The Sound of Silence

For our first foray into fright, I thought we’d start…well…at the beginning. 

Films of the Silent Era are striking, imaginative, and engaging.  In them, we see a generation of artists drawing from several existing art forms and combining them with an exciting new medium.  Notably, you’ll see the impact of expressionism and spirit photography (a double exposure technique, popularized in the late 1800s).  Theatre nerds are likely to pick up on staging, set and lighting design that mirror popular live performance.  The narrative style for which silent era films are known can be traced to Gothic literature.  The stories often revolved around ancient folklore and cultural cautionary tales.  While the limitations of early, low contrast film were insurmountable in some sense, early filmmakers were still able to create hauntingly beautiful masterpieces with influence that has survived the Digital Age.

On today’s list, you’ll notice a lot of German films. This is no accident. During WWI, Germany banned all foreign films.  This gave a significant boost to the German film industry and helped the Germans develop a solid and immediately recognizable national style.  German Silent Era films also give us a glimpse at a nation working through its trauma, which produced some horrific and heart wrenching images.

Now. I’ll shut up and let you get to it. 

The Golem: How He Came Into the World (Germany, 1920)
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (Germany, 1920)
Genuine (Germany, 1920)
The Phantom Carriage (Sweden, 1921)
Hexän (Sweden, 1922)
The Hands of Orlac (Germany, 1924)
Phantom of the Opera (United States, 1925)
A Page of Madness (Japan, 1926)
The Unknown (United States, 1927)
The Cat and the Canary (United States, 1927)
Nosferatu (Germany, 1928)
The Man Who Laughs (United States, 1928)
The Fall of the House of Usher (France, 1928)

Don’t know where to start? Check out this trailer for what is, in my opinion, one of the greatest films ever made.

Abandon All Hope Ye Who Enter Here

It’s time once again, my sweet beasties, to rattle our chains, shriek with delight, and set our sights on everything that goes bump in the night!  All month long, I'll be haunting you with the best of the macabre, from playlists to costume tutorials and everything in between.  The first installment drops tomorrow!!

Join me...if you dare!  

In the spirit of the season, here's a Friday the 13th scream compilation to get you going.  Enjoy!

Happy Halloween!

It's here, it's here!  Halloween day is here and I hope you're all able to share some frights, sprites and delights with your favorites ghouls and goblins.  I'll see you all on the other side of this dark and stormy night!
Enjoy the opening sequence from one of my favorite films: Tim Burton's Nightmare Before Christmas

Entertaining Nostalgia: Luminary Treat Bags

Recently, I've been feeling nostalgic and I decided to spend time reading through my old blog.  Finding my voice as a maker and my place in the handmade community continues to be difficult.  I wasted a lot of time making choices for myself based on an identity I thought I was 'supposed' to emulate.  I'm so happy I traded the suffocation of expectation for the freedom of authenticity. 
That said, this is one of my favorite tutorials in all it's unpolished, imperfect sincerity.  I thought it might be nice to share with you...

One of my favorite things to do during the holiday season (or, let's face it, ANY season) is entertain.  I love filling my house with the best people I know.  Halloween allows me to go bananas...and trust me.  I do.  So, for those of you with your own spooky plans, I thought I'd share one of my favorite festive ideas. Again, please excuse the photos (house is a lighting nightmare).

You'll need:
paper treat bags
pencil
assorted tissue or construction paper
x-acto knife
double sided tape
cardboard (for cutting)

1.  Lay out treat bag. The bottom of the bag should be facing down.  With your pencil, plot out your design. If you need some help, the internet is full of amazing templates.

2.  Slide a piece of cardboard inside the bag.  This will protect the rest of the bag from being cut.  Trace the pencil outline with the x-acto knife and remove the cuttings.

3.  Cut your tissue paper to size and apply adhesive.  Slip the paper into the bag and position it over the cutout and use your cardboard to help stick it in place. Make sure the tissue paper is anchored securely before filling the bag.

4.  Enjoy!

Pro tip: Try slipping a flameless candle into your bags for a little extra light during those dark and stormy evenings.  The warm glow may even keep the ghouls away.

Parties in a Pinch: Chocolate Peanut Butterball

Okay.  So, I'd been trying to think of a quick and festive little dessert for an event I'm hosting this week and I got it into my head to apply the cheeseball mentality to peanut better and chocolate.  For a few days, I reveled in the idea that I'd invented a new snack...as it turns out, I probably just saw a similar recipe turn up on my newsfeed and I subconsciously decided I'd invented it.  A similar thing happened to me in college when a memory of mine turned out to be a scene from Clueless.  So, here's the thing I thought I invented...

You'll need:

Cream cheese (room temperature)
Peanut butter
Mini peanut butter cups
Reese's Pieces (or similar, non trademarked item)
Mixer
Cling wrap
platter
cutting board

1. Mix cream cheese and peanut butter until blended. Similar recipes call for equal parts, but I like a nuttier ratio, so I pumped up the peanut butter.  You do you.  

2. Once mixed, add mini cups to taste...

3. Blend until chunky-ish.  Turn out of mixing bowl onto a sheet of cling wrap.

4.  Pat into ball and transfer to plate.  Cover and chill for one hour.

5. Press your candy coated peanut butter pieces into butterball. I went with a chaos theme, because I wasn't there for straight lines. Serve chilled with graham crackers.

It's cute, cheap, and so easy it should be illegal. Enjoy.