February 15, 2013

Upcoming Gothic and Dark Events for Spring 2013

February 2013 Events

Wicked Faire, February 15-17 2013, Somerset, NJ

"Revenge of the Renaissance Fair." A RenFair for strange and dark people. I find it very cool that the event is 16+. Events include an absinthe tasting on Friday; a fire breathing gypsy performer; performances by Voltaire and Pandora Celtica; a show from White Elephant Burlesque Society and another by Coghead. Lots of cool stuff going on! I would so go to this if I lived on the East Coast.

http://wickedfaire.com/

WickedFaire on Facebook

Rose City Steampunk Festival, February 16-17 2013, Portland Oregon

This festival will show 16 really cool films at the Clinton Theater this weekend, including a restored version of "The Lost World."

http://www.steampunkfilmfestival.com/

Rose City Steampunk Festival on Facebook

Rose City Steampunk Festival on Twitter

Dracula's Ball, February 23, 2013, Philadelphia, PA

The sixtieth Dracula's Ball event will be held at the Shampoo nightclub. Ego Likeness and Red This Ever will perform.

http://www.draculasball.com/

The Edwardian Ball, February 23, 2013 - Los Angeles, CA

The Los Angeles version of the Edwardian Ball features artists and performers as well as DJs. Glancing through past event photos, with everything so glamorous and creative, I'd be intimidated trying to find something to wear to this, personally!

http://edwardianball.com/

The Edwardian Ball on Facebook

The Edwardian Ball on Twitter

March 2013 Events

Mad Monster Party, March 22-24 2013, Charlotte, NC

Guests include cult horror stars Linnea Quigley, Kane Hodder, Bruce Campbell, plus celebrities including Gary Busey, Lea Thompson and Danny Glover.

http://www.themadmonsterparty.com/

Vampires Masquerade Ball, March 29-30 2013, Portland Oregon

This year marks the eleventh Vampires Masquerade Ball. Jillian Venters is the Master of Ceremonies, and the ball features performances by Paul Mercer and theXplodingBoys, a Portland area Cure tribute band. Sounds fun!

http://vampireballpdx.com/

Vampire Ball PDX on Facebook

April 2013 Events

Cinema Wasteland, April 5-7 2013, Strongsville, OH

Cinema Wasteland is a three day movie and memorabilia exposition in Ohio. B-movie and horror films will be shown.

http://www.cinemawasteland.com/

Cinema Wasteland on Facebook

Canadian Haunted Attractions, April 12-24 2013, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

A large and important Canadian Haunted Attractions, Halloween, Horror & Paranormal conference. Besides the commercial trade show, there are workshops and social events for haunt industry professionals.

http://www.canadahaunts.ca/chac/

Canadian Haunted Attractions Conference on Facebook

Dead by Dawn, April 25-28, 2013, Edinburgh, Scotland

Scotland's horror film festival. This year is its 20th anniversary!

http://www.deadbydawn.co.uk/

Dead by Dawn on Facebook

Whitby Goth Weekend, April 26-28 2013, Whitby UK

Truly, every goth should make at least one gothic pilgrimage to this event in their lifetime.

http://www.whitbygothweekend.co.uk/

Whitby Goth Weekend on Facebook

Whitby Goth Weekend Group on Facebook

Whitby Goth Weekend on Twitter

May 2013 Events

Bats Day in the Fun Park, May 3-5 2013

This year marks the fifteenth anniversary of Bats Day in the Fun Park. It's held at Disneyland. I so hope to attend this next year when my child care responsibilities are a bit lighter. So many fun events all weekend long, and you can hardly fail to have a good time at Disneyland anyway.

http://www.batsday.net/

Bats Day in the Fun Park on Facebook

Bats Day in the Fun Park on Twitter

Gaslight Gathering, May 3-5, 2013 San Diego, CA

This is the third annual steampunk & Victoriana gathering held in San Diego (my former hometown!)

http://gaslightgathering.org/

Gaslight Gathering, on Facebook

Texas Frightmare Weekend, May 3-5 2013, Dallas TX

The acclaimed Rue Morgue magazine helps produce this three day horror event. This year several prominent "Walking Dead" stars will appear.

http://www.texasfrightmareweekend.com/

http://www.facebook.com/texasfrightmareweekend

Steampunk Worlds Fair, May 17-19 2013, New Jersey

A massive and very important steampunk event. Tons of performances, events, and of course a fabulous merchant bazaar.

http://steampunkworldsfair.com/

Steampunk Worlds Fair on Facebook

Steampunk Worlds Fair Facebook Group

Steampunk Worlds Fair on Twitter

Wave Gotik Treffen, May 17-20 2013, Leipzig Germany

Yet another pilgrimage every goth should attempt to enjoy making in their lifetime. Lifechanging concerts, meeting thousands of goths from all over Europe, and lovely fashions to admire.

http://www.wave-gotik-treffen.de/

Wave Gotik Treffen Official, on Facebook

Wave Gotik Treffen Fans, on Facebook

Wave Gotik Treffen on Twitter

World Goth Day, May 22, 2013, Worldwide

How does one celebrate World Goth Day? Embrace your darkness, proudly dress Goth for the day, and explore your darker interests in art, music, and literature. Suggestions:

Dress more goth and dressed-up than normal
Leave 5 kind comments on your 5 favorite goth blogs
Create dark artwork or post a goth-related post to your own blog
Update your goth Tumblr or Pinterest
Share a list of your 5 favorite goth blogs, goth bands, goth videos, or dark fiction books
Bake black or red velvet cupcakes
Host a dark Wonderland tea party
Dress up and have a friend take glamorous goth photos of you, then upload them
Gather friends for a festive showing of your favorite Tim Burton movie

http://www.worldgothday.com/

World Goth Day on Facebook

World Goth Day on Twitter

Victoria Steam Exposition, May 31-June 2, 2013, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

Not a lot of info has been announced yet about this Canadian steampunk event. Hopefully closer to the event more details will be published.

http://www.victoriasteamexpo.com/

Victoria Steam Exposition, on Facebook

Dark Side of the Net gothic links

Dark Side of the Net on Facebook

Dark Side of the Net on Twitter

New Goth and Horror Links for February 15, 2013

DARK BLOGS:

Potionsmith

"Potion bottles and Halloween crafts." This blogger creates Halloween and spooky crafts year-round. Right now they're posting about dancing skeletons; edible brains; making mummy fingers; and creating bottled Witch's Grave Dirt.

http://potionsmith.blogspot.com/

Vampire Kitten

Candace is the founder of GhoulGirls, and is an alternative model, a cosplayer and an artist. Many of her posts are links to her photoshoots on GhoulGirls, but you might enjoy checking out her recent post on being a princess for hire at a children's party company, and stop by her social media sites to see the interesting things she's sharing.

http://vampirekitten.net/

VampireKitten on Facebook

VampireKitten on Pinterest

VampireKitten on Tumblr

VampireKitten on Twitter

DARK COMICS:

Para Abnormal

"Macabre mirth every weekday." Well, they have good intentions but the blog comic is updated two or three times a month. This comic features monsters and creatures such as Nessie, aliens, Frankenstein, werewolves, etc. It's a quirky fun browse, I'll definitely stop by here every couple weeks to see the latest comic.

http://www.paraabnormalthecomic.com/

Para Abnormal on Facebook

DARK SHOPS:

French Market Stitch

This shop sells fabulous burlesque corset costumes, fascinators, and mini top hats.

It's really hard to pick a favorite here, but I suppose I prefer this Black Swan showgirl corset.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/olgaitaly

Gothic Gourds

I've been meaning to link to this really cool Canadian shop for a very long time. They sell "captivating curiosities, cool collectibles, creepy couture, custom creations." Gothic Gourd Girl sells one-of-a-kind foam pumpkin sculptures, all including an LED light for year-round use. You can custom order them. There are also some t-shirts in the shop. I'm remembering why I was hesitant to link this site now - it's very difficult to see actual pictures of past custom pumpkins here. There are just a few pics on the front page of the beautiful pumpkin creations. The gallery of happy customers with their products loads slowly and I can't see all that many products. The "gallery of products and commissions" is empty. How disappointing. Check their Facebook for hopefully more recent updates and pics.

http://www.gothicgourds.com/

Gothic Gourds on Facebook

Isabelle Batz

This designer creates gorgeous cybergoth, dark glamour, and futuristic clothing. It's so refreshing to see the very unique designs here. Check out Psychodelic Furs and Oriental Vibe.

A quick example of her work is this Android Onyx Hoop Skirt. Really some quite stunning things here.

http://isabellebatz.com/

Isabelle Batz on Facebook

Sapling Naturals

Renee sells zombie survival kits, soaps and bath and body products.

The shop is probably best known for its Felted soap zombies - a soap and washcloth in one! There are also monster soaps and ninja soaps. Cute!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/saplingnaturals

Undead Teds

This Etsy shop currently doesn't have any active listings, but probably that's because a bunch of people rushed to buy these cute fluffy zombie teddy bears for their goth Valentine's Day gifts, right? For now, you can view the bloody creations on the Undead Ted Tumblr.

http://www.undeadteds.com/

Undead Teds on Facebook

Undead Teds on Twitter

Wasteland Artisan

Adria Lynn sells her gorgeous clay and leather masks. The shop also sells some steampunk leather bracelets and a few pendants.

Her latest creation is this incredible Cthulhu-inspired mask. I fully expect to see this worn by some actor in a movie someday. Also check out her Plague Doctor mask.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/wastelandartisan

Wasteland Artisan Blog

Adria Lynn on Pinterest

GOTH BUSINESSES:

The Jekyll & Hyde

The goths of Birmingham, UK and surrounding areas are so incredibly fortunate to live near this amazing restaurant/bar! You can visit it for a meal or a drink, or rent it out for private events.

The Jekyll & Hyde features a Victorian gin parlor and a Wonderland courtyard. Outside, the building is painted a vivid purple and decorated with cool imagery. They have really cool events from time to time too, such as a retro quiz night, Juniper Cinema (currently showing some Hitchcock films) and music nights (though the music is not at all goth or dark).

Check out their vintage styled cocktail menu. They offer over 50 varieties of gin to taste from.

I'd so love to visit this place someday!

http://www.thejekyllandhyde.co.uk/

GOTH CLUBS:

Ulteria

A monthly (every first Saturday) goth/darkwave/industrial club night in New Haven, CT. Ulteria also produces an event, "The Damned," every third Friday.

http://ulteria.blogspot.com/

Ulteria on Facebook

HORROR GENRE:

The Blog is Coming from Inside the House

This blog specializes in reviewing lesser-known horror films, finding really interesting things to review. I especially love the well-placed sarcasm when replying to annoying commenters or comment spammers. Very entertaining!

http://superscaryblog.wordpress.com/

Grim Gallery

An image a day from the blogger's personal archives of horror magazines, horror photos and monstrous images collected over many years. This might be a nice site to evolve into a Pinterest or Tumblr, but for now it's a blog. My favorite recent post is an amazing still photo of Vincent Price in "The Mad Magician" from 1954.

http://grimgallery.blogspot.com/

Jill Kill

Jill Kill is a writer and a YouTube vlogger who reviews horror movies. (Her most recent review is of "Warm Bodies.")

http://www.jillkill.com/

Monster Movie Round Table

Here's a nice set of really active horror movie forums. Currently participants are discussing "Warm Bodies," The Walking Dead, and Universal Monsters.

Monster Movie Round Table, at Mego Museum

Propnomicon

Propnomicon focuses on horror and fantasy props of interest to fans of H. P. Lovecraft and players of the "Call of Cthulhu" role playing game. Recent posts include Artifacts from Yuggoth; a post introducing Forlorn Foundry; and a cool Cthulhu dagger.

http://propnomicon.blogspot.com/

VAMPIRES:

A blog that presents "Musings of a modern vampire mom." Juliette offers advice on raising vampire children and teenagers. She is much braver than me, sharing very personal details and experiences here.

http://vampiremaman.com/

Dark Side of the Net

The Darklinks Social Network

February 10, 2013

5 Intriguing Goth Pinners to Follow on Pinterest

1. Kerry Kate

Kerry Kate of Kerry Kate's October Effigies has over 40 intriguing boards. Themes include Witchery, Albino Aesthetic, Haunted Chifforobe, Unusual Botany, Medical Fetish, The Decadent Foot, and Tea and Table.

http://pinterest.com/kerrykatedolls/

2. Dawnne Page

Dawnne finds really great vintage, macabre, glittery and spooky fashions and lifestyle items. My favorite board from her is Grim Kitchen, followed immediately by I Heart Spooky Cakes. Other awesome boards from her include Adorn Thy Feet; Crypt Decor; Creeptastic Circus; Spooktacular Art; Blood Couture; and Le Jardin Noir. I could spend hours exploring her pins!

http://pinterest.com/alohavamp/

3. Vulnavia Fangbangs

Vulnavia lives in LA. Her boards include Witch House, Krampus and Christmas, Vamps and Vampires, Makeup, Macabre Magnificence, Goth Aesthetics, Extreme Fashion, The Boneyard, Haute Goth, and Personal Style as Punctuation.

http://pinterest.com/vulnavia/

4. Lady Death

Lady Death is an extremely active pinner, with nearly 100,000 pins. Her 209 boards include The Haunted Mansion, Tara McPherson, Steampunk, Haute Couture (with over 2000 pins!), Dita von Teese, Elvira, Geishas, Doll Parts, Tattoos and The Munsters. I really like seeing what she shares every day.

http://pinterest.com/ladydeath6/

5. Bleaq Blog

This is my absolute favorite dark pinner to follow. They find the most beautiful, stunning things. An excellent example of careful content curation. This pinner resides in The Netherlands. Their boards include Japanese Musicians, The Occult, Fashion Editorial, Dark Places, Hair and Makeup, Photography, Traditional Art, Design and Illustration, The Classics, and Couture.

http://pinterest.com/bleaq/

Dark Side of the Net on Pinterest

Goth Alphabet on Pinterest

New Dark Links for February 10, 2013

DARK ART:

Nicholas Alan Cope & Dustin Edward Arnold

I don't feel qualified enough to describe the fantastic photography here to you, so just go see it for yourself. Right now Vedas is getting a lot of press and attention. Also check out Aether and Putesco (which really disturbs me for some reason).

http://www.cope-arnold.com/

Pure Insomnia

Marianna's stunningly beautiful photography. Her gallery includes Characters, and Hair. I really like the Seven Deadly Sins: Vanity series here. Several photos here are based on fairy tales - I always enjoy that kind of thing!

http://pure-insomnia.deviantart.com/gallery/

Viona

I had to go double check that I'd not already linked to this fantastic gothic fairy tale photography site yet. I'm surprised, since I've run across the site several times and loved it so much every time. It's the kind of photography that makes you really stop and linger longer than you'd intended, hungering for more after you've run out of images on the site to consume. Besides the photographer's talent and artistic vision, the costuming, hair, makeup, sets and props here are top notch.

Shown above is my favorite, "Moon Princess."

http://www.viona-art.com/

http://viona.deviantart.com/

Viona Art Photography on Facebook

Vladimir Clavijo-Telepnev

Prepare to set aside a lot of your time today because you're probably going to want to spend a lot of it exploring this Russian photographer's sepia-tinged site. I suspect you'll be the most interested in his Alice series. Also check out "Cards" and "Cherry Orchard."

http://www.clavijo.ru/en

DARK SHOPS:

Cursed Clothes

This shop sells really cool, subtle horror t-shirts. They're not gory or emblazoned with creepy characters; instead, they commemorate horror movie locations such as Poltergeist's Cuesta Verde Estates. I like that you have to look at the shirts, read them and think about it a few seconds before you "get" it. Other shirts feature the Bates Motel, the Overlook Hotel, Amity Island Police, Camp Crystal Lake, and a gross scene from Lost Boys.

http://www.cursedclothes.com/

Cursed Clothes on Facebook

Cursed Clothes on Twitter

Decypher

This site is a bit too rocker/roller derby for my personal tastes, but there's still a lot of interesting things offered in this Canadian shop. They sell shoes, leg warmers, totes and purses, men's and women's clothing, jewelry, and some gifts. There are a few zombie themed items here, as well as monsters and skeletons. The shop is owned by a costumer named Heidi who lives in Ottawa.

http://www.decypher.ca/

Decypher on Facebook

Grothica

This shop is located in Sweden. Some of the brands they sell include Demonia, Hell Bunny, Kreepsville 666, Pleaser and Tripp.

http://www.grothica.se/

Grothica on Facebook

Midnyte Fantasy

This shop sells Gothic and Victorian clothing, bustiers, and corsets. The modeling/photography here is generally really nicely done, too, so you'll enjoy browsing. I wish there was an "About Me" page here.

http://www.midnytefantasy.com/

Midnyte Fantasy on Facebook

Nina Friday

The artist Nina Friday sells her cute and morbid gothic and Victorian art prints and jewelry here. Besides the Big Eye gothic girls and lowbrow art, there are some Day of the Dead pieces.

My favorite piece here is "Secrets."

http://www.etsy.com/shop/ninafriday

GOTH BLOGS:

The Dark Forest

This blog explores "the dark and twisting world of fairy tales." Currently posting fairy tale book and movie adaptation news. I'm finding it a good way to keep up with upcoming dark fairy tale films and shows, since I'm busy prioritizing Dark Side of the Net so I don't have a lot of time to look for dark fairy tale stuff myself. There are also occasional book review type posts.

http://darkforestfairytales.blogspot.com/

Victoria Eriksson

This is the blog of gothic alternative model Victoria Eriksson, who lives in Stockholm, Sweden. She is designing a brand of clothing called Pomp-a-Dour. You can view her lovely portfolio, then wander over to the blog to see the things that interest her lately. She posts mainly in Swedish, of course, but there are a lot of photos in her posts that you might enjoy due to their fashion and makeup content.

http://www.victoriaeriksson.com/

Victoria Eriksson on Facebook

Victoria Eriksson on Twitter

GOTH COMMUNITIES:

Gothic Culture

This Facebook page has an incredibly huge number of Facebook fans: well over 120,000. The page has four or five moderators, who are extremely good at finding interesting and beautiful gothic imagery to share. There seem to be five to ten posts per day. This is a really good way to keep your finger on the pulse (or lack thereof, har, har) of what's going on in Goth.

Gothic Culture, on Facebook

Haute Gothique

This is a Facebook group for mature lovers of Victorian Gothic style. They prefer not to discuss cybergoth or industrial, focusing on elegant and dark romantic fashions, style, literature and music. It's an open group. Currently there are a lot of beautiful photos being shared of dark orchids and black roses.

Haute Gothique, on Facebook