The Halloween Zine: Closure, clips, & custom creations
#4 - The creepiest beverage cooler you'd never imagined is real
Hello, Superfans!
I’ve got some cool stories and a few short videos to share.
Let’s get to it…
Halloween Ends director David Gordon Green admits missteps
Finally, finally, FINALLY, he admits it. And it’s only taken almost a year.
For context:
In a MovieMaker interview last October, Green defended his decision to not focus the story on Laurie and Michael. I was livid when I saw the movie, and his clueless rationale rubbed salt mounds into my scarred psyche’s gaping figurative knife wounds.
He tossed canon and fan expectations aside to experiment. What could’ve been a sure box office hit went with a whimper.
Well, Green’s come around.
He acknowledged his creative decisions disconnected fans, and the box office returns back this: Ends was the lowest grossing reboot installment despite great anticipation for its long-awaited final confrontation.
To his credit, Green did a respectable job with Halloween (2018). He gave Laurie’s character a believable evolution with her survivalist mindset. And he nailed the atmospheric element.
Then came Halloween Kills and the decision to keep Laurie and Michael apart for the whole movie. I get that she was injured, but I don’t think anyone expected they wouldn’t lock horns again.
The flashback sequence was excellent at capturing the ambience. It also established Officer Hawkins as Haddonfield’s (and the planet’s?) worst shot.
Then Ends.
Next week, I’m doing something different: I’m going to update a post I wrote a year ago as Michael Myers. I re-imagined The Shape as a witty, wise-cracking murderer with grievances to air. He’ll give you his take on Ends.
Then, I’ll call it closure.
Michaels’ merch impresses
Michaels is bringin’ it, with a diverse mix of indoor and outdoor items that includes creepy candles, props, some NSFW items, and aisles of much, much more.
The best tabletop items, hands down, were the Lemax® Spooky Town® scenes.
Ah-mazing!
People can get anxious about showing up in fellow shoppers’ recorded footage, so I chose my moments wisely to capture a few clips for you.
First up, The Phantom Castle.
Image description: A gray castle built atop an elaborate red-toned stone base has open individual mining-style carts rolling in and out of the castle. There also a boat descending a steep decline, Disney’s Splash Mountain style (RIP, Splash Mountain). The stone base is littered with skeletons and gravestones.
I bought mine on Amazon. Between the water slide descending the hill and the roller coaster cars riding along the tracks, it’s got nice movement to it.
It also plays some music, and you can adjust the volume.
Next up, unintentional shaky cam aside, the Cursed Ruins look cool:
Image description: A gray castle crowns the gaping, open mouthed skeleton’s head with glowing red eyes that forms the center of its base. A stone staircase ascends the structure beside the skeleton’s jaw.
Those holographic ghosts that appear and disappear in the Smoke & Mirrors Magic Shop window are a nice touch:
Image description: A two-story magic shop is decked out with giant playing cards, a cat in a hat, pumpkins, a man bound at the chest and ankles, and magician standing over a levitating woman. A second-floor window in the middle of the structure offers a glimpse of two holographic people that disappear and reappear.
Such wonderful detail in this ambitious three-in-one combo:
Image description: A two-story wooden structure boasts a cider mill, pumpkin patch, and haunted barn. The top of a giant, open-mouthed jack o’ lantern forms the pumpkin patch’s entrance, with a stone staircase taking the lower jaw’s place. Ghouls, skeletons, and small animals decorate the street scene.
A costume with cosmic street cred
This inspiring timeless story unfolded last Halloween.
15-year-old Montreal teen Emile Laliberte loves Halloween, and like any superfan, he takes great pride in his costumes. His wheelchair use made it tougher to find ones that fit well until he crossed paths with handyman Robert Murphy.
Murphy runs a group called Duct Tapers Anonymous, and they decided to build a costume for a child with reduced mobility. Notice I said BUILD a costume.
Because Duct Tapers Anonymous assembled a project team of designers and 3-D artists to collaborate on the custom-made project: a dragon. And they built it to Emile’s specifications.
This tradition continued with last year’s costume, when Emile chose one that mined his passion for science: the Mars Rover.
Keep those Happy Halloweens coming, Emile!
CTV News Montreal’s Rob Lurie has a clip in his video journal.
A chilling c-c-coffin
The twisted creative minds at Liquid Death partnered with Yeti to produce a custom cooler that’ll bring that extra edge to your costume party. Makes me wonder how many mortuary owners have been doing that for years at their underground (no pun intended) raves.
Morticians party too, people!
A custom coffin cooler’s far more appealing than repurposing a “gently used” version of the real deal. Though I wouldn’t put it past some… never mind.
Seeing is believing, and the picture in the article says it all.
Theme parks LUV us $uperfan$
Ignoring the curmudgeonly journalistic grumbling about Halloween arriving too soon, Disney, Six Flags, and Universal are thrilled to thrill us early and often with new attractions, immersive experiences, and merchandising opportunities.
Because giving US what WE want is good for business.
As long as it doesn’t suck. We have discriminating tastes.
Target misses the target
Had to laugh at this headline:
Halloween Comes Alive at Target
Based on my last three trips, it should read Halloween Stirs From a Deep Slumber at Target. Because they are last to arrive at the retail Halloween party. Sleepy-eyed and morning-breathed.
Target wrote and posted it on their website, so the positioning makes sense.
To them.
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That’s a wrap! Tune in next week when Michael Myers “speaks.”