Bats in the Belfry and Movie Posters Come to Life: More Awesome Decor

Target Bat in a Cage (Center)

 

It’s almost here…  Halloween 2017.  But before we give up the ghost for the season, we had to tell you about a few more dazzling decorations for your haunted home.  After all, there are only a few more days to make sure you have everything you need to scare the treaters…

First is the Skull in the Jack-O’-Lantern from Kroger which is quite reminiscent of the Halloween II movie poster.  This is an amazing sculpture with super-bright orange-red LED lights.  Right now, it is on sale at your local Kroger or Fred Meyer.

Halloween II Jack-O’-Lantern

 

Next up is a really amazing prop from Target that we failed to mention in our Monsterville post…  This bat in a cage is really well-done.  With a perfect soundtrack of thunder, lightning, and wing-flapping, this little devil comes to life when you pass by or make a loud sound.  Its eyes light up, its wings flap, and lightning flashes, illuminating the true horror that is this little creature of the night…

Target Bat in a Cage

Target Bat in a Cage

Haunted HomeGoods

One of the best retailers to find menacing merchandise is HomeGoods, part of the TJX chain of stores which also includes TJ Maxx and Marhsall’s.  This year, HomeGoods has a few items that will be sure to satisfy even the most savvy of home haunters.

First is this fantastic vintage-style Halloween bucket fashioned in the shape of a black cat’s head.  This fiendish feline is extremely reminiscent of the papier mache Halloween treat pails from the early 20th century.

Vintage Style Black Cat Treat Bucket from HomeGoods

 

In addition to some vintage-style decor, HomeGoods is also offering a  variety of boo-tiful busts and statues.  One of the most popular is the Headless Horseman statue.  This year, the Horseman comes in two colors (silver or black) as well as two sizes.  The smaller one is perfect for a book shelf, while the larger one would be great for an entryway.

Headless Horseman Statue from HomeGoods

 

Spook Spotter: Grave Surprises, Franken-Families and More!

Ghastly Greetings, Boils and Ghouls!   We’re baaaaaaaaaaaack with some of the best products available for purchase this Halloween season.

The following does not constitute an endorsement of any product or retailer.   It is for information purposes only.

Grave Solution

Hands down, the best tabletop animated Halloween prop available this year can be found at The Home Depot.  (A similar prop is also available at CVS).  Behold, the rising Grim Reaper and tombstone!

Rising Grim Reaper Tabletop Animation

This beautiful, animated table-top piece is reminiscent of the old Telco Motion-ettes and the 1990s Gemmy line of animated figures.  It features a Grim Reaper that pops up from inside a gravestone.  When you push the button or make a loud sound, the Reaper will rise from the grave and utter eerie phrases of doom, accompanied by a soundtrack of haunting music and crashing thunder.  Not only do the Reaper’s eyes illuminate, the tombstone also puts on a fairly elaborate light show, probably intended to be lightning to go with all of that scary thunder.

There are also some other great items out there that we feel you have to know about, including a set of Wilton candy cake decorations featuring Frankenstein, the Bride, and their family.  These can be purchased at Target.  Another must-mention item is the Halloween party plate and napkin set that is available for purchase at Rite Aid.  Check ’em out!

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And let us know what cool products you have found this year by leaving a message in the creepy Comments section below!

Spook Spotter: Masks and Vintage Decorations

Halloween 2015 is brimming with creepy creations in all sections of the retail market.  From kooky candy to dastardly decorations, there is a lot to track down.  That’s why we’re here: to make the whole process scarily simple.

The following does not constitute an endorsement of any product or retailer.   It is for information purposes only.

Monstrous Masks

Over the past few years, Trick or Treat Studios has gone from a relatively unknown mask maker to Halloween royalty.  They have been able to secure deals with major property-holders, unleashing latex creations beyond imagination.  From Bela Lugosi’s Dracula to Michael Myers to King Kong, Trick or Treat has captured a significant corner of the Halloween market.  Three of the most exciting masks they are offering up are the Halloween III masks, pictured below.  As you can see, the Pumpkin, Witch, and Skull look nearly identical to the Don Post counterparts as they appeared in the original film.  Check out the complete 2015 catalog of creeps on the Trick or Treat website.

Halloween III Masks from Trick or Treat Studios

Beastly Beistle

Another giant of the Halloween season, Beistle, is finding new life in its century-old library of Halloween art.  It is re-releasing several of its old Halloween cutout and die-cut decorations.  From honeycombs to cardboard wall-art, Beistle hasseveral vintage reproduction decorations on its website.  You may want to check it out, especially if you are planning a vintage-themed Halloween happening.

Beistle Reproduction

Spook Spotter: The Best Halloween Decorations of 2015 II

Welcome, foolish mortals, to The Big Scare’s 2015 Countdown to Halloween.  Every other day, from now through October 31, we will be posting preposterously posthumous ponderings of the Halloween season.  We begin October with another installment of the Spook Spotter.

The following does not constitute an endorsement of any product or retailer.   It is for information purposes only.

World of Gods and Monsters

Last year, Cost Plus World Market debuted a line of officially licensed Universal Monsters dinnerware featuring The Frankenstein Monster and his Bride.  This year, they are expanding the line with all new platters, ceramic plates, and mugs.  World Market also carries vintage soda bottles featuring the creature and his mate, lollipops with The Mummy and the Creature from the Black Lagoon, as well as Bride of Frankenstein tote bags.  What’s really creepily cool is the fact that the ceramic plate of Frankenstein’s monster features an image of Glenn Strange in the role as opposed to Boris Karloff.  Glenn Strange as Frankenstein is more iconic and recognizable to Monster kids, as it was Strange, not Karloff, who was featured on the Monster Craze merchandise of the 1960s.  Hopefully we will see more Universal Monsters at World Market next year.  Perhaps they can cut a deal with Bela Lugosi, Jr. next year and do a Dracula line of dinnerware.  “I never drink…” wine glasses, anyone?

Bride of Frankenstein Plate (World Market)

More of the Night He Came Home

HomeGoods (A TJX Company) has come through again this year with some amazingly haunting display pieces for your home of horrors.  Take a look at this skull pumpkin, very reminiscent of the jack-o’-lantern featured in the opening sequence of John Carpenter’s Halloween II.  This terrifying display piece features a dramatic display of color-changing illumination.  Perfect for any fan of Halloween or Halloween.  Other pieces for sale at the TJX stores include spooky busts, haunted miniature hearses, snow globes, and glass pumpkin candle holders (pictured in the gallery at the end of our post).

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Mind-Blowing Blow Molds

The final item featured in our Spook Spotter today is a mind-blowing find – a vintage blow mold cat and jack-o’-lantern being carried at…  Wait for it…  Walmart.

The king of big box stores is carrying mass-produced reproduction vintage blow molds.  The first of these is the famous Hobo Jack-O’-Lantern.  The next is the cat with the jack-o’-lantern on its back (pictured here).

Vintage Reproduction Blow Mold (Walmart)

These blow molds have not been seen in dime stores in years, but now they are back.  Granted, they aren’t 10 cents anymore, but they are better than 99% of the other Halloween decorations out there and definitely worth the $9.00 price tag.

Now, check out other great finds from this season in our ghastly gallery…

Glenn Strange Frankenstein Plate (World Market)

Vintage Blow Mold Reproduction (Walmart)

Bride of Frankenstein Plate (World Market)

Lighted Owl Statue (Ross Dress for Less)

Glass Pumpkin Candle Holder (TJ Maxx)

Glass Pumpkin Candle Holder (TJ Maxx)

Lighted Owl Statue (Ross Dress for Less)

Spook Spotter: The Best Halloween Decorations of 2015

Ghastly Greetings, Boils and Ghouls!  The Big Scare is, once again, preparing for the Halloween season.  As such, we want to give you a creepy heads-up on all of the menacing merchandise on sale at retailers this year.  Here are some of the best products available for purchase this season and where to find them.

The following does not constitute an endorsement of any product or retailer.   It is for information purposes only.

Creepy Clings

We begin our first 2015 Spook Spotter post with not only one of the most affordable products out there this season, but also one of the best looking.  Behold, these wonderfully wicked window clings available for purchase at Winco Foods.  These beautifully illustrated clings appear to use hand-drawn artwork, something that has become impossible to find in this age of digitally-designed decorations.  Nearly all of the Halloween cutouts and window clings available in stores today have been created by someone behind a computer.  These clings harken back to the days when blood, sweat, and ink went into the creation of Halloween decorations.  Seeing these in the store should bring back a lot of memories for Halloween fans who grew up in the 20th century.  The clings are available for purchase for $0.98 and are produced by a company named Mello-Smello.

Illustrated Window Clings (Winco)

Scary Scarecrow

The next item featured in the Spook Spotter is a creepy, lighted scarecrow available for purchase at Ross Dress for Less stores.  This scarecrow is a large, almost life-sized hanging decoration.  When you first see it, it looks like a traditional scarecrow with straw hands and a tattered cap, but upon closer inspection, it is far more forbidding.  Beneath the cloth covering, you can see the scarecrow’s head is that of a skull.  What’s even more alarming is the fact that the skull illuminates!  The scary scarecrow has multiple lighting settings.  It can change colors, flash different colors, or remain a single color.  This prop is extremely effective and would make a great addition to any haunt.  It retails for $19.99 at Ross.

Creepy Lighted Scarecrow (Ross Dress for Less)

Raucous Ravens

Raven Candleholder (Michael’s)

The final item featured in our first Spook Spotter post of 2015 is an elaborately sculpted candle holder from Michael’s Arts and Crafts.

This beautiful black raven candle holder has an incredibly lifelike sculpt.  It is part of a new line of Halloween merchandise targeted at home haunters named Ravenshead Manor.  All of the products in the line are indoor pieces that can be used to build frighteningly fashionable interior displays.

This beautiful piece is highly-detailed and can hold either a taper candle or a pillar candle.  Michael’s is selling Halloween-themed LED taper candles this year that could probably be used with this product.  The raven candle holder is one of the most elegant and affordable pieces anywhere this season, coming in at $14.99.

Be sure to check out the gallery below for more photographs of all of the monstrous merchandise featured in today’s post, including a high-resolution image of this Ravenshead Manor piece.

Illustrated Window Clings (Winco)

Creepy Lighted Scarecrow (Ross Dress for Less)

Raven Candleholder (Michael’s)

We will be back October 1 with another installment of the Spook Spotter, followed by regularly scheduled postings every other day through October 31.  In the meantime, let us know what cool products you have found this year by leaving a message in the creepy Comments section below!

Spook Spotter: Who’s In? Owl is In!

The following does not constitute an endorsement of any product or retailer.   It is for information purposes only.

This glittery owl figure was picked up at Michael’s.

In recent years, you may have noticed a significant increase in the amount of our feathered friends on store shelves.  Places like JoAnn Fabrics and Michael’s Arts and Crafts are continuing the trend this year, with a specific emphasis on the most inquisitive bird of all — owls.

Yes, a visit to almost any retailer this Halloween season will surely bring with it some owl sightings.  They come in all shapes and sizes and in a variety of different formats.  From beautiful to spooky, these night fliers are big!

Now you may be wondering why owls have long been associated with Halloween.  Owls have a long-running history with the sinister side of nature, especially in ancient folklore.  The Romans and the English both held beliefs that owls were in league with dark forces.  Owls were night hunters and that surely meant that they were creatures of the Underworld.  Their silent soaring, their loud screeching… all things to be feared in the cultures of old.  The associations have carried through to the modern day.  And while we now think of owls in more pleasant situations, they still maintain a strong association with night — and, as such, they are symbolic of Halloween.

So this year, you may want to pick up an owl to add a bit of wisdom to your Haunted Home.