Shivers of Delight

I'm honoring Alfred Hitchcock today. He died at the (almost) age of 81 on April 29, 1980. I'm certain I don't have to explain who he was, but if you're 12 or have been living on a deserted island you can click his name to find out everything you want to know. I think my favorite movie of the ones I've seen (there are so many) is Rope which was released in 1948. It's based on a 1929 play and besides being suspenseful (and starring Jimmy Stewart) it takes place in real time and was edited to look like it was filmed in one continuous shot. It's the story of a "perfect murder" for intellectual sake. The movie didn't go over so well with the public. There are homosexual undertones and many thought it was just outright cruel. I love it for the suspense. It gets me every time. Watch a Hitchcock film this evening with the lights off. Or, maybe you'd like to purchase a memento. Hitchcock "Pyscho" Lamp Shade by Spooky Shades A...

I have to share another Kickstarter project with you today. I have a collection of books that are themed around Halloween, death, and anything morbidly amusing. I think  Liber Veneficii: The Book of Poisons by Second Thought Games needs to be in my collection. The book is designed for role-playing games, but it will be so beautifully made and researched that I think any one with an interest in fantasy would find it desirous.  The book is a mixture of fact and fiction so use it with caution. Liber Veneficii also includes twelve fantasy poisonous concoctions and a section on poison delivery. What more could a girl want? The final product will be bound in black leather with silver embossings. The illustrations look lovely. I think this would look great sitting open on a book stand. As part of the rewards, you can choose to have your name (or a character's name) put in the book as a researcher or council member. That is pretty cool.  Second Thought Games ha...

Oh my gosh. Two of my favorite things joined together in one perfect product. Tarot of Cocktails by Katy Seibel is a project on Kickstarter right now and as of this writing we only have 58 hours to buy, buy, BUY! Ok, so Ms. Seibel says that the cards are more about drinking than divination, but I think you can use them as you like. Dealers choice.  Each set contains 30 cards with original drawings (not necessarily aligned to the traditional major or minor arcana) on one side and original cocktail recipes on the other. How divine! The cards are already designed and just need to be printed. The project has already far exceed its goal and looking into my crystal ball I predict the risk of a failed project is pretty low here. Out of the way! Me first.

This is an odd topic this morning, but bear with me. Burial shrouds are not typical at an American funeral. We tend to look for the deceased's favorite or best outfit and give that to the funeral home for them to be dressed in.  I think I like the idea of a burial shroud better. A burial shroud gives a sense of closure and ritual that is important in the grieving process. It signals a transformation and next stage. The history of the deceased wearing their clothing is really quite recent in all of history. I'm not sure how it all got started. I think it had something to do with the mass production of clothing making it less valuable to save. Over a year ago, I did a post on textile artist  Pia Interlandia  and the burial shrouds that she is creating. They're quite beautiful and you can read the post by clicking Pia's highlighted name. Shrouds are by tradition made of natural fibers, usually cotton, and quite simple, but many companies in the green-funeral busi...

If you're like me you're running low on spending money because it's the end of the month, but that just means we can start planning our purchases for next week. Ha! Have you visited Spitfire Interiors ? They're physically located in Whittier, CA, but we can shop at their online location. They specialize in "horror, rock n' roll home and fashion accessories." Here are some of my favorites. We Are the Creepy T-shirt Genuine Muertos Parts T-shirt Lily Bat Necklace Cobweb Sunglasses Vampire Incense Burner Glow-in-the-dark Monster Throw Pillow Sugar Skull Vanity Bat Coffee Table Glamour Ghoul Make-up Tool Box There are so many fun things in this shop. Start making your shopping list for next week. Cha-ching!

I just finished reading The Loved One: An Anglo-American Tragedy by Evelyn Waugh and I think it might be a new favorite. The book was originally published in 1948 and was the result of a trip to Hollywood by English writer Waugh and his wife to discuss the possibility of Waugh's novel "Brideshead Revisited" being turned into a movie. Waugh admits he had no intention of letting the novel become a movie, but thought they could get a nice trip out of the deal to discuss it. While in Hollywood, Waugh discovered the Forest Lawn Memorial Park  in Hollywood Hills. Forest Lawn is a cemetery founded in 1906 and I think is best described by this paraphrased quote from Jessica Mitford found on Wikipedia (the original source is missing) "Forest Lawn's kitsch was just a sophisticated strategy for lubricating the checkbooks of the grieved." To say that Waugh was not impressed with Hollywood, Americans or even the English people who lived in Hollywood would be an un...

This is surely a week of anniversaries. Today we're honoring the Loch Ness Monster because on April 21, 1934 what is known as the Surgeon's Photo was taken of the monster's head and neck. It has become the iconic photo of Nessie, as the monster is affectionately known. I don't even have to post the photo. I'll bet you already have the image in your head. While Nessie is referred to as a monster, this has to be the most loved monster ever. Does she strike fear in anyone? The monster is so popular that her pop culture status needed it's own page on Wikipedia. Do you remember that in the beginning of the 2004 film Napoleon Dynamite Napoleon is giving a speech about the Loch Ness Monster? Let's celebrate the Loch Ness Monster by shopping. That always seems like a good way to celebrate to me. 10' Inflatable Nessie at JShop Ototo Nessie Ladle at Amazon Sockness Monster at Amazon Loch Ness Monster Shower Curtain at FuzzyInk Bigfoo...

It's another Morbid Anniversary! Today we honor Bram Stoker (8 November 1847 - 20 April 1912) the ringmaster of vampires. I call him the ringmaster because Stoker didn't create vampires but he did make them popular. During his life Stoker was known more as the personal assistant of a well-known actor and the manager of the Lyceum Theater in London. He was obviously good at promotion.  I wonder what Stoker would think if saw the vampire culture that has grown from Dracula? Stoker wrote many novels, short stories, and poems after Dracula . Did you know that you can read most of them for free? There is a Bram Stoker.org web site that has downloadable versions of Stoker's works.  You can also purchase hard cover copies of many of his novels there. But the big news is that the Horror Writers Association is hosting the first ever StokerCon in Las Vegas this May. This event looks amazing. For four days you'll be able to participate in workshops (Horror University) by...

I'm sure you've heard her name, Daphne du Maurier , even if you can't quickly put your finger on why you know her name. That's a shame for all of us, including me. I admit I had to look her up. Born on May 13, 1907, du Maurier died on April 19, 1989. This gives us the perfect reason to show her a little attention today. I asked my husband if he knew who Daphne du Maurier was and he said. "Yah, give me a minute. Oh! I had to read Rebecca and watch the movie in 10th grade. I hated it."  Ha! Ok, so maybe my 10th grade husband wasn't the intended audience. We, connoisseurs of the dark, however, should know Daphne du Maurier as a romantic, gothic novelist. Her works were moody and very often spooky. She is best known for her novel Rebecca which became a movie directed by Alfred Hitchcock- his first in the United States by the way. Her short story The Birds also became a Hitchcock movie. She wrote well over 30 books of fiction and non fiction. Sometim...

I'm one of those people who love tattoos on other people but have none myself. I'm not afraid it will hurt, I just can't decide what kind of tattoo I'd like to wear for the rest of my life. Granted "the rest of my life" is getting shorter by the minute, so you'd think the decision wouldn't be that overwhelming. I do know one thing, if - when I get a tattoo it will be in a place where I can see it. A tattoo on my back or behind my ear will only cause me to throw my back out twisting around to look at it in a mirror.   In the mean time, I think I may try out some tattoos on my legs with these very cool stockings from Tattoo Socks . There are many companies selling these at the moment, but Tattoo Socks has some very devilish designs that I like. Jellyfish Octopus Fish Bone Lost in Space Day of the Dead Garters Skeletons 7 Deadly Sins There are many more offerings in their shop. The stockings come in a variety of colors a...

King of the Macabre, Edward Gorey (1925 - 2000), died sixteen years ago today. I wasn't sure how best to mark this day on Shivers. So much has been written about him that I find it a challenge to mention anything you haven't read or seen a thousand times before. So, at the risk of repetition, I think you should take a look at two things today. The first is Gorey's obituary in the New York Times . Really, you know you've made it when you get a long obituary in the Times. Gorey's reputation for being macabre really doesn't go far enough in my opinion. He was actually the King of Macabre Humor.  Gorey never shocked without a smirk. That's what made him so popular. He made you feel part of an inside joke- something you giggled about at the back of the funeral parlor. It's not wonder that before he died Gorey became enamored of the band The Tiger Lillies who are a British band formed in 1989 in the Dark Cabaret genre -if there is such a thing. Their...

On April 14, 1912, the RMS Titanic hit "the" iceberg. I think you know the rest of that story. In my search to find some tales of ghosts from the Titanic I came across an interesting tour group located in New York City called Boroughs of the Dead . The group jumped to the front of my Google search because they are offering a Ghosts of the Titanic tour this Thursday through Saturday. It's a seasonal tour that takes place every April. The Titanic tour centers around where survivors were brought ashore and will share "macabre, sorrowful tales of the watery deep as we remember the Titanic's tragic and glorious story, and how it is uniquely connected to New York City." source: Boroughs of the Dead Can't make it this weekend? Well, Boroughs of the Dead has spooky tours around New York nearly every weekend. From Manhattan to Queens there are a variety of tours choose from. Here is what I like about this tour company. First they're licensed- alway...

Some mornings I wake up and I have nothing.  Nothing to talk about on Shivers that is. I have a mini panic attack and scramble around and usually come up with something. Today is one of those days, but I'm not exactly sure what I've come up with. I'll let you decide. The band Gerardo and the Undead have a message for us. The first video plays the song forward and the second one plays it backwards. Gerardo and the Undead Reversed Version Ha! What the heck is Hell Pizza ???? And why can't I get it in the United States?! It looks awesome. One more reason to move to Canada.

On April 12, 1961, Yuri Gagarin became the first human to venture into space. So what better way to celebrate this achievement than by participating in  Yuri's Night - a host of space-themed parties around the globe. The official Yuri's Night website list parties and lectures you can attend on their events page .  While there are a few events taking place within a few hours of my house I think I'll probably celebrate by watching the 1960's television show Lost in Space. Lost in Space was a science-fiction series that ran three seasons from 1965 to 1968. Originally based on a comic book, the show went from drama to comedy fairly quickly. This very campy show featured the Robinson Family on a mission to start a new colony on Alpha Centauri because by 1997 the earth had become to crowded. The real stars of the show quickly became Dr. Zachary Smith, who wasn't even in the first episode, and the Robot. Dr. Smith was a cantankerous stowaway trying to ruin the mission a...

If it's not a post about jewelry, it's probably going to be a post about art dolls. I hope you like both of those things. Today I'm highlighting Klopp Studio's primitive spooky dolls. Artist Debra Klopp Kersey loves Halloween as much as we do and spends her free time making creepy dolls. I think a few of these in the guest bedroom will shorten any unwanted visits. I love the way these dolls look like they were just pulled out of an old attic trunk. Do you think they're haunted? Freak Show Cute Creepy Clown Creepy Stump Doll Primitive Witch Creepy Ornament  Klopp also makes original Tarot decks that are rather fiendish. Use at your own risk. Clown Tarot Deck Raven Tarot Deck Now is the perfect time to be shopping for additions to your Halloween collection. After seeing original artist pieces you'll never be able to shop at the big box stores again for your Halloween items and you'll be too busy during October to get ev...