Ghoulie Girl Kerli

I'm a music nut. It's one of my indulgences that I refuse to do without.

Last night I was ripping through BMG music club because I've racked up 65 free cds (yes I still buy cds) and I have to use them by the end of April since they are discontinuing their music points program (freaks). I was desperate since I own everything already so I was looking at anything and everything. That's when I was introduced to Kerli.


Coined as a mix of Bjork and Natasha Bedingfield with a touch of Amy Lee, this 21 year old Gothic Lolita with an Estonian accent has a quirky music style loaded with emotion. Songs from the cd include "Love Is Dead", "Strange Boy" and "Creepshow" but the video to "Walking On Air" has a nice creepy Halloween feel to it so I thought I'd share.

For your viewing and listening pleasure - Kerli

P.S. Pull her up on YouTube and check out the song "Bulletproof" if you prefer something a little more mainstream.

P.P.S. And for those of you concerned regarding my outdated approach to music, worry not. I have a Rhapsody and ITunes account and I do own an IPOD. ;)

Tip Toe Through the Tombstones

My husband is ultra cautious. I am so not.

Recent example. We were on a Caribbean cruise and had docked at St. Maarten. Half the island is owned by the French and half by the Dutch. We docked on the French side and after having a looksy I decided we needed to visit the Dutch side as well. Hubby was not amused. He liked to keep the ship in sight should they decide to sail off without us. ::sigh::

I won the debate and we grabbed a cab and headed to the other side. Our driver was wonderful but there was a bit of a language barrier as I had trouble grasping the dialect. So, when we were given instructions on locating the cab stand (a different location than where we were being dropped) I thought I understood. (Whoops! My mistake.)

We took a quick run through Marigot and knowing my husband was nervous I decided we needed to head for the cab stand. I was certain the driver had intended for us to take a left so that's the way we went. We walked along, not a cab in sight, hubby growing more nervous. I looked across the street and there was a long rock wall. Could it be?! I dashed across the street digging for my camera with hubby trying to keep up. I ducked under an overgrown entry into the cemetery.

The water level is high so the graves are above ground like they are in New Orleans. The place was a sad mess. Over-grown, neglected and trash everywhere. I brushed away debris and balanced myself on rubble to get a few pics. Hubby had positioned himself close to the entrance less than thrilled with my excitement over the find.

Here are a few shots. (Sorry I don't know the name of the cemetery.)












Obviously we did manage to find the cab stand. We should have gone right instead of left but if we had I would have missed this little field trip.

The Boys Have Lost It

Ok, so I have the worst head cold in the history of man. Yesterday I got out of bed only to land in the leather recliner, that I affectionately refer to as my bark-o-lounger, in the family room for the better part of the day and night. I dozed on and off but had the misfortune of being awake when Lost Boys: The Tribe came on the tube. Oh lucky me!

The Tribe was released in July 2008 - 20 years after the original LB - and went straight to dvd if that gives you any clue as to how bad this flick is.

Where to begin?? Ok, the first scene opens with our modern tribe of young vampires jumping a fence to surf off a private beach. The head of this vamp tribe, Shane, is played by Angus Sutherland the younger half-brother of Kiefer Sutherland - original LB head vampire David. When confronted by the owner (played by none other than Tom Savini) who is also a vampire, they slaughter him and take over his beach house.

Enter Chris and Nicole, a brother and sister who lost their parents to a car wreck. They move into a beach rental owned by their Aunt Jillian. (Somewhere I remember reading that the siblings were the offspring of Michael and Star from the first LB but I didn't pick that up from the movie. Did I miss it?)

Chris, also a surfer, meets up with Shane who invites him to a party at the beach house. At the party Nicole is seduced by Shane and drinks his blood from his handy-dandy flask thus making her a half vampire.

Now this is where the fun begins. Enter Corey Feldman in the role of Edgar Frog now a surf board shaper and master of the bad wise crack. He tells Chris that in order to save his sister he must slay the head vampire. They hatch a plan for Chris to join up with the tribe and then betray them at the last moment. (Are you on the edge of your seat yet?)

No need to go any further as the plot (ha) can pretty much be predicted from here on out (blood, chaos and vampires dying). But let me get back to the cast...

Gabrielle Rose (Aunt Jillian) serves no real purpose to the movie and probably should have been left on the cutting room floor. Her attempts at humor are boorish at best and we can thank the Gods of cinema that she appears only a few times.

Angus Sutherland (Shane) has a sexy, rock and roll thing going on in this movie which is sure to make the hearts of teenage girls go pity pat. I'm sure many a tween would be lining up for a life of immortality if they got to spend it with him.

Chris (Tad Hilgenbrink) and Nicole (Autumn Reeser) did their parts and looked good doing it but I'm sorry to say their was nothing stand out about either of them.

Corey Feldman (Edgar Frog). What to say about one of the "Corey's"? He delivers his lines in this tough, hardened voice that sounds utterly stupid. His one-liners (even more stupid) include "Your sister's a suck monkey" and "Build a man a fire, he's warm for a day. Light a man on fire, and he's warm for the rest of his life." WTF?

Oh, and one other little tidbit...right after the credits start to roll Edgar (Feldman) confronts Sam (Corey Haim) who has crossed over to the vampire dark side. Please, oh please tell me this isn't setting the scene for a sequel?!

Why did I sit through the entire thing? Perhaps because I lacked the strength to click the remote. I confess I felt pretty crappy so maybe the movie isn't quite this bad? No - really it is.

Haunting Necessities

Creating the proper haunted atmosphere requires a few haunting neccessities. Don't panic! It doesn't need to be expensive, in fact, you can use things you already have or can get for just a few bucks. Here's the run-down:

Candles -

Nothing sets the haunt mood better than flickering lights. You probably have at least a few lying around but if not hit the local dollar store. Creep them out with drips down the sides by burning them down or adding your own drips with hot glue.

If you're on a tight budget don't bother with candle sticks. You can gather several pillar candles on a large heat safe plate.

Remember you have to keep an eye on open flames or your haunt could end up a pile of ash. If you prefer a more carefree approach try Christmas candlesticks or the new battery operated flicker candles. (Hint: the seasonal versions of these go on clearance after the holidays.)

Webbing -

Your house just isn't haunted without webs and they are a basic staple of most Halloween themes from the haunted mansion, to the dungeon to the laboratory.

Bag-o-webs (as we like to call them) are really inexpensive, especially if you pick them up on clearance. They're a bit of a mess to work with but they are the quick and cheap in the world of webs. (Watch for our upcoming tutorial on how to use these in your haunt.)

Hot glue is another option for webbing. Simply build webs or make strings of glue hang down from overhead to give the illusion of webbing. A bit more time consuming and costly than our previous option but it works.

More haunters are opting for beef netting (shown above) which creates a unique and truly creepy display. Easy to use (simply hang, cut and pull) but the most pricy of our options.

No matter which you choose spiders are optional. Afterall, it's obvious there are spiders in the area since you have all those webs!

Music/Sound -

Most would agree that this is a very important component to your haunted display and there are no shortage of options. The obvious solutions includes one of the many CDs available (some of our faves include Nox Arcana, Midnight Syndicate and Virgil Franklin) or you can download your own compilation of tunes and sounds to your MP3 player.

If you're short on time or cash use someone else's Halloween playlist and pipe it through your computer. Here's a few we found on PlayList.com.

Also consider spooky sounds CDs or pop in a horror flick you grabbed from the bargain bin or RedBox.

Other considertions -

Turn off your overhead lights and put black light bulbs in your lamps and exterior lights.
Throw some glow sticks or Christmas string lights in a cauldron or urn to cast an eerie glow.
Drap a semi sheer, light weight cloth over your lamps (use a low watt bulb for safety).
Be lazy. Let the dust gather, the grass grow and the leaves pile up for a deserted look.
Buy moss in the bag from your local craft store and drape it in your trees.
Add a wind chime for a haunting sound. (Grab it at the end of the season on clearance.)

This will get you started but you don't have to stop here! Consider this your base and build on it to your wicked heart's content.

Jekyll, Hyde, NYC and the holidaze

So, long time no see huh? Yes, yes - I realize we've been MIA so let me get you up to speed. First off Tracy is in retail at a major department store so currently she's sitting in a corner somewhere drowning herself into a margarita coma mumbling something about killing Santa in his sleep.

As for me I've been busy, busy. The hubby and I took a quick trip to NYC right before Christmas (yeah, like we had time to fit that in). We took in the windows at Saks and Macys (worth it), ate at Tavern on the Green (ok, but over-rated) and saw Jersey Boys (highly recommended). But - my main goal while in the Big Apple was to drop by the Jekyll and Hyde Club so I could give you all a quick review.

First off the Club was easy to spot. They had their creepy Cadillac out front and the exterior is impressive - it just beckons you to enter. I stood in an open parking space to snap these pics. (I took my life in my own hands people so I hope you appreciate it.) .



At the door stood two ghoulish figures who seemed to pay no-never-mnind to me as I snapped pics. When I was done they still ignored me so I asked if they were serving to which the butler replied "We aren't but they are inside". Ahhhh a comedian! Ok, then "Do you have room?" His response, "Only for one of you." Sorry hubby - you're on your own.

He shuffled us in the front doors into a small entry type hallway. The lights flickered and dimmed and he put on his best character voice to inform us that we would have to be deemed worthy to enter. A video screen awoke behind us and a Crypt Keeper style character taunted us for a bit while the ceiling above us appeared to slowly descend upon us. (Hmmm - Disney Haunted Mansion anyone?)

After passing the test we were ushered in on the first floor to the hostess who told us we would need to go up one flight to the Library. We were seated immediately (it was about 1:30 in the afternoon) so that was good.

Our table was directly over top of a golden Zeus statue that would come to life every so often. We had a perfect view of the stage below where the mad doctor would bring his monster creation to life. A band of zombie skeletons played songs and we were entertained throughout our stay by a cast of characters. Our favorite was the joke cracking gargoyle who decended from above.



The library (second floor) is lined with "books" and you'll be hard pressed to find the bathrooms which are hidden behind the bookcases. Good thing I didn't need to go. The atmosphere was perfectly creepy but let's get to the purpose of the visit - to eat!

This is pretty much your standard fare - hamburgers, sandwiches, etc. We were asked if we wanted to purchase one of their collectible mugs (for $6 a pop) which would give us free refills. We bit so we ended up with two of those. We each ordered a hamburger with fries and mozzerella sticks appetizer. It took a while for the food to arrive despite the fact that they were not packed and had plenty of staff. That was fine as we enjoyed the animatronic entertainment. However, when we were done it took forever to get our bill. Now, here's the kicker - our bill with tax and tip (2 burgers, fries, cheese sticks and two collectible mugs) was [insert drum roll here] $76!! (That does not include the hat and tee I bought on the way out through their gift shop.)

Now to be fair we knew that before we got the tab. There is a $3 entertainment fee per person tacked on which may seem a bit steep but I know it takes some dough to have this kind of establishment in NYC and animatronics don't come cheap.

All in all I recommend it if you go for the creep factor. The food is mediocre at best and the service is fair. Kids will do fine here as it's not overly scary. Just expect to pay for the privilage.