Horror Camp's Xmas Countdown

-Contributed by Luke Merrill

Inspired by yesterday's post, Tiger Attack! I sought out an image of a monster that could tame a tiger. That monster being the self-made immigrant turned millionaire Tony Montoya. Tony dreams of riches and power, and due to hard work and never compromising his ideals he succeeded in realizing his dreams. Not only did he manage to tame a pet tiger to roam the grounds of his palacial estate, but he even managed to tame that she-tiger, Michelle Pfeiffer and make her his wife.

Here we see Tony in that now classic seen in the finale of  DePalma's Scarface where he confides in his only friend left, Snorty the Blowman the cocaine snowman. This happens shortly after he kills his best friend, but before he wastes his sister, which is moments before he is overrun by Columbian assassins.

Horror Camp's Xmas Countdown

Contributed by Luke Merrill

Tiger Attack!

Horror Camp's Xmas Countdown

-Contributed by Luke Merrill

Today's Snowman was inspired by a very special Christmas special of Dr. Who which aired last year. Although only being introduced to the adventures of the Doctor for the first time, and being confoundedly lost as to who the reoccuring characters are, how a time traveler ends up in an 1800's version of London that has killer snowmen, and what the hell a tardis is, I was impressed by the design of these menacing snowmen. 

The Dr. Who snowmen were all completly CGI rendered, so they were a little bit more expressive when it came to fangs and menacing glares, but I think this recreation effectivelly catches the look, and is a faithful reproduction of the cult shows highly advertised 2012 special.

Horror Camp's Xmas Countdown

-Contributed by Luke Merrill

Image taken from Epidemic Fun's collection of bizzare snowmen

Day 5. No explanation needed. 

Horror Camp's Xmas Countdown

-Contributed by Luke Merrill

Image by flickr user mpburrows

And now presenting for your approval, your daily dose of snowman horror here at Horror Camp's Xmas Countdown. And an actual snowman for a change. A classic scene from the well loved Gulliver's Travels, which isn't a horror novel by any means. Although the prospect of watching the Jack Black movielization (or God forbid, made for television Ted Danson version) is a terrifying concept to me personally, but then again that's just me.

It does strike me that if the creator lopped off one of the twigs and replaced it with a metal gauntlet (and gave him a little more chin) it would cease to be a Gulliver's Travels homage and would become an Army of Darkness (of Evil Dead fame) scene. Army of Darkness director Sam Raimi lovingly ripped off this scene for his own movie and used it as a vessel to create Evil Ash. Evil Ash being created as a result of Bruce Campbell being tied down and forced to swallow one of his miniature deadite counterparts that spawned from a shattered mirror. He always had bad luck with mirrors.

As a matter of fact, when I look closer at this picture it looks like that little one on the chest might take a plunge down the old scream canyon himself. I hope the big guy has a shotgun ready. Klaatu Verata ..... Nickel? 

Horror Camp's Xmas Countdown

-Contributed by Luke Merrill

Alright I've dilly-dallied long enough. I should've started off the countdown with the obvious inspiration for all modern contemporary grotesque snowmen with the master himself, Bill Watterson. Watterson infiltrated a generation of impressionable little children day after day with his 4 panel tribute to childhood creativity and deviance, Calvin and Hobbes. Never had I been so determined to read the newspaper as a child only to read that one corner of the comics section where Calvin and Hobbes resided.

For myself winter was the most exciting time to read the comic. Every season would feature an insane sledding expedition, epic snowball fights, and of course grotesque snowmen. Watterson personally shattered my preconceptions of what snowmen should be like, and without him I would never have been prone to venture out to make snowmen today. How it came to be that decapitated, mutilated and freakish snow creatures could be featured in a mainstream periodical in the early 90's boggles my mind, but it worked and the world is better off for it.

Watterson so impacted the medium of art and comics that many artists still tribute Watterson with creative homages to their favorite Calvin and Hobbes scenes. I've included a few below.

Bill Amend's Foxtrot 

Marvel's Wolverine gets a slice of the action (that tagline is used way too often)

DC/Vertigo's Death from the Sandman series

Horror Camp's Xmas Countdown

-Contributed by Luke Merrill

Snowman

With 10 days left until Christmas we release our second in a collection of grotesque, demented, or just bizarre snowmen. Today's snowman was stumbled upon on Liana Bortolozzo's Blog post regarding artist, Tony Tassert. Some of Tassert's work caught my eye by using iconic horror imagery and tweaking it slightly to express angst or irony or something artsy, symbolic, and/or meaningful. Of course art mixed with horror is a double edged sword which is simultaneously redeeming and destroying the genre, but for myself the appeal to horror is that in not taking it seriously you are often surprised when something substantial and thought-provoking is presented.

This Sculpture aptly named "Snowman" is described by Bortolozzo as "underlying something slightly rundown, rotton and sticky, and a little bit sad." Tassert's comments on the piece were as follows: "Could I take something that's so banal, so quoted, that everybody has kind of made, and could I treat it like a Giacommetti? Could I give it that pathos and existential angst?" Typical artist fare. An artist creates something commonplace in an attempt to destroy it in the minds of their viewers or provoke a reaction. Kinda has that Warhol ring to it, the sort of art where you look at it and say well I could of done that, except for the simple fact you didn't do it, and you didn't think to do it, so poo on you.

Anywho, on reflection of the piece I think Tassert does an excellent job, he expertly created something which looks like it had been eroded by nature for weeks and he conveys expression with minimal materials for maximum effect. It looks as though a piece of art that you would just stumble across naturally outdoors through time and exposure to the elements, not a carefully crafted piece built from the ground up. If I look at this long enough I can almost envision the artistic process in deciding just the right placement of materials and angles to give the final effect. 

So naturally this isn't a real snowman, considering there isn't a single snowflake in the entire sculpture, but come back soon we're saving the real snowmen for closer to Christmas. Until then enjoy the winter weather, and feel free to share any of your own bizarre snowmen with us here at horror camp.

Horror Camp's Xmas Countdown

-Contributed by Luke Merrill

With the arrival of Christmas around the corner, and the expectant torrential downpour of snow just beginning to arrive. We at Horror Camp want to ring in the season by sharing some of the most demented and terrifying collections of freakish snowmen that the season has to offer. Everyday until Christmas we will be sharing a new picture of some of the most grotesque snowmen that have ever been created.

Today's image of snowman horror is courtesy of weird tales magazine, and provides a snapshot of a potential post-apocalyptic future where space snowmen invade earth, and subjugate the populace with their laser-spewing charcoal eyes. In terms of post-apocalyptic credibility, I would say that the world-conquering laser-eyed extraterrestrial snowmen scenario is just as credible (in terms of  "can this happen in real life") as the ensuing zombie apocalypse that everyone is gearing up for. Considering zombies suffer a disadvantage of not being able to attack with projectiles, this snowman threat should be taken a little more seriously.

 So consider that when you are constructing  your survival bunker. If you are preparing for the eventuality of a zombie apocalypse don't write off the snowmen, it will be the last mistake you ever make.