September 27, 2014

Top 5 Circus-Themed Halloween Haunts

Carnival of the Dead

Detroit area haunt with wooded trail and carnival haunt. Part of Scarefest Scream Park.

http://scarefestscreampark.com/about/carnival-of-the-dead

Scarefest Scream Park on Facebook


Circus of Fear

Arvada, Colorado (near Denver). 5000 square feet, 20 live actors, fire performers,

http://circusoffear3d.com/

Circus of Fear 3D on Facebook

Circus of Fear 3D on Twitter


Circus of Horrors

Located in Las Vegas. Besides the Circus of Horrors, the venue includes "The Trilogy of Terror" - The Gates of Hell and The Vampire's Castle haunted attractions.

http://www.freaklingbros.com/circusofhorrors.html

Circus of Horrors on Facebook


The Queen Mary

The acclaimed Dark Harbor event includes a twisted circus Ringmaster as the host. While the Dark Harbor theme in general has nothing to do with circuses or carnivals, there's a lot going on here and it's a highly recommended event if you can manage to attend. There's a freak show, six mazes, two rides, and a Monster Midway attraction.

http://www.queenmary.com/events/dark-harbor/monsters/

Queen Mary Dark Harbor on Facebook


Strangling Bros. Haunted Circus

This haunted circus has four locations: Salt Lake City Utah, Dallas TX, Houston TX (opening in 2015) and Chicago (opening in 2015). The attractions feature mazes, live bands, mad magicians,

http://www.stranglingbros.com/

Strangling Bros. Haunted Circus Chicago

Strangling Bros. Haunted Circus Texas on Facebook

Strangling Bros. Haunted Circus Utah on Facebook


--Copyright 2014 Carrie Carolin

www.darklinks.com

September 7, 2014

New Dark Links for a Sunday Bloody Sunday

DARK BLOGS:

I Die: You Die

Alex and Bruce blog about EBM, electronic and dark music, via this podcast that takes its name from a Gary Numan song.

http://www.idieyoudie.com/

The 6Forty Project

"A home for interesting music." You can listen to 640 minutes of music in each post. The blog includes posts on recent releases and new discoveries. A great way to discover new bands or revisit songs you haven't heard in a long time by various dark musicians.

http://www.6forty.com/

The 6Forty Project on Facebook


DARK BUSINESSES:

The Dungeons

This dark entertainment business has locations in multiple cities, including San Francisco, London, Berlin, Amsterdam, Edinburgh, York, and so on. The attractions offer live performances, dark rides, mazes, and special effects. Each venue offers a different experience. These sound SO fun to check out! I simply must go to San Francisco again soon and put a visit to The Dungeons on my itinerary.

http://www.thedungeons.com/

The London Dungeon

The London Dungeon on Facebook

Gothic Wine

This winery in the Willamette Valley in Oregon sells wines called "Nevermore," "Telltale Rose," "Ophelia" Chardonnay, and "Gothic Hyland Pinot Noir."

http://www.gothicwine.com/

Gothic Wine on Facebook

The Grimstones

Asphyxia's gothic fairy tale books and an app, too. Written in Australia, the tales feature a girl named Martha Grimstone who reads dreams. Read more about the intriguing lady behind all this, Asphyxia.

http://www.thegrimstones.com/

The Grimstones on Facebook

Slaughtered Lamb Pub

This theme bar is in New York City. It advertises itself as "An ancient pub operated by a family of werewolves." It's open 365 days a year. Imagine going here on Christmas Eve? Hrm.

http://www.slaughteredlambpub.com/

The Slaughtered Lamb Pub on Facebook

Sugar Skull Rum

I haven't tasted Sugar Skull Rum yet. I'm wondering if they're mostly relying on their amazing packaging to sell the product. I'm assuming each rum has a slightly different flavor - the website and Facebook page aren't offering an explanation of any flavor profiles yet.

http://www.sugarskullrum.com/

Sugar Skull Rum on Facebook


DARK AND GOTHIC MUSIC:

Natural Velvet

A post-punk band from Baltimore. Their music isn't goth or dark, but I do like it. The singer sort of reminds me of Courtney Love but with better enunciation and a better voice. My favorite song by them so far is "Cathedral Street."

Natural Velvet, on Bandcamp

Natural Velvet, on Facebook

Natural Velvet, on Soundcloud

Partly Faithful

This post-punk band from London describes their music as "dark-vogue" and "trash-vogue." Their influences include Bauhaus, Nick Cave, The March Violets, and Einstürzende Neubauten. Check out their official video "Needles." Do I hear a John Lydon influence in the vocals?

http://www.partlyfaithful.com/
Partly Faithful on Facebook

Partly Faithful on YouTube

Photophore

This band from Calgary in Canada describes their music as "industrial speakeasy." They feature a female vocalist. My favorite song from their Soundcloud list so far is "Vitriol."

Photophore on Facebook

Photophore on Soundcloud

Photophore on Twitter

Rule of Thirds

A goth band from Adelaide, Australia. Their influences include Christian Death, Xmal Deutschland, Siouxsie And The Banshees, The Cure and The Wake. You can check out their song Mother/Master on YouTube. Another female vocalist! yay.

Rule of Thirds at Bandcamp

Rule of Thirds on Facebook

Splintered In Her Head

This band is a Cure cover band from Wellington, New Zealand. Here's a video of them performing "M" live back in April 2014.

Splintered In Her Head on Facebook

Whores of Whitechapel

A Victorian-inspired gothic rock band from Wellington, New Zealand. I love that there's so much cool dark stuff going on all the way on the other side of the world!

http://whoresofwhitechapel.com/

Whores of Whitechapel on Facebook


DARK PAGES IN OTHER LANGUAGES:

Darkrecords

A Spanish blog about goth and dark music in Mexico. Currently posting about the upcoming Peter Hook & The Light concert in November. There are also album reviews and peeks at the author's collection of favorite CDs.

http://darkrecords-fernando.blogspot.com/

Espasmos Cadavericos

A Portuguese blog about coldwave, deathrock, gothic and post-punk music. With some naughty album download offerings.

http://espasmoscadavericos.blogspot.com/


DARK SHOPS:

Cast Shadows Studio

This Connecticut based artist, Richard Chalifour, sells architectural and garden sculptures - mostly gorgeous gargoyles. There are some amazing light switch plates, as well.

My favorite piece here is this Protector gargoyle.

https://www.etsy.com/shop/CastShadows

Cast Shadows Studio on Facebook

Dreamtrappings

Natalie Ewert's Fullerton, California based shop where she sells tombstone and Oz themed jewelry and accessories. There are a few one-offs, like a pair of calaveras earrings, a little brown bat brooch, and a quirky Day of the Dead Holiday in a Bottle necklace.

My favorite piece here is this Bela Lugosi gravestone brooch.

https://www.etsy.com/shop/dreamtrappings

Elegant Curiosities

Beautiful jewelry and headwear from Laila Tas in the Netherlands. She also offers a few boleros.

What do you think of her Threnody Choker with Mink Skull?

http://elegantcuriosities.com/

Elegant Curiosities, on Facebook

Jack of London

This shop sells retro fashions and vintage style clothing. Brands they carry include Hell Bunny, H&R London, Spin Doctor, and Voodoo Vixen.

My favorite dress here is this red and black flocked one.

http://www.jackoflondon.co.uk/

Jack of London on Facebook

Jack of London on Twitter

Spiderwood Hollow

These decorative handmade spiders aren't just for Halloween! They're made by an artist in Vancouver, Washington. Besides the decorative spiders and copper wire webs, there are also a few nice pieces of spider jewelry too.

https://www.etsy.com/shop/SpiderwoodHollow

SpiderwoodHollow on Facebook

Stephanie Buscema Art

Oh, I'm going to have so much trouble picking just one favorite art print from here to showcase! The artist lives in New York, and offers some stickers, tote bags and buttons along with her darling prints. The prints feature witches, vampires, monsters, witchy and gothy women, cute little skulls, and vixens. The style is kinda modern, kinda retro, kinda kitschy, and very awesome!

It was painful, but I came up with a favorite: Spell Castin' Sybil. Man, I need a stationery set made from this image!

https://www.etsy.com/shop/StephBuscemaMart

Stephanie Buscema on Facebook

Vanyanis

Custom corsetry design from Australia. The designs here are stunningly beautiful. I'm wondering if the website is a bit outdated - the three Collections you can view are Dangerous Liaisons, Circa Nocturna 2009 and Circa Nocturna 2009. But their blog and Facebook are updated, so I suppose everything's ok. They sell gorgeous corsets, a gown, clothing, shoes, and even stockings. There's also a section for beautiful gothic jewelry and accessories. Check out the Portfolio section of the site to see the lovely designs you could have custom made to fit you.

http://www.vanyanis.net/

Vanyanis on Facebook

Vengeance Designs

Kayla's high end latex, fetish and cosplay shop in New York City. There are dresses, bodysuits, catsuits, lingerie and swimwear, tops, bottoms and accessories. There's also a higher end line called Dead Souls Collection with some really amazing designs.

The Black Swan bodysuit is my favorite thing here.

http://vengeancedesigns.net/

https://www.etsy.com/shop/vengeancedesigns

Vengance Designs on Facebook


GOTH LOCAL RESOURCES

Dark Calgary

Goth and alternative resources and events calendar for Calgary Canada. There seems to be a good amount of cool things going on.

http://dark-calgary.webs.com/

Dark Calgary on Facebook

Dark Calgary on Tumblr

Dark Calgary on Twitter

Goth Mexico

This Facebook networking group for goths in Mexico has 14,000 members. It seems well moderated, and was just updated today. I love up-to-date resources!

Goth Mexico Group on Facebook

San Diego Gothic and Industrial Scene

The Facebook group for San Diego goth/industrial resources and events. San Diego was my hometown growing up, but I was a punk at the time and didn't get into the goth lifestyle til I moved to Seattle. I've always found San Diego a really well organized town for various scenes, so I'm surprised there are only 500 members in this group. Still, it's very useful!

SD Gothic and Industrial Scene on Facebook


--Copyright 2014 Carrie Carolin

Dark Side of the Net - now in its 21st year!

September 6, 2014

3 Really Important New Dark Links to Peruse

Carpe Noctem 20

"Come find what the night brings." This is a very exciting development - Carpe Noctem, the premier goth publication of the 1990s and 2000s, is celebrating their 20th anniversary with a return to print. I'm so excited to see all the dark delights their twentieth anniversary issue holds. If you're fairly new to goth, I must impress upon you how very important and useful this was to the goths who came before you - especially before the Internet was in every home and fellow goths were hard to find to network with. Be sure to like the Facebook page - you will find out more about the new issue, plus see gorgeous covers from back issues and select pics from the issues.

http://www.carpenoctem20.com/

Carpe Noctem 20 on Facebook

The Last Tuesday Society

I haven't been this excited about a new resource in quite a while. (They need a more interesting logo though!) This group of amazingly energetic people in the UK host parties, lectures, workshops, tea parties, dances and balls with really intriguing themes. There definitely seems to be a darker bent to most of their parties. Check out their upcoming Autumn Lecture Series; The Infected Museum; and their British Academy of Taxidermy project. A lot of very interesting things are planned for the future. So cool! Also, it's really refreshing that there is no pretentious air about this website. Just earnestness to create unusual and compelling events.

http://www.thelasttuesdaysociety.org/

The Last Tuesday Society on Facebook

The Frankenstein Bicentennial

Arizona State University plans to put a massive amount of scholarly resources into celebrating the bicentennial, 1818-2018, of the publication of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. "Acting as a network hub for the bicentennial celebration, ASU will encourage and coordinate collaboration across institutions and among diverse groups worldwide." It will be very interesting to keep an eye on this effort over the next four years!

http://frankenstein.asu.edu/


--Copyright 2014 Carrie Carolin

Dark Side of the Net
Dark Side of the Net on Facebook

Dark Side of the Net on Pinterest

Dark Side of the Net on Twitter

New Dark Links for a Sad Saturday

DARK COMMUNITIES:

Ladies in Black

This community of almost 200,000 people strives to promote dark models and artists. There are several posts per day, most seeming to be reshares from other webpages and communities rather than original content. Still, that many people have signed up to see these gorgeous ladies!

The Ladies in Black, on Facebook

Macabre, Weird and Beautiful

This Facebook page specializes in macabre and beautiful images. There are a few intriguing images shared every day.

Macabre, Weird and Beautiful on Facebook

Monochrome

Images posted to this Facebook page are all striking black, white, and grey, with very occasional pops of color for contrast.

Monochrome, on Facebook

Taxidermy Workshop

"A Taxidermy group for enthusiasts, amateurs, professionals and rogue taxidermists to share their latest work, mounting tips, tricks and upcoming events." Heh, I like the idea of "rogue taxidermists." The group has nearly 5000 members.

Taxidermy Workshop group, on Facebook


DARK AND GOTHIC MUSIC:

Berlin Black

This post-punk band is from York. Their influences include David Bowie, Bauhaus, The Cure, and the Psychedelic Furs. I'm enjoying their song Roses right now.

http://www.berlinblack.com/

Berlin Black, on Facebook

Christine Plays Viola

This gothic rock/darkwave band is from Italy. I ran into one of their songs on YouTube and had to find out more about them.

Christine Plays Viola on Bandcamp

Christine Plays Viola, on Facebook

Christine Plays Viola on Last.Fm

Christine Plays Viola on Soundcloud

Christine Plays Viola on YouTube

Rosa Crux

This French band plays post-punk and "dark ritual" music. They happened to play a goth show in their hometown just tonight.

http://www.rosacrux.org/

Rosa Crux on Facebook

Rosa Crux on Last.Fm


DARK SHOPS:

Asphyxia Couture

Gorgeous gowns from Auckland, New Zealand. There are overbust and underbust corsets, bespoke wedding gowns that are incredible, burlesque outfits, waist training, and fantastic headdresses. Truly stunning.

http://www.asphyxiacouture.com/

Asphyxia Couture on Facebook

Asphyxia Couture on Pinterest

Asphyxia Couture on Tumblr

Asphyxia Couture on Twitter

Lady Moon Designs

This Etsy shop is based in Australia. The owner offers corsets, gothy dresses, skirts, and tops. My favorite piece here is the blood spatter apron.

https://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/annaladymoon

Larva Fashion Art & Design

Based in Germany, Larva Fashion sells corsets, hats and gowns. My favorite thing here is the Mariposa Verde baroque gown.

https://www.etsy.com/shop/LarvaFashion

Obsessed with Skulls

The world's largest shop selling skulls and skull-related merchandise. They carry skull shoes, skull clothing, skull housewares, skull baby clothes, skull pet supplies, skull jewelry, and of course books, and DVDs. Amazingly, they even have a section for skull-shaped food. You'll have a ton of fun browsing here - don't stay up too late past your bedtime and then curse me in the morning!

http://obsessedwithskulls.com/

Obsessed with Skulls, on Facebook

Obsessed with Skulls on Pinterest

Obsessed with Skulls on Tumblr

Obsessed with Skulls on Twitter


LOCAL GOTH RESOURCES:

Bay Area Goth.com

A Facebook group for Bay Area goths to share event listings, news, and updates on goth and industrial happenings in this very large, active area. Over 700 people are members.

Bay Area Goth group, on Facebook

Creepy Cincinatti

Not a site for goths, this specializes in hauntings, as well as local urban legends and myths. Occasional historical tragedies from the Cincinnati area are posted here.

http://creepycincinnati.com/

Creepy Cincinatti, on Facebook

Dark Heart-Land

This page supposedly is a resource for Kansas City (it doesn't even say which one in the About section; I assume they mean Kansas City, Kansas) but mostly is a bunch of reposts of cool gothy images from other pages. I wonder if KC just doesn't have enough goth events to announce. Still, it could be a good way to network with other goths in the area.

Dark Heart-Land, on Facebook

PDX Industrial/Gothic News

A group of about 700 Portland, Oregon goths and industrial music fans sharing events and resources.

PDX Industrial/Gothic News group, on Facebook


--Copyright 2014 Carrie Carolin

Dark Side of the Net

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