How to make a spooky Zombie hand for Halloween!

It's the last week before Halloween, so we thought we'd share this really cool Zombie Plant!

This would be so simple to make yourself - you could do loads and have a Zombie Garden - or get the whole family involved and have kiddy zombies too! 

To make a cast of your hand, all you would need is:

A bucket
Alginate
Plaster
Your own choice of decorations - be it paint, bandages - or why not glitter for a glamorous, sparkly spook?!

How?
1) Mix your alginate according to instructions, and pour it into your bucket.
2) Then place your hand in, creating whatever shape you'd like with your fingers
3) Wait for the alginate to set (about 15 minutes), then carefully pull your hand out.
4) Mix up your plaster and pour it in! The plaster should have set after around 20 minutes, then you simply break away the alginate and you're ready to go.

Tips: 
1) Don't make your fingers too curled, it'll make it harder to remove your hand from the alginate without damaging the mould
2) Only immerse your hand up to your wrist - any deeper and again, it'll be difficult to remove without damaging the mould

You could use your plaster hands in loads of different ways to decorate your Halloween party or just generally creepify your house a bit! We'll be sharing some more ideas in the lead up to Halloween so keep your googly eyes peeled...

This Month in Fibreglass: October 2014

In a desperate and unashamed Halloween connection, we've compiled, or scraped, the ultimate top 3 GRP death beds. Sites where fibreglass was once made for luxury or fun, but is now decayed and creepy (and you'll see, there is a very fine line between fun and fear). Abandoned, rotting reinforced plastics for your delight and entertainment. Enjoy.

3. Grisley World

Cork-screwed

This is, or was, "Nara Dreamland Theme Park", Japan. A showcase of what can happen after just 8 years of abandonment. Brought to our attention in this article in the Mail Online Travel section.

"Ultraman, please wake up, the world needs you."

Thanks go to Michael Turtle who [maybe broke in? I'm not sure] took 150 photos of the now silent fun park, and great quotes from him include:

'Oddly, I would even look behind me sometimes [on the roller-coasters] to make sure there were no carriages coming.' and, 'It's not hard to imagine some disaster in the area which forced everyone to leave suddenly.' We really recommend viewing the article, which has many fascinating photos and plenty of amusement in the comments too.

2. Christine 2

"Well, restoration isn't cheap. But you'll make it back on the meat it brings home."

 Those of us that have seen the classic Stephen King movie "Christine" may get a chill viewing these American fibreglass sports cars waiting restoration in a secret location somewhere in Florida. Click this link to see all the photos.

Life Casting with Grotesque FX Studio

Just in time for Halloween, we went down to see Steve Hollins at the spooky Grotesque FX Studio in Camborne, and watched him work his magic on Alex, our very own Technical Advisor. Alex wanted a mould of his head taken, and Steve is just the man for the job. 


Steve's workshop appears very unassuming as you approach, but when you open the door you're greeted by a sea of disembodied heads, hands and feet, as well as some creatures that have never been seen before...

The whole process of life casting is very involved, and Alex went through various stages - from bald cap, right through to mummification!

Happy Halloween from CFS!

At this spooky time of year, many people are carving pumpkins, attending Halloween fancy dress parties and taking their kids to the houses of unsuspecting neighbours demanding sweets.

Perhaps you have been getting in the haunting spirit by watching your favourite horror films (maybe from behind the sofa? - personally I prefer a blanket for protection), and wondering how they make those effects so scary?
Asylum has compiled a great guide to special effects and how they are produced.