DOLLOWEEN!

Boo!

This comes a little late, but I think I'm still in time for the season. These are pictures for an album I created to participate in my Barbie collector's group's Halloween challenge. 

 The witch is original Mattel. If my memory serves me right, this is Caligirl Christie.

 The dress is from a thrift store called Vente. It cost 20 pesos (app 50 US cent).

I bought the hat and shoes from an online seller of pre-owned Barbie accessories. I have no idea if they're authentic Mattel. The skull and cauldron are from National Book Store. The broom is from Divisoria. (If you're from the Philippines, you'll know which places I'm referring to. 

And now, for the classic white lady. 

I had big plans for this photo shoot. Like I wanted to place a rocking chair and other furniture. But I got very busy last month and before I knew it, Halloween season was almost over. And my camera was busted, so I had to ask my brother to take the photos for me. Since this was on location, I did not get to bring all the accessories and tools I needed to make this more authentic and interesting.

For the first few shots, I held one of the doll's feet and hid my hand with faux cobweb. On the next shots, we tried to make it appear that the lady was floating. Can you can see the nylon cord?

I had to use a cheap, fake doll so I can wipe off its face and make the doll featureless and creepier. I used acetone to wipe off the paint. 

When I bought the lace gown from an online seller, I knew right away I was going to use it for a white lady shoot. 

And lastly, we have a creature from Philippine folklore--the manananggal. The literal translation of the word comes from the root word "remove." It refers to its habit of removing its upper body from its lower body. It usually starts as a regular looking person, oftentimes, a pretty barrio lass.

Then, it transforms into a vampire like creature. The Filipino twist is that it breaks into two parts. The torso severs from the lower body, sprouts wings, and flies to look for prey.

Legend has it that if you put salt on the stump of the body left behind, the manananggal's parts can no longer reunite with each other, and the creature dies in a manner similar to a vampire's death. You can learn more about this fearsome creature here.

Of course, I also had to use a cheap doll for this, so I can fearlessly dismember it. This was a Filipiniana doll, originally wearing an Igorot (Northern Philippine tribe) costume.

So, there! I hope the photos gave you the creeps. 

Thanks to my brother Luis for managing the photography. I know zilch about photography lighting and would not have been able to achieve these effects without him taking the photos and directing us. And we did this with just flashlights and other makeshift tools. I think we didn't too badly despite my poor planning and lack of materials.  

Until the next holiday shoot!

Have a dollicious week!