Camp Announcements

-Contributed by Luke Merrill

With the advent of 2014, we bring to a close our inaugural season here at Horror Camp. The site will be open again and resume regularly scheduled features starting again at our season opener, tentatively scheduled for May. Until then check back periodically to review some of the highlights from our last season, and be on the lookout as Horror Camp will be hosting occasional workshops, and weekend retreats before the May Season opener.

Once again I'd like to thank everyone who lent your support to the site, by following and checking out the features we have to offer. And I'd like to thank anyone who came to check out the site once, even if you'll never return again it was great that you took the plunge to see what Horror Camp is about. It's been a great and wonderful experience sharing some of our favorite horrific moments around the Horror Camp-Fire, and I hope to see everyone again during season 2.

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