The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow

2011-10-30T21:34:00.002-04:00

What started out really beautiful turned into a real mess.
Nothing like the sound of wood cracking above your head and home.
Wet heavy snow + trees still full of leaves = no power for over 30 hours and a football sized hole in my roof.
Transformer blew a block away and my yard - front & back looks like a war zone. I was doubting if the yard would have enough leaves by Halloween but now its f*cking ridiculous! Spent the whole day chain sawing the front yard. I'll do the back yard on Halloween if I can get that stupid thing to start up again. Unbelievable that not a single prop was damaged. Large branches landed everywhere but somehow still missed them....Pretty weird.

Early Wnter

2011-10-29T12:30:00.007-04:00

Trick or Trunk

2011-10-29T10:09:00.003-04:00

Trick or Trunk at OLPH last night. Grocery sacks full of candy lasts about 20 minutes. A homemade Mary Poppins & Gypsy. The little one loves to say Spit Spot! It used to be her big sisters costume.

Tonight is Clinton Place in Hackensack if the weather holds.

Halloween Weekend 2011

2011-10-29T09:25:00.004-04:00

Snow in the forecast for today. Should make for some cool pics later...

2011-09-25T21:38:00.005-04:00

Looking to step back a little this season and enjoy more of my own kids ToT'ing this year and everything else leading up to Halloween.

Nothing new in the works but I'll still put up my display around Columbus Day.

Looking forward to Fall camping and of course our usual trips to Hackensack's Clinton Ave Halloween week and where the Legend all began....Sleepy Hollow.

Used to go to some pretty crazy Halloween parties back in the day before kids.
We were always about making most of ...if not all of our own costumes from scratch.
After we got there it was pretty much all about the drinking! Ha! Nah it was the Midnight Costume Contests!

Anyway, thought I'd list some of them on EBay now. They've been gathering dust in the attic for awhile and I felt sort of bad for them. If I cant go to crazy parties anymore maybe....just maybe they still can. Ha! I made that sound dramatic....I just want the money now!
btw...Email me if you know of any good parties. ;^)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/170702119391?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

Halloween

2010-11-01T10:39:00.007-04:00

It had been a while since we had that blustery and crisp Halloween Day and Night.

Some late afternoon clouds made for some great picture taking.

I usually wait too long and it gets dark before I have any decent shots.

Had some really good ones but had to scrap them, I hadn't noticed the Horseman's grip on the axe had come undone.

You can make it out in a few shots where he's in the distance as well as the one in the fog.

I used Photoshop for the shot of the entire yard to move the hand and re-attach his grip.

Looking forward to next year...Halloween on a Monday.

It forces the TOT's to come at dusk where there is waaay more atmosphere.

Hope everyone had a great Halloween!

Trick or Trunk - Setup

2010-10-28T22:29:00.009-04:00

With the help of my oldest daughter, we did a test run for tomorrow nights 2nd Annual OLPH Trick or Trunk.

New batteries in everything - lights, strobe and candles.

Ipod preset with kiddie classics - Thriller, Scooby-Doo, Ghostbusters, This is Halloween and also to fit the theme....Bing's Crosby's Headless Horseman.

I'm thrilled with how it came out. The pictures really don't do it justice...It looks pretty cool in the dark.

Nearly 300 kids are expected this year.

It was pretty crazy...barely had time to take any decent shots.
Ran out of candy 3 or 4 times and had to keep sending our kids back out treating - just to get us more candy so we could keep handing it out! It was a viscous cycle!

Cauldron

2010-10-25T13:32:00.005-04:00

Minus a camera for a few days as we loaned it within our family.

Used a BlackBerry for these.

Standard cheap, small plastic cauldron from Michaels below on a thin board base.

Everything smeared with, no surprise here...Great Stuff and repainted.

Ordered a mini fogger with color changing LED's that uses tap water to place inside.

2010 Yard Display

2010-10-22T19:23:00.007-04:00

I finally got around to taking some pictures today...more to come.

BTW....regarding scarecrow setup below...use a bigger post.

The 4ft metal post snapped like a twig in last weeks wind gusts.

I bought a thicker, more heavy duty one thats about 6ft tall from Home Depot.

Looking forward to taking the Horseman on a road trip next week.

Local church is having a Trick or Trunk Friday night.

Should be fun to put a new twist on things.

2010-10-03T21:16:00.009-04:00

Some photos of the scarecrow prop redo. In prior versions the post was made from wood and staked down into the ground. The staking portion had to be done minus the head and arms. Wind and rain usually would knock it down a few times prior to Halloween. It had to be taken apart before it could be put back up. A real pain.

The new version outside of the ribs and braches is all pvc. A 4 ft metal post is staked into the ground and the entire assembled prop is slid down over the stake. It can easily be removed if needed.

Great Stuff as usuall with all my props is smeared over everything to give it texture and have it appear rotten. The new scarecrow is much taller and comes in just under 9ft.

Looking at about mid October, the 16th or so for setup. In the meantime enjoying the cornstalks.

Blaze, Legends, and Horseman's Hollow

2010-09-01T15:01:00.004-04:00

Tickets are now available to the general public for all Historic Hudson Valley Events.

Grab them while you can ...they sell out fast.

http://www.hudsonvalley.org

I'm in for Blaze as usual and Legends Day this year.

A new attraction has been added, Horseman's Hollow.

Seems like everywhere you go...it's all about the vampires nowadays.

Not sure how I feel about mixing Hessians and Vampires...I'll wait for some reviews on that one.

Still on Vacation

2010-07-29T09:43:00.014-04:00

But tempted to pop in that DVD. Not even August yet.

I can't wait for the Fall, in need of some crisp weather.

Some minor updates I'd like to do this year.

Add way more height to the scarecrow, put it on par with those I've seen at Philipsburg Manor.

Have it stand up to October winds as well.

More fog - in the market for a good fogger to run through some irrigation PVC.

Enjoy the rest of your Summer.

Looking forward to our upcoming family vacation week at the Jersey Shore.

My girls....

10th Anniversary

2009-11-19T11:40:00.003-05:00

Original release date of Tim Burton's Sleepy Hollow was 10 years ago today - November 19, 1999.

My wife and I were probably on our 3rd date at the time we went to see it.

McFarlane Horseman

2009-11-10T13:36:00.004-05:00

Image Source:

http://bighugelabs.com/onblack.php?id=3489655613&size=large

Have to pick one of these up on EBay some day.

Read the legs on some of these were made of soft rubber and prone to rot.

Perfect.

Happy Halloween

2009-11-01T00:43:00.006-04:00

Halloween Night 2009.

First time it wasn't sunny & 70 degrees on Halloween in a long time.

Warm but mostly rainy.

A small turn out but still better than last year.

We had a blast hosting a family party and our candy crazed little girls got to play with their cousins past 11 o'clock.

Hope everyone had a great night, Happy Halloween !

Steve

Legend Nights

2009-10-25T20:30:00.007-04:00

Philipsburg Manor in a torrential downpour this past Saturday was a slop fest. Mud, mud and a heavy helping of more mud made getting around and enjoying the haunt rather difficult.

It was raining so hard at times you could not hear the actors, mostly stationed in barns or some type of enclosure. 2 witches who braved the elements, tried really hard to work the crowd amidst a terrible soaking. Drenchy Hollow!

Awesome Tim Burton inspired scarecrows through out. Really tall, 10 -12 feet high - burning real candles within. Definitely see incorporating more height to my own next year. Mine leans forward a little and comes in at about 7ft. By the way ...the little twerp was found later that night face planted from being monsooned upon. The burlap gets really heavy when wet.

The Horseman was great. Atop a giant black horse he came across as both monstrous and intimidating.

Legend Days

2009-10-20T13:45:00.003-04:00

Lopped Off...Clean as Dandelion Heads

2009-10-19T20:43:00.004-04:00

The Horseman grasps a freshly chopped head with the aid of some well hidden fishing line.

The Witch of the Western Woods

Overall darker theme this year. Days of wooden cut outs are long gone.

2009-10-17T12:17:00.004-04:00

A few shots of an updated witch after moving some things to the front yard.

Veil material completely covers the body now, a creepier look I think. A necklace and some "smokey eyes" painted on by my wife. She hated how the eyes looked before. A cheap, plastic Friday the 13th prop axe repainted.

The Horseman still needs to be put together ....should be out this weekend.

Want to put a better effort into lighting this year...waiting on some LED's from minionsweb.

ScreenCaptures

2009-10-15T11:15:00.008-04:00

Source:

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://museum.enchanted-rose.org/pictures/albums/movie_sleepyhollow/screencaptures01/thumb_01sleepyhollow_008.jpg&imgrefurl=http://museum.enchanted-rose.org/pictures/thumbnails.php%3Falbum%3D86&usg=__cXgU65403mH2RlMIr1rlKFU2TdI=&h=55&w=100&sz=3&hl=en&start=53&um=1&tbnid=rgIfvUmzFEDtTM:&tbnh=45&tbnw=82&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dvan%2Bgarrett%2Bsleepy%2Bhollow%26ndsp%3D18%26hl%3Den%26rls%3Dcom.microsoft:en-us%26sa%3DN%26start%3D36%26um%3D1

A few cool screenshots from a place I recently came across.

There I realized how off base I was with the Crone's veil. It goes down to the floor! I'll have to fire my research department for that slip up. I'll see if it's possible to improve accuracy a little there without losing all of the dress details. I really hate being the only guy on line at the fabric store...maybe I can just use creepy cloth for it.

Family and I are making a trip to Van Cortlandt Manor for The Great Jack O'Lantern Blaze this Friday night. We had a blast last year and we're looking forward to it again this year.

The following weekend it's minus the kids & back to Sleepy Hollow for Legend Nights at Philipsburg Manor & the ride of the Headless Horseman.

http://www.hudsonvalley.org/

We also will make our annual trip to Clinton Place in Hackensack, NJ. There you will find beautiful old homes on both sides of the long, closed street that decorate and go all out for Halloween. Original scary stuff and some really cute things for the younger kids as well...like The Great Pumpkin, Wizard of Oz and Nightmare Before Christmas. If you're in Northern NJ you should really check it out. Link to pictures below.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/john_kay_1/sets/72157602675701646/

Where Brave Men Will Not Venture

2009-10-12T19:44:00.006-04:00

The Witch Of The Western Woods

2009-10-12T13:11:00.005-04:00

Some mention was made also of the woman in white, that haunted the dark glen at Raven Rock, and was often heard to shriek on winter nights before a storm, having perished there in the snow. The chief part of the stories, however, turned upon the favorite spectre of Sleepy Hollow, the headless horseman, who had been heard several times of late, patrolling the country; and, it was said, tethered his horse nightly among the graves in the church-yard.

Some shots before I move things into the front yard for this years display...Probably on Saturday.

The tree stump is actually a speaker I bought on EBay & repainted.

The Crone

2009-10-08T01:56:00.004-04:00

About 1/2 way there. Still needs a major paint job on the dress. It just eats white paint and it still looks black. I need more creep cloth as well. Her chest skin color needs to match her hands & face as well.
Kind of like her sitting down pose...My display lacks a good visual starting point. So...It might look cool if she was in front ...say sitting on a tree stump with an axe embedded into it while holding a copy of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.

Witch

2009-09-29T13:21:00.003-04:00

Late in the ball game but I'm putting a thing or two together and trying to have some new things by Columbus Day. With 2 kids and a love for a certain football team that's bent on providing me endless grief again this season - venturing into the garage has been a task.

The new figure will pose with a (throat slash\off with your head) hand gesture. Once again hands purchased from http://www.ghostride.com/. Repainted in a bruised, raw & weathered look.

Thick wire was cut and pierced through the fingers to allow the digits to bend and hold shape.

Both hands were originally straight at the wrist like the one holding the skull.

The "pointing hand" was cut at the wrist on an angle. A long wire was placed through the separated pieces to hold them together and Great Stuff was used to fill in the missing chunk of wrist. Excess foam was than cut & sanded down to complete the hands downward angle at the wrist.

I really have the urge to make this into the murderous Lady Van Tassel instead of the Western Woods Crone but it may prove too difficult. The Crone is filthy and inaccuracies are easily hidden by painting on decay and rot much like I did when creating The Horseman.

Also arriving today... the first dress I ever purchased for myself. A proud moment for sure. The dress is a real beauty -Black crushed panne and red satin. A Gothic vampire 18th century number - $80 (ouch) after 20% off.

A real shame....what I'm about to do to it. Tears, Great Stuff and texture spray paint.

Night Pics

2009-09-06T09:15:00.004-04:00

A few battery powered votive candles hidden in the head. Brighter & better looking in person than in the pictures.

2009-09-04T15:36:00.003-04:00

Click on images to expand size. Some minor changes to the scarecrow this year.
Thicker branches. Just added a lot more duct tape to the wire base. Wire lets me bend the branches into any shape or direction I want.

Also added a couple of rubber pipe extensions to the top of the post to create a longer neck.

A darker overall paint job using sprays containing texture mixes.

Needs a few finishing touches such as filthy raffia & twine.

I'll leave him planted until done so I can take a few finished pics. Want to experiment with some lighting features inside the lantern.

Starting to get in the groove. The crisp mornings was all it took to rekindle a little Halloween spirit.

Dog Days

2009-08-05T23:58:00.006-04:00

Recieving a few how to emails lately and it just reminds me that I have to head to the garage again soon! Arrrgh seems too early!

Took this out of storage for a quick peek. Pumpkin Rot would love to know that I pulled a spider sack or two off of it. Why I laid it out in my family room in August to take pics? I just dont know.

Need a vacation.

Sleepy Hollow Images

2009-06-12T09:08:00.015-04:00

Going through a few of my favorite photos stored on my computer and hitting the old search engine habit again for new ones. Wanted to share. I have a lot images...chalk it up to "research". Thought I'd place them in some sort of storyline order. Sorry for lack of links or credit from where they're from ..they're just too many.

I've used some of the older photos to help build some props but mostly they provide incentive to keep doing so.

More Photoshop.

2009-04-16T11:47:00.006-04:00

Uh Oh...I don't think I can post plain pictures anymore...

Set Dressing

2009-02-25T08:54:00.003-05:00

The set of Sleepy Hollow. A few images I've recently come across and the company link that provided the amazing prop work.

http://www.palmbrokers.com/film_and_television/Browser%20-%20menu%20-%20sleepy%20hollow.htm

Woodland Road - Mature bare tree trunks, soil and leaves helped to create an authentic woodland road.

A combination of real and fibre glass trees combined with forest floor debris helped create this woodland landscape film set.

Bare Apple Orchard - Apple orchard trees before the blossom was added.

Apple Blossom Orchard - Real grubbed out apple orchard trees dressed with artificial blossom foliage create a convincing orchard feel for this film set.

Gritty

2009-01-30T14:52:00.006-05:00

When bored .... Photoshop!

Some old props in a new light.

I used to do some pretty evil things regarding friends, pictures & Photoshop. Those were the days......

Tim Burton Exhibit At MoMA

2009-01-29T10:13:00.003-05:00

http://www.moma.org/exhibitions/exhibitions.php?id=9807&ref=calendar

Something to look forward to next November!

Nothing new regarding props but hey ...at least this post officially takes down my Christmas display. Back on the proper subject!

Christmas

2008-12-15T10:51:00.004-05:00

My house a week back or so during a late night snow dusting. Always wondered what other fall haunts look like at Christmas.

Family and I attended the Winter Wonderlights display at Sunnyside last night. Based upon the Washington Irving tale Rip Van Winkle...

A disappointment....

It was rather sparse and short and I really can't recommend. It lacked the atmosphere & overall fun when compared to The Blaze held in the fall at Van Cortlandt Manor.

At times somewhat amateurish and limited(prop /decor wise).

On the plus side ..walking through the woods at night is cool! Ha! I'll be fair..there's more than that...many if not all the items used were recyclables (water bottles and other plastics). Not sure if this is what hindered the appearance of things but it came across at times as "cheap looking".

Anyway a few pics....

This I liked a lot. Rip's 20 years sleep.

The Witch of the Western Woods (The Crone) Prop

2008-12-02T15:41:00.003-05:00

Even today the Western Woods is a haunted place....where brave men will not venture.

My off season plan. Always wanted to do a witch prop. Something about witches with me....anyway a take on the classic witch stirring cauldron props that use wiper motors that I think are soooo cool. I would replace the stirring motion with that of a throat slash /off with your head sort of hand gesture. After all ...it is Sleepy Hollow.

I've already started accumulating some pieces here and there. The most important right now for me are the hands. I purchased a pair from http://www.ghostride.com/. I'll alter the pose of them. Not sure how right now (probably cut some fingers off here and there! - and reposition and glue). Going for the look of the top picture.

I think I can use a simple motor to move her right arm. Saw a place online that separately sells motors ($9) used by those Christmas deer that turn their heads back and forth.

Purchased a colonial ball gown pattern for the dress similar in structure to that of the last picture. Sewing is not my thing. I'll have to put a serious bribe package together for my wife to whip up a 18th century gown that I will basically destroy and weather. It has a filthy, creep cloth look to it that I hope I can replicate.

Well I'm off to hang the Christmas wreath on the house, grapevine deer the lawn and string some lights in the holly bushes. Sadly the wife has killed my plans on doing a Ebenezer Scrooge life size prop for A Christmas Carol themed yard display. Maybe next year.
Just kidding. It would be kind of cool though...have to go with the George C. Scott version.

WallPaper

2008-11-26T11:54:00.003-05:00

Some rare wallpaper backrounds - love the colors. By the way... Happy Thanksgiving.

http://www.etapet.net/en/gallery-687-0-wallpapers-Sleepy-Hollow.html

I Want That!

2008-11-20T09:04:00.007-05:00

While roaming the Internet for ideas or out of plain boredom I come across some pretty amazing Sleepy Hollow items.

Ray Park's stunt costume.

http://www.wintnerartist.com/props43.html

Very cool.... can't play a lick though.

http://www.steinbergerworld.com/special/horseman.htm

Sleepy Hollow shadow lantern prototype from Factory X. I guess it never made it to production.

http://www.scifidiva.com/palisades_toys__factory_x_shoot

A fellow SH fan sent me these pics of her scarcrow a few years back. Great idea to do the "other" scarecrow and do it perfectly as well. Last I heard she was working on a covered bridge for her display.

~ Stephanie, Indiana

I'll try not to let the blog go stale in the offseason. Picked up a few items online to tinker with here and there for next years display. Had another life size figure in mind.

Had such a great time at the Great Jack O Lantern Blaze I had to buy tickets for the Washington Irving - Rip Van Winkle inspired Winter Wonderlights show. Its first season -

"Inspired by Irving's famous tale of Rip Van Winkle, the same creative team that dazzles you with the Great Jack O'Lantern Blaze is creating an artistic, larger-than-life dreamscape of Rip's visions during his 20 winters of sleep. Wander through an illuminated, mysterious landscape filled with peaks, valleys, and towering ancient trees. You'll discover sculptures of light; life-size, eco-sculpted animals and mythical creatures; plus flowers, plants, magical candy pieces, and much more. You'll even experience a snowstorm as you follow the river of light to th event's climactic moment! An original soundtrack scored just for the event guides the way. This festive, family-friendly experience captures the holiday mood of celebration and excitement. "

http://www.hudsonvalley.org/content/view/346/305/

Day After Halloween Video

2008-11-06T23:34:00.001-05:00

November 1st

2008-11-05T22:37:00.011-05:00

Some video stills taken on the saddest day of the year. It was sunny and warm too. Yuck.

Halloween Night Videos, Stills and Pictures

2008-11-03T21:44:00.010-05:00

Slowly making my way over here from the live.spaces site. I was limited with what I could do there. This place is more like it.

A somewhat decent video and video still of the witch projected onto the house using a Holiday Motion Projector below. Made a custom slide using a transparency sheet and printed the image with a laser jet printer. Wanted the look of the shadow lantern scene from the movie as the Killian family met their demise.

Crisp Fall Day

2008-10-17T22:58:00.000-04:00

Sleepy Hollow Props (The Hessian)

2008-10-13T14:35:00.002-04:00

Above are a few photos of the Horseman modified for 2008.

A longer cape replaces the short one in last years initial version.

A new removable base cover made of weed block paper, Spanish moss and leaves spray glued in place gives his black plywood stand a more finished look.

Sleepy Hollow Props (Headstones)

2008-10-08T09:38:00.002-04:00

Masbath & Dirk Van Garrett unfinished at the time. I used Great Stuff to seal the foam tombstone to the tight fitting, chiseled out wood landscape block.

Places To Go

2008-10-06T22:39:00.005-04:00

The Great Jack O' Lantern Blaze at Van Cortlandt Manor was absolutely beautiful. Thousands of pumpkins lit up. It will definitely be a yearly event for our family.

We also enjoyed our traditional Halloween visit to Clinton Place in Hackensack, NJ. There you will find beautiful old homes on both sides of the long, closed street that decorate and go all out for Halloween, it's a blast. Some original scary stuff and some really cute things for the younger kids as well...like The Great Pumpkin, Wizard of Oz and Nightmare Before Christmas. If you're in Northern NJ you should really check it out. Link to pictures below.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/john_kay_1/sets/72157602675701646/

Sleepy Hollow Props (Heads, Pumpkins & Scarecrow)

2008-10-01T10:54:00.008-04:00

The Horseman's original mannequin head. Hacksawed off and finding new life as a unlucky victim of the Hessian.
Michaels large pumpkin with a minor paint job including the movies tagline "Heads Will Roll" in Sleepy Hollow font.

2008 Scarecrow. Spent as much time up Halloween week as he did face planted in the ground due to heavy winds. Luckily no damage.

Used black paint around carved areas to simulate candle burn.

Head For The Bridge With All Your Might

2007-10-29T16:53:00.000-04:00

The dominant spirit, however, that haunts this enchanted region, and seems to be commander-in-chief of all the powers of the air, is the apparition of a figure on horseback without a head.
It is said by some to be the ghost of a Hessian trooper, whose head had been carried away by a cannon-ball, in some nameless battle during the revolutionary war; and who is ever and anon seen by the country folk hurrying along in the gloom of night, as if on the wings of the wind.
His haunts are not confined to the valley, but extend at times to the adjacent roads, and especially to the vicinity of a church at no great distance.
Indeed, certain of the most authentic historians of those parts, who have been careful in collecting and collating the floating facts concerning this spectre, allege that the body of the trooper, having been buried in the church-yard, the ghost rides forth to the scene of battle in nightly quest of his head; and that the rushing speed with which he sometimes passes along the Hollow, like a midnight blast, is owing to his being belated, and in a hurry to get back to the church-yard before daybreak.
~ Washington Irving

The Spirit of 1779

2007-10-26T16:34:00.005-04:00

Scarecrow 2004 -2007

2007-10-25T10:31:00.000-04:00

The scarecrow over the years starting with the top image taken around Halloween 2004. There was a earlier 2003 version but I do not have a picture of it.

It was crude but it was my first prop that started the whole Sleepy Hollow theme of my yard.

Music

2007-09-28T11:45:00.002-04:00

I like to loop the soundtrack using pc speakers hidden in the flower beds. I also own a audio version of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving, performed by Ed Begley. I loop the 17 minute portion of Ichabod's midnight encouter. I ripped both disks to laptop and play with media player.
It's about a 100 ft. from the curb to our front door so I can play both at opposite ends of the yard and not have them sound like they're on top of one another.

The Horseman (Nearly Complete)

2007-09-24T16:17:00.003-04:00

Sort of looks like an action figure in this photo.

The chest plate dragon wings wrap over the shoulders.

I was dreading doing the 2 headed dragon image on the chest plate.

The Inspiration and Construction

2007-09-01T15:27:00.002-04:00

I came across Ray Park's stunt costume on EBay. I had to have it for may humble display. Since I liked the idea of staying married purchasing this costume was not an option. So I started out making my own. I purchased a mannequin on EBay. That's weird I know but I did it anyway! Of course it arrived just as my father in law had come over to borrow some tools. Printed on the side of the box MALE MANNEQUIN.

Great Stuff was used to seal the hollow neck and form the severed look.

I ended up not using the red cape pictured and decided to just paint the inside of the black cape red.

I went with the "rotten" look. Towards the end of Tim Burton's Sleepy Hollow the Hessian's uniform begins to rot. I thought this was a great look and would help disguise anything I could not replicate. I achieved the look using Great Stuff - the foam filler available at home improvement stores. I just smeared it everywhere with a brush than painted over it when dried.
I discarded the mannequins hands and purchased "gripping" hands from http://www.ghostride.com/.

Materials used: LL Bean jacket, black ski pants, Zorro /Musketeer gloves and crinkly cape from http://www.halloweenmart.com/. Cowboy boots from EBay, real leather from the Tandy Leather Company which made up the chest plate, belt, cape collar and decorative axes on gloves. The boot tops were made using pleather. Belt buckle also purchased from Tandy.

It can also be a costume. I've never tried it on, parts of things but never the whole thing. I imagine it would be uncomfortable after a period of time but wearable. While making it I wanted that costume option. It won't provide the illusion of being headless obviously but some fake contact lenses, pointed teeth, growing my hair out and up... maybe than I could pass as Christopher Walken. Neighbors would love that......

Original Horseman 2004 - 2006

2007-08-06T11:10:00.006-04:00

This Horseman was made of plywood. 2 - 4' x 8's. It was a shadow idea with my take on the classic horseman pose from the movie. I basically took the movie poster, blew it up as big as I thought was a 1 to 1 scale on Photoshop Elements and printed it on a HP plotter at work designed for blueprinting machinery. Nothing like standing around a printer, outside of your department, in a moderate traffic area waiting to pull and cut a life size image of horse, man and axe.

I would rig fog (using PVC pipe) to snort out the nostril area from behind the horse. Neighbors got a kick out of that.

Looking back on this prop which ended up being cut into scrap and tossed it was very popular for some reason. The parents loved it and I would have ToT's pose for pictures next to it. But I just had to move past plywood. Still I get a lot of where's the horse? We miss it.

This prop did provide a memorable moment during setup one year. The whole thing was large and somewhat awkward. It was attached to a long heavy stake that took a good pounding to drive into the lawn. A friend was over watching football and I asked him to help me out with it. He held the stake and was bent on one knee while I used a ladder and hand held sledgehammer to pound the top. The handle broke off the hammer. Thus heavy part of hammer traveling at a good speed met his unsuspecting head and he was none to pleased. The Raiders lost as well.