The Commercialization of Halloween, Part Two: A Mini-Essay

     Costumes, though, are not the only attribute of Halloween influenced by modern consumerism. What began as dark rides in post-war amusement parks, where – similar to the Tunnel of Love at these same attractions – patrons sat in small cars which wove them through a dark maze of horror vignettes, rapidly evolved in the 1970s when the United States Junior Chamber of Commerce commenced marketing the formula as a walk-though structure geared toward fundraising.[1] As the haunted-house-for-charity concept proved wildly fruitful, the entertainment industry, desiring a portion of the profits, entered the trade and, by the 1980s, elevated the makeshift, philanthropic shows into professional, for-profit extravaganzas that attracted young graduates in art, film, and theatre who established the re-envisioned model as a viable business that blossomed from a few dozen in the 1980s into nearly three thousand at the start of the twenty-first century, with attendance growing at a rate of nearly thirty percent each year.[2] This expert showmanship, Lesley Pratt Bannatyne highlights, has bred newer generations of discerning clientele who demand more sophisticated experiences that push the industry to create exceedingly elaborate displays and have established the Halloween prop-building trade, which was practically nonexistent in the 1970s, into a multi-billion dollar business that holds annual conventions, such as TransWorld, and tutorial programs, including the Stan Winston School of Character Arts.[3] Indeed, this fascination has spilled into the public sector through home décor available everywhere from seasonal aisles in drugstores to pop-up specialty stores, of which Spirit Halloween is king. Although these outlets offer milder, mass-produced products – “plastic axes, extension cords, cornstalks, and black lights, as well as pumpkin puree, liquid latex, airbrush kits, rubber bats, fog machine, sugar skulls, skeleton bones, cobwebs, and soundtrack CDs” – that lack the artistry and intensity of professional supplies, they fuel the passions of home haunters and have made Halloween the second largest holiday next to Christmas, with the celebration generating about $6 billion in sales annually.[4] Likewise, they have provided fodder for fresher renditions of communal festivities, including the neighborhood parades in Irvington, New York, and the Great Pumpkin Regatta in Boxford, Massachusetts.[5]

Works Referenced

Bannatyne, Lesley Pratt. A Halloween How-To: Costumes, Parties, Decorations, and Destinations. Gretna, LA: Pelican Publishing Company, 2002.

Heller, Chris. “A Brief History of the Haunted House: How Walt Disney Inspired the World’s Scariest Halloween Tradition.” Smithsonian Magazine, October 31, 2017.
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[1] Bannatyne, 206-208. 
[2] Heller.
[3] Bannatyne, 241-243.
[4] Bannatyne, 235.
[5] Bannatyne,236-240.

Megaphone

$5 - $10 (based on 2019 prices)

Makes one megaphone

After years of attending a variety of haunted houses (both novice and professional), I have noticed that detail is one of the major factors which can either make or break a display: I have seen professional attractions ruined by its absence and rookie shows elevated by its subtle incorporation. Due to this factor, I spend energy and time each season making items that, although not overtly scary, can be used to bolster the haunt’s details and enhance its theme – the bloody milk bottles for 2016’s haunted farm, for instance, or the skull rosaries for 2017’s La Llorona premise. This megaphone was among those items crafted for 2019’s carnival that, although it may have been overlooked by some patrons, helped set the tone for the haunt’s overall theme.

• One twelve-inch toy megaphone
• One 10 oz. can of interior/exterior, fast-drying spray paint in flat black*
• One package of raffle tickets (about two-hundred tickets per package)
• At least four tablespoons of dark roasted coffee grounds
• One pan large enough to soak the tickets
• One 4 oz. bottle of all-purpose tacky glue*
• One 10 oz. can of interior/exterior, fast-drying spray paint in nutmeg*
• One 2 oz. bottle of acrylic paint in flat black*
• One 2 oz. bottle of acrylic paint in flat brown*
• One 2 oz. bottle of acrylic paint in metallic silver*
• One 2 oz. bottle of acrylic paint in flat red*
  

1. On a newspaper-lined surface in a well-ventilated area, apply an even coat of black spray paint to both the inside and outside of the megaphone. Although I only used one coat, you may want more depending on your desired coverage. Keep in mind, though, that this is the base coat and much of the black will be covered by the coffee-stained tickets.

2. Boil enough water to completely submerge the tickets and pour it into the pan. Add the coffee. The longer you allow the coffee to brew, the darker the stain will become. Likewise, greater amounts of coffee will produce a richer stain. Submerge the tickets into the coffee mixture and soak them until they reach the color you desire. I soaked mine for four days and scattered the coffee grounds over the tops to add spots. Remove the tickets from the water and allow them to dry.

3. Tear apart the tickets and cover the surface of the megaphone with them, leaving the decorative bands and mouthpiece untouched. This process works best if you move in stages: apply a layer of glue to one section, press the paper down until it sticks, and repeat the procedure.

4. After the glue has dried, dust the megaphone with a light coat of brown spray paint to add age and distress. To give the appearance of dirt, hold the can over twelve inches away from the prop’s surface and make quick flicking motions. You can also apply a flecking of black paint and smears of brown paint to enhance the weathered look.

5. Paint the decorative bands and mouthpiece silver. Depending on how worn you want the metal to appear, you can either apply a light dry brushing over the raised surfaces or completely cover the black paint with several even coats of silver.

6. Once the silver paint has dried, dab red paint onto the decorative bands and mouthpiece. I used an old paintbrush with splayed bristles; however, a sponge or paper towels will work well.

7. After the red paint has dried, repeat the process with brown paint. During this application, be careful not to cover too much of the red paint.

8. Complete the rusted patina by applying a slight flecking of black paint. You can do this by either quickly flicking a paintbrush or using an old toothbrush and strumming your finger across the bristles. Since this process flings paint everywhere, it’s best to perform it outside.

9. The prop can be embellished with additional details, such as clusters of bugs or bloody handprints, to cater it to your haunt’s chosen aesthetics.

*You will not use the entire bottle’s content for this project.

"To Autumn" (A Poem)

Originally published in 1820, a year before the poet's death, "To Autumn" is John Keats' final great ode (of which there are six) and is considered by many literary scholars as one of his finest pieces, with its tranquil depiction of fall and the passage of time the season often represents.[1]

Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness,

Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;

Conspiring with him how to load and bless

With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run;

To bend with apples the moss'd cottage-trees,

And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;

To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells

With a sweet kernel; to set budding more,

And still more, later flowers for the bees,

Until they think warm days will never cease,

For summer has o'er-brimm'd their clammy cells.

Who hath not seen thee oft amid thy store?

Sometimes whoever seeks abroad may find

Thee sitting careless on a granary floor,

Thy hair soft-lifted by the winnowing wind;

Or on a half-reap'd furrow sound asleep,

Drows'd with the fume of poppies, while thy hook

Spares the next swath and all its twined flowers:

And sometimes like a gleaner thou dost keep

Steady thy laden head across a brook;

Or by a cyder-press, with patient look,

Thou watchest the last oozings hours by hours.

Where are the songs of spring? Ay, Where are they?

Think not of them, thou hast thy music too,—

While barred clouds bloom the soft-dying day,

And touch the stubble-plains with rosy hue;

Then in a wailful choir the small gnats mourn

Among the river sallows, borne aloft

Or sinking as the light wind lives or dies;

And full-grown lambs loud bleat from hilly bourn;

Hedge-crickets sing; and now with treble soft

The red-breast whistles from a garden-croft;

And gathering swallows twitter in the skies.[2]

Works Referenced

Esch, James. Introduction. Odes by John Keats. Spruce Alley Press, 2016. vii.

Keats, John. "To Autumn." Odes by John Keats. Spruce Alley Press, 2016. 22-23.

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[1] Esch, vii.

[2] Keats, 22-23.

Severed Eye

$5 - $10 (based on 2019 prices)

Makes one framed eyeball

Part of 2020’s twisted carnival theme involved Dr. Victor’s Oddity Museum, a collection of bizarre artifacts meant to resemble the curiosity exhibits customary in turn-of-the-century travelling shows. To achieve this, I crafted a bevy of familiar oddities, from mummified mermaids to shrunken heads. For this prop, I wanted to accompany these sideshow staples with a medical display that would add extra gore to the haunt.

• One small, white ping pong ball (1 3/8” in diameter)
• One to two feet of red yarn
• One 4 oz. bottle of all-purpose tacky glue*
• One 2 oz. bottle of acrylic paint in flat black*
• One 2 oz. bottle of acrylic paint in flat brown*
• One 0.44 oz. bottle of clear nail polish*
• One 5” x 7” frame
• One 10 oz. can of interior/exterior, fast-drying spray paint in flat black*
• One 2 oz. bottle of acrylic paint in metallic copper*
• One piece of 8” x 11.5” cream-colored paper
• One 10 oz. can of interior/exterior, fast-drying spray paint in nutmeg*
• One 0.3 fluid ounce bottle of red food coloring*
• One 4 oz. bottle of clear, all-purpose tacky glue gel*
  

1. Cut a two-inch section from the yarn and fray the ends. These will serve as the veins for the eyeball. How bloodshot you plan to make the prop all depends on how thinly you separate the strands: a thorough division will produce a finer appearance; thicker clusters will create a more inflamed looked.

2. Apply a light layer of glue to the ball and, using a needle or other finely tipped object, spread the yarn strands across it. It may help to consult an anatomical image during this step. Also, to aid in the process, create a small stand to hold the ball (I used an upturned paper plate with a hole cut into it).

3. After the glue has dried, paint an iris and pupil onto the eye using black and brown paint. If you worry about your artistic talents, you can print eyeball templates for several Halloween-themed websites and adhere the image to the ball rather than painting it.

4. To give the eyeball a glossy appearance, give it one or two coats of clear nail polish. Akin to steps two and three, the use of a small stand during this procedure will prove highly beneficial.

5. Once the nail polish has dried, cut ten strands of yarn in varying lengths and glue them to the back of the eyeball to form the optic nerve. Although this may look goofy now, the effect will be much more impressive after you apply the blood glue.

6. Remove the backing and any glass from the frame and, on a newspaper-lined surface in a well-ventilated area, apply an even coat of black spray paint. Although I only used one coat, you may want more depending on your desired coverage. Keep in mind, though, that this is the base coat and much of the black will be covered by the metallic copper paint.

7. Once the paint has dried, detail the frame by apply a layer of metallic copper. You want to give the illusion of worn metal, so gently brush the paint along the raised surfaces of the frame in a quick, back-and-forth motion. It may work best to experiment with a scrap of cardboard first.

8. Glue the cream-colored paper to the backing and trim the excess. To enhance the aging process, dust the paper with a light coat of nutmeg spray paint. By holding the can over twelve inches away from the surface and making quick flicking motions, you can achieve the illusion of dirt. You can also apply a flecking of black paint and smears of brown.

9. Position the eyeball onto the backing and glue it in place. It might help to temporarily reattached the frame to guide its positioning and ensure it is properly centered.

10. In a plastic container (because the food coloring will stain, use something disposable or that you won’t mind dying), pour in your desired amount of clear glue gel and slowly add red food coloring to the solution until it achieves the sanguine hue you desire. To give the blood further density, add blue food coloring and mix well.

11. On a newspaper-lined surface, apply the blood glue to the prop and allow it to fully dry. You can use an old spoon or plastic utensil to strategically dripple the liquid along chosen areas or pour it haphazardly for a gory mess.

12. After the glue dries, reattach the frame and, if it did not come with a hanging hook, you can attach a store-bought version or use steel wire to create your own. For added support, glue the backing in place, especially if you plan to display this prop in windy conditions.

*You will not use the entire bottle’s content for this project.