Paul Acker has been described many times as the master of horror when it comes to tattooing. He specializes in realistic horror themed tattoos, and does an amazing job of it.He owns The Séance Tattoo Parlour in Bensalem, PA.
Paul has been tattooing since December of 2000. As a kid he loved Tales from the Crypt and fangoria, which developed into a love of horror as he grew up. When doing his horror themed work, he focuses on the lighting within the tattoo, much like an actual horror movie does, to give the piece depth and contrast. Here are some of my favorites of his.
Mad Max remakeChristian Bale’s American PsychoStephen King’s ItMichael Meyers and his home, from HalloweenHannibal Lecter from Silence of the LambsJason Voorhees from Friday the 13thBloody wolfDecaying zombieFrankensteins monster looking as sad as everThe Evil Dead 2013 remakeJawsEdgar Allen Poe with raven and black catIconic Marilyn MansonFreddy Krueger from A Nightmare on Elm StreetWednesday Addams from The Addams FamilyAngry little Gollum from Tolkien’s the Lord of the Rings
Paul Acker only does tattoos that he is interested in doing. Better make sure you want something cool so you can get a brilliant piece from him!
Love them or hate them, clowns have been around a long time. As court jesters in medieval times, to circus performers, theatre actors, street performers, to movie stars, great Cirque Du Soleil acrobats, and children entertainers. Clowns are meant to be a happy, exuberant, silly performer, but lately have been much more active in the horror department. From books and movies like Batman’s “Joker” character, Stephen King’s “It”, Rob Zombie’s “Captain Spaulding” and “31”,and American Horror Story’s “Twisty, clowns are now pretty terrifying. Some pop culture horror clowns are unfortunately based on real people who were killer clowns, such as John Wayne Gacy. Now, in 2016, North America and parts of Europe are experiencing what the media is calling “killer clown attacks”, where people are dressing up as creepy clowns and chasing, staring at, and harassing people all in the hopes of scaring them, or in some more serious situations, worse.
Whether you think clowns are funny or scary, they make some great tattoos.
Clown tattoos are usually done in American traditional, realism, and black and grey styles. They are either happy, fun clowns, sad, crying clowns (often done as “tramp” clowns), or horror clowns.
Matching American traditional clowns by Dan Santoro.Crying traditional clown by Jonathan Reina in Gran Canaria, Spain.Creepy American traditional clown by Kujo at Clipper Ship Tattoo in Atlanta, GA.Sad traditional clown by Josh Adams in Canonsburg, PA.Outline of a happy looking clown by A. Perry at Gentlemen Tattoos in Youngstown, Ohio.All black crying clown by Jason Donahue at Liberty tattoo in Seattle.Creepy black and grey realistic horror clown by Ukix Asmirantika at Luxury Ink, Bali.Menacing Joker tattoo by Andrey Stepanov in Russia,The Killing Joke, Joker by Sophie Adamson at The Projects Tattoo in Plymouth, UK.Realistic black and grey Joker by Tom Caine at Holy Mountain Tattoo in the UK.Realistic Rob Zombie’s Captain Spaulding by Alex Wright at Grindhouse Tattoo Productions in the UK.Realistic Stephen king’s “It” tattoo by Sam Barry in Belfast.Realistic American Horror Story’s “Twisty” the clown by Evan Olin at Powerline Tattoo in Cranston, RI.
Ghost is a popular metal band from Sweden that formed in 2008, and quickly became popular around the world. The bands macabre theme, costumes, lyrics, gothic sound, and artwork make for the perfect Halloween band. The vocalist “Papa Emeritus” is dressed as a Satanic Pope, and the instrumentalists all wear black clothing and devil masks, and go by the name “the nameless ghouls”. Adding to the band’s theme is an air of mystery. No one knows exactly who any of them are. Even when signing autographs, the vocalist signs with his stage name, and the nameless ghouls use stamps with their individual alchemical symbols, allowing people to focus on the art instead of them as individuals.. Despite their dark and often satanic lyrics, members of the band have stated that they are religious in some form, and have said in interviews that they are all “tongue-in-cheek”, it’s all for the entertainment and artwork.
Realistic Papa Emeritus by Paul Acker at Seance Tattoo Parlour in Bensalem PA.Black and grey photo realistic Papa Emeritus by Salva Navalon.Another Papa Emeritus by Micke Bayman at True Heart Tattoo in Sweden.American traditional take on Papa Emeritus by Vince Genois in Quebec.Adorable cartoon version of Papa Emeritus by Stacey Martin at Golden Age Tattoo in Texas.Creepy caricature of Papa Emeritus by Ver Rou Ven in Berlin.Surrealist Nameless Ghoul by Ron Russo at 570 Tattooing Co in Wilkes Barre, PA.Black and grey Nameless Ghoul by Tim vonEvil at Evil Eye Tattoo in Stockholm, Sweden.
Since its first episode as part of second season in 1990, the Treehouse of Horror has been a huge hit with Simpsons fans. Dark, witty, and chalk full of pop culture references, Treehouse of Horror is always sure to be a spooky addition to your Halloween festivities.
Many episodes are based loosely off of various monster movies, horror, and thriller movies and books, such as; Nightmare on Elm Street, Frankenstein, Psycho, Amityville Horror, Twilight Zone, The Exorcist, Poltergeist, The Shining, The Monkey’s Paw, King Kong, Night of the Living Dead, Dracula, The Raven, Clockwork Orange, and more.
Bart trick or treating as an executioner by Jason Ochoa while guest tattooing at Flying Panther in San Diego, CA.Good old Flanders/Satan by Jeff Ortega at Evil From The Needle in London.Smilin’ Homer J. by Joshua Davis at Wicked Inklination in Muswellbrook.Grim Reaper Bart by Justin Dion at Sovereign Tattoo.Hyper realistic, murderous Krusty the Clown doll by Mike DeVries at Redemption Tattoo in Northridge CA.
Three little bangers by Sara Eve at Artisan Tattoo in Pittsburgh PA.
Three little bangers by Sara Eve at Artisan Tattoo in Pittsburgh PA.
Dotwork zombie Homer by Sebastian Camargo.The Shining Homer by Wes Pratt at New Tribe Tattoos in Toronto.
The Treehouse of Horror episodes also often feature a fun alien duo, Kang and Kodos, who are always up to some sort of mischief.
Kang and Kodos by Omar Powers at Trader Bobs Tattoo Shop in St. Louis.Kang or Kodos in a traditional rose by Drew Cottom at Amillion Tattoo.
What is your favorite Treehouse of Horror episode?
All Things Tattoo 