Life + Arts

RUMOR HAS IT: Halloween brings different flair

Halloween festivities come in all different shapes and sizes, and this year ghouls and goblins can choose from the craziest to the wackiest events.

Hollywood comes to Austin

Featured in the Travel Channel’s America’s Scariest Halloween Attractions 3 and the Wall Street Journal, Austin’s House of Torment is on the rise to becoming America’s scariest haunted house. Rated the third-scariest haunted house in America by Associated Content, the House of Torment has scared the candy corn out of many a Halloween thrill seeker.

House of Torment features two separate haunted houses over a 20,000 square-foot site. House of Torment: Rise of Abomination features monsters that are so scary they resemble those seen in films. Monsters such as ‘The Creep’ and ‘Sgt. Graves,’ are sure to bring crowds to the brink of tears.

House of Torment ensures its greatness over other haunted houses with its gravity-defying room, the torment in which includes monsters that can pop out from all angles – even the ceiling.

A video from the venue’s Web site featured radio show hosts talking about the ‘Birth Canal,’ where crowds have to make it out of a claustrophobic, narrow chamber so scary that few escape. But beware; those who do not make it out are featured on the wall of shame.’ ‘

With more than 50,000 crowds flocking to the two terror chambers, thrill seekers can trap themselves inside the psychological distortion of the Illusion Manor, where reality is defied.

The House of Torment is located at the Highland Mall in Austin, and prices range from $14.99 to combo packs for $19.99.

Harper’s Bazaar finds its inner Tim Burton

In the October issue of Harper’s Bazaar magazine, Tim Burton used his dark, gothic creativity to lend a hand to fall designs for his Magical Fashion Show. The designs were imagined during Burton’s wait for his Retrospective at New York’s Museum of Modern Art, according to Harper’s Bazaar.

The spread features weird fashion designed by brands such as Gucci and Louis Vuitton, with looks inspired by The Nightmare Before Christmas and Edward Scissorhands.

Celebrities inspire traditions and costumes

Celebrities love Halloween. With only a few days to go, celebrities are turning up the heat with crazy costume designs and wacky behavior only they can get away with. According to The Daily Telegraph in England, an Essex gardener is turning heads with his celebrity pumpkin carvings.

David Finkle’s carvings, which feature the faces of President Barack Obama and Michael Jackson, represent his take on Halloween.

‘Pumpkins are obviously a tradition of Halloween, but they don’t always have to feature sinister looking faces and skulls on them,’ Finkle told the Telegraph. ‘I think having carvings of celebrity faces on them are just as appropriate for Halloween given what some of them get up to.’

Finkle said that each carving takes him about three hours to finish. The pumpkins, which Finkle came up with the inspiration for after attending a pumpkin-carving contest, are not for sale. However, they bring out a new tradition of Halloween that Finkle hopes to continue.

Those who aren’t fans of President Barack Obama can represent their views Halloween-style. HalloweenExpress.com is selling a special ‘Barakula’ mask. The mask, which depicts Obama as a hauntingly scary vampire, was released right after he won the Nobel Peace Prize, according to Aolnews.com.

For those who haven’t had enough of Jon & Kate plus 8, a Kate Gosselin stylish wig is for sale at Buycostumes.com

‘That blond crop just screams haggard homemaker,’ the Aolnews.com article said.

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