Season of Shadows Blog

Halloween 2009 Haunt Video

John Wolfe — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 05:57:14 +0000

I kept looking for an opportunity to film on Halloween night and I got my chance around 9 PM. The street became extremely quiet as the last of the trick-or-treaters disappeared over the hill… leaving a trail of “Laffy Taffy,” “Sweeties” and “Tootsie Rolls” along the sidewalk.

The 2009 haunt footage will also be embedded at the bottom of the Halloween 2009 Photo Page. I hope you like it.

Ghosts of Utah

John Wolfe — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 18:11:53 +0000

Many of you know that my favorite type of paranormal phenomena is EVP. Disembodied sounds and voices, whether they stem from a conscious ghostly origin or from some Universal “warehouse” of metaphysically archived audio, always manage to tickle my fancy. While I have no way of verifying the legitimacy of the voices in this video clip, created by You Tube user evputah, they are fascinating.

Many have the typical EVP sound — murmurs buried in static — while others are extremely clear and pronounced. If in fact they are legit, then several represent some of the best captures I’ve ever heard.

After checking out this clip, you may also be interested in watching their video of EVP set to the haunting musical stylings of Kitaro. I love the concept of setting EVP to music. I would have embedded the Kitaro video as well, but the musical content is copy-written.

Dark Ambiance 9

John Wolfe — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 15:37:45 +0000

I found this spooky looking mausoleum photo yesterday while browsing the Halloween section at Softly Spoken Magic Spells. I love the look of creepy crypts and above ground-type burial chambers. Here, in New Mexico, mausoleums and crypts aren’t common in cemeteries. Once in a while you’ll find one, but on the whole they’re pretty rare. Another element that’s always added to the creep factor (for me) is seeing moss dangling from trees in the south — especially in cemeteries and old plantation photos.

Along with this image, Softly Spoken has several other creepy photos, Halloween links, and haunt updates.

Hope you have a great Sunday — I’m working on my new “Angel” prop’s support structure today.

The Vampire Sleeps

John Wolfe — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:19:00 +0000

During Halloween week, XM Halloween Radio played “The Vampire Sleeps” multiple times. Out of all their programming, it was one of the best for setting the Halloween mood. This Boris Karloff gem was a real treat while working on my groundbreakers.

So, are you one of the frightened?

“The Vampire Sleeps” source: You Tube user monster4josh

Halloween Porch

John Wolfe — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:50:20 +0000

I didn’t include this image in the 2009 photo page, but this was how the front porch was decked out on Halloween night. The cemetery display always consists of the groundbreaker props I’ve made, while the porch props are usually store-bought. My favorite item was the hooded figure in the foreground. Lit only by black lights and flickering cauldrons, it provided a very ominous presence on the way to the door.

Though we didn’t have anyone associated with our haunt doing “startle scares” this year, I would say the younger trick-or-treaters still had to earn their candy by mustering up some courage. There were several who refused to make their way up to the porch.

On another note, all the cleanup work is finished and I’m back to full-time blogging. During the Halloween “offseason,” I may not blog every day, but I plan on having entries at least five times per week. This schedule will give me two full days each week to devote solely to prop building.

Speaking of which, I’m starting work on my version of the Angel of Death tomorrow. Building the initial support structure may take two or three weeks (away from the webcam). As soon as I’m ready to start on his body and the mache process, the workshop’s webcam will be up and running once again — hopefully by the end of November or the beginning of December.

Halloween 2009 Page

John Wolfe — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 01:40:40 +0000

Just added the 2009 Haunt Photo Page to the site. Halloween night was awesome! So many kind visitors stopped by the haunt. A huge thanks to the trick-or-treaters and their parents for their support and a GIGANTIC thanks to my entire family for all of their help. Without their extraordinary efforts it wouldn’t have come together in time. Also, a big thanks to everyone who checked out the live haunt cam feed and to the visitors and moderator of the chat box. All of you guys inspire me and I can’t wait to get started on the 2010 haunt!

Happy Halloween

John Wolfe — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 05:46:59 +0000

Today’s the day, you guys! I hope you all have an amazing October 31st! Don’t forget, the webcam will be running from my yard haunt tonight. The feed should start around 6 PM mountain time. I just finished carving jack-o-lanterns (this photo was taken on the porch a few minutes ago) and I’m off to bed for about four hours — then it’s up and at ‘em. I probably won’t be back into the swing of daily blogging until after the fourth or fifth of November.

Be safe, enjoy those treats and keep an eye out for any wandering spirits who may decide to follow you home.

Halloween Groundbreaker Update 6

John Wolfe — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 05:29:58 +0000

Took some footage an hour ago of the almost finished corpses. The remaining detail work will be spread out over the next three nights.

Sorry I’ve been away from the blog for three days, but my absence will continue for a while. There’s still a lot of prep to do for the haunt, but I’ll definitely be here wishing everyone a Happy Halloween on the 31st.

An Addams Halloween

John Wolfe — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 18:39:18 +0000

I’ve always been a huge fan of The Addams Family, admittedly, more so where the old cartoon strips and movies are concerned than the television series, but I still enjoy all things Addams. Yet, I’ve never posted anything Addams Family related at SOS (until today) because I know how highly protective the Charles Addams estate/foundation is with regards to his work, and rightfully so.

That’s why I was thrilled to see Hulu now has permission to carry The Addams Family episodes from the series. In this particular installment, “Halloween, Addams Style,” the family does their best to soothe Wednesday’s fears concerning the (lack of) existence of witches. A seance is organized to bring the family witch (Aunt Singe) back from the grave to show Wednesday that witches are indeed real.

“Halloween, Addams Style” video source: Hulu

Halloween Cauldron Creep

John Wolfe — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 16:56:31 +0000

Found this awesome, animated “Cauldron Creep” prop, created by DevilsChariot, while doing my YouTube Halloween digging this morning. The first video shows the prop in action and the second one gives a quick rundown on the prop’s moving parts and attachments.

For the full how-to, visit The Devil’s Workshop: Cauldron Creep How-To.

Video source: YouTube user Craigisboredatwork