Happy Halloween 2007

Last weekend it was time again for a two day meditation on a hand full of pumpkins. What would our favorite holiday be without a carving challenge? I have to admit that again I had some difficulties in getting into the right mood this year. It was way too warm, and I wasn’t sure which subjects to choose this time. Luckily the weather cooled down after last week’s rainy days, and I was finally all ready and set to carve my new patterns.

I believe David Lynch’s Eraserhead was my first pick this year. It has been one of my favorite films for many years, and not too long ago I was reminded of it when I read about the coming Eraserhead screenings at the Charles threatre. So no question, this had to be a perfect pattern.

Next, there’s Freddy vs. Jason although I have never actually seen the 2003 film of the same name. I grew up with both Freddy Krueger and Jason as great horror icons of the 80s, and still remember when I saw first Nightmare on Elm Street. So I had to create a pumpkin with both of them. At the same time I thought it would be great to have one motif everybody could recognize. This pumpkin turned out to be very difficult because there was not much material to cut out. After hours of work I didn’t like the final result at all, but after I saw the photos thought it was alright in the end.

The third pumpkin is graphic novelist Alan Moore in the famous Aleister Crowley pose. I always enjoyed Alan Moore’s work, and a reference to “The Wickedest Man in the World” seemed quite appropriate for Halloween.

The fourth and last pumpkin is Klaus Kinski in Werner Herzog’s 1979 Nosferatu: Phantom der Nacht. Maybe a bit obscure for a Halloween pumpkin, but a great pick for moviegoers!

Enjoy, and Happy Halloween!