Gothic Life: The Essential Guide to Macabre Style by Aurelio Voltaire

Synopsis

The New York Times–dubbed “Martha Stewart for Macabre Homemakers,” Aurelio Voltaire, presents the definitive guide to revamping your sanctuary to match your eerie vibe.

Are you ready to embrace your dark side? In Gothic Life, Aurelio Voltaire shows you how to do just that, using the expertise honed as founder and host of the show Gothic Homemaking and years of stop-motion animation work to take you on a journey to goth-hood. From DIY design projects to helpful haunted hosting tips and tricks, with this step-by-step reference, you’ll transform your domain to capture your spooky essence with lessons The history and mindset of goths, including gothic icons from Vincent Price to Tim Burton to Wednesday Addams Enchanting home décor, making use of spooky color palettes (beyond black!) and all the bats and gargoyles your gothic heart could want A gothic dinner party menu featuring the likes of squid ink linguini and charcoal ice cream Holiday and party prep to celebrate Halloween and beyond Whether you are looking for new ways to express your inner goth year-round or seeking brilliantly haunting ideas for your next Halloween bash, Gothic Life reveals the secrets to unleashing your inner goth and transforming the mundane to the macabre.

Release Date

August 20, 2024

Overall Rating

5/5

Quick Take

Gothic Life: The Essential Guide to Macabre Style by Aurelio Voltaire is required reading for all fans of the macabre. It is a beautiful and fun book that is perfect for guiding you on how to live a spooky life year-round, no matter your personal eerie style.

Tell Me More

When I say that I about screamed when this book arrived on my porch, I’m not kidding. Voltaire is iconic (if you haven’t listened to his music or seen his YouTube channel, do it NOW!)

Gothic Life is basically the bible for macabre style. I found that a lot of it was for beginners – meaning that if you already live a full-out gothic life, and your home is a complete lair, you may not get a lot out of this book. However, for someone like me who is super eclectic (my house is equal parts Halloween, horror, Disney, and rainbows – as is my style) this book gave me some excellent ideas and insights.

I loved how the book wasn’t pretentious at all. Voltaire highlights his style, his suggestions on color schemes and their meanings, while also incorporating fun projects and recipes for year-round celebrations. My favorite parts were the ideas for Summerween, Halloween, and Creepy Christmas. But I also thoroughly enjoyed the section that highlighted other creators, their styles, and a peek into their own homes.

There is also a portion of the book where he dives into the history of classic icons, like Elvira and Vincent Price, and includes destinations for gothic vacations – as well as tips on how to do gothic “staycations” should you not be able to travel.

All of the included recipes were immediately sober-friendly, with suggestions on adding booze if you wish, which was lovely to see. His note on taxidermy and being against trophy hunting and ethically sourcing artifacts for taxidermy gave me so much respect for him as well.

Gothic Life is very well-rounded. It gives you ideas on creating a spooky home while incorporating other ways to live the macabre lifestyle – including hosting themed parties and giving you insight into the world of gothic life. Even if you aren’t devoted to creating a macabre lifestyle but enjoy the ambiance, this book is a true treat to flip through. Voltaire emphasizes that there is no “wrong” way to live a gothic life, and the feeling of inclusivity makes this book so well-rounded. I can’t praise it enough.