The Los Angeles Halloween blog

photos by Mykal Burns

photo by Mykal Burns

Perhaps it was too much absinthe, or fumes of swamp gas, that inspired the absolutely unnatural idea behind a staged musical adaptation of the classic Universal horror film, “Creature from the Black Lagoon,” but with tongues firmly planted in gills, the result is a surprisingly hilarious and spectacular production and becomes a rare theme park attraction worthy of making a destination that isn’t a ride.

The story is your standard B-monster movie fare: expedition sets off into the jungle in search of mythical creature – in this case, a half man, half fish known as the Gill-man – said creature shows up, kidnaps the expedition leader’s fiance, and the expedition tries to rescue the maiden who has now fallen in love with the creature. [click to continue...]

Only July 1st, the soon to be opened Hollywood location of Madame Tussauds will have their Scream-O-Meter out in front of Mann’s Chinese Theatre, inviting anyone to come by and leave their bloodcurdling best, which could be incorporated into their Hitchcock display.

As homage to classic Hollywood screen tests and in an effort to find the right “voice” for our Alfred Hitchcock themed area, we will be conducting a Hollywood “Scream Test” on Tuesday, July 1 at 10:30am in the forecourt of the historic Grauman’s Chinese Theatre.

Guests and participants will be encouraged by the master of ceremonies to scream into our Scream-O-Meter (patent pending) registering their “voice” for the ultimate blood-curdling scream. The winning scream will be immortalized by Madame Tussauds and live on indefinitely in the all-new Madame Tussauds Hollywood Alfred Hitchcock experience.

Madame Tussaud’s, located at the corner of Hollywood Blvd. and Orange Dr., opens August 1st.

GHOULA meets for cocktails in haunted places on the 13th of each month. “SPIRITS with SPIRITS” is a casual gathering of regional ghost hunters.

Open to all, from the curious skeptic to the passionate phantom pursuer. Make friends, find ghosts! Come see the “hot spots” with “cold spots.”

All those who attend will receive a free G.H.O.U.L.A. button. If you have already received your button, please wear it so others can find you. Also, G.H.O.U.L.A t-shirts will be available for sale. ($10.00 each)

Thursday, November 13th

8pm to The Witching Hour

Mixville Bar in Edendale Grill

2838 Rowena Ave, Los Angeles, CA  90039

The largest earthquake drill in U.S. history is scheduled to take place on November 13th at 10:00 am. So, in the spirit of earthquake safety, this month’s “SPIRITS with SPIRITS” will take place in a historic fire station haunted by former rescue workers.

THE GHOST(S):

“Mixville” was a 12 acre movie set (complete with a frontier town, an Indian village, a simulated desert, and a range of plaster mountains) in the Silverlake district of Los Angeles where a series of popular silent-era westerns featuring matinee-idol Tom Mix were filmed. Mixville was where Tom Mix buried his beloved horse “Old Blue,” and where John Wayne got his first job in the movie industry. Sadly, Mixville no longer exists, and in its place stands a strip mall with a Ralph’s Supermarket.

The Mixville Bar, on the other hand, can be found a couple of blocks away from its namesake’s former location. While the establishment’s name pays homage to the celluliod heroes of the past, the actual building is a monument to the memory of another kind of hero. The Mixville bar is located inside Historic Fire Station No. 56. Specifically, the bar sits in what was once the station’s fire-truck bay. Built in 1924, many of the buildings original features are still intact and lovingly preserved. The current owners, and the community, are proud of the building’s unique history.

However, in addition to fine food and cocktails, old Fire Station #56 is also home to some paranormal activity. If you ask the wait-staff or the hostess about ghosts, they will tell you that the place is not haunted. But, GHOULA recently spoke to one of the busboys, who swore that it is indeed very haunted.

Apparently, at the end of their shifts, when the employees clean up for the night, it is not uncommon to encounter “shadow people” on the walls of the fire station. These black forms are said to always be male, and to always vanish after a moment. The workers believe that they are the spirits of fallen firefighters that use to live and work at this site.

It has also been reported that the lady who cleans the restrooms (when the restaurant is closed) believes the restless spirits, on more than one occasion, have slammed the doors when she finished her duties. Perhaps, these ghostly acts are a reaction to the presence of a woman in what was once a male-dominated environment. Then again, maybe they’re just playful fire-house pranks. Either way, these spirits appear to be benign.

So, go to The Mixville Bar, and toast the brave men and women of the LAFD, who not only protect us from disaster (natural and otherwise), but even in death watch over us.

Hollywood Forever Cemetery held their 9th annual Dia de Los Muertos event on Saturday. Each year it draws larger crowds and this year was no exception, with a few jarring notes of commercialization creeping in around the edges. A Johnny Ramone T-shirt stall boasting of “exclusive merchandise?”

But anyway, it was a unique spectacle that you have to see to believe. Many more photos after the jump… [click to continue...]

The McCain-Palin website has provided an opportunity for making a custom campaign rally sign, which could also be used as an accessory for a politically themed Halloween costume, if needed.

Just fill in the blanks and they’ll email the sign for you to print out. I sent in my request an hour ago but the only thing I got was a very sweet request from Palin for a campaign donation. Hmm, I wonder what’s taking them so long with the sign?

Rick Castro, owner/curator of Antebellum, center, with artists Mike Caruso, left, and Tony Ward, right.

Last night saw the opening of SPLATTER at Antebellum Gallery, an exhibition of art inspired by murder.

Many attendees came in costume to hear music performances by Citizen Savant, Botoxic and Kevin Delude.

The exhibit is on view until Nov. 30th. A program of events will run throughout the month that includes a splatter film festival, a live whip demonstration, a sketch salon and more, plus a closing night Oscar Wilde Death Day Tea Party. Details are on the Antebellum website.

SPLATTER has several paintings on view by John Wayne Gacy, the serial murderer known as “The Killer Clown.”

Prom King and Rick Castro

Rick Castro on Grauman steps

Rick Castro is telling me he sees ghosts all the time.

“As far as I’m concerned, all of Hollywood is haunted or has spiritual presence. Every square mile of  old Hollywood has some kind of notoriety and infamous event from years gone by. If you allow yourself to be still you can feel the energy of souls from the past,”  says Castro, the owner and curator of Antebellum Gallery in Hollywood.

A couple months ago, when I told him that Creepy LA would be gearing up for another Halloween season, he suggested he give me a tour of his haunted world.

As he took a break from preparing for SPLATTER, his next exhibition of art at Antebellum, inspired by the horror film genre, I met him at the gallery, which he said was the first stop on the haunted tour.

“I believe Antebellum Gallery still has the presence of the former tenet, Red Stodolsky, the owner of Baroque Books, which was in this space before the gallery.

“Charles Bukowski was his good friend and  drinking buddy. He would create handwritten books on the premises and they would have impromptu book-signings whenever they felt in the mood.

“Red’s spiritual presence is a very positive force. I can always tell when Red approves or disapproves of the goings on at Antebellum. If he is displeased, he slams the door shut. If he is content, the people are drawn in and linger for a very long time. They also buy more.

“Sometimes Red rings the door chimes.  He doesn’t like a lot of light in the office area. Overhead track lighting never works back there.

“I was told by a former neighbor that Red’s  last wishes were to have his ashes scattered on the front sidewalk of Baroque Books.”

Vogue Theater, Hollywood Blvd.

Next on Castro’s list was the Vogue Theater on Hollywood Blvd., not too far from his gallery on Las Palmas.

“It was built on the former site of an elementary school that burnt down in 1901. Twenty-five students were killed along with their teacher,” he told me. “After the theater was built and when it was still open for business, ghosts of children were often seen playing in the aisles. People also have seen ghosts of a projectionist and another guy who worked there.”

His favorite site is nearby, also in Hollywood, but it’s not in clear view. [click to continue...]

Halloween is almost upon us! Now is the time to get serious about finally carving that pumpkin, finishing up that costume (if you didn’t already have a party this past weekend), hitting that haunted house you keep putting off, and of course – seeing some scary movies!

Many of you have probably already seen SAW V (the box office #’s would seem to say so). For those who haven’t – skip it. If your a big SAW-franchise fan, by all means, go for it, but for those simply looking to catch a horror movie or two, there are much better ways you could spend your time.

A drastically more interesting choice would be LET THE RIGHT ONE IN, QUARANTINE and/or the Clive Barker double feature at the New Bev. [click to continue...]

Because Halloween falls on a Friday, this entire week is nothing but wall to wall parties.  Denizens of the City of Angels can partake of many flavors of the holiday each night of the week from mainstream celebrations to the darkest of worlds that suddenly become vogue during this one time every year.

On Wednesday night, start your festivities by taking a trip to Hell, a total overload of sins and senses, taking place at Ivar (6356 Hollywood Blvd)  in the heart of Hollywood.  Highlights include the Freakshow Deluxe performing twisted sideshow acts, concerts by Hollywood 77 and Stolen Hearts, as well as trick or treating at various stations through out the club  (Be sure to get your Halloween basket at the door!)

Explore dark corners full of sensual, intense fetish play and get a little culture by strolling through the dark art gallery on display while sipping on absinthe served up in your favorite fashion.

And yes, for you costume divas, there is a contest with many prizes for killer costumes.  Be sure to arrive early to enjoy the free vodka drinks courtesy of Sobieski from 9 – 10 pm!

Hell takes place from 9 pm – 2 am and is 21+.  Cover is $10.  For more information visit http://www.Industry-LA.com.

Why not donate those yesteryear Halloween costumes collecting dust in your closet? Recycle! Visit your local Goodwill.

Since T-shirt mogul Johnny Cupcakes moved into my neighborhood, every few months I have had to deal with shoving my daughter’s stroller through a sidewalk cramped with high-fashion bad-postured skater youth in lawn chairs waiting, literally for days, for the opportunity to buy a t-shirt.  What’s the big deal, right?

Basically, at the time of the tee-shirts release, Count Cupcakes (A.K.A. Johnny Earle) arrives in a well-curtained hearse, completely sealed in a coffin, and is carried to the storefront by pallbearers. His casket is ceremonially opened, and this graphic-designer turned prophet rises to bestow his free t-shirt blessings on frenzy-faced worshippers.  So you see, he is worthy of creepster adoration.  This October, the collectible designs feature the not-so universal monsters (i.e. Elm Street’s Nightmare, the Hockey-faced Hacker, and the super-sized doughboy) as well as the JC logo in bile-colored brains.

Johnny Cupcakes is located at 7959 Melrose Avenue, in the West of Fairfax Revival, adjacent to Tarina Tarantino, Kid Robot, Fitzu, BAPE, and Agent Provocateur.  Preview the designs here.

 If you are ready to take your Halloween decor game to the next level, it is time to gracefully lift thy hands out of the endless bowl of candy corn and walk slowly, with spooky sophistication, into  Jonathan Wright and Company  on Beverly Boulevard. 

For most of the year, Jonathan Wright is celebrated for his line of ready-made high end greeting cards, invitations and announcements, creating custom letterpress orders for weddings, and supplying red sealing wax to people who don’t like to email. 

But for All Hallow’s Eve, this luxurious stationery boutique is transformed into a black and beige wonderland of Victorian Skull Motifs, Frankenstein Paper Lanterns, Beetles encased in Glass, exquisite reproductions of antique British ghost hunting guides, vintage inspired scaredy cats and witch heads, decorative vultures, and haunted hologram portraits.  All seasonal gifts are very limited, so if you are looking for a treasure for that special witch in your life, the time to shop is now!  Jonathan Wright & Company is located at 7404 Beverly Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90036.  Open Monday through Saturday from 10am to 6pm. 

On Friday, February 5, 1993, the Fox TV reality show SIGHTINGS examined what may be a landmark discovery in parapsychology: convincing evidence that ghosts exist and can actually communicate with us. Two residents of an old house in the hills of Los Angeles began receiving ghostly messages in Polaroid photographs. The pair started taking photos inside the house in the hope of obtaining a picture of the entity they believed haunted the house.

After first capturing a ghostly image on film, the men discovered that if they asked questions about the entity and why it was inhabiting their house, words and messages appeared in response on their film.

So far, more than 1000 photos have captured messages – photos taken not only by the residents but by paranormal researchers and other outsiders. [click to continue...]

One of my favorite time wasting websites is Hulu.com, which allows you to stream an increasingly more and more impressive array of TV shows and movies – for free! I don’t have TiVo, so this is how I keep up on a majority of the shows I watch.

October is Huluween over at Hulu, where they have selected a fun array of horror movies, like The Blob, Christine, Toxic Avenger, and Horror Express, and Halloween related episodes of shows like The Simpsons, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Addams Family, Girls Next Door, and Scare Tactics, all for your free consumption. And those are just a few examples of what’s available.

The playlists are broken up into the weeks of the month. We’re currently in week three, but the previous two weeks’ material is still available for viewing. And more material will of course be coming next week.