You always see the Headless Horseman portrayed as he’s attacking, rearing up and mighty on his steed… but what does he do when nobody’s around?
He lurks. And chats with his horse and his jack o’ lantern. I like to think he’s in the middle of a good Knock Knock joke, here…
For Halloween Saint No. 5, how could I not pay homage to Mr. Carapace Clavicle Moundshroud from Ray Bradbury’s “The Halloween Tree”? I’m actually just reading it for the first time (via Gris Grimly’s lovely edition) and I am, so far, a bit surprised at how little text Bradbury devotes to Moundshroud’s physical appearance. So my depiction of him is based more on his attitude and Bradbury’s suggestion that Moundshroud’s face was skull-like and “nearly fleshless”, and that he had “burning” green eyes.
For Halloween Saint #4 I had to go with one of my all-time favorites, Sammi Curr from the 1986 rock ‘n’ roll Halloween cautionary tale Trick or Treat. I saw that movie in Los Angeles in a theater full of hair metalheads and have watched it every October since it was released to video a few years later. If you’ve never seen it, seek it out – 80’s metal Halloween cheese of the finest quality! Sammi Curr Lives!!
For my 3rd Halloween Saint, I had to go with the leader of the Autumn People himself, Mr. Dark from Ray Bradbury’s classic “Something Wicked This Way Comes”. My version of the Illustrated Man (at least in the sketch phase) inexplicably bears a resemblance to Dave Navarro (according to my wife); I also had in mind Robert DeNiro’s Louis Cypher from Angel Heart, as I’ve always felt he had a touch of Mr. Dark in him.
This is actually the second full version of this drawing I wound up doing – I didn’t like the first one. Not sinister enough. Anyway, enjoy!
For my second Halloween Saint portrait I’ve chosen unsung hero Billy Butcherson from “Hocus Pocus”, a much-beloved character around these parts. Enjoy!
