Greater Atlanta Overlay on Korolev Crater

I didn't skew it North to South, so the perspective is a bit off, but basically the diameter of the Korolev Crater is approximately the same distance as you are from all your friends and relatives, if you live in greater Atlanta. From one edge to the other is about the same as Hiram to Lawrenceville, as the buzzard flies. Or from Villa Rica to Lithonia. Or from Griffin to Roswell.

R.I.P. Stan Lee

Excelsior!

Crosses as "T" in Titles and Logos

No doubt I missed a lot but this has become a very overused gimmick in film titles and logos. Seems like there's another one every time you browse. The Exorcist (1973) didn't need it, nor the Pact, nor a lot of others. Comment with any I missed and I will add them.

Get Your Ass to Netherworld

I can't write about Netherworld without it sounding like I'm going way over the top. But it is what it is, man.

The scare actors at Netherworld materialize behind you from thin air.

Waiting in line at Netherworld is better than most pro haunted attractions. They know how to build your excitement. There is more amazing set and prop design to gawk at even before you get into the "no photo" area than you even have time for. And we took our sweet time.

You will sometimes notice a scare actor and tell yourself "ah, there's one. I won't jump." But they still get you.

You will never again be impressed with your county's corn-maze spookhouse after visiting Netherworld.

The scare actors at Netherworld can somehow swing an axe or sword within a hair's breadth of your face and never touch you.

Netherworld goes on and on, and on and on. You will not be rushed through and you will feel like you got every bit of your money's worth.

The scare actors at Netherworld might actually be real monsters. I am 50 but still not entirely sure about this.

When you exit the main haunt, there is still so much to see. The second haunt is shorter but always of equal quality. The new museum is very much worth the additional $5. They have about a dozen photo ops or more and games and stuff.

Dude really, some of the scare actors might have made a deal with the devil or something.

I mentioned lines. You might have heard about lines. Let me explain them to you. If you get a speed pass, you will miss out on what is to me an integral part of the Netherworld experience. I don't like crowds personally but you can just feel the excitement in the air. Here's why I like the lines:

1. We arrived before they opened and got in line to buy tickets. This outside line behind the building started moving just as soon as they opened, and because we got there about a half hour early, we got inside quickly. Once inside to buy tickets, there is an ominous hum that goes right into your bones. This mostly dark, high ceiling chamber is sparsely peppered with some incredibly detailed props, just enough to get your blood pumping.
2. With tickets in hand, you exit the building and walk around to the other side, careful to watch out for Sasquatch. He's out there, along with the Collector and others. This line moved surprisingly fast, even though we had left the premises to eat and came back over an hour later. Out here you are treated to some classic monster music. Also you will hear scream after scream from other customers surprised by scare actors who, as I said, seem to just appear from nowhere Mephistopheles-style and scare the crap out of you. They got my kids a few times. You will have several opportunities to make a photo with them in this queue.
3. At the end of this line they scan your tickets and you go into the Archive. Note: the Archive is not the Netherworld Museum. This area is a sort of line but take your time. We let others go ahead of us while taking in the details of the props. It's the final chance you have to make photos before the main attraction. Here you'll find yourself saying "is this real? Is this real?"
4. A curtain marks the end of the Archive, along with a stern warning about photos, courtesy of Dick Terhune. Beyond the curtain, you enter a grand hall that, while it is a sort of line, is really only there to break people into groups. But if you are like me you won't be in a hurry to leave this area. The ambiance is just too strong, too creepy, too Halloween my friend. It did move quickly though.

That's it. In summary, there are lines, but not the kind you want to miss. We were in the main attraction for at least half an hour but it's hard to say. Time moves differently in there. In every direction you look, there's something to see. Around every corner, there's something awesome and new.

I'm going to bed now, wondering if I asked a genuine vampire queen to pose for a photo with my kids...

Witch Hunting Activity

Recent cases including Acquisitions of Occult Paraphernalia and Elimination of Unnatural Livestock were just posted to the Witch-Hunter's Barn.

Undead Nightmare

It's been 8 years since the release of Undead Nightmare, an exceptionally well done DLC for Red Dead Redemption. If you have not played it and aren't too busy playing RDR 2, you owe it to yourself to sit alone in the dark and play this game. It perfectly captures the paranoia and horror of a zombie apocalypse story.

Pardieu

Goodnight Moon

If you haven't seen it, Goodnight Moon is a youTube channel by an extraordinarily creative and skilled artist. Her Babblebrook series of ASMR videos is a great place to start.

Citrouille - Coming 29 October 2018

Citrouille (French for "pumpkin") is a cute game coming to Steam in less than 2 weeks. Looks vaguely reminiscent of Cauldron but from what I read, it's a platformer with no jumping. It's not dark at all, very colorful, and seems like it might be kid-friendly. Play as one of two witches in 50 levels on 5 worlds in story mode.

Mark Your Calendars! 2020 Blue Moon Hallowe'en

Just a friendly reminder that if this has significance to you -- and you know it does -- start planning now. After 2020, it will not happen again until 2039...

Halloween PSA

Wrap it up, Pumpkin.

Church of Halloween Infographics

The Church of Halloween has more infographics than you can shake a broom at. Here's a really good one.

Halloween Forever

Players of Halloween Forever might want to check in if you haven't played in a while -- there are new unlockables!

Netherworld 2018

Looks like Netherworld is going well this year. This guy came from LA to check it out and says "it's not only the best, it is the best by a long shot...it sets the standard."

Underhand

Most anything you'll find when looking for Lovecraft games in the Play Store is going to suck.

Underhand is an exception. It is a relatively small game but you won't finish it in a day. It's a card game with simple mechanics and a good grasp of the mythos without being overt. It only gets a little silly in places. It's the only mythos-type game I've liked so far for Android. Check it out.

October Bible Lessons for Home Schoolers

Saul and the Witch of Endor

Belshazzar and the Writing on the Wall

Ezekiel and the Valley of Dry Bones

The Leviathan of Job 41

Turnip Carving Videos

We're itching to carve a turnip -- the root vegetable for jack-o-lanterns, used long before pumpkins.

What's in a Pumpkin?

C&EN and Andy Brunning give us a little education about the chemistry of our favorite orange vegetable.

We are Losing Our Children

How in the hell did this happen?

Mary MFing Janes, the true flavor of All Hallows,

along with Candy Corn and Caramel Apples

According to Forbes, Mary Jane -- the classic orange and black candy you have eaten every October since forever -- is not only the LEAST favorite Halloween candy, they "are so disliked that they actually appeared twice on this list. The consensus was that peanut butter-flavored treats should not be chewy."

A stupid child

Pumpkin Infographic from GGR Group

You need a crane to lift your gigantic pumpkin, friend. The folks at GGR Group (a European maker of spider cranes and more) put together a cool infographic to show what all you can lift. Check it out.

Pumpkin Beer Infographic

From Visually comes this informative visual comparison of pumpkin beers.

Skeleton Props with Ears -- Stop It

You might have seen this. You might have not noticed. Skeleton props with ears, or at least, ear-shaped protuberances on the skull.

All the better to hear the rat, maybe?

Even Dapper Cadaver is on this train.

Halloween Express wins the prize though, for this bone-hooded cobra.

Adventure Time and The Myth of Sisyphus

One of the better articles about Adventure Time, by Kay Albasi at Medium.

The Cake Looks Like Malus

The Cake looks like Malus, the sixteenth colossus in Shadow of the Colossus.

Patience St. Pim in the Adventure Time Finale Intro

My youngest son noticed this and I don't think anyone else online has mentioned it yet. Take a look at the opening shot from the finale intro. On the right, there's a multi-faceted icy sphere.

Adjust the levels a little bit and it becomes very familiar:

Clearly this is the self-containing time capsule of Patience St. Pim, last seen in the episode Skyhooks 2, suggesting she'll return in a thousand years (which adds up to the setting of the finale intro)!

Adventure Time Finale Celebration

The kids and I watched Adventure Time from the first trailer until the end last night. We marked the finale all weekend, to the point where I'm out sick with a backache and sleep loss! :) That's how you do it man.

Saturday we got the ingredients for a Time Sandwich (a.k.a. Jake Sandwich or the Greatest Sandwich Ever Made). All weekend we re-watched key episodes and went outside to craft homemade spears, bows, and arrows to use against some (quick-and-dirty) pink foam cutouts of the Lich and other villains.

An oozing mutant took the first hit directly in his mouth!

A Gnome Fairy got what was coming to him for blowing up old ladies.

The Lich, post-battle but before a spear broke him in two.

AMO before he was busted up.

We learned that you really really need to use a decent amount of bacon if you want to taste it in a pancake. I went cheap with crumbles. Live and learn. Basically they tasted like pancakes. But we had a blast making my mistake. Next time I'm going big.

I took some bacon and I put it in a pancake.

Gluten-free Finn cakes my daughter helped me make.

Jake's Ultimate Sandwich. Not bad at all. 

Double Screencaps

Nothing fancy -- screen captures joined together for dual screen wallpaper. 3840x1080.