Tag Archives: pumpkin

Happy Friday the 13th!

October 13, 2017 thefrightowl Leave a comment

It’s a big day, everyone. We have a Friday the 13th in October, and I’d hate for anyone to waste it. It’s been 11 years since we’ve been able to celebrate one of these bad boys in the month of Halloween, and we won’t have another one until 2023. Let’s make the most of it.

So what should you do? Let me give you some options:

1. Carve a jack o’ lantern (or at least buy your pumpkin if you haven’t already).

2. Go to a haunted house. Yes, the lines might be long tonight, but they’re only going to get longer the closer you get to THE BIG DAY, so why not go on Friday the 13th.

3. Watch a scary movie. Happy Death Day is in theaters today, and it’s getting pretty good reviews, I might go tonight to see this one myself. Or if you don’t want to go out to watch a movie, just watch the original Friday the 13th in the comfort of your own home. You own it, right? Of course, you do.

4. Have fun with some Halloween crafts. Check out some tutorials on YouTube, or check out some of my past posts about corpsing a skeleton, making your own hanging reaper, making a giant spiderweb for your front yard, or playing around with some cheap Dollar Tree skulls.

5. Take a walk around a dark cemetery. Or a forest. Or a dark road. Just do something creepy.

There you have it. No matter what you do, just make sure it’s fun. Have a Happy Friday the 13th!!!

Halloween

October Is Here!

October 1, 2017 thefrightowl Leave a comment

It’s here, guys! My favorite month and yours: OCTOBER!!!

My celebratory breakfast this morning consisted of a pumpkin walnut crunch bagel from Einstein Brothers’ Bagels and an iced pumpkin spice coffee, leftovers from Dunkin‘ Donuts.

Delicious.

Then, I followed that up with my yearly tradition of creating my haunted cemetery. It was a little tougher this year because I’m currently about 7 months into growing a little monster of my own. Needless to say, my growing belly didn’t help with all the bending and lifting I needed to do, so I got a little creative with my decor. Some old monsters didn’t make the cut, and some new ones were created with what I could find in my most easily accessible tubs. It might not be as much as I usually do, but I’m pretty happy with the results.

The rest of the day was spent watching some horror movies. All in all it was a pretty excellent day.

Since we’re getting close to the big day (that’s Halloween if you weren’t sure), I’ll be posting my reviews of the Halloween merchandise I’ve played with this year so far, and I also hope to post some new project updates. Check back soon!

And Happy October, everyone!!!

Halloween, Music

Halloween Music: Get in the Mood

September 30, 2016 thefrightowl Leave a comment

October 1! It’s tomorrow! Halloween month! Yes!

As you can see, I’m very excited that my favorite month is almost here. So close I can taste it. There’s a hint of pumpkin spice. I’m kidding. There’s a lot of pumpkin spice.

Since I’m always in the Halloween spirit, I don’t need a lot of anything to get in the mood for the month. But I do love music. And what’s better at setting the mood than music?

Lighting, you say? Don’t be a smartass.

So because all I want in life is to help others find the spirit of Halloween (Hint: It’s been inside you all along), I thought I’d list 13 songs that embody what Halloween is all about. Here they are in no particular order.

1. Feed My Frankenstein – Alice Cooper

So yeah, this song is basically a metaphor for sex, but it has the name ‘Frankenstein’ in it and begins with Mr. Cooper promising to feed his “monster.” I enjoy it.

2. Living Dead Girl – Rob Zombie

I should have listed this one first even though I’m not really ranking these. This song is one of my all-time faves. It’s kinda my anthem.

3. Season of the Witch – Donovan

This song has a bit of a creepy, mellow vibe to it. And of course, witches are quite prominent at Halloween (go figure, right?).

4. Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) – Marilyn Manson

Yeah. I love the original by Eurythmics as much as the next person, but Manson’s version adds a little fright to the mix. Plus, this song was the background for the best scene in the movie Trick or Treat, so it has that going for it.

5. Thriller – Michael Jackson

This has almost become the official theme of Halloween. I hear it on the radio about a million times every October, so it’s easy to see why this one belongs here.

6. Trick or Treat – Otis Redding

I was fortunate enough to be introduced to this song just last year. It’s a love song with a lot of soul, and it’s perfect for the holiday. It’s also a nice change from the creepier songs on the list.

7. Werewolves of London – Warren Zevon

Werewolves. A song about werewolves has to be on the list. I love this one for its quirkiness.

8. Who Do You Voodoo, Bitch? – Sam B (Dead Island)

If you don’t play video games, you might not be familiar with this one. It’s the theme of Dead Island, one of my favorite zombie games, and it’s so freakin’ catchy. Seriously. Learn it, and you’ll be singing it all the time. Just don’t do it at church or, like, in front of your boss or mom or anything.

9. Somebody’s Watching Me – Rockwell

Paranoia! Do you feel eyes on you? Is someone following you? Did you hear that noise? Rockwell’s song is paranoia with musical notes.

10. Superstition – Stevie Wonder

Magic and superstitions make the month. Wonder’s classic song is perfect for a funky celebration.

11. Bad Moon Rising – Credence Clearwater Revival

Lots of monsters and magic relate to the moon, so it has to make the cut. It’s also been featured on a ton of scary/supernatural movies and tv shows, including An American Werewolf in London.

12. Disturbia – Rihanna

This song isn’t all obvious about its Halloween-relatedness like the others on the list, but I think it belongs here. It’s a metaphor for the dangers of fame consuming you (I think), but if you stretch your imagination, it also sounds a little like possession with a hint of the demonic in it.

13. Walk Like a Zombie – HorrorPops

When I first heard this song, I wasn’t too big of a fan. It’s very peppy. After repeated listenings though (it kept playing on the Halloween Pandora channel), I grew to kinda love it. Give it a listen. It’s spunky and fun and about zombies.

I already have a playlist with these songs and more, and I suggest you do the same. Start your celebration! Halloween will be here before you know it.

Halloween, Product Review

2016 Halloween Merchandise Review: Home Goods

September 12, 2016 thefrightowl Leave a comment

Home Goods always has a great Halloween selection, and they didn’t disappoint this year. If you’re not familiar with Home Goods, it’s basically a bigger, fancier home section of TJ Maxx. They even carry some of the same stuff, which makes sense because they have the same parent company. And like TJ Maxx, their prices are pretty sweet.

When I first walked in, I was greeted by this cool display:

I especially loved this tall grim reaper figure. Most of their items are more decorative in nature, so they don’t have many things that could be used as props in a haunted house or yard. But this handsome guy here would look right at home in any cemetery scene.

As you can see in the pic below, they had a wide variety of decorations, from the cool and creepy to the glam and cute.

These skulls were also some of my favorites. Yeah. I know. Surprise, surprise. I liked the skulls.

Of course, they had pumpkins of all types and colors for those that want to steer their decorating to the fall side of things.

One thing I thought was really cool at Home Goods was the types of decorative skulls they had (again with the skulls!). Just look at some of the different kinds in the photos below:

There was also one that was copper instead of silver and one that was completely jewel encrusted. I tried taking a picture of the jeweled skull, but my camera turned it into a sparkly blob.

And this little guy with his Burton-esque vibe had me almost getting out my debit card…but I stayed strong. I can’t go spending all my Halloween moneys this early in the game.

I would definitely check out Home Goods for your Halloween decorating needs, especially if you’re looking for more decorative items instead of actual props. They had quite a few unique items that I truly liked.

Plus, if you’re throwing a Halloween party and want to stay away from paper goods, they have a ton of plates, cups, and food serving items to choose from. Just check out the selection in the pics below:

I’m pretty sure I’ll end up with that cheese plate at some point.

Make sure to check out my other Halloween merchandise reviews to know exactly where to shop to fulfill your needs. Also, make sure to follow me on Facebook for blog updates and additional pictures of Halloween products.

Halloween, Product Review

2016 Halloween Merchandise Review: Pottery Barn

September 6, 2016 thefrightowl Leave a comment

Pottery Barn is not a place I frequent simply because the prices for most things they sell are too high for me. I just can’t justify spending $35 for a wine glass. BUT I love the stuff they carry. I just have to wait to get it on a very, very big discount.

So needless to say, I probably won’t get to purchase any of the Halloween decorations I’m reviewing in this post, but I hope that some of you out there with a larger disposable income might benefit.

They really didn’t have a whole heck of a lot of stuff, but the items they did have were pretty awesome. There was a really cool table layout they had set up. Just look at this creepy, elegant thing:

I just loved everything on it. The center platter held one of my favorite items:

The glass skull decanter was beautiful in person. I loved it. Sadly, it’s priced at $39.50, and without any vodka in it, I just can’t justify spending that much on it. Maybe when it’s half off.

I also really liked the skeleton wine glasses:

There’s also a really cool condiment set. I didn’t get a picture of it while I was there, but you can see it here. It’s fantastic, but again, it’s too pricy for my blood.

They also had a selection of pumpkins ranging from about $24.50 to $39.50. I liked some of the mirrored ones they had, and the larger metallic pumpkins caught my eye as well.

So while I actually love their merchandise, I probably won’t get to enjoy any of their items this year due to the high prices. I could get a few things, but I’m cheap and just can’t spend that much on some of that stuff. But I hope you are able to get something. I’ll just be envious of your purchases.

The Fright Owl