Halloween 2021: Week 3!
We’re now two weeks into the Halloween season. Hope it’s going well for everyone! This weekend I’ll be working on the Funpacks, but I’m sneaking in a horror-themed mini-trip on Saturday, too. (Not for article purposes or anything, though I’m sure I’ll post a pic somewhere.)
I’m also investigating an overnighter for October. Not sure for what, exactly, but I know I want to do something, and I’m pretty sure I want to do it alone. There are a bunch of conventions coming up, and while I may hit one or two, I’m looking for something a little more outside-the-box. (And also a little closer to home, in case I have any cat-related emergencies. Yeah, I’ve become that guy.)
Mapping out potential activities (even if you never end up doing them) is such a fun part of the season. Strongly recommended for all! Honestly, it’s worth it just for those Google discoveries of nearby places that you’ve somehow never heard of. Wait, you’re telling me I have access to a gemstone museum that doubles as a mini golf course? Awesome.
This is your free-for-all thread for WEEK 3 of the 2021 Halloween season. Talk about whatever, all week long!
This week’s background noise is an eerie forest with all of the appropriate SFX. It’ll give you the best kinds of spooky dreams.
Halloween 2021: Week 2!
Time for a new thread! Hope everyone enjoyed the first official week of the Halloween season, not to mention the first week of Dino Drac’s Halloween Countdown!
I’ve been forcing myself to pace myself and not get hung up on weekly quotas and stuff. One thing I wanted to do differently this season is allow myself time to work on bigger videos, and then maybe let those videos have more than a minute to collect eyes before moving onto the next thing. (On that note, gonna be filming the next edition of Halloween Junk Food History this weekend. Onward to 2004!
Other than that, I’ve just been enjoying the season. Every little bit of it. Tonight I had to drive all over Jersey for a silly reason that’s not worth getting into, but the point is that it was chilly and dark, and with very little traffic on the highways. Rolled down the window and cranked the jukebox, and it was a total slice of Halloween heaven. Those uncelebrated parts of the season are so often the best ones.
This thread is here to carry you through Week 2 of the Halloween season. Talk about whatever ya want! Up above is a little ambiance, if you need it. Background noise in the form of an endless thunderstorm. Enjoy!
Halloween 2021: Week 1!
Dinosaur Dracula’s 2021 Halloween Countdown has begun, and with it, a new “season” here on Dino Drac After Dark! This year, we’re going to keep things extra simple. A new thread posted every Friday night, which’ll (hopefully) carry the discussions throughout the week!
Drop by as often as you like, and join the conversation with a bunch of swell Halloween maniacs who live for this stuff as much as you do. Don’t be shy — everyone is friendly around these parts. In the comments, feel free to talk about anything having to do with Halloween, and once you get settled, even maybe things that have nothing to do with Halloween.
New snacks! Planned trips! Horror movies! Whatever! Think of After Dark as a casual late-night clubhouse without a lot of frills or fuss, where you can chat about nonsense without the weird pressure that comes with most social media platforms.
…and for a little background noise, here’s ten minutes’ worth of vintage Halloween TV spots! This is my own upload and I’m pretty sure I’ve run it on After Dark before, but it’s just too perfect for our first night out. Dunno if it’s possible to watch this compilation and not FEEL the season.
Enjoy yourselves, and keep your eye on the main site, too — there’s so much yet to come!
Retro Commercials MegaMix #2!
Just gonna go ahead and throw another post on here, not because we need one already, but because I’m desperate to get rid of that damn Christmas tree before the Countdown starts!
Speaking of which, today was my annual “buy way too much shit for launch day” errand run. Hit Big Lots and Spirit, and I think I found what I need for the first Madd Matt video. Then it was off to Home Depot to grab stuff to light my videos with, because I really am low-fi enough to do it that way rather than purchase an actual lighting kit. While there, I saw the giant skeleton. He’s a beaut.
Last night, I set up my office for the Halloween vids. Halfway, at least. Still gotta do some cleaning and decorating, but I got the backdrop in place. In prior years I used a spray-painted dropcloth, but this year I just tacked up a whole bunch of Halloween throw blankets. Sounds low-rent and it totally is, but it actually looks good and has successfully blocked any sunlight from pouring in. So now my office kinda feels like a big Halloween tent, which is cozy and inspiring.
As for Dino Drac After Dark, my current Halloween plan is to simply do weekly threads. I’ll pepper in some embeds and surveys and stuff, but all things being equal, one weekly thread seems like the right move. (Last year’s experiment with the multiple thread drops was cool at the start, but after a while it felt like there were diminishing returns. Best to keep this place casual, as it’s meant to be!)
For tonight, here’s another of my hourlong compilations of ’80s and ’90s commercials. There are a LOT of spots in these comps that I’ve never uploaded individually, let alone featured on Dino Drac. I think you’ll dig it. I only included spots that I found interesting, but there are soooo many in here that you’re just not gonna see on the typical retro commercial compilation. Enjoy!
