Oblivion FX's Part 6 Glove

It wasn’t too long ago that I was sitting back and enjoying the latest A Nightmare On Elm Street  documentary, appropriately titled Never Sleep Again. Mixed in with all of the great interviews and behind the scenes is a short 18 minute featurette called “For The Love Of The Glove.” It briefly covers the history of Freddy’s infamous glove and then touches on the people building replica gloves. I sat back in complete awe of how many people are out there completely in love with, well, the glove!

It was at this point that I broke out my collection of gloves and admired them for the amazing pieces of art work they are. The DVD featurette was great but there was just one little problem… it left me wanting more. Much more. So I made the decision to take it upon myself and create a website that will unofficially continue the featurette.

Fast forward a few weeks and I’m writing website code while surrounded by gloves from various builders. The glove building community really took to my idea and I really appreciate their support. I also received a large collection of gloves from a buddy of mine and I’ll be featuring them all on the site. The intention is to make this a one-stop spot for everything you could ever want to know about the glove. Part of the site will include a listing of all known builders and information on how you can order yourself a replica glove. I have other exclusives I cant mention just yet, but it’s going to be a glove enthusiast dream come true – pun definitely intended!

I realize this post would have been more appropriate if the website was done and ready, but I felt like posting it now. So here we are! The site has a small teaser animation and is worth checking out (I would like to think so since I created it!) It’ll be fully functional soon and I’ll be posting here so you won’t miss out! Sleep tight kiddies…

For The Love Of The Glove
http://www.fortheloveoftheglove.com

I also highly recommend the Never Sleep Again documentary I mentioned earlier. It’s a must-have DVD for any Nightmare fan.

Never Sleep Again
http://www.elmstreetlegacy.com

Some movies I’ll admit can benefit from a good remake, but Evil Dead is not one of them. I’m really curious to see how they capture the low budget and cheesy (but awesome) style of the original. Don’t even get me started on finding someone to fill Bruce Campbell’s shoes. That’s almost as bad as replacing Robert Englund as Freddy Krueger – oh wait, they already did that!

Let’s hope this idea gets canned…

For years I’ve been searching for a product that would help me decrease the size of my DVD collection without sacrificing any of the packaging materials. I found several products but there was always a major downside that deterred me from using them. Eventually I stumbled on the DiscSox sleeves distributed by MM Design. I was pretty sure they were too good to be true. I reached out to them and they kindly sent me a sample. Within seconds of inspecting the sleeve I was sold! I placed a large order and converted my entire collection. They offer a similar sleeve for CDs as well and I’ll be converting those next…

Here you’ll find a few photos that document the process of transferring from a standard case to a DiscSox sleeve. After the photos is a short video where I demonstrate the same process for a Standard DVD, a Warner Bros cardboard DVD, and a 2 disc DVD.

01. Standard case next to the DiscSox sleeve

02. Opening the Standard case and DiscSox sleeve

03. Flip the Standard case over

04. Remove the cover from the Standard case

05. Insert cover in DiscSox sleeve

06. Flip over the DiscSox sleeve

07. Transfer any inserts from the Standard case to the DiscSox sleeve

08. Transfer the DVD from the Standard case to the DiscSox sleeve

09. Completed transfer from the Standard case to the DiscSox sleeve

Video of the transfer process

If you’re interested in buying this product you find them on the official site: www.mmdesign.com/

The sleeves in my video are the “DiscSox® DVD Pro Sleeves”

IMPORTANT NOTES:
- I made this review and video because I love this product.
- I do not work for MM Design.
- I was not asked or paid to do this by MM Design.
- I am not an affiliate and will not profit from this in any way.

I simply wanted to share the usage instructions with anyone that may be debating whether or not this is the product they need. When I first saw these sleeves, I wasn’t sure if it was the exact solution I had been looking for. The pictures on their site are great, but I think this video helps to really showcase the product.

2008 Haunt - Torture Room

In 2008 I did something big… I setup a haunted house… A big haunted house… A 2,000 square foot haunted house to be exact… And it was good… Real good…

Of all my past productions, it’s the one that gets the most questions and comments. It’s the most photographed and documented project to date. People are impressed when I tell them I planned, designed, setup and executed everything for this haunt on my own – all after my 9-5 job. Don’t even get me started on the process of taking it all down!

I have and will continue to talk a lot about this haunt and the good times I had managing it. The countless guests that were frightened to enter are a testament to the hard work that went into it.

So in the spirit of the upcoming Halloween season, I bring you a list of stats for the project. I’ve had these stashed away since wrapping up production and I think it’s about time they see the light of day. Some item are funny, some are serious, but all are true…

2008 Haunted House Stats

• Number of hooks used: Dozens
• Number of pins used: Hundreds
• Number of staples used: Thousands
• Feet of blackout craft paper: Maybe I should count the paper cuts instead…
• Number of black shower curtains from the dollar store: They know me by name…
• Cost of creating this haunt: Hahahahahaha
• Number of times I electrocuted myself: Twice (yes, really)
• Number of times I fell off a ladder: Three… but no broken bones
• Number of times I worked so late I started seeing things: Twice
• Number of times I accidentally killed the lights and got freaked out and ran to safety in the nearby kitchen: Twice
• Number of times I stapled myself: Three (It hurts worse than being electrocuted)
• Number of hours I slept before opening day: One (5-6am.) I was up until 5am doing finishing touches
• Number of live actors: It varied each showing but roughly seven
• Number of children that cried: Zero. (Unlike 2007’s haunt, I didn’t allow children this year)

And that’s the 2008 Haunted House Stats List. I can only imagine what this year will bring…

Stay tuned everyone…

I’m assuming this all stems from a single image I used from the movie Zombie Strippers and I mentioned a review would be coming soon (it’s still coming soon by the way). But seriously, is that all it took? What are these people in search of strippers doing when they finally get to this site?! The abandonment rate is low. Hmmm. Perhaps I should add a Zombie Babe of the Day?? Nah (I need to stop thinking out loud…)

Well, this post is for all the people looking for zombie eye candy. But don’t get used to it – this is a family friendly page! Tomorrows post – How to make fake blood that tastes good

He's lost his stomach...

The Missing Guts prop is a rarity these days and to be honest, I don’t have much info to share. Here’s what I do know…

Source Info: Mine was handed down to me in a large dumping of Halloween props and I unfortunately didn’t get a lot of background info. The prop’s name is Missing Guts and it’s at least a few years old. I don’t know the retail price but I’m pretty sure it wasn’t cheap.

Missing Guts!

Design: It’s hard to find props like this nowadays. Many items you see in stores are made with cheaper materials and less design detail – but not this guy! The body parts and gore are shaped really well and the paint job looks like it was hand painted.

Dissembled, this prop comes in 5 pieces (see photo gallery below.) All of the parts fit nicely together with strong metal tubing. Because of this tubing, the prop has some weight to it and that’s a good thing. Assembling him can be a bit tricky if you start with the wrong part or if you don’t have a helper. It’s best to assemble is with him laying on his back. Attach all of the parts and then carefully stand it up. The weight keeps everything together and it wont tip over easily.

Animation: This is a static prop so there’s no animation to it. The prop is gesturing as if he had just punched his fist into his stomach and now he’s ripping out his guts. Lovely!

Final Thoughts: I’m thrilled to own this prop and I would appreciate any additional info anyone can provide.

Note – If you look at the close-up of this guys face in the photo gallery, you’ll notice some blood dripping down his face and on his nose. I believe this is fake blood added by the previous owner. It’s a good match if that ’s the case!

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Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Pros: Attractive Design, Sturdy Construction, Unique Concept
Cons: Assembly
Best Uses: Home Haunt, Pro Haunt
Bottom Line: Buy it if you can find it!

Frankie's hurting...

Frankenstein is a classic in the horror world. He’s one of the original Universal monsters and he’s a staple of any haunt. So what’s the harm in making a life size foam version of him? Well…

Source Info: This guy (like many of my recent and upcoming prop reviews) was handed down to me in a large dumping of Halloween props. And just like all the others I didn’t get a lot of background info. I don’t know the manufacturer or what name they gave him, and I don’t know the retail price. I’m guessing he went for around $150, maybe $200 tops…

Design: It’s hard to judge since this prop is pretty old and it’s taken a beating over the the years. It looks like a pretty quick and sloppy paint job. This isnt meant for up-close viewing, but more of a background item.

The back is flat which means you can only lay it flat on a table. The top of his legs are a bit hollow so the torso has something to sit in, but this doesn’t provide enough stability to stand it upright. You could place him on a board tilted up as if he were in the Frankenstein lab, but if it’s too vertical the top half will fall over.

The arms are also very flimsy and are really designed to be on a flat surface. The legs are one solid piece of foam with no space between the legs. While that adds to the stability, it takes away from the realism of the prop.

Final Thoughts: This guy may have been a little more impressive when he was new off the factory line, but it’s still a poorly made prop. Frankenstein collectors might still be interested but if you’re looking for something to use in your home haunt, look elsewhere!

(The Frankencuted “animated” prop by Spirit Halloween is a good alternative, but only if you buy it at a deep discount (maybe find it used.) It’s not worth the $250 sticker price. Full review of this prop coming soon.)

Note – If you look at this guys head and chest in the photo gallery,  you’ll notice some blood and a stab wound/syringe. I believe these are after market effects added by the previous owner.

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Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
Pros: Classic Monster
Cons: Cheap Materials, Poor Design
Best Uses: Home Haunt
Bottom Line: Buy it only if you really want it.

Source Info: I got this prop from a friend, and I believe it was several years old. I don’t have an exact date or the original retail price. I suspect it was a Spirit Halloween prop, but don’t hold me to that…

Design: Lets start with the base – something you can’t actually see in the photos, but it’s made of thick heavy steel. It’s not tipping over any time soon! The latex “neck” of the skull covers this base and it does it well. Just watch when you place this prop on a table… the weight can be deceiving and the metal base will put a dent in a wood table.

The neck, head, and horns are nicely designed and painted. It all meshes well together and looks like one piece.

The actual candles are unfortunately nowhere near as sturdy as the quality base. All it would have taken was a better design for mounting the candle. Instead its just glued on, and this results in frequent trips to the garage for more super glue. But as long as the prop isn’t moved around too much you’ll be okay. The bulbs are replaceable and you can use standard lights or the more appropriate flicker bulbs.

Controls: This part is pretty simple and just what you would expect. Plug it in and turn the dial to ON or OFF. This is better than having it always on when plugged in. I like having options…

Final Thoughts: Overall this prop was made with good care and design. The candles are a bit sensitive so don’t let the kids near it. I would still suggest buying it.

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Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Pros: Attractive Design, On/Off Control, Quality Base
Cons: Fragile Candles
Best Uses: Home Haunt, Halloween Party
Bottom Line: Buy it if you can find it!