Zombos' Closet of Horror

Winner of the Zombos' Closet Halloween 2009 Contest

The winner of the Zombo's Closet Halloween 2009 Contest is...

Cari Tornatta in Overland Park Kansas!

Congratulations Cari, and thanks to all of you who entered and recognized the Caverite Sphere from First Men In the Moon (1964).

Hachette Halloween Giveaway Winners

I did not expect this number of entrants, but over 500 eager readers kept me quite busy keeping up with this contest.

Under the full moon on Halloween night (yes, there really was a full moon), I pulled the names of two winners for the Hachette Book Group Spine-Chilling Book Giveaway from the skull o'chance (well, okay, the skull thing isn't real, but still sounds cool).

Congratulations to Ruth Schaller in Niagara Falls New York, and Kim Hilbert in Freedom Pennsylvania.

Ruth and Kim, I have forwarded your contact information to Hachette Book Group and they will mail the books to you directly.

My sincere thank you to everyone who entered and a big thanks to Hachette Book Group for being so generous with their book giveaway contest.

Halloween Movie Review: Trick or Treat (1986)

Roger: I am a big fan of yours. I have all your albums.
Sammi: Shut up! Play my tape for me tonight or die!

ZC Rating 3 of 7: Good

Metalheads, demonic forces, wicked rock and roll, an intimidated outcast teen, and the 1980s seem to go together in horror movies like Honey Nut Cheerios and fat-rich milk. I do not know if Eddie Weinbauer (Marc Price) liked Cheerios, but he does like heavy metal rocker Sammi Curr (Tony Fields). Idolizes him in fact. Sammi does things Eddie dreams of doing if he had the chance. When Sammi goes and dies in a hotel fire, Eddie, disheartened, heads off to school to face his typical day of being emotionally bullied by the in-crowd; the pretty faces, lithe bodies, why-do-you-listen-to-that-crap-why-can't-you-be-like-one-of-us crowd. His day is made worse when jock Tim (Doug Savant) precipitates Eddie's sudden appearance--without his very important shower towel--in the girl's gym class. Luckily for Eddie this is the pre-YouTube, Facebook age, so it was just a Polaroid of his butt making the hallway rounds later. Sammi, before he became famous, was bullied and intimidated for being different, too. He even graduated from the school Eddie goes to. Both have a lot in common, but it is Sammi's death that brings them face to face. But at a price of course; this is a horror movie after all.

Java's 2009 Cosmic Halloween Special

It's that time again to hop aboard the cosmic train to Coolsville with Java and his slick slacks, hepcat Halloween special!

Stowaway with Java and his “lycanthropically-inclined” lunatic acquaintance, Miss Lauren Talbot (yes, she’s one of those “Talbots”), on a “hair-raising” adventure back to the wackiest island in the world, as Java suavely tries to recapture the keys to The Pad, while tussling with a girl who’s got more than a mere Smith & Wesson in her personal arsenal, especially when the moon is full!

It’s a crazy cauldron stew that blends Java’s always entertaining musical Treats, with Crumpkin’s Pumpkins’ gleefully wicked dirty Tricks, and a pumpkin-vine-tangled tale that features thrillingly saturated submarine fun, small-arms leaf-wrestling, and the Pirate Zombies of ‘Porte La Morte”, who are always glad to see fresh visitors during the Yoyo Island “Zombie Gras”!

Java will be broadcasting the show on WEFT Champaign IL this “Hallow’s Eve” Friday, October 30^th and you’ll find his podcast at www.javasbachelorpad.com.

Pumpkin Carving Tricks and Tips

When it comes to pumpkin carving, Pumpkin Masters Pattern Books are the black cat's meow. My favorite one, hands down, is the Universal Studios Monsters Carving Pattern Book put out in 2003.

Patterns for Dracula, Frankenstein Monster, Bride of Frankenstein, Wolf Man, Mummy, and Creature From the Black Lagoon, make for quite the monstrous jack o' monsters patch indeed. Sadly, the book is long out of print and nearly impossible to scare up a copy.

So here are three patterns from the book to wet your pumpkin king carving soul.

Just Download Pumpkin_Masters_Monsters (Frankie, Gill Man, and Wolfie) and print out the patterns. This is a PDF document around 7MB.

Watch a pumpkin carving 101 tutorial.

Spook House Dave 2009 Halloween Special

Phantom Harbor Halloween Special

The Captain of Phantom Harbor ladles out the chum for a Halloween treat to his unexpected ghoulish guests, gets things rocking with some old-timey skeleton dancing to Chris Kevin's Haunted House, and cranks up the volume for a hard to please trick or treater.

Phantom Harbor Halloween Special

Need Halloween Help? Try Home Haunt News

The only online magazine dedicated to the home haunter! With how-to guides, make-up tricks, party ideas, and everything else related to home haunting. If they can help me, Mr. Thumbs (severed and all), they can help you. It is a free online resource with lots of useful information to help you make the best of your party, your yard, and your Halloween. You can read it online, or download the PDF.

Home Haunt News

Halloween 2009 Sighted: Shocker Door Knocker

Target has begun to stock Halloween gruesomeness onto their store shelves. I fell in love with this Laboratory Shocker Door Knocker immediately. It's shockingly detailed--nice touch with the dangling electrical wires--and fun to use. Just press down on the handle and it lights up.

Oh, and blood-curdling screams will be heard in-between jolts of zizzing electricity, adding to the merriment. A must for haunted attraction fans.

You can find it online at the Target.com website as well as the store. Click the image to see it close up. Just don't drool.

Remote Control Zombie of Your Very Own!

It's here, it's here! Run for your lives and grab one!

Now, if they'd only come in life-size...

From Archie McPhee:

THE REMOTE CONTROL MOANING, WALKING ZOMBIES!

That's right, you can finally control your own undead minion using a brain-shaped remote that toggles it on and off. No more breaking into graveyards and casting voodoo spells, technology will do it all for you! One push of a button sends your own personal zombie shuffling and moaning in whatever direction you point him! Use this remote control zombie to scare your office mates and torment your pets.

BUY YOUR OWN ZOMBIE HERE!
http://www.mcphee.com/items/11756.html

SEE A VIDEO OF THE ZOMBIE IN ACTION HERE!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uvq_aw6GYOg