MY LORD, what’s she going to do with that razor blade??? Will she cut her own wrists? Hijack a plane? Enter into an eternal blood oath with Lucifer himself? What terrible horror awaits you, dear viewer?!

Oh wait. What’s that cute little pie doing there? Hang on, let me check my notes. OH. It’s Jessica Hlavac, the mad genius behind i’m so tiny, where she showcases minuscule foods meticulously crafted with her very own, non-threatening hands! She makes everything from breakfast to dessert, all about the size of a quarter. You know, that thing in your pocket that’s only about an inch in diameter? Yeah, that. Just look at this croissant sandwich sitting on one of them:

She even admits to being a little crazy, having “made a whole damn tiny ham just to slice it up” and make perfect ham slice edges for this diminutive sandwich. CAN YOU STAND IT.

So here we are, on Day 2 of Gothtober 2011, wondering what sort of miniature madness Miss Hlavac has cooked up this time. Ok, it’s a pie. But if you think you can follow her steps and make your own pie, as if the sheer smallness and perfectness of her handiwork isn’t mind-boggling enough… well, she’s thrown you yet another curve ball. Just try and catch it.

IT IS TIME!

In the words of Madame Leota, my favorite dismembered head inside of a crystal ball…

“Goblins and ghoulies from last Halloween. Awaken the spirits with your tambourine!

Creepies and crawlies, toads in a pond; let there be music, from regions beyond!

Wizards and witches, wherever you dwell, give us a hint, by ringing a bell!”

The sluice gates are officially open, it’s the 10th anniversary of the Gothtober Countdown Calendar, and we are accepting applications for the creepiest, spookiest, weirdest, wackiest, craziest and disturbing works for 2011! Get your applications in by August 21st, and we’ll let you know if you made it in by August 29th!

APPLY TODAY! Gothtober wants YOU!

We’re starting your week with an uplifting, mind-altering experience called The Waller Family Singers. The Wallers set out for the desert with the specific purpose of not doing any yoga, but instead to create a film combining the collaborative input of all family members.

Scenes were shot in Joshua Tree and 29 Palms, and you may catch a glimpse of some native chaparral, a ruddy desert landscape at eventide, some scampering gleeful kid jewel thieves, perhaps some toast made of felt, and an emblematic figure whose face is concealed by a gauzy and ornamental headdress.

The desert is a magical place, no one knows this more than The Wallers. Do not seek to understand, simply seek No Yoga.

I don’t know what your brain is up to, and sometimes I don’t know what mine is up to either, but now you get to decide what brains are doing in Oonstein’s “Horrors of Demography.”

Shannon Dedman invites you  to interpret for yourself some intriguing little dioramas featuring small sculptures of cerebral matter in mostly domestic settings.

There isn’t a “wrong” or “right” way to look at these scenes, which is kind of refreshing, no? In the day and age of everything being so darned “spelled out” all the time, having room for imagination is pretty special.

Feel free to tell us any stories or ideas you come up with from looking at these scenes, Shannon likes hearing what people decipher from them. Maybe the pictures will inspire you to write brainy songs, or leave extra long and poetic answering machine messages that sound smarter than ever before. Maybe you’ll channel your inner algebra teacher and suddenly be able to solve bizarre polynomial equations!

The lil’ brains are made from Sculpey, the larger brain in the “kitchen” scene is about the size of a golf ball. Shannon (aka “Oonstein”) built all the little environments/props herself, and as you can see, they are rather detailed little worlds. It is Dedman’s great hope that there will be more exciting brain pictures in the future, the Gothtober blog will keep you posted should they become available on an internet near you.

See the Brain Show!

It’s creepy, it’s crazy, it’s Billy Kheel! Seriously, Billy has been freaking us out on Gothtober for years now. Every year, without fail, Gothtober’s headquarters has a slight chill of anticipation/trepidation before we open Billy’s files to see what may be inside. His work is always impeccably rendered, always unpredictable. Here’s hoping you’re ready to rock out, because Billy’s piece this year is a weird and catchy music video dedicated to tanning beds, firearms, monsters and suspicious activities.

Watch it now!

That’s right, step right up, step right up, be a part of the world’s ONLY Time-Release Halloween Countdown Calendar! I’ve been a little late with getting the “Call to Work” out, but as you can see, I’ve started, so please, jump on board and:

FILL OUT AN APPLICATION ASAP

CHECK OUT THE GOTHTOBER FAQ (this’ll give you the basics…)

You don’t have to be an artist to do Gothtober, you don’t even have to live in the same country, state or county that Gothtober is made! We’re looking for strange and weird, fun, freaky Halloween treats from everyone all over the world! We are Certified Public Internet art, generated for the public to peruse on their Falltime Internet Machines!

I’m talkin’ recipes, crafting how-to projects, stories, videos, animations, downloads, music, whatever you come up with, WE WANT YOU!!! Fill out an app, and we’ll let you know as soon as possible if you’ve made it into the calendar!

This Year’s Theme? Drive-In Movie! See the FAQ for a more detailed description.

Contact us with any questions the FAQ doesn’t address.

All right, show some graveyard spirit and send in your application, and remember: You’re Bootiful!

Snake eyeballs and beetle stew,

JP Head Candycorn