Author: Head Candy Corn

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One YouTube Clip: ALL Hitchcock Cameos Ever!

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While you’re getting ready to apply for Gothtober by August 29th, here’s something fun to watch!

Tired of trying to catch all of those Hitchcock cameos film after film?
Well, now you don’t have to, thanks to YouTube contributor, Morgan T. Rhys! Within this enjoyable compilation you will find Hitchcock breezing through the frame in broad daylight or even in dim night shadow. Other more obvious antics involve facing off with a subway small fry, hiding in a newspaper ad (my personal favorite) catching another drink, being part of a crowd or lugging around a big cello.


While his cameos would often present the big-n-tall director in a hapless or helpless position, his attention to detail and control of his work was legendary.

Hitchcock would almost always do his cameos early in each film, since they can be distracting, and he wanted viewers to be immersed in the story. The exception is in Rope where he’s got a total of three cameos, and they all have specific purpose and meaning, and of course, they all mess with the characters which messes with your head.

Hitchcock’s prankster style asks you to grapple with your own grip on reality while simultaneously guiding you through heights of anxiety that might seem cruel, but actually care about you in the end. His works portray a compassionate unifying sense of humanity that I find to be missing in many films today. Enjoy this careful compilation of cameo gems!

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Betty Boop’s Halloween Party Tips!

As you can see, Betty Boop is pretty budget conscious when it comes to throwing a good halloween party. What can we learn from this Fleischer Bros. cartoon? Here’s what she did  to maximize the fun and minimize spending:

1.) Easy Home Made Invitation: Ms. Boop’s invitations were hand written and blown by the wind, which is pretty old school, it was 1933 after all. I don’t recommend that you send invites via blustery gale, but you can pass out some home made hand bills or use internet methods to spend no money and get the word out.

2.) Budget Decor: If you have a tiny cat that can pop out of the ceiling to egg beat the guts out of your pumpkins, so much the better. But if you don’t: do everything you can to make stuff out of stuff you already have, like milk jug ghost faces or cutting bats out of black construction paper.

3.) Supplying Cheap Snacks: The ONLY thing anyone’s eating in this cartoon is apples. I think you can do a little better than that, but you get my drift? Fruit is just a starting point, veggies and dip if you cut them yourself are a huge money saver, home made cakes taste better and cost wayyy less. If you purchase your libations in bulk you save lots of cash. You can also try making it a potluck, people love trying new recipes!

If you can get your hands on come cat paint or witch paint, that stuff’s worth its weight in gold, and it helps fight any party bullies that might show up, so get some ASAP, I hear it flies off the shelves!

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Tips from “The Master of Suspense”

There is no terror in the bang, only in the anticipation of it. Alfred Hitchcock

Nobody can quite get into your head like ol’ Hitch. I have always liked listening to him talk, and these videos of him explaining things that he knows are like having a mini film school in your pocket!
Here then, is Mr. Hitchcock explaining the difference between mystery and suspense, and what he considers “wasted footage.”
And remember: Gothtober Applications are due August 29th!

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Gothtober 2014 Call for Artists! Apply by August 29th!

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It’s August, do you know where your “Eye of Newt” is?

  • APPLICATIONS ARE DUE AUGUST 29th, 2013 >>>> Apply HERE 
  • Participants will be notified of admission on September 1st, 2014
  • Upon acceptance, a $25 registration fee is required.
  • Theme: Gothtober Bookshelf (Literary
  • Get explanations for just about all of this by visiting the (newly revised!) Gothtober FAQ

If you think it’s not time to start thinking about Gothtober, you obviously haven’t been to the CRAFT store lately! Suddenly, all of the little sand pails and BBQ notepads have disappeared and have been replaced by foam pumpkins and hay bales!

Maybe you don’t know what kind of thing you want to make for Gothtober, here are some of the things we’ve seen in the last 12 years:

3 minute films – crazy, funny, scary, weird, complicated, simple, sexy, terrifying, endearing, sentimental, naughty, bawdy, barmy, beanie, funky, musical, etc.

Crafts – Cut-outs, coloring pages, how-to-projects like masks, games or paper models

Recipes – Shared blueprints for delicious delectables, soups, salads, baked goods and other Halloween Time Treats.

Music – Recorded performances of a song, or a mix of other songs, downloadable mixes, sound effects and other audible goodies.

Stories – Written stories and ideas, shared lists of places or scary books or things to do, epic mysteries that keep Gothtober readers on edge, ghoulish poems, essays, tales from the crypt…

Photos – Photo essays and slideshows that can tell a story or just present things beautifully! Show us your sock collection, the guy who pumps up the inflatable pumpkin at the car dealership every morning, show us your town, show us your costumes!

Anything Else! – Sometimes people make things we’ve never ever heard of, which is very exciting indeed!

This year will be the FIRST year of the Gothtober Ichabod Awards, stay tuned for that, but in the meantime, get your gray matter gunnin’ for some ideas and send us your application ASAP!

 

 

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Polish Those Fangs: Scare LA is almost HERE!

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Scare LA
August 9th and 10th
The Reef (formerly LA Mart)

Scare LA is Halloween convention in Los Angeles, the first of its kind, this will be its second time frightening the hell out of us with it’s maybe-to-convincing severed heads, pumpkin guts and ghastly noises which means YOU HAVE TO GO. If you like all things that creak, squeak and growl, if your idea of a good time is to gaze at brains in jars or eerie looking gentlemen with pallid complexions and dark clothing, this is only the tip of the iceberg.

It’s not just about the gawking, however, it’s also about learning from the best if you want to build your own worlds with monsters, zombies or vampires. Whether it’s make-up, scenery, props or wardrobe, there are people here whose experience is unparalleled serving on panels, teaching classes, making themselves available to share all the haunted knowledge you could shake an axe at… or  bloody stake… whatever, you get the point.

It’s also packed with workshops, performances, films, special guests, games, vendors, and interactive experiences!

 

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Zombie Throat Punch • Gothtober DAY 17

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We’ve seen a lot of helpful information about how to escape zombies if you are human. But how do you escape zombies if you’re another zombie? Or are you just unlucky if you’re a zombie and you both have different goals in mind for your productive day? LB Forever found some zombies and filmed them in action.

Visit Gothtober DAY 17 and click on luggage 17 if you want a glimpse of how sometimes, zombies just get annoyed with each other. As slow-moving and hygiene-absent as they are, they’ve still got stuff to do, and even the most undead person sometimes gets exasperated.

 

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A Deal’s a Deal! The Amazing Hello Circus • Gothtober DAY 15

This wonderful moody little film (Visit Gothtober, click on luggage bag #15) by The Hello Circus is about a day in the life of the Devil. When I asked about that, Lori Meeker (part of Hello Circus) explained that “There are all these stories about people being tricked by the devil, but is it really being tricked? I mean… a deal’s a deal. If you sign, you sign!”

The backgrounds and characters for this story were made by hand, sculpted, placed, and intricately detailed. Hopefully after seeing this beautiful haunting piece, you’t think twice about signing any contracts with evil spirits/deities, it’s never worth it!

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Head Down the Runway with Del Norte Presents for Gothtober DAY 14

What are they watching? They are watching Amelia… where will she go next?

Coming at you from REAL airports in southern California is Del Norte Presents (visit Gothtober and click on luggage #14). Seems like no matter how aimless zombies seem, they do have a goal in mind, and Amelia Earhart is no exception. Most zombies are known to want brains, but zombie Amelia’s a bit different.

Del Norte went all over the place getting this great airport footage! Here’s what Del Norte has to say about it:

The older planes where located at the Proud Bird restaurant by LAX. We did a gorilla photo shoot there a few weeks ago. Zombie Amelia greeted guests in the parking lot. We are thinking to do a Halloween special brunch there in costume…

The plane Amelia gets into was courtesy of our location scout and resident Colombian who’s uncle owns a plane at the Compton airport (that is right we went to Compton)…Awesome yellow van also thanks to our location scout/translator and his uncle.

The brains Del Norte Presents used for the film were sourced in LA, they made jello brains, found gummy brains and plastic brains all in the name of Gothtober! Magnifique!

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Intricacies of Travel Prep • Gothtober Day 13

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Those days of simply putting a bunch of stuff into a bag and taking off for sites unknown are gone, or at least far far away in this piece (Visit Gothtober and click on Luggage #13)
With baggage weight regulations and restrictions on checked-bags and carry-ons, it can start to get complicated rather quickly. They say if you take half the clothing you were planning on taking and twice the money when you travel, you can’t go wrong. Watch Kate try to figure out which items she’s going to take on her trip! Patsy the dog has a nice cameo in here, as does some relaxing time footage of clouds.