If anyone has Halloween pics to share, here is the place to post 'em.

Here's what I have so far. I'll post better pics later on, as the holiday draws closer. As always, it looks so much better with the correct lighting.

spooky steps:



...at the top of the spooky steps:


Skeleton mowing over some unfortunate soul:


...spooky skulls by the front door:


Wicked Wanda:


Skeleton ahnging out and waving:


Grim reaper:


Grim reaper again:


Most everything has truly awesome lighting that I can't show in photos, but as I said, I'll try more later on during the month.

I've come to look forward to TJ's Halloween pics.
I think you've found a way to go crazy, so you don't go crazy.

Wow! It's just like Christmas, only with ghouls! Here we put out spooky dec's on the day, but not before, and not nearly as creative as these!
Think I might start doing Halloween in the future - scare the kids a bit!

Be careful. It's very addictive. You'll find yourself adding new things every year.

We're having a really good response this year. We've a different location than last year with lots more traffic. As an extra bonus, we live right next to a grade school and all the kids walk by and give me feedback.

Last time I was over there halloween wasn't a big deal... but you guys have nov. 5th with the bonfires - lucky fawkes!

Not to mention the Glorious Twalf of July.

Oh yeah! Love Bombie (Liverpool thing) night! )))

Sorry, better interpret! - Bonfire night on the 5th November. That's the night we 'celebrate' the burning at the stake of Guy Fawkes - the guy... ?... (sure, why not!) who didn't manage to blow up the houses of Parliament!
Oh, so much irony wrapped up in one small holiday!

Did you know?

Halloween is technically a Catholic holiday to honor the saints, but all the ghosts and goblins are from old Celtic new years celebrations.

Jack-o-lanterns are supposed to light the way for the ghost of Jack, an Irishman (I think it was Irish, someone can check, I'm just going off the top of my head here), the story goes that Jack was a terrible drunk and one night when he was staggering home he ran into the devil, but Jack was a clever drunkard and tricked the devil to climb up a tree, he then quickly carved a cross into the tree, trapping the prince of darkness. Before he let the devil go he made him swear never to tempt Jack again.
Unfortunately for Jack, when he died, he had been to much of a sinner to get into heaven, and the devil still had a grudge so his spirit is stuck on earth, all Jack had was a single ember he held in an old turnip, villagers in Ireland kept the tradition of lighting the way for jack with carved out turnips (the reason it's for Halloween is that Celtic new year was when the spirits freely wandered the earth).
When Irish immigrants came to America they started using the more plentiful pumpkin.

And of course the Catholics appropriated the Samhain festival and made it All Saints Eve. Most of Christianity's holidays were swiped from other religions. Halloween - Samhain. Christmas - Yule. Easter - Beltaine.

Boot,

You can explain the Pagan aspects of Christmas, when it's time.




Generally your fundi types don't much care for such conversation.

Cool story. Specially the bit about the turnips! Reminded me of when i was a kid, we used to use turnips to make our lanterns. We also did bob-apple and duck-apple (probably pagan too, but I don't know the story behind them).
Bob-apple involved a row of apples tied with string and suspended from the ceiling. Us kids would have our hands tied behind our backs and we'd have to try'n take a bite out of an apple. Try it sometime - Not easy!
Duck-apple was similar but this time the apples were floating in a bowl of water. Much easier, cos we could use the sides and the bottom of the bowl for purchase.

No Pumpkins, no trick-or-treat, just some turnips, some apples and some kids. Great fun!!!
Thanks for the memories Boot.



And did you know that the decorating of trees is also a pagan tradition. - Who else but the pagans would adorn a tree with garlands?
The early Christians used the tradition, I believe, to make Christianity a bit more acceptable to the Celts.




Sorry Sky, Sorry fundie's: Got carried away!

Katie and I are going as Bacon and Eggs

This whole concept of a skeleton using a lawn mower is ludicrous. How is he actually supposed to move his bones without muscles and tendons? Not to mention no oxygen delivery systems or method of breaking down nutrients to provide energy for said movements. Lets not even get into the lack of a nervous system problems. This entire concept is totally preposterous and i request that you destroy this abomination of biological sciences.

...before it destroys us all...

Fundi's can kiss my Liberal(ish) Mormon butt.

OK, so here's a few pictures taken when it was darker out so you can see the lighting. I also have a short video at the end so you cxan see our house in action with the special effects. You can't hear the sound, but the lights are in synch with the haunted house sounds CD we have playing in the porch.

glowing eyes (they actually pulse on and off):



torso:


Wanda w/kettle:



and here's the little video. You're just gonna have to trust me on this, but it looks much much better in person.

http://www.oldamericancentury.org/oct%20015.mpg

Is there anyone within 5 miles of you that comes anywhere near what you do to decorate for Halloween?

Keep it up and yer gonna start something. Halloween version of Candy Kane Lane?






Hey! I just noticed something. I don't see a Karl Rove, or a Rumsfeld, not even a Dick Cheney on that porch!

5 miles? I don't think there's anyone within 50 miles doing what I do. Think about where I live. =-) There are a couple of houses that do a graveyard in the yard. One house has boarded up windows, as well. But nobody does anything like I do with home made props, lighting, fog machine, etc.



Don't think I haven't thought about it. I also thought about wearing my suit for Halloween with a name tag that read "lobbyist".

for TJ and any other halloween junkies, or just fans of the unusual, or slightly crude, or bizzare.

http://www.dogpile.com/clickserver/_iceUrl...mp;_IceUrl=true

those are some great links

edit to add: holy shit



That's scary.

Looks like a flying Monkey!

this one's pretty cool: http://www.halloweenonly.com/website/store...h%5Fpage%5Fno=3

I've completed my flying crank ghost. I'll get pics and video up tonight, if time permits.

What, now you're giving your ghosts crank? that IS scary...

you better be careful... they may end up robbing your house to get a fix.

flying ghost on (a) crank:

The apparatus


The mechanism


In motion with close up of mechanism in action (shirt video)
http://www.oldamericancentury.org/fcg%20075.mpg

Soon as it gets dark enough I'll show the image from outside. It's professional quality stuff. I'm pretty stoked. In all, it ran me about 20 dollars.

night time video:

This one starts off crappy, but you can see through the window pretty well about 12 seconds into it.
http://www.oldamericancentury.org/fcgvideo%20001.mpg

and here's one from inside the house:

http://www.oldamericancentury.org/fcgvideo%20002.mpg

They look much much better in real life.

Way cool.

Thanks! i wish it translated half as well i the video. It's really incredible looking. Much better than expected. And it's bringing throngs of gawkers by the house at night.

I turned the light off in the house so I could see it better, and it looks pretty good.

Looks fantastic TJ! Very clever stuff. Pity you can't take us on a full video tour of the whole thing - ghosts in windows, the grim reaper, witches and cauldrons... Bet the locals love it!

Next year, the Templeton Haunted House Project

POAC,

Now I can appreciate your scarey avatar. Better late than never.

Great pics! Tomorrow night my wife and I are going to a Halloween party. My friend Brad and his wife go all out decorating their house and yard as well. I will try to take some pics and post them. The theme is VILLAINS!

I thought about wearing a Dick Cheney mask and a suit, but that would be no fun although I can't think of a bigger villain! So, I am going as the Joker and my wife is going as Poison Ivy.

LOL. That's awesome. I'd love to decorate the inside of the house, but budget contstraints and the lack of desire for post-holiday clean up won't permit me. YET. I hope you post the pics!

Here are some pics from last night! We won the Best Villains contest!

one of the few times that "red eye" actually helps the image!

Well done Bluz!

I have a bunch of great ones, but the files are too big.

Bluzfn5:Awesome job! Thanks for posting those!

just saw a story on msnbc and they say that americans are estimated to spend more than 5 bil. on halloween decorations this year, and they featured a house in NJ where the owner passed 6 figures on his lawn... thank god POAC is smarter than that and spends his money informing us and can figure out how to still create great deco's with a smaller budget!

DJ on the radio said today that some guy knocked on his door at home and offered to decorate his place for halloween.
DJ said he asked how much. Said the guy looked around and said, "This place, about 3 hundred, for the labor."

I will never cease to be amazed at what people will spend good money on.