Season of Shadows Blog

With the Transworld Haunt Show wrapping up a few weeks ago, YT is now jam-packed with vids showcasing what the industry has in store for the 2011 Halloween season. And while there’s a ton of awesomeness out there in the world of professional prop building, I always find myself going back to ScareFactory’s amazing work time and again. These are the same guys who created the animated Angel of Death prop, which inspired me to make my own static version last Halloween.

As I watched their vids and checked out their site, it’s obvious ScareFactory worked liked fiends to prepare for 2011. Their catalog appears to be loaded with more props making a debut this year than ever before.

This first vid is a quick teaser of some of their best of 2011… makes me wanna get out in the shop and get to work (even with stitches in my gut).

Up next is a more detailed vid shot in the “Dark Zone” as it’s called at Transworld. Gotta love the oversized prop with the little corpses riding his back! SF is calling him “The Necromancer.”

Source for both vids: YT user, ScareFactory1

Revisiting S.J. Tucker’s work, this time with the song, “For The Love Of All Who Gather.” I first found Tucker’s music last August when I posted a vid for her awesome Witch’s Rune. Now you might be thinking, Okay, John, what the heck does this have to do with Halloween or spooky stuff? Ahh, glad you asked. For me, folksy pagan type music always brings forth the feelings of fall.

There’s just something about a song where the message discusses spirit, honor and our connectivity to the planet, to nature and to one another that puts me in an autumnal state of mind. I suppose it’s because fall is just so amazingly organic feeling with harvest time, the gorgeous colors and leaves everywhere that I find myself feeling much more spiritually connected than usual.

Sooj’s (as S.J. is often called) lyrics and voice give me an October attitude adjustment even when the calendar swears it’s springtime.

Source: YT user, KeepMusicPagan

Another reason I’m drawn to works like this is because of the recent health stuff I mentioned in a previous post. I won’t bore you with all the details, but I’ve been dealing with some severe upper digestive problems, so much so that an endoscopy (camera and light sent down the esophagus and into the stomach) was performed on me a few days ago.

Thankfully the results were normal, but I’m still waiting on more tests. In the meantime, I’ve been really trying to find a more peaceful center within myself, as stress and worry aggravates the condition. And, S.J.’s beautifully haunting music certainly helps when finding that center.

One cool thing about having the endoscopy done, they let you have color copies of the photos showing your insides — just the thing a Halloween prop builder needs for inspiration!