Dark Side of the Net Goth and Halloween Links

Horror Film Festivals in 2012

2012-05-20T15:48:00.034-07:00

Horror film festivals specialize in showing films, not just gathering horror film fans for autograph sessions, panels and vendors rooms.

Here's a list of horror film festivals taking place in 2012. Several on this list have already occurred - they're listed here so we can anticipate their return in 2013. As you can imagine, an overwhelming percentage of these festivals take place in the month of October.

This is not meant to be a complete, inclusive list of every horror film festival in the world. Following is a list of festivals I personally find interesting or intriguing.

Abertoir

November 6-11, 2012

"The national horror festival of Wales." They play shorts as well as films, plus stage panels and parties. (Last year there was a "Mask of the Red Death" party that sounded intriguing!)

http://www.abertoir.co.uk/

http://www.facebook.com/abertoir

http://twitter.com/AbertoirFest

Atlanta Horror Film Festival

September 28 - 30, 2012

This festival showcases independent horror, sci-fi, gore, and thriller films from all over the world.

http://atlantahorrorfilmfest.com/

http://www.facebook.com/atlantahorrorfilmfest

Bonebat Film Fest

April 21, 2012

This comedy horror film fest took place very close to my own neighborhood, at my favorite movie theater: The Big Picture. Sadly, I was too busy to attend, and I missed out on seeing "Dead Heads" and "Monster Brawl." Shucks.

http://bonehand.com/bonebatff.html

Boston Underground Film Fest

March 29-April 1, 2012

This festival featured shorts and music videos in addition to underground films.

http://bostonunderground.org/

http://www.facebook.com/bostonunderground

http://twitter.com/BOSunderground

Bram Stoker Film Festival

October 25-28, 2012

Held in Whitby, this year's festival marks the 100th anniversary of Bram Stoker's death. Besides the films, the festival features a fashion show, a Vampires Ball, and an "1880s night."

http://www.bramstokerfilmfestival.com/

http://www.facebook.com/BSIFF

http://twitter.com/BramStokerFest

Buried Alive Film Fest

November 9-11, 2012

Held in Atlanta at the Plaza Theatre.

http://buriedalivefilmfest.com/

Buried Alive Horror Film Festival on Facebook

http://twitter.com/buriedaliveff

Celluloid Screams

October 26-28, 2012

Held in Sheffield in the UK every autumn.

http://www.celluloidscreams.co.uk/

http://www.facebook.com/celluloidscreamshorrorfestival

http://twitter.com/sheffhorrorfest

Chicago Horror Fest

September 28-30, 2012

"Babes, blood, booze." Chicago is a fantastic city to live in if you like horror, goth, steampunk, zombies and the like. There's always something cool going on, like this upcoming horror film festival. They'll announce this year's guest host shortly.

http://chicagohorrorfest.com/

http://www.facebook.com/ChicagoHorrorFestival

http://twitter.com/ChicagoHorror

Dark Carnival Film Fest

October 19-21, 2012

Held in Bloomington, Indiana. This is the festival's sixth year. In addition to horror films, they show dark fantasy and sci-fi films.

http://www.darkcarnivalfilmfest.com/

http://www.facebook.com/dcfest

https://twitter.com/dcfilmfest

Eerie Horror Film Festival

October 11-14, 2012

Erie, Pennsylvania is the location of this horror film fest.

http://eeriehorrorfilmfestival.com/

http://www.facebook.com/EerieHorrorFest

Everybody Dies Film Fest

October 12-13, 2012

Held in Brea, California.

http://www.everybodydiesfilmfest.com/

http://www.facebook.com/everybodydiesfilmfest

http://twitter.com/everybodydiesff

Fear Fete

October 5-7, 2012

Baton Rouge, Louisiana's horror film festival. It's held at the Mall of Louisiana.

http://www.fearfete.com/

http://www.facebook.com/fearfete

http://twitter.com/fearfete

Festival of Terror

October 25-31, 2012

Held in Montezuma, Costa Rica. Besides horror, they showcase sci-fi, suspense, thriller and animation shorts and features.

http://festivalterror.com/

Freakshow Film Fest

October 26-28, 2012

Held in Orlando, Florida. Last year they presented Clive Barker with a Lifetime Achievement award during their gala.

http://www.freakshowfilmfest.com/

http://www.facebook.com/freakshowhorrorfest

http://twitter.com/freakshowhorror

Full Moon Tattoo and Horror Festival

April 6-8, 2012

This was held back in April in Nashville. True Blood's Kristin Bauer was the guest of honor, and Norman Reedus from The Walking Dead made an appearance too.

http://www.fullmoontattooandhorrorfestival.com/

Full Moon Tattoo and Horror Festival, on Facebook

Horror Sci Fi

March 29-April 5, 2012

Phoenix, Arizona-based horror and sci fi film festival.

http://www.horrorscifi.com/

H. P. Lovecraft Film Festival

May 11-13, 2012

A really cool film festival that's part of CthulhuCon.

http://www.hplfilmfestival.com/

Hudson Horror Show

May 19, 2012

Held in Poughkeepsie, New York. They screened classics such as Day of the Dead, Phantasm and Friday the 13th along with cheesy fare like The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires.

http://www.hudsonhorror.com/

Indie Horror Fest

March 23-25, 2012

Another production by Spookshow Entertainment. Held in Chicago.

http://indiehorrorfest.com/

http://www.facebook.com/IndieHorrorFilmFest

Killer Film Fest

November 1-3, 2012

Held in Somerville, Massachusetts. They specialize in indie horror.

http://www.killerfilmfest.com/

https://www.facebook.com/killerfilmfest

http://twitter.com/killerfilmfest

Killer Valley Horror Film Festival

March 10, 2012

A conveniently aptly named valley near Ashland, Oregon hosts this film fest.

http://killervalleyhorrorfilmfestival.com/

Midnight Black

October 24-November 3, 2012

"International festival of darkness." It takes place in Los Angeles, though you wouldn't be able to find that out on their poorly designed website.

http://midnightblackinternational.com/

http://www.facebook.com/midnightblackfest

Mile High Horror Festival

October 5-7, 2012

Held, of course, in Denver.

http://milehighhorrorfestival.com/

http://www.facebook.com/milehighhorrorfilmfestival

http://twitter.com/milehighhorror

Nevermore

February 17-19, 2012

Nevermore has been running for 13 years.

http://festivals.carolinatheatre.org/nevermore/

http://www.facebook.com/retrofantasma

A Night of Horror

March 23-April 1, 2012

Another weeklong film festival. This one's held in Sydney, Australia.

http://www.anightofhorror.com/

http://www.facebook.com/anightofhorror

http://twitter.com/anightofhorror

NYC Horror Fest

November 8-11, 2012

The festival screens over 50 films per year.

http://nychorrorfest.com/

NYC Horror Film Festival, on Facebook

https://twitter.com/NYCHFF

New Orleans Horror Film Festival

October 25-28, 2012

Created by horror filmmakers for other horror filmmakers. (Ie, not a "fan" convention).

http://www.neworleanshorrorfilmfestival.com/

http://www.facebook.com/nohff

Phoenix Fear Festival

October 13, 2012

Held in Tempe.

http://phxfearfilmfestival.com/

Sacramento Horror Film Fest

Several events in May-August, 2012

The historic Colonial Theater hosts an event every month from May through August.

http://www.sachorrorfilmfest.com/

Sacramento Horror Film Festival, on Facebook

http://twitter.com/SacHorrorFest

Screamfest LA

October 12-21, 2012

This festival is proud of the fact they discovered and showcased the film Paranormal Activity.

http://screamfestla.com

http://www.facebook.com/Screamfest

http://twitter.com/screamfest

Telluride Horror Show

October 12-14, 2012

Colorado's main horror film festival.

http://www.telluridehorrorshow.com/

Toronto After Dark

October 18-26, 2012

Quite possibly the longest horror film festival on the planet, at over a week long!

http://torontoafterdark.com/

http://www.facebook.com/torontoafterdark

http://twitter.com/TADFILMFEST

Tucson Terror Fest

October 18-20, 2012

Tucson, Arizona's horror film fest.

http://tucsonterrorfest.com/

Tucson Terrorfest Horror Film Festival, on Facebook

http://twitter.com/tucsonterrorff

Dark Side of the Net

New Goth Links for May Day 2012

2012-05-01T16:06:00.030-07:00

CEMETERIES, FUNERALS AND DEATH:

Morbid Anatomy

Joanna, a photographer and graphic designer, runs the Morbid Anatomy Library in Brooklyn. It's a private collection available to public researchers interested in the topic. The blog offers info on upcoming related events and exhibitions, plus info on upcoming conferences.

http://morbidanatomy.blogspot.com/

DARK ART:

Hollywood is Dead

Matt Busch's movie poster parodies. He re-imagines classic movie posters with a dark, horrific or tongue-in-cheek twist. For example, Audrey Hepburn in "Breakfast Is Tiffany," "Horde of Dead Things," "Deadward Scissorhands," "Cadavatar" and "Bleak to the Future." Giggle. There's a gallery, a shop, and Matt's mostly abandoned blog here. I've always had a soft spot for parodies, and I so enjoy browsing this site!

http://www.hollywood-is-dead.com/

DARK SHOPS:

Carried Away Coffins

"Sooner or later, you'll need one." This shop specializes in coffin-shaped cabinets for tattoo shops, as well as coffin-shaped mirrors, display cases and coffin bookshelves. So cool!

http://www.carriedawaycoffins.com/

Plasticland

An extremely cool store, selling retro clothes, home decor, skull accessories, arts & crafts supplies, jewelry, books, shoes, beauty products, kitsch and curiosities. There's even a whole section for "Mod Octopods."

http://www.shopplasticland.com/

Virgin Blak

An alternative fashion clothing store selling punk, indie and alternative clothing and accessories. Not the gothiest store ever, but it's not meant to be. I'm including it here because you can find some cool basics and interesting pieces here to add to your wardrobe.

http://www.virginblak.com/

Virgin Blak on Facebook

Virgin Blak on Twitter

Winona Cookie

This steampunk artist makes custom illustrations, collages, and cool artworks. She's done a Steampunk calendar for Zazzle, and has a book of steampunk paper dolls coming out soon. Check out her amazing Moribund Manor Haunted House artwork, as well as "Gothic Coffin Cruisers." Her writeups under each artwork are humorously written, I think she could have a second career as a witty dark author!

Winona Cookie, on Etsy

DARK MUSIC:

The Good Natured

A UK-based band with a female vocalist. They describe themselves as "pop noir." Their recent EP release is called "Skeleton."

The Good Natured (Official)

The Good Natured, on Facebook

The Good Natured, on MySpace

The Good Natured, on Twitter

GOTHIC LOLITA:

Carousel of Crowns

A lovely Gothic & Lolita fashion blog. Currently there's interesting commentary on the evolution of Gothic Lolita fashion in the last 19 years; some Items We Love shopping finds; and even some Gothic & Lolita home decor tips. Wish this blog were updated a teensy more often.

http://www.carouselofcrowns.com/

Hawaii Lolitas

A networking resource for Gothic Lolitas in Hawaii. Not updated often, but I can't find a Facebook replacement for this. Hopefully a nice way to find out about upcoming Lolita events in the Aloha state.

http://hi-loli.livejournal.com/

Dark Side of the Net

New Goth Links for April 5, 2012

2012-04-05T12:52:00.013-07:00

New links from Dark Side of the Net for April 5, 2012.

DARK SHOPS:

Necromance

A Los Angeles store with an antique flair, selling curiodities such as skull beads, jewelry, home decor, shark vertebrae, animal x-ray photographs, animal bones, specimens in jars, plus related cards and T-shirts. An interesting store to browse online, that's for sure.

http://www.necromance.com/

Necromance Hollywood, on Facebook

Nursery Crymes

This shop sells macabre dolls and doll sculptures by artist Eleanor Boyce in her studio in the north of England. The dolls in Gallery 3 actually frightened me to the point I yelped out loud, waking my doggies from their nap prematurely. Besides admiring the dollies lovely, bloody countenances, it's immensely entertaining to browse the descriptions here. "Hungry Harriet" and "Vomitessa," for example, have humorous writeups as explanations for their appearances.

http://www.nurserycrymes.com/

Nursery Crymes, on Facebook

Subversion Clothing

A UK-based shop selling goth, cyber, alternative, and steampunk clothes. Some of the brands they carry include Iron Fist, Bat Attack, Lip Service, Alchemy Gothic, Kreepsville 666, Tripp NYC, and Plastik Wrap. Besides men's and women's clothing, they sell jewelry, Manic Panic hair dye, plus accessories such as gloves and belts.

http://www.subversionclothing.co.uk/

Subversion UK Clothing "Goth Cloth" on Facebook

Tormented Artifacts

This shop sells insanely cool masks as well as some fascinating dark and twisted prints. Take a peek at the Artifacts section for intriguing occult ephemera.

http://www.tormentedartifacts.com/

Tormented Artifacts on Facebook

DARK PAGES IN OTHER LANGUAGES:

Tim Burton's World

A busy, active, well-maintained Spanish-language Tim Burton news blog. Recent posts have shared Dark Shadows character posters, info on Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter and shared a Spanish Dark Shadows trailer on YouTube.

http://tbworld.wordpress.com/

DARK TV:

The X-Files: Believe Again

One of the last few remaining X-files fandom Livejournals. This one is, refreshingly, carefully moderated and holds its allowable posts to high standards. Fics are posted here occasionally. Currently there is news on the third X-Files movie, Fox's 25th anniversary special (which will air on April 22), and a few useful links of interest to X-files fandom. I'll be back to check out and hopefully contribute to this community once I start my "Re-Watching" X-files project next fall.

http://xfiles.livejournal.com/

HORROR GENRE:

The NY Dark Side Horror Group

An active horror fan Meetup group in New York with real life meetups. Members can utilize the discussion board and share pages with the group, too. There are 15 upcoming meetups, and 163 members as of today. Membership dues are $15 (typical for Meetup).

http://www.nydarksidehorrorgroup.com/

--Carrie Carolin

Dark Side of the Net, since 1993

Dark Beverages for Goth Entertaining

2012-03-21T20:20:00.017-07:00

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

Dark Side of the Net goth lifestyle links

New Goth and Horror Links for March 20, 2012

2012-03-12T19:28:00.010-07:00

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/

Dark Side of the Net

13 Newish Zombie Links

2012-03-02T17:51:00.014-08:00

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/

Dark Side of the Net

New Goth and Horror Links for March 2, 2012

2012-03-02T16:49:00.005-08:00

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/

Curator of the Dark Side of the Net

New Goth and Horror Links for March 1, 2012

2012-03-01T14:37:00.005-08:00

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

http://www.darklinks.com/

New Dark Links for February 29, 2012

2012-02-29T11:43:00.004-08:00

DARK ART:

Lori Earley

This is the gallery of a contemporary surrealist figurative artist from New York. She is also a professional oil painter. Visit her gallery to explore her hauntingly beautiful, dark-tinged works. (NSFW due to some artistic nudity). My favorite is "Belladonna" from Gallery Four.

http://www.loriearley.com/

Lori Earley Page, on Facebook

Mon Petit Fantome

Chad Merritt's charming, spooky dark papercut and print art. His imagery includes skeletons, Baba Yaga, bats, and creepy girls. Love it, love it!

Mon Petit Fantome Blog

Mon Petit Fantome on Etsy

Mon Petit Fantome on Facebook

Mon Petit Fantome on Twitter

Helen Warner Fine Art Photography

This Irish artist captures hauntingly beautiful imagery. She lives in Belfast. She also shares interesting photography finds via her Tumblr account. See her large and beautiful gallery of photos on her Flickr stream. (My favorite so far is She Sleeps Until the Snow Falls.

I think you will be mesmerized by the photographs here; I suspect you'll have to go make yourself a cup of tea and settle in to view each and every one of them.

Helen Warner Photography on Facebook

Helen Warner Photography on Flickr.

Helen Warner Photography on Tumblr

DARK EVENTS:

Age of Decay Festival

The Age of Decay Festival will take place April 21, 2012 in Jacksonville, Florida. This sounds so fun - Ex-Voto is performing, as is The Drowning Season. The festival also features DJs, vendors and a horror artist.

http://www.ageofdecay.com/

Age of Decay Festival, on Facebook

DARK SHOPS:

Gloommatter

This shop sells jewelry, accessories, clothing, gothic home decor, and goth beauty products. I'm giggling that they sell black cotton swabs. Jewelry, from Alchemy Gothic, includes spiders, skeletons, coffins, and thorny roses.

http://www.gloommatter.com/

Gloommatter on Facebook

Gloommatter on Twitter

Licoricewits

"Zombies, monsters & things cute, for the slightly odd."

This shop sells adorable horror and monster cake toppers; monster kokeshi; zombie nesting dolls; a charming Edgar Allan Poe wooden kokeshi; and other delightful classic horror themed toys and gifts. Everything here is so cute!

Licoricewits

HORROR GENRE:

Black Ichor Blog

A girl from the South blogs about horror writing, comics, and horror literature. Posts here have been infrequent lately, but I bet you'll find a few things of interest if you stop by from time to time. You might enjoy the essay on horror and hillbillies.

http://blackichor.blogspot.com/

Cthutube

This blog covers horror and the Cthulhu mythos in film, literature, and games. The blog's background is extremely distracting, so try to power through it to get to the good posts here: TV episode spoilers, movie news, zombie game screenshots, comic book podcasts, and more.

http://cthutube.blogspot.com/

Les Temps des Vampires

A Facebook fan group dedicated to the ARVLFC's Halloween Ball. I recommend joining this group to keep up on updates if you're thinking of attending this year's ball.

ARVLFC Les Temps de Vampires, on Facebook

MicroHorror

Extremely short stories in the horror genre. These microfiction horror stories are 666 words or under. Read stories contributed by others, or share your own.

http://www.microhorror.com/

GOTH CLUBS:

Heresy Goth Club

Bakersfield, California's dark alternative and goth club. The next event is on March 3, "Electro Overload" featuring the band Carved Souls. After that, is "A Black Celebration - Midnight Masquerade" on April 14, when Funeral Club will perform.

http://www.heresygothclub.com/

Heresy, on Facebook

DARK MUSIC:

The Drowning Season

A gothic rock band from Maryland. Sounds a bit on the goth metal side to me, at least the vocals do. On February 4, they performed at Dracula's Ball in Philadelphia. They've also performed at the Southern Gothic Festival. Next, they'll perform at Age of Decay.

http://www.thedrowningseason.net/

The Drowning Season, on Facebook

Dark Side of the Net dark alternative and gothic links

12 Videos You Should Watch if You're New to Goth

2012-02-28T20:02:00.008-08:00

If you're under 25, new to goth or just trying to get an idea of what goth was like back "in the olden times," I'd love to show you some videos today. While not every video here is my absolute favorite, they really speak to the time and show what goth was as it evolved and changed. They're all videos I think it's important for you to have experienced if only once, and videos I think you might enjoy if you haven't seen them yet.

Some of them are just plain fun to watch for the fashions; others you may find yourself singing or humming later tonight.

I hesitate to make these "list" posts because so many people comment whining "You forgot to mention X video from Y band" or "Waah, X band isn't goth enough!" or whatnot. This isn't meant to be a thorough coverage of goth music video history. This is a list of some of my favorite videos, and you'll most likely see things here you don't enjoy and wish I'd listed some of your own favorites too. This list is totally different than a list might look from say, esteemed goth music expert Mick Mercer would be.

Anyway, this list was so difficult to make as I kept finding more wonderful things and wishing I had time to do a 25 or 50 song list!

1. Peter Murphy - "Cuts You Up," circa 1990

"Cuts You Up" on YouTube

This song was commercial enough to be shown on VH1, but it still treats you to lots of gorgeous visuals of Peter Fucking Murphy and plenty of his luscious low vocals. He's definitely an excellent showman and performer as well as vocalist. I chose this video instead of a Bauhaus one because I wanted you to see how the video was shot and styled.

2. Sisters of Mercy - "Lucretia, My Reflection"

At the time, this was one of the most gothy videos on the air, and I remember swooning with my friends over how beautiful and pale Patricia Morrison looked. In retrospect Andrew Eldritch's sunglasses might have been a bit pretentious, but at the time they looked so cool! (One of my favorite songs by the Sisters, by the way; my exhusband and I were actually in agreement that we were going to name a baby girl Lucretia if we'd had one!)

Lucretia, My Reflection, on YouTube

3. Virgin Prunes - "Walls of Jericho"

Not one of my favorite goth songs, but I wanted you to see the gutsy, unusual-for-the-time performance by this post-punk band. The singer is actually wearing a petticoat! "Their appearances were regularly banned" says their fan site.

Walls of Jericho, on YouTube

4. Joy Division - "Love Will Tear Us Apart"

One of the most beautiful songs ever written, in my humble opinion. This is the song that launched a thousand covers. Very few videos of Joy Division songs exist, given that it was the late 1970s and especially since Ian Curtis died in 1980.

Love Will Tear Us Apart, on YouTube

5. Joy Division - "She's Lost Control"

Now I'd like you to give a look at another Joy Division video if you have the time. A sad-eyed, baby faced Ian Curtis and amazing guitar work. Not sure what's going on with his unusual, yet highly energetic, spastic arm flapping dance. Of course I never got the opportunity to see them play live (I was eleven and living in San Diego in 1980) so videos like these are the only way I can experience Joy Division performing.

If you like this so far, also check out Dead Souls.

She's Lost Control, on YouTube

6. The Damned - "Grimly Fiendish"

Don't forget that goth is often playful, and goths often display tongue-in-cheek humor poking fun at themselves. While many of The Damned's videos displayed some amount of silliness, this one is the goofiest, and makes me chuckle.

Grimly Fiendish, on YouTube

7. The Cure - "Friday I'm in Love"

Some people turn their noses up at this particular Cure song because it was so commercially popular and got so much radio time and air play. I wanted you to see this because of how playful Robert and the rest of the band are in this video, which shows them racing late onto the set and playing with silly headpieces. A lot of outsiders to the scene think of The Cure as gloomy and depressing, but so many of their songs are actually happy and upbeat, fun and dancy.

Friday I'm in Love, on YouTube

8. The Cure - "A Night Like This

A beautiful slow song and restrained performance. The official videos on YouTube have bad audio and mismatched lipsynching, so instead I've been enjoying this live performance from 1986's Nurburging Festival. Amazingly it was well filmed, with steady cameras, and the audio is decent for what it is.

A Night Like This, on YouTube

9. The Cure - "A Forest"

Here's a makeup-less, short-haired Robert Smith singing my personal favorite song by the Cure. Interesting to compare this with videos that came later, and watch the evolution of the band's signature look and style. After you watch this one, then compare it to the newer "A Forest - Perfect Version," which just blew me away.

A Forest, on YouTube

10. The Smiths - Ask

It would be way too easy to just link to their most commercial hit, Girlfriend in a Coma and be done with it. (You should have seen that video before now, anyway). "Ask" was my favorite Smiths song when I was in college - SDSU had an awesome alternative radio station that played this often but not so much you got sick of it. I'd also like to share this quirky, unassuming video: Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before. Is this a goth video? There aren't any crucifixes, cemeteries or velvet capes. But a hell of a lot of goths worship The Smiths and watched this video every chance they got, back in the day.

Ask, on YouTube

11. Siouxsie and the Banshees - "Happy House"

Not my favorite Siouxsie and the Banshees song or video by far, but an important, influential song and video at that time. You have to hand it to them - Siouxsie and the Banshees videos always told interesting stories with intriguing, eye catching visuals. And her costumes, hair and fabulous makeup never disappointed!

Happy House, on YouTube

12. Siouxsie and the Banshees - "Spellbound"

It's so difficult to only select two Siouxsie videos for this post. She's such a consummate performer, so ballsy and gutsy too. Nobody, and I mean nobody, was doing anything remotely like she and the band were doing at that time. Truly unique.

If you have time, check out Arabian Knights and Siouxie's amazing performance live singing and dancing Peekaboo on Top of the Pops

Now peek at the extremely commercially produced Kiss them For Me video. Looks like they suddenly got a big budget!

Spellbound, on YouTube

Bonus: Check out Siouxsie and Robert Smith from the Cure performing "Dear Prudence" on Top of the Pops in 1983.

Hope you enjoyed the videos as much as I did tonight!

--Carrie Carolin

Dark Side of the Net

6 Fun Goth Tribute Bands

2012-02-27T14:13:00.003-08:00

The Cure - The Curse

This Cure tribute band dates back to 2003. Their most recent show was in February 2012 in Covina, California.

http://www.thecurseband.com/

The Curse on Facebook

The Curse on MySpace

The Curse on Twitter

The Cure - The Cureheads

This tribute band has been performing for over 20 years! You can check out their videos and live clips here at the site. I have to hand it to Gary Clarke, he really does an incredibly good impression of Robert Smith's singing voice.

They'll be performing several shows in June 2012 in England and Holland.

http://www.thecureheads.com/

The Cureheads on Wikipedia

The Cureheads on Facebook

The Cureheads on Twitter

Sisters of Mercy - The Reptile House

A San Francisco-based tribute band. My favorite tribute song by them is their version of Lucretia.

The Reptile House, on Facebook

The Reptile House, on MySpace

The Reptile House, on YouTube

Joy Division - Transmission

"Devoted to recreating the atmosphere of a live Joy Division gig." They're playing a gig every other month or so in the UK in 2012.

http://www.transmissionlive.com/

Transmission, on MySpace

The Smiths - The Sweet and Tender Hooligans

Oh my gosh, I had no idea how very many Smiths tribute bands were out there. I may have to do a separate post featuring many of them. Meanwhile, I chose The Sweet and Tender Hooligans for this post because of their long twenty year history as a tribute band. Based in LA, they are still performing actively and seem to really be enjoying what they do.

http://www.sweetandtenderhooligans.com/

The Sweet and Tender Hooligans, on Facebook

Siouxsie and the Banshees - The Happy Haus

In 2007 members of several Los Angeles goth and alternative bands formed "The Happy Haus." You can hear some of their songs on their YouTube channel. (My favorite is their Spellbound video).

Currently they're scheduled to play several southern California shows.

http://www.thehappyhaus.com/

The Happy Haus on Facebook

Dark Side of the Net goth links

6 Really Cool Goth Blogs

2012-02-26T20:24:00.012-08:00

1. Scary Jane

"Where the abnormal is normal." Jane has a degree in interior design, and owns a "haunted bookstore." She shares her interesting finds here on her blog: zombie gnomes; zombie pops; a creepy baby lamp; and a hilarious Cthulhu weenie roaster.

http://scaryjane.com/

2. Goth It Yourself

Bane's "handygoth" blog with tips on frugally, practically gothing your home decor up all by yourself, whether furniture, clothing or decorative items.

Recent posts include goth ceiling tiles; a gorgeous stripey curtain valance; and a thought-provoking post called "I Am My House."

http://gothityourself.blogspot.com/

3. Domesticated

"Fashion, culture and craft from the dark side." This blog covers music, arts, crafts, recipes and fashion, from a Gothic/Dark Romantic perspective. The blogger is a knowledgeable goth from Scotland.

Recent posts include Traditional goth, modern goth and scene snobbery; Vampires and Valentines; and Goth, Subcultures and Middle-Class Rebellion.

http://domesticatedgoth.blogspot.com/

4. Creepy Glowbugg

This spooky artist works with stamping and polymer clay. I love that her blog showcases her handiworks with generous amounts of pictures, but isn't just a "buy this on etsy!" blog like so many goth crafty blogs I've bumped into lately.

Her recent creations include a garden of good and evil complete with zombified frog; some adorable St. Patrick's Day skulls; and an adorable creation featuring a cartoony Gomez Addams.

You might also enjoy checking out her other blog, Haunted Design House.

http://creepyglowbugg.blogspot.com/

5. Vulcan Butterfly

"A Closeted Goth Girl Trying to Make it in the Professional World." I wonder if this young lady is a member of Corpgoth. She can't dye her hair wild colors, so makes up for it with well, aptly named, makeup! She shares pics of the fabulous way she's done her eye makeup, several times a week.

I love seeing what she's experimenting with lately. I also like to see the occasional outfits she shares. She's always careful to include pics of the cosmetics she's using, and info on exactly which cosmetics (and clothing brands) she uses to put together her look each time. Love her enthusiasm and spirit!

http://vulcanbutterfly.blogspot.com/

6. Plunder the Tombs

"An exhumation of first wave Goth and Death Rock, 1979-1988." This well-informed Australian blogger looks at goth music as coming in three waves: the first, influenced by post-punk; the second wave influenced by rock; the third by dance and EBM.

Besides covering important early goth bands here (including Fields of the Nephilim, The Mission, and Sisters of Mercy, posts here include much lesser known acts: Cadaver Finesse, Anorexic Dread and more.

I highly recommmend this blog for people new to goth or goth youngsters who missed all this info and great music the first time around.

http://plunderthetombs.blogspot.com/

Dark Side of the Net goth links

6 Tantalizing True Blood Links

2012-02-16T19:23:00.000-08:00

If you're a huge True Blood fan, you probably already have your favorite True Blood news sources and blogs to read. But if you're a calm enthusiast and sometimes consumer of the show, you might find the following links of interest.

1. Eric and Sookie Lovers

Fans of the vampire/psychic pairing on True Blood join to participate in forums, read True Blood news, read interviews, find out about True Blood related events, and access the media archives. There's also a couple of fanfic stories here, plus info on the last few seasons of the show. More intellectual than most shipper sites - but that doesn't say much. I mean it as a compliment!

http://ericandsookielovers.com/

2. Sookieverse Blog

It's hard to sustain a television-and-book based blog in between times. There won't be a new book out for a while, and the TV show won't air for a couple more months. So this blog is handling the drought by posting interesting thoughts on Hero worship of Eric; contemplation on the return of Steve Newlin; and plenty of active discussions in the site's forums.

http://www.sookieverseblog.com/

3. True Blood Fic

An active Livejournal community with frequent fan fic postings by some of the 1100 members. Both slash and heterosexual pairings stories are welcomed here.

http://true-blood-fic.livejournal.com/

4. Eric and Sookie

I didn't mean to overload this list with more than one Eric/Sookie pairing fan site. But I'm really enjoying this well-designed site, which currently presents info on the new cover of Deadlocked; the introduction of Eric Northman's sister; and the Season 5 teaser trailer.

http://www.ericandsookie.com/

5. Inside True Blood

A fascinating look behind-the-scenes at TrueBlood from people who work on the set. Recent posts include how the props department keeps track of the drinks being served at Merlottes and Fangtasia; how the costumer keeps Pam's costume lubricated; and how they set up the sets.

The posts are sadly sparse on words, but the behind-the-scenes exclusive photos are fabulous and make up for it.

http://www.inside-true-blood-blog.com/

6. True Blood Fan Source

Once you scroll past the December posting calling for authors, this site is vibrant and full of news and articles on True Blood. Casting news, trailers and previews, spoilers, info on the actors' other roles, principal actor sightings, and links to recent interviews and articles in other publications. A great way to get a quick overview of what's going on in the True Blood universe.

http://truebloodfansource.com/

Darklinks.com Goth Links

Darklinks on Facebook

Darklinks on Twitter

5 Quite Useful Writing Blogs for Dark Authors

2012-02-16T18:38:00.000-08:00

1. Dark Markets

Here's an important resource for goth, horror and dark writers. This is a great place to find updated info on submitting your work for publication to editors looking for horror, dark, steampunk or speculative fiction.

The markets covered here include print publications and anthologies; print magazines as well as webzines; and e-book publishers. There are posts every few days or so, as this blog has multiple editors.

Also, DarkMarkets publishes author and editor interviews; hosts a book club; and offers forums.

http://darkmarkets.com/

Dark Markets, on Facebook

2. Bloody Feather

Here's an active community of writers of adult dark fiction - 20,000 members strong and growing still. Part of the Dark Network, the site shows 344 active members browsing right now as I'm writing this. You can read blogs by other dark authors and join the forums to see what else is going on.

http://www.bloodyfeather.com/

3. Horror Writing

I hesitated about including this blog because it hasn't been updated in over 2 months. But the quality of the posts here is so helpful and inspiring, I thought at least someone might find the back archive useful. Check out past posts on the importance of pacing; "What's Wrong With My Story?"; and Creating Fear in Fiction.

Horror Writing at Wordpress.com

4. Hellnotes

This blog covers "fiction, movies and art dedicated to the horror genre." That means it's not writer-specific, but you can still glean helpful writing info and inspiration from the posts here. There's a ton of industry info, such as which publishing house just signed which author or agent; horror market opportunities; upcoming book titles; and other publishing industry news. This is refreshingly not a fan or affiliate site or book review site.

http://hellnotes.com/

Hellnotes, on Facebook

5. Horror Tree

Another very useful resource for finding horror market opportunities. For example, one market is calling for "Techno-Goth Cthulhu". (I'm giggling a bit at how many of these markets are currently pleading, "No zombie stories!")

http://horrortree.com/

HorrorTree on Facebook

Dark Side of the Net

Dark Side of the Net on Facebook

Darklinks on Twitter

5 Dark Blogs I'm Currently Enjoying Reading

2012-02-11T13:57:00.001-08:00

1. 4AD First Decade

A knowledgeable music enthusiast blogs about the 1980s alternative record label started in the UK. The blogger is on a crusade to collect all the releases from 4AD's first decade, planning to showcase them on 4AD's 50th anniversary (in 2030).

Blog posts include info on Cocteau Twins, Dead Can Dance, Bauhaus, The Birthday Party, Lush, and other goth and post-punk bands. See his post on What is Goth? here for an interesting perspective and some thoughts on elitism.

http://4adfirstdecade.blogspot.com/

2. Goreyana

"A blog celebrating the works of Edward Gorey." Currently posting about cool Edward Gorey drinking glasses, a find of Edward Gorey mugs, an extremely rare N is for Newsletter, and artwork from the Graham Gallery. This blogger is extremely good at finding Gorey collectibles and rarities; be sure to visit if you are a Gorey fan or collector.

http://goreyana.blogspot.com/

3. Organic Goth

"Wear goth, think green." You can learn about Ecogoth from their What Is Ecogoth? post. Great posts here include recipes for absinthe cupcakes and info on their upcoming absinthe products. They apparently have an Ecogoth TV show but haven't updated it in 90 days or more.

http://organicgoth.blogspot.com/

4. Little Gothic Horrors

Emma blogs about old-school goth, horror, Halloween, and anything to do with Tim Burton or Edward Gorey. Recent posts include a look at new Ghastlie fabric designs; news on Horrorland's Vampires Day Soiree; and some delightfully dark finds. Such a fun blog to peruse!

http://littlegothichorrors.blogspot.com/

5. Monster Brains

"A never-ending celebration of monsters." Aeron posts about comics, strange artwork, poster art, and dark illustrators. You'll always find something interesting for your eyeballs to feast upon here.

http://monsterbrains.blogspot.com/

Dark Side of the Net

Dark Side of the Net on Facebook

Dark Side of the Net on Twitter

New Goth Links for February 9, 2012

2012-02-06T19:52:00.000-08:00

DARK EVENTS:

Bitten 3

Bitten 3 is a True Blood fan convention, held in Northhampton in the UK. It will take place the weekend of August 17-19, 2012. Nelsan Ellis, who plays "Lafayette" in the show, and Denis O'Hare (Russell Edgington) are scheduled to appear.

Bitten 3

Undead Con

The Anne Rice Vampire Lestat Fan Club just announced the 2012 ARVLFC Undead NOLA Authors' Conference, which will take place October 25-29 in New Orleans. It coincides with the Coven Ball, which has the theme of "Wolf's Gift" this year.

Undead Con

DARK MOVIES:

The Halloween Kid

This short film, by Axelle Carolyn, will premiere in March, at the International Children's and Young People's Festival in Sweden. Check out the teaser trailer and stills here at the official blog.

The Halloween Kid, at Wordpress.com

DARK SHOPS:

Baby's First Boo

This eBay store sells darker items for babies and kids. There are Nightmare Before Christmas throw blankets, Day of the Dead clothing for babies, Halloween pillows, skulls and flames motifs, some skull jewelry, and a few comics-related items (mostly Superman).

Baby's First Boo, on eBay

This adorable shop sells fairytale jewelry and whimsical witchy dollhouse miniatures. Check out the poison cookbook, grinning teapot and impossibly tiny jar of mugwort. I could blow a lot of money here if I'm not careful!

Pixie Dust Miniatures, on Etsy

DARK TV:

Dark Shadows Episodes

Get ready for the new Dark Shadows movie by revisiting some of the old episodes. Hulu currently offers twelve episodes from Season 1.

Dark Shadows, on Hulu

HORROR GENRE:

Brutal as Hell

"Horror Without Mercy." Besides horror movie and TV news, this blog features interviews, reviews, and TV recaps for "True Blood" and "The Walking Dead."

http://www.brutalashell.com/

Daily Dead

This blog offers daily zombie, horror and sci-fi news. Currently covering Alien and Prometheus related news, showcasing a zombie head desk organizer, the Walking Dead, and news on horror television.

http://dailydead.com/

A Passion for Horror

Steve Calvert's blog about horror films and literature. He's got quite a nice list of public domain horror movies on his site, as well.

A Passion for Horror

Werewolves.Com

News and updates on werewolves. Currently discussing Teen Wolf; posting about werewolves and Valentine's Day; updating news on werewolves in Being Human; and posting about werewolves in "Blade." I'm impressed with how often this site updates.

http://www.werewolves.com/

Dark Side of the Net

2 Perfect Movies for a Snow Day

2012-01-19T12:26:00.001-08:00

The trees in my backyard, weighed down by heavy snowfall

Snowed in for five days now, we're spending lots of time reading, huddling by the fireplace with hot cocoa, taking long wintry walks through the snow, and watching movies. Today I'm in the mood for these two:

Misery

Stephen King's delightful tale of a writer kidnapped, injured and snowbound by a crazed fan, forced to write her preferred version of his story.

Easy to watch, not too complicated, and nothing that will give one nightmares. Just a good fun light horror/suspense film, perfect with popcorn.

RELATED LINKS:

Misery DVD, on Amazon

Misery (novel) at Stephen King.com

Misery Trailer, on YouTube

Misery, on IMDB

Misery Fan Fiction

Misery (film) on Wikipedia

Misery (novel) on Wikipedia

Misery Transcript, on Script-O-Rama

The Shining

Who can forget the snowy maze scene? The desolation, isolation and creepy long hallways? Perfect for a snowy evening where you're terrified by the film, yet cozily wrapped up in your blankie in front of your cheery fireplace. Good luck getting to sleep after viewing though, no matter how many times you've re-watched this film.

RELATED LINKS:

The Shining Blu-Ray, on Amazon

The Shining, at IMDB

The Making of "The Shining," on YouTube

The Shining Trailer, on Google Video

The Shining (film) at Wikipedia

The Shining (novel) at Wikipedia

The Shining, at The Kubrick FAQ

Redrum/Murder in the Shining (The Fine Art Diner)

The Shining Post-Production Script, at Daily Script

Room 237 Documentary (Talk Stephen King)

The Shining: Analysis of the Kubrick Horror Classic

Shining Fan Fiction

The Stanley Hotel, at Wikipedia

6 Excellent Goth Music Resources

2012-01-14T21:48:00.000-08:00

1. CureFans.com

This is a very active set of forums and a great place to keep up with news on The Cure. Sometimes I think posters here know when The Cure is playing a show before even members of the actual band do! There are subforums for media coverage; Cure trivia; trades; solo projects; and buying/selling.

http://curefans.com/

2. Gods and Alcoves

I've really been enjoying this blog on goth, post-punk and alternative music. The blog covers the formative years, 1979 to 1989. Besides the blog, there's a list of influential bands, a timeline, and recommended listening. The photographs reproduced here are fabulous, too. This is shaping up to be a very very important goth historical resource. Well done.

http://www.godsandalcoves.com/

3. Joy Division Central

Here's an old fashioned site design that's clean, easy to navigate and works with any browser. Great way to showcase the tons of info here. This Day in Joy Division History; plus extensive info on bootlegs, concerts, sessions, places of interest, media coverage, band history, tribute bands, and so much more. Someone has put a ton of work into this site.

http://www.joydiv.org/

4. Cure Connections

Another active and useful Cure fan forum, this one quite slickly designed. Any time I've been looking around here, there have been over a hundred people online busily catching up on news and info on The Cure. It's part of The Cure Community site.

http://www.cureconnections.com/

http://www.thecurecommunity.com/

5. Dark Grave

If you're into goth music, I'll bet you've already been to this site. If not.. here are news, reviews, downloads and info on new goth bands.

http://www.darkgrave.com/

6. Some Dizzy Whore

A Morrissey/Smiths fan blog that someone works hard on - I see something new here frequently. Currently blogging about Morrissey joining the No Cruel Cosmetics campaign and sharing info on his first show in 2012.

http://www.somedizzywhore.com/blog/

Dark Side of the Net

16 Beautiful Dark Things to Look Forward to in 2012

2012-01-13T20:07:00.000-08:00

1. Closer - a Joy Division Celebration

In April 2012, in Australia, Peter Hook's band Peter Hook and The Light will perform Joy Division's "Closer" album, live and in entirety. They will do so in four cities: Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney, and Adelaide. I would love to see this. There's no Australian travel in my immediate future however, sadly!

Closer - A Joy Division Celebration with Peter Hook, on Facebook

Closer - A Joy Division Celebration Ad, on YouTube

2. The Raven Movie Premieres

On March 9, The Raven will hit theaters. Starring John Cusack as Edgar Allan Poe, the film is highly fictionalized. Edgar Allan Poe does detective work to find and stop a serial killer in Baltimore.

The Raven Movie (Official)

The Raven 2012 on IMDB

The Raven Movie Trailer, at Apple

3. Dark Shadows Movie Premieres

Tim Burton's long-awaited project premieres May 11, 2012.

Dark Shadows on IMDB

Dark Shadows Fan Site, on Facebook

Dark Shadows News

4. Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter Premieres

Starring one of my favorite dark brooding actors (Rufus Sewell), this movie based on a mashup novel comes out on June 22, 2012.

Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter, on IMDB

5. Blade Animated Series

On Friday, January 13th, Marvel's Blade animated series will debut on the G4 network. It's already aired in Japan in 2011. Twelve half-hour episodes will air.

Marvel Anime, on Wikipedia

6. Prometheus Movie Premieres

This film takes place before the events in Alien, but is not a "prequel." You won't see Sigourney Weaver in it, for example. I'm looking forward to the beautifully dark story this will surely tell. The film opens in June.

Prometheus (Official)

Prometheus Movie, on Facebook

Prometheus, on IMDB

Prometheus News from AVP Spectrum.com

Alien Prequel News

7. The Woman in Black Movie Premieres

Daniel Radcliffe experiments with a role in a spooky ghost story. It hits theaters soon - February 3.

Woman in Black (Official)

The Woman in Black Trailer, at Apple

The Woman in Black Movie, on Facebook

The Woman in Black, on IMDB

8. World War Z Movie Premieres

Brad Pitt interviews survivors of the zombie apocalypse. It will premiere just in time for Christmas 2012 - how lovely.

World War Z, at IMDB

World War Z, on Wikipedia

9. Paranorman Movie Premieres

Here's something I'm looking forward to immensely. It's by the same animation company (Laika) that did Coraline.

Paranorman (Official)

Paranorman, on IMDB

Paranorman, on Facebook

Paranorman Trailer, on Apple

10. Convergence

The yearly get-together for denizens of alt.gothic. This year it's on June 15-17, 2012 in Buffalo, NY. Sadly, I don't think I can go this year due to having so many foster kids.

Convergence

11. Southern Gothic Festival

A gothic and industrial music festival held in New Orleans. This year it takes place July 12 - 15.

http://www.southerngothicfestival.com/

12. Midlands Goth Festival

A music festival that takes place February 18, 2012 in Birmingham, UK. Some of the bands appear to be "goth metal" or metal, not goth though.

http://www.midlandsgothfestival.co.uk/

13. Whitby Gothic Weekends

The most important yearly goth event in the world. This year's events take place April 26-30 and Halloween through November 5, 2012.

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

14. Wave-Gotik-Treffen

Leipzig, Germany is taken over by gruftis for an entire weekend. This year it takes place May 25-28.

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

15. Resistanz International Industrial Festival

An industrial music festival, April 7-8 in Sheffield, UK. This year's lineup includes Icon of Coil and Be My Enemy.

http://www.corporation.org.uk/resistanzfestival/

Resistanz Festival, on Facebook

16. World Horror Con 2012

Horror professionals meet up in Salt Lake City March 29 - April 1, 2012. Mike Mignola is the Artist Guest of Honor, and Dacre Stoker appears as a special guest.

http://www.whc2012.org/

--Carrie Carolin

http://www.darklinks.com

Gothic Lolita Links

2011-12-28T09:36:00.000-08:00

ABC Lolita

"American-Born Chinese Lolita" blogs about the tea parties she's attended; the Lolita meetups she's attended; and what she's sewing and wearing lately.

http://abc-lolita.blogspot.com/

Aesthetic Lolita

A lot of beauty reviews, Lolita beauty tips, and tips on fashion.

http://aestheticlolita.blogspot.com/

Baby, the Stars Shine Bright San Francisco Blog

The US flagship store for the brand, located in San Francisco, blogs about their newest offerings. They carry BTSSB as well as the sub-brand Alice and the Pirates. They're currently blogging about an after-Christmas coat sale.

http://baby-aatp.blogspot.com/

Andrea Nicole Baker

Andrea blogs about her love of Gothic and Lolita fashion and the lifestyle. Recently she's been excited about a new DAL doll, and the upcoming Jane by Design TV show (which I think my teenager and I will check out, too!)

http://andreanicolebaker.blogspot.com/

F Yeah Lolita

A Lolita fashion and lifestyle blog that's one of my favorites for keeping up with what's going on. Currently posting about the Lace & Petticoats documentary, the current trend in fawn fur, and reviews of steampunk shops.

http://fyeahlolita.blogspot.com/

Lolita Valentines

A Livejournal community for sending appreciation to your fellow lolis. Pics are hosted on Tinypic. As Valentine's Day is now just a couple months away, the community is gearing up again.

http://loli-valentines.livejournal.com/

Lolita Weekly

This blog features outfit pics, clothing and brand reviews, and news on shops and Loli fashion.

http://loliweeks.blogspot.com/

Makelovely's Blog

She tries to post her outfit every day, and shares info on brands she's discovered.

http://makelovely.wordpress.com/

Midnight Circus

Ria blogs about her Lolita fashions she wears, plus finds, events and fun things.

http://riakoakuma.blogspot.com/

Miss Lumpy

"Beauty & Opulence for Modern Maidens." A Lolita lifestyle and aesthetics blog. Some recent posts of interest include Lolita Beauty Don'ts, photos from a Lolita brunch, and a review of some fabulous paper eyelashes.

http://herlumpiness.blogspot.com/

The Weekend Lolita

Andie's blog features beauty product reviews, interesting Lolita-related things she's found online, plus posts on food, outfits and music.

http://www.weekendlolita.com/

The Fashionate Traveler

This blogger travels to Japan twice a year, and encourages readers to be adventurous and seek out new experiences. Check out the fabulous beaded outfit she wore for Christmas; her gorgeous gothic curly updo for an event; and the neon brights she recently purchased. Lots here to enjoy reading about!

http://thefashionatetraveller.com/blog

Parfait Doll

Victoria Suzanne blogs about her passions: pastels, Pullip dolls, dollhouses, and her teacup Pomeranian. Many recent posts have concerned Christmas gift suggestions for Lolitas, but they weren't affiliate spammy and I expect her blog to continue on posting interesting Lolita finds in the months ahead.

http://www.parfaitdoll.com/

Dark Side of the Net

New Goth Links for December 28, 2011

2011-12-27T23:08:00.000-08:00

DARK ART:

Ray Caesar

A British digital fine artist who draws rather a lot of tentacled women. His work is part of the Pop Surrealism movement. Stop by his blog every now and then to see some of the fascinating things he's currently working on.

Hidden below his "About" page is the gallery of Ray Caesar's works, from 2003 til the present. You can even get a sneak peek at his work for 2012.

My favorite work here is "Silent Partner" from the 2009 gallery. I suspect you'll greatly appreciate it as well.

http://www.raycaesar.com/

Ray Caesar on Facebook

Ray Caesar on MySpace

Bob Lizarraga

Oh, you're going to have fun here! There are portraits based on classic horror; weird dark tiki prints; and fun Hollywood and classic horror-themed caricatures. The artist is obviously a huge fan of monster and horror films, and quite talented at expressing his enjoyment of them.

Bob Lizarraga

Bob Lizarraga's Blog

Mizna Wada

This Japanese artist draws and illustrates adorable gothy little girls - sometimes bleeding; sometimes getting into mischief; and always with a perky, feisty attitude.

Don't miss the adorable Spooky ABC book, and her cute Paper doll, too.

http://www.hihou.net/mizna/

Mizna Wada on Tumblr

Sarah Dolby

Quite possibly my favorite dark artist of all time. (Check out Sophia's Lament). A New Zealander, she works in oil on canvas. I so wish this website were updated for 2011 though.

http://www.sarahdolby.co.nz/

Victoria Frances

An incredibly talented artist from Spain. Her website is frustratingly slow to load, has music you can't turn off, and is a bit difficult to navigate, but the incredible artwork is worth the wait. You can see why she has such passionate fans.

http://www.victoriafrances.es/ (Official)

http://www.victoriafrancesfan.org/

Victoria Frances, on Wikipedia

DARK BLOGS:

Blood Milk Jewelry

An artist's blog that supports and reinforces her etsy shop but is also full of many other interesting things, not just ads for her lovely things. She shares music videos she's currently enjoying, discusses intriguing movies she's seen recently, and points out interesting works by other artists.

http://bloodmilkjewelry.blogspot.com/

Wicked Halo

"Your source for all things wicked and awesome." A fun blog to browse. Tags and subjects include pop surrealism, interior design, fairytales, fashion, music and illustration. You'll find a lot of intriguing, beautiful dark things and artists to discover here.

http://www.wicked-halo.com/

A Zombie Gentleman's Diary

This is actually a Tumblr, not a blog, but with so many interesting dark things to look at, I wanted to share it with you.

http://zombiegentleman.info/

DARK SHOPS:

Cruella

"Fashion for the dead." A Canadian goth/cyberpunk/Lolita web store, quite famous and respected. The site is in both English and French, as you'd expect. They sell clothing for men and women, plus accessories (handbags, fangs, jewelry, etc).

http://www.cruella.ca/

Deadly Grounds Coffee

This coffee company uses a hearse for their company car - and wait til you see the cool packaging on their beans! You can order their coffee on their website, or buy it in a couple retail locations (such as in Hell, Michigan).

http://www.deadlygroundscoffee.com/

Mysterium

An Austin, Texas-based steampunk store. They sell eyewear (including pink goggles!), corsets, flasks, pocket watches, and jewelry. They also sell "steambath" products, but only at their physical store.

http://www.the-mysterium-neovictorian.com/

Sick on Sin

A Canadian store selling horror themed t-shirts for men, women, kids and pets. The infant tees are particularly adorable. There are also accessories on offer, such as buttons, magnets, keychains and pocket mirrors.

http://www.sickonsin.com/

Sweet Heart Sinner Creations

An eBay store selling goth, psychobilly, retro humor, Edgar Allan Poe, and Halloween art. Don't miss the Alice in Wonderland category, too.

http://stores.ebay.com/Sweet-Heart-Sinner-Creations

HORROR AUTHORS:

Gabrielle Faust

Somehow this fabulous vampire author's link never made it into the Darklinks database. She's the author of the popular techno-horror series "Eternal Vigilance." Currently, she'll be appearing at a coffee house in Austin, TX on January 8, 2012.

http://www.gabriellefaust.com/

Gabrielle Faust on Facebook

HORROR BLOGS:

Horrorphilia

This blog features horror movie reviews, book reviews, interviews, and several podcasts.

http://www.horrorphilia.com/

HORROR GENRE:

Cast Macabre

"Bringing fear to your ears." This is a horror fiction podcast. While there hasn't been a new podcast uploaded since September, this site is still worth keeping your eyes (and ears) on.

http://www.castmacabre.org/

From Dusk Till Con

This is an incredibly important resource for those interested in horror and zombie conventions. Besides news on upcoming conventions, guests of honor, and events, there's an active set of forums.

http://www.fromdusktillcon.com/

Dark Side of the Net

4 Cool and Morbid Hearse Clubs

2011-11-16T05:39:00.000-08:00

I think it's pretty cool that owners of classic hearses band together into communities, create events and drive their hearses around in caravans and parades!

Denver Hearse Club

A pretty active hearse club in Colorado.

http://www.hearseclub.com/

NOLA Hearses and Pro Cars

They're proud they've been banned from 6 New Orleans-area cemeteries.

http://nolahearse.com/

Mortis City Hearse Club of Michigan

This Detroit area hearse club features forums, a gallery, mailing list and chat room for area enthusiasts.

http://www.mortiscity.com/

Rain City Hearse Club

A Seattle-Tacoma area club.

Rain City Hearse Club, on Facebook

4 Seemingly Cool Dark and Gothic Restaurants

2011-11-09T18:16:00.000-08:00

Tokyo's Alice in Wonderland Restaurant

Extensive photos from this blogger's visit to the themed restaurant in Tokyo. I'm jealous!

Alice in Wonderland Restaurant, at Fubiz.net

Draculas in Australia

This chain of restaurants features burlesque and cabaret dinner theater shows. Dracula's in Queensland is currently featuring "Redrum Cabaret," and in Melbourne they're performing "Sin and Tonic." I definitely hope to check one of these out if my dream comes true and I get to tour Australia in the next couple of years.

http://www.draculas.com.au/

Dracula Dinner

This Dracula-themed dinner show takes place at several different restaurants (often hotel restaurants) in Germany. You can also book a themed show for your office party or private event. The site is in German, of course. You can browse through the photo gallery.

http://www.draculadinner.de/

Pizzeria Dracula

A pizza place in Krakow, Poland. They seem to have a large selection of pizzas, and apparently serve on plates bearing a cute Dracula illustration.

http://www.pizzeriadracula.pl

New Goth Links for November 9, 2011

2011-11-09T17:05:00.000-08:00

DARK ANIMATION:

Dr. Shroud, the Animated Series

A really interesting, morbidly playful web series from 2005. Dr. Shroud is a reformed vampire who is a plastic surgeon and vampire killer. You can watch the episodes on Newgrounds and on YouTube.

http://www.drshroud.com/

Dr. Shroud on Facebook

DARK COMMUNITIES:

The Alterium

A social network for the alternative, goth and fetish lifestyles. It appears to be run on the Ning platform. There are blogs, groups, events and a section for music.

http://thealterium.com/

Vampire Social

A fairly large and active vampire social network that also looks like it's run on Ning. Lots of groups, and very active forums. There's also a bit of a focus on vampire dating here.

http://www.vampiresocial.com/

Werewolf Ball

"Werewolf Ball is the social networking website for Werewolves, Shifters, Therians, and Otherkin. We are a home for real people across the globe." Resources and databases for werewolf-related info.

http://www.werewolfball.com/

DARK MOVIES:

William Castle's Blog

Legendary horror filmmaker of the 1950s and 1960s blogs about his current projects. He recently announced that his daughter Terry is taking over William Castle Productions.

http://williamcastle.com/

Del Toro Films

A fan site for dark director and author Guillermo del Toro. His films include the lavishly dark and beautiful Pan's Labyrinth, Hellboy, Blade 2, Mimic and several other in the dark and horror genres.

The fan site offers news on everything he's up to (I'm looking forward to his final book in the Strain Trilogy: The Night Eternal), plus an active discussion forum.

http://deltorofilms.com/

DARK SHOPS:

Evil Pawn Jewelry

This shop sells really cool skull cameo designs on rings, bracelets, necklaces and earrings. They also sell vintage style goth necklaces, elegant hair combs, and unusual skull and pirate engagement rings. Truly gorgeous things here.

http://www.evilpawnjewelry.com/

A shop selling adorably spooky goodies including skull-bedecked baby bibs; Frankenstein aprons; bat and skull kitchen mitts, pot holders and kitchen towels; monster and vampire pillows; tote bags and hats with dark and horror themes.

It makes me nervous that the copyright notice says 2008 though - is this shop still open? I'd suggest using the contact link to verify before purchasing anything.

http://sewscary.com/

Dark Side of the Net

13 Morbidly Cool Dark Etsy Shops

2011-10-30T20:05:00.000-07:00

1. Agorables

Lowbrow art featuring skulls, zombies, Day of the Dead, and monsters. They sell wallets, prints, greeting cards, notepads, and belt buckles.

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

2. Lisa Falzon Art

Lisa Falzon sells her fabulous dark fantasy artwork prints here. She also sells some adorable pocket mirrors featuring her artwork.

My favorite print for sale here is The Dreaming Box.

Her blog is here and she has a Facebook page too.

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

3. Grigio Design

This shop sells jewelry featuring skeletons, Lolita, Day of the Dead, and vampires. I really like the cameo earrings and the fat bat necklace

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

4. Monster of My Heart

This artist has a strange fascination with human teeth. There are huge "human tooth" pendants, as well as loose replicas you can leave around the house to frighten your roommates. I really like the chocolate brown leather bracelet, colorful skull keyrings, and sugar skull brooches. There are a lot of really weird things here you might want to peek at, I can't even describe most of them.

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

5. Pocket Full of Poziez

I've long been a fan of Queeniez' creations. She makes adorable stuffed goth toys, as well as pillows, prints, tote bags and other goth necessities. Her dreadfully cute creations get illegally copied and ripped off a lot, so be sure you are buying straight from their talented creator.

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

http://www.pocketfullofposiez.com/

Pocket Full of Posiez on Facebook

Queenie Posiez, on Twitter

6. Wishing Thorn

This shop sells "peculiarities and vintage goods." Currently stocked with intriguing vials and bottles, toxins and poisons, weird stickers, odd art prints, and eerie vintage photographs.

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

7. Solocosmo

This store purveys the artwork of Jessica Grundy. Her prints are of colorful-haired girls who are slightly, cheerfully goth, but not uber-spooky. There are also magnets, buttons, necklaces and mirrors featuring her art.

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

8. Indigo Chyld Resources

Fabulous dark digital collage supplies. Background sheets, digital scrapbook kits, Halloween images, and other digital artwork to help your crafts projects. Also, she makes really cool paper dolls, including my favorite, the Lizzie Borden paper doll.

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

9. Wool & Water

This shopowner is on vacation until Halloween is over, so you'll have to check back to see the delightful dark goods here.

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

10. HidenSeek

"The art of fairytales, wild bears and dark forest creatures." Art prints, jewelry, postcards, and mirrors featuring lost children, girls who look remarkably like Snow White and Little Red Riding Hood. I love fairy tales, so this store is especially tempting to me.

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

11. Sacred Stitches

Nice dreary skeletal artwork on shirts for men and women, plus some prints and pillows featuring similar dark illustrations.

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

12. Cyanide Sweetheart

Cute Alice-in-Wonderland themed jewelry, some skull poison rings, and other gifts. I seem to recall there being a lot more items for sale here when I first started working on this post 2 weeks ago; maybe they were all so cool they sold out right away!

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

13. The Witching Hour

Cool goth jewelry, clothing, purses and accessories. A bit tradgoth, a bit Victorian, and then some disco thrown in for the heck of it.

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

Dark Side of the Net goth and Halloween links