Category: Inspiration

STEVE!

Going way back to last January, I’ve been planning a shift of our theme towards my own version of Spider Woman.

Now, one of the features of Spider Woman was that she decorated her lair with her victims. Just how this was to be is entirely open to enterpretation.

And, I’ve been researching on some decoration with the deceased for quite some time.

From the Bone Cathedral…

From 2010 Buildup

To Aztec ruins…

From 2010 Buildup

To the Catacombs…

From 2010 Buildup

…And yet, I keep coming back to the Chachapoyas. People of the clouds…just how did they reach their cliff dwellings? Perhaps with assistance from Spider Woman? Perhaps this also influenced their mummification techniques? They sure look like they were bundled up by a spider…

From 2010 Buildup

Besides, if they’re good enough inspiration for Raiders of the Lost Ark, why not my little yard?

A little lessons learned from Bob, and Fred, and it should be possible to emulate a Chachapoyan mummy rather cheaply. But, what’s this Steve business?

Well…

Coping with tedium…

If you’ve been watching here, you’ve noticed we’ve been doing a LOT of paper mache this year.

Frankly, this is a tedious, boring task for the large part.

One needs things to keep them focused, and in the mood, to finish building whatever.

I, personally, love movies in the background.

Who wouldn’t love working on props whilst singing along with “you’ll be a dentist!”

From Halloween buildup 09

Or even “Feed Me”.

From Halloween buildup 09

An added bonus to this is Talia (3 years old) has come to LOVE watching “the monsters scary” movie. AKA Little Shop of Horrors. Outside of Kyle (who got a huge crash course in horror…), this has been the first ‘horror’ movie I’ve introduced any NUMBER of kids to. Beware anyone who drops off their kids for me to watch, they may come home afraid of plants…

Other favorites include Shrek and Shrek 2.

Talia, in fact, got to see Shrek 2 for the first time last night, and was rather upset the dragon was not in it. Oh, how the time flies whilst watching one of these and building yet another Bob…

From bob

What’s especially odd is I tend to lean towards comedies and musicals whilst building.

Ive spoken before about Clash of the Titans as well. This one is great for when I’m just not ‘feeling’ the whole concept of the yard. It puts me right back in the mood.

Others I’m currently lacking, but would love to have include Beastmaster, Krull, Legend, and Dragonslayer. Oh, crappy movies of the 80s….

Ignorance is bliss.

I’ve been designing Halloween since I was 8 years old.

Along the way has been a long and storied history of researching different styles and means of going about that.

It started long ago, I don’t remember just how young I was, but mom found some documentaries on how commercials were made. And, she promptly made us watch them. Attempting to drill into us not to believe what you see, or ask for every toy out there…

I watched them SEVERAL times. I WISH I still HAD that documentary somewhere. It opened the door in my mind. The heck with the intended message, it opened the doors of HOW one goes about creating those illusions!

And, as I sit here tonight watching the Pitchmen marathon (RIP Billy), I realize I’m going to miss this show. It was as close to those old documentaries as there is on TV. All the behind the scenes stuff, all the magic…And what’s more, for the eventual creation of the snake oil salesman, you HAVE to have Billy Mays in mind for the character.

From those first documentaries, it was Raiders of the Lost Ark, reading and watching everything I could on how they went about actually making the effects. Making those bugs do what they did. At one time, I actually wanted to be a bug wrangler…(not that there’s much market for that these days when they just CGI everything) And again with Arachniphobia.

As I’ve grown older, and more sophisticated in my ability to actually make these things I’ve only been researching, my understanding of all of this has only expanded to where now, I no longer see as others see.

I was watching America’s Got Talent the other night, and this magician was on. I recognised the contraption from the very get go, having built a model of a similar one before determining it would be too costly to make a full size one for Halloween. The judges were amazed, I could only chuckle.

Haunted houses, and the like are no different. I’m more interested in seeing how they do everything that sometimes the experience is lost.

A curious thing this year, though. Going into the year with our season passes at Lagoon, I enjoyed Dracula’s Castle more. However, now having been on both it and the Terroride about 50 times this year (they are among Talia’s favorites), I’ve come to REALLY appreciate the Terroride.

While Dracula’s Castle is filled with BIG props and animatronics, the Terroride is filled with TONS of SMALL things. All things us home haunt folks can build. A simple head turn, and people jump. A head turn…back to my roots…

Michael Jackson…

I’ll leave all the heavy comments to others.

One might expect on such a blog to go for the obvious claim of how Thriller is inspirational…

But, long time readers know about my fascination with a snake oil salesman theme. And, one has to love the set, lighting, and homage to guys and dolls that occurs here, in a theme that a bunko man would certainly fit right in…

Oh, alright, we’ll take the easy out as well. (hey, all the ‘real’ ones don’t allow embedding)

Inspiration in odd places.

It’s been a week for finding inspiration in some really odd places.

The kids got on my nerves earlier in the week, and we had a no tv/gameboy night in the house.

In the ultimate show of contempt, I forced them to put up with it as I stuck my Niel Diamond collection into the CD player.

And, eventually we got around to Brother Love’s Traveling Salvation Show.

OH MAN! A traveling salvation show would be ALMOST as much fun to make for Halloween as my idea of doing a Snake Oil Salesman that we’ll eventually be getting around to.

There’s something about the whole thing brings a smile to my face. Yeah, more fun than scary, both of them, but there’s something about being up peddling cures of dubious validity that puts a smile to my face. I can see baffled children and parents alike on Halloween.

But, a preacher bringing back the dead on Halloween night would likely be a wee bit on the too sacreligious part, so we’ll stick to the snakeoil routine, of which we have a draft script here.

Been slowly collecting bottles for that idea as well. $$$ to build the stand is still a wee bit on the pricey side, though, so it’s stayed on hold for a few years now.

Then, one wouldn’t go into the Superbowl looking for Halloween inspiration, typically. But a couple commercials sure lean that way.

Talking Flowers.

One can’t help but think of Audrey II. (rare original ending, and likely one you’ll see in the stage musical, didn’t do well at test screenings)

I adore that movie. Have always wanted to make an area that’s something of a cross between the new Audrey II, and the OLD one that had the faces in the flowers. Carnivorous Pumpkins.

Maybe someday after I get a much larger air compressor, and can make a truly menacing pumpkinified Audrey II.

Also, apparantly, Death sales.

Curious how most of the western world views Death as a male.

Lady Sebastianne (La Santisima Muerte) is not but one more portrayal of Spider Woman.