Tiptoe Through the Tombstones

Do you love the history, the art, and everything else about cemeteries and tombstones?  If so, you're a taphophile!  But, if you have a crippling fear of anything associated with graveyards and burials, you could be a coimetrophobic.  Wanna guess which one I am?

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Young Frankenstein

Werewolf?  There, wolf!

I watched Young Frankenstein this weekend, if you couldn't tell!  While this isn't a horror movie by any stretch of the word, its definitely a great movie to watch around Halloween.  The 1974 Mel Brooks classic starring Gene Wilder and a host of other comedy legends was shot entirely in black and white, giving it a certain old world creepiness.  Added to that atmosphere is the fact that much of the lab equipment used by Frankenstein's grandson in the movie was actually created for the 1931 film, Frankenstein. If you haven't seen this one yet, go watch it right now!

 13 Most Quotable Moments
Wikipedia
IMDb

Halloween Candy Fun Facts

What's your favorite Halloween candy?  This info graphic is from Mentalfloss---written by Jason English, infographic by Mike Rogalski.

Halloween Nail Art

For most of us, its a little difficult to walk around in our Halloween costumes outside the month of October. So then how do you work a little Halloween fashion into your everyday attire?  One way is through nail art! Spooky manicures keep the holiday cheer at your fingertips anytime of year!  I found so many examples that I loved, but here's just a few that I'm gonna give a try.

Halloween Pizza

Yummy! Today's Foodie Friday post is all about one of my favorite foods---pizza! It really is the perfect food; all it takes is the right ingredients and you've encompassed the entire food pyramid in one delicious, easy to make treat for the whole family!

When it comes to Halloween pizzas in particular, there are so many different options. Time to get creative!  I've chosen a few of my favorite inspirations, mainly focusing on mini-pizzas which would be great to serve up for a quick family dinner before trick-or-treat or at any Halloween party as really cool finger foods.  Bon appetit!

These adorable pizza mummies are quick and simple to assemble---just pop on some sliced black olives for eyes, and lay your cheese down in a criss-crossing pattern for the desired 'wrapped' effect.  This particular version comes from the Halloween Alliance website.

These pizzas also rely on intricately placed strings or slices of cheese and sliced olives!  This would look cute as a mini pizza or amazing in a full-sized version with a spider (or two) for every slice! Photo from Indulgy.

What's Halloween without the jack-o-lanterns?  Swap out the traditional mozzarella cheese for a cheddar or cheddar blend and you get a nice orange color.  Add black olives, pepperoni, or your favorite vegetables to create the face and top off with a green pepper stem.  Healthy AND delicious! Courtesy of 360 Family Nutrition. 

Halloween in West Virginia

I have recently discovered and fallen in love with the West Virginia History on View website, which is a HUGE database of over 49,000 historical images from all over the Mountain State.  You could spend hours browsing this site and finding images you've never seen anywhere else.  One excellent feature of the site is the option to search by keyword, and guess which keyword I tried?  Yup.  Halloween!

This first one's description is listed as Children Celebrating Halloween in Costume (ca. 1900-1910)

This next one features the Storer College Choir performing in Harpers Ferry.  The college was West Virginia's first African-American college, operating from 1865 to 1955. 

I love this next scene of a Halloween Party at West Virginia State University (1960-1970).  It doesn't seem like the girls are having too much fun, lol. 

Staying on the campus of West Virginia University, this next image looks pretty horrifying!  However, the description assures us that this is just a Halloween effigy hanging from Glennlock Hall around 1966.

The final photo is actually pretty interesting.  It seems to be an advertisement for an event at Morgantown's Warner Theater.  It's description simply states 'Fanny Foley, Morgantown, W.Va. (1920).'  The Warner Theater (which is haunted by the way!) didn't open until 1931, so I'm going to guess that this photo is closer to that date.  As for Fanny Foley, she may look somewhat like a man in drag in this picture, but Fanny Foley Herself was a popular 1931 movie starring Edna May Olliver as a woman attempting to revive her vaudeville career. 

The Three Witches from Macbeth

Hey, it's Witchy Wednesday and I've got another striking art piece today.  A part of the National Portrait Gallery since 2011, this piece by Daniel Gardner was completed in 1775.  It is a gauche and chalk portrait simply entitled The Three Witches from Macbeth (Elizabeth Lamb, Viscountess of Melbourne; Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire; Anne Seymour Damer).

According to the description provided by the National Portrait Gallery, the portrait features these three women who were very influential in society and Whig politics at the time, and who were all good friends.  It is believed that it was commissioned by Melbourne, and designed by either her or Damer.  Shakespearean scenes were rather in vogue and a contemporary interest in the supernatural made witches a favorite motif, however their depiction as the three weird sisters might have a deeper meaning...

Grim Grinning Ghosts

I'm not one of those huge Disney fans, but even I freely admit to loving The Haunted Mansion and its iconic theme song, Grim Grinning Ghosts---the focus of today's Tuesday Tunes!

Grim Grinning Ghosts was written for the Disney attraction in the late 1960s.  It was composed by Buddy Baker, with lyrics by X. Atencio.  Taking its name from a line in the Shakespearean poem, Venus and Adonis,  variants of the song are played throughout different areas of the Haunted Mansion ride, with the lyrics first being heard in the graveyard scene.  Thurl Ravenscroft (how Halloween-y does THAT name sound?) is one of the voice talents in Grim Grinning Ghosts---you might recognize him from other projects, including the voice of Tony the Tiger!  His face can also be seen superimposed on one of the busts in the graveyard scene.  Give it a listen below, and then check out the links provided for more information.

10 Things to Know About the Haunted Mansion Theme 'Grim Grinning Ghosts'
Wikipedia

Horror Movie Drinking Game

This Movie Monday is for the readers who are 21 years old and up!  Oh, and of course, please do not drink and drive.  Anyway...

Any movie you can think of probably has a specialized drinking game to go along with it.  This seems especially true of HORROR movies!  A well planned horror movie drinking game utilizing some specialized alcoholic beverages can be a great way to celebrate Halloween (or, well, any Friday night) with friends.  Instead of having to memorize a bunch of really specific rules pertinent to different movies, Riddle has devised a list of 13 generic drinking rules that can work with any horror movie.  Please check out their website for example videos for each rule...but if you need a printable list or don't feel like waiting for that page to load, I've copied the rules here for your convenience.

TAKE A DRINK WHEN...

1. Something obviously creepy is happening and the future victim doesn't seem alarmed for far too long.

2. A victim dies in an over-the-top, elaborate way.  Drink twice if its the FIRST victim.

3. Someone runs upstairs when he/she should be running outside.

4. The phone line has been cut or there is no cell phone reception.

5. The police are useless, bumbling, or skeptical.

6. Ominous music starts playing.

7. The person running from the killer can't find the car keys or the car won't start.

8. There is a scene in the middle of nowhere (for example: a cabin in the woods, a house with no neighbors, or a summer camp).

9. Two of the characters are having an intimate moment and the killer is nearby.  Drink twice if they are in a car.

10. There is a creepy child, doll or animal. Warning: This could get pretty messy if you're watching any of the Child's Play or Children of the Corn movies.

11. Anyone in your group watching the movie jumps, gasps, or screams at the TV.

12. Someone makes a bad quip or pop culture reference. Drink twice if its while killing the villain.

13. You think the bad guy is dead but he comes back for one last scare.

Source

The Halloween Name Game

What's your Halloween name?  Mine is apparently Phantom Monster Giver.  What the heck does that mean?!