Night 1 of the Attack of the 14 Nights of Halloween Giveaway

Welcome to night 1 of the 5th annual Attack of the 14 Nights of Halloween Giveaway. Stop by our MAIN GIVEAWAY POST and enter to win a Prize Pack full of goodies worth $300 donated by 10 wickedly fabulous shops. In this post you will find our first Featured Shop ~ Laughing Vixen Lounge, details on how to earn EXTRA ENTRIES with our Murder Mystery Scavenger Hunt, Halloween Movie Marathon and 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!

Magic Potion Compact - Second-Sight Potion

Purchase any item(s) from Laughing Vixen Lounge through November 1st 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 to which listing the clues are hiding in. Once you find a clue go to the MAIN GIVEAWAY POST and take the daily entry on the giveaway widget. Today's entry will be at the top of the list while all past entries will be at the bottom of the list.
*Make sure you are finding today's clue. Each clue has a date. Shops have more than one set of clues hiding there so pay attention. Submit the wrong clue and it will not count.
*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 giveaway 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 have found and submit your guess of how the murder happened. 1 random winner from any correct guesses will win a $60 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 1 item from Laughing Vixen Lounge (up to $20 value) and a 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 18th
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 1 ~ You will be collecting clues to the setting of the crime.

Tonight's clue is inside Laughing Vixen Lounge
Need a hint to help you find it?  A wedding and a funeral.

*The clue is in the shop listed above. It will be in one of the listings.
*Make sure you are finding today's clue. It will have a date.
*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 ~ Laughing Vixen Lounge
Laughing Vixen Lounge is run by me, Kris, from just outside Portland, Oregon. Bangles, Baubles and Other Needful Things for the modern Vixen. Pop Culture, Retro, Horror and Custom Designed Jewelry and Accessories.

Thanksgiving In The Air Charm Bracelet or Necklace

How did you choose your shop name?
"I had an earlier shop that did not last long. The designs I created then used a lot of old Pin Up and Pulp Fiction Novel covers. I love those images and wanted to focus on them in my new shop so Vixen seemed a good word to run with. And I like the idea that every woman has a Vixen hidden somewhere inside them. Lounge came from wanting a visit to the shop to feel like you were somewhere you could sit and hangout at. After multiple suggestions Lounge won out because it has that old-school retro vibe to it. And Laughing... well, I needed something else to make it unique enough to not have problems with someone else already having it."

Sin On Wheels Compact Mirror & Pill Box

Why did you choose to make/sell what you do?
"I bought a bracelet at a local store once and it had very cute Paris themed photos on it. I loved the idea of it but the way it was made it was always pinching my skin. It made me want to make my own version but better. But long before that I always loved making crafty things. It's what I really wanted to do after high school but there just was not anything like Etsy and the internet then to make having your own shop so accessible."

Retro Santa Charm Bracelet or Necklace

What inspires the designs/creations you make?
"I was at work, sitting at lunch, and I saw a bracelet from a now nonexistent shop that had Lucite rectangles with Pin Ups inside. It was exactly what I had in mind for my shop. I took that idea and ran with it developing my own style and vision. One look at my shop people will see that the designs come from my love of all things Pop Culture, Retro and Horror. Books, movies, music, fairytales, TV, holidays... I love it all and I try to bring that out in my work. And I love to help someone else bring their vision to life with custom designs."

Vintage Books Purse Hanger - Style D

What new designs/creations would you like to add to your shop in the future?
"Oh my stars! I have so much stuff just waiting to get in the shop. So many styles of Bracelets and Pendants and Compacts. Rings, Lockets, Book Marks, Keychains, Purse/Bag Charms... all just sitting on the bookshelf waiting to be listed. I am also working on cataloging my charms (1,000+) so I can list lots more Custom Designs and customers will be able to choose from my entire inventory."

Black Cat and Raven Small Photo Pendant

A small peek at Laughing Vixen Lounge. That is a very, very small portion of my Wall O' Beads and a Halloween Bracelet in the making.

$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. This Vixen has been watching movies there her whole life and wants to make sure it continues for generations to come. Purchase from LVL and help keep the classic cinema experience alive. See full fundraising details and the Joy's story here. 

You'll have a chance to win a $60 Gift Certificate from Laughing Vixen Lounge. Enter now on the MAIN GIVEAWAY POST.

Trick or Treat Charm Bracelet or Necklace

Since it's Halloween I asked the shops to share their favorite spooky movies.
"You will find many of my favorites if you follow along with our Halloween Movie Marathon. One that I love but did not include in the marathon is Friday the 13th. This was the first real horror film I watched. It scared the jeepers out of me then and turned camping into a horrifying thought. Now days it still leaves me with a "someone's in the room" kind of feeling after I watch it. I love celebrating each Friday the 13th with a marathon of my favorites of the movies."

Visit Laughing Vixen Lounge during the giveaway and use coupon code OCTOBER10 at checkout for 10% off your order.
Follow on Etsy ~ Blog ~ Newsletter ~ Pinterest ~ Facebook

Attack of the 14 Nights of Halloween Movie Marathon.
Follow along with us for 2 full weeks of spooky movies. This year we feature personal favorites of Laughing Vixen Lounge. Find some new movies to watch this season, or maybe relive some old favorites, 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 giveaway 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 giveaway widget 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 game and receive EXTRA ENTRIES just for guessing. Each daily post will have a hint to the next night's movie. Leave your guess on the giveaway 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 hint to receive the entry. Guessing for a past hint will not count and will be deleted.
*Entry will reset 24hrs after your last guess.
*Please only post guesses on the giveaway widget.

Tonight's Hint ~ "What have you done to him? What have you done to his eyes?"


Halloween Movie Marathon

Night 1 ~ The Shining

Tagline - A Masterpiece Of Modern Horror.
              The Horror is driving him crazy.


Stanley Kubrick (A Clockwork Orange and Full Metal Jacket) directed this film version of Stephen King's best selling novel. Released May 23, 1980 by Warner Brothers Pictures (Rated R). Recovering alcoholic, Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) has accepted a job as winter caretaker of the grand Overlook Hotel in an attempt to put his life back on track. The hotel manager warns him of the long and lonely winter ahead as he and his family will be alone and snowed in for the five month off-season. Jack assures him it is just what he needs to work on his writing. What Jack does not know is that he and his family are not the only ones inhabiting the Overlook! Muaahhhhhhh!

Being a fan of the book there are some aspects of this movie version that I do not care for. Jack seems to not like his family from the start and he almost changes into a crazy man overnight. A little more of a transition into madness would have been nice.

That being said I really do like this movie. It's creepy, creepy and then a bit more creepy! What really makes this movie creepy is the time period. I never could put my finger on it when I was a teenager as to why it left me with an unpleasant feeling. As I got older I began to realize it is the late 70's look of it. The colors and the patterns of the floors, walls and furniture. The color and the style of the clothing. And the fact that the film used makes the colors look a little off or maybe too vivid.

I liken it to when you were younger and you went to visit your grandparents. The ones that still lived in that old house with the furniture from many decades past. The one where you open the door and an instant musty smell filled your nose. That is how I think the Overlook would feel like now. While grand in its day, now it is outdated and needs to be aired out. The dated wall paper would be pealing around the edges and the bathroom tiles would be old and worn looking. While it was high fashion when the movie was made now it just adds to the uneasiness of it.

I also love the mini series they made in 1997. It stared Steven Weber (Wings (TV) and Single White Female), a personal favorite of mine, and was very faithful to the novel. If you're a fan of the book this version should appeal to you. I thought it was great.

Either version you choose, the Shining is a always a fun watch. A classic ghost story in the perfect setting. Definitely worth a spot on your Halloween movie list.

The Shining is currently available to rent from many streaming services and should be available on most DVD services. 


Take a look at the original trailer.


Some trivia about the movie
1. Timberline Lodge on Mt. Hood in Oregon stood in for the exterior shots of the Overlook. Being from Portland I take great pride in seeing Timberline up there on the screen. It should be noted though that all interior shots of the hotel were filmed on a sound stage in London. So if you should visit Timberline don't expect the inside to look the same and don't expect to find room 237. Afraid that no one would want to stay in the room after the film came out, the management asked that the original room number, 217, be changed to something else. 237 was picked as there was no existing room with that number.
2. The opening scene of the Volkswagen driving is shot in Glacier National Park, Montana. The road is know as the "Going-to-the-sun" road.
3. The area that the set for the Colorado Lounge, where Jack does his typing, was built was also used as the Well of the Souls in Raiders of the lost ark.
4. The interior of the Overlook was made to look like bits and pieces of real hotels. The Colorado Lounge was modeled on the lounge at the Ahwanee Hotel in Yosemite Valley. It resembled it so well that people entering the Ahwanee often asked "is this the Shining hotel?"
5. The US version had Jack typing the same line "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy" over and over. In the Italian version it's "He who wakes up early meets a golden day". In the German version it's "Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today". The Spanish version has "Rising early will not make dawn sooner". The French went with "A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush".
6. Stephen King has said that the name was inspired by the John Lennon song "Instant Karma" which features the chorus "We all shine on".
7. Stanley Kubrick decided that having the hedge animals come alive (as they do in the book) was unworkable due to restrictions in special effects, so he opted for a hedge maze instead.   
8. There is a great deal of confusion regarding this film and the number of retakes of certain scenes. According to the Guinness Book of Records, the scene where Wendy is backing up the stairs swinging the baseball bat was shot 127 times, which is a record for the most takes of a single scene. However, both Steadicam operator Garrett Brown and assistant editor Gordon Stainforth say this is inaccurate - the scene was shot about 35-45 times. Brown does say however that the scene where Hallorann explains to Danny what shining is was shot 148 times, which is a world record.   
9. Stanley Kubrick considered both Robert De Niro and Robin Williams for the role of Jack Torrance but decided against both of them. Kubrick didn't think De Niro would suit the part after watching his performance in Taxi Driver, as he deemed De Niro not psychotic enough for the role. He didn't think Williams would suit the part after watching his performance in Mork & Mindy, as he deemed him too psychotic for the role. According to Stephen King, Kubrick also briefly considered Harrison Ford.   
10. Stephen King tried to talk Stanley Kubrick out of casting Jack Nicholson in the lead suggesting, instead, either Michael Moriarty or Jon Voight. King had felt that watching either of these normal-looking men gradually descend into madness, would have immensely improved the dramatic thrust of the storyline.   
11. The scrapbook that Jack finds in the novel makes a brief appearance next to his typewriter in the scene when Jack tells Wendy never to bother him while he's working.   
12. During the scene where Wendy brings Jack breakfast in bed, it can be seen in the reflection of the mirror that Jack's T-shirt says "Stovington" on it. While not mentioned in the film, this is the name of the school that Jack used to teach at in the Stephen King novel.   
13. Stanley Kubrick, known for his compulsiveness and numerous retakes, got the difficult shot of blood pouring from the elevators in only three takes. This would be remarkable if it weren't for the fact that the shot took nine days to set up; every time the doors opened and the blood poured out, Kubrick would say, "It doesn't look like blood." In the end, the shot took approximately a year to get right.   
14. During filming, Stanley Kubrick made the cast watch Eraserhead, Rosemary's Baby and The Exorcist to put them in the right frame of mind.   
15. Every time Jack talks to a "ghost", there's a mirror in the scene, except in the food locker scene. This is because in the food locker scene he only talks to Grady through the door. We never see Grady in this scene.   
16. At the time of release, it was the policy of the MPAA to not allow the portrayal of blood in trailers that would be approved for all audiences. Bizarrely, the trailer for The Shining consists entirely of the shot of blood pouring out of the elevator. Stanley Kubrick had convinced the board the blood flooding out of the elevator was actually rusty water.   
17. Because Danny Lloyd was so young and since it was his first acting job, Stanley Kubrick was highly protective of the child. During the shooting of the movie, Lloyd was under the impression that the film he was making was a drama, not a horror movie. He only realized the truth seven years later, when, aged 13, he was shown a heavily edited version of the film. He didn't see the uncut version of the film until he was 17 - eleven years after he'd made it.   
18. Outtakes of the shots of the Volkswagen traveling towards the Overlook at the start of the film were plundered by Ridley Scott (with Stanley Kubrick's permission) when he was forced to add the 'happy ending' to the original release of Blade Runner.   
19. The "snowy" maze near the conclusion of the movie consisted of 900 tons of salt and crushed Styrofoam.   
20. Stanley Kubrick's first choice to play Danny Torrance was Cary Guffey, the young boy from Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Guffey's parents apparently turned down the offer due to the film's subject matter.   
21. There were so many changes to the script during shooting that Jack Nicholson claimed he stopped reading it. He would read only the new pages that were given to him each day.   
22. For the scene in which Jack breaks down the bathroom door, the props department built a door that could be easily broken. However, Jack Nicholson had worked as a volunteer fire marshal and tore it apart far too easily. The props department were then forced to build a stronger door.
23. Prior to hiring Diane Johnson as his writing partner, director/producer Stanley Kubrick rejected a screenplay written by Stephen King himself. King's script was a much more literal adaptation of the novel, a much more traditional horror film than the film Kubrick would ultimately make. He was considering hiring Johnson because he admired her novel "The Shadow Knows," but when he found out she was a Doctor of Gothic Studies, he became convinced she was the person for the job.
24. There was no air conditioning on the sets, meaning it would often become very hot. The hedge maze set was stifling; actors and crew would often strip off as much of the heavy clothing they were wearing as quickly as they could once a shot was finished.   
25. The role of Lloyd the Bartender was originally to have been played by Harry Dean Stanton, who was unable to take the part due to his commitment to Alien.   
26. The image of the two girls in the hotel corridor was inspired by the photograph "Identical Twins, Roselle, New Jersey, 1967" by Diane Arbus.   
27. The idea for Danny Lloyd to move his finger when he was talking as Tony was his own; he did it spontaneously during his very first audition.   
28. For the scenes when we can hear Jack typing but we cannot see what he is typing, Kubrick recorded the sound of a typist actually typing the words "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy". Some people argue that each key on a typewriter sounds slightly different, and Kubrick wanted to ensure authenticity, so he insisted that the actual words be typed.   
29. There is a character named Richard Haloran in the film Dementia 13, about an axe murderer. It was produced by Roger Corman, who directed several of Jack Nicholson's early films.   
30. Stephen King got the idea for The Shining while his family were staying at the Stanley Hotel. They were the last guests before it shut down for the Winter. He saw a group of nuns leaving the hotel, and it got him thinking that the place had suddenly become godless. The King family stayed in Room 217, the haunted room in the novel but Room 237 in the film; a fire hose also resembled a snake (which doesn't appear in the film but does in the TV mini-series), and King had already been playing around with a story idea about a boy with ESP, so he combined the two plot lines.
31. The first of Stephen King's books to be banned from school libraries because of the theme of wicked parents.

Blood Splatter Small Photo Pendant