In Ruins

Dawn (of Nickols Manor fame) posted back in May about The Baker Hotel located in Mineral Wells, Texas. The Baker was built in the 1920s and abandoned some 40-50 years later. Vacant and deteriorating, it reminded me of something I had come across earlier in the year.

Oh it all began innocently enough. My BFF, Google, and I were trolling the internet looking for dilapidated buildings for haunt inspiration when I came upon Yves Merchand & Romain Meffre Photography and their Ruins of Detroit. The book had not yet come out (but is now available on Amazon) so I just poked around the site.

I love old buildings and have been known to nose around in abandoned structures if the opportunity presents itself. Akin to snooping around the graveyard, feeling the soul of it's old bones and wondering what used to be.

I have a soft spot for Detroit though I've never been there. See, the hubby is in the car business and has been for over 25 years. When you think of cars you can't help but think of Motor City. I was especially pleased to see Chrysler with their recent ad campaign focus on Detroit. (Adding Eminem to the mix didn't hurt either.) Let me add here that hubby was not amused with my fascination with the ads. We don't sell Chrysler. Ehhh - but that's not the point.

So what is the point of this post? I know I was going somewhere with this.


The falling down buildings with their haunting rooms and peeling walls are ideal backdrops for a haunt and a look that many try to obtain. You will find some inspiration within the Ruins of Detroit but it's also a reminder that nothing stays the same and these old relics host the ghosts of dreams and disappointment from those that came before.

**All photos copyright Yves Merchand & Romain Meffre Photography and shown only as an small sampling of the stunning photos you can find in their book, Ruins of Detroit.

All by myself

All by myself
Don't wanna be, all by myself anymore...

Just spinning a little Eric Carmen for you all in Ghoulie Land. That song reminds me of being in the roller skating rink. Suddenly the lights dim down and a deep voice comes over the PA to announce it's couple's skate. And so they pair off - holding hands, skating circles in their bell bottom pants, blushing and making small talk. Pity the ghoul with no partner. ::sigh::

Well, I've successfully dated myself again.

Anywho...so you have just this one and only Ghoulie Girl. Sitting here. All by myself.

God I need a beer!

So, let's see...what is the topic of the moment? Ah, yes...being alone. The house is empty and I'm sitting here perusing the internet searching for something strange and unusual. [Quote Lydia Deetz "I, myself, am strange and unusual"].

With too many results I narrowed down my quest to zombies. After all, they are the latest and greatest in the horror genre. (I'm having The Walking Dead withdrawals as we speak. Fall cannot come soon enough!)

So what did I find?
I'm so glad you asked!

These have been on my Must Have list for several months now.



By Iron Fist, Zombie Stomper peep toe pumps. I'm in love! I can't say for sure but I'd bet that in the case of an actual zombie attack you could use these as a weapon.

I haven't decided to go with the green or limited edition glow in the dark. Suggestions???

Here's another item I had on my possible purchase list last season:



The Zombie of Montclaire Moors Statue from Design Toscano. Designed by artist Alan Dickinson the site claims "If this doesn't scare your neighbors, nothing will!" I'm not sure about that but I do think it's an excellent static piece with exceptional realism.

And finally, if you haven't already met, allow me to introduce you to Zombie Boy.



Bizarre Magazine interviewed him in 2008. His mission: to cover his outer self with his inner self to present a full size corpse. A real live member of the walking and rotting dead, Rick, hails from Montreal. He claims that "There’s all sorts of weird sh*t here in Montreal, so I kind of blend in with the culture...". Hmmm - makes me kind of nervous to visit our neighbors to the North!

He was most inspired by George A Romero's Living Dead movies. Hey - I love those too but I'm just not this committed. If I were I'm sure the hubby would have me committed.

Zombies have finally come into their own, pushing aside their more famous horror cousins for their time in the spotlight. I guess you could say that they're all the rage (pun intended). But I want to know what you haunters think. Will you be incorporating zombies into your haunt? Is the zombie your costume of choice for the 2011 season? Are zombies here to stay or will they fall by the wayside in a pile of decay?

Haunt on!

Goodbye to a Ghoulie Girl

Where, oh where, have the Ghoulie Girls gone? Like the mist fading from the cemetery grounds it would seem they have vanished with the dawn.

Pfffft!

It's been over a year. Did the passion for Halloween burn out?
Nope.

Did the ghouls get into a fight and find themselves in a heated court battle for the rights to the site?
Uh - no.

Well, what's the 411?
Simple, really. It's called life.

There are some changes coming and we'll be back. Well, one of us will be. The name will remain the same but there will be, for a while anyway, only one ghoul behind the scenes.

Tracy has experienced some significant life changes and is moving in another direction. I love her dearly and wish her all the best.

I hope to bring in another Ghoulie to give the blog a bit more bite! I have someone in mind but she doesn't know it. I must craft my approach carefully. Yes, sneaky and underhanded maneuvers will be required. Mwahahahah!

Now - enough of the sap. Onto the business of haunting!

In the News....

Stolloween recently completed his Boris the Troll project for Midland, Michigan’s 2011 Downtown Sculpture Series. This is a must see!

The Mad Lab is back up and running with TWO brand new contests for the haunt prop builder. Plus two very cool prizes. Worth checking out!

Free at last! Free at last! HauntCast is free again. That's right ghoulies. You can once again listen to the hauntalious crew podcast without a subsciption. But hey - don't be cheap! Support their sponsors so we can keep this thing going!

Home Haunt News rises from the abyss and will be launching a new edition on July 15. They are currently looking for submissions so if you've got something good to offer hit them up!

On a final note - As I was attempting to help a fellow haunter run down a prop how-to I stumbled across this:

The French Design Studio, Pool, recently debuted this plastic skull chair. Now tell me, what could be better than sitting in one of these watching the kiddos splash around in the pool? Love it!