This year's Halloween will be the first one I'll be spending at a home to call my own. I considered turning off all the lights and either hiding out in the back of the house or making plans to go out in order to avoid marauding, candy-intoxicated kids.However, I've been trying to connect with my anti-social neighbors since moving in. Given that almost every household on the street has kids, it seems opportune to stay home and chat with the costumed children and their parents as I hand out the treats.
To do this, I need to put a hint outside the house to indicate that my place is open for business. Dollar stores are abundant with cheap decorations (already on sale since Labor Day). Yet I abhor the idea of cluttering my closets with useless junk afterwards, especially since I've been trying so hard these last few years to streamline my possessions.
And so, I came to the ambitious conclusion that I would carve a pumpkin. I didn't want to do a boring Jack O'Lantern with triangle eyes, nose and chunky block teeth. For a while I was hung up on the idea of carving the creepy dead boy from "The Grudge" (or 呪怨) since it's Japanese and definitely eerie. But if you've never seen the movie, I suppose a sullen-looking kid on a pumpkin won't make any sense.After much deliberation, I finally opted to carve Jack Torrance from Stanley Kubrick's "The Shining". The scene in which Jack (played by Jack Nicholson) tears through the bathroom door with an axe and maniacally growls, "Heeere's Johnny!", is iconic. For those of us old enough to have seen the movie, it is definitely more scary than any mummy, goblin or witch.
It took around 6 hours to carve, using sculpting tools. I was worried that it wasn't going to turn out right because it doesn't look the same without a light inside the pumpkin. However, I think the results were successful... what do you think?
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10 comments:
geek carvings at wired
Did you feed the cats pumpkin afterwards?
Mugino, this carving is by far the best i have ever seen. Its so beautiful in all its scariness. How did you get it so real looking??? You're a true artist!
It is a splendid idea!
Have Happy Halloween!
Yoko
I didn't give the cats any pumpkin since there weren't any pieces to give them (only scrapings). But they do love the taste of cooked pumpkin.
I have to say my favorite part of the carving was doing the teeth. I wasn't planning on it, but I ended up scooping out pieces from each slot where a tooth was supposed to be. I felt like a dentist scraping off tartar.
Wow you're Jack-o-lantern is fantastic. I wish I was in T.O. to see it up close. Please take a few more picks, I'm curious to see what it looks like in daylight. Jack Nicholson, the ultimate Jake, for you first Jack-o-lantern great choice and very well done? :)
How did the candy-give-o-way go? Any comments from people passing by on your Jack? Any picks?
The massive Halloween pilgrimage I was anticipating did not happen. My doorbell rang less than a dozen times. Sometimes there were clusters of kids at the door, but the evening's total was rather small. I am now stuck with more candy than I know what to do with.
One group of little girls told me my pumpkin was "really cool" and they really liked it. Frankly, that made my day.
Compared to when many of us here where kids in the 1980s there are far fewer trick-o-treaters now than then. Between fears of poisonous or razor blade laden candy and the fear of creepy strangers the numbers are far fewer now then in decades past.
It's always hard to gauge how much candy to make or buy. We use to buy a few bags, but got stuck with the bulk of it for years. Now I go out for the night (I when with a friend to a fantastic concert by the Montreal Guitar Trio) or keep my lights off and watch crazy flicks.
What's important is that you made an effort to get to know your neighbors, that's key. Hey, you already have the cool, black cat and you made an awesome pumpkin.
I hope cats enjoy trick or treat too.
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