The Big Show

For us, it's the day of days. Some of us work all year for today. Those of us who don't, often at least think of it all year.

I built my haunt when I had more time, before ceramics came along and gave me a creative outlet I didn't realize I missed having. So it hasn't changed a whole lot over the years. This year was pretty busy, so honestly, I haven't even gotten my projections set up and those may just not happen. Whatever! No one knows but me, right? 

The point is to enjoy the day, the long shadows, the fog, the screams and the giggles of delight. The shouts of, "Trick or treat!" The compliments of the parents on the work you've done. The smell of the candles toasting the jack-o'-lanterns.

Enjoy the show. Don't worry that it's not what you envisioned. It's the tradition you're carrying on that's important!

Happy Hallowe'en, my dears!

Remember the Rules of Halloween!

If you need a refresher course on the rules of Halloween, click on the pic for a YouTube series on the subject. Hit, "Play All," and sit back to watch the fun!

Throwback Thursday: Spider Rider

It turns out I live a few short blocks away from Spider Rider. Looking forward to ambling over to his place to check out his evil works this year...

Hauntcast PM - Guy Fawker's Day

The latest Hauntcast is out, and will help get you in the mood for Saturday's Hallowe'en shenanigans!

HAUNTING GURU INTERVIEW: Haunters for life, August & Pandora Rose are a thorn in Chris’ side as the take over the dungeon. 

THEATER OF THE MIND: Everything’s a haunt! Rev gets ready for the annual sci-fi con and observes the universality of obsession, creativity, geekiness, and showmanship. 

GHOULIE GROOVES: Tau Cross burns up the airwaves and the bonfire. 

CHARMED POT: Our Mistress of Mayhem spins a tale of Horror. 

PROP SHOP: Denny adds some texture to your pops during last looks. 

SHOCKTAILS: JT and Chris chug pumpkin ales until the can barely review Editor and Lost after Dark.

Do You Have the Halloween Spirit? Personal Creations Guest Blog

According to Personal Creations' Halloween infographic, over 80% of of Americans stop trick or treating before they turn 14. Can you imagine that each year spending on this holiday reaches about $7 billion? This figure seems to be on the rise too! 

Halloween is a great time for families to get together and celebrate. Some keep it low-key and just hand out candy, while others deck their lawns out in decorations and carved pumpkins. It seems like most households participate on this day, but Personal Creations took a deeper look into the numbers behind it. They even ran their own survey for some of this data! Check out the findings below, or see more Halloween and seasonal posts on their blog.

The Haunted Mansion

Click on the pic for a nifty article about Disney's Haunted Mansion!

Bob Lizarraga Shares Halloween Musings

I'll turn this post over to my talented artist friend, Bob Lizarraga:

As a kid, I’d prepare at least a month in advance (now its 2 months)! Mr. Hyde and The Wolfman were always my favorite monsters, so it was a great excuse to drag my mother to “higher end” shops that offered the wool crepe hair and professional make-up.

Imagining myself a Junior Lon Chaney, I’d spend hours creeping up and down the aisles of the Hollywood Magic Store, or Buddy’s Fun Shop on Lankershim Blvd. Buddy was a kindly old proprietor with one leg shorter than the other, and he’d perform feats of magic for customers— he’d only show you how the trick was done if you made a purchase. Nothing like a dark and mysterious magic shop to fuel the imagination…

Which brings to mind a question I’m asked on occasion: “What scared you as a child?”

I’m pretty jaded as far as “scary stuff” in film, haunts, art, or whatever, but there are some childhood scares that will forever stick in my spine:


1. An episode of TV’s Alfred Hitchcock Presents entitled “The Magic Shop”, of course, about a very peculiar, gifted child. David Opatoshu is the CREEPY proprietor.

2. That FACE in the wall of 1963’s THE HAUNTING.

3. A little person (or child??), dressed as a murderous ventriloquist dummy, in a film called Devil Doll.

4. The guy with his eyes pecked out in Hitchcock’s THE BIRDS, and while we’re at it, Norman’s mother doing her rocking chair spin in PSYCHO.

5. Victor Buono.

6. And finally, a dream I once had of being chased out of my house by a malevolent washing machine, all the way to the local park, where it moved through the sandbox like a shark, its gaping maw lunging at me while my feet sank the more I struggled…

I used to be able to shake myself awake during a nightmare when I was young— I’ve since lost that ability. I’m very lucky I don’t have bad dreams anymore (well, at least hardly ever).

Bob Lizarraga

October, 2015

Les Frission Des Vampires

Beautiful design!

More great horror movie posters here.

And for what's wrong with today's movie posters, click here.

The Horror

If I saw this staring in my window, I'd be all, "Wow! Great makeup!"

Hat tip to Craig Hoffman!

Halloween Pin-Ups

Via Cool Chaser.

Via Rachael Storms.

Via Cult of Weird.

Halloween Cartoons, Another ShellHawk's Nest Tradition

Click on the pic for a playlist of classic Halloween Cartoons!

Ape: the Halloween Retrospect

Yes, it really is Tom Savini with the "kill me now" look on his face as he holds up Ape. I thought I'd throw some whimsy into the October posts with my partner in crime, Christmas Ape.

The other pictures below, I suspect, Ape Photoshopped...

 "You're the caretaker, Mr. Ape. You've always been the caretaker..."

Jacks in the Shop!

At long last! My shows are done and I can put my jack-o'-lanterns in the ShellHawk's Creations Etsy shop!

 I'll continue to get them in over the next couple of days, plus I have a couple of fun Candy bowls and other goodies I'll be listing!

 I'll be listing these guys shortly, too!. Don't they look wickedly wonderful?

For my shop, click here.

Post It Monsters

 More of Don Kenn's amazing art can be found at his blog

I really love that he does these on Post-It notes. And they're so creepy.

*Yawn!* Up at 5:00 AM on Saturday!

He's not mad. He's yawning!

Just so I can get ready for Second Saturday at Oak Park Brewing Company in Sacramento! It's at 3514 Broadway and 36th St., and brunch starts at 10 AM!

Come on down to a kid-friendly restaurant and craft brewery and enjoy a warm and friendly atmosphere -- and take the last, in-person opportunity to see and take home one of my jack-o'-lanterns!

Stewie Goes Pro!

This year, I could hear Stewie grumbling in the storage shed a little earlier and louder than usual. He's naturally grumpy, since black widows and rats often move into his head during the months of storage and it affects his attitude.

I finally had enough of hearing him through the walls and stomped outside to the shed. I threw the door open.

"What?! What is it? It's too early to come out and play and I don't have time for your nonsense right now!"

"GrumblegrumblegrumblegrumbleGRUMBLE!"

Translation: "I'm bored of your yard. I wants to travel! I wants to be a STAR!"

Great. A scarecrow with delusions of grandeur.

Fortunately, I have connections!

I called up my buddy Joel, from Heartstoppers Haunted House in Rancho Cordova. I sent him a text and asked if he might want to borrow Stewie for the season. I neglected to mention the prima donna aspect, not wanting to muddy the waters with, um, facts... 

Luckily, he agreed.

Click here for the result.

There'll be no living with him, now.

Second Saturday at Oak Park Brewing Company

Tomorrow, I'll be selling my wares at Oak Park Brewing Company in Sacramento, California! They've been gracious enough to invite myself and another artist to show our work for Second Saturday!

So come on out and see me! Brunch is served at 10:00 AM, and food and beer is available all day. They're also releasing their Pumpkin Saison tomorrow:

Saturday we are releasing our Pumpkin Saison. It's a deep amber Saison brewed with pumpkin, brown sugar, allspice, and nutmeg then fermented with blend of Belgian Yeast and Saison Yeast to create a complex fall-seasonal offering we're sure you'll enjoy.

I can't wait to taste it!

Halloween Merch!

Click on the pic to be taken to my Etsy store, ShellHawk's Creations

If you ever wondered what it would be like if the Spirit of Halloween had a craft brewery, wonder no longer!

Although (sadly) the beer doesn't exist (yet), there are some wonderfully spooky designs available in my Etsy store!

Spooky artist Bob Lizarraga and I put our creative heads together to create the art, and sent the designs over to Evenas Design for the craft beer label treatment. I'm pretty darn happy with the results!

The t-shirts are screen-printed on snuggly soft cotton, and I have both women's and men's sizes and models. (Crew neck for the guys, v-neck for the ladies.)

I have a limited amount of beer steins available for the season, of two different types, one in each design.

So, please fund my clay habit by running over to my Etsy store, ShellHawk's Creations, and buying a little something for yourself!

Jack-o'-lanterns will be in the shop next week, so keep an eye out!