# The Ghost Crossing 2009



## GothicCandle (Mar 26, 2007)

The local newspaper gave me a whole page!









This wizard is one of many handmade figures to greet trick or treaters at (Gothiccandle's) Halloween Haunt.
A bicycle-riding ghoul is one of many ghostly figures lining (GothicCandle's) driveway on Halloween.









A handmade vampire and tombstone wait to spook young trick or treaters.
Grizelda, the first witch (GothicCandle) ever made, is one of many figures constructed be (gothiccandle) to grace her Halloween Haunt.

Halloween haunt is local woman's 'obsession

She's a young woman of intense curiosity and multiple enthu*siasms-chief among them, Halloween.
"I've been doing haunts since I was about 13," said 22-year-old
(GothicCandle), who has lived in (town) with her grandmother, for the past 11 years.
"Even then I heard kids say, 'The white-haired lady,' "who of course is me," Grandmother interjected, "'has the best decorations and the best candy,'" said (GothicCandle), who spends the entire day each Halloween setting up her elaborate outdoor decora*tions, complete with lights and motion, as well as purchased and handmade props, at the pair's home at (address).
Asking (GothicCandle)-who also collects vintage stereographs, LPs and books written in Japanese, a language she is learning to read- how many Halloween decorations are part of her ever-expanding collection, "is like trying to count stars," she said.
"Too much," puts in her grandmother, whom (GothicCandle) calls
Mama, with a good-natured laugh. "We're being run out of our
house."
"Halloween's not really a collection, it's more of an obsession,"
(GothicCandle) admitted.
Helping to feed that obsession are eerie black lights, red and yellow spotlights, glowing pumpkins, a fortune-teller's table and a labotatory table featuring Witches Brew and other ghoulish concoctions.
Populating the yard and canopy-covered driveway are lighted animated skeletons, witches, ghosts, goblins, vampires, zombies, beheaded pirates and even aliens-most christened -by (GothicCandle) with names such as Griselda, Elmer, Charlotte, Matilda, Amelia, Michael, Henry, Frank and John.
"Griselda was the first witch I ever made, and Elmer [a ghostly prisoner] won fourth place in a forum contest [on HauntForum. a Web site frequented by about 13,000 Halloween enthusi*asts]," said (GothicCandle), noting that HauntForum regulars generously share their prop-making knowledge.
"I don't think my haunt would be as cool as it is without that
Web site." said (GothicCandle), who began collecting Halloween decora*tions as a child and works year-round on making her own props.
Frequently that involves repurposing, redesigning and recon*structing found objects and items purchased at garage sales, thrift
shops and discount stores such as Wal-Mart and Target.
"Being a haunter, you can be an inventor,' said (GothicCandle), who was initially inspired by a former Eugene neighbor who worked on special effects for Hollywood films and had a set of talking, sing*ing heads in his window during Halloween. "That was pretty cool for the '90s," she said.
-	One of (Gothiccandle's) homemade aliens, for example, has a body shaped from pop bottles and cans wrapped in duct tape and then covered with a modified papier maché involving tissue paper soaked with watered-down glue
"It dries in three days and then you can paint it," (GothicCandle) explained.
She commandeers - a snowman's body for one of her larger figures. Once the snowman's head, removed and stored during Halloween, is replaced on the body, the decoration "does dou*ble-duty for Christmas," said (GothicCandle), noting with a smile that she often receives Halloween items as Christmas presents. "It's awe*some, it's perfect," she said.
A vampire figure utilizes a garage-sale wig and mask, a red jacket that once belonged to a cousin, an old pair of (GothicCandle's) pants and a body fashioned from a garbage bag stuffed with newspa*per.
The frame of a skeleton is constructed from two clothes hang*ers, an old T-shirt, and a metal pole from a broken canopy; a set of tombstones were made from the round backs of broken metal chairs.
"I make probably 80 to 90 percent of my props," (GothicCandle) said.
With new props always under construction and existing props evolving and changing with improved wigs, clothes.and bodies, "It's never the same," (GothicCandle) said of her haunt. 'It's amazing how different it is, how it progresses with the years."•
(GothicCandle's) love of all things Halloween also extends to costumes. Indeed, her collection includes a tiny cowgirl costume that she wore as a child.
"I like to see the little kids coming in costume, and I even like it when the parents dress up; I think anybody out on Halloween should be in costume," said (GothicCandle).
Over the years, her own costumes have included a pumpkin, a ghost, a gypsy, a porcelain doll, a scarecrow, a clown, and even an "optical-illusion prop that looked like I was being carried off by some creature," (GothicCandle) said. Nevertheless, with prop-making and haunt setup requiring so much of her time, (Gothiccandle) acknowledged that these days, her own costume "is very secondary; I start at eight or nine in the morn*ing and I'm usually still setting up when trick-or-treaters start coming." When they first moved to (Town) it wasn't unusual for sev*eral hundred trick-or-treaters to stop by, said (GothicCandle), noting that, some people have been comingto my haunt since it started." But those numbers gradually fell off as newer neighborhoods were constructed, until (GothicCandles) increasingly elaborate haunts began luring them back during the past few years. "The coolest part is seeing people's reactions and getting corn*clipliments," said (GothicCandle), who delights in seeing her efforts appreci*ated and her love of the holiday shared.After Counting 106 trick-or-treaters last year, (GothicCandle) and her grandmother are prepared this year with 150 pre-stuffed treatbags. "I just hope we don't run out," (GothicCandle) said.


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## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

Great write-up, GC! And I don't think I've seen that wizard before - he must be a prop you made before I joined the Forum


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## Terrormaster (Sep 27, 2007)

Excellent GC and congrats!


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## fick209 (Aug 31, 2009)

Excellent write up for you. Congrats

Hope you don't take offense to this, but the vampire guy (I'm not sure if it's the red coat or the long hair) kind of looks like Micheal Jackson


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## HauntedHacienda (Sep 16, 2008)

Awesome! Congratulations!


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## Spooky1 (Aug 25, 2008)

Congrats on the article GC.


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## Optym (Oct 27, 2009)

WOW, gotta love that!


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## GothicCandle (Mar 26, 2007)

fick209 said:


> Excellent write up for you. Congrats
> 
> Hope you don't take offense to this, but the vampire guy (I'm not sure if it's the red coat or the long hair) kind of looks like Micheal Jackson


lol yes, check out the thread I made oh so long ago shortly after I made him http://www.hauntforum.com/showthread.php?t=16283

thanks for the congrats yall! I'm soooo excited about it! Of course, as my uncle pointed out, since in the article they give my address, we are going to have the whole town trick or treat here! which is cool, however we only have enough candy for 150!


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## Frighteners Entertainment (Jan 24, 2006)

wonderful write up!!!


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## Hellvin (Jul 6, 2008)

Excellent job and great news... Ghoul #3 kinda reminds me of Michael Jackson though...


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## halloweengoddessrn (Feb 14, 2007)

Good for you! I think its great when our haunt get press..shows the community that Halloween is never going to die!


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## Bone Dancer (Oct 7, 2005)

Congrates, that was a great write-up and pictures. It was also nice of you to say something about the forum too. Looking forward to seeing how much an impact this has on your TOTer count this year.


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## pyro (Oct 7, 2006)

very nice - wow your going to need more candy, i went from 80 TOT to 200 when i was in the paper


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## GothicCandle (Mar 26, 2007)

This year, since we got an article in the local newspaper, we had 300 or more people come look at my haunt, and they all loved it! I've uploaded a video on youtube, here, It's the first year with a camcorder so this year it's NOT just a bunch of pictures set to music! Hope you like it.






Sorry about the quality, windows movie maker is not very good at editing video, my camera takes great video, and then movie maker messes it up.

and also some photos on an album. here,

http://www.hauntforum.com/album.php?albumid=499

It was a fun year, can't wait to get started for next year!!!


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## morbidmike (Sep 11, 2009)

great haunt like the spinning head and the skele faries they are cool you have alot of cool stuff well done


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## Joiseygal (Sep 3, 2008)

Nice Job GC. I really like the spinning head also. It looks like it is getting cooked in a microwave in the night shot. You have some cool lighted skulls. Oh and why doesn't Michael Jackson have shoes? Congrats on the great turn out and getting listed in the newspaper.


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## halloween71 (Aug 9, 2007)

Congrats!!!


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## Warrant2000 (Oct 8, 2008)

You're a rock star!


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## GothicCandle (Mar 26, 2007)

at last, today I got the rest of my props put into boxes and stored. yay! and also, Y'all should check out my haunt video that I at last got up on youtube!






also put some photos in my album on my profile.


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## Hauntiholik (May 17, 2006)

You must be very proud of your success GothicCandle.


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## ScreamingScarecrow (Oct 1, 2008)

Sweet! I also agree #3 looks abit like mikey!


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## Haunted Bayou (Feb 16, 2007)

Fantastic GC!


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