[Dr Kain]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kylactus

Halloween disturbia: my first trick or treaters were a group of kids dressed as Captain America, Iron Man, a Jedi, Mickey Mouse, and Doc McStuffins.... Disney is gonna get rich tonight.

I wish we got trick or treaters here. We buy a bag of candy every year just in case, but nope, no one ever comes buy. Why would anyone go to apartments when they can go to the rich people's houses to get candy? :-(

I'm so ready for this year to be over with. This year has been one of the worst years ever for me and tonight's party sucked ass.

[Dr Kain]

Halloween might be over to everyone else, but not for us. October is just the excuse to go crazy. :-)

Anyway, we just watched the first two episodes to this season of American Horror Story and I have to say that they flat out sucked. This is worse than Asylum as at least that show had a few interesting characters despite it being a convoluted mess. So far, the only thing horror-esque of the show is Jessica Lange's accent. My god, did she forget how to act when they were filming this thing? It is bad enough that she seems to mumble more than speak. The only positive I can say about the show is the clown dude is awesome, but he is hardly even in the damn show. I'm about ready to skip this season and hope they actually remember how they made Murder House so good next year.

[En Sabah Nerd]

If we keep posting, then this thread shall endure.

[3233rafael]

It's that time of the year...

[zombombie]

I still want to pick up the ReAction Funko horror figures I don't have yet. Just need Pinhead and Freddy (Ghostface should arrive in the mail tomorrow!). Not sure I'll buy The Crow. He just doesn't fit with those others I don't think.

[kylactus]

I've always thought of the crow as more of a supernatural super hero (like Blade or Ghost Rider) than a horror movie. how's the sculpt on the funko Myers?

[zombombie]

You know what? It kind of works for this figure! The mask/face sculpt is quite accurate. The rest is simple enough that it works for this line I think.

[kylactus]

He'd be the only one (other than Jason ant the alien) I'd jump on for the reaction line if I saw him in the wild. like you said the limited articulation isn't a big deal for me with Myers. It's not like he really needs to do yoga poses.

[En Sabah Nerd]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 3233rafael

It's that time of the year...

Such an awesome story, so good a comic, such weak figures. I love love love The Long Halloween and Dark Victory, it's the best Two-Face story in my opinion. I'd love it if DCC made new Long Halloween figures, Tim Sale's style is beautifully gothic and his Two-Face design is one of the best.

In other horror news, my ultimate Leatherface figure arrived from BBTS today and it looks amazing. I'm going to wait until my birthday to open him up, nice bonus is my birthday is the last day of September so October immediately begins afterward.

[En Sabah Nerd]

It's October now! Rev your chainsaws!

[En Sabah Nerd]

We're almost half way through October, someone's got to try and revive this thread!

[kylactus]

^ Amen! I thought it was just me, but is no one into Halloween this year!?! I haven't even decorated yet! usually I've got everything up in mid September. there aren't any Halloween specials on TV, it seems the Halloween isle at every store is the shit that didn't sell last year. everyone's given up on custom costumes, why bother building a Boba Fett costume when you can just buy a hoodie at Walmart for 19.99. I don't know, maybe it's just me. seriously the other day I was thinking, why bother taking the kids trick-or-treating, I can go buy bags of candy and save us a crowded walk.

[En Sabah Nerd]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kylactus

^ Amen! I thought it was just me, but is no one into Halloween this year!?! I haven't even decorated yet! usually I've got everything up in mid September. there aren't any Halloween specials on TV, it seems the Halloween isle at every store is the shit that didn't sell last year. everyone's given up on custom costumes, why bother building a Boba Fett costume when you can just buy a hoodie at Walmart for 19.99. I don't know, maybe it's just me. seriously the other day I was thinking, why bother taking the kids trick-or-treating, I can go buy bags of candy and save us a crowded walk.

As far as I could tell last year my neighborhood hardly participated either. I expect my street to get little attention because it's uphill and at the edge of the suburbs but even looking down into the denser areas I saw rather minimal activity. I stopped going out when I was 10 because it was easier to grab a bag of whatever I wanted at a store and stay home but I didn't even get a good phase of passing out candy myself, like 2 or 3 years before kids stopped coming. So really Halloween/October for me is just an excuse to indulge in horror movies more than I usually do. I don't have children, maybe when I do I'll finally rediscover trick or treating.

[snake5289]

It seems Halloween's a dying holiday I'm afraid. No one here decorates and there's never any kids out and about.

[K Dubious]

What is funny is all I remember hearing last year that if a child has a blue pumpkin basket it means that they have food allergies and you should give them something different than traditional candy, like a toy or money! Now I can understand that having a food allergy is out of their control, but to ask the rest of society to cater to it is a bit crazy to me, that is the parents job in my opinion.

The world is so afraid of everything that it is making "traditional" things no longer normal. You should never take candy from a stanger...unless you are in costume and then it is ok to knock on the strangers door and ask for it. I also heard a smiliar argument about Christmas, the jest was that we teach our kids that we shouldn't talk or touch strangers, but we put our kid on the lap of fat, hairy men in red and that is ok. The person making the point said, it is an infomercial for perverts, just dress up like Santa and the kid won't view you as a stranger.

I have no kids so who knows how I will feel when I get there, but I want my kids to have a similar upbringing to myself, which includes Trick-or-Treating (I even went out my senior year wearing no shirt and Shrek ears, the chest hair really helped the costume, lol) and asking Santa for my christmas list. Let the kids be kids!

[kylactus]

It just feels like the whole countries' pissed, no one trusts there neighbors, malls and churches hand out candy, and no one's walking around anymore, hell, half the houses in my area won't have there lights on, it seems like everyone who still does yard displays make them more "fall" themed than Halloween. Humanity peeked in the 90's it's been straight down hill since.

[snake5289]

Quote:

Originally Posted by K Dubious

What is funny is all I remember hearing last year that if a child has a blue pumpkin basket it means that they have food allergies and you should give them something different than traditional candy, like a toy or money! Now I can understand that having a food allergy is out of their control, but to ask the rest of society to cater to it is a bit crazy to me, that is the parents job in my opinion.

The world is so afraid of everything that it is making "traditional" things no longer normal. You should never take candy from a stanger...unless you are in costume and then it is ok to knock on the strangers door and ask for it. I also heard a smiliar argument about Christmas, the jest was that we teach our kids that we shouldn't talk or touch strangers, but we put our kid on the lap of fat, hairy men in red and that is ok. The person making the point said, it is an infomercial for perverts, just dress up like Santa and the kid won't view you as a stranger.

I have no kids so who knows how I will feel when I get there, but I want my kids to have a similar upbringing to myself, which includes Trick-or-Treating (I even went out my senior year wearing no shirt and Shrek ears, the chest hair really helped the costume, lol) and asking Santa for my christmas list. Let the kids be kids!

Quote:

Originally Posted by kylactus

It just feels like the whole countries' pissed, no one trusts there neighbors, malls and churches hand out candy, and no one's walking around anymore, hell, half the houses in my area won't have there lights on, it seems like everyone who still does yard displays make them more "fall" themed than Halloween. Humanity peeked in the 90's it's been straight down hill since.

I agree with both of these statements. I had a blast with Halloween and Christmas when I was little and if the impossible happens and I ever have kids I plan on trying to give them the same upbringing I had.

[K Dubious]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kylactus

Humanity peeked in the 90's it's been straight down hill since.

No greater truth has even been spoken!!

I miss everything being EXTREME!! From voices to colors the theme of the 90's was extreme, Harold and Kumar made fun of that in thier first movie and which of course was at the tailend of the 90's glory.

Also miss voice over trailers....

(Read in your Deepest voice)

"In world filled with terror, only one Blue Pumpkin Pail remained. Every kid knew they had allergies, but only one could tread the waters safely enough to go head first into thier holiday score. Coming this October, say goodbye to Trick-or-Treat and hello to...Going to the Zoo?"

[Kamatayan]

I agree with the latest posts. Tbh, the world has been dead about Halloween that I only just remembered about it. Normally, my house would be jam packed with decorations by now. I don't know what it is, but I'm simply not feeling the fun Halloween vibes from before.

[snake5289]

The assholes of the world win yet again and ruin everything for the rest of us. Thanks so much you dirtbags.

[Dr Kain]

You know what, there is something off about this year. Hell, even my g/f and I for some reason don't seem to be in the spirit of it no matter how much we are trying. We've only gone to one haunted house this year when by now we would have gone to 2 or 3. Granted, we are have some money issues right now, so that doesn't help, but the one haunted house we went to was boring. They only had half of the actors they had last year and none of the actors even seemed into their roles. Last year, the maze was bigger, had a lot of lights and set up going on, there were actors that would follow you through the bushes and pop out on the other side, etc. I've also been to two Spirit stores and none of them seem to be in the spirit either. It also seems like they have less merchandise this year. I don't even feel like the reviews I am working on for the month are being enjoyed by people. No one has really commented on either of the videos I have released so far.

WTF is going on this year? 2015 has been absolutely fantastic for me for the first 9 months in the year and now it is starting to go out on a whimper.

[Trivial Psychic]

I think a large part of it has to do with the nonsense going on in the world these days. If it's not the overly PC nature of things today, with everyone screaming fake outrage and offense to everything, it's the sheer psychosis being reported to us every day from the news media. Be it racist cops, the violence in Mexico or Syria, or another murderous shooting spree somewhere by some seriously coddled and demented individual (who's suddenly discovering that he's not an individual snowflake like society has raised them to be, and that the world that honestly doesn't give a flying **** about their problems,) this tends to be all I ever see in the news as of late. In an era of seemingly endless and personal access, it's caused a great deal of us to become simply paranoid to just go out and enjoy ourselves. When I was a child, we worried about razor blades in our chocolate bars. Now, having become a father this past year, I have to worry about some insecure, coddled, asshole who's feeling unnoticed going out there to try and make a name for himself with a gun, and there might be another idiot out there looking to emulate them and do the same thing...

It would not surprise me, that within the next twenty years if Halloween were to become a holiday like Columbus or Labor Day. Something recognized on the calendar, but not really celebrated because people are either too busy, or too paranoid to be bothered with it. And not to get all anti-establishment or anti-capitalist, but the fact that there is already Christmas stuff put out in stores weeks before Halloween is proof enough that Halloween is fading away, and it's really about getting that Christmas money from you that retailers hope for.

For me personally, I love this time of year, as it's always been my favorite holiday...the one time of year where I can pull my Jason costume out of the closet and take some pics with the kids around the block or mall, but I don't even bother with it anymore...I now wait until the comic con that usually takes place the week after Halloween here in Tucson to dress up...

[Skoob]

Quote:

Originally Posted by snake5289

The assholes of the world win yet again and ruin everything for the rest of us. Thanks so much you dirtbags.

Don't shoot the messenger.

The gist of the posts above is that "The thrill is gone." I feel the same way. I think we're sensing a shift in culture.

1) Peak Commercialization

We all enjoy holidays, but their original purpose is obscured by commercialization. Hallowe'en comes along, and we're trained like obedient sheepdogs to go charging to the mall and spend a bunch of money (or credit card debt) on crummy, overpriced candy and crummy, overpriced decorations and crummy, overpriced costumes, as though spending money is a necessary prerequisite to having fun. Practically everything that our grandparents did for themselves to have fun became commercialized by the wealthy post-WW2 boomer generation. You see the same mentality in modern boomer-dominated central banking: "All will be well, if we only print more money!" (The money doesn't go where it should; I digress.)

2) Debt

Consumer debt is the highest today that it has ever been in history. People can no longer afford to spend like they used to. Case in point: I went out this evening for Canadian Thanksgiving, and passed several popular restaurants that had only half a dozen cars parked out front. The place I went to is a good family restaurant, but it was nearly deserted, on a national holiday, at supper hour. There was a time when the restaurants in my town were jumping: it wasn't uncommon to have to wait for a table. Those days seem to be gone. I think the same thing is happening with holiday spending in general. Hallowe'en displays started to go up locally in mid-August. Christmas stuff went up at the end of September. It's surreal to walk through the deserted aisles with Christmas music playing on the intercom and nobody shopping. Compare that to the 70s, when I was small: Christmas displays went up December 1, and the stores were absolutely crazy busy. I think retailers are hurting because the old enthusiasm for spending money is dampened by a cloud of debt. Also, the stuff on the shelves isn't as good. Quality suffered as a consequence of corporate offshoring / outsourcing. Aisles are crammed with millions of dollars worth of discounted junk. Parents on shoestring budgets have other priorities, like school supplies and cell phone contracts.

3) Better Nutrition

Who still makes their own holiday goodies? My parents used to make gingerbread men with little icing smiles on them and hand them out in little bags, but who does that now? Who still makes their own Christmas baking? Nowadays you go to the local big-box store and see pallets filled with junk candy with garbage ingredients priced at $20 or more per bag, more for boxes. Seniors buy bags of the stuff only to have a few children show up at the door, and then what do they do with the leftovers? And knowing what we know now about the statistics for diabetes, obesity, dangerous ingredients, who wants to put that stuff in their bodies? Binging has given way to portion control. Furthermore, good chocolate is quite expensive, but who can and wants to spend a lot of money for good quality candy, only to hand it out to anonymous neighborhood children? Better to wait until AFTER the holiday and pick up some good premium chocolate for yourself at a discount!

4) Social Programming

Our children are told that everybody on the street is a potential bogeyman. You don't let your child walk to school anymore, because the hills are crawling with pedophiles. Hallowe'en candy might have razor blades or pieces of glass. On a dark night, your child might run into traffic. Anything might go wrong. Then there are real threats, especially in depressed areas. By experience and/or by social programming, the perception of safe streets is lost. I used to have 120-150 kids come to my door; last year it was a nice, mild evening, and we had a grand total of 6. More parents are taking their children to organized events, rather than turning them loose like in the old days. Even more are doing nothing. Holidays are a chance to sleep in and maybe catch up on household chores.

I know; I'm roaming all over the place. But we all seem to be touching on many of the same points. Rgds

[Dr Kain]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trivial Psychic

It would not surprise me, that within the next twenty years if Halloween were to become a holiday like Columbus or Labor Day. Something recognized on the calendar, but not really celebrated because people are either too busy, or too paranoid to be bothered with it. And not to get all anti-establishment or anti-capitalist, but the fact that there is already Christmas stuff put out in stores weeks before Halloween is proof enough that Halloween is fading away, and it's really about getting that Christmas money from you that retailers hope for.

You just hit the nail on the head though. Halloween isn't important anymore because of this whole health craze, so corporations can't merchandise the hell out of Halloween anymore. As such, why bother with it when Christmas is so much more profitable?

[snake5289]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skoob

Don't shoot the messenger.

The gist of the posts above is that "The thrill is gone." I feel the same way. I think we're sensing a shift in culture.

1) Peak Commercialization

We all enjoy holidays, but their original purpose is obscured by commercialization. Hallowe'en comes along, and we're trained like obedient sheepdogs to go charging to the mall and spend a bunch of money (or credit card debt) on crummy, overpriced candy and crummy, overpriced decorations and crummy, overpriced costumes, as though spending money is a necessary prerequisite to having fun. Practically everything that our grandparents did for themselves to have fun became commercialized by the wealthy post-WW2 boomer generation. You see the same mentality in modern boomer-dominated central banking: "All will be well, if we only print more money!" (The money doesn't go where it should; I digress.)

2) Debt

Consumer debt is the highest today that it has ever been in history. People can no longer afford to spend like they used to. Case in point: I went out this evening for Canadian Thanksgiving, and passed several popular restaurants that had only half a dozen cars parked out front. The place I went to is a good family restaurant, but it was nearly deserted, on a national holiday, at supper hour. There was a time when the restaurants in my town were jumping: it wasn't uncommon to have to wait for a table. Those days seem to be gone. I think the same thing is happening with holiday spending in general. Hallowe'en displays started to go up locally in mid-August. Christmas stuff went up at the end of September. It's surreal to walk through the deserted aisles with Christmas music playing on the intercom and nobody shopping. Compare that to the 70s, when I was small: Christmas displays went up December 1, and the stores were absolutely crazy busy. I think retailers are hurting because the old enthusiasm for spending money is dampened by a cloud of debt. Also, the stuff on the shelves isn't as good. Quality suffered as a consequence of corporate offshoring / outsourcing. Aisles are crammed with millions of dollars worth of discounted junk. Parents on shoestring budgets have other priorities, like school supplies and cell phone contracts.

3) Better Nutrition

Who still makes their own holiday goodies? My parents used to make gingerbread men with little icing smiles on them and hand them out in little bags, but who does that now? Who still makes their own Christmas baking? Nowadays you go to the local big-box store and see pallets filled with junk candy with garbage ingredients priced at $20 or more per bag, more for boxes. Seniors buy bags of the stuff only to have a few children show up at the door, and then what do they do with the leftovers? And knowing what we know now about the statistics for diabetes, obesity, dangerous ingredients, who wants to put that stuff in their bodies? Binging has given way to portion control. Furthermore, good chocolate is quite expensive, but who can and wants to spend a lot of money for good quality candy, only to hand it out to anonymous neighborhood children? Better to wait until AFTER the holiday and pick up some good premium chocolate for yourself at a discount!

4) Social Programming

Our children are told that everybody on the street is a potential bogeyman. You don't let your child walk to school anymore, because the hills are crawling with pedophiles. Hallowe'en candy might have razor blades or pieces of glass. On a dark night, your child might run into traffic. Anything might go wrong. Then there are real threats, especially in depressed areas. By experience and/or by social programming, the perception of safe streets is lost. I used to have 120-150 kids come to my door; last year it was a nice, mild evening, and we had a grand total of 6. More parents are taking their children to organized events, rather than turning them loose like in the old days. Even more are doing nothing. Holidays are a chance to sleep in and maybe catch up on household chores.

I know; I'm roaming all over the place. But we all seem to be touching on many of the same points. Rgds

Damn my bad I was in no way talking about you gentlemen. I just meant in general. Sorry if it came off otherwise.