mad things

And to end the month of madness, the mother of all Halloween movies:

I hope everyone has a frighteningly wonderful Halloween!

Look what the UPS man just dropped off:

Yummy caramel apples from Sherm Edwards Candies. It’s probably too late to order some apples for yourself but they’ve got a ton of other tasty treats for you. Everyone at OrangeYouGlad loves getting packages from Sherm Edwards!

Thanks Dave!

Oh Tim Burton, why did you have to go and marry the beautiful Helena Bonham Carter when you were obviously meant for me? Hell, I’d marry Helena Bonham Carter too if I had the opportunity!

Starting November 22, 2009 and running until April 26, 2010, you can see Tim Burton’s artwork and films at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.

© Tim Burton. All rights reserved. Used without permission.

© Tim Burton. All rights reserved. Used without permission.

© Tim Burton. All rights reserved. Used without permission.

© Tim Burton. All rights reserved. Used without permission.

© Tim Burton. All rights reserved. Used without permission.

© Tim Burton. All rights reserved. Used without permission.

Well, Gorey-esque is more like it.

Two selections from Twentysix Tiny Tombstones, a tribute to Edward Gorey’s Gashlycrumb Tinies.

© Jordi Villaverdi All rights reserved. Used without permission.

© Carlos Braña All rights reserved. Used without permission.

Check out these wonderful illustrations from Jesse E. Larson:

© Jesse E. Larson. All rights reserved. Used without permission.

© Jesse E. Larson. All rights reserved. Used without permission.

© Jesse E. Larson. All rights reserved. Used without permission.

This one would make an excellent Christmas card:

© Jesse E. Larson. All rights reserved. Used without permission.

Here’s a fun Gorey-esque short:

Dead All Along || Ceri Frost from Giles Timms on Vimeo.

NB – check out Trixie’s Treats for more great Halloween art.

hahaha – this is cute.

Did you know that without bats there would be no tequila? Or that bananas, dates, figs, cashews, avocados and many other night-blooming tropical plants depend on bats for pollination? Or that a single little brown bat can catch more than 1,000 mosquitoes in an hour?

I guess you can tell I’m a big fan of bats – even my dog Ren looked like a flying fox. This is my computer wallpaper:

More bats

View a BBC One video of the biggest gathering of bats in the world.

Dawn Summers and I encountered some flying foxes while in Sydney Australia. Once again, she ran screaming like a little girl. I wanted to pet them. Aren’t they cute?

If you’re in New Orleans this month, check out the Matthew Kirscht exhibit at Big Top Gallery. You can also buy prints, postcards, books and buttons on his site.

© Matthew Kirscht. All rights reserved. Used without permission.

© Matthew Kirscht. All rights reserved. Used without permission.

© Matthew Kirscht. All rights reserved. Used without permission.

More great stuff on flickr

And check out his Dangerous Desserts – fun!

Vintage Halloween postcards are fun but certainly not all that scary. Check out these witchy ones:

Well, this one is a bit scary. Is that a klansman chasing the witch? I’d be scared too!

Did you know that originally, Jack o’ lanterns were were made from turnips and potatoes in Ireland? History.com has a fun section on the history of Jack o’ lanterns and Halloween.

In my neighborhood, every October someone would carve out a ton of baby pumpkins and impale them on their cast iron fence. As the month went on, the grinning or grimacing pumpkins would decay into shrunken heads. I went by there this evening to take some new photos but alas, no pumpkins. However, my friend Steve took a bunch of great photos last year. Here’s some old photos of the pumpkins during the middle of their decomposition:

Some jack o’ lanterns found on the web:

Gourds in Hell

Got the munchies

Crazy intricate Death Star

Some fun jack o’ lantern galleries:

Jack o’ Lanterns
Geeky Jack o’ Lanterns

Tips to carve your own:

Pumpkin-carving.com
Walt’s Pumpkin Carving Secrets
Pumpkin Masters

This time of year haunted houses pop up all over the US. Are you even surprised to learn that I love haunted houses? When I was a kid there was an old abandoned house that some clever folks turned into a haunted house tour, complete with costumed lunatics jumping out from behind closed doors and grabbing you. When you exited the house a guy with a chainsaw would chase you through the woods. Pure joy!

When carnivals came to town I’d always have to go through the horror funhouses. They were always so tacky and certainly worth a laugh. I think a little part of me always tried to scare myself with the idea that maybe, just maybe there would be a true madman hidden inside that would actually kill people.

Of course the mother of all haunted houses is Disney’s Haunted Mansion:

This Haunted Mansion ride in Luna Park, Sydney, Australia scared the bejeezus out of Dawn Summers. Or maybe it was just that skeevy guy following us around inside the ride.