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10/08/2006: X-E Visits Halloween Playland!


Dead leaf on the windshield, dead leaf on the windshield, I so need to write a song, about the dead leaf on the windshield.

It’s starting to get nice and pretty and orange and yellow outside, but probably not as much as I’d like it to be, because we keep having weather that could fly in July if it tried hard enough.

Speaking of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, has anyone seen the new movie? I’ve already read all the spoilers like a big brat, but I’m just curious if it’s any good, since reviews have seemed so “absolutely yes” or “absolutely not.” I do know that, whether brilliant or banal, New Line is treating it like a real horror movie, and that alone might be enough to get me to yay out loud. I wouldn’t say that the 2003 remake grew on me upon subsequent viewings, but I’m at least able to appreciate it for what it is instead of worrying about what it could’ve been. Hopefully, with less of a reason to compare it to anything, the new film manages to be entertaining without a “but.”


Joining the Halloween Countdown for Monday is something quite very lots much really cool. A local lawn/flower/plant/fertlizer store transforms into the wondrous Halloween Playland in October, consisting of a pumpkin patch, inflatable funhouses, grim reapers and a portapotty full of fake shit. This entry deals with the ambiance; tomorrow’s entry will cover all the fun stuff I bought there.


Posted by Matt. E-mail me!

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Discussion Thread: 68 comments

I can’t wait!

Ghosted by Somethin' Funny @ 10/08/2006 9:51 PM EDT

Awww…. now I want to go out to a cool Halloween-y place. God damn my lack of a sense of direction, I can’t go anywhere. *pout*

Someone take my ass to Jason’s Woods.

Ghosted by Mystie @ 10/08/2006 10:29 PM EDT

I see a billboard on the Turnpike for Jason’s Woods often. It makes the commute more fun.

Ghosted by Matt @ 10/08/2006 10:30 PM EDT

This place seemed done up pretty cool, but if I were a kid I would be very disapointed. It looked like the only thing to do there was go in a halloween themed bouncy castle. I donno, I was a lazy kid, for me all that jumping would have tired me out. I liked the jonny on the spot, it looked just like the ones I saw today at the Balls Falls halloween craft show.

Ghosted by IHAQ @ 10/08/2006 11:03 PM EDT

I was so surprised to find a new article! I was about to head offline when i thought “i’ll check XE, see if he updated” and low and behold for once he did! lol.

But this article looks so much of a good halloween-feel read i think i’ll save it for tomorrow when i can enjoy the feeling the rest of the day.

Ghosted by Dan @ 10/08/2006 11:03 PM EDT

Sadly, I would be one of the people laughing hysterically at the port-a-potty.

There are a bunch of Halloweenie places on Long Island, but most of my friends work on the weekends. :(
I missed my oppurtunity to go to a Haunted House last night because I was feeling a little under the weather, but on Friday night my sister and our friends visited one of the abandoned psychiatric centers, which has been cleaned up since the last time we were there making it not as much fun.

We may take our young cousins pumpkin picking this weekend though. Better then nothing?

Ghosted by Denise @ 10/08/2006 11:07 PM EDT

How’s this for unprecedentedly spooktacular?
http://www.campfear.net/giant.html
It’s a fullfuckingfledged inflateable haunted house! Going to try to hit it up the weekend after this. It’ll be about an hour long quest to get there, but will be well worth it to say I’ve gone through a 150 ft. dead guy balloon. :D

Ghosted by Eddie Lightning Frog @ 10/08/2006 11:14 PM EDT

That looks pretty amazing, Eddie. Site mentions how it’s kid-friendly by day and bloodthirsty by night. Wonder how they pull off the switch so quickly.

Ghosted by Matt @ 10/08/2006 11:24 PM EDT

Eddie, “oh my god” is just about the only response I have to that. That and “I wish I could visit.”

Ghosted by Denise @ 10/08/2006 11:29 PM EDT

I remember a place very similar to this in Millersville, PA (a rural college town just outside of Lancaster). I don’t know if they still do their Halloween Funland (it’s been years), but the place is called Funck’s if anyone is ever in that area.

Ghosted by Spoodles @ 10/08/2006 11:37 PM EDT

Oops–it’s not Funck’s. It’s Funk’s. Here is a link detailing their Halloween funland if any PA residents want to have a similar experience to Matt’s.

Ghosted by Spoodles @ 10/08/2006 11:39 PM EDT

Yeah, I’m gonna have to take a trip to Texas before Halloween! That is just so awesome Eddie!!

Ghosted by IHAQ @ 10/08/2006 11:49 PM EDT

IHAQ: Regarding your earlier comment — you’re right. This place was for kids, but for really little kids. If like, I was in the sixth grade and saw HALLOWEEN PLAYLAND WITH HAUNTED HOUSE advertised in the local paper, I’d be pretty upset to find a bunch of bouncy castles when I got there.

Ghosted by Matt @ 10/08/2006 11:51 PM EDT

I’m with Dan, I’m saving this for tomorrow, after work. I gotta get up in 5 hours. :(

Holy crap, I wanna visit the big inflatable giant, too! :o

I just saw a commercial about 10 minutes ago for The Nightmare Before Christmas in 3D! It’s playing at select theaters Oct. 20th. I can’t believe I didn’t hear about this sooner! I would die to go see that, but I’m sure it won’t be playing near me.

Ghosted by Ryane @ 10/08/2006 11:57 PM EDT

If anyone gets to see NBX 3-D they’re going to have to tell us about it because it’s not playing near me. :cornfield at night? This is something I’ve got to check out. We’re waiting ’til the moon is new so there will be less light to spoil the fun.

I may have to go to Texas as well! That Giant is effing SWEET!

Ghosted by broomstickjockey @ 10/09/2006 12:12 AM EDT

I SO wish I could still jump on the bouncy castles.. those were the best when I was little. Someday, I WILL own a huge trampoline that my lust for bouncing may be satiated!

I’m taking two of my younger nephews to the local punkin patch this Saturday. Face painting, petting zoos and pumpkins! The short sheets’ll love it. :)

Ghosted by LemonWitch @ 10/09/2006 12:13 AM EDT

Seems something funky happened to my last post. I was saying that I’m going to a Haunted Cornfield Maze in two weeks. It sounded dumb when I first heard about it, but then I heard you could go through it at night. Now I’m definately curious.

Ghosted by broomstickjockey @ 10/09/2006 12:14 AM EDT

Ryane: Our local theatre is going all-out for The Nightmare Befor Christmas 3-D. One entire half of the 20-screen theatre is being done up as Halloween, complete with workers in costumes, the other half as Christmas, with workers as elves, etc. Should be pretty rad.

Ghosted by Review the World @ 10/09/2006 12:20 AM EDT

Two of my favorite Countdowns linked at the bottom there…I CAME 2 SEE GARLIC…still hilarious.

Ghosted by squee4242 @ 10/09/2006 12:25 AM EDT

For a small-timey place like the Halloween Playland, it’s pretty good. I probably wouldn’t enjoy the port-a-potty though, just because I don’t associate poo with the end of October.

I can imagine a UFO trying to land on earth, then leaving just as fast once they see that giant inflatable house Eddie showed. I hope aliens know the meaning of the WTF facial expression, because they’d be doing it.

Ghosted by Dr. Acula @ 10/09/2006 12:26 AM EDT

I know this isn’t exactly Halloweeny, but the link in my name will lead you to a site where you can play bunches of games with no downloads.

Ghosted by Ragnarok @ 10/09/2006 12:34 AM EDT

If only each and every pumpkin had a Charlie Brown great pumpkin sticker on it.

Ghosted by flygrl358 @ 10/09/2006 12:51 AM EDT

“People always assume Babylon to be a faraway place; you really never look for it when you’re in a negotiable walking distance from your house.”

And if you live on LI, it’s just a short drive away!

Speaking of LI, yes there are also lots of Haloweenie places! Like Schmidts Farm! (any LIer here knows that damn tv ad for that place)

Ghosted by Invader Norbert @ 10/09/2006 2:12 AM EDT

i saw texas chainsaw this weekend, a rehash of the original old school movie with a few situations changed and a different character assortment. it was basically an hour of watching people you care nothing about getting tortured, and then the retread of the lone surviving girl at the dinner table, jumping out of a window to be chased thru a field by leathface with a chainsaw, blah blah blah i was bored out of my mind.

Ghosted by drbong @ 10/09/2006 3:06 AM EDT

This is why I wish we observed Halloween in Australia.

Ghosted by Daniel85 @ 10/09/2006 6:03 AM EDT

Great Post Matt. Just wanted to wish all of my fellow Canadian XErs a Happy Thanksgiving. Once im done stuffing my gullet with Turkey it will be time to decorate for Halloween.

Ghosted by Greg @ 10/09/2006 6:26 AM EDT

You know, that stuff may be homemade, but it was homemade by someone who could actually DRAW! :D

Definately looked like a fun place to visit…is the gargoyle for sale?

Ghosted by Moony @ 10/09/2006 6:47 AM EDT

Why didn’t anyone tell me it was Thanksgiving in Canada? Well, I mean Greg did but why didn’t someone tell me last week so I could’ve had something ready ahead of time. This is going to be the worst Canadian Thanksgiving I’ve ever decided to celebrate.

Ghosted by dohopoki @ 10/09/2006 7:32 AM EDT

Well i ultimately enjoyed that, although i’m sure i would have just a bit more in person.

The best thing we have near my neck of the woods is Abma’s farm, which is apparantly quite famous, for something or other. Typical farm store/petting zoo during Nov-Sep and then Halloween shabam in October.

If i was in my neck of the woods this year i’d wouldn’t mind driving to that Halloween Playland. Maybe next year.

By the way anyone interested in Saw III. Comes out the 27th, figured i’d go see it then, it’s not exactly Halloweeny but the producers seem to want to make it Halloweeny since the first one so i figured it could only boost the mood on Halloween weekend.

Hope you don’t mind the link either, i ain’t getting paid to promote Abma’s farm, just thought people might like a read lol.

Ghosted by Dan @ 10/09/2006 8:40 AM EDT

Wow, sorry for the double post but this is too freaky.

So i JUST posted my comment as above, turned on the tv, Scrub’s Halloween Episode. Freaky, i like it.

I don’t even like Scrubs, but i’ll have to watch it now.

Ghosted by Dan @ 10/09/2006 8:42 AM EDT

I can’t wait for the gift shop; the whole thing reminds me of growing up in central PA and being surrounded by farms that pulled out the stops for the pumpkin-patch time o’ year.

Ghosted by Jessica Marie @ 10/09/2006 9:19 AM EDT

That inflatable hauted house/giant thing was in my town a couple weeks ago. I didn’t ever get to go in it, but it was awesome just to look at the outside. It was huge!

Ghosted by Deuce @ 10/09/2006 9:59 AM EDT

I agree with your summation drbong. The trailers for Texas Chainsaw make it look insanely good, but watching The Beginning, it’s deja vu deja vu-ing itself all over again. You go in thinking you’re going to get all this backstory on Leatherface himself, but all that is, really, is a two minute opening montage of stillshots of newspapers.

You do find out exactly WHY he’s nicknamed Leatherface, though. And you don’t care.

Ghosted by ColonelCatsup @ 10/09/2006 11:07 AM EDT

I finally got on some decorating this weekend, it’s fun to have my daughter excited about carrying around a plastic skull bucket full of plastic pumpkins and ghosts she stripped from the halloween light strings. Even if she doesn’t quite get why there is a black cat silouete in the window, she digs it. Click my name to see why you suck compared to my awesome display.

Ghosted by klatubaradanikto @ 10/09/2006 11:15 AM EDT

Nothing But Trouble is on!!!

Why do I not own this?

Ghosted by ColonelCatsup @ 10/09/2006 11:51 AM EDT

re: campfear.net/giant.html

Someone murdered a Macy’s balloon.

Ghosted by jrh @ 10/09/2006 11:52 AM EDT

After reading what [b]ColonelCatsup[/b] and [b]drbong[/b] said i stand by my notion of not going to watch this piece of shit. They’ve released one too fucking many of these, and they get worse each time.

I understand it, they wanna cash in on the halloween-season. But doesn’t one of them in the producer’s office have the idea to say “HEY!, maybe if we re-release the original, people would dig that, you guys, the older crowd, who our movies are supposed to be aimed at, the ones who legally buy the tickets!!”

I’ll root for Saw III this year.

Yeah it’s being done every year too, but at least they’re not re-telling the same old story in a different way, we’re just seeing people get royally fucked up in different ways, and that’s worth 9 clams.

Ghosted by Dan @ 10/09/2006 12:00 PM EDT

I managed to get out to the Haunted Cornfield this weekend. It really was spectacular. Last time I went to a haunted anything was probably three, four years ago. It was a Haunted Hospital with 3-D effects, so you had to wear the glasses, which completely cut off your peripheral vision, which made things that much scarier. I ended up grabbing onto this kid who I did not know and basically using him as a human shield to get me through the scares.

This year was much better. The cornfield was insane scary. The highlight was at the end with a chainsaw toting Jason (not sure why it wasn’t Leatherface – there were two Jasons though – one at the beginning and one at the end). We’d caught up with the group that went in before us and saw Jason go chasing them off down one path in the cornfield, so I said to my friends, “Let’s make a run for it.” We’d almost made it when Jason saw us and started running at us full speed, revving that goddamn chainsaw. Scary stuff.

Also, from the previous thread, caught Galactica on Friday. I liked it. I think it’s up to their usual standards. It’s kind of depressing right now, but it looks like they’ve got a definite plan for the season. Best show on tv.

Check out the link for that Haunted Woods. Pics and all that. It’s cool. And scary.

Ghosted by Chris Martin @ 10/09/2006 12:01 PM EDT

Man, I am LOVING all these Halloween articles! I hadn’t given this much thought to Halloween since I was much younger. Awesome! I need to hack me up a pumpkin or two.

Side question: Does anybody have the link or know where I can find the article about the creepy house that Matt and his friends go/went to on ocassion? That was one of the first articles I read on here way back when, and just happened to think about it the other day. I wanted to read it again, but can’t seem to find it.

Ghosted by Justin @ 10/09/2006 12:35 PM EDT

Hey, Matt, looks like we both had very Halloweeny weekends: I ventured out with my parents and sister to Hicks’ Nursery out here on Long Island famous home of Otto the Ghost, and if you have other Long Islanders reading this site, they’ll know what I’m talking about :) Spent the whole day getting pumpkins, gourds, ghost shaped peeps and other crap we surely didn’t need but couldn’t resist. A great day all around: and probably the WARMEST day I’ve ever gone pumpkin picking in my life!!

Ghosted by Melissa Y @ 10/09/2006 12:38 PM EDT

Norbert,
Schmidt’s farm or as I call it Shit’s farm yeah real mature, I know. I actually think they had the best cornfield. Was there many years ago but a fun place!!

Ghosted by Melissa Y. @ 10/09/2006 12:40 PM EDT

OOH! Fallen Giant! Now we get to find out if the way to a man’s heart really is through the stomach! (then take a right at the liver.)

Ghosted by kingklash and his barking pumpkin @ 10/09/2006 1:00 PM EDT

That toilet wasn’t good for me. Not sure why. But the place looked pretty good. Reminds me that I still need to buy pumpkins.

Ghosted by kb @ 10/09/2006 1:23 PM EDT

Matt,
I was wondering, what did you think of Monster House? I thought it was suprisingly good, way better than it needed to be. I can’t wait to watch it now that it’s the right season (why’d it come out in July?). Oh well, just wanted to see what you thought of it.

Ghosted by Tommy @ 10/09/2006 1:53 PM EDT

Oh, and since I live in the midwest, there’s awesome farms all around that transform into Halloween paradises every year, and the girlfriend and I are taking my sister’s kids next weekend. You haven’t lived until you’ve made it though a corn maze!

Ghosted by Tommy @ 10/09/2006 1:56 PM EDT

My son and I went to a cornfield maze this weekend that was quite fun. After dusk, they open up a few other haunted attractions. The first is a haunted barn that was pretty good but I hate it when they resort to the Freddy and Jason rooms. Gimme some ol’ fashioned ghouls, ghosts and monsters. They supposedly used real rats and snakes but we didn’t see them (we were informed that spiders were also supposed to be included but they didn’t arrive in time). Next up was the haunted cornfield maze (a different one from the daytime maze, altogether). My son met some of his friends that happened to be in line with us for those 2 attractions. He’s 11 years old and he had a 12 and 13 year old girl on each arm because they were scared, he was loving it. The last attraction was a “3D maze” that was basically a chain-link fence maze with heavy metal music playing and strobes flashing. That one kinda sucked but the others were great. We’re going to another cornfield maze in a couple weeks that becomes “haunted” after dark and they also supposedly have a haunted hayride. I love that stuff, I went on a haunted hayride years ago and it was the most fun that I had had in a while (not to mention that the “scariness” of it was an aphrodisiac to this girl I was dating at the time).

On a less Halloweeny note, we went to the Land of Oz weekend (link on my name below) and the flying monkeys scared the shit out of my daughter. They had pre-teen boys dress up as the monkeys and they were freakin’ evil, the little bastards. If it was just me, I would have loved it but watch that shit around a 2 year old (not just mine, a bunch of others were there as well).

Ghosted by freudguy @ 10/09/2006 2:17 PM EDT

Happy Thanksgiving fellow Canadians! I am disgustingly full of turkey, stuffing, squash and pumpkin pie. Excellent. Plus, I just spent an hour in the car looking at all the pretty trees along the river, AND it is 24 degrees out! What a perfect, perfect day.

This Halloween excursion reminds me of the haunted house I went to in Old Town, in Kissimmee Florida- it was actually kind of creepy, since spiders periodically fell on our heads as we were walking through, and there were REAL PEOPLE standing in the dark corners, ready to grab you as you walked by. Yup, I was sufficiently scared, all right. Good stuff. :)

Think I might buy my pumpkin tonight, and pop in “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” on VHS. Seems like a good way to end the afternoon- after a bike ride along the river of course. Man, Thanksgiving puts me in a good mood! Shit, maybe I should watch “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving” instead! Decisions, decisions….

Ghosted by Muppet Baby @ 10/09/2006 2:25 PM EDT

I really wish it was socially acceptable for 22 year olds to jump on bounce houses and play in ball pits.

Ghosted by Ariel @ 10/09/2006 3:00 PM EDT

Yes Happy Thanksgiving to Greg, Muppet Baby, and any other Canadians out there! (oh and doho too!) After my turkey dinner I’m off too see Ricky, Julian, and Bubbles on the big screen! I can’t get anymore Cacadian than that, well I guess maybe it could stand to be colder. But I hate winter so I can handle a 24 degrees Thanksgiving day.

Ghosted by IHAQ @ 10/09/2006 3:14 PM EDT

I used to like bounce houses myself, and we still have a trampoline (but hardly ever use it!). I would’ve at least liked those attractions at this li’l punkin’ patch.

One of the freakiest attractions in a haunted house I’ve ever seen was this animatronic monster that lunged at you with strobe lights going off, so it looked like a stop-motion movie beast. Not for the faint of heart.

Ghosted by Andrew @ 10/09/2006 3:49 PM EDT

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