Saturday, October 24, 2015

Night 7 of the Attack of the 14 Nights of Halloween Giveaway


Welcome to night 7 of the 4th annual Attack of the 14 Nights of Halloween Giveaway. Stop by our MAIN GIVEAWAY POST and enter to win a $250+ Prize Pack full of frightfully good treats from 7 spooktacular shops. In this post you will find our last Featured Shop ~ Apocolypso, details on how to earn EXTRA ENTRIES with our Murder Mystery Scavenger Hunt & Halloween Movie Marathon and test your movie knowledge with the Guess the Movie Game. Make sure to visit us each day during the giveaway so you do not miss out on any of the fun!

Poison Label Purse Hanger - Cyanide

Purchase any item(s) from Laughing Vixen Lounge through October 31st and get 10% off your order. Use code OCTOBER10 at checkout.


$1 from each sale at Laughing Vixen Lounge goes to support the Joy Cinema. A single screen theater in Tigard, Oregon that has been in operation since 1939. Purchase from LVL and help keep the classic cinema experience alive. See full fundraising details and the Joy's story HERE.


Murder Mystery Scavenger Hunt
Our scavenger hunt works like a game of Clue. Every day you will be looking for clues to a different part of the mystery ~ Settings, Suspects, Rooms, Weapons and Escapes. They will be hidden (at the top of the description) in a listing inside one of our participating shops. On each daily post you will be given a hint as to where the clues are hiding. Once you find a clue go to the MAIN GIVEAWAY POST and take the daily entry on the Rafflecopter widget. Today's entry will be at the top of the entry list while all past entries will be at the bottom of the list.
*Make sure you are finding today's clue! Submit the wrong clue and it will not count. They have dates. Shops have more than one set of clues hiding there so pay attention. 
*You may start the Scavenger Hunt at anytime during the giveaway and find past clues.
*You can earn 5 extra entries in the giveaway for each set of clues found.
*Please only post clues on the Rafflecopter widget. Anywhere else and they will be deleted.

Scavenger Hunt Special Giveaway!
Keep a list of the clues you find. On October 31st and November 1st you will be able to use the clues you found and submit your guess of how the murder happened. 1 random winner from any correct guesses will win a $50 Gift Certificate to Laughing Vixen Lounge and a $30 Gift Certificate to Deep Midnight Perfumes. If no one guesses correctly then 1 random winner from all submitted guesses will win their choice of Photo Pendant/Keychain from Laughing Vixen Lounge ($15) and a $15 Perfume Sampler Set (your choice of scents) from Deep Midnight Perfumes. Full details on how to submit your guess will be listed on October 31st. You do not need to find all of the clues to submit a guess but the more you find the better your guess.

Clue for October 24th
A murder has been committed! The body of Miss Death has been found at Raven's Perch Manor. Detective Heathmoor needs your help collecting the clues of the crime. Can you solve the mystery?

Night 7 ~ You will be collecting clues to the room of the crime.

Tonight's clue is hiding in Apocalypso.
Need a little help finding the clue? Sleeping Beauty's foe.

There seems to be some confusion.
***The clue is in the shop listed above. It will be in one of the listings.
***The hint above is to help you find which listing the clue is in. DO NOT answer the above clue. Your entry will not count.
***The clue is not on this page.


Featured Shop ~ Apocalypso
Apocalypso is run by Faith from Crazyville, NJ. Her shop is filled with designs inspired by Day of the Dead, Vintage and Retro.

Follow Your Heart Necklace

How did you choose your shop name?
"I have a fantastic group of creative friends and I begged them to brainstorm a funky fun retro vibe’d name to go with my new Day of the Dead jewelry line. My friend came up with the name “Apocalypso” and I had Hula Tallulah so, now we’ve got two etsy shops; the original Apocalypso by Hula Tallulah and Hula Tallulah’s “Sirens and Starlight”. The friend with the winning name was made a generous gift to thank her."

Death Becomes Her Bracelet

Why did you choose to make/sell what you do?
"I tend to make things that I want for myself. I think that those are the items that sell the best. If you really love it, chances are someone else will too!"

Day of the Dead Sugar Skull Earrings

What inspires the designs/creations you make?
"I have really varied taste and I love to combine my retro/vintage love with my post goth and rockabilly taste and mix in a little gypsy."

Morning Night Shade Barefoot Sandal

 What new designs/creations would you like to add to your shop in the future?
 "I think I will add more Gypsy inspired designs; eclectic mixes of materials and pieces that can be layered."

Sputnik Spiked Ear Cuff

The magic maker, Miss Faith herself.


You'll have a chance to win a $25 Gift Certificate from Apocolypso. Enter now on the MAIN GIVEAWAY POST.

Tattooed Lady Ribbon Bracelet or Necklace

Since it's Halloween the shops share their favorite spooky movies.
"Alfred Hitchcock’s “Shadow of a Doubt” with Joseph Cotton and Teresa Wright. I’ve been an old movie junkie since I was a little kid. I loved how the movie starts off so rosy and happy and the suspicion starts creeping in. I think we’ve all know that person who you absolutely adore until you’ve grown up enough to see they weren’t who you really thought!"


Visit Apocalypso on EtsyFacebook
Check out Faith's new shop "Sirens and Starlight" on Etsy.

Mermaid Sisters Earrings



Attack of the 14 Nights of Halloween Movie Marathon.
Follow along with us for 2 full weeks of classic spooky movies. This year we celebrate "Classic Thrills Through the Years". Watch the face of horror as it changes from one decade to the next. Find some great watches for the season and receive EXTRA ENTRIES at the same time! On each daily post there will be a review of the next movie in our movie marathon. Leave a comment on the post with your opinion of that movie. Once you have posted go to the MAIN GIVEAWAY POST and take the daily entry on the Rafflecopter widget. Today's entry will be at the top of the entry list while all past entries will be at the bottom of the list. Comment on all movies in the marathon and receive an EXTRA 20 ENTRIES at the end of the giveaway.
*You may start following the Movie Marathon at any time during the giveaway and post comments on past daily posts.
*Each comment will earn you an EXTRA 5 ENTRIES.
*Comment on each movie to earn an EXTRA 20 ENTRIES at the end of the giveaway.
*On October 31st or November 1st you must use the Magic Phrase (revealed on October 31st) and use it to unlock the entry on the Rafflecopter to receive the 20 entries. You must have commented on each movie.

Guess The Movie Game
Think you know your scary movies? Try your luck with this fun little game and receive EXTRA ENTRIES just for guessing. Each daily post will have a clue to the next night's movie. Leave your guess on the Rafflecopter widget, on the MAIN GIVEAWAY POST, for an EXTRA 5 ENTRIES in the giveaway. You do not need to be right just give it an honest try.
*Guesses must be made the same day as their clue to receive the entry.
*Entry will reset 24hrs after your last guess.
*Make sure you are leaving a guess for that day's clue. Guessing for a past clue that has already been posted will be deleted.
* Please only post guesses on the Rafflecopter widget.

Tonight's Clue ~ The night HE came home.


Classic Thrills Through the Years ~ 1970s


Night 1 ~ The Texas Chainsaw Massacre



Tagline - Who will survive and what will be left of them?
              Can you survive ...it happened


Directed by Tobe Hooper (Salem's Lot, Venom and Invaders from Mars) and released on October 1, 1974 by Bryanston Distributing. A group of teens are traveling the back roads of Texas wanting to visit the old home two of them grew up in. Running low on gas they try the local gas station but they are out. When they reach the house they decide to visit the neighbors to see if they have any gas they can borrow. Bad idea!

The movie opens with a narrator telling of happenings in a small Texas town in the summer of 1973. Graves at the local cemetery have been opened, bodies removed and missing and one disturbing display left. Many people are making their way to the graveyard to check on their family members. It is made to play as if this is an actual incident and the film is an account of the horrific events that followed.

A group of teens are driving to visit the cemetery to check on two of the teens grandfather's grave. They also plan to stop by and check out the old family home. On the way to the house they pick up a hitchhiker. Then very quickly get rid of the hitchhiker!!! They then stop for gas at the local gas station. The station is out of gas. Tanks won't be filled 'til later. Why don't they come on in for some BBQ?!! They decide to go to the house since it is not far away. When they arrive at the house they notice the neighbors have a generator running which means they should have some gasoline. Let's go see if they will share. *I have a very bad feeling about this idea*

The original Texas Chainsaw Massacre still holds up as one of the truly great horror films. One of the main reasons is that it is simple yet very effective. The look of the film is gritty and very low key. There is no glitz and glamor of today's slick looking horror films. While there is blood and violence it is actually pretty tame compared to today's R rated films. It is all there, it is all implied but you do not really see anyone being gutted or chopped to pieces. It is not needed. What you do see if plenty creepy.

While the chasing and killing is tense and creepy the part of the movie that really stands out, and makes this a chilling experience that will not soon leave you, is the mentality of "the family". These people are just so wrong. The big dinner scene at the end is disturbing, horrifying and wrong. Wrong, wrong and wrong! It is the effectiveness of these characters that make the movie more than the average slasher film. It may make you wonder why one would watch this but it does what most horror films fall short of... leaving you with a lasting impression that will creep you out every time it crosses your mind. Hmmm... maybe that is not such a great thing. Oh well, to late for this Vixen. 

It was possibly the first real slasher film. It certainly started a long string of movies in the 1970's which featured a very distinctive style of brutality and realism. This movie is in no way a true story but it did borrow from real life serial killer Ed Gein. Mr. Gein, like Leather Face, did make furniture out of human skin and sold what the locals considered the best sausage around. Knowing things like this only add to the creepiness of the film.

This movie spawned 3 sequels and 3 remakes/re-imaginings. While none of them are great number 2 has Denis Hopper, number 3 has Viggo Mortensen and number 4 has Matthew McConaughey and Renee Zellweger. The first remake is fun enough and follows the original fairly well.

Fun facts -
The narrators voice at the beginning is actor John Larroquette who is well known for his role in the TV show Night Court.



The house that was used in the movie is a functioning restaurant. As of this review it is open as the Grand Central Cafe and is part of The Antlers historic hotel in Kingsland, Texas. Eating dinner in the actual room the dinner scene took place? Yep, no sound stage here. It was all filmed right in the house. It is so wrong and yet I have to go!!! This is now on my bucket list. Find the cafe here and the hotel here.

I have also included a short video below that is a fun look at the actual shooting locations.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is available on most DVD and DVD Streaming services.

Take a look at the original trailer.



An interesting video showing the filming locations.



Some trivia about the movie.
1. The movie wasn't released in Australia until the early 1980s.
2. When it was first released, the film was so horrifying that people actually walked out on sneak previews for it.
3. The film was rejected by the British film censors in 1975, but it did get a limited cinema release in the London area thanks to the GLC (Greater London Council). It was banned again in 1977, when the censors' attempts to cut it were unsuccessful, (for the purposes of a wider release), then it was banned again in 1984, due to the growing controversy involving 'video nasties'. In 1999, after the censors finally changed their policy, they took the plunge, and passed it uncut, for the cinema and video, after 25 years, since they first banned it.
4. The film was originally entitled "Headcheese", but was filmed as "Leatherface", then changed again at the last minute to "Texas Chain Saw Massacre".
5. Due to the low budget, Gunnar Hansen had only one shirt to wear as Leatherface. The shirt had been dyed, so it could not be washed; Hansen had to wear it for four straight weeks of filming in the Texas summer. By the end of the shoot no one wanted to eat lunch with Hansen because his clothing smelled so bad.
6. Tobe Hooper intended to make the movie for a "PG" rating, by keeping violence moderate and language mild, but despite cutting and repeated submissions, the Ratings Board insisted on the "R" rating for the effectiveness of what is onscreen and what is implied offscreen. Hooper had a similar ratings problem with the sequel.
7. According to John Larroquette, his payment for doing the opening narration was a marijuana joint.
8. Some urban legends say that the the "real" Texas Chainsaw Massacre took place near Poth, (a small town about 50 miles south of San Antonio). This is false. The film is fictional and based loosely on the life of Wisconsin serial killer Ed Gein (as is the classic Psycho (1960).

Vintage Skull Compact- Style A

13 comments:

  1. This movie gives me the creeps every time I watch it. There are many "ew" moments in this movie for me (when they are eating the "BBQ" and the way they... Well one person.... are eating it I always get grossed out). Despite getting the creeps though and getting grossed out, I still watch it though. Maybe not as often as some horror films, but atleast every few years.

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  2. Seriously, i would really want to go for dinner to this house. The only problem is that I live far far away.
    Great thriller!!!!
    Artemis Giote

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  3. A cult classic! The first original one was the best! How gory and fantastic!

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  4. Saw part of it...Nightmare time (Oh well!)

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  5. really too dark for me, i'm shivering just by thinking of it and i must admit that for once i understand teh rating... how could he think this was PG? really?! but it doesn't mean it deserved to be banned so often either
    i'm glad it not based on a real event though( just loosely pn, another one)

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  6. This is one of my all time favorites even though the first time I watched it it was almost to much to stomach but then again I wad pretty young then!

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  7. One of my fave stomach churners! So gross about his shirt,lol!

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  8. I know this is a classic, but I don't really like this type of horror, so haven't seen it.

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  9. I don't think I have ever seen this movie and I honestly don't think it is my thing. Now my son on the other hand....

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  10. I haven't seen this one yet, not even the remake so it's something I'll have to look into

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  11. I would have to agree this is one of the greatest. Even though I go more for the creepy suspenseful you just have to give Chainsaw it's props and be very careful with your BBQ :)

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  12. I loved the original, but the remake was kind of lame.

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  13. I saw this at a horror film festival. They played the remake right after and you could tell how much better this one was.

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