Category Archives: halloween

13 Days of Halloween Families

In November 2020 , my wife Carla left behind an unforgiving, brutal digital marketing job to focus on art. She started Thunder Moon Studio, selling watercolor art at local fairs and farmer markets. She recently branched out to teaching art as well.

Earlier this year she participated in a 100 day project, which was a very broad and general global art project where participants would commit to doing something artistic for 100 days straight. Some people learned a song, some people wrote poems, some people took photographs, etc. Carla made art.

In addition to making the art, inspired by meeting the warm and kind George Berlin, who described how he liked to leave tiny pieces of art around places he would visit, we also hid each of these hundred pieces in our hometown. I would typically hide the pieces and take a few photographs to give clues as to where to find them, and Carla would post about them on social media.

A lot of people ended up participating, and all the art was found (some were gone in minutes!).

That project ended in June. We had discussed doing something for Halloween. One day seemed a little short, so Carla suggested we do the thirteen days leading up to Halloween.

I had the idea to make multiple pieces for each day rather than one. Similar to the 100 day project, we would post clues on social media to find the first monster. The only way to find the monster’s family would be a clue we would include with the first picture.

I was really happy to be a small part in Carla’s project. This is what makes me happy — bringing some magic and joy into the world for no other reason than that — magic and joy.

Here are the monsters and their families.


Love, Splotchy (and Carla)

BOOOO GIFFFFF

Someone said something annoyingly paranoid and fear-mongering on the trash fire that is X aka Twitter and I thought, I’ll reply with an appropriate GIF. But, that appropriate GIF did not exist, at least to my knowledge.

So, I created it. It’s from The Ninth Gate, the same movie where I last posted a GIF from back in January.

I can’t locate the aforementioned idiot so currently have no place to post this GIF, but if you happen to stumble upon any online dweeb trying to whip up a panic, please feel free to use this.

UPDATE: Found the dipshit.

28 Likes, 1.2K comments. That is a BRUTAL ratio.

Freaky Frights And The Pumpkin Patch

As noted previously, the gore lovefest that is Freaky Frights is ceasing to be.

It was unclear to me from their website whether where they going to have a display this year at all.

So, I took my chances and headed over on Friday, October 24th. It was on!

It wasn’t as extravagant or large as in previous years. Unlike last year, which covered two blocks, this year covered only one.

I saw displays that I remembered from last year, but also noticed a few scenes missing (the bathroom set from the first Saw film, for example).

However, Freaky Frights was definitely not going to go out with a whimper. Here is but a horrible taste of the carnage. Please note that you can still see all the blood and gore yourself on Halloween — after October 31st, Freaky Frights as the world knows it will go poof.

A cheerful welcome

My favorite display

The popular Jack White vomiting blood display

I don’t recall what this chef is cooking, but it is presumably not vegan.

It might be difficult to see, but this smiling head is spewing blood out of several improvised orifices.

A Robert Urich bangeroo type headache

Photo is a little too dark, but it looked nice in person

Hey! A scary clown pic for Bubs!

Various houses had aesthetically-pleasing lit-up warning signs over their front doors

On Saturday, we headed to a pumpkin patch a few miles from our house. It was as nice and pleasant as Freaky Frights was terrifying and horrific.

We took a hayride with the kids to get to our pumpkin.

Splotchy carries the 2008 family pumpkin, accompanied by the youngest Splotchling.

How Douchebaggery Killed Halloween

Freaky Frights on Forest, which I lovingly documented here, might be over.

Earlier this month I complained that Freaky Frights was only up for a few days this year, as opposed to prior years, when the wonderfully grotesque displays were viewable for several weeks.

Well, it turns out there’s a reason the schedule was limited, as I found this posted today on the Freaky Frights website:
The Things That Killed Freaky Frights

There are so few people in the world that care about things deeply, that want to make the world a more interesting place. And they get squashed.

Happy Halloween.

Oh, COME ON, HALLOWEEN!

Is it October 31st yet?

I have some good news and bad news.

*****

Freaky Frights On Forest, the spectacular, outdoor, two-block Halloween extravaganza I documented here is back, but unfortunately this year it will be for a much more limited engagement.

The blood, gore and authentic horror movie scene reenactments will only be open to the public on October 24-26 and October 31.

*****

I have my gorilla costume, but my eldest son is petrified of me when I wear it. I would love to go to a Halloween party with MizSplotchy, but we don’t have one scheduled (nor do we have a babysitter lined up).

*****

I have a strong desire to start a-watching horror movies, but MizSplotchy is freaky busy with school these days. I can’t watch horror movies alone, as that is when people usually get killed by monsters jumping out of their TV’s.

*****

Still, HALLOWEEN IS COMING. IT’S ALMOST HERE! HURRY HOME! HURRY HOME!