Haunted Movie Marathon 2012 - Finale

The last part of October can feel a bit melancholy. I sometimes get so excited about Halloween in the first few weeks that I get a little tired when the actual event rolls around. I totally kept my steam up this year, and even had a few days where I just completely gorged myself on horror movies and candy, as Satan intended. As always, first viewings are in orange, rewatches are in black. (May contain light spoilers.)

October 22nd

The Gate (1987)
I feel like I should have seen this movie as a kid, but it somehow stayed under my radar until it popped up on Netflix. I loved it. This painfully 80s selection stars 14 year old Stephen Dorff who accidentally opens a gate to hell in his backyard, unleashing a bunch of demons. It's totally a "kid's" horror movie, but it's actually pretty damn Satanic, complete with a rare heavy metal album that contains the secrets to the demon world. Aces.

October 23rd

Beyond Re-Animator (2003)
I was glad to finally finish the Re-Animator trilogy, but man is this movie awful. I mean, I loved it, but let's not pretend that it's anything but a set-up for gratuitous splatter, sexy girls, and dismembered phalli.

October 24th

The Innkeepers (2011)
I mentioned this in my review of The House of the Devil. I actually caught this film in theatres when it came out last year, and was glad to see it again. I actually didn't quite pick up the first time that this movie is supposed to be set in the late 90s/early 00s, and there's a sort of cheesy feeling to it that plays off of that era. A tad predictable, but the humor and creepiness make it solid enough in my book.

October 25th

Audrey Rose (1977)
This wasn't really a horror movie in the traditional sense, though there were some startling scenes, but I found it intriguing and enjoyable. The concept is pretty cool, it's about a girl who dies at the exact second another girl is born, and her spirit enters the body of the other girl.

October 26th

The Wicker Man (1973)
This is my movie, dudes. I first watched this when I was a teenager and haven't seen it since. I quickly realised while I was watching it that the version I had first seen had been heavily edited, as it had way more tits and random musical numbers than I remembered. Anyway, it's a genuinely good and scary film and I highly recommend it.

October 27th

Insidious (2010)
I had heard a lot of buzz about this movie being really good/scary, but it literally put me to sleep. Like, I can't actually review it because I missed the last 15 minutes and I don't feel super motivated to fire it back up to watch the end. The acting was piss-poor, I didn't think it was scary at all; all the "ghosts" or whatever just looked like people in goth make-up. I was like, hey, you're not scary, I saw you at the club last week.

October 28th

Dead Snow (2009)
I had been wanting to see this for awhile, and I'm thrilled I finally got the chance. It really is hilarious, and gory, and gross, and everything you'd expect in a Nazi zombie film.

October 29th

Scream 2 (1997)
I was actually quite fond of the Scream films when they first came out. I'm pretty sure this was my first time watching this since it then, but it's still a fairly good watch. Nothing too mind-blowing, but a solid Halloween selection, and a lot of great 90s nostalgia.

October 30th

Atrocious (2010)
I have mixed feelings about found footage films, but this wasn't too bad. At least...it was short, and it came together at the end. I don't really get scared by films like this, but if you don't mind shaky cam, it could be worth a look.

October 31st

A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987)
This is my favorite of the NoES films, and it stands up to watch after watch. I am totally planning on being Taryn (dream version, pictured at left) for next Halloween (or just, you know, the next time I go to the club.)

Other honorable mentions include Garfield's Halloween Adventure, It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, and the Invader Zim Halloween episode. That's it for this year's films! I hope everyone had a great Halloween!

Haunted Movie Marathon 2012 - Week 3

Most of week 3 of October I spent traveling, and the rest was spent partying and getting trashed, so that's why this entry is being written in November, with the finale to come at a slightly later date. Sue me! As always, first viewings are in orange, rewatches are in black. (May contain light spoilers.)

October 15th

House (1986)
I'll be honest: I was expecting this to be awful and figured that at best I'd have something I could make fun of. It's actually awesome and funny as hell. Any movie where a dog carries around a severed demon hand in its mouth is generally going to go over well with me.

October 16th

The Shrine (2010)
I doubt this film will go down in any history books as an example of high quality cinema, but it will always hold a special place in my heart for being one of the few horror films to make me scream out loud (The Orphanage is another on that list, you may recall from last year). It's actually not a bad film at all, with some genuine creepiness, a cool twist at the end, and some seriously fucked up death scenes.

October 17th

Alien (1979)
I don't really need to write a review of one of the best films ever made, but I will throw out the recommendation that this is not the best film to watch while completely shitfaced. I ended up getting really confused.

October 18th

The House of the Devil (2009)
I. Love. This. Movie. Seriously. I've been a fan of Ti West since I saw Innkeepers in theatres last year, and I put this film on the second I realised it was on Netflix. I first watched it in September, but of course I had to watch it again as part of my Halloween preparations. The thing I really like about this movie and Ti West's other work is that it's great at building tension and suspense. It might seem slow to some people, but it has a great atmosphere and some incredible pay-off scenes.

October 19th

Reaper (2007–2009)
Technically not a film, but I really wanted to include it here. My roommates and I spent much of this week watching this entire series on Netflix, and what's more Halloween-ish than a show about kid whose parents sold his soul to the devil and is forced to become a soul reaper working directly under Lucifer himself? Reaper isn't particularly scary, but it's full of fun demons, engaging characters, and a lot of great one-liners. Definitely worth checking out (even if it was cancelled prematurely.)

October 20th

Apartment 143 (2012)
Our decision to watch this was mostly spurred by the fact that it featured Rick Gonzalez, who plans Ben in Reaper, and that was actually the sole redeeming factor of this skippable, not scary yawn-fest.

October 21st

Seed of Chucky (2004)
I've actually never seen any of the Child's Play films, and I never would have bothered to watch this, but my roommate randomly put it on and I didn't feel like getting up off the sofa. That said, I thought this was pretty funny and it had some good death scenes and also, randomly, John Waters.

I apologise again for the delay in week 3. I will be posting the finale and some other Halloween entries in the next few days, so sit tight and don't lose your Halloween spirit just yet!

Haunted Movie Marathon 2012 - Week 2

I can't believe it's already mid-October! Time certainly flies. It's finally cooling down in San Francisco, and nights are feeling spookier and spookier! As always, first viewings are in orange, rewatches are in black. (May contain light spoilers.)

October 8th

Perfect Blue (1997)
A true anime horror/thriller classic. I've always been very fond of this film, and everything from Satoshi Kon. This was the first movie of his that I watched, and it's still amazing every time I see it.

October 9th

Trick or Treat (1986)
This movie is way too much fun. A violent rock star gets resurrected when his album is played backwards and wreaks havoc, culminating in an explosive Halloween night concert. I'm just about dying to see someone pull off a Sammi Curr costume. Cameos from Gene Simmons and Ozzy Osbourne just sweeten the utter delight that is this movie.

October 10th

Hellraiser (1987)
I wasn't intending to include Hellraiser in this month's films because I already did so last year, but seeing as how it's one of my all-time favorite movies, it made its way onto the list. I don't have much else to say about it...just watch it if you haven't already. And if you have already seen it, watch it again.

October 11th

Hellbound: Hellraiser 2 (1988)
This was my first time watching any of the other Hellraiser films. I've heard a lot of mixed things, but figured the second one was at least worth a shot. I actually really enjoyed it. There are a lot of great gory scenes and the plot at least somewhat holds together. I tried to watch Hellraiser 3 later on and deemed it literally unwatchable after about 15 minutes. I rarely turn movies off, but yeah, definitely skip that one.

October 12th

Dreamaniac (1986)
Ugggh, god this was bad. It's full of unsexy sex scenes and side ponytails. (I'm pretty sure they spent 80% of their budget on hair scrunchies.) It's so shittily acted and shot that even the 3-4 gory death scenes couldn't redeem it for me. I actually spent most of this viewing Skyping on my phone so, uh, yeah. Don't watch it.

October 13th

Halloween (2007)
I'm very fond of the original Halloween, so I was highly skeptical about watching this, but my roommate kept insisting that it was excellent. After watching it, I do not disagree at all. It's beautifully shot, well-acted, and true to the original, while at the same time adding a ton of new stuff. I loved it.

October 14th

Repo! The Genetic Opera (2008)
It's pretty much my mission in life to get people to watch this movie. I've seen it quite a few times (and I listen to the soundtrack pretty often) and it never gets old. If you haven't seen it yet, I strongly recommend it. And if you don't like it, you are dead to me.

Hope you enjoyed week 2! Tune in next time when I will probably make up some movies that I didn't actually watch because I'll be on a road trip for half of next week.

Haunted Movie Marathon 2012 - Week 1

Yes, it is that time, finally! I have to admit, I got pretty antsy during the last week of September. I did actually sneak in a few warm-up horror movie watchings (which I may rewatch and review here later.) As always, first viewings are in orange, rewatches are in black. (May contain light spoilers.)

October 1st

Re-Animator (1985)
I decided to start with a classic. Re-Animator has a firmly-fixed spot on my "movies I could watch forever and never tire of" list, and this viewing certainly did not disappoint. I am not ashamed to admit how sexy I find Jeffrey Combs.

October 2nd

Prince of Darkness (1987)
I'm just going to copy pasta the Facebook status I made about this film for this review: Prince of Darkness has everything I have ever wanted in a film: Victor Wong, Alice Cooper, people exploding into bugs and puking into each other's mouths, a decapitated corpse picking up her own head, and a guy getting stabbed by a bicycle.

October 3rd

Bride of Re-Animator (1990)
As much as I love Re-Animator, I had never bothered to watch the sequels (I have Beyond Re-Animator on my list for later), so I was eager to fire this one up! I, of course, completely fell in love with it. I think my favorite part was the creature made of fingers and an eyeball, and the dog getting a human hand grafted onto it. Greatly looking forward to finishing up the trilogy later this month.

October 4th

Monster Dog (1984)
Put Alice Cooper in anything and I will watch it. Monster Dog is a terrible, terrible movie starring Alice Cooper as Vincent Raven, the world's most popular rock star. Don't get me wrong here: it's a shitty movie. The plot makes absolutely no sense, jumps around everywhere, the acting is atrocious, and the dubbing never syncs up. That said, I greatly enjoyed it. The best part by far is the opening music video, followed by the second musical number somewhere in the middle. Highly recommended for Alice Cooper fans and/or a bad movie night selection.

October 5th

Madhouse (1974)
It's no secret that I adore Vincent Prince. I feel like the Halloween season cannot truly start until I hear his voice, ideally talking about murdering some blonde tartlet. I actually thought this film was really well-done, and it had a cool plot twist at the end. It's a very meta film; Vincent Price is practically playing himself, and they even show clips from several of his films. Very fun.

October 6th

TerrorVision (1986)
I cannot believe how incredible this movie is. It's a sickeningly colorful, hilarious, over-the-top cheesy, awful-but-fantastic-at-the-same-time alien invasion film where the day is saved with the power of heavy metal (seriously.) Please trust me when I say you really will not regret watching this movie.

October 7th

Slither (2006)
Slither has been on my list for quite awhile, and I'm thrilled my roommates agreed we should all watch it Sunday night! I never actually saw the appeal of Nathan Fillion before, but now I have a full-on crush on him. Slither is gross, freaky, scary, and funny. Highly recommended.

Halloween Nail Art - Bloody Eyeballs and More

I'm really into nail art and oftentimes find myself drooling over ridiculously detailed and highly impractical nails on various blogs. Due to my lack of desire to purchase and hoard even more art supplies, as well as my need to dress myself and tie my own shoes everyday, my own nails are usually clipped short and decorated with little more than stickers and/or designs that can be achieved using the brushes that are already in the bottles. And here are some of my Halloween themed nails created using exactly those things!

This set of Halloween nail stickers was $1.99 at Walgreens. It's kind of an odd mix of characters, and I'm fairly certain I have a sheet of Japanese stickers with highly similar skull characters on them. I'm really really not sure why there is a giant, non-nail sized sticker included. Am I supposed to stick it to my skin? Cut it up? The package does not answer this question.

I started with white nails. Since there really isn't much of a theme among the stickers (other than general Halloween-ness), I decided I was just going to stick them on randomly.

And stick them on randomly I did. Overall, I like the look. The spiders are especially cool. I wouldn't recommend starting with white after all, though, especially for the skulls. They just looked like little black eyes and disembodied hats!

The Halloween stickers lasted on my nails a total of one day, which was coincidentally similar to the amount of time it took to remove them. While I did like them, I have a feeling the rest of these stickers will be better suited to decorating a notebook or personal electronic device.

I painted my nails black after that. When I got home from the club on Sunday night, I decided to paint some bloody eyeballs on them. They actually looked way better than the photo, but I applied topcoat when the eyeballs were still a bit too wet (you can see the brush marks from applying it.) I looooved having eyeballs on my nails, and I'm totally going to revisit this look (possibly when I'm less drunk and more patient.)

Haunted Movie Marathon - Finale

I have to say, October 2011 was a great month. I just barely missed getting in a full film each day, but this was the closest I've come to finishing an entire month. I watched some really great stuff, and gained new appreciation for old favorites! I hope you'll take my advice and watch some of these! Again, first viewings are in orange, rewatches are in black. (May contain light spoilers.)

October 22nd

The Innocents (1961)
This is a seriously good movie (with a creepy-as-crap leitmotif.) It's the story of two strange orphans living alone in a huge country house. Their uncle wants nothing to do with them or the house, so he hires a governess to take care of them. She soon learns of a bunch of freaky stuff that happened there just before she arrived, and realizes the children are possessed with the ghosts of two lovers who died there. The actor who played the little boy Miles was intense.

October 23rd

Jim Henson's The Storyteller - Fearnot (1988)
The Storyteller is an amazing series featuring John Hurt with his faithful dog (voiced by Brian Henson) hosting tales from folklore. Fearnot is from The Brother's Grimm - The Story of the Youth Who Went Forth to Learn What Fear Was (albeit with a highly romanticized ending.)

October 24th

My Name is Bruce (2007)
I needed my Bruce Campbell fix, and this was pure cinematic gold. Bruce Campbell is kidnapped by a teenage fan who thinks he can save his town from an ancient Chinese demon he accidentally unleashed. The "plot" is a flimsy excuse for a bunch of Bruce Campbell one-liners, and it is great. Great.

October 25th

Cry Baby Lane (2000)
This Nickelodeon original movie gained a lot of notoriety lately because it was only ever aired once. It was supposedly banned from ever airing again due to parental complaints over the film's content. Naturally, that piqued my interest, and I have to say, it wasn't bad. It was reminiscent of Are You Afraid of the Dark? and Goosebumps episodes, which I used to love. Of course, it turns out that the film was never banned; it was simply forgotten due to not being all that popular. Still, it's never too late to cash in on an urban legend.

October 26th

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
Some people debate that this is not a Halloween film, and is better watched around Christmas. To that I say, um, the main character is a skeleton. There are also those who say that this film is incredibly played out and overmerchandised, and only relevant to 14 year old mallgoths (who weren't even born when it first came out.) To them I say, screw you, because this is a truly excellent film.

October 27th

A Disney Halloween (1983)
This is often confused with Disney's Halloween Treat (which is understandable since they use the same theme song and some of the same footage), but it's a bit longer and is absent one rubber pumpkin puppet (though they do show him for a split second near the beginning.) Still lots of fun to watch, and a total must for the Halloween season!

October 28th & 29th

I went out both of these nights, so I didn't actually catch a film at home. The first club I went to was playing Killer Klowns from Outer Space (1988) interspersed with some awkward 70s porn, so that was fairly terrifying. Saturday I went to the Cat Club, and they were playing Frankenstein (1931) in the front room and The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) in the back, which I love, so I spent most of the time in the back. Better music there, too.

October 30th

Trollhunter (2010)
This movie rocked. It's a Norwegian fake student documentary in the vein of The Blair Witch Project (but way better, in my opinion.) It's amusing, scary, and really entertaining! Definitely recommended for anyone with an interest in Scandinavian folklore!

October 31st

Trick 'r Treat (2007)
This is easily the best Halloween film in at least the past 10 years (and one of the best modern American horror films); it was absolutely made for Halloween geeks. It got completely screwed by the company that was supposed to release it: apparently it was slated for a Halloween 2007 release, but that was cancelled and rescheduled for 2008. That was also cancelled, and it went straight to DVD in 2009. If you're wondering why you haven't seen it, that's probably why. Go watch it now (it's on Netflix.)

I hope everyone had a great October and Halloween! I'll post the rest of my photos from the season as soon as possible.

Check out the rest of the marathon!
Haunted Movie Marathon Week 1
Haunted Movie Marathon Week 2
Haunted Movie Marathon Week 3

Vintage Halloween Specials - Disney's Halloween Treat

Disney's Halloween Treat first aired in 1982, and was one of my favorite parts of The Halloween Video. It features a series of clips from various Disney films and cartoons, vaguely centered around the theme of Halloween parties.

5 Spooky Songs You May Not Have Heard Yet

There are plenty of good Halloween songs out there, and plenty of songs people think are cute to play at Halloween parties and club nights. However, if you're like me, you are sick to death of hearing the same rehashed playlists: Thriller. Ghostbusters. Monster Mash. That Ministry song. Here are some lesser-known spooky, creepy, or just plain weird songs that will make the night's entertainment a bit more interesting. You can thank me later.

Sonata Arctica - FullMoon (1999)

To be fair, if you are even remotely into power metal, you probably have heard this song. Um...I'm pretty sure it's about werewolves, but I could be wrong. Anyway, this is an amazing and very catchy track. I've seen Sonata Arctica live 3 times, and it's so electrifying to hear the audience chanting "Run Away! Run Away! Run Away!" along with them.

Janne Da Arc - child vision ~ Ehon no Naka Kirei na Majou (Pretty Witch in a Picture Book) (2000)

Janne Da Arc was one of the first Japanese bands I got into, and I still think they're pretty damn good. This was always one of my favorite songs by them. It has heavy guitars, a catchy melody, and a spooky story: a child pleading with his parents, referring to a pretty (but scary) witch that seems to be tormenting him. Here's a fairly accurate (as far as I can tell, anyway) English translation of the lyrics.

Alice Cooper - Wind-Up Toy (1991)

The entire album (Hey Stoopid) is incredible, but this song really stands out. Joe Satriani guests on guitar (!), and the lyrics are sad and strange, reviving the character Steven, who is now locked in a mental hospital, being subjected to tests, pills, and ECT, among other things.

Bôa - Duvet (1997)

Most people (if not...you know, everyone) familiar with this song recall it as the opening theme to the weird 90s anime Serial Experiments Lain. Melancholic and haunting, this was the first single from the British band Bôa. It always seemed odd to me that it was paired with a sci-fi/horror anime about how the internet was scary, but every time I watched it, I became entranced by the melody. In fact, it's entirely possible I remember Serial Experiments Lain so fondly because of how good this song is.

Gary Numan - Down in the Park (1979)

I will admit (from behind this panel of bullet-proof glass) that the first version of this song I heard was Marilyn Manson's cover (which, I maintain, is still quite good! /shot) It's not really my fault I didn't hear the original first. Gary Numan is largely represented in media as being a one-hit wonder, and it didn't occur to me until recently to seek out the rest of his (amazing) body of work. This song is crazy-good, and a fan-favorite that was also covered by Foo Fighters. The lyrics are chilling: they tell the tale of a dystopian society where machines are gradually taking over. "The Park" is an arena where spectators watch machines kill (and do other atrocious things to) lower class humans.

Pick up these tunes:
Sonata Arctica - Ecliptica (album) (Amazon)
Janne Da Arc - D.N.A (album) (cdjapan)
Alice Cooper - Hey Stoopid (album) (Amazon)
Bôa - Twilight (album) (Amazon)
Gary Numan - Replicas (album) (Amazon)

Surprise Pumpkin Patch Visit & Baby Ghostie Halloween Craft!

I had to get dental x-rays done this afternoon, and while I'm pretty familiar with the area the office was in, I managed to completely overshoot on the train and ended up a couple miles away. There was no inbound train in sight, so I walked all the way back. Thankfully the office was cool with me showing up 45 minutes late, and when I got out, I realized I was just a few steps away from The Great Pumpkin Patch across from Stern Grove!

I used to live nearby, and visited this same pumpkin patch in October 2007 (it also doubles as a Christmas tree lot in December.) They really go all-out: giant inflatable slide, bouncy castle, mini (free!) haunted house, plus lots of random things scattered throughout the patch. They were even selling Krispy Kreme donuts for some reason.

The haunted house was only two rooms, and I'm pretty sure it was exactly the same as it was 4 years ago. That said, it's pretty darn cool. It's hard to see, but the first room features an eerie fireplace with spooky portraits and a skeleton dangling from a rattling chandelier. The next room contains a corpse in a coffin and this mummy guy.

This was the pumpkin I picked out. I've always favored long-stemmed pumpkins, and I needed one small enough to fit in my lunch bag for the bus ride home. It was somewhat in-between the $4 and $5 sizes, but the girl at the checkout table let me have it for $4. :D

It was cool and foggy out, and I still had a smidgen of energy left from my earlier trek, so I took a walk through Stern Grove with my new pumpkin! It's a pretty spooky park at night, with huge, dense trees and lots of dark paths. Since I only like pretend fear of monsters and not real fear of being mugged, I stuck to the shallow, somewhat lit paths until I got to my bus stop.

I mentioned on Twitter a few days ago that I made a tiny ghostie plush, so here is a picture of him, finally. His right hand was in a horrible accident shortly before he died...of mutilation.