Best Scary Costumes for This Halloween

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Featured Lifestyle

Not shockingly we are more into the scary costumes for Halloween, or maybe it is shocking. At least we hope so! Halloween this year is sure to see some of the classic scary costumes. We had another Scream released, Halloween Kills, Texas Chainsaw Massacre and so many other great scary moves to use to inspire costumes this year. Let’s dig into our recommendations for scary costumes for this Halloween.

Krampus

I’m just not seeing enough Krampus out there each year. The anti Santa and nightmare fuel for European children dating back to something like 300 BC and here in the US since 2015. Krampus needs more representation this year and there are tons of Krampus options out there from the movie costumes to scary creative masks and full costumes. This is an old demon scene and although it takes a fair bit to pull it off there is no one way to do Krampus right so make it your own.

Check out some scary Krampus costume options here or click the images below.

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Ghostface

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Ghostface is one of those iconic and terrifying costumes and movie monsters. The killer(s) in Scream are literally wearing this now historic scary costume. This year there are several Ghostface variations and even child Ghostface costumes. Nothing sounds more frightening than being chased by 10 tiny Ghostfaces.

Get Ghostface costumes here

Cheddar Goblin

Cheddar Goblin Mask

From the Cult Classic Nic Cage Horror movies Mandy comes the Cheddar Goblin. It’s way scarier than it sounds. I mean what is more terrifying than Mac and Cheese and Goblins?

Bring home this green Cheddar Goblin Mask to your little goblins for a cheesy good time at dinner or for any occasion! Straight from the cult classic horror film Mandy, a Full overhead Mask that is comfortable and easy to wear. Great for use for Trick or Treating, Home Haunts, Haunted Houses, or any party! Could this also be Yoda’s evil macaroni eating twin brother quit possible!

Get the Cheddar Goblin mask here

Michael Meyers Halloween

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It’s never going to stop being scary. The dead facial expression. The immortal and unstoppable force of Michael Meyers. These Michael Meyers masks just keep getting more and more creepy each year. With another Halloween movie coming out just around the corner, you can rest assured this mask will instill fear in the neighborhood.

Get your Michael Meyers Masks here

Fulci Zombie

Based on one of the most iconic horror movies ever, Trick or Treat Studios is proud to present the Boat Zombie from the Lucio Fulci cult classic, “Zombie.” Pairs nicely with ripped up and bloody clothes. Outcomes are often screaming children and terrified neighbors. Isn’t that the point of scary costumes?

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You can get your own Fulci Zombie mask here

Lil Stevie the Sea Horse

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It’s the eyes that really do me in on this one. That and anything from the sea. Sea horror is just some of the scariest horror out there. The mouth moves on this oddly terrifying sea creature. Add some flippers or just a regular outfit and it’s sure to be a hit at that work party Halloween costume contest.

You can find this sea creature here.

Werewolf Full Costume

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It’s a classic and this one comes with everything you need, even the feet. Another mask with a moving mouth and the good folks and Zagone Studios who make this know how to create great costumes. This is one you can leave in your will to the grandkids. The Werewolf never goes out of style!

Get your werewolf costume here.

Aliens.. UV Aliens!

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We all got the memo that the government knows we got ourselves some aliens out there. Jordan Peele’s “Nope” really drives it home, see it if you have not yet!

UV Black Light Reactive Down to Earth Alien Costume Kit. A great alien mask that can double as an insect head that now reacts with black light. The Costume includes UV Reactive Down to Earth Mask, UV Green Skeleton Gloves and UV Green Skeletal Shroud. 

Become and alien here

Pinhead

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Hellraiser’s smartest and most diabolical demon from another astral plane – Pinhead! The classic played by Doug Bradley is sure to win the herts and souls of everyone you meet.

Get your Pinhead Mask here

So Many More Options

Our friends at Horror Hub Marketplace have thousands of costumes for the whole family and even some hand picked options for some of the scarier costumes. Get lost in the many masks, props, costumes and collectibles at Horror Hub. The sights you will see….

Happy Halloween Everyone!

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Can Michael Myers Talk?

Categories
Scary Movies and Series

Is Michael Myers Able to Speak? [Halloween Movie Facts]

The stalking shape from the Halloween movies who moves through the shadows and wields a giant kitchen knife never seems to want to talk. Is it because the famed slasher has nothing to say? Perhaps he is a little disgusted with society and flat out repulsed? What is the real story on why Michael Myers can never be found sharing his thoughts? Can Michael Myers even speak at all?  Horror Enthusiast combs the alleyways of Haddonfield and Halloween movie history to find an answer to the age old question: Can Michael Myers talk?

A Little About Michael’s Linguistic History

Michael is able to talk. He understands English and has been listening to it in the mental hospital for quite some time.  Still, he has refrained from speaking any words at all for years.  In fact, presumably since he’s been 6 years old, he has been silent.  Regardless of the fact that the last two movies were ‘remakes’, the original Halloween came out in 1978…and thus Michael Myers had not muttered a single word for literally more than 3 decades. He is one of the most deadly of the horror movie slashers, despite having a super low IQ and serious mental issues.

And then Rob Zombie released Halloween II (2009). In Zombie’s sequel, Michael Myers says “DIE” as he slaughters Loomis in severe anger.

Michael’s Overall Social Skills

Michael can obviously talk as evident in the 2009 movie where he…talks. However, Michael is simply not the kind of guy you want hanging around and you will not see him engaging in long conversation. You do not want him on your street, you do not want him in your city’s hospital, and you sure as hell do not want him in your house! Whether Michael Myers decides he has something to say to you or not, steer clear of inviting him over!

In Conclusion Michael Meyers can in fact speak, he just chooses not or simply has nothing to say. You might even say he just lets his knife do the talking for him.

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Did Friday the 13th Copy Halloween? [Movie Comparison]

Categories
Scary Movies and Series

Friday the 13th vs Halloween: Which Movie Copied Which?

A lot of people believe that Halloween copied Friday the 13th. While it is probably true that both horror movie franchise giants have ‘borrowed’ a little from one another…the truth is, Halloween actually came first.  John Carpenter’s original Halloween was filmed in 1978 and featured the ruthless killer Michael Myers in a nearly polished fashion right away.  And while we are big fans of both slashers, Jason Voorhees seems a little under-developed in Sean Cunningham’s original Friday the 13th, released 2 years later in 1980. There are a few crossovers, however, that cannot be ignored and hint that the creators shared an interest in viewing each others films!

Slasher Similarities

The Case of a Properly Masked Killer

did Halloween copy friday 13th

Although the first Michael Myers comes complete with a very attractive ‘killer mask’, Jason Voorhees is forced to resort to wearing a sack over his head for the first two films. Jason did not receive his shiny new hockey mask until Friday the 13th: Part 3, in 1982.  Horror Enthusiast speculates, however, that the Friday the 13th franchise realized the reason Halloween movies were grossing more in the USA was probably because Michael Myers had a mask.  Having a mask makes a killer more identifiable, and more interesting.  A quick look at the gross records of the movies backs up this theory:

  • Halloween (1978) grossed approximately $47,000,000 in the USA [masked killer Michael Myers].
  • Friday the 13th (1980) grossed $39,754,601 in the USA [unmasked killer].
  • Halloween II (1981) grossed $25,533,818 in the USA [masked killer Michael Myers].
  • Friday the 13th: Part II grossed $21,722,776 in the USA [unmasked killer Jason Voorhees]

And then something interesting happened. The Halloween franchise distanced itself from Michael Myers entirely for Halloween Part III: Season of the Witch (1982) and totally bombed at the box office. It is interesting to note Halloween Part III did not feature any single masked killer that could be identified in promotional material. In other words, there was no “single greatest villain” at all!  That year, Friday the 13th Part III was released featuring the new, masked Jason Voorhees and it more than DOUBLED Halloween’s domestic gross that year! Check it out:

Friday the 13th killer with a machete and hockey mask.
  • Halloween Part III: Season of the Witch (1982) grossed an estimated $14,400,000 in the USA [no Michael Myers killer at all].
  • Friday the 13th: Part III (1982) grossed $36,690,067 in the USA [new masked Jason Voorhees killer].

Unfortunately for the Halloween franchise, it would be much harder to get back on the horse. In fact, Friday the 13th would go on to release 3 more movies (part 4, 5 and 6) before having any competition from Halloween again. Halloween part 4 would be released in 1988, attempting to out-gross Friday the 13th Part 7.  Still, Friday the 13th Part 7 would out-gross Halloween part 4. Have a look:

  • Friday the 13th Part IV: The Final Chapter (1984) grossed an estimated $32,980,000 in the USA [masked Jason, with no competition from Michael Myers that year].
  • Friday the 13th Part V: A New Beginning (1985) grossed $21,930,418 in the USA [masked Jason, with no competition from Michael Myers that year].
  • Jason Lives, Friday the 13th Part VI (1986) grossed $19,472,057 in the USA [masked Jason, with no competition from Michael Myers that year].
  • Halloween 4: Return of Michael Myers (1988) grossed $17,768,757 in the USA [masked Michael Myers].
  • Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood (1988) grossed $19,170,001 in the USA [masked Jason Voorhees].

The entire point of comparing the history of earnings from these films is to highlight the fact the Friday the 13th films did not earn more than Halloween movies until after Jason was properly masked.  Clearly, a properly outfitted villain is everything! 

In the case of an identifiable, masked killer, Horror Enthusiast speculates Friday the 13th copied Halloween!*

*There is a even a scene in Halloween Part 4, where Michael Myers can be briefly seen stalking Dr Loomis, wearing a Jason hockey mask!

The Case of Gender Discrimination in Killing

are michael myers and jason the same

One argument could be that the Friday the 13th franchise chose the gender death count based upon the success of the Halloween.  While this argument would not be very valid from the initial history of the two franchises and their horror starts…it could be the case later on in the struggle throughout their rivalry.  Breaking down the history reveals an interesting pattern change between the 1988 and 1989 movies.  Here is how both franchises began…

  • Michael Myers and Halloween claim 5 female victims and 4 male victims in 1978.
  • The Voorhees’ and Friday the 13th claim 5 female and 6 male victims in 1980.
  • Michael Myers and Halloween claim 5 female victims and 7 male victims in 1981.
  • Jason Voorhees and Friday the 13th claim 4 female and 6 male victims in 1981.

A little time passes before the two franchises go head to head again. However, in 1988, Halloween part 4 is released to compete with Friday the 13th Part 7.

  • Michael Myers and Halloween claim 3 female victims and 17 male victims in 1988.
  • Jason Voorhees and Friday the 13th claim 8 female and 8 male victims in 1988.

It is interesting to note that a previous bias to avoid too many female kills had been heavily retained in the Halloween franchise, while Friday the 13th decided to even it up. However, Friday the 13th must have decided that did not work out very well, as the two giants competed in 1989 again, only Friday the 13th had re-limited their female death count. Have a look…

  • Michael Myers and Halloween claim 4 female victims and 15 male victims in 1989.
  • Jason Voorhees and Friday the 13th claim 5 female and 15 male victims in 1989.
monster grabbing woman in canoe from Friday the 13th movie

Although previous patterns for the first two may have indicated their own trial and error…and in the case of gender discrimination in killing, Horror Enthusiast speculates that Friday the 13th may have copied Halloween’s gender death count ratio.  Please be aware, this speculation must have been to avoid media scrutiny, not based upon profit…as Jason had been raking in the dough!

The Case of an Edged Blade

One could speculate that Friday the 13th chose to give Jason Voorhees a giant machete to outdo Halloween’s choice to outfit Michael Myers with a kitchen knife.  While the machete is admittedly much larger, a quick recap of the history of kills in the start of the two franchises reveals otherwise.

  • In Halloween (1978), Michael Myers claims 4 knife-based deaths. And in Halloween II (1981), that number drops to only 1 knife-based death.
  • In both Friday the 13th (1980) and Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981), the Voorhees’ claims a total of 4 machete-based deaths.

Skipping ahead to the next relevant years of competition between Michael Myers and Jason Voorhees, 1988 and 1989…

  • In Halloween Part 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988), Michael Myers claimed 2 deaths by knife. And in Halloween 5 the following year, again only 2 victims are killed by knife.
  • In Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood (1988) only one person is claimed by machete. And in Friday the 13th Part VIII the following year, again only one person is killed by machete.

In the end, the two slashers are creative enough in their death scenes to not always require their primary weapon of choice; Thus Horror Enthusiast speculates that in the case of an edged blade, neither horror franchise copied the other.

The Case of Franchise Name and Film Titles

Does Michael Myers wear Jason mask

Halloween’s first film being released 2 years earlier than the first Friday the 13th, creates some natural insinuations about the rivalry.  The most obvious comparison: the names of the films.  “Halloween” was most likely chosen because of it’s stigma…or the ‘already-encouraged celebration of all things scary.’  This is a common tactic used in Hollywood, as a surplus of horror movies are always available during the Halloween season. Surely, naming an entire movie after the holiday is a great way to rake in the real dough!  And they were right, Halloween did tremendously well it’s first year, being released a few days before Halloween on October 27, 1978.

Similarly, Friday the 13th seems to take advantage of the only other “horror-driven” day of the year: Friday the thirteenth. Friday the 13th (1980) would be released on May 9th, 1980, one month ahead of that year’s Friday the 13th, June 13th, 1980. 

Regardless of it’s release date, it is clear Friday the 13th chose to capitalize on the naming scheme piloted by the Halloween franchise, thus, Horror Enthusiast speculates that in the case of franchise name and film titles, Friday the 13th  may have copied Halloween’s naming scheme.

Final Notes About the Horror Franchise Rivalry

Michael Meyers behind a young woman looking out the window

Friday the 13th obviously came after Halloween, and thus it is reasonable to assume John Carpenter’s cult hit had at least lightly influenced the Friday the 13th creators and crew; However, both franchises deserve respect for their individual contributions to the slasher genre.  For horror alone would not be what it is had it not been for so many victims spanning across these 21 movies (there are 10 Halloween films and 11 Friday the 13th films). Both franchises deserve a tip of the hat.

The Halloween versus Friday the 13th rivalry is one for horror history books no doubt, however, it is one that lives on to this very day. Each day, a new fan is born and as long as the franchises see interest in the audience, Michael and Jason will remain prominent slashers.  And when one slasher is slashing, it usually wakes other killers up from their slumber as well…as the profits these killers rake in make it worth it to slash and slash again they will! Who knows, maybe we’ll even see a “Michael vs Jason” movie someday soon.  After all, there couldn’t possibly be a better matched fight and horror fans from both franchises would be thrilled to see it happen (hint hint)!

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Following the Literary Works of Dennis Etchison

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Featured Horror Books

For authors like Dennis Etchison, who had prolific writing careers and a popular reputation within the genre of horror, it’s hard to believe that there was ever a time when they weren’t completely brilliant. With a unique voice and the ability to paint a realistically terrifying image of the scenes that play through their head, an author can snatch the very breath from the lips of their readers. So what it is about a specific author that makes them so special? Why are people like Dennis Etchison voices within horror and what did they leave behind as a creative legacy? The answer may seem to be nothing more than simple common sense, but I know I learned something new or at least found something inspirational about the way he grew up and lived his life.

Short Stories

The fictional short story works of the late Dennis Etchison have graced the public since 1961 and can be found in a wide variety of publications–including, but definitely not limited to The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, Mystery Monthly, Escapade, Fantastic Stories, Fantasy Tales, and Weirdbook. Apart from his work in magazines, he was also featured in anthologies like Orbit, New Writings in SF, od Sterling’s Other Worlds, Prize Stories from Seventeen, The Pseudo-People, and The Future is Now. This is far from an exhaustive list, since his stories can also be found in many of the major horror and dark fantasy anthology publications that include FrightsHorrorsFearsNightmaresDark Forces, Terrors, New Terrors, ShadowsWhispersNight ChillsDeathWorld Fantasy AwardsThe Dodd, Mead Gallery of HorrorMad ScientistsYear’s Best Horror StoriesMidnight and many others.

The Dark Country (1982)

In 1982, Etchison published his short story collection, entitled The Dark Country, which subsequently received both the World Fantasy Award for its title story–interestingly enough he tied with Stephen King for this award. For this collection he also won the British Fantasy Award for the Best Collection of that year, an award for which he had been previously nominated for his Late Night Shift (1981) collection. That would be the first time that one writer would receive both of those major awards for a single work. Possibly the most interesting part about the story of his first award-winning collection of short stories is how it very nearly got published over a decade earlier in 1971–but on the eve of the release of the publication, the company went bankrupt and Etchison had to wait for his first collection to reach his audience and be received to critical acclaim. He since published several more collections, some of which won Best Short Story, such as The Olympic Runner (1986) and The Dog Park (1994).

Novels

Aside from his brief time dabbling in the adult, erotic scene, Etchison’s first official novel was intended to be The Shudder, was meant to be published in 1980, the editor was very demanding when it came to changes to the manuscript that Etchison believed were highly unreasonable. Although a portion of the novel was published in A Fantasy Reader–the book of the Seventh World Fantasy Convention–in 1981, the novel as a whole sadly remains unpublished. That’s something that we as readers would nearly die to read!

Movie Novelizations and The Jack Martin Books

Between the 70s and the 90s, Etchison fell into the business of writing movie novelizations–not the best of gigs, given his awards received with his past publications–a form of writing considered to be a thankless form of writing. Arguably the only form that garners less appreciation is ghostwriting. Both forms offer poor pay, unrealistic deadlines, and a certain apathy that consumers approach the style of literature with.

Despite the early obstacles that he faced, Etchison became a renowned author of short stories, novels, and a highly regarded anthologist in his own right. Even Dennis Etchison had to eat though and the decision to churn out novelizations of an already established plotline became an easily defended one. Surprisingly, or perhaps not due to their popularity on-screen, these movie novelizations are now amongst his most popular works as an author. Die-hard fans of the HALLOWEEN franchise tend to hold those particular novelizations by Dennis Etchison, under the pseudonym of Jack Martin, in great esteem.

The Fog by Dennis Etchison (1980)

THE FOG (1980)

One of the only books that Etchison wrote under his own name, versus his pseudonym Jack Martin, was THE FOG (1980). This particular novelization is considered the best of all of them–not just of his movie novelizations, but out of all of his novels period. This may be due in part to the fact that while Etchison’s best work was in short story format, that this particular novelization had a creative voice and flow that went unmatched with the rest of his novel-length work.

Halloween II by Jack Martin (1981)

The HALLOWEEN Franchise

Etchison wasn’t the author for the novelization of the first HALLOWEEN movie, instead, he followed Curtis Richard’s 1979 publication of HALLOWEEN with the sequel, HALLOWEEN II (1981). The novelization by Curtis Richard was rather impressive, which gave Etchison a fairly high standard of literature to match, even if he was operating under his Jack Martin pseudonym. Considering even just the content of the movie itself, with a storyline that just couldn’t be compared to the original movie, HALLOWEEN II and its subsequent novelization felt as though it were lacking. The quality that he had made himself known for, through his short story collections and THE FOG (1980), was simply not there.

There is something to be said for a good plot and storyline, but no one would ever say it about the HALLOWEEN sequel, because there wasn’t a comprehensive plot to be found. Truthfully, there is little of Etchison’s presence in the book at all, aside from chapter headings and brief moments where he let his writing personality shine through. This book, as well as the following HALLOWEEN III, pushed Etchison out of his comfort zone. As a more cerebral and non-violent horror writer, the fact that he had to write gory and bloody horror forced him to write material that would never have been seen in an original novel. Despite all of the pitfalls of these two particular novelizations, they managed to somehow be bestsellers amongst fans of the genre.

VIDEODROME by Jack Martin (1983)

VIDEODROME (1983)

The final movie novelization that Etchison wrote under his Jack Martin pseudonym, was VIDEODROME (1983) a movie originally by David Cronenberg. After THE FOG (1980), VIDEODROME is considered one of his stronger novels, since the genre of horror that it falls under is more in line with the author’s writing style. Etchison’s strengths always came from the ability to create a palpable tension, the apprehension within a character and their motivations, as well as the atmosphere in which the entire story operates under. Unlike the slasher genre that HALLOWEEN belongs to, VIDEODROME capitalized on the fear of mental, emotional, and physical torture that suited Etchison’s talents just fine.

Editorial Work

Etchison not only excelled with his talent for writing–as shown by the many awards he won in that field–but he was also a talented editor, having received two World Fantasy Awards for Best Anthology. One of the awards was for MetaHorror (1993) and the second was for The Museum of Horrors (2002). Other anthologies that he edited include the critically acclaimed Cutting Edge (1986), Gathering The Bones (2003) as well as the three volume series Masters of Darkness.

Have you read any of the novels or short story collections that were authored by Dennis Etchison? Let us know what you thought about them in the comments!

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Ghost Tales of the Arctic: The Frozen Spectre

Categories
Featured Haunted Places Horror Mystery and Lore
Haunted Boardwalk
Haunted Boardwalk

One Halloween night, as the sun slipped beneath the horizon, the young children were coming back from their rounds through the little Yup’ik village on the tundra in Southwest Alaska. The teenagers had waited their turn and eagerly squeezed out of their home, as their mother told them they were allowed to leave. They raced through to each of the small houses that dotted the dark, decrepit, and narrow boardwalks that snaked through the village. Not all of them donned costumes and there was still not yet a flake of snow on the ground, a rare occurrence for such a chilly autumnal night. The tall grass line the boardwalk like two moving walls that whispered with the winds that rushed through the spaces between the houses. They grabbed candy within the first house, then came back out and started back off; at each of the doors, they held their plastic grocery sacks aloft, and they became more heavily laden with candies and treats.

After coming out of the fourth house they spotted something strange emerging from the tall grasses onto the boardwalk behind them—it was a traditional Yup’ik parka, the hood was up and the ruff obscured the view of the face within. It wouldn’t have been strange except for the fact that it had no visible feet or hands. The teenagers sprinted to the next house, scared to death and unsure of what the seemingly floating parka had really been, but they were unwilling to say anything about what they had seen to the adults that were now handing them candy.

Ghost Parka
Photography by Joe Leahy

Between each and every stop for candy, the teens stepped outside and the floating parka had appeared again, as if it was just waiting to scare them. They had all grown up hearing the traditional stories of ghosts and ghouls—all meant to teach them to be cautious in one way or another, as a way to keep them safe in their unforgiving lands. They had a sense that they were being pranked—as if to test their knowledge and preparedness, but not a single one of them could muster up the courage to approach the floating apparition or to try to figure out who was toying with them.

The far north side of the village is where the last batch of houses resided—the travel between where the teenagers were and where their last glimpse of the prized sweets laid was a lengthy weaving, dismally unlit sprawling boardwalk. This path took them directly past the hauntingly abandoned teacher’s quarters that the entire village regularly avoided being near and even speaking about in passing. They made their way down the boardwalk towards this last remaining treasure trove of candy, when the little parka appeared behind them once again. One of the teens looked behind them as they crawled into the artic entry of one of the houses and saw its silhouette looming alone between the spirit-infested teacher’s quarters and the house they entered, blocking their dark and dreadful passage home.

The teenagers reappeared cautiously from the house, but the little parka was nowhere to be seen–each house they exited they huddled together in fear that the ghostly figure would leap out of the shadows and attack them from the front or back, but it didn’t. Then one of the teens gasped and pointed, there it was in the darkness beneath a building, huddled behind one of the steel posts that propped it up from the permafrost–it sat upright, waiting for them. All at once, it sprang up toward them with a hideous scream and chased the teenagers down the boardwalk, growls emanated from the unending abyss of the hood. As the spirit overcame them, they recognized the dead black eyes that sat deep in his sunken frostbitten features; it was the village boy whose snow machine had broken through the ice on the river. The boy had then managed to climb out from what would have been a certain death only to succumb to the elements before anyone could find him, only a year prior.

Broken Ice
Photography by Eberhard Gross-Gasteiger
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