HAuNTcon Special Discounts from Midwest Airlines

Milwaukee will host HAuNTcon 2009 - the Haunted Attraction National Tradeshow & Convention. While it's a short drive from Chicago, the International Association of Haunted Attractions has partnered with Midwest Airlines and you can take up to 10% off your airfare if you are traveling to HAuNTCon 2009 in Milwaukee.

Three easy ways to save when booking your flight.

1. Visit midwestairlines.com and enter promo code CMZ1642


2. Call Midwest at 800-452-2022 and provide agent with promo code CMZ1642


3. Purchase ticket through a travel agent and mention promo code CMZ1642
   

• 10% discount valid for tickets purchased at least 60 days in advance and a 6% discount for tickets purchased within 60 days of travel


• Applicable travel dates for discount are April 20-May 7, 2009 to Milwaukee from any city served by Midwest Airlines


• Does not apply to code share itineraries with Northwest Airlines

Trickin' It To The Treats!

Here's a little off-season Halloween fun - be sure to watch through to the end!



Can't see the video above? Here's the LINK.

Halloween is over - Now what?

Halloween may be over, but the spookiness in the Chicagoland area doesn't end at Halloween and HauntedHouseChicago.com will continue to bring you information about horror, Halloween and haunted house events throughout the year. Following are a few upcoming events, and several other websites you can keep tabs on to make sure you're keeping it spooky 24/7/365!

HHC

Add HauntedHouseChicago.com on MYSPACE!

Add/Follow HauntedHouseChicago.com on TWITTER!

EVENTS (Click the names to go to the websites)

Fangoria's Weekend of Horrors Fangoria returns to Rosemont in March for 3 days of bloody good fun.

Flashback Weekend Chicago's own home-grown horror convention returns in the spring for a special Twilight-themed event the first weekend in April!

HAuNTcon The Annual Haunted Attraction National Tradeshow & Convention will take place in Milwaukee the last weekend in April in 2009. Open to the general public, HAuNTcon is a great place to learn about the business of haunting, network with haunters on a national level, sample some of Wisconsin's best haunted houses and generally have a spooky good time on exactly the opposite end of the year from Halloween!

EXTENDED EVENTS : Haunted House Tradeshows Within Driving Distance of Chicago (Click the names to go to the websites)

TransWorld's Haunt & Attractions Show, St. Louis, MO March, 2009

The Midwest Haunters Convention, Columbus, OH June, 2009

WEBSITES (Click the names to go to the websites)

ChicagoHorror.com Stay up-to-date on All Things Scary in the Chicagoland area!

ChicagoZombie.com Stay up-to-date on All Things Zombie in the Chicagoland area!

ZombieArmyProductions.com The production team behind the 3 HHC User Top-Rated Haunted Houses in Chicago also makes movies and other mischief throughout the year.

ZombiePinups.com Beauty & BRAAAINS! The website that helped launch a cultural phenomena is based in Chicago and holds events and contests throughout the year!

HauntingHorror.com The Official Message Board for HauntedHouseChicago.com, the 4 sites listed above and a dozen other horror, Halloween and haunt industry websites.

FOR THE HAUNTED HOUSE ENTHUSIAST (Click the names to go to the websites)

RottingFleshRadio.com The weekly podcast for the horror, Halloween & haunted house industries - music, news, interviews and much more!

ChatGraveyard.com The online haunters' hangout. Meet and network with haunted house owners, actors, make up artists, etc. via live chat.

HauntedAttraction.com The website for the Premier Magazine for the Haunted House Industry.

IAHAweb.com The Official Website for the International Association of Haunted Attractions - Scream As One!

HauntUniverse.com The social network where Haunt Industry owners, actors, home haunters, and enthusiasts can communicate.

The Top 10 Haunted Houses in Chicagoland 2008

The reviews and votes are in and we have the Top 10 Haunted Houses in Chicagoland for 2008! Congratulations to those who made the cut and here's hoping ALL the haunted houses in Chicagoland had a safe and successful Halloween season!

HHC Critics' Picks 2008

Chosen by the HHC Review Staff

1. Nightmares: Basement of the Dead
2. Statesville Haunted Prison/City of the Dead
3. Dungeon of Doom
4. Dream Reapers
5. Raven's Grin Inn
6. Reapers Realm
7. The Fear at Navy Pier
8. Eleventh Hour/Evil Intentions
9. Realm of Terror
10. Dragon's Dome

HHC User Picks 2008

As voted by HHC Users throughout October

1. The Fear at Navy Pier
2. Statesville Haunted Prison/City of the Dead
3. Dragon's Dome
4. Reapers Realm
5. Realm of Terror
6. Eleventh Hour/Evil Intentions
7. Anna in the Darkness
8. Nightmares: Basement of the Dead
9. Dream Reapers
10. St. Pascal's Haunted House

Haunting Beyond Halloween

Think the haunted house season ends tonight (Halloween)? Think again! Many haunted houses are open through Saturday or Sunday (check individual haunt websites for dates/hours of operation), and there's a brand new quartet of haunted houses open until the second weekend in November!

FEAR ITSELF just opened a couple of weeks ago in Mishawaka, Indiana, and is definitely worth the short hour-and-a-half drive! Fear Itself features 4 full haunted houses (with more in production for 2009!) - the Zombie Army made the trek to check it out earlier this week and we were all very impressed with this new "Skream Park", which is the first stage of a full-fledged amusement park and haunted complex. Fear Itself is open until November 16th - find out more at http://www.fearitself.tv. Treat yourself to a late-season scare!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Happy Halloween from everybody at HauntedHouseChicago.com!

D. E. CHRISTMAN'S TOP HALLOWEEN PICKS

D. E. Christman is a dark artist, the man behind the Grendel's Den Design Studio, The Philly Zombie Crawl & Zombie Prom, and numerous other nefarious projects.

TOP 10 HALLOWEEN MOVIES

1. Poltergeist (It's filled with frigging ghosts out the wazoo. Can't get more Halloween than that.)
2. Halloween (1978)
3. The Exorcist (So sacraliciouses and creepy. May not have anything to do with Halloween but it is one of the best horror films ever.)
4. It's The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown!
5. The Nightmare Before Christmas
6. Halloween (2007)
7. Return of the Living Dead (The dead coming back to life to eat your brains! And one of them is Linnea Quigley! Oh hells yeah, I like it spooky!)
8. Beetlejuice
9. Night of the Demons
10. Sleepy Hollow

TOP 10 HALLOWEEN CDS

1. The Nightmare Before Christmas: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
2. Halloween Hootenanny (various artists)
3. The Return Of The Living Dead: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
4. Spook Along With Zacherley
5. Cheat The Devil by The Young Werewolves
6. Dead Man's Party by Oingo Boingo
7. Suspiria: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
8. Bloody Kisses by Type O Negative
9. Purifying Fire by Lustmord
10. Bram Stoker's Dracula: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

THE SOUND & THE FURY

Sometime in September every year, as the temperature drops and the leaves start to turn, my music listening habits change completely. For 10 months out of the year I'm a total Rivet-head, listening to harsh, grinding industrial noise and rhythms, because that's what I've been into since Wax Trax & Nettwerk were wet behind the ears.

But for 2 months out of the year, September and October, I listen to nothing but Halloween music & sound effects, since I was a kid and wore out my copies of BLOODCURDLING! HORROR! TERROR! SOUNDS TO MAKE YOU SHIVER! and CASPER and DISNEY'S THRILLING, CHILLING SOUNDS OF THE HAUNTED HOUSE and THE STORY & SONG FROM THE HAUNTED MANSION. I never stopped listening to and collecting Halloween and horror themed audio, and the internet has made this habit an obsession.

So today, Dear Halloween and Haunt Seeker, I'm going to share with you some choice sources for TERRIFIC Halloween/Haunt/Horror-themed audio, divided into Modern and Retro Categories.

MODERN

Rotting Flesh Radio : RFR is a weekly podcast that covers the haunt/horror/Halloween industries (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED). This year RFR threw their hat into the audio ring with Dark Pandemonium: A Descent Into The Labyrinth of the Mind, a terrific CD of music and atmospheric sound

Midnight Syndicate : If you don't know who MS is by now, you haven't been to a costume or Halloween store in 10 years. Midnight Syndicate owns Halloween when it comes to music, and this year they've released a new CD of music for their upcoming movie The Dead Matter, which is spectacular.

Virgil Franklin : One of the haunted house industry's best-kept secrets, Virgil creates music and soundscapes designed to be used in and around haunted houses, but for those that love All Things Spooky, Virgil's CDs are essential listening.

In A World... : For the last couple of years, Nicole and Dirk have sent me their "In A World" Halloween-themed CDs, and I've loved everything they've sent. Alternating between music and themed atmospheres, if you love Halloween, you'll love these CDs.

Massimo Nero : Out of nowhere this year comes Massimo Nero with Halloween Obscura, a CD that is as serious as a heart attack. There is nothing sentimental or familiar with this CD - it is designed to creep you out, and is the closest thing to what I listen to the rest of the year that I've ever heard marketed as "Halloween-themed". Dark, dark, dark.

Netherworld : Last year, Netherworld, one of the country's top-rated haunted houses, released "Spirits of the Dead", featuring the music of Michael Allen. Simply put, this CD belongs on the shelf of any/every Halloween/haunted house/horror enthusiast, period.

RETRO

There are a surprising number of online resources for old-school Halloween and haunted house music and audio, where you can rediscover and download lost Halloween treasures from your childhood. Here are my favorites.

Mostly Ghostly Music Sharing BLAAAHHHHGGG! : Ever since Scarstuff.com stopped updating and lost its download links, the Mostly Ghostly site has been (in my opinion) the #1 champion of retro Halloween audio, offering a treasure trove of vintage, retro and out-of-print music, sound effects, spoken word and audio.

Once you've gone through and downloaded everything offered, start hitting the links on the right-hand side to discover even more obscure and wonderful audio.

Vinnie Rattolle's Records : Vinnie's blog is a great resource for obscure and out-of-print horror soundtracks and other spooky audio ephemera.

Happy downloading! While you're at it, be sure to swing by Sinister Fonts and Sinister Sonics for my own FREE original Halloween and haunted downloads!

GEOFFREY GRAVES' TOP HALLOWEEN PICKS

Geoffrey Graves is a Chicago-based special effects make-up artist and sculptor, as well as being the man behind Spooky/Halloween Buttons! http://www.spookybuttons.com / http://www.halloweenbuttons.com

So whenever this time of year comes around, I start waxing nostalgic. There is something in the air that just makes me think of the years past of trick or treating, hot apple cider and pumpkin patches on cool days. So many of my picks are older movies with a special place in my heart. And I love the fun side of Halloween as well as the horror side. Actually, as much as I like a good horror movie, I think I like a good wonderfully dark and silly movie more. I can't tell you how many times I have LISTENED to these movies, let alone actually watched them. (hey, when you are in the studio making monsters, you need something to keep you going at times!) There is no single order that these are in, I love them all for different rerasons. And every October, I watch them all!!!

1. Halloween (the original)
2. The Exorcist
3. House of 1,000 Corpses
4. Shawn of the Dead
5. Return of the Living Dead
6. A Nightmare on Elm Street
7. Fright Night
8. Transylvania 6-5000
9. Young Frankenstein
10. Th Haunted Mansion (the Disney Land ride is my fave place on earth!!)
11. Michael Jacksons Thriller deserves special mention here. it WAS a movie in my mind, and is one of the reasons I became a SPFX artist!

HAUNTED HOUSE MOVING SALE

Sunday, October 26, Noon - 4:00 pm
2644 N Sacramento Ave
Chicago 60647

See the stuff for sale HERE.

For full details, go HERE.

KITTY ZOMBIE'S TOP HALLOWEEN PICKS

Kitty is the zombie shock trooper with the brain of a puppy that you'll find wandering around outside The Fear Haunted House and at many a ZombiePinups.com event! www.kittyzombie.com

This is Kittys top 10 movies he LOVES to watch on or around Halloween. Fun, silly and sometimes a tad dark. Just like Kitty himself!

1. It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown
2. Vincent
3. Casper
4. The Nighmare Before Christmas
5. Disney's Sleepy Hollow
6. Addams Family
7. Beetlejuice
8. Frankenweenie
9. Monster House
10. Scary Godmother

JOHN EVERSON'S TOP HALLOWEEN PICKS

John Everson is the Chicago-based Bram Stoker Award-winning author of the novels Covenant (Leisure Books, 2008) and Sacrifice (Leisure Books, 2009). http://www.johneverson.com

FAVORITE HALLOWEEN MOVIES

OK, so I've watched hundreds of horror movies, but after the fact, I rarely remember very much about them besides whether I loved or hated. So some of these may not actually have anything to do with Halloween except in my mind; hence my rationalizations afterwards...

1. Beetlejuice - aside from the classic melding of ghastly dancing to Harry Belafonte and including Michael Keaton's most memorable performance EVER, this move features ghosts "dressing up as ghosts" in sheets to scare people. That gets me every time.
2. Edward Scissorhands - Tim Burton is my Halloween visual hero and Edward offers Vincent Price as a "Frankenstein" and a boy with blades for hands. Brilliance!
3. The Nightmare Before Christmas - You can easily justify watching this animated flick over and over again from Halloween to Christmas - extending the pumpkin love a full quarter of the year!!!
4. Halloween - OK... serious horror. And one of the best - not because of blood, but because of the THREAT of it -- plus, a perfectly simple, creepy theme and a gutload of suspense. Now that's a horror movie.
5. House of 1,000 Corpses -- a lot of people panned this flick but for me, it was a non-stop haunted house ride on film. Love it!
6. Suspiria -- another movie that's like living through a haunted house, as our heroine survives hell in a girl's school and the first of Dario Argento's "three witches".
7. Evil Dead 2 - OK... this may or may not take place on Halloween, but it's in an old shack in the woods in the fall.. so it has to be NEAR Halloween. And there are ghouls and chainsaws and a Book of the Dead... it's the perfect film to watch ON Halloween whether the film's events take place then or not.
8. The Shining -- Where Zombie's haunted house flick is a hatchet to the head, Kubrick's is more like a thin needle through the ear -- this is the ultimate "haunted house" on film. Only Kubrick could make a monolithic hotel feel claustrophobic.
9. Ginger Snaps -- one of the only werewolf movies out there with real bite. And of course, it begins during the full moon of October when a bite and subsequent werewolf transformation serve as the metaphor for Ginger's first period and transformation into womanhood. Can any girl survive that?
10. Shaun of the Dead -- just because, nothing says Halloween like a zombie flick. A really, really funny zombie flick. With ascerbic social commentary, love on the rocks and a last stand in a bar. This actually ties on my list with Dead Alive, but my son's name is Shaun so... Shaun wins!

FAVORITE HALLOWEEN CDS

Music should set a mood. It doesn't have to overtly be songs about skeletons and witches, but rather, just set a vibe that makes things feel a little off-kilter... spiralling downward... I could have picked out lots of fine goth bands to populate this list -- from Joy Division to Bauhaus to Cruxshadows... but here are the things I light a candle to most when I want to take a midnight ride...

1. This Mortal Coil - It'll End in Tears -- beautifully haunting, melancholy renditions of both old and new songs by the most avant garde 4AD label artists of the '80s. With the sonic loops, cryptian strings and echoing vocals, this is great Halloween season fare. Play this graveside with a guttering black candle and you'll raise the dead.
2. This Mortal Coil - Filigree and Shadow -- do you sense a theme? This one's a double album of dark disturbing grace.
3. Various Artists - Lonely is an Eyesore -- an early 4AD compilation featuring some of the hippest darkest acts of '80s pop -- Colourbox, This Mortal Coil, The Wolfgang Press, Throwing Muses, Dead Can Dance, Cocteau Twins, Dif Juz and Clan of Xymox.
4. Elysian Fields - Bleed Your Cedar -- slipstream ethereal beauty with a dark core of hidden fire.
5. Dream Theater -- Scenes From A Memory-- a hard rock concept album about someone going under hypnosis to rediscover a past life where a love triangle went wrong and resulted in murder - it's like listening to a black and white noir horror movie turned 3D.
6. Nick Cave - Murder Ballads. It's Nick Cave. Singing about murders. Need I say more?
7. The Cure - Bloodflowers. I was going to say Disintegration, but you know... they did that disc one better with the layered pathos of 'flowers. It's a dark mood album, start to finish.
8. Rob Zombie - Hellbilly Deluxe-- because when he's not making haunted house movies, he's making haunted house albums.

KRIS ZAHROBSKY'S TOP HALLOWEEN PICKS

Kris Zahrobsky is the founder and lead reviewer for HauntedHouseChicago.com

1. Halloween (1978) Without a doubt. The first horror movie that I ever loved. Beside the great story, setting, and unbelievable talent, this movie gave birth to Michael Myers. Arguably the greatest horror villain of all-time, he was more to me than just a slasher like Freddy or Jason; he was intelligent. Yes, he was able to get hit, burned, stabbed, and 500 other ways of being killed. Yes, he kept the relentless pursuit of his victims. But, he didn't do it like a Mack Truck. He was somewhat creative and seemed to plot, plan and use deception. Never have I been so proud to be from Illinois.
2. Night of the Living Dead (1968)"They're coming to get you, Barbara." What a great line! This is one of the best of zombie movies of all time. What really makes this film great is the feeling of hopelessness that is conveyed to the viewer. With this apocaly ptic approach, the film succeeds on so many levels. Not to mention, it definitely makes you think twice about buying that old farm house near the graveyard...
3. Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) This movie has everything a perfect horror movie should have... and then it adds that little disclaimer in the beginning that it was based on true e vents. Talk about crossing that dimension! And just think of that pig squeal and steel door slamming... and then add in those picturesque views of the skulls and corpse pieces. Absolutely horror at some of its greatest!
4. House of 1,000 Corpses (2003) / The Devil's Rejects (2005) I absolutely love Rob Zombie movies. These stand out to me for so many reasons: great settings, scenes and camera work, combined with perfectly casted actors for the amazing characters he has created. Sure, it may lots in common with a ton of other movies, but then again, what modern movies don't? The Firefly Family is easily in my top 3 horror movie villains of all time.
5. 28 Days Later (2002)Yes, it has so much in common with Night of the Living Dead/Dawn of the Dead. But for me, this movie is just so much more powerful. From the opening scenes of isolation in a lifeless urban center, to the relentless pursuit of mindless, flesh-hungry zombies, this movie is very much THE modern zombie flick. In a beautiful balance, it mixes biolog ical chemical warfare and countless corpses that just won't stay dead.
6. The Blair Witch Project (1999) This movie changed the game and set the standard for a ton of movies that followed. Even though the camera work is horrible and you often get violently ill with motion sickness, the suspense is unimaginable. (Not to mention, it does all of t his and you never even meet the movie's namesake!) Oh and then, there's that little disclaimer about it being real. Definitely makes you think twice about going camping...
7. The Ring (2002)"...7 Days..." What a disturbing phone call! What a disturbing video! Talk about some general disturbing images throughout this movie... it's freaky and it's great. It will make the hair stand on the back of your neck and your butt on the edge of the seat. From a monochrome ghost girl crawling out of the TV to the horse head and fly that won't sit still, this is a roller coaster of a suspense-mystery that delivers.
8. Saw (2004) What a mind f*ck! I love how this movie works its magic. Never before have I thoroughly enjoyed watching a flick filmed basically in one room. Plus, the fact that the setup isn't really all that crazy. We aren't dealing with a super-invincible baddy here. We're dealing with a crippled and hobbled man in a skeleton body who can barely breathe on his own. Oh, but I forgot to mention, he20happens to be a genius, has seemingly endless resources, and is the Thomas Edison of torture devices.
9. The Crow (1994) Besides being a great Halloween movie, this is just a great movie in general. A heartwarming story with a dark hero who fights for what's right and the woman he loves...even in death. Using a specialized color scheme, this movie comes across a s dark and haunting, with the tones of light and hope shining through Brandon Lee and Co. Vindication never felt (or looked) so good.
10. The Strangers (2008) (Ok, I have to admit. I was absolutely debating on this one. The movie just came out a few months ago and I wasn't just quite sure if it was in my top 10. I knew I liked it, but I had to really think about HOW much I liked it. Well, as you can plainly see, I decided to include it on my list.)
    Of all the horror movies out there, this one sets itself apart. While it employs many of the tactics others have used, it blends them smoothly and then adds in its own little spice. I think what really makes it scary is how realistic it could be... (Not to mention, it also was based off of true events.) No super villains, no invincible baddies, no resurrected meatsacks. Just real people in a real setting. While it can be slow and quiet at times, it is extremely powerful and effective.Of all the horror movies I have seen, this does everything it is supposed to: its makes me turn on the lights, check the closet, and make sure the door is locked.

DEANNA MORTON'S TOP HALLOWEEN PICKS

Deanna Morton is the Secretary for the International Association of Haunted Attractions, moderates the Haunt Club Chicago Yahoo! Group and has been a successful home haunter for many years.

FAVORITE HALLOWEEN MOVIES

1. Dracula
2. The Mummy
3. Frankenstein
   
4. The Wolfman When I was a wee tot, my dad would wake me up late to watch the original Svengoolie on Chicago's Creature Feature, and these early films were those that really captured my imagination. They soon became my imaginary friends. Basically, they set the theme of my life.
5. Hocus Pocus - 'cause a VIRGIN lit the black flame candle!
6. Sleepy Hollow - Tim Burton.. 'nuff said.
7. Young Frankenstein - A hilarious classic!
8. Nightmare Before Christmas - It's all about the Pumpkin King!
9. Nosferatu - amazing silent, original score, or with the various Gothic Industrial Scores
10. Tie Between Coppola's Dracula & Underworld... both for their freaky gothic costumes & sets.

FAVORITE HALLOWEEN CDS

• Nightmare Before Christmas Soundtrack
• Sleepy Hollow Soundtrack
• Coppola's Dracula Soundtrack
• Clive Manor - Michael Hedstrom
• Black Cat 13 - Michael Hedstrom
• Vampyre - Midnight Syndicate
• 13th Hour - Midnight Syndicate
• Darklore Manor - Nox Arcana
• Ironstock Soundtrack - Various (Parodies of well known classic songs with a haunt/prop/home haunt theme)
• Oculus Infernum - Van Helsing's Curse

FAVORITE HAUNTED HOUSES IN OR AROUND CHICAGOLAND

Argh! It's SO hard to pick! This year I've only gone to a few haunts, & none in the immediate Chicagoland areas. In the past I've enjoyed:

• Dream Reapers
• Eleventh Hour
• Rockford Screamfest
• Raven's Grin Inn - not your typical *haunt* but creepy beyond belief.
• I'm hoping to get to Statesville & The Fear at Navy Pier this year.
• In Wisconsin, I enjoy Terror on the Fox & Wisconsin Feargrounds

HALLOWOOT!

Woot.com is a great site - "One Day, One Deal". Every day at Midnight CST, they offer a new product at a ridiculously low price.

Then there's Shirt.Woot.com, same thing, except it's original (and often user-submitted-and-voted) t-shirt designs.

As of yesterday, they started doing HALLOWOOT! -- Halloween-themed shirts. Get yours before they sell out, and be sure to check daily for the new Shirt Woot!

http://shirt.woot.com/

CNN Article About Haunted Houses

Great article about haunted houses and the haunted house industry - Chicago gets mentioned specifically for Chicagoween!

http://www.cnn.com/2008/TRAVEL/10/20/halloween.festivities/index.html

KRISTIN'S TOP HALLOWEEN PICKS

Kristin is a Chicago-area dark artist, runs the fantastic Yahoo! Group Chicago Creepster, an excellent source for information about all things spooky in and around Chicago, and is very active in the horror scene in Chicago.

FAVORITE HALLOWEEN MOVIES

Halloween always puts me in a mood for slashers, but they're always on TV so I'm choosing the favorite films that I'm always itching to see all year long but never take the time to enjoy. October is self-indulgent month!

1. LADY IN WHITE - My all-time favorite film centered around Halloween. The right elements of gothic melodrama make this the perfect innocent ghost story that remains golden to this day. Makes you miss being a kid.
2. PET SEMATARY - Another golden creepy classic that has everything you'd ever want in a spooky film...and how DARE they remake this?!? (Set to be released in 2010-Grr...)
3. PUMPKINHEAD - A wonderful dark fairy tale with the coolest monster f/x I've ever seen, courtesy of artist/film's director, Stan Winston. (R.I.P.)
4. RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD - This was my favorite flick to bring to sleepovers as a teen (which annoyed my friends greatly) and the best punk rock party movie which makes me proud to be a part of its massive cult following...plus the coolest poster ever!
5. NIGHTBREED - Monsters and madness in their most beautiful form. Thank you, Clive Barker, you've made me a believer of Midian.
6. FLATLINERS - Cheesy, I suppose, but this takes place during Halloween and for its time was pretty well done. Shot in Chicago, too! Love it.
7. HELLBOUND: HELLRAISER II - Again, Clive gives us blood, beauty, gore and pain all in one lovely, perfect horror film. Can anyone's imagination top his? I don't think so. His mind greatly inspires my artwork as well.
8. NEAR DARK - My favorite vampire film that never mentions the word vampire. Gritty, rebellious and funny: guns, burnt skin, spontaneous combustion, great soundtrack, & the coolest kickass characters you'd never want to meet in a bar. I've never seen anything else like it.
9. MONSTER HOUSE - Amazing computer animation, great for Halloween.
10. Bizarre FRANKENSTEIN flicks - Sorry, I couldn't narrow it down. The weirder, the better: FRANKENHOOKER, YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN, FLESH for FRANKENSTEIN, FRANKENTHUMB, etc.

FAVORITE HALLOWEEN CDS

1. HALLOWEEN HOOTENANNY (No spookster should be without! Rob Zombie illustrations/art design...and killer surf music)
2. PSYCHOCHARGER-Curse of the Psycho (Songs like "Graverobbers from Outer Space," "Redneck Zombies," and my pal Eric Pigors (TOXIC TOONS fiend art) performs voiceover on "Channel 13"..sounding like the Cryptkeeper!
3. GOBLIN-Suspiria soundtrack
4. HOUSE OF 1,000 CORPSES soundtrack
5. SKINNY PUPPY-Too Dark Park (oh yes, full of fright!)
6. HELLRAISER/HELLBOUND: HELLRAISER II - both composed by Christopher Young
7. ALIEN SEX FIEND-Drive My Rocket ("Now I'm Feeling Zombified")
8. MINISTRY-Psalm 69 ("Scarecrow" is a good one to listen to as the dark orange Halloween sky welcomes the bats flying over your head!)
9. SLAYER-Seasons in the Abyss ("Dance with the dead in my dreams...")
10. DANZIG-Lucifuge

Haunted Houses : Front Page News

Yesterday's Chicago Tribune featured a front-page article about haunted houses - read the article HERE.

Master Ron Fitzgerald's Top 10 Halloween Movies

Ron Fitzgerald is a Chicago-based gothic illusionist and actor. Find out more at Fitzgerald's Realm of Magic.

1. "Elvira, Mistress of the Dark" (She's the Queen of Halloween!!!)

2. "Halloween" (Duh, it's all in the title.)

3. " The Nightmare Before Chistmas" (The Pumpkin King rules!)

4. "Nightmare on Elm Street" ( Freddy is fun and creepy and a great Halloween costume!)

5. "Beetlejuice" ( Ghouls gone wild!)

6. "The Exorcist" (It just keeps getting funnier every time I see it!!!)

7. "Hellraiser" (Pinhead loves to Trick or Treat.)

8. "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" (Who doesn't want to do the Time Warp at Halloween?)

9 "Fright Night" (It's all in the title )

10. "Trick or Treat" ( Cheesy 80's fun with Gene Simmons!)

THE CHAD SAVAGE TOP 10's

I couldn't just do one list; I watch way too many movies and I'm way too into Halloween to only pick 10!

CHAD SAVAGE'S TOP 10 KID-FRIENDLY HALLOWEEN DVDS

1. It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown
   
2. Disney's The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (aka The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad)
   
3. The Nightmare Before Christmas
4. Monster House
5. Hocus Pocus
6. The Haunted Mansion
7. Casper
8. Disney's House of Villains
9. Scary Godmother 1 & 2
10. Disney's Halloweentown 1 & 2
11. (Does Anybody Remember Halloween Is Grinch Night?)
    

CHAD SAVAGE'S AWESOME '80's HALLOWEEN DVDS

1. Night of the Demons
2. Trick or Treat
3. Hell Night
4. Halloween III: Season of the Witch
5. Elvira, Mistress of the Dark
6. Something Wicked This Way Comes
7. Monster Squad

CHAD SAVAGE'S ADULT HALLOWEEN TOP 10

1. Halloween 1 & 2
2. The Crow
3. Tim Burton's Sleepy Hollow
4. Idle Hands
5. Practical Magic
6. House of 1000 Corpses
7. May
8. Donnie Darko
9. Boo
10. The Addams Family

CHAD SAVAGE'S ANNUAL HALLOWEEN ESSENTIAL VIEWING DVDS

1. Friday the 13th : ALL OF THEM
2. A Nightmare on Elm Street : ALL OF THEM
3. Phantasm : ALL OF THEM
4. Hellraiser : ALL OF THEM
5. Nightbreed
6. Halloween : ALL OF THEM
7. Texas Chainsaw Massacre : ALL OF THEM
8. The Funhouse
9. Re-Animator : ALL OF THEM
10. Lots and lots of other horror movies - yeah - ALL OF THEM!!!
    

The HHC Top 10 Project

From now until Halloween (and beyond!), HauntedHouseChicago.com will be posting Top 10 lists from dark Chicago-area and haunted house industry movers and shakers, starting with the lovely and very talented Chrystyne!

CHRYSTYNE'S FAVORITE HALLOWEEN MOVIES
Chrystyne is a local Chicago model, artist and bon vivant. She is Director of the Annual Halloween Art Exhibit and, believe it or not, the poster-monster for The Fear Haunted House at Navy Pier!
http://www.chrystyne.com

"A large part of me will always associate Halloween with my childhood, so most of my choices are comical or light-hearted in nature. For this reason, I chose to leave out films that are more artsy/scary (i.e. The Legend of Hell House and The Shining)."

1. The Mad Monster Party. Rankin Bass + monsters + Boris Karloff= a no brainer #1.
2. Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein. A favorite in the "stepfather father & daughter" movie night repertoire--especially around Halloween. Fond memories :)
3. The Rocky Horror Picture Show. The perfect Halloween party movie--it's one of those films that gets people going. Push play, sit back, and watch what happens! 9 times out of 10 you will hear a confession from a guest that he/she was a cast member at one point. This generally leads to some "war stories," that will liven up any gathering.
4. It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. How could I NOT include this?!
5. The Bride of Frankenstein. Yet another movie night favorite for my stepfather and I. After he introduced me to this film in the late 80s, I used to pretend I was Elsa. I actually used to practice The Bride's signature twitch in my room!
6. Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. Dark, sweet, and sticky--just like my favorite Halloween candies. Mmmmm-mmm!
7. Elvira-Mistress of the Dark. I was thrilled that my folks let me watch this when I was a kid. I wasn't allowed to watch R movies, so it was a BIG deal. During the "tassel" scene, my mom told me to cover my eyes, but of course I peeked, LOL. Oh, the strange sensations I felt! The laughter! The shame! The...tantalization! 13 years later, I became a fetish model. Figures.
8. Labyrinth- This movie is an all-around wet dream and contains the most enchanting masquerade scene EVER! Jareth's ball has the ingredients for a killer Halloween party: majesty, romance, and spectacle. *swoon*
9. The Haunted Mansion Special Edition DVD (extinctattractions.com)- When I was growing up, the Disney Channel aired specials that explored the creative process behind their animated films, theme parks, and attractions. These segments were some of my after school favorites! Since I knew I wanted to pursue a career in the arts, it was inspirational to look into the world of the Imaganeers and see how they brought things to life. "The Haunted Mansion Special Edition" DVD is in the same vein and includes exclusive interviews, footage, and snapshots. Although it's not a movie, I had to list it because it is so damned interesting.
10. The Worst Witch. A cheesy 80s classic that stars two of my favorite actors- Tim Curry and Fairuza Balk! Be sure to look up "Anything Can Happen on Halloween" on YouTube and prepare to be enchanted. All that's missing is a unicorn and a chick in fishnets walking through sparks.

SAW V CONTEST!

ChicagoHorror.com / HauntedHouseChicago.com have a stack of SAW V stuff to give away (posters, t-shirts, etc.) to those intrepid SAW fans who can answer the following questions:

1. What is Jigsaw’s signature slogan?
2. In the trailer for SAW V, what type of a torture device is being used?
3. Which singer from New Kids on the Block has starred in the SAW films?
4. What is the animal Jigsaw has a mask of?
5. Every Halloween since 2004 has had the release of a new SAW film. Which other classic horror franchise had a new entry released consecutively for five years in the 80s?
6. What is the name of Jigsaw’s wife?

Email your answers to savage@chicagohorror.com by October 20th, check out the cool new SAW V website at http://www.saw5.com and be sure to catch SAW V in theaters October 24th!

REVIEWS!

The first wave of reviews has been posted to HauntedHouseChicago.com - read the user-submitted reviews HERE.

ChicagoHorror.com

If you're not visiting ChicagoHorror.com, you're missing all the cool events that are taking place in Chicago during October (and the rest of the year!) that AREN'T haunted houses - dark art exhibits, horror film festivals, spooky theater and music events - you name it! There's literally something creepy to do or see every day from now 'til Halloween - check it out!

Sharpen those pencils - it's REVIEW TIME!

OK, all you critically-minded haunted house fans - HauntedHouseChicago.com is now ready to accept your 2008 Haunted House Reviews!

Beware of Quarantine Zombies!

The entries from the Quarantine Zombie Photo Contest have been posted to the new HHC Photo Page, powered by the new Dark Chicago Flickr Group. If you use Flickr.com, join the DCFG and contribute your photos of Chicago-based horror, Halloween and haunted house goodness!

Speaking of Quarantine, if you visit The Fear Haunted House at Navy Pier or Dragon's Dome Haunted House this weekend, look for the Quarantine Zombie, who'll have Quarantine shwag to give you, assuming you survive the encounter!

Halloween Art Exhibit : 10th Anniversary!

A decade of fine Halloween art! The 10th anniversary of The Annual Halloween Art Exhibit™ Oct. 18th - 26th, St. Paul Cultural Center- 2215 W. North Ave, Chicago. The "National showcase of Halloween art" returns with a brand new bag of goodies sure to raise the living & the dead! Live music, spooky magic, and children's interactive workshop guarantee a hootenanny in this much anticipated 10th anniversary edition! [DIRECTIONS]

Opening Reception - Saturday, Oct. 18th, 7 - 11 pm.Sorcerer Supreme Ron Fitzgerald performs his all new "Extreme Halloween" magic show. Dark & Sticky vampire fun! 10pm. Music performed by Rusted Halo, 8:30pm. $10 includes exhibit & performances. [RESERVE TICKETS]

Costume Ball - Closing Reception - Saturday, Oct. 25th, 7pm - Midnight. Music performed by Thorn Fetish, 9:30pm. $5 admission.

HAE Children's Interactive workshop - Sunday, Oct. 26th, 2pm. $8 includes craft materials & snacks.

visit www.halloweenartexhibit.com for more information

A Little Truth to Every Myth

After posting about the money-back haunted house urban legend a few days ago, somebody reminded me that Hellsgate Haunted House technically fits the description (multi-story haunt where you have to complete certain things to get your money back), although that haunt shut down over a decade ago, so nobody's out looking for it. Who knows - maybe Hellsgate contributed to the urban legend!

Don't forget to vote... for your favorite haunt!

You can now vote for your favorite haunted house for 2008 at HauntedHouseChicago.com - click here!

Stephen Lynch : Halloween

I've had this song as an MP3 for years, and just found a live performance on YouTube, so I thought I'd share this twisted tune: Stephen Lynch's "Halloween"

The Legendary Too Scary Money Back Haunted House

It was bound to happen. Today I got an email asking about "that haunted house in West Chicago that's 20 or 21 floors and so scary that if you finish it, you get your money back."

So I don't have to send the same email 100 more times before the season's over, I'm telling you all what those of us in the haunted house industry have known for years - The Legendary Too Scary Money Back Haunted House... doesn't exist.

To read about this interesting and persistent urban legend, check out the Snopes.com article about it here: http://www.snopes.com/horrors/mayhem/haunted.asp. (Snopes.com is the best place to start if you want to find out if something you've found on the internet or in an email is actually true).

Sorry if I'm bursting anybody's bubble, but hey, there are dozens of REAL haunted houses just waiting to scare the bejeezus out of you!

Quarantine Contest!

Television reporter Angela Vidal (Jennifer Carpenter) and her cameraman (Steve Harris) are assigned to spend the night shift with a Los Angeles Fire Station. After a routine 911 call takes them to a small apartment building, they find police officers already on the scene in response to blood curdling screams coming from one of the apartment units. They soon learn that a woman living in the building has been infected by something unknown. After a few of the residents are viciously attacked, they try to escape with the news crew in tow, only to find that the CDC has quarantined the building. Phones, internet, televisions and cell phone access have been cut-off, and officials are not relaying information to those locked inside. When the quarantine is finally lifted, the only evidence of what took place is the news crew’s videotape.

QUARANTINE opens nationwide on October 10th. However, we have passes to an advance screening in Chicago - send us a photo of yourself as a zombie:

• Send your photo as an image attachment to an email
• Send us a link to the image online (make sure it's not Friends Only!)

All photo entries will be posted to HauntedHouseChicago.com; screening pass winners will be selected at random from all entries; we will also select Grand Prize Winners from the photos - the best zombies will get prize packs with exclusive Quarantine merchandise!

TO ENTER, send your photo to savage@chicagohorror.com with the Subject Header "QUARANTINE ME!". Include your real name and preferred email address. That's it! C'mon, Chicago - show us your BRAAAAAAINS...

DEADLINE: October 8 at Noon. Winners will be notified of the time and location of the screening shortly thereafter.

DISCLAIMERS: Providing incomplete information (no name, bad email address) means you won't win anything. Please don't send us a photo if you don't want it shown to the world - that kind of defeats the purpose. Winners will be contacted directly by Quarantine's promotional company and any issues or complaints should be taken up with them - HauntedHouseChicago.com / ChicagoHorror.com / ChicagoZombie.com / ZombiePinups.com are providing this opportunity to you because we're nice and we love you, but once we deliver your info/photos to Quarantine, it's out of our hands.

One More Halloween Amazon Link...

MP3.Amazon.com has set up a Halloween page - spooky music & sound effects on demand!

More Halloween Sales at Amazon!

For a limited time, save 25%-40% on spooky Halloween Tees (women's & kid's) from Bealls.
Expires Oct 16, 2008

Amazon.com Massive Horror / Halloween DVD Sale

Amazon.com is currently having a massive horror / Halloween sale on DVDs. Check these links for details:

HORROR

HALLOWEEN

Costumes For Kids Charity

Costumes for Kids is program designed to collect new or used costumes, make up, and more for disabled and disadvantaged children to give them the Halloween they deserve.

The program has officially launched and we are looking for haunted attractions, individuals, Halloween enthusiasts and more to donate old or unused costumes, make up, decorations, etc. These items will be distributed to children who are less fortunate, and children with disabilities requiring hard to find/fit costumes.

All we ask is that you contact us, and ship your costumes to us so we can have them cleaned and sent to the families in need to give the children a very special Halloween every year. All sizes are acceptable from infant on up.

Don't let the name fool you. We also accept make up (must be unopened), Halloween favors and decorations and such to bring the whole Halloween experience to these children and families. For more look at our Items Wanted or Needed page.

We will also have posters available to download that you can put up and start your own drive to help this cause. Not every child is able to celebrate Halloween as they should so let's give them that chance to escape hard times, disabilities and special needs by bringing them some simple joy.

CLICK HERE TO SEE WHAT THE PROGRAM IS ALL ABOUT AND HOW TO GET INVOLVED

Chicago's Annual Halloween Art Exhibit - Call for Artists!

We're always looking for fresh blood!

The 10th Annual Halloween Art Exhibit Call for Artists! Deadline for entries October 6th, 2008

We invite artists everywhere and beyond to submit art for the 10th Annual Halloween Art Exhibit! We are currently accepting applications for the 2008 show in Chicago this October. You need not live in the Chicago area to participate, display and promote your work with the HAE. See the Call for Artists page at www.halloweenartexhibit.com to download the application and all the necessary details!

There is limited space in this exhibit so submit your materials today!

HauntedHouseChicago.com on MySpace and Twitter

Add HauntedHouseChicago.com on MySpace.com and Twitter.com to stay current on the latest Chicago haunted and Halloween updates, events and news!

We lost our entire mailing list in the recent move, so if you'd like to be kept up to date on HHC-based promotions and giveaways (Yes! Giveaways!) be sure to sign up (or re-sign up) for the HHC Mailing List.

We also lost our message board; we've merged it with the ChicagoHorror.com board in order to bring more horror/haunt/Halloween fans together in one place - http://chicagohorror.com/?q=forum/15.

The Fear Haunted House at Navy Pier - ACTORS WANTED!

Chicago's new not-for-the-faint-of-heart, scare-your-pants-off, no-kids-allowed Haunted House is now hiring actors for the 2008 season - PAID POSITIONS. For more information and to fill out an application, visit http://www.thefearhauntedhouse.com

IGOR!

IGOR is now playing - start your Halloween Season early with this fantasticly warped and hilarious film!

UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT!

HauntedHouseChicago.com is now under the managment of a group of horror, Halloween and haunted house professionals in and around the Chicagoland area. There are going to be some major changes and updates to the site in the future. Right now we're assessing what can feasibly be done in time for the 2008 season - as soon as we've worked it out, you'll see it live here.

There's a pretty good chance that some aspects of this site will be spotty (or simply won't work) while we're upgrading it. If you find yourself facing a form that doesn't work or a page that doesn't load, PLEASE accept our apologies in advance and give us a day or two - chances are we're already working on whatever's giving you a hard time.

If all else fails / if you're not sure you're geting through via the site's various forms, you can always email hauntedhouse@chicagohorror.com.

Rest assured we're doing our best to make sure your 2008 Halloween Season is as spooky as we can make it!