Three Types of Boogey Men

There are a world of horror movies out there but it takes a certain style to become a cult classic. By far the three biggest franchises in Slasher Horror world are Nightmare on Elm Street, Halloween and Hellraiser. Each demonstrating a completely different take on the main bad guy.

Freddy Kruegar 

This character is seen as a villain that should be feared and hated. With a past history of child abuse and severely disfigured face he is everything you should fear about a creepy neighbourhood boogey man. But through the series they have added more and more humour to his antics, he often jokes and torments his victims indulging in a lot of dialogue before any eventual kill is made. This funnier side is provided as light relief to the viewer and stops them from being too imersed in the scare or horror of the film. The other aspect is that he is no longer a physical form and manifests himself through the subconscious of his victims, firstly entering their minds through their dreams. This means that he needs to indulge a dialogue and build fear before he has enough energy to physically harm his victims.

Michael Myers

A lot of people say that children are not born evil but are raised that way, Michael Myers is pure evil. As a child he takes his first victim and then remains mute as he murders eat of his victims. The lack of reasoning and emotion in Michael Myers in spite of attempts by Dr Loomis. The silent and slow nature of Michael sometimes makes him come across as dumb, and looking at his back story he would clearly not have been well educated. His only consideration is murder and the evil that controls him gives him powers beyond the normal human.

Pinhead (The Lead Cenobite)

Referred to as Pinhead, due to his appearance, but in fact never referred to with this name in the movies till the third in the series. He is an articulate and thoughtful master of darkness and pain. A complete switch from tradition, Pinhead is a serious and calculating leader of the cenobites who orchestrates the suffering and pain of those who cross his path or indeed open the Box. The beauty of Pinhead is that he has a normal back story and could be like anyone had they been subjected to torture over such a sustained period of time. His intelligence is his power and he adds suspense with his calculated dialogue.

From these main franchises you will have seen many horror films try to emulate the fear that they evoke in viewers but with little success. The originality of a Horror film is key and whilst many have attempted real life bad guys they lack the longevity of the supernatural. So whether you like comedy, silence or intelligence these three franchises show you how to do it.

Identifying with Strangers

How do you identify with a stranger and make sure they have similar interests as you? A good place to start is their Tshirt. A Tshirt is like a badge saying "hey look what I'm into" and there has been a massive surge in those wearing Zombie tshirts. Good to know if your ever wondering around post apocalypse wondering who might be clued up and useful.

Nobody can have too many T shirts and its a great gift to give to anyone who is interested in Horror.

4 Great ideas for couples Cosplay

Cosplay popularity is growing in the UK with attendance at comic conventions on the increase. Further spawned by the internet and the success of comic con in the US which sold out 2013 tickets within 90 minutes of going on sale. Once you have the part organised or the tickets booked for comic con your attention the turns to the outfit your going to wear. Your first port of call may be your favourite hero but then going as a mismatched Marvel and DC couple would look weird so why not try and get something coordinated. Here are some ideas:

1. Michael Myers and Victim

As horror costumes go Michael Myers still sends a shiver down most peoples spine with his trademark white mask showing no signs of emotion. Along with the mask any type of boiler suit would be suitable and then just a large knife as your weapon. The great thing about this idea is that the victim can wear their own clothes.

The victim will usually be sexily dressed with scared look. Not too much effort required to find an outfit for this!

2. Evil Dead

Probably one that you won't see often but will make you stand out. The evil dead trilogy is a cult classic and always features highly in any fans top list of films. From the third film Army of Darkness this cosplay is elaborate and difficult to pull off but so worth it. Firstly there is the chainsaw hand which you can pick up from American fancy dress shops. The lady should wear a medieval style dress to fit in with the characters which can be as elaborate or tame as required by your wallet.

3. Batman and Catwoman

The classic comic book favourite is Batman with some great cheap offers out there  on costumes, your next decision is whether to go retro or modern. The retro look is great for fun, but for serious cosplayers the new look batman is a must. The dark night has brought this franchise back to life and is seen as the coolest of the comic book to film crossovers. The catwoman outfit is a simply black catsuit with eye mask and some little ears.

4. John Crichton and Aeryn Sun

For fans of sci-fi they will know this is the greatest love story in TV sci-fi since Buffy and Angel. This is simple as all you need is some black basic t shirts and vest tops. Then its all about the jacket. And of course the holster for your pistol. The look is easily identifiable because of the red detailing on the jacket which could be done with pieces of material on a normal leather vest.

 For Aeryn a long black leather jacket is perfect and something that can be found with a quick internet search.

Zombie disguise

So the apocalypse is getting closer by the day and the number of people wanting to prepare grows. The key to preparation is to ensure you have a great plan as seen here Zombie Guide and the right equipment. Now due to the low brain functionality of Zombies it would be worth getting a disguise. The reason a disguise is good is that in crowded situations when you go out for supplies you will need to walk past them undetected, any melee would be a bad idea and draw yet more in your direction. Zombies disguises are easy all you need is a mask:

Friendly zombie

Evil zombie

The internal struggle for supremacy

Once you have the mask ensure the rest of your body is covered, this will help with any potential bites but also it will disguise your non rotten flesh. If you have natural bright eyes you may wish to go for some contacts to make the dead or infected look perfect:

Dead look contacts £20

Infected look contacts £20

The final element and most important to your disguise is the stench. You need to ensure you cover yourself with rotten flesh peices and blood from a previously killed zombie. This will make it less easy for the zombie to smell your natural odour and attack.

Once the costume is complete it will mean you can venture out into the world on reconosance missions and find all the items you need to ride out the apocalypse safe in your bunker.

Google

Zombies are on the way

Google

What is Cosplay?

Cosplay in the UK is a small and relatively unknown past time. Whilst in America and especially in the Far East cosplay is a huge industry with lots of shops, clubs, events and conventions. In essence Cosplay is where you would try to make, purchase or collect a costume from your favourite movie, comic or tv programme. A lot of cosplay happens at conventions and the world's most famous convention is Comic Con.

With the UK finally beginning to catch on to this past time there is an ever increasing trend in parties and events specifically for like minded individuals to meet up in their costumes. There can be so many different themes it is often difficult to find something that you would be interested in and by far the largest type of cosplay is Anime. There are however a lot of conventions for Sci Fi, Horror, cartoon and gothic themes in the UK, some are specifically geared towards on TV show or film like Vampire Diaries, whilst some are more broad like Northampton Comic Con which covers a lot of current and retro shows.

So whether you want to wear a dressing gown and carry a towel (as Arthur Dent from THHGTTG) or you wish to wear full cenobite Costume (from Hellraiser) then you will be able to meet like minded individuals. Or you could be a trend setter and theme some parties, its a great ice breaker and you will find people will go to great length to impress.

And remember dressing up is not only a past time for Halloween!

Some comic con links for UK:

http://www.comicconventions.co.uk/ 

http://tvfilmconventions.co.uk/

Source of Comic con outfits:

http://www.horroremporium.com

Sci Fi Google

Changing your Look....its all in the eyes

Someone once said the eyes are the gateway to the soul and like any other gateway if you change the shape, colour or pattern it can appear completely foreign.

A new trend has begun with changing of the eyes to different colours and shapes.

The changing colour of eyes has become popular amongst alternative groups unhappy with their original colour, many people don't have particularly bright colouring and thus want to have the UV effect created by these stylish contact lenses.

Cost £19.99 - Available from Horror Emporium


 

One of the biggest trends is the Lizard style eyes which create the appearance of Lizard eyes and can alter a persons entire image with only the application of contact lenses.

Altering this small part of your body (temporarily) can really create a different perception to the people around you. These have been used for years in the movie industry but not commercially available due to the cost.

Cost £19.99 - Available from Horror Emporium

A new design to come out is what is called the Android look which completely covers the pupil and gives the impression of an android like computer eye.

This design is the most complex to achieve to ensure the wearer is able to see comfortably and function whilst wearing them. But i'm sure as you can see the effect is brilliant. Coupled with a stiff walk and monotone voice you could convince anyone of your cyborg status


Cost £19.99 - Available from Horror Emporium

    
The final contact lense we have to demonstrate is the pentagram effect. This is a classic symbol of the occultist in Western Culture and a great way to demonstrate a darker side to your personality. Set against the black background the symbol really stands out in bright red.

This really changes the shape of the eye with the sharp lines creating a mesmerizing effect to those around the wearer.




Cost £19.99 - Available from Horror Emporium Google