGLING, BLOOD-DRIPPING HORROR here in Chicago's Own Portage Theater?

"What's the point? They're all the same, some stupid killer stalking some big-breasted girl who can't act who is always running up the stairs when she should be running out the front door, it's insulting." (A 1 Day Pass to the first person who can email me at chicagohorrorfest@yahoo.com what movie that quote came from-Please remember to include your name).
If you have to ask, then you're not a fan, but come enjoy yourself the event anyway.

With Special Guests: Tiffany Shepis, Svengoolie, Master Ron Fitzgerald, and John Everson!

And don't forget about our F/X Fashion Show being brought to you by Deviant Desires Photography, which takes place on our stage on Sunday, September 28th at 6:30 p.m.

We also have it! Savage Sinister Presents the Zombie Pin Up Contest, Saturday, September 27th at 7 p.m. Judged by Chad Savage and potentially some more celebrity guest judges. Zombie Pin-Ups get in free on Saturday. Non-Pin Ups, but Zombies none the same, get in for 50% off on Saturday!

The Chicago Horror Film Festival runs from September 26th - 28th and will be haunted (Hosted) by Our Very Own KENZIE!

Tickets are on Sale Now, direct links will be posted on www.chicagohorrorfest.com or you can visit www.chicagohorrorfest.withoutabox.com

Advance Tickets

$10 - 1 Day Pass
$18 - 2 Day Pass (Friday\Saturday)
$18 - 2 Day Pass (Saturday\Sunday)
$26 - 3 Day Pass

Tickets at the Door

$12 - 1 Day Pass
$22 - 2 Day Pass
$30 - Weekend Pass

The Horror has arrived! This week we are coming to you LIVE from the HORRORFIND WEEKEND! Rotting Flesh Radio's Dog Soldier, Mostly Ghostly's Chad Savage, Bill and Jay from Goatman Hollow all come to you deadites from the Horrorfind Weekend with vendors, celebrities, social activities, crickets, horror, nonsense and more! In addition this week in HAUNT INDUSTRY NEWS we have a body bag full of news for this week covering the Fright Dome, Monster Mania 11, Maskapalooza, SPFX Masks, Black Cat Production, Nightmare on Hell Street, Spookyworld Haunted Attraction, Blended Scares, Rue Morgue Festival of Fear, Frank N Stein for President and more Industry News for this week. There is another Winner for the Screamline Studios Graverobbing Giveaway super chicken style and Twisted Tunes spinning right from the grave. So all you Fright Freaks, Haunters and Halloween Junkies...Sit Back, Relax and Rot Away to...Rotting Flesh Radio!!!

Revolution and chaos.
Monsters and mutants.
Good and evil.
Life and death.
Blood and guts.

A heart-wrenching love story. Literally.

Who is the Man, and who is the Monster? Just in time for the Halloween season, Will Act For Food is thrilled and, yes, a little terrified to be bringing this rarely-produced play to Chicago. Here's the greasy details:

"Frankenstein in Love", by Clive Barker
Directed by Gregory Gerhard
At Chemically Imbalanced Theater, 1420 W. Irving Park
September 25- November 1
Thursdays-Saturdays at 7:30PM
Tickets $18; $15 with nonperishable food donation
Students/Seniors $10
For reservations, call 773-327-9725 or visit www.willactforfood.com

Featuring: Emily Bach, Kevin D'Ambrosio, Brian Dongarra, Eric Frederickson, Larry Garner, LaQuin Groves, Andrew Jordan, Nick Kopsian, Greg Poljacik, Jon Sevigny, Dan Taube, and Claire Tuft

Don't be scared. Come and see us.

The International Association of Haunted Attractions (IAHA) kicked off their tenth year as the official voice of the Haunted Attraction community by unveiling the commemorative logo and tagline “Celebrating Ten Years of Fun & Fear.”

“Halloween has gone from a single day to a full season and it’s the only time of year that we all come together to seek out some good old-fashioned screams,” said IAHA president, Tim Gavinski. “What our organization promotes among the 400 members is safety and the betterment of the industry as a whole each and every year.”


The IAHA was established in 1998 by 18 people who all met at a Halloween trade show in Chicago. The mission of the association is just as important now as it was then: advance the haunted attraction industry through communication and education. Throughout its 10 years of existence, the IAHA has dramatically grown to include 400 members from every state as well as members from other countries.

The logo was created by IAHA member, Chad Savage, owner of Sinister Visions. Savage owns and operates the company that specializes in art and imagery for the haunted attraction industry.

The International Association of Haunted Attractions is a non-profit organization celebrating its tenth anniversary of assisting and advancing the haunted attraction and entertainment industry through communication, education and information. The association has grown to include over 400 members across the country.

Lately there’s been a good-sized spider that builds a perfect web right next to the upper corner of my back door every night; she’s gone every morning.

I take Bishop out in the wee hours to let him do his thing in the yard. While he’s busy, I turn on the porch light and watch The Spider Show. Bugs of all kinds come swarming to the light and get caught in the web - the spider frantically tries to keep up with all the sudden business. It’s fascinating to watch. And, yes, pretty creepy. Tonight saw an epic struggle as she tried to manage a junebug 3/4 her size. She won, of course.

I think I’ll name her Zelda.

Some guys are putting together an evening of chasing down one of the Chicago Ghost Tour buses dressed as zombies and/or ghosts on August 27th.

Here's a link to the event -- http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=27599696881

They're not a part of Mischief Chicago or ZMC, but it's a pretty silly idea, and we approve. Plus, they were inspired by Zombie March Chicago!

Disclaimer: ZombieHarmony is for zombies only. We advise signing up for ZombieHarmony only if you lack a pulse, have limited motor skills, or feel an intense desire to feast on human beings. We are not responsible for lost or ingested loved ones. If you go on a date with a zombie, we cannot be held liable for contributing to the apocalypse.

Please date responsibly: Bring a baseball bat or crowbar.

http://www.zombieharmony.com/

Tiffany Shepis announced as a guest at the 2008 Chicago Horror Film Festival. Tiffany will be attending the festival in support of not 1, but 2 of her latest films. We have already announced that "Dark Reel" will be showing at this years CHFF, but we will soon be announcing another Tiffany Shepis film to be shown. Sounds like Tiffany is trying to take over!

Tiffany has been in over 60 horror films and has been named the Princess of Scream. She has done nearly everything in horror film, from Troma Films with "Tromeo and Juliet" to Some of this festival's favorites; such as Nympha (shown at the 2007 Chicago Horror Film Festival), Dark Reel, Bonnie and Clyde Vs. Dracula, and Nightmare Man.

New York-born, Tiffany Shepis has become a princess of scream. In her films she often upstages more seasoned actresses and has some great dance grooves. Can be seen at shows like Chiller and will obviously make the move from indie schlock to mainstream films as time goes on and a good agent looks after her career. She's been involved in filmmaking since the ripe old age of 12 and has appeared in numerous videos with people like Lil' Zane, Wu Tang Clan, Dexter Holland, Run DMC and Destiny's Child video "Nasty Girl", but this particular video was never released. Tiffany also shot a spot for Nintendo but it was pulled for being too (Janet Jackson-like) raunchy. She loves blood and gore but detests violence and is a very good reason why men prefer brunettes.

So Come on out and meet this starlett at this years festival!

The Chicago Horror Film Festival will hold its annual event on September 26th – 28th at The Portage Theater, 4050 N. Milwaukee Avenue, Chicago, IL. We encourage all horror filmmakers to submit their films to increase exposure and interest in their efforts. The late deadline is looming near for film submissions so if you want to be considered, hurry soon.

July 29th - Late Deadline

***
In a sad note, we are also, cancelling the Ladies of Horror contest for this year. However, we have many other great fun filled surprises to tickle and rip out your insides.

OVER-BOOKED and UNDER SIEGE!

Fridays and Saturdays July 18th - August 23
Doors 8:30
Play 9:00
Menomonee Club
1535 N Dayton, Chicago

This space is overbooked. Cassandra Taylor-Villanueva, Class of ’98 President, is expecting her set-up crew any minute now. The support group for those with eccentric fears thinks they have the space. And to top it all off, Shaun and Ed just got the go ahead from the whacky janitor Pete to play basketball. Extracurricular opinions clash as everyone jockeys for exclusive use of a room meant to build community not rabble-rouse! Everyone may be forced to get along after all when people start disappearing only to re-appear with pale skin, a slow gait, and the nagging need to eat everyone else's brains. Pete, Cassandra, Shaun, and the resident phobaphobe Carl band together to create a new organization of their own -- one that might just save their beleaguered space from invading Zombies!

$15 suggested donation

Tickets and details : www.sandboxtheatreproject.com

The owner of the original drawings "Fear" and "Cabal Asylum" finds herself needing to sell them ASAP. They are pictured below. Contact Rachel at rrstrickler@gmail.com directly if you are interested in purchasing either of these ORIGINAL artworks. Note that the original artwork does NOT have all the text/watermarking.

ChicagoZombie.com has been re-purposed to accommodate anything and everything ZOMBIE-RELATED in Chicago and the Chicagoland area! Got something zombie-related or of interest to zombie lovers within 100 miles of Chicago? LET US KNOW!

A few people requested a Sinister Visions page on Facebook, so Voila! Here you go!

CREATURE FEATURE Is The Deviant Brain Child Of Two Sinister Composers Named Curtis Rx And Erik X. Formed On Halloween Of All Days, These Two Maniacal Groundskeepers In The Torture Garden Of Auditory Delight Have Taken It Upon Themselves To Draw From Their Twisted Childhood's And Invent A Band That Transcends Bands, A Band That Becomes Everything You Believed In As A Child, A Band That Becomes Halloween 365 Days A Year, A Band That Forces You Remember Why You Used To Sleep With The Lights On, A Band That Becomes The Perfect Merger Of Music And Film.

www.creaturefeaturemusic.com

August 28th @ Beat Kitchen
2100 W. Belmont, Chicago, Illinois 60618
www.beatkitchen.com

Cost : $12.00 at the door (All Ages)

Haunters from across the country will be traveling to Milwaukee, Wisconsin for HAuNTcon 2009. The convention will be held at the Wyndham Milwaukee Airport Hotel & Convention Center from April 30th through May 4, with a pre-show bus tour scheduled for April 28-30.

Each of the four VIP busses will be hosted by their own speaker leading a “rolling seminar” on a specific topic. The tentative speakers and topics include:

• Patrick Konopelski, Shocktoberfest: From Halloween Screams to Jingle Bell Dreams!
• Brett Bertolino, Eastern State Penitentiary’s Terror Behind the Walls: The Ins and Outs of Dynamic Ticketing
• Tony Wohlgemuth, SpookyWoods: Turning your daytime events into nighttime dollar$
• John LaFlamboy, Zombie Army Productions: Marketing your event to today’s generation!

The pre-show activities start on the evening of Tuesday, April 28th with a visit and lights on tour of Industrial Chaos in Fort Atkinson, WI. Day two will be jam packed with tours of three more Wisconsin attractions: Hartford Jaycees, Terror on Rural Street and the legendary Terror on the Fox.

The pre-show tour concludes on Thursday with a lights on tour of Terror on the Fox in the morning and a show and lights on tour of Shawno Manor before returning to the Wyndham Hotel in the late afternoon just in time to rest up before the Thursday night haunted house tour at Realm of Terror that will officially kick off HAuNTcon 2009.

The Friday night tour is of the multi-element The Wisconsin Fear Grounds (Morgan Manor, Freaky’s Fun House & Unstable) and the Sunday night Haunt Tour will be of Dominion of Terror.

Off season Haunt tours and Haunter Education are the cornerstones of HAuNTcon and the Haunts on the 2009 schedule are not to be missed!

For more information about HAuNTcon 2008 visit www.HAuNTcon.com or call 972-951-5100.

IAHA Director Bobbie Weiner, better known as “Bloody Mary,” has been asked by the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) to be the keynote speaker at their Women in the Industry Networking Lunch. Weiner will speak not only about her business success, but also about her philanthropic success as well.

The Women in the Industry Networking Lunch will be held at IAAPA’s Attractions Expo in Orlando, FL on Friday, November 21, 2008.

Thursday November 20, 2008
1:00 p.m. – 4:15 p.m. Classroom study
4:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. Field Trip

Audience: mid-level management, operations personnel, rides personnel, safety and maintenance personnel marketing and communications personnel.

In cooperation with the International Association of Haunted Attractions (IAHA) and the Mobile Midway Safety Institute (M.M.S.I.) IAAPA presents the Certified Haunted Attraction Operator Safety program (C.H.A.O.S.) The program will focus on code compliance and fire, panic and safety issues for haunted attractions and will include a site visit to one of Universal Studios’ Halloween Horror Nights haunted attractions. It will demonstrate to haunted attractions operators, the importance of taking a long term or year-round approach to patron safety and maintenance planning.

The program will provide an overview of the current standards pertaining to haunted attractions including ASTM and NFPA. It will also detail the operations requirements for a haunted or walk-through attraction including: automatic sprinklers systems, temporary or permanent water supply, smoke detection devices, alarm systems, illumination and exit markings and Class A interior finishes. The course will also consider inspection requirements, how to identify and correct hazards, and how to comply with established operating standards.

The course will end with a field trip to Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights where attendees will visit a number of haunted houses as well as hear a presentation by Universal Studios entertainment production staff on how they produce Halloween Horror Nights.

Course Content:
Codes and standards governing haunted attractions (ASTM, NFPA)
Hazard identification
Operational compliance issues
Inspection and maintenance systems
Actual examples and case studies
Best practices

C.H.A.O.S. Credits: Participants are eligible for up to 8 hours of credit towards a new or renewal Certified Haunted Attraction Operator Safety program (C.H.A.O.S.) certification.

Presenter Phil Slaggert is president of Mobile Midway Safety Institute in Hobe Sound, Florida and is a certified safety inspector and loss prevention expert.

Dark Reel has movie fan Adam Waltz (Edward Furlong - "Terminator 2: Judgement Day, American History X") winning a walk-on role in a film featuring Scream Queen Cassie Blue (Tiffany Shepis - "Nightmare Man"). Believing his luck has changed for the better Adam unwittingly steps into chaos on the set where a serial killer is on the loose. When an actress is murderered, Adam's roll gets bigger, and the publicity makes the studio chief's (Lance Henriksen - "AvP: Alien Vs. Predator", "Aliens") low budget thriller become the next big Hollywood hit. Soon Detective Shields (Tony Todd - "Candyman", "Final Destination") suspects everyone, including Adam. Who is the killer and who is next? It is a terrifying horror picture that has Blockbuster written all over it - that is, if there's anyone left to watch it!

The Chicago Horror Film Festival will hold its annual event on September 26th – 28th at The Portage Theater, 4050 N. Milwaukee Avenue, Chicago, IL. We encourage all horror filmmakers to submit their films to increase exposure and interest in their efforts. The deadline dates for all film submissions are as follows:

July 4th - Regular Deadline

July 29th - Late Deadline

The CHFF also is sponsoring the Ladies of Horror 2008 competition. Please submit a short video clip for entry. Please visit www.ladiesofhorror.com for more information.

Ladies of Horror Deadline
July 26th

Contest will go for live voting August 1st.

New Venue Selected in Response to Growth of Haunt Industry

(Northfield, IL) – In an exciting move, TransWorld Exhibits, Inc.
announced its decision to move the 14th National Haunt & Attractions
Show (HauntShow) to St. Louis, Missouri, at the America's Center,
March 27 – 29, 2009.

Previously held in conjunction with TransWorld's International
Halloween, Costume & Party Show (HCPShow), the HauntShow will stand on
its own in St. Louis, Missouri, giving the buyers and vendors of the
Haunt community convenient access to the industry's #1 trade show in a
business environment created just for them.

"After extensive market research and input from vendors and buyers
alike, we decided to spin-off the 14th National Haunt & Attractions
Show and have it stand alone in a Midwest location that is central to
the greatest number of participants in this industry," said Joe
Thaler, chairman and chief executive officer of TransWorld Exhibits,
Inc., owner of the show. "The Haunt industry continues to grow with
advances in special effects, animatronics, sound & lighting, and
props. More and more, these products are used in venues on a
year-round basis whether it is in a theme park, theatrical production
or a haunted house. This growth within the industry demands a
stand-alone trade show dedicated solely to the Haunt industry," Thaler
continued. "St. Louis is the perfect gateway to a marketplace where
the Haunt community can come together."

The complete schedule of activities for the 14th National Haunt &
Attractions Show in St. Louis will be announced in the coming weeks.
Highlights of the show will include:

• New product introductions from the industry's leading companies
• Extensive seminar programming
• Networking events and competitions
• Special events and tours, and much more

The TransWorld International Halloween, Costume & Party Show will
continue to host a Haunt Pavilion as Haunt products are also
fundamental to the celebration of the Halloween season and the buyer
of Halloween and
seasonal merchandise. The HCPShow will take place March 6 – 9, 2009 at
the Sands Expo & Convention Center in Las Vegas.

Special exhibit packages are available for exhibitors that wish to
participate in both the St. Louis and Las Vegas events.

For more than 60 years, TransWorld Exhibits has been a leading
producer of independent trade shows. The business, which had its roots
in the housewares and consumer electronics industry, has over the
years expanded its offerings to include general merchandise, Halloween
merchandise, giftware, seasonal items, luxury merchandise, jewelry,
fashion and accessories. The firm runs trade shows in Chicago, Las
Vegas, and St. Louis.

For more information on attending or exhibiting, please call
800-323-5462 or 847-446-8434 for international calls. Information is
also available at www.hauntshow.com and www.hcpshow.com.