With Halloween fast approaching, Grizzly Bomb has dusted off the keyboard and delved deep into the crypts of the world-wide web to dig out some really unique, fun and creepy horror creations made by independent artists with a very unique style.
This collection of artistic creation is all neatly bundled together for you, giving you a visual guided tour of some of the web’s coolest creations.
Etsy has for many years now been the forerunner for creators showcasing their wares and flexing their creative muscles. One such creator is Kathleen Strawder. Through her online store ArdentlyCrafted she has created a wide range of old school movable paper dolls which have a cartoon-ish charm all their own. The attention to detail and life-like designs of these dolls are amazing, and you can clearly see Kathleen is a master of her craft. Most of these paper creations range from around $15.00 and the collection she has for sale is vast, with a wide variety of different genres covered, but as this is homemade horror we have focused on some of the more spooktastic examples on her site, which you can see below.
Horror Décor have created a variety of different scented candles to help spruce up any horror hounds home. Some of the more cinematically based candles can be seen below, but there are a lot more to choose from. So if you need a candle that attacks the nostrils like Mr. Stay Puft, has dirty nails in it, or smells of Halloween then you know where to go! These all range from $15.00 and you can also scare your neighbors while taking in these unique smells by getting your hands on some of these iconic and retro looking Halloween masks priced at $16.00, which they also sell.
Sculptor Barry Crawford (or Clayguy as he is known online) has caught my eye many a time with his personal crafted clay model creations. These figures all have a distinct personality and look superb. Not only do they look great, they also cover a huge array of movie stars and cinematic creations. The horror ones alone are spread out through numerous films, some more well-known movie characters are included, while other genre cult flicks are also present. These all vary in price, but they are worth it for the love and attention to detail that has gone into them. Barry is proud of his work, as well he should be. So too are the actors he bases his creations on, as his website is filled with pictures of him standing proudly with models in hand next to some horror genre greats. Here are a few of Grizzly Bomb’s horrific favorites.
Rotten Rentals have helped keep the VHS genre alive in their own exciting way by using box art and VHS cases to sell some pretty nifty collectibles. Each Rotten Rental box has some superbly crafted cover art and inside is little bits and pieces relating to the film the box is promoting. Better yet, why don’t I let Rotten Rentals themselves tell you what they are all about?
They are nostalgia tucked away in a throwback VHS case that contains 2 – 5 packs of vintage trading cards spanning from 1975 – 2010. Each VHS case also includes a miniature zombie figure chomping at the bit to break out of its black plastic grave. But that’s not all – you’ll also get randomly inserted movie promo items. Think of them as horror grabs – you never know what unique item might be waiting for you as you crack the case open. With each purchase of Rotten Rentals at an event you’ll have a chance to pull redemption cards for larger prizes such as autographs, movie collectibles and toys. Whatever is shown on the card you win!
These are pretty cool items which look great on any film fan’s shelves. It is clear Rotten Rentals love movies and the VHS format and below you can see some of the great covers they have put together with a selection of hand-picked artists.
Phantom Video (or It Came From The 80s) also has a love of old school monster movies. They have produced a selection of movie cards, similar to the ones you would have seen promoting flicks at the cinema back in the 80s. These colorful and well-crafted pieces perfectly display the joy cinema-goers would have felt when seeing these films, as these little beauties would have helped pack cinemas full of eager and hungry horror fans. You can enjoy that sensation yourself if you pick up one of the many on sale now by messaging either Phantom Video or It Came From The 80s or go on the on-line store.
Finally we leave you with a coming soon section with items which will hopefully appear around Halloween time. If not, then consider this a heads up on some great future releases. First off we have an interesting piece that came to me via man-e-toys.com. They showcased artist Chris Grondin and his amazingly life-like, and quite possibly hair-raising version of Belial, the deformed half-brother from the popular Basket Case movies.
This circular shaped terror (which looks a whole lot like the Madballs toys from the mid 80s) will hopefully be bouncing its way to us very soon.
Next up is the VHS based art of Anthony Jimenez. Seen mostly on his Facebook or Flickr and at conventions, these horrifically colorful VHS-based pieces are mind-blowing. The general premise that Anthony seems to work on is take an awesome looking VHS cover and extend the images out to show an entirely new and quite terrifying reality. These original art pieces, using other VHS covers, all blend together perfectly. Not only are the colors he uses vibrant and intense, the scenes themselves are incredible, and for fans of the original VHS art these are a great expansion pack if you can manage to get your hands on them.
No doubt Grizzly Bomb will return to showcase more creepy creations closer to Halloween, but until then hopefully this small selection will have satiated your thirst for collectibles. Keep checking Grizzly Bomb for more Homemade Horrors and other related articles in the near future.
Be sure to check out More 80s Awesomeness With 8-bit Zombie, or view A Few Of Our Favorite Cheesy B-Action Movies, and set up your night with Tabletop Bonanza: Forbidden Desert!
Images: Ardently Crafted, Horror Décor, Clay Guy, Rotten Rentals, Phantom Video, Chris Grondin, Anthony Jimenez.
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