So you’re completely out of time and struggling to find a good DIY option for Halloween? Don’t worry, you got this. We dove into our closets to find quick and easy costumes to please all manner of costume and cosplay enthusiasts! Look no further. Easily one of the most terrorizing characters of all, evil takes a human form in Regina George.
How do I even begin to explain Regina George?
Wait, you didn’t think I meant this costume, did you? If you have all of that in your closet, you are already one of the hardcore girls and clearly don’t need my help. Move along, lovely! We’re going for something a little more obscure, but sure to get some recognition!
There is a good chance you have every single one of these items hanging out in the back of your closet already, waiting to be paired together and put to good use!
Pull a brightly colored bra (preferably purple, but any color will do) from your closet and pair it with a black skirt. Now grab one of those white essential tank tops, because we’re going to sacrifice it to the Halloween gods today. It’s for the greater good.
Like all girls of the early aughts, Regina George favored bright white eye shadow, a little bit of mascara, and a LOT of pink lip gloss. The shinier the better, because that was totally the style back then. Grab a blonde wig, or rock your natural style, since this look is iconic on it’s own. Simply cut two holes in the bra area, slip on your basic black high heels and strut, girl.
With all the pop culture references, everyone will get your costume, and if you don’t own any of the items, it can be made for less than 20 dollars! Want to take this costume to the next level? Grab a pink binder from a bargain store, scribble “Burn Book” on the front, and give it some lipstick love. But don’t be surprised if you see some whispering behind your back. They’re just trying to make “fetch” happen.
Planning on making this costume? Doing some other DIY awesome? Want to check out the rest of our BOO-It-Yourself Halloween Costumes and Decor? Show me all your spook-tacular creations on Twitter @SubCultured or come party like its 1599 in our Discord server! When you’re done, wind down with Ten Family Friendly Halloween Movies to help lull the kiddos into a candy coma! Afterward, you can set the mood with Five Albums to Flesh Out Your Halloween Playlist and huddle under the covers with Netflix and Chilling – Halloween Movie Edition.
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Five Albums To Flesh Out Your Halloween Music Playlist
Fall may be a magical time, but when it comes to setting up Halloween music playlists, you may find the lack-o-options frustrating. Sure, “Thriller” helps even the most uncoordinated shake their booty, and of course “Monster Mash” is a classic, but these tired songs don’t always cut it when you’re trying to envoke the feeling of the holiday to liven up your shindig.
Rather than throw a spoopy cd on repeat, here are a couple of off beat albums to flesh out your playlist that no one will bat an eye at.
NIGHTMARE REVISITED
Of course we couldn’t kick off this list without some iteration of everyone’s favorite hybrid holiday movie, The Nightmare Before Christmas. While every Halloween playlist is sure to have at least one instance of Danny Elfman warbling about his conflict of interests from the cult favorite The Nightmare Before Christmas, there are a surprising amount of people who still haven’t revisited the nightmare. Nightmare Revisited is exactly what it sounds like – a group of popular bands and artists collaborating to cover the entirety of the Tim Burton phenomenon. But this collection isn’t limited to hits like “This is Halloween” or “Sally’s Song.” The album also covers the instrumental tracks, which will give you over an hour of ambiance. What’s this?
NATIVE CONSTRUCT
The collaborative group of Berklee students blend the modern metal genre with a wide spectrum of compositional influences and come up with a uniquely textured sound that lends itself perfectly to any playlist. With Native Construct’s extended-range guitars, theatrical vocals, and full complement of symphonic instrumentation, their 2011 album Quiet World can be thrown into the Halloween music mix on random or go the entire distance as a stand alone.
THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN
Not feeling the more modern metal? Go for something more “traditional.” Older albums from The Dillinger Escape Plan offer just enough of the creepy vibe without the haunting idea that your guests would turn up their noses at the screaming vocals. The album Miss Machine in particular sounds as if it was pulled straight from the soundtrack of any popular horror flick.
MR. BUNGLE
Perhaps a random addition to mix into a Halloween-centric playlist, but party goers aren’t going to be picking apart your musical tastes. And if they are, they really shouldn’t be invited. Mr. Bungle’s album California adds a random and moderately terrifying ambiance to what is otherwise background noise for bad decisions. Eat all the candy!
THE DARKNESS
Halloween doesn’t have to be all dark and dismal, and adding glam rock band The Darkness to any playlist will prove to be quite the misnomer. Their album To Hell and Back offers lighthearted songs that all your partygoers know by heart with just enough 80s to inspire a fun atmosphere and sing-a-long moments.
Honorable mention goes out to Jason Segel’s hit, Dracula’s Lament, because obviously.
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It’s Halloween time, and today I am counting down my top favorite horror Pops that represent the season. It’s easy to say Funko is a huge fan of the horror genre considering the dozens of Pops they’ve designed and then the legion of variants of those Pops. Some of these were tough choices and some are still fighting it out!
Deadite
To start the list is a classic staple minion monster, the Deadite, raised from the Necronomicon in Army of Darkness by our favorite B-Movie hero, Ash. This monster provides scares and laughs as you watch them get blown apart and then complain about coming to pieces.
Bicycle Girl Zombie
Probably the most well known zombie in the Walking Dead universe, this is one of the few zombies in the series to have existed in both the comics and television. Bicycle Girl is so famous that they even made a story about how she became zombified after she appeared on The Walking Dead season 1.
Pinhead
Clive Barker’s famous monster has spawned nearly countless stories of pain and suffering about those who try to meddle with Pinhead. The figure itself isn’t too intricate but it’s a marked achievement that they got something so evil into Pop form and it still retains elements that are both cute and horrifying.
Leatherface
The first official slasher on our list, this guy had some stiff competition with Ghostface from the Scream movies, but hey, I like chainsaws so he wins. Neither one has many variants, but considering how much impact Leatherface has on creating new generations of horror stories, including Scream, it’s tough not to consider his Pop.
Twisty
Twisty’s is one of the most intense stories out of American Horror Story, and for that he was rewarded with his own Pop. They even gave him a special limited edition “Freddy” version, and another San Diego Comic Con variant tacked onto that. The only other clown that I might have considered would have been Pennywise from It, but I think Funko did a much better job making Twisty than they did King’s clown of nightmares.
Sam
Arguably the main character and storyteller for the most iconic Halloween movie anthology to date, Trick r’ Treat, Sam is the spirit of Halloween, and if you don’t play by the rules you’re on his list. His Pop isn’t too intricate, but that’s part of the fun: you’d never expect such a powerful and evil being in a cute and seemingly harmless wrapper.
Universal Monsters
Funko really outdid themselves in paying homage to the greats: the original monsters that gave all of our modern ones so much to aspire to over the years. These Pops have been released in metallic, glow in the dark, black and white, and flocked variants. Several of those variants are available in sets featured exclusively at high profile conventions.
Michael Myers
The most famous and storied slasher on the list, Michael Myers was on the fast track to become a Pop and has had several chase variants to his name. Honestly though I prefer the vanilla version, unless there’s a blood splattered version I haven’t heard about.
Now for our top Horror Pop…
A Grudge Match!
Freddy Krueger
VS
Jason Voorhees
Without a doubt, Funko knew was it was doing making these 2 the first Horror classics to get their Pops. The fight between Freddy and Jason has been legendary, and so closely matched that even Hollywood called it a draw. It’s a classic match against sadistic brains versus unstoppable brawn. This year this also released a shirt to honor the blood feud between Freddy and Jason.
Photo taken by Alex Añé
So who do you think would win, Freddy or Jason? Sound off in the comments, and Happy Halloween! Don’t forget to try our Ten Family Friendly Halloween Movies to help lull the kiddos into a candy coma! Afterward, you can set the mood with Five Albums to Flesh Out Your Halloween Playlist and huddle under the covers with Netflix and Chilling – Halloween Movie Edition. Any other off-beat Halloween suggestions to throw our way? You can let us know on Twitter @SubCultured or come party like its 1599 in our Discord server!
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Horror games aren’t particularly difficult to come by. It seems every year, a new must-play game is added to the list of pants-poopingly spooky games, but it’s rare to see a series of consistently scary games. Here’s a list of the scariest series to keep you crying all the way through Halloween.
SILENT HILL
When Resident Evil game out, it was a pioneer in the horror game genre, showing what could be done with grotesque enemies and great sound cues. Silent Hill then iterated on this concept, adding in an element of unknown weirdness that wasn’t only jump-scary, but also genuinely unsettling. From low render distances, jerky movement, and a general sense of not knowing what was really going on, this series set up the concept of psychological horror games while adhering to the tried-and-true adventure/third-person shooter format. Though the later games in the series took a dip and PT, the one true shining hope of bring the series back to its former glory, was cancelled, Silent Hill remains one of the hallmarks of the horror genre.
DEAD SPACE
Though the third-person horror genre had been done to death by 2008, Dead Space somehow iterated on it enough to make it scary again. In other horror games, you unload ammo into the undead until they fall down, often with an emphasis on head/body shots. By simply changing this around to shooting off the limbs of your aggressors, Dead Space managed to make their necromorphs scary, despite really just being space zombies. The potent combo of enemies that just won’t die with jump scares and Uncharted levels of nerve-wracking quick time cut scenes, Dead Space revitalized the third person horror genre while still being planted firmly in the third person action genre.
FATAL FRAME
Where Dead Space chose to not fix what ain’t broke with the third person action mechanics, Fatal Frame took on head on. Fatal Frame puts you in a ghost-filled world that comes to life while using your one and only weapon – a camera. Initially it’s easy to get frustrated with the lower move speed and lack of variety with your armaments, especially coming from something like Resident Evil, but over time, you grow to miss these features less and appreciate (or hate in that kind of way that’s still kind of appreciate) the almost claustrophobic amount of choice. Very quickly, you’ll find yourself no longer charging in to rooms, but cautiously entering the space and leaving nothing unexamined on the way in. The sense of terror at not always being able to see your adversaries and only having a handful of things to defend yourself with is something Fatal Frame nails.
FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY’S
If Fatal Frame’s limitation of movement and defense options is appealing to you, boy have I got a series you’re going to love. Five Nights at Freddy’s takes away nearly all movement from you and only gives you a handful of options, all of which are either resource-limited or timer-based, that don’t even hurt the enemies, just protect you from them. This lack of attack options really nails home that you’re helpless, a feeling that’s only heightened by the lack of movement. At one point or another in both Silent Hill and Fatal Frame, you feel empowered against the enemies, but FNAF makes sure you understand the animatronics are roaming cats and you’re a mouse with a twisted ankle. Best watch yourself.
Don’t forget to check out Ten Family Friendly Halloween Movies to help lull the kiddos into a candy coma! Afterward, you can set the mood with Five Albums to Flesh Out Your Halloween Playlist and huddle under the covers with Netflix and Chilling – Halloween Movie Edition. Have any suggestions? You can let us know on Twitter @SubCultured or come party like its 1599 in our Discord server!
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As if leaping from the pages of a comic comes former assassin Rian Leung, as she confronts a corrupt scheme in Black Mast Studios’ new action-narrative music video “No Hero Now” for singer Vy Nguyen featuring Jason Chu on Stan Lee’s YouTube Network World of Heroes which premiered on October 28th and can be viewed in its awesome entirety here.
Vy Nguyen and Jason Chu
The video, introduced by Stan himself was written and directed by Jennie Kong (Made By Maggie) and stars Jessika Van (CW’s Messengers) alongside Jack Lang (A Leading Man), Beth Riesgraf (TNT’s Leverage), Dan Feuerriegal (Starz’s Spartacus) and Tony Messenger (The Expendables) among others as well as nods to Netflix’s Daredevil and the MCU.
Within the video we follow the retired and reformed assassin Rian (Jessika Van) fall into a web of conspiracy and reluctantly taking up the role of hero after receiving an SOS from her former base. After finding her former allies slain she learns of their dark discovery of genetic superpower serum vials being pushed on the black market by a socialite known as “The Mantis” (Beth Riesgraf) and it’s up to Jian to rescue her former team’s leader (Jack Lang) from certain death.
Boasting a diverse Asian cast and talent both on screen and behind the camera, something we’re always looking out for to showcase, I was keen to learn more about the project and video and was able to hold short one on one Q & A’s with writer/director Jennie Kong, singer Vy Nguyen and actress Jessika Van about their experience in developing the project as well as learn a bit more about what drives them personally and professionally.
Jennie Kong, writer/director:
SC: First off congratulations, you both wrote and directed this music video, that’s quite a feat! As both a writer and director could you tell us more about how this project came to be at Stan Lee’s World of Heroes?
JK: I was lucky to have been already working on a previous project with Stan’s World of Heroes when I was approached to direct and collaborate on this project. Our producer Yuka Kobayashi, was already developing this song with Vy and Jason, and brought a team together to see what we could come up with. I pitched the story of Rian and her world, and the group was excited for us to make something epic.
SC: The entire project, from your production, musicians, to cast all showcase Asian talent. Any thoughts on the current state of American media in relation to that?
JK:I think it’s an exciting and long overdue time for diverse voices to be showcased within the media. If you look at projects such as Into The Badlands or Master of None or even Fresh Off The Boat – there is certainly an appetite and market for it right now, and it is only growing. “No Hero Now” is a small project, but I do believe that licensing or green lighting projects that have diverse cast and crew is a good step.
SC: How far do you want to take the character Rian Leung? She’s a fantastic concept and I’d love to see more of her. Is there anything else for her to come?
JK: Thank you. I really enjoyed developing and writing that character. I grew up with watching phenomenally complex female characters onscreen such as Ellen Ripley and Sarah Connor, as well as more recently Beatrix Kiddo and Carrie Mathison.
These types of characters are a writer and director’s dream to work with, and so I wanted to tell a story with someone who was somewhat of a reluctant prodigy and antihero. I would love to write more of that character too… I’m just happy to get this video released first to be honest and see where it goes from there.
Vy Nguyen, singer:
SU: How did the song for “No Hero Now” develop? It’s a very powerful song.
VN: Knowing that I had to keep the song within the superhero theme made it a little easier to write because I didn’t have to come up with a concept to start. I didn’t decide what direction I wanted to go in with the lyrics until I got in the studio with composer/musician/producer Keith Jackson. We sat in the studio together and he pulled out a simple track he had started months before and we used that as the starting point for the song.
A few months later rapper, Jason Chu, joined our team and we collaboratively decided to have him be the conscience of the female character in the song. His rap is the voice in your head that creates self-doubt and fear. Jason’s verses really helped elevate the song to new heights and we all worked really well together. It was a really special collaboration in the studio.
SC: Where do you get your musical inspiration from? Who are your musical heroes?
VN: Lyrics generally come to me at random. Sometimes I get a spark of inspiration from a line someone said in conversation or during times of extreme frustration, excitement or anger. I like to channel those strong feelings into lyrics. I am known for writing songs that are girl-empowerment songs. I really care about creating unique stories and inspiring lyrics. I don’t typically write love songs or breakup songs. Growing up I was a big fan of Janet Jackson. I was always in awe of her talents because she sings, dances and is a songwriter. I really envy any artist who can be honest in their music and who aren’t afraid to push the boundaries.
SC: What’s it like doing music in today’s industry?
VN: Creating music in today’s industry is really unique because of the accessibility to the masses through social media, which we didn’t have years ago. With just a press of a button, the whole world can hear my song. And with YouTube, the average Joe can share his talents with the world. It’s really quite remarkable. I’ve written and recorded several songs over the last few years, but never released any because I just really enjoy the creative process and have always done music for my own love for the art. But it’s a very exciting time to share “No Hero Now” with the public because it’s a song that I really love and I really enjoyed the collaborative process of putting this song together. I’m excited for people to hear it.
Jessika Van, actress:
SC: You’re actually the first actress I’ve had the pleasure to ask a few questions to, so I’m both really honored and excited to do so! How was playing Rian Leung? She seemed like a engaging and different character to play.
JV: I’m honored. Rian Leung was a blast. She has a no-nonsense physicality and a plethora of conflicting emotions brewing underneath her stoic exterior. It’s a world I love exploring.
SC: What does being an actress in today’s industry mean to you?
Jesskia Van as Rian
JV: Fighting for unique and diverse voices to be heard, so we can bring understanding to our different cultures and points of view.
SC: Who are your personal heroes?
JV: Without fail, my family. But in a larger sense, all the people who make my world such a wonderful place to live in. I’m always amazed by the phenomenal people I meet and their generosity toward a stranger. The more I travel, the more I believe in love.
Audiences attending Stan Lee’s Comikaze Expo at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles CA later this weekend will be able to attend “Stan Lee’s World of Heroes Presents…’No Hero Now'” panel featuring cast and crew to feature and talk about the project on Sunday November 1st at 12pm in Room 511ABC. Check it out! Outlets for diverse marginalized voices in mainstream American media, especially within the superhero, comic and “geek” industry are extremely welcome and much appreciated. Go show your support!
We’d love to see more of Rian. How about you? Let us know what you thought at @maxlikescomics or @Sub_Cultured. Thanks to Jennie, Vy and Jesskia for answering our questions, keep doing the amazing work!!
See you all real soon!
Max Eber
Staff Writer
@maxlikescomics
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As New York Comic Con gets bigger and bigger, it becomes impossible to take it all in, and no matter how well we plan for it, inevitably things don’t work out. Here is our breakdown of one of the fastest going conventions in the United States.
Thursday goals included attending the 88MPH: A Celebration of Back to the Future, a panel about DC Comics imprint Vertigo’s new #1s, attempting to get into the Viz Media/Musashi Kishimoto panel, and finishing out the day at MootCon4 to talk to people about the Game of Theories webseries. While not an entirely adventurous schedule, the sheer amount of people made it impossible to navigate the exhibit hall (or the smaller, craft/creator filled area called The Block) in a timely manner. New York Comic Con was wall to wall cosplayers in different Doc & Marty costumes (and a TON of Rick & Morty costumes as well), some so well done, several double takes were needed to make sure we didn’t accidentally walk by Christopher Lloyd himself. We had to slowly step our way to the Image booth where we met up with comic creator Ivan Brandon for a scheduled interview, before attempting to make headway toward the Funko booth, hoping to get our eyeballs on some of those exclusives! There were many promotional life-size POP! figures to promote the upcoming Smuggler’s Bounty, and it was difficult to tear ourselves away and re-evaluate our plan as the hour grew late. It was here our paths split, with Tushar checking out the Games and Education panel, Kaitlyn calling it a day, and Leia preparing for a long evening of line waiting to spend an hour in the same room as Naruto creator Masashi Kishimoto, before preparing for day two.
As the weekend progressed, we saw the floors even MORE packed than before and our weary correspondents loaded up their schedule with panels. First, however, Kaitlyn and Leia wandered over to the Audible booth to try out the immersive Locke & Key experience via Oculus Rift, before an interview with Sean Lewis and Benjamin Mackey, newbies in the comic industry. Artist Alley was a sight to behold this year, with greedy fingers reaching for art prints on our way to interview Justin Jordan, and get some stuff signed.
Now despite the name “New York Comic Con,” non-comic media, like television, was there in force too. The folks at Adult Swim were up to their old tricks again with roundtables for Venture Bros, Robot Chicken, and the new miniseries airing soon, Neon Joe, Werewolf Hunter. (You can check out our preview at Adult Swim at NYCC – Neon Joe, Werewolf Hunter). Getting to meet TV personalities like Jon Glaser, Stephanie March, Breckin Meyer and the crazy duo of Doc Hammer and Jackson Publick went exactly as we thought it would go. Antics upon hijinks upon gut busting laughter. It was tough to get through the whole thing without addressing Stephanie March as anything other than “Assistant District Attorney Alexandra Cabot,” but ultimately composure was kept and we found that she, along with the rest of the Adult Swim actor corps, were super cool and friendly people.
TV wasn’t the only non-comic media to make a splash this year. Video games made their presence felt too. If you had (like we did) a bit of trouble getting through the main entrance to the con floor because of a pure sea of concentrated humanity, you were probably going by the Capcom booth. Lining the booth was an army of Street Fighter enthusiasts, and it WAS possible (but not probable) to slither your way in to get a crack at seeing some gameplay from Street Fighter V. The game played faster than its predecessor Street Fighter IV, and you could see some of the classic cast like Karin making their return from the Alpha/Zero series of Street Fighter games. There was a tournament going on as well, so there was always the chance that if you went in to get schooled, it would be public on a lot of large screens.
Square-Enix decided to take the quieter route and had a media suite set up a Shop Studios, just a couple blocks away from the Javits Center. It was nice to get away from the bustle of the con floor for guided demos of their games to small groups of people, and the fact that they fed us definitely did not hurt the experience. Making the rounds through Shop Studios we saw the upcoming Deus Ex: Mankind Divided (check out our preview here), Hitman, Just Cause 3, and the finale to Life Is Strange with Episode 5. The biggest and friendliest surprise though was that Lara Croft: GO wasn’t the only appearance our girl Lara Croft made that day. The full playable demo of Rise of the Tomb Raider looked and played absolutely great.
The Star Wars franchise decided to take an in between approach, setting up their Star Wars Battle Pods outside of the con floor but still inside the Javits Center, making it easy to get to and a beacon of the force as people entered the building. The battle pods let you take command of a few different vehicles from the Star Wars universe, from going on a Death Star bombing run in an X-Wing to trying to hang on for dear life on a speedbike on Endor. Either way, the ride was complete with vibration and pod shakes that one would presumably feel taking your X-wing out of the hangar.
Our last day was spent tying up loose ends, such as taking photos of the creepiest cosplay we could find, picking up more stuff to give away to you guys, and making our last stop at the phenomenal Women of Marvel panel, before shambling off home.
Be sure to check out our other convention coverage and we hope to see you guys in the future! We can’t wait for next year, and leave you with this awesome cosplay video from our friends, SneakyZebra.
In case you haven’t already, don’t forget that we are giving away a bunch of stuff for those of you who didn’t get to attend! Enter below.
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