The “original” zombie has come a long way. From White Zombie in 1932 (often considered the first zombie movie) to shows like The Walking Dead and movies like Shaun of the Dead and World War Z, zombies have been around in popular culture for almost 100 years.
Zombieland’s Bill Murray done by Craig Mackay in the UK in a black and grey realistic style.Realistic black and grey zombie head done by Pavel Polovnikov at Red Berry Tattoo Studio in Poland.
Some popular zombie movies to get your tattoo ideas started include Dawn of the Dead, Day of the Dead, 28 Days Later, Zombieland, Zombieland Double-Tap, Planet Terror, Dead Snow, Shaun of the Dead, I am Legend, and The Return of the Living Dead, to name a few.
American traditional frosty zombie done by Dan Gagné at Mortem Tattoo in Montreal.Realistic colour Dawn of the Dead zombie done by Kristian Kimonides, in Melbourne Australia.
In tattoo form many people choose to get their zombies in a realistic style, with both black and grey or colour being popular.
Cute cartoon zombie done by Joshua Hoiberg.Huge realistic colour Walking Dead sleeve done by Taryn Lee in Nottingham, UK.
American traditional or neo traditional is also a popular choice when getting the undead inked.
Classic Shaun of the Dead themed piece done by Matthew Limbers at Dearly Departed Tattoo in Milford, Michigan.Hyper realistic tarman zombie from The Return of the Living Dead, done by Paul Acker at Séance Tattoo Parlour.
As with most spooky tattoos, some people go for “cute”, usually meaning a more new school or cartoon style, or neo traditional.
Fun cartoon zombified Bart Simpson done by Shawn Havron at Artisan Body Piercing and Tattoos in Norfolk VA.A neo traditional zombie ready to party, done by Moira Ramone in Rotterdam, NL.
What’s your zombie apocalypse plan? Let us know down in the comments!
Who doesn’t love a good ghost story this time of year?
Black and grey/pointillism piece done by Angelo Parente at Black Casket Tattoo.
People have always had a fascination with death and dying, and with that fascination comes story telling. Some of my favourite books are ghost stories (or related). Here’s a short list of some of my favourites, and some great tattoos to go with them!
Heavy on the black, spooky sheet ghost done by Shannon McFarlene at Iron Lotus Tattoo in Winnipeg, Canada.
Hell House, by Richard Matheson.
American traditional ghosts around a fire done by Grace LaMorte at Spring Street Tattoo in Jeffersonville, Indiana.
The Haunting of Hill House, by Shirley Jackson.
Cute American traditional Casper tattoo done by Jackpot the needles in Seoul, South Korea.
The Taxidermists Daughter, by Kate Mosse.
A traditional Japanese ghost done by Rob Mopar at Sacred Monkey Tattoo.
The Woman in Black, by Susan Hill.
Super cute fall tattoo including a spooky lil ghost, done by Kassidy Autumn at Cincinnati Tattoo Studio.
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, by Alvin Schwartz.
Terrifying sheet ghost done by Ryan Murray at Black Veil Tattoo in Salem, MA.
The Amityville Horror, by Jay Anson.
Halloween themed snow globe done in American traditional style, by Mandee Jane Robinson.
As a tattoo, many people prefer blackwork or black and grey, to maximize the dark feelings that generally come with ghosts. American traditional and realism can also be popular choices for a spooky ghost. Of course not all ghosts are scary, and American traditional ghosts tend not to be. Many American trad ghosts are based on casper the friendly ghost.
Sexy ghost costume done by Samantha Croston at Reign Supreme Tattoo Studio.
Do you prefer scary or fun ghosts?
Wicked pointillism Halloween themed piece done by Tulio Tattoo.
The Hand of Glory was a particularly grotesque tool used by criminals, particularly thieves, to aid in robberies. The legend dates back to the 15th century, and there are numerous accounts of people using them throughout history.
American traditional Hand of Glory done by Cassie Lynn O’Neal at Floating World Tattoos.A lit Hand of Glory with an eye and a snake done by Oskar Gurbada.
The name reportedly comes from the French, “main de glorie”, which in turn got its name from the magical mandrake root.
A more realistic and black and grey Hand of Glory done by Alex Pea at Drop of Ink in Pennsylvania.A very magical Hand of Glory done by Pa Dundon, done at Sands of Time Tattoo in Ireland.
According to legend, mandrakes grow under gallows from the seed of a hanged man, and they were believed to shine like lamps at night, also in roughly the shape of a hand.
Another American traditional Hand of Glory with wings done by Emil Dz at Philadelphia Eddies Tattoo.Hand of Glory radiating light for this wearer, done by Sam at Westside Tattoo in Brisbane.
The process of making a hand of glory is quite particular, and adds to the macabre nature of the thing. Sabine Baring-Gould wrote in his book, Curious Myths of the Middle Ages: “The Hand of Glory .. is the hand of a man who has been hung, and it is prepared in the following manner: Wrap the hand in a piece of winding-sheet, drawing it tight, so as to squeeze out the little blood which may remain; then place it in an earthenware vessel with saltpeter, salt, and long pepper, all carefully and thoroughly powdered. Let it remain a fortnight in this pickle till it is well dried, then expose it to the sun in the dog-days, till it is completely parched, or, if the sun be not powerful enough, dry it in an oven heated with vervain and fern. Next make a candle with the fat of a hung man, virgin-wax, and Lapland sesame.” (1873)
A more colourful and stylized American traditional Hand of Glory done by Jon Harper at Black Friars Tattoo.
The people who used hands of glory had different beliefs. Some believed it could give light only to them, leaving others in darkness, some believed it could make them invisible, many thought it could burn forever and could only be put out if the user so desired, others believed and hoped it could render any nearby person motionless or put occupants of a residence to sleep. All tales of the hand of glory seem to show the belief that the hand could open any nearby lock, making it an even more useful tool for those wishing to take something that does not belong to them.
A bleeding American traditional Hand of Glory done by JP Farias at Atlantico Tattoo.
Open, lock, To the Dead Man’s knock! Fly, bolt, and bar, and band! Nor move, nor swerve, Joint, muscle, or nerve, At the spell of the Dead Man’s hand! Sleep, all who sleep! — Wake, all who wake! But be as the dead for the Dead Man’s sake!
Now lock, nor bolt, nor bar avails, Nor stout oak panel thick-studded with nails. Heavy and harsh the hinges creak, Though they had been oil’d in the course of the week. The door opens wide as wide may be, And there they stand, That murderous band, Lit by the light of the Glorious Hand, By one! — by two! — by three! By Thomas Ingoldsby
Black and grey Hand of Glory with an eye done by Lindsay K at Urge Studios in Victoria, Canada.
And of course fans of Harry Potter will be familiar with the Hand of Glory from Mr. Borgin and Burkes’ store when young Mr. Malfoy takes a fancy to it. “Ah, the Hand of Glory!” said Mr. Borgin, abandoning Mr. Malfoy’s list and scurrying over to Draco. “Insert a candle and it gives light only to the holder! Best friend of thieves and plunderers! Your son has fine taste, sir.”
A solid linework Hand of Glory with burned out candles and an eye done by Nevada Buckley at Firefly Tattoo Collective.
Which gruesome hand is your favourite and why? Let me know in the comments and remember to check out any of the artists if you liked their work.
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