Cassilda Carcosa - making sense

It's that time of year again as the rumors for Halloween Horror Nights 2015 start to fly back and forth. While many people don't bother with speculation, For some of us (including myself) it is half the fun! Every year we get many "clue givers". Many of them are looking for attention or trolling just to send the fans into a frenzy. But there have been a handful who have been very accurate.

Of course Dr. Jimmy is always there with his video clues and hints on other social media sites. But the majority of these hint droppers are anonymous. People such as Emeric Belasco, Autumn Wind, the Ifrit, and the newest to the bunch Cassilda Carcosa.

Cassilda (who's name is a allusion to "The King in Yellow") came on the scene last year dropping very convoluted and intricate puzzles for each of the houses that was to be at HHN last year. But what made her stand out is that she also droped hints at who she was and also Jack's return. Jack was rumored to be back last year by the fans but it turned out he wasn't. Universal did tease that he would be back this year however in a video towards the end of the event.

Cassilda dropped her clues one after the other until the full reveal and even gave us a audio file as a clue. However, there was a last minute house change (after she had already dropped the hints for the nixed house) and she mysteriously vanished. Naturally, we all felt she was just a well-informed fan and we moved on. I did speak with a member of A&D last year and they informed me they did not know who she was.

Whatever you think of her, Cassilda is back this year and already dropping clues on a new Facebook page. So, if it turns out she is is canonical, (and not just a extremely obsessed fan with too much time on her hands) let's break down her clues and make sense of who she says she is.

The first clue was called Who am I? The text alludes to the movie/novel "Something Wicked This Way Comes" by Ray Bradbury.

The line " I see nothing and I see all" implies the dust witch whose eyes and mouth were sewn shut but could still see and do other many powerful things.

"We are of the fall" Implies The autumn people who ran the dark carnival headed by Mr. Dark aka the tattooed man.

Who am I? Pt2

Fellow shipped with Odd = Oddfellow as in the Carnival that Jack was a part of and eventually took over in 2007.

Stripped of beauty/eyes and mouth hushed/Never seeing but always knowing seems to hearken back to the first clue about the dust witch.

Indentured to the dark man could be a reference to selling one's soul or it could be a reference to Jack,OddFellow, or Mr. Dark in Something Wicked This Way Comes.

The below image was found and it appears the clue references Dr. Oddfellow.

My thought is "Cassi" was either tricked into becoming or willingly agreed to become a dust witch by Oddfellow. Indentured sounds negative so I don't think she ultimately wanted to or perhaps didn't realize what she was getting into.

Who am I? Pt 3

The picture is Oddfellow's cane of souls and the swirly thing over it is reminiscent of a soul trap. In HHN cannon, the soul cane is explained to keep it's owner alive long after they should have died.


Chaotic Prince = Jack.
Ruthless Retribution = Jack killed Oddfellow and took over his circus as revenge for having him murdered when he was a human. (Jack is now the "God of Chaos")

Forever bound to the vessel. Cane of souls... soul trap. I think it refers to the cane. she is bound to serve whoever holds the cane. Which Jack was in possession of before he went into the Lantern in 2010.

I shall see his restitution. She will see Jack brought back. Based on the context of the clue the only he is the chaotic prince. That would appear to be her endgame... That is until this last audio clue she gave. It's still being worked but the sentence "She's not who she says she is" means what? She isn't Casiilda Carcosa? That probably goes without saying it isn't her real name. She isn't a dust witch? Maybe. She screwed up which house was nixed last year so maybe she isn't the all powerful psychic witch she claims to be.... Or she just can't see the final outcome.

She wants to she Jack come back? Perhaps her end goal isn't just Jack? Maybe Jack is only a means to an end. She is bound to serve him but she doesn't have to like him. He killed her original master Oddfellow. Maybe she seeks revenge? The line in the Clue "something much worse" may support the idea that Jack is a means to an end for bringing something worse than him back. Could she really be Ignatia Himmel or Gabriel Fell?



 So that's all we have so far. As I write this people are trying to decipher her last audio clue. Is it legit? Who knows? At least they are good time wasters that (at least last year) pay off with clues to HHN. Will we see this story arc come to fruition? In my opinion I would love to see some kind of back story for the 25th anniversary and this is just as good a way to tie it all together as any. 

Pedictions of Horror Nights to Come

“Listen! The wind is rising, and the air is wild with leaves,
We have had our summer evenings, now for October eves!”
― Humbert Wolfe

With roughly 5 or 6 house treatments done its not too early to think about Halloween Horror Nights right?

Regardless of your answer, I wanted to get my speculation out for this year before any real info starts flowing. Of course I get my info from the usual sources: informants, rumors, trends, formulas, divination, and various deals with dark entities.

In the past few years of this “New Age of Horror”, there has developed a certain formula one can use to predict the direction HHN will go each year and, to an extent, predict the houses that will be seen. Caveat emptor applies, however, as my views are my own and in no way connected to Universal directly.

Multiple factors must be taken into account when predicting HHN’s content. These factors include (but are not limited to):  Synergistic IP’s being release the year of the event, Nostalgic IP’s that have not been used, popular ideas in the current limelight, and previous successful original content that is prime for a sequel. That is a lot of words that basically boil down to what gets bodies in the park and lines the coffers at the same time.  After all, Universal is in the Makin’ money business. And cousin, business is a-boomin'.

So without further ado Let me get into the meat and potatoes of speculation. The first aspect up on the docket  are the Synergistic IP’s being released this year. This one almost seems like a no-brainer.  Since 2009, Universal has been doing this. The Wolfman, The Thing, The Walking Dead, Evil Dead, and Dracula Untold were all Universal pictures coming out the same year.  In fact, Dracula Untold’ s code name Was "synergy".

There is one movie this year that fits all criteria for an excellent synergy candidate and that is Crimson Peak. It’s a Universal Picture, It’s stylistic (would you expect anything else from Guillermo del Toro?), and it is currently set to be released October 16^th. To a lesser degree the Victorian style of the movie would mostly likely allow them to reuse old props from Castle Vampyre, Body Collectors, and even last year’s Dracula Untold.

Of course barring Crimson Peak (or even in addition to) you have the Poltergeist reboot coming out in July.  It is not a Universal picture but money always talks. However Poltergeist’s predecessor may fall into the second category of nostalgia.

The nostalgia aspect has always been there but they have been playing the card the last two years blatantly with American Werewolf in London and Alien vs. Predator. It seems to be working well from them. The original Poltergeist has been on the table several times and word has it was almost a house a few years back. It would fit the criteria for huge nostalgic draw and also as a synergistic property for the new movie even if it did not resemble the new one in anyway.

Aside from Poltergeist, rumblings of a new deal with NLC for Freddy, Jason, and Leather face have been prevalent.  Any or all of these would make sense as they all have huge nostalgic value in both the movies as well as in the original houses. 2007 was very “house strong” and the big three were huge crowd attractors. Not to mention their tie the hinted icon Jack. However, with the Friday the 13^th reboot pushed back to next year, Jason is probably a bit premature to fit into the next category of what’s in the current limelight.

This category is a bit ambiguous. The general populace is very fickle and currently, other than The Walking Dead, the biggest popular horror tend is American Horror Story.  This has been a rabid fan request since the attempted deal a few years back. Universal and the creators of AHS failed to reach a deal though due to, what has been said to be, creative differences. Mainly, the creator’s of AHS wanted more extreme scenes than Universal was comfortable with having for a PG-13 event. So will it happen at all? Maybe. There are a few factors I’ll talk about later that I think might allow AHS to grace HHN with its presence. 

Other than AHS and TWD, Krampus has been very popular of late. Yes we’ve already had the dark Christmas house (Psycho scareapy  : Home For the Holidays) but we haven’t seen it told from the supernatural aspect in Orlando. Of course you have the Krampus movie coming out in December of this year but who knows how good that will be? (It is a Universal Picture however) Hollywood had a Dark Christmas/Krampus scarezone last year and it has been reported that it was very popular. That throws Krampus more into the field of previous successful original content that is prime for a sequel.

This final category has a wealth of options. There has been a lot of previous original content that is ripe for reboot. I think Krampus fits the bill for an original transplant. But, if I had to make an educated guess as to returning houses, I would say Catacombs and Nightingales are two good candidates with the latter being more likely. The reason I say Nightingales is more likely is because it was intended as a “female body collector” franchise.  It was designed so that they could put them in any type of war. Catacombs, while good, would be much harder to continue the story.

That wraps up all the categories I have listed out. Throw in a few new originals and you have a pretty good idea of what to expect. However, there is one more major factor to attribute to this year. That of course is the 25^th anniversary. How will that play out in this new age of horror? My personal opinion is, aside from marketing with Jack and probably a best of house, I don’t think it will hold much sway other than to make the event bigger.

The “go big or go home” aspect is why I feel AHS (among some other ideas) would be prime for this year. But how do you fit an R/NC17 house into a PG13 event? Simple, you make an upcharge extreme house.  Fans have been clamoring for and extreme house and AHS to happen for years. Plus, Universal already proved last year they could easily staff 9 houses with TWD being roughly double the size of a normal house. But why stop there? Bush gardens has done the up charge house for years now. How do you top what you should have already been doing? Simple Go Big! Instead of one upcharge house do multiple houses.

In that light, the possibilities become vast. AHS, as previously mentioned, would be easier to greenlight. Not only that, Last year’s LT interactive teaser could easily be implemented with a smaller crowd. TWD would be easier to implement again if they have more leeway to one up last years’ house.  Maybe by adding a “lights off” flashlight tour of the house or laser tag. Both ideas are popular but hard to implement in the massive conga lines. I might even expect them to throw one or two originals in there as well to round it off to the biggest and most over the top event they have ever done. Logistically, I would think an upcharge of that scale would have to be housed at IOA. Thus bringing another fan boy dream back… the double park event.

 So those are my predictions. As stated before I am not affiliated with Universal. I just keep my nose in the air and my ear to the ground. So take it all with a grain of salt. Regardless, I think it is safe to say they will make it a year to remember and I look forward to seeing how the event shapes up in the next few months. Happy anniversary!

Doll 1 finished

Doll 1 In Progress

Birthdays and Matryoshka

So I'm starting a new physical project I have never attempted before. I don't want to give too much away but key words are: matryoshka, Ten, Icons. 

So, as a side project for my good friend Leila's B-day, I doing something. I wont show the rest till i complete it and give it to her.

Here's Rosie!

Dark legions apparel

Because everyone like the dark legion banners so much. I made shirt and buttons each.

So here they are (until Zazzle decides to post the links).

Walkers shirt

Walkers button

Warriors shirt

Warriors button

Prisoners shirt

Prisoners button

Vampires shirt

Vampires button

Beasts shirt

Beasts button

Traditionals shirt

Traditionals button

Chromadepth Nurse

With a 3D house imminent at Halloween horror Nights this year. I thought I try a Chromadepth design. This one is a Silent Hill nurse.

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

So there is this rumor floating around about a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde theme this year. I have no idea if it is true or not but it inspired me to do this.

A Great Cause and a Great Time

Every year, for the last few years, the folks at Universal have hosted a Entertainment Designer Forum.
If you are not familiar with this event, it is truly a wonderful event that is for a great cause.

Last night was the 3rd Annual Entertainment Designer Forum and it was the first time the event was held at Orange County Regional History Center in downtown Orlando. The event includes two forums with some of the top design experts in the entertainment industry, a silent auction on unique theme park related items, and this year included the wonderful "Serious Art Of Make Believe" exhibit that I wrote about previously here.

Before I get into the details, let me explain why the event is held in the first place. All proceeds benefit the American Cancer Society in honor of Stephanie Girard. But who is Stephanie Girard ? Well, she was a well regarded Art Director & Set Designer in film, television, and theme park industry. She worked on a multitude of projects at Universal as well such as Grinchmas and Halloween Horror Nights. She was an amazingly determined and  resolute person despite the fact that she battled with colon cancer for six years. Her determination and selfless nature were driving forces in the creation of the Entertainment Designer forum which was created with the explicit desire to raise money for cancer. In 2010, with the help of veteran Universal scenic designer Kim Gromoll,  the 1st Entertainment Designer Forum was born.

This year, due to my work schedule, I attended the earlier, 6:30 forum.
Mike Aiello was the moderator. Mike is the show director for Universal Entertainment.
The panelists included:

First Session:
Scott Swenson: Director of Creative Services, Bush Gardens, Tampa
Mike West: Executive Producer, Universal Creative
David Hughes: Senior Designer, Universal Art & Designer, Entertainment
Lora Wallace: Show Director, Universal Entertainment Productions
Ron Hines: Sr. Studio Director, Nickelodeon Recreation
TJ Mannarino: Director, Universal Art & Design, Entertainment

Second Session:
Mike Wallace: Designer, Universal Creative
Curtis Hopkins: Designer, Universal Art & Design, Entertainment
Guy Petty: Principal Art Director, Walt Disney Imagineering, Creative Entertainment
Vicki Bowlin: Art Manager, Universal Art & Design, Entertainment
Kenny Babel: President, White Bird Entertainment
Kim Gromoll: Designer, Universal Art & Design, Entertainment

The forum was exceptional as always. All of the designers are very entertaining,  informative, and very personable. I spoke with many afterwards and they all really love to talk about their love for what they do.

As for the silent auction, there was a large array of very cool and unique items from Universal, Bush Gardens, Disney, and even an amazing Frankenstein bust done by Ray Keim (a seasonal member of Universal's Entertainment Art and Design).

I typically don't fare well in these auctions... but with all the proceeds going to the American Cancer Society I'm glad to see the items do well. However, this year I did finally score a nice item thanks to my wife. We won a jumpsuit costume that was used in the Saws and Steam house from last year!

So if you are into haunted attractions, interested in entertainment design, or just want to help a great cause I highly suggest it. You can follow developments for next year on the FB page.

More pictures of the event can be seen here.

Soul Tree 2 and VUDUCON shenanigans

So here are the beginnings of Soul Tree Part 2. It's just a rough pencil "on the fly" idea of what I'm thinking. I have to start planning now as it takes so long to do.

Now that my plate is far less crowded, I'm starting the process for continuing my book: "Burghal Mythos" and maybe so more goodies for VuDu Con. If it doesn't make book form by then, I will at least have the art prints to add to last years. Of course I'll have buttons and some coffins but I think I'll limit myself a little more this year. I really wat to focus on the book.

Incidentally, VUDU Con is actually a CON now! Sinister is looking to have a great deal more artists. Cos Play, costumes, and even stiltwalkers are allowed this year! Here some info but hit the link for the most up to date info.

Edit: redid the sketch

******************* Event Information *******************

Costumes and Cosplay is allowed this year. So come dressed and have fun!
No Nudity, and if your wearing a mask or prosthetics you must have a valid ID in order to gain access to the event.

Stilt Walkers are allowed this year. No real restrictions for you all just watch your surroundings, some places at the Villas are low including the restrooms.

We will have a full bar with signature drinks at the event. DO NOT BRING YOUR OWN.

*****************************************************

Rental Prices: $30.00 for every 4 foot increment, with 8 Feet being the limit per table

Guest:

Sponsors:

After Party:

Admission: $5.00

Something New

The Serious art of Make Believe

The Serious art of Make - Believe

Whether you are a art enthusiast, interested in how things are made, or just a Halloween Horror Night fanatic then I highly recommend The Orlando Museum of History's: The Serious art of Make-believe.

I first heard about the display from Behind The Thrills and decided, seeing as I am all of the above, that it was something I could not miss! So the first chance my wife and I had, we made the trek from Mount Dora to Orlando. I am happy to say I was in no way disappointed.

First off I did not know Orlando had a history museum. If you have been to the FLORIDA MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY in Gainesville it has a similar feel. While not nearly as large, is has a multitude of informative and creative displays regarding the history of Orlando. That, in itself, was enough to draw me there but once you throw in the fact that it's $9.00 admissions and a HHN exhibit it was far too tempting to pass up.

The  Serious Art of Make - Believe is located on half of the second floor. As you walk in, you are greeted by the familiar sight of Jacks Carnival of Carnage and The Terra Queen's motorcyle.  The walls are packed with sketches and props from  Halloween Horror Nights, Mardi Gras, Grinchmas, and even some various permanent park attractions. There are even a few interactive displays where you can draw blue line sketches,  a "find it" game where you try and spot various objects in a mock up of the prop warehouse, and even a display depicting how foam on plywood are made to like a cornucopia of textures and objects.

I finally learned the inscription on the '05 dagger!

"Cruentus Regina Infinitas Infinito"

The sketches were where I spent most of my time. Being an avid fan of Universal's Art & Design team (and an aspiring artist) I really like to see the creative ideas that spark the amazing sets the we get to see as a finished product. There was a great deal of art from HHN 15: Tales of Terror which I feel ranks as one of Universal's most creative years.

There were also several examples of progression in development. For example the original Carnival of Carnage website started out as rough sketches on three sheets of notebook paper

which progressed to a sketchup version

and then the final website version

I also spent some time drawing my own sketch.

The props are always awesome to see and I enjoyed picking them out and remembering which year(s) I had seen them before. From older props like Jack's box or the Caretaker's scissors to more recent props such as the vomit/garbage and the two wrath costumes from the "Seven" scarezone this year.

All in all, the trip is well worth the paltry admission fee. The exhibit  runs until April 29th 0f 2012 so there is ample time and if you want to go a step further there are two chances to meet the A&D team! So make the trip, have fun, and support Florida's museums all in one shot.

** If you just can't make it or just want to spoil the surprise, scroll down for a link to more pictures **

Orange County Regional History Center
65 E. Central Blvd.
Orlando, Florida 32801

Visiting Hours
Monday-Saturday
10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Sunday

Noon - 5 p.m.

Artists & Authors Series

Art & Design Team from Universal Orlando Resort

Thursday, December 8, 2011

6-9 PM $65 admission (non-members)

Meet & Greet the Art and Design Team from Universal Orlando Resort
The Serious Art of Make-Believe Exhibition
Sunday, December 11, 2011

Included in general admission. 

Click here for all pictures of the exhibit.