Just in time for Halloween, xmasons has created this handy chart showing Common Methodologies of Monster Vanquishing. Here’s a larger version.

via WeLoveDatavis

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photo by Steve Murello

Fine Living has suggestions for 12 Dressed-Up Halloween Cocktails, including the “Bloody Brain Shooter”. Now that’s what I call a “smart drink”.

Channel your inner mad scientist with this Bloody Brain Shooter. Add chilled vodka and lime juice to a shot glass, then use a straw to drip Irish cream into the glass. The acidic lime juice will cause the Irish cream to curdle, creating realistic strands of “brain.”

via Neatorama

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Not Martha shows up how to make a delicious Meat Hand for Halloween.

via Serious Eats

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“Donald & Sons Hardware” by Liam Lynch

via Katie Spence

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photo by Shalaco Sching

My Zombie Pinup is a tribute to classic pinup calendars with an undead twist.

This 12 month calendar is stuffed with more dead sexy girls than you can fit in a shallow grave. We dug up the idea of the vintage 1950’s pin-up and hit it over the head with a shovel. Let yourself get infected by these bloody gore-gous women who are just dying to get under your skin.

Several of the shots in the calendar reference works by pinup master Gil Elvgren.

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photo via Red Union Hair Salon

Red Union Hair Salon is hosting the 2nd Annual Severed Head Contest, where San Francisco hair salons compete against each other to transform mannequin heads into grotesque works of art. You can stop by and cast your vote until October 30th. The winners will be announced on Halloween. Here are last year’s winning entries.

via SFist

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guest post by Laszlo Thoth

A good friend living in Japan recently asked the twitterverse whether American Burger Kings would be selling the Windows 7 Whopper in America. In 140 characters it can be hard to tell whether someone is joking, but this announcement is as serious as a heart attack.

In an unusual cross-marketing campaign, Microsoft and Burger King Japan are offering the Windows 7 Whopper during the week of October 22-28 to celebrate the release of Windows 7. Measuring 13cm (5.1 inches) in diameter, the “Amerikanbanzu” (”supergiant”) Windows 7 Whopper features up to seven 113 gram (¼ pound) beef patties totaling 1.75 pounds. The first 30 customers can purchase a Windows 7 Whopper for the special price of ¥777 ($8.49), regular price ¥1450 ($15.84).

Japanese fast food restaurants are no strangers to bizarre marketing campaigns. A few years ago McDonalds introduced their similarly outrageous Mega Mac in a hip, elaborately choreographed, and wildly successful guerrilla marketing campaign.

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Art of Bleeding presents a remix of one of those classic Halloween Safety films.

At of the height of the razors-in-apples hysteria, films like these ruined Halloween in classrooms everywhere. (Or did the fear make the holiday more exciting?) Now it’s Art of Bleeding’s turn to slash and adulterate these questionable cinematic treats.

Art of Bleeding will be premiering their special Halloween show “The Spirits of Safety” on October 25th at the California Institute of Abnormal Arts (CIA) in Los Angeles.

The Art of Bleeding presents the LA PREMIERE of special Halloween show, “The Spirits of Safety,” the latest installment of Magic Ambulance Theater, in which Abram the Safety Ape and RT the Robot Teacher discover Halloween’s connection to True Safety Consciousness through the unnatural use of a CPR mannequin, ectoplasmic mishaps, and the siren charms of the Art of Bleeding nurses. The evening also features a squirmy Breast Cancer Awareness Tutorial and the burn ward comedy of Art of Bleeding’s resident “funmaker” Dr. Sunshine. Guest internCreekbird contributes his unique brand of musical quackery, and Polly Peabody stops in with a burlesque tribute to the good old days of mail-order morphine. The evening will begin with a sneak peek at “GORY DETAILS” our YouTube video series based upon first-person medical emergency stories recorded in the AoB ambulance. Each episode recreates a different true-life story with the help of costumed characters, puppets, and animation. (Doors 7pm, Videos 8pm, Live show 9pm).

At the show they will be giving a preview of the new Art of Bleeding YouTube series “Gory Details”, based on true medical emergency stories.

The “Gory Details” videos are based on true medical emergency stories solicited on public streets from random passersby and recorded in the group’s “magic ambulance” or via the Gory Details hotline. Each episode recreates a different account with the dysfunctional kid’s show characters and a cast of inappropriately clad cast of nurses. Art of Bleeding also performs lives shows featuring these same and similar characters.

Here’s the Art of Bleeding performance “Crawl Away Kids” from How to Destroy the Universe Festival 6 which took place in Oakland back in April.

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“Of The Dead”, a Threadless t-shirt by Justin White that is a great way to show off your love for killing Zombies.

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Rich Juzwiak made an amazing montage from 66 movies of the popular cellphone “no signal” plot device used in horror and suspense films.

via SFist

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Here’s a sneak preview of “Survival of the Dead”, the latest film by George Romero which debuts at the Toronto International Film Festival in September, 2009.

In a world where the dead rise to menace the living, rogue soldier Crocket (Alan Van Sprang) leads a band of military dropouts to refuge from the endless chaos. As they search for a place ” where the shit won ’ t get you, ” they meet banished patriarch Patrick O ’ Flynn (played with zeal by Kenneth Welsh), who promises a new Eden on the fishing and ranching outpost Plum Island. The men arrive, only to find themselves caught in an age-old battle between O ’ Flynn ’ s family and rival clan the Muldoons. It turns out that Patrick was expelled from the isle for believing that the only good zombie is a dead zombie, while the Muldoons think it ’ s wrong to dispatch afflicted loved ones, attempting to look after their undead kinfolk until a cure is found. But their bid for stability on the homestead has turned perverse: the undead are chained inside their homes, pretending to live normal lives – and the consequences are bloody. A desperate struggle for survival will determine whether the living and the dead can coexist.

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photo by unknown

A few weeks back I wrote about my friend Dr. Creep (aka Barry Hobart), the horror host of Shock Theatre in Dayton, OH, who was a childhood influence as I was growing up. Dr. Creep has been going through a rough time lately, experiencing some health and financial difficulties. I recently went out to visit him in Dayton and we talked about ways to improve his web presence and also raise funds for his recovery.

I’m working on getting access to drcreep.com in order to make a few updates, but in the meantime I’ve setup a blog for Dr. Creep so that we can post the occasional update and I’ve created a Dr. Creep Twitter account which I will update as well.

video still of Dr. Creep and my Mom as a nurse in the 1970’s on the set of Shock Theatre

I’ve also setup a Dr. Creep Recovery Fund, where donations can be made via PayPal.

If you are in the Dayton area this weekend, there is a Dr. Creep Benefit Show taking place this Saturday, July 18th in Springfield.

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Dr. Creep, played by Barry Hobart, is a well known local personality for almost 40 years in my hometown of Dayton, OH. He was host of the wonderful Saturday TV show Shock Theatre, where he would introduce low budget horror films and produced humorous segments between commercial breaks. Shock Theatre aired on WKEF Channel 22 from 1972 to 1985 and developed a huge cult following.

Dr. Creep was also co-host of the children’s TV show Clubhouse 22.

Along with it being a big influence on me as I grew up watching Dr. Creep, I also have a very personal connection to the show. My Mom used to appear on Shock Theatre as the vampire “Mysteria” who would do magic tricks during the breaks. I have fond memories hanging out at the studios during the tapings.

Lately Dr. Creep has not been doing so well. He’s suffered numerous stokes and is having a tough time with medical expenses. WKEF recently did an interview with Barry from his home and have setup a special “Get Well” page were people can leave messages for Dr. Creep.

It was ”Shock Theatre” on Channel 22 that made Dr. Creep a household name and face here in the Dayton area. People in the 1970’s and 80’s grew up with Dr. Creep and all his ”Shock Theatre” friends. But it wasn’t just on TV where you could find the doctor, he was also all over the community, taking part in parades, visiting sick children at Children’s Medical Center and making appearances on the annual MDA telethon…many times giving his time for free.

”I believe we were put here to help each other get through life hand in hand.” Such is the philosophy of Barry Hobart, who is Dr. Creep’s other half and whose health you could now classify has horrible. Hobart has had five strokes, has a balance problem and suffers from congestive heart failure. With those multiple medical problems comes big bills, which have put the good doctor in dire financial straits. So now his friends in the horror industry, many of whom have worked with Hobart for years, are putting together a benefit for him. They say they want to give back to a man who has given so much of himself. Hobart says being Dr. Creep has not made him a rich man financially, but has made him wealthy in more important ways, ”I’m rich from the people I’ve met in life….I wouldn’t change a thing, I wouldn’t change my life one bit.”

Chaos In The Park 2009, a benefit concert for Dr. Creep is being organized for July 18th from noon to 9pm at the Snyder Park Band Shell in Springfield, OH.

For more info on Dr. Creep and Shock Theatre check out the Shock Theatre website. A bunch of videos from the show are posted up on the Shock Theater YouTube page.

UPDATE 1: A Dr. Creep Recovery Fund has been established. Donations can be made to Dr. Creep via PayPal.

UPDATE 2: A blog and Twitter account have been setup for Dr. Creep news and updates.

Blog: http://drcreep.wordpress.com

Twitter: @shocktheater

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Monty Propps has created “Disturbing Strokes”, a terrifying horror film version of the TV series “Diff’rent Strokes”. “What’choo screamin’ ’bout, Willis?”

via Fimoculous

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“The Outbreak” is an online choose your own adventure zombie movie by Chris Lund.

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guest post by Jason Schupp

Warning: glimpses of nudity here and there, and it’s a bit brutal.

Although the Christmas season is over for this year, I think there’s room for one more Santa origin tale. From Finnish production company Woodpecker Films comes this short film on where Santas come from: “Rare Exports”, who have been delivering real Finnish Father Christmases since 1739. Warning: not for the easily squeamish. I’m never going to look at Santa the same way again.

Two years later, following a particularly bad incident, they had to shoot this reproachful safety film on the handling and care of the Father Christmas during shipping:

Hat tip to my friend Su, who pointed me towards these.

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guest post by Doctor Popular

Though my beard obscures it, I have the weakest chin of anyone in my social circle. I often wonder how different my life would be if I had a different chin… a stronger chin… a chin like Bruce Campbell’s. With Bruce Campbell’s chin, perhaps I too could be a cult action star. In his newest film, “My Name Is Bruce”, Campbell plays a sleazy version of himself that gets kidnapped by a fan to save a small mining town from a vengeful monster. If chins could kill, then the star of the Evil Dead Trilogy and countless other b-movies should have no problem.

Fan’s of Bruce Campbell (and his chin) can attend a San Francisco showing of his newest film along with a special presentation by local celeb, Peaches Christ:

Hostess Peaches Christ is thrilled to announce that a great, big, b-movie dream of hers is about to come true! On Wednesday, December 17th, Peaches presents a Midnight Mass produced stage-show featuring cult film icon and genre superstar Bruce Cambell live and in-person. Peaches has been dying to honor Bruce Campbell forEVER and is putting together a San Franciscan evening of Idol Worship, one night only at Landmarks Bridge Theatre.

The same show happens twice!
LANDMARK’S BRIDGE THEATRE
Wednesday, December 17th
At 7pm & 9:40pm
$10.50

Tickets to the show are available online here. Do the Bruce Campbell, ya’ll.

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BeamEcho has discovered a horrible new Halloween Macintosh virus.

via CrunchGear

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