Had a lovely chat with a dear friend today who told me about this short video he remembered from his childhood called Dark and Lonely Water, one in a series of British public info short films created as cautionary tales for children, narrated by none other than horror icon Donald Pleasence:
Brilliantly done, and really plays like a short horror/suspense film. Must-watch!
What would you do if you were given the opportunity to fulfill your heart's wish?
The 1979 film Stalker (dir. Andrei Tarkovsky) is generally regarded as science fiction, but there is enough anticipation and visceral tension that I would consider it a psychological thriller as well, deeply philosophical and full of symbolic imagery and dialog, and overall very unsettling on multiple levels.
The "stalker" in this story makes a living as a guide of sorts, hired by
individuals to navigate them through The Zone, a dangerous forbidden
place, to a mysterious room that grants the visitor his or her deepest
desire. The landscape seems devoid of human life, overgrown, only
crumbling ruins remain.
This film is a masterpiece, visually breathtaking despite its vivid imagery of filth, pollution, desolation, and decay in a seemingly post-apocalyptic society. The sound design and score are equally as incredible, haunting.
Stalker has quite a long running time at nearly three hours. Despite its slow, ponderous pace, it's never dull, it's full of beautifully composed & surreal imagery. This is one to watch and discuss with deep-thinking friends. This is one that's going to stick with me for a long time.
Rating: 9/10 Jackos [🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃_ ]
I rate it 7/10 Jackos! 🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃_ _ _
If you liked House of Wax (1953) and Giallo horror films, see Mill of the Stone Women (1960), famed for being the first Italian movie that was filmed in color.
And boy, did they know how to use color in this one, with rich, painting-like image composition, beautiful costume design, luxuriant textures, and dramatic lighting. Aesthetic is king.
(image spoilers ahead)
The pacing on this one is a bit slow at times, but its imagery is so moodily evocative that you won't care. See this.
Is there really a Santa Claus?
Today's post is for the children - Click the pic of Jolly Ol' Saint Nick below for today's special gift.
Do NOT miss today's entry - your life might just depend on it!
Click Santa to ponder the true meaning of Xmas.
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If, like me, you work or have ever worked in retail in the USA - then you already know this story.
I gotta be honest. I haven't seen it yet, but I have mixed feelings about Ghostbusters: Afterlife. I loved the original film, but didn't care much for the others, not even Ghostbusters II, which I know has its devotees.
Still, it was great to watch Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, and Ernie Hudson reunite for this interview on Jimmy Fallon:
I mean, I'll definitely watch this one and hope I will be pleasantly surprised. I suppose that means I ought to re-watch Ghostbusters II again, since it's been quite a few years since I last saw it.
A friend of mine shared this fantastic Youtube video with me today:
It's a great fix for keeping those cozy Halloween vibes going. Enjoy!
For some people, it's watching It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown. For others, it's the Halloween film series, or A Nightmare Before Christmas. Every Halloween and horror enthusiast has their own favorite must-watch content that they simply have to see every October. For me, it's the pilot episode of Tales From the Darkside, a horror anthology series that aired in the US in the 1980s.
There are lots of great episodes of this show, but none can compare to this one, the pilot called Trick or Treat. It aired on 29 October 1983, about year before the series was actually picked up by CBS. From the Talesfromthedarkside wiki page:
Gideon Hackles is an elderly miser who keeps the residents of his rural town mired in debt. As part of an annual Halloween "tradition", Gideon invites local trick-or-treaters to explore his house to search for their parents' hidden IOUs. The children who find the papers will have their parents' debts cancelled.
Although it is filmed primarily indoors, the episode evokes vivid setting: a haunted rural countryside of barren fields and run-down old barns (things I saw a lot as a kid who grew up in New England) populated with poor farmers who are down on their luck. The haunt props in Gideon Hackles' home are clearly his own ingenious inventions, and some of his creations are truly creepy. Dude knows how to scare the crap out of kids. #goals
Between the general spooky, claustrophobic mood of this film, and the cool haunted house contraptions, this short film was instrumental in solidifying my love of Halloween and home haunts.
I won't give away too much, but while there is that level of campy-ness commonly found in TV horror from the early 80s, there's also some great costume design and cinematography crammed into this 20+ minute feature.
Some fun facts: It was co-written by George Romero; it stars Barnard Hughes (who you might recognize as Grandpa from movie The Lost Boys); it includes an appearance by Max Wright (the dad from ALF); there is a rumor that the pirate laugh was provided by Tim Curry, although thus far I can't find any evidence to confirm.
The Internet Archive has the whole episode to watch below --
*** This version of the episode unfortunately does not have the original score. My guess is that this video was sourced from the DVD release of Tales From the Darkside, which changed some of the original scores used in the show. It's still a great episode and worth watching, but it's kinda like those editions of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark that replaced the iconic artwork by Stephen Gammell with illustrations by Brett Helquist - just ain't the same.
Remember the trend of making fake movie trailers by remixing footage to give them a whole new genre and an entirely different vibe?
Here are two of my favorites -- Mary Poppins and Little House on the Prairie as horror films:
I will be attending a Beetlejuice-themed immersive theater event in a few weeks called The Netherworld Experience at the Curioporium in Hartford, CT. Beetlejuice has been one of my top favorite films since I first saw it on the big screen eons ago and I wanted to find a fitting shirt to wear for the evening. I searched and searched thru many many different styles on different online merchants and finally, I saw this and knew this was THE one I had to have, by NerdChamber on Etsy:
The full trailer for What We Do in the Shadows season 3 has just been released:
I'm pretty psyched! I really enjoyed the movie and the first 2 seasons.
Comedian and character actor John Paragon passed away in April of 2021, although his death was announced just a few days ago.
He was probably best known for his work with Pee-wee Herman (Paul Reubens), in particular the show "Pee-wee's Playhouse," which he helped to write, and in which he portrayed the characters Jambi and Pteri. He also worked closely with Cassandra Peterson, better known as Elvira, on many of her projects. Both Reubens and Peterson expressed deep sadness at the loss of their friend.
Here's John in his small but unforgettable role as the groveling son of the evil TV exec RJ Fletcher in the iconic Weird Al movie UHF:
I can't help but think of this scene every Father's Day. Rest in peace, John! You were beloved by many.
Over the span of two days, two of the great Seattle-area horror institutions - Crypticon Seattle and Friday Night Frights - have announced their post-Covid return and I could not be more excited!! Read about them below:
1.) Crypticon Seattle - Seattle's annual summertime horror convention, usually held in May, was cancelled completely in 2020. It is returning this year from 27-29 August!! Crypticon has always been a fun time, with great celebrity guests, vendors, cosplayers, prosthetic makeup demos, panels, film festivals, after-hours parties, and more. I can't wait!!
Here are some pics of past Crypticons I've been to!
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| Click the pic above for their Instagram page |
What better way to celebrate the true meaning of Memorial Day: by remembering those brave soldiers who fought and died to win the Civil War by conquering the armies of the Confederacy (who were actually led by VAMPIRES).
(*some spoilers ahead)
