So in the end, through all the trials and tribulations, Pandora and I are artists, in love and with a vision; and we are proud of the work. I believe our final home haunt captured the essence of what Darkrose Manor is and always will be. From yard haunt to art haunt to Macabaret, I thank you for being a part of the adventure, the experience, the journey itself.... DRMFL!
(We are also in the process of putting together our 'Thank you/Credits' video and there will be both night & daylight photo galleries, for those that like to take their time and take in the details.)
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Darkrose Manor - 2014 - 'The Dark Carnivále of the Twisted Poppets' Official Final Production Video
WARNING - This video was produced to be frenetic and dizzying - if you are prone to migraines or seizures.... DO NOT WATCH.
Filmed 10/24/14-11/10/14
Tracks -
Midnight Syndicate - 'Twilight'
Roison Murphy - 'Ramalama'
Samples:
Collide - The Lunatics Have Taken Over the Asylum'
Beats Antique: Roustabout (Collide)
Verse 13: Merry-go-round
Please see our 'Thank You' Vlog (forthcoming) for Credits & Cast & Crew 'Thank You's'!
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The Dark Carnivàle of the Twisted Poppets - DRM 2014
Long ago, in the borderlands of Bramblerose Brook and Darkrose Hollow, there was a carnival that hosted and boasted of natural oddities, freaks, and gypsy performances. There also lived a traveling showman named Maximillian, whose gregarious ego far outweighed his questionable talents. His greatest attraction, if such could be called, was Maximillian's Magnificent Menage. The Menage was a paltry collection of self-styled morality-tales, acted out through puppetry. An unsuccessful doll maker in his younger years, Max originally crafted his 'poppets' by hand, but despite his inflated sense of artistry, he always felt they were missing something, as did most of those who attended his shows. Yet, he carried on as best he could, ever following this carnival as it made its way from village to village.
Those were always strange lands, and among their inhabitants was also a tall, garish individual who had developed a reputation as a wandering trickster. Despite many differing and conflicting tales, no one actually knew his origins, or even his name for that matter. Eventually he was simply referred to as Mr. Twist, as much for the outlandish nature of his attire as for the nearly unbelievable stories of mischief and devious behaviors associated with him. Despite all of that, he had a way of making people feel at ease by appearing to focus on them and their thoughts (at first anyway).
As fate would have it, Max took a particularly sad walk one evening and encountered a band of faeries who had wandered far from the safety of the Brook. Instantly enthralled and amazed by the diminutive creatures’ beauty, he immediately thought they would make wonderful 'poppets'. For several nights, he lay in his vardo thinking of them and new ideas for the Menage. He became obsessed and returned many times to the place he had originally stumbled upon them. He watched the faeries as they danced and flitted about, without disturbing them. He knew he wanted them though.
Max was not the only one who had become infatuated with the faeries. Mr. Twist had become acquainted with the faeries some time ago, a young and beautiful one in particular. Having been a dweller of those lands since time immemorial, the faeries were accustomed to his visits though they had their reservations. Many months after he first laid eyes on her, Mr. Twist unabashedly revealed his love for the young faerie. Suffice it to say, she shunned his advances, and the collective response of their society was one of disapproval. Mr. Twist was understandably crushed as he retreated to the shadows of the Hollow.
His own heart break fresh in his mind and having observed the old man’s behaviors for many nights, Mr. Twist flamboyantly strolled up to Max and struck up a conversation with the beleaguered showman. Initially, Max was wary of him and his eccentric demeanor, but he quickly succumbed to the stranger’s charm and told him of the faeries and his desires. Mr. Twist listened sympathetically, sharing his own feelings with Max, before he bluntly suggested with a devilish grin that Max trap the faeries. When Max brought up that the faeries could easily escape, Mr. Twist shamelessly told him to simply clip their wings, while roundly omitting the consequences of doing so, before vanishing with a nod and a quick spin of his cane.
A few more sleepless nights passed for Max as he thought about his conversation with Mr. Twist. Very soon however, all doubts were erased as he could think of nothing else. Obsessively, Maximillian followed the stranger’s advice, returned to the clearing one last time, captured as many of the faeries as he could, callously ripped their pretty wings from their backs, and set about his plan to train them to perform in the Menage, which proved a frustrating and hardly rewarding experience. He even renamed each of them, characterizing them as broken states of being for his morality tales. Mr. Twist merely watched with a detached sense of pleasure and ‘justice’.
Slowly, the show became more successful, as Max’s audiences were amazed by the life-like qualities of his new 'Poppets' and wondered at the fact that they couldn't see any strings. Maximillian’s Magnificent Menage was even granted a larger stage by the carnival, becoming the headliner event. However, deprived of their wings, the faeries' beauty diminished quickly, and their magic became distorted and erratic. Understandably depressed by their imprisonment and the antagonizing personality of Max, the poppets became more chaotic and rebellious. Over time, amnesia of a sort took hold, and they barely even remembered their former nature and devolved into the catatonic characters they were forced to be in the show.
Hatred, anger, and melancholy consumed the poppets, and Max was the most obvious, but not the only, target of their volatile emotions. They spat at him, cursed him, and taunted him with the ugliest insults, yet they unaccountably continued acting in the Menage faithfully, as it seemed they had begun to appreciate the attention they received for their performances. The carnival audience was not the only attention they received though. Mr. Twist himself began to visit the poppets’ wagon with some frequency, the former object of his heart being among their numbers. Though twisted and altered by the removal of her wings, his love for her had not changed; if anything it had grown. Apathy, as she was called, became far more receptive to his compliments than her former faerie self and even began to share his affections.
So it happened one evening after a particularly bad exchange between the poppets and Max, they sat up late, loudly protesting their fate and their hatred, and Mr. Twist interjected through the bars of their caged wagon. He calmly heard them out and with the most sympathetic tones quietly told his love and her fellow prisoners what he knew of the faeries they had once been, the locations of things they could use to escape, and certain extra little things to further incense and motivate them to act on their emotions and their behalf.
Worked to a frenzy, they conspired against their captor. Summoning their collective magic, broken and blackened as it was, and seizing the weapons at their disposal, knives and torches, they set out on a murderous rampage. Starting with Max, they brutally slit his throat and gruesomely killed every single performer and patron at the carnival. The carnage and bloodshed that night was unprecedented, yet the poppets were free. It didn’t take long though before they realized they had no place to go. They were no longer trapped, but they acknowledged that the carnival had become their only home. In a hasty and half-hearted attempt to undo what they had done, the poppets called on their former faerie magic again to bring all of their victims back from the dead.
Tragically, their magic was able to achieve only limited results. Each individual brought back maintained the scars and wounds inflicted upon them and only some semblance of their former personalities. And, to this day the poppets and their victims, including Max, continue to perform their roles each night amidst the ruins and decay of the carnival. Mr. Twist, the secret of his manipulations held deep within, stands triumphantly among the crowds with his beloved Apathy ever nearby. The dreadful couple still dances together beneath the black skies of Hollow nights and acts with a devious yet endearing bravado towards anyone who happens to encounter The Dark Carnivàle of the Twisted Poppets….
- August & Pandora Rose ©2014 Darkrose Manor LLC
Long ago, in the borderlands of Bramblerose Brook and Darkrose Hollow, there was a carnival that hosted and boasted of natural oddities, freaks, and gypsy performances. There also lived a traveling showman named Maximillian, whose gregarious ego far outweighed his questionable talents. His greatest attraction, if such could be called, was Maximillian's Magnificent Menage. The Menage was a paltry collection of self-styled morality-tales, acted out through puppetry. An unsuccessful doll maker in his younger years, Max originally crafted his 'poppets' by hand, but despite his inflated sense of artistry, he always felt they were missing something, as did most of those who attended his shows. Yet, he carried on as best he could, ever following this carnival as it made its way from village to village.
Those were always strange lands, and among their inhabitants was also a tall, garish individual who had developed a reputation as a wandering trickster. Despite many differing and conflicting tales, no one actually knew his origins, or even his name for that matter. Eventually he was simply referred to as Mr. Twist, as much for the outlandish nature of his attire as for the nearly unbelievable stories of mischief and devious behaviors associated with him. Despite all of that, he had a way of making people feel at ease by appearing to focus on them and their thoughts (at first anyway).
As fate would have it, Max took a particularly sad walk one evening and encountered a band of faeries who had wandered far from the safety of the Brook. Instantly enthralled and amazed by the diminutive creatures’ beauty, he immediately thought they would make wonderful 'poppets'. For several nights, he lay in his vardo thinking of them and new ideas for the Menage. He became obsessed and returned many times to the place he had originally stumbled upon them. He watched the faeries as they danced and flitted about, without disturbing them. He knew he wanted them though.
Max was not the only one who had become infatuated with the faeries. Mr. Twist had become acquainted with the faeries some time ago, a young and beautiful one in particular. Having been a dweller of those lands since time immemorial, the faeries were accustomed to his visits though they had their reservations. Many months after he first laid eyes on her, Mr. Twist unabashedly revealed his love for the young faerie. Suffice it to say, she shunned his advances, and the collective response of their society was one of disapproval. Mr. Twist was understandably crushed as he retreated to the shadows of the Hollow.
His own heart break fresh in his mind and having observed the old man’s behaviors for many nights, Mr. Twist flamboyantly strolled up to Max and struck up a conversation with the beleaguered showman. Initially, Max was wary of him and his eccentric demeanor, but he quickly succumbed to the stranger’s charm and told him of the faeries and his desires. Mr. Twist listened sympathetically, sharing his own feelings with Max, before he bluntly suggested with a devilish grin that Max trap the faeries. When Max brought up that the faeries could easily escape, Mr. Twist shamelessly told him to simply clip their wings, while roundly omitting the consequences of doing so, before vanishing with a nod and a quick spin of his cane.
A few more sleepless nights passed for Max as he thought about his conversation with Mr. Twist. Very soon however, all doubts were erased as he could think of nothing else. Obsessively, Maximillian followed the stranger’s advice, returned to the clearing one last time, captured as many of the faeries as he could, callously ripped their pretty wings from their backs, and set about his plan to train them to perform in the Menage, which proved a frustrating and hardly rewarding experience. He even renamed each of them, characterizing them as broken states of being for his morality tales. Mr. Twist merely watched with a detached sense of pleasure and ‘justice’.
Slowly, the show became more successful, as Max’s audiences were amazed by the life-like qualities of his new 'Poppets' and wondered at the fact that they couldn't see any strings. Maximillian’s Magnificent Menage was even granted a larger stage by the carnival, becoming the headliner event. However, deprived of their wings, the faeries' beauty diminished quickly, and their magic became distorted and erratic. Understandably depressed by their imprisonment and the antagonizing personality of Max, the poppets became more chaotic and rebellious. Over time, amnesia of a sort took hold, and they barely even remembered their former nature and devolved into the catatonic characters they were forced to be in the show.
Hatred, anger, and melancholy consumed the poppets, and Max was the most obvious, but not the only, target of their volatile emotions. They spat at him, cursed him, and taunted him with the ugliest insults, yet they unaccountably continued acting in the Menage faithfully, as it seemed they had begun to appreciate the attention they received for their performances. The carnival audience was not the only attention they received though. Mr. Twist himself began to visit the poppets’ wagon with some frequency, the former object of his heart being among their numbers. Though twisted and altered by the removal of her wings, his love for her had not changed; if anything it had grown. Apathy, as she was called, became far more receptive to his compliments than her former faerie self and even began to share his affections.
So it happened one evening after a particularly bad exchange between the poppets and Max, they sat up late, loudly protesting their fate and their hatred, and Mr. Twist interjected through the bars of their caged wagon. He calmly heard them out and with the most sympathetic tones quietly told his love and her fellow prisoners what he knew of the faeries they had once been, the locations of things they could use to escape, and certain extra little things to further incense and motivate them to act on their emotions and their behalf.
Worked to a frenzy, they conspired against their captor. Summoning their collective magic, broken and blackened as it was, and seizing the weapons at their disposal, knives and torches, they set out on a murderous rampage. Starting with Max, they brutally slit his throat and gruesomely killed every single performer and patron at the carnival. The carnage and bloodshed that night was unprecedented, yet the poppets were free. It didn’t take long though before they realized they had no place to go. They were no longer trapped, but they acknowledged that the carnival had become their only home. In a hasty and half-hearted attempt to undo what they had done, the poppets called on their former faerie magic again to bring all of their victims back from the dead.
Tragically, their magic was able to achieve only limited results. Each individual brought back maintained the scars and wounds inflicted upon them and only some semblance of their former personalities. And, to this day the poppets and their victims, including Max, continue to perform their roles each night amidst the ruins and decay of the carnival. Mr. Twist, the secret of his manipulations held deep within, stands triumphantly among the crowds with his beloved Apathy ever nearby. The dreadful couple still dances together beneath the black skies of Hollow nights and acts with a devious yet endearing bravado towards anyone who happens to encounter The Dark Carnivàle of the Twisted Poppets….
- August & Pandora Rose ©2014 Darkrose Manor LLC
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