Friday the 13^th is one of my favorite horror films. Aside from the Nightmare on Elm Street and Halloween series’, the Friday the 13^th series is one I can watch over and over again. I even have a tiny Jason Voorhees that sits on my dresser and watches me while I do my makeup. It’s casual.

So of course I had to recreate one of my favorite costumes that I’ve ever done. This is also probably one of the easiest special fx looks that I’ve ever done because it involves no liquid latex.

What you’ll need:

Eye shadow

Cream paints

3D Blood Gel

Coagulated Blood

Camp Crystal Lake shirt (I’ll link to the exact one I have)

Start by painting your face to look as dead as possible. Using my eye shadow pallet, I darkened my eyes using greys and dark brown to create a sunken-in appearance. Add more shadow as you go until you get your desired look.

Once you have that down, use your cream paints to start creating bruises and trauma around your face. I started by using mixing red and purple together, stippling on the color with a cosmetic sponge around my eye bone, cheek, and mouth. Add more color in the places where you want the deepest bruises to be. Incorporating brown and black helps to add depth to your bruises – this also helps when you figure out where you want your wounds to be.

Use an eyeliner to map out the places you want to lay the blood gel. Fill a mug with water and heat it up so that you can place your blood gel into it to get it warm. This makes the gelatin easy to use. When you take the gel out of the mug, wait until it gets warm to place it on your skin, please do not use it while it’s still super-hot. Use a spatula or a pallet knife to place the gel onto the places where you want your wound. Apply as much as you want, using your tool to smooth it out and add texture to the skin. You'll want to work fast so that the gel is still warm. It's easier to use while it's still warm because it starts to clump as it cools and then it will not stick onto your skin as well. 

You can create whatever kind of wound you want, make it look as simple or as gory as you choose. This gel is easy to manipulate and it’s more simple that liquid latex. Plus, it’s good for those that have a latex allergy.

Once your gel has dried a bit, use a black cream shade to darken certain places around the wound, the create depth. Use your coagulated blood to fill in certain areas around your wound and face. A helpful tip: add black eye shadow or cream paint to certain areas of the gel to darken it. The blood gel is a bright red and this helps to make it look more dried and add dimension. Now, it’s all about aesthetic. Use your materials to add any finishing touches you want.

And you’re finished!

This is a fast and simple way to create an undead look for Halloween. It’s also great for anyone that loves Friday the 13^th as much as I do. You can find these materials from any Halloween store for extremely cheap. I found my coagulated blood and 3D blood gel from Spirit Halloween for under $6. You can also find them on Amazon. Everything else were things I already had lying around. The camp counselor shirt is one I’ve had for years from Rotten Cotton, a great places to find horror movie shirts. I have one more tutorial left to put up. Even though it’s already Halloween, we all know I enjoy being spooky all-year around.

Happy Halloween!

There are a ton of Halloween looks that can be put together with little to no effort. You don’t have to go out and buy a ton of things in order to look good on Halloween night. For my last minute babes that want to put together a quick and affordable costume, I have three different costumes just for you.

All three of these looks involve the same few products and require minimum effort. You can do any variation of these and put your own twist on them to make them your own according to the things you have on hand.

1.      Minnie Mouse

For this look, I put together a simple eye look and then used a pencil liner to draw on a nose. I paired it with a nude pink lip and a pair of ears. Throw on a dress and some white gloves and you're good to go.

You can pick up a pair of Minnie ears just about anywhere: Target, Wal-Mart, or any Halloween store. For those that can’t seem to find any, you can DIY a pair like the ones I’m wearing.

What you’ll need:

A headband

Black cardboard or Construction paper

Glitter tape

Scissors

Hot Glue

-Cut out two similar ear shapes and hot glue them to your headband. You can find reference photos to use as a guideline.

-After your ears are in place and have dried, use the glitter tape to make a bow shape (or ribbon if you prefer), and then hot glue it to the middle of your headband.

2. Cat

For this look I did the same eye makeup I did for the Minnie costume and extended the outer wings and the inner corner to create a dramatic cat eye. I added some extra “fur” to my brows using a brow pencil to make them appear bushier. Use your pencil in light flicks to create hair like marks to the front portion of your brow to achieve this look.

Similar to the Minnie nose, extend the liner to the bottom of the nose and the outside of the nostrils. Draw a line from the bottom of your nose to your cupid’s bow.

Add some tiny freckles above your lip using your eyeliner.

Using your eyeliner, extend the edges of your top lip, curving upward as if you were creating a fake smile. Color in your top lip with the eyeliner or a black liquid lipstick if you have one. Black lipstick can be found just about anywhere this time of year and it’s fairly cheap (the one I used was only $3).

Add some whiskers, cat ears and a tail and you’re done!

3. Vampire

For some reason I’ve never done a vampire costume before, and I love vampires. The look I created was inspired by the vampires on The Vampire Diaries. It’s one of my favorite shows and I love the creepy vein-like appearance the characters get once they vamp-out. It allows you to add a bit of creepiness to your costume.

For this look I took the eye makeup from the cat eye and added darker shadows to create a deeper smoky eye.

On the blower lash line, take a dark burgundy lipstick or blush and use a fluffy brush to blend it out, dragging the color down lower than you normally would. For this step, I used the Elf Blush Pallet in the darker shades.

Using the same lipstick (or lip liner) draw zigzags down your cheek, leading from the lower lash line to create a vein-y effect. Use your eyeliner to add depth to the veins, then use your finger to smudge the lines and blend it into your skin.

Next, add a dark red lip. The color I used was the Ultra Satin lip color in “Prim” from ColourPop (it’s only $6). Some alternative shades are: Nyx Matte Lip Cream in “Copenhagen”, Wet n Wild Matte Lipstick in “Cherry Bomb”, and Wet n Wild “Wine Red” (all under $7).

Next, take some of the lipstick or blush from before and smudge it next to your mouth.

Last, add blood.

Now, if you want to take your look to the next level you can add fangs or mold some using fake nails. I chose to not use fangs for my look but you can add any finishing touches you so choose.

I added a red lace masquerade mask that I picked up from Target last year for a little something extra.

These looks can all be paired with whatever sort of outfit you want. I live in all black, so I paired them all with a black skater dress from Forever 21 (it was around $15).

I have a couple more Halloween looks planned so be on the lookout. If you have any suggestions for some quick and easy Halloween looks let me know!

Movies and creepy TV shows aren’t the only way to get into the Halloween spirit. I’m someone that has to constantly have music on in the background and I have a ton of specific playlists for just about every mood, seriously you should see my Spotify. So I thought, what better way to get those spooky vibes going other than a Halloween-themed playlist? These songs are a few of my personal faves: everything from horror movie scores, to soundtracks, and more. I personally listen to these songs no matter what the season, but for those in search of Halloween-specific songs, here’s a list for you! 

Hello boils and ghouls

So as most of you know, I’m a huge fan of special fx makeup and whenever there’s an excuse for me to use it I take advantage of that. Ice Nine Kills is currently on their “Hell in the Hallways” tour alongside Secrets, Sylar, Cover Your Tracks, and Out Came the Wolves and I get the honor of helping promote their NC date.

Their latest album Every Trick in the Book features songs that were inspired by some of their favorite novels and the track “Hell in the Hallways” was inspired by Stephen King’s Carrie – a personal favorite of mine. I took this opportunity to put together a sort of “undead prom queen” look, instead of just covering myself in blood like my homegirl Carrie White (even though it’s so much fun).

For this look here’s what you’ll need:

Tissue Paper

Cream Paints

Eyeshadow

Eyeliner

Liquid Latex

And of course, Blood.

First- Do your makeup like you normally would for a night out. I did a simple smoky eye, incorporating darker colors to create a sunken-in look. Apply some lipstick and then smudge it, dragging it down the side of your mouth. Remember, we’re dead – we don’t really care if our lips are perfectly lined.

Next, create some bruises and trauma around your face and neck. Depending on the type of bruises you want/undertones, use colors that compliment that. I used reds, purples, and bit of yellow. I mixed the colors on my hand and then used a makeup sponge to dab it on my skin, using different variations of shades to create different depths.

Next- Decide where you want your scars or gashes and outline the spot with a lip liner or eyeliner. Then, grab your liquid latex and apply a thin layer with a sponge. Take your tissue and place it on top of the latex and then apply another layer of latex on top to further seal it. Repeat these steps until you get your desired thickness and shape. Take a pair of tweezers or a pallet knife to cut open the tissue to create your gash CAREFULLY. It seems simple enough but you don’t want to accidentally pull or cut your skin.

Now unless your latex is flesh colored you might need to take a foundation and apply it on top so the wound matches your skin. Before you do this, wait for the latex to dry and then powder it using a translucent powder or even baby powder. Sometimes it helps to take an eyeshadow close to your skin color and powder it around the edges.

Take a black or dark red shade and apply it inside the cut to create depth. Next, take various shades of reds and purples and stipple it around the edges of the cut to make it appear to be irritated.

Final step – blood. For this, you can use whatever kind of blood your heart desires. Depending on the look you want to achieve you could use Ben Nye’s Fresh Scab blood (thick, chunky, and appears wet), Coagulated blood gel (thick, appears wet, drips a bit but not a lot), Blood paste (thick, stays in place), or standard stage blood (thin, drips, great for splattering blood). For this particular look I used stage blood.

Apply any finishing touches you want and then you’re done!

I have a few more Halloween looks planned so stay tuned. 

I’ve always been a huge fan of horror anthologies. From television shows like Tales From the Darkside to films like Trick r Treat, I was obsessed. Horror anthologies serve as a way to deliver numerous tales of the macabre and some of my favorites were delivered by the Crypt Keeper. If you were a fan of names like George A. Romero or EC Comics, then you were most likely a fan of this show. Tales From the Crypt was a staple in my childhood (alongside the Big Comfy Couch and Rugrats). So here are my top favorite episodes.

And All Through the House – This is an episode that really stuck with me. I enjoy holiday themed horror so naturally; I had to kick off this list with this Christmas episode. In this episode a woman murders her husband and tries to cover it up; meanwhile there’s an escaped lunatic dressed as Santa on the loose. I remembered being terrified by that Santa, thinking he was going to show up at my house around Christmas. That didn’t stop me from watching it every time it aired through.

Forever Ambergris - This episode was a favorite just for the fact that it was one of the more gruesome episodes. They really took advantage of the special fx in this episode: rotting flesh, chunks of skin falling everywhere, gnarly stuff. This episode centers on a photographer that plots the murder of his talented protégée while away in Central America. Envy and adultery never get you anywhere, and in typical EC fashion, it comes back to bite him in the ass.

What’s Cooking? – This one is a personal fave because it features The Breakfast Club’s Judd Nelson. In this episode we have a married couple struggling to keep their restaurant alive. They think their prayers had been answered when a stranger shows up with an interesting steak recipe that brings in tons of business. Too bad the ingredients turn out to be something you’d find being served at Leatherface’s house on Thanksgiving. Bon appétit.

Dead Right- In this episode, Demi Moore plays a young woman that wants to go from rags to riches. She goes to a fortune teller who informs her that she’ll meet a man who will inherit a lot of money and then afterwards, will die a violent death. Enter Charlie, a grossly overweight man who informs her of his rich relatives. As it turns out, the medium was right, but not in the way Moore’s character had hoped.

People That Live in Brass Hearses- In this episode, a hot-headed convict gets out of prison after serving a two-year sentence. He then convinces his mentally handicapped brother to assist him in robbing a warehouse and getting revenge on the ice cream man that was responsible for sending him to jail. This one features Brad Dourif, the voice of Chucky, and Bill Paxton, whom I had a serious crush on as a kid (I blame the film Twister). This one has humor and scares and while it’s not the “best” episode, it’s entertaining nonetheless.

Abra Cadaver- In this episode, a research assistant sets out to get revenge on his younger brother after he pulls a prank that costs him his dream of becoming a successful surgeon. It’s the classic tale of sibling rivalry, where one is more serious and hard working, while the other goofs-off but still manages to come out on top. The younger brother soon finds out just how far the elder is willing to go to get what he wants.

The Ventriloquist’s Dummy- Things involving creepy ventriloquist dummies are never good. We’ve learned that from Goosebumps, Dead Silence, and more. An aspiring ventriloquist seeks out his idol that has since dropped out of the business after a mysterious fire accident and now lives in seclusion. Turns out, there’s a lot more to show business than he originally thought.

Lover, Come Hack to Me – While this episode is not the best, I’m a sucker for insane plot lines and gratuitous blood. In this tale, we have another plain-Jane unfortunate type who’s desperate for love. She meets this handsome young man that she thinks is the man of her dreams – except he’s a sleazy gold-digger that’s just after her money. Ignoring her grandmother’s warning, she marries him anyway and he bursts her bubble by telling her exactly how he feels. Halfway through the episode, you’re feeling just as annoyed with her and he is but of course, there’s always the twist ending. Have you ever just…loved someone to pieces?

Collection Completed – I love a good “what goes around, comes around” story, and this episode delivers. In this episode, a retired woman takes to adopting a bunch of stray animals and treating them as if they were her children. Sounds harmless, right? It was until her grouchy husband, tired of dealing with his wife’s new hobby, decides to take matters into his own hands and adopts a hobby of his own – taxidermy. When poor Anita finds out about his latest obsession, she’s less than thrilled. And as for Roy…he really let his hobby get the best of him.

Those were my top favorite episodes! Let me know some of your favorite creepy shows.

It’s my favorite time of year so obviously, we have to celebrate by creeping things up here on my blog. To kick things off, we’re going to discuss a few more creepy tales found online. These stories will range from supernatural happenings to crazed stalkers and more. This is just the beginning of the many things I have planned leading up to Halloween. Now let’s get started.

I Found a Girl I Knew in a Porno (Trigger Warning) - This is the story about a girl that went missing who later shows up in a rather odd video online. After contacting the girl’s parents to inform them of what he found, things take a turn for the worst. If you’re sensitive to certain subject matters, proceed with caution.

Hunger (Trigger Warning) - In this tale, a psychologist has a meeting with a patient suffering from an eating disorder, but it’s not quite what it seems. Warning: It’s a bit gross so please read at your own risk.

The Girl in the Log (Trigger Warning) – A girl visiting her grandpa gets a strange warning from a dead girl she meets in the woods. Definitely not as gross as the last two but it still features sensitive topics.

He Crawled Up the Stairs- A young woman recalls the night a strange man broke into her house while she was alone. This literally confirmed every fear I’ve ever had about staying by myself.

I Used a Dating Site Once: Never Again- This one is a three-part series on NoSleep. It centers on a young woman, tired of being single, that decided to give online dating a try. The story takes the age-old warning of “being careful of who you talk to online” to a whole new level.

Borrasca- This is another series on NoSleep. It’s about a small town urban legend that turns out to be much more sinister and in typical horror fashion, none of the adults seem to believe in it. This story is one of the more fascinating finds on NoSleep, but it’s also incredibly long. It was featured on the last episode of the NoSleep Podcast so if you’re a fan of audio books you’ll enjoy this. It's also available in the iPhone podcast app.

Alright boils and ghouls, that’s it for this installment of creepy online tales. I have a lot more planned for the month of October so stay tuned. What are some of your favorite scary or unsettling stories?