March 21, 2012

Dark Beverages for Goth Entertaining

Serve something perfectly dark for your next soiree or dismally elegant dinner party. While all the following taste more or less as delicious as any other wine or spirit, they're sold in such incredibly cool packaging, you'll want to display the bottles on a nearby table.

Bats Blood Wine

Bats Blood wine is made in Banat, Romania (an area the makers assure us is part of historic Transylvania.) It comes elegantly packaged in a coffin-shaped, red lined box.

http://batsblood.com/

Bats Blood on Facebook

Bats Blood on Tumblr

Bats Blood on Twitter

Crystal Head Vodka

My best friends gave me this for my birthday last year. I loved it, and rationed it as carefully as I could bear. Finally when it was empty, I found it makes a great vase for a single rose, or a Day of the Dead style marigold bouquet.

http://crystalheadvodka.com/

Crystal Head Store

Crystal Head Vodka on Facebook

Crystal Head Vodka on Twitter

Kraken Black Spiced Rum

I love spiced rum anyway, but it doesn't hurt that this packaging design evokes Cthulhu, steampunk and Victoriana. The website has a sense of humor, too - they even make a Kraken rum app game for smartphones. Anyway, I like to serve Kraken at my cocktail parties, leaving the bottle visible on the buffet so people can enjoy the cool dark nautical label.

Kah Tequila

"Kah Tequila was designed to pay reverence and honor to Mexico and its people." This Day of the Dead-themed tequila comes packaged in beautifully decorated skull-shaped bottles. Flavors include Tequila Blanco, packaged in a white skull; Tequila Anejo in a black-and-white bottle; Tequila Reposado, in a devil-decorated bottle; and a special limited edition Tequila Extra Anejo, in a skull shaped bottle decorated with Swarovski crystals.

http://www.kahtequila.com

Vampire Vineyards

Now I know you've heard of these guys. Besides Dracula wine, Vampire wine, and Chateau du Vampire wines, they also produce Vampire vodka and Trueblood Pinot Noir. (My favorite is the Vampire Cab Sauv).

http://www.vampirevineyards.com

Vampire Vineyards, on Facebook

Vampire Vineyards on Twitter

Also some beverages of interest:

Trader Joe's produces and sells their own "Dearly Beloved Forever Red" wine in an El Dia de Los Muertos decorated bottle. Your local store may have a bottle or two left even this long after the Halloween season, if you're lucky.

Owen Roe Winery in the Pacific Northwest bottles a Sinister Hand grenache.

I'm amused by Armida Wines' line of Poizin wine bottles.

What might you serve as dessert to go along with your creepily bottled beverages?

How about a chocolate skull?

http://www.chocolateskulls.com/

Chocolate Skulls, on Facebook


--Copyright 2012 Carrie Carolin

Dark Side of the Net goth lifestyle links

March 12, 2012

New Goth and Horror Links for March 20, 2012

DARK ART:

Don Kenn Gallery

I can't tell if this artist's first name is John or Don. Anyway, he draws fabulous monsters and spooky creatures, usually on post-it notes. From Denmark, he's a television writer and director.

http://johnkenn.blogspot.com/

John Kenn on Facebook


DARK COMICS:

And Then There Were Zombies

This zombie webcomic updates every Monday and Thursday. The comic is set two years after zombies take over the world, and a band of human survivors has taken over a backwoods Pennsylvania house.

http://www.attwz.com/


Paranormal

The Spooky Isles

"The Spooky Isles is a website dedicated to horror & supernatural in the UK & Ireland, including ghost stories, horror films and haunted and mysterious places!" I have been so impressed with this site's Twitter feed lately - they share the most interesting links and articles. The website is also excellent, covering spooky books, spooky films, spooky places, and paranormal news. Check out one of their recent guest posts, British Death Through the Ages.

http://www.spookyisles.com/

The Spooky Isles, on Facebook

The Spooky Isles on Twitter


Dark Side of the World

Vampire Lounge and Tasting Room

Ooh, from what I can see of the decor here in the photos, I love it! This lounge is located in Beverly Hills, and serves Vampire Vineyards wines. (The wines have evocative names such as Dracula Zinfandel, Trueblood Napa Valley Syrah, etc.) You can rent the upstairs lounge out for private parties, too. This looks like such a lovely place to stop in for a drink.

http://www.vampire.com/vampirelounge/

DARK SHOPS:

Cherise Clothing

This shop is located in Finland. They sell women's clothing, including lingerie and cocktail dresses, plus vintage pieces, hats, and even vintage sewing patterns. My favorite thing here is their Vendetta coat which they make to order.

http://www.cherise.eu/


DARK BLOGS:

Color Me Goth

"The not so daily ramblings of a goth of color." Dismantlynn is a college student who blogs about her life, goth music and fashion, and things that interest her lately. Check out her post about University of Michigan's zombie university class, and her fashion tips for warm weather goths. Check out her bustle skirt crafting project she's been working on!

http://www.colormegoth.com/


--Copyright 2012 Carrie Carolin

Dark Side of the Net

March 2, 2012

13 Newish Zombie Links

1. Zombie Lane

A silly zombie-themed Facebook game with almost 2 million players. A good way to waste time while you're bored and waiting for your friends to log on and comment on shit you just posted.

http://www.facebook.com/zombielane


2. Zombie Ammo

Zombie targets you can buy to practice shooting at. That sounds so much fun! I wouldn't mind taking a few pot shots at their creepy clown targets, too.

http://zombieammo.com/


3. Zombie Zone News

A well-designed website with lists of zombie books, movies and comics; frequently updated news on all things zombie; info on zombie events; and several very active forums.

http://www.zombiezonenews.com/


4. Zombie Ranch Comic

An online webcomic about a bunch of cowboys and cowgirls - and their zombie herd. The comic is updated every Wednesday.

http://www.zombieranchcomic.com/


5. Zombie Roomie Comic

"John was looking for someone to split the cost of rent but got more than he bargained for when George, a zombie, became his roommate." Updates are posted Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

http://www.zombieroomie.com/


6. Zombie Science 1Z

"Zombie Science 1Z is a spoof lecture on the real science behind the undead." This is a touring entertainment show you can book for your next party or event. UK-based.

http://www.zombiescience.co.uk/


7. Long Beach Zombie Walk

The next Long Beach Zombie Walk downtown street fest will take place Saturday, October 27, 2012. It will feature a live concert and a Thriller dance mob.

http://zombiewalklb.com/

Long Beach Zombie Walk on Facebook

http://twitter.com/zombiewalklb


8. Seattle Zombies

Sadly, this website hasn't been updated since fall 2011. But I bet once we get closer to ZomBcon there will be a lot going on here on this blog.

http://www.seattlezombies.com/


9. Monroeville Zombies

This museum, gallery and attraction is at a mall near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. There's a Maul of Fame, a boiler room zombie walkthrough, a zombie boutique shop, and they're soon adding a zombie shooting gallery.

http://www.monroevillezombies.com/


10. Zombies of Montana

Info on upcoming zombie events in Montana, including a zombie prom and a zombie walk in May 2012.

http://www.zombiesofmontana.com/

Zombies of Montana, on Facebook

Zombies of Montana Blog


11. The Zombie Years

A post-apocalyptic zombie horror comic set in Florida. You can also view a short film, Thanks, Grandpa" that was used as a prequel for the webcomic.

http://www.zombieyears.com/


12. The Zombiephiles

There's a lot going on here. "The Zombiephiles is an intermittently-updated, occasionally hilarious zombie blog discussing zombie survival tips, reviews of zombie movies, zombie comics and books, and general zombie culture." The site is packed full of things you'll want to check out if you're into zombies.

http://www.zombiephiles.com/


13. The Zombie Rights Campaign

"The world's premier advocacy organization for the differently animated." A humorous website, accompanied by a blog with pretty interesting posts on the topic.

http://zombierightscampaign.org/


--Copyright 2012 Carrie Carolin

Dark Side of the Net

New Goth and Horror Links for March 2, 2012

1. Heart Shaped Skull

Aaron Alexovich's art and comics. Meet Serenity Rose, a sexually confused witch; singer and sorceress Vicious Whispers; and learn how to get back issues of Eldritch!

http://www.heartshapedskull.com/

Aaron Alexovich on Facebook

Aaron Alexovich on Twitter

2. Malaysian Lolita Club

"Gothic regional resources." This group has regular meetups and events.

Malaysian Lolita Club Group, on Facebook

3. The Bloody Best Project

"The Bloody Best Project is a celebration of the horror genre and the people who have shaped it into what it is today. We do this by creating high end conceptual images of the very people who have scared us on the silver screen." The team (Ama, Roger and Autumn) have so far photographed Danielle Harris, Ashlyn Yennie, Joe Lynch, Kane Hodder, and others. The photographs here are beyond fantastic, by the way. Truly stunning.

http://www.thebloodybestproject.com/

The Bloody Best Project, on Twitter

4. House of Vampires

Jessica's blog about vampires in literature, film, movies, and videos. She also runs a vampire messageboard.

http://houseofvampires.wordpress.com/

5. Sophistique Noir

"Dark fashion for the mature." VictorianKitty teaches those of us over 30 how to dress in a sophisticated goth manner whether for our careerwear or clubwear. This is a highly recommended blog. I'm enjoying it so much.

Each month has a theme (this month's is gray) and you're encouraged to submit a photo of you dressed up. The photography here is excellent, and there are a lot of gorgeous fashions to drool over. I can't imagine how she finds the time to put together so many quality, interesting, useful posts day after day! If you're an eldergoth, a corpgoth or someone interested in classy, grownup goth fashion, you'll want to bookmark this site and put it in your RSS reader for daily visits.

http://www.sophistiquenoir.com/


--Copyright 2012 Carrie Carolin

Curator of the Dark Side of the Net

March 1, 2012

New Goth and Horror Links for March 1, 2012

1. Gravestoned

Amy O'Neal's excellent blog sharing her gravestone explorations. Recent posts include some interesting headstones from a cemetery in Ohio; a photo of a siltstone marker; and a beautiful epitaph hymn.

http://gravestoned.blogspot.com/

2. Shadow Element

Derek Emmons' gallery of dark fantasy photomanipulations. My favorite is Steampunk Halloween.

http://shadowelement.deviantart.com/

3. Holly's Horrorland

Holly collects and creates horror-themed curiosities. There's a lot of vampire content here. She also runs interesting contests, such as the Mad as a Hatter Model Competition.

http://hollyshorrorland.blogspot.com/

Holly's Horrorland on Facebook

Holly's Horrorland on Twitter

4. Boston Area Goth/Industrial

If you live in or near Boston you already know about this group. Otherwise, it's great if you're planning a trip or vacation to the city and want to attend a local goth event while you're there.

Boston Area Goth/Industrial Group, on Facebook

5. Skullsville USA

This shop sells goth, punk, Victorian, skull-and-skeleton themed accessories, beads, and jewelry.

http://skullsvilleusa.com/

Skullsville USA on Twitter


--Copyright 2012 Carrie Carolin

http://www.darklinks.com/

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