31 Days of Halloween - Day 29 Movie

"The Incredible Shrinking Man" (1957) is still remarkable for its time, both in terms of its, then, groundbreaking special effects, but also for its thoroughly involving story which the effects serve rather than vice versa with today's movies.

Robert Scott Carey (Grant Williams) is exposed to a strange cloud which causes him to start shrinking, alienating him from his wife, humanity, and as his size continues to diminish, more and more of the world around him.

This is probably the best science fiction movie of the 1950s, and one of the best science fiction movies of all time. Directed by 1950s Universal monster regular, Jack Arnold from a screenplay by Richard Matheson, based on his novel "The Shrinking Man," this is a movie that should not be missed.

31 Days of Halloween - Day 29

For me, Universal Monsters and Halloween go hand in hand. While I appreciate both throughout the year, merging them for the holiday just seems to make both extra special.

I have a pretty large collection of monster related stuff, most of which is related to the Universal monsters; Frankenstein's monster, the Mummy, Dracula, the Wolf Man, Bride of Frankenstein, Phantom of the Opera, Creature from the Black lagoon, Hunchback of Notre Dame, the Mole People, etc., but my collection is nowhere as impressive as Terry Ingram's, as shown here.

Aside from being such an inspiring collector, Terry's a heck of a nice guy too. He's also the general in command of the Universal Monster Army Yahoo group and has his own blog where he often displays his treasures.

For more cool monster toy information and general Universal monster fun, check out Universal Steve and The Gallery of Monster Toys both managed by UMA members.

31 Days of Halloween - Day 28 Movie 2

"Shivers" (1975), aka "The Parasite Murders", aka "They Came From Within," was writer/director David Cronenberg's first professional movie made on a shoestring budget and schedule, and it shows.

As with most of Cronenberg's movies, this one deals with transformation of the human body, disease, and medical science gone haywire. In this case, the residents of a secluded, luxury residential highrise, fall victim to a scientists notion that humans have become too cerebral, and have fallen out of touch with their baser instincts. Accommodating research in breeding parasites as replacement organs, he develops a parasite which transforms its human hosts into aggressive sexual predators. The parasite plague quickly spreads throughout the complex, with only a single doctor standing in its way.

The ideas are there, but the execution is flawed in many areas. A short schedule, and by Cronenberg's own admission, a lack of knowing what he was doing on his part, give us a film where his usual careful compositions are nowhere to be found. The allegedly luxury highrise, is not so fancy, I'm sure even by early 70s standards. The hallways are drab and dark, and because there was no budget for production design, they resorted to using actual residents' apartments that mostly matched the personalities of the fictional residents. Some of the actors are pretty good, but many of them were clearly amateurs. There are also too many characters, all of whom are presented to us as sketches of people, and not genuine people so it's hard to worry about their safety. There's also no real sense of suspense. The Doctor spends a lot of time running through the building, without encountering any of the sex-crazed residents until almost the end of the movie, while everyone else living there, is attacked left and right. The infected residents also act inconsistently. Some are coherent, and able to act like normal people. Some attack in a sex-crazed frenzy. Some shuffle around mindlessly, as if they stepped out of a George Romero zombie movie.

Was it a bad movie? No. Cronenberg is a writer/director with ideas, which is always refreshing. The effects are pretty state of the art for their time, though the parasite itself looks like a cross between a flukeworm and someone forgot to flush. The music, by producer Ivan Reitman (who would go on to direct "Ghostbusters" among many others) is perfect for the movie, and suggestive of later Cronenberg scores by Howard Shore. I felt it was definitely worth watching even with all the flaws. If Cronenberg had taken the time to develop a core group of five characters into really likeable people, or even just two of them and made them the focus, then the threat would have felt more threatening, and the film might have had the tension it needed, and lacked. If nothing more, this could have been the rapist version of "Night of the Living Dead."

31 Days of Halloween - Day 28 Movie 1

"Monster House" (2006) was one of my favorite movies of the year, and it holds up well on a second viewing. The movie pits three kids against a scary neighborhood house that is actually alive, and aware of their interest. Of course, there are no adults around when you need them, and the ones that do show up aren't much help.

It was refreshing to see a horror movie aimed at kids that was actually frightening to them (though, my kids were more afraid of the horrible babysitter than the house of the title, and the son of friends was so afraid of Mr. Nebbercracker, that they had to leave the theater). The vocal performances, and motion capture (or whatever they are calling it these days in order to make it seem new) are all really well done, but the design of the characters took some getting used to on my part; not too stylized, not too realistic, as if someone couldn't make up their mind on how to handle them.

I also hear the "Art of..." book is really good, but have not looked at it yet.

This is a highly entertaining movie, and a good one to share with your kids, if they are the type who don't mind being scared, and see it more as a thrill than a punishment. Parents should definitely watch it first to determine its appropriateness.

31 Days of Halloween - Day 28

Aside from the feature length movies I've been watching (and posting about) all month long, I've also watched a lot of short films and tv episodes, often with the whole family.

Even though the DVD doesn't have ads for Dolly Madison fruit pies, York peppermint patties, or the spinning "special" logo used by CBS back in the 70s, it seems like a necessary rite of passage to invoke the holiday by watching "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" (1966), which turns 40 this year. One of these years I'm going to throw a Halloween party in a room decorated to be an exact replica of the room that houses the party in this special.



Another favorite is "Flip" (2004), the brainchild of frequent visitor to this site, and the man behind Secret Fun Spot, Kirk Demarais, "Flip" follows the fantasies of a boy with one dollar to spend and a full page ad in a comic book, with tempting items such as X-Ray Spex, and trick chewing gum. It also sports a ton of extras including Flip cartoons, and one of the best making of documentaries on any DVD. You can get a copy from here or here. Tell them I sent you.



We've also watched a bunch of "Casper" cartoons, episodes of "The Munsters," "The Groovy Goolies," "Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?", and the creepier episodes of "Jonny Quest," as well as movie trailers, and cartoons like the phenomenal UPA version of "The Tell-Tale Heart" narrated by James Mason.



We also watched a bunch of the Looney Tunes cartoons involving monsters, witches and mad scientists, Fat Albert's Halloween Special, selections from the spook show compilation DVD "Monsters Crashed the Pajama Party"...



...Disney cartoons such as the "Night on Bald Mountain" sequence from "Fantasia" and...



...the Silly Symphony "The Skeleton Dance."



We've also watched selections from another favorite DVD, "Monster Kid Home Movies" (2005) which is a compilation of super 8 films shot by kids in the 1950s, 60s, and 70s (mostly) featuring monsters, often based on the classic Universal monsters. The line up is a veritable who's who of horror movie scholarship, artistry, and fandom. It's one of the most fun DVDs to watch that I've picked up in years, also featuring great commentary tracks, and an alternate track that shows the films with the sound of a super 8 movie projector running for a more authentic feel. You can purchase a copy from here or here. Again, tell them I sent you.

Now, onto our feature attraction...

31 Days of Halloween - Day 27 Movie 2

Set against the backdrop of the Balkan War, "Isle of the Dead" (1945), is another literate, psychological thriller from producer Val Lewton. Boris Karloff (in his first of three excellent performances for Val Lewton) plays a general quarantined to a cemetery island along with a group of other people when one of them dies from the plague. An old woman begins to plant seeds that the plague may not be their only problem, that a young woman among them might be a vorvolaka, a malignant spirit who drains the life forces of others. As their situation turns dire, and worship of Greek gods comes into the open, the superstitious fear spreads among them as much as the plague, and perhaps there is something to the old woman's fear after all.

31 Days of Halloween - Day 27 Movie 1

"Voodoo Island" (1957) Stars Boris Karloff, and while it's always a pleasure to see him, and here he's pretty spry for a man with chronic back problems, this film isn't much to watch. Karloff, as a debunker of strange phenomena, leads a group on an expedition to investigate a mysterious island that a wealthy hotel magnate wants to develop. They don't actually reach the island until more than halfway through the movie, and aside from an large inert crab moved by fishing line, and a bunch of giant carnivorous plants, nothing much happens. There's a lot of walking around and pointing at things of little consequence. The script seems to be an afterthought.

Adam West does put in an uncredited appearance as a radio operator in the first half of the movie, though I can't say that's enough to recommend this movie.

31 Days of Halloween - Day 27

I'm suffering an excruciating ear infection at the moment, and am not up to putting together the more involved post I'd planned for today, so instead I'm offering this tidbit from my archives. This DATE DUE strip is from roughly 1987-1988. The Metaluna Mutant is carrying an "Emergency" lunchbox, appropriate since this strip took place in the early 1970s, though anachronisms did occasionally occur, such as the reference to "The Incredible Shrinking Man," a movie that came out in 1977 and was anything but incredible, but I still like the idea of it.

If you liked this ballpoint pen extravaganza, I posted some more of these back in June.

I also posted a bit of an origin story as to why I chose to name this strip DATE DUE, if you're curious.

If the pain on the right side of my head lessens any, I'll put up a more proper post for today later on.

My work in Publishers Weekly

This is not Halloween related, but the installation piece I did for the Shaman Drum Bookshop, was featured in the October 16, 2006 issue of Publishers Weekly.

Even cooler, on the reverse side of the page was a small article on Maurice Sendak's "Mommy?"

There will be one final post about this installation in a week's time when the elements currently being used in the store's window display are moved to their final location in the main installation.

Sorry about that bit of distortion on the final line of the article. My tempermnetal scanner is not cooperating lately. It's way past time I should have scrapped and replaced that thing. That's why there haven't been any recent "Fun With Scissors" posts either.

31 Days of Halloween - Day 26 Movie

Made in 2004, the Hallmark made for tv mini-series, "Frankenstein," is probably the truest adaptation of Mary Shelley's novel committed to film. This version sets out to humanize both Victor Frankenstein (Alec Newman) and his creation (an excellent portrayal by Luke Goss), and succeeds on both fronts. Not bothering to try competing with the classic Jack Pierce make-up design for the Universal Frankenstein monster, the monster here is hardly monstrous looking at all. Except for a couple of scars and a bad complexion, he's pretty normal looking, making the scene where the farmer goes ballistic on him seem like a huge overreaction.

This mini-series has a lot going for it, even hitting excellence in some places, but for some reason it seems held back. This could easily have been one of the best Frankenstein movies ever made, but isn't--but just not quite making the mark. It's too reserved, or maybe it gives off that made for tv vibe despite its excellent production design, cinematography, etc. There's something I can't quite put my finger on. It may not be quite perfect, but it is definitely worth watching.

31 Days of Halloween - Day 26

Every year, I make two compilation CDs, one for all of the adults I know with an appreciation for the holiday, and one for the kids. I was planning to show the covers for all of the past CDs as well, but Blogger keeps hindering me with maintenance problems. Maybe next year.

If you've noticed, current commercially available Halloween Cds are few and far between. What's out there for the most part are the same old stale generic versions of the "Addams Family theme", "Munsters theme" someone covering "Ghostbusters" and "Thriller," and the like.

Don't despair, you can almost instantly have an amazing collection of Halloween music, sound effects and stories by visiting the following sites.

The previously mentioned Scar Stuff has the widest range of amazing old vinyl albums out there.

Oddio Overplay is reposting some fantastic compilations from the past couple of years, plus an all new one.

Also, previously mentioned,Senses Working Overtime has more great compilation downloads than you can imagine, as well as old time radio episodes, and even old comic book stories.

Lee Hartsfeld's Music You (Possibly) Won't Hear Anyplace Else is a treasure trove of rare tracks, some going back to the turn of the century. I had problems recently trying to download from here. If anyone has better luck, please let me know. I'd really like to have all of this stuff, and would be happy to make a trade for it.

If you don't feel like downloading, then Mark Harvey's 13th Track.com is the place to go. You can purchase original soundscape CDs, and listen to streaming radio, all Halloween related, all year long, with a variety of categories to choose from. Mark Harvey has, if not THE best collection of Halloween music, then certainly the best that he's letting people listen to.

Tell them I sent you.

31 Days of Halloween - Day 25 Movie 2

"The Return of Count Yorga" (1971) is a sequel that is far superior to the original. There's a sense of real dread that runs through this movie from the first frame, to the last, with only some missteps in flat humor marring the path. Yorga returns, and sets his sights on a neighboring orphanage, and Mariette Hartley, who works there. There are some truly brutal, chilling moments in this movie. Quarry returns as the suave count with extra disdain in his performance. Roger Perry, who was also in "Count Yorga Vampire" returns as a different character with almost exactly the same role he had in the first movie. A young Craig T. Nelson plays a skeptical detective.

While I'd seen the first Count Yorga movie a few times over the years, this is the first time I'd seen the sequel, and it was a real treat. I highly recommend this movie.

31 Days of Halloween - Day 25 Movie 1

"Count Yorga Vampire" (1970) is a very entertaining vampire movie. Robert Quarry stars as Count Yorga, an old school suave, cape wearing, vampire who occupies modern Los Angeles, preying on a group of young couples. In addition to the usual vampire fare of having wolves in his proximity, powers of hypnosis, and fangs, Yorga is also able to summon up rainless thunderstorms, and convenient mud puddles. He also doesn't stalk his victims, but runs at them, his arms outstretched before him. It's a pretty effective attack method too. Yorga's performance is wonderful, too. He may be the best vampire of this type, in any movie. Unfortunately, the same can't be said for the rest of the cast, though the actors themselves can't really be faulted. Their characters are all really flat, like those in a "Friday the 13th" movie, only here they're fodder for a vampire instead of farm implements.

There are some genuinely disturbing images too, including a shocking moment involving one of Yorga's victims and a kitten. The story has a nice build to it as well, with only a few overly talky parts holding it down. There's also too much time spent with the obligatory what's a vampire + skepticism of a vampire in modern society scenes, which should never have to be included in a vampire movie again. Beyond that, though, this was a very enjoyable film.

One final observation that actually applies to all vampire movies. Why is it that their victims always have those two nice little puncture marks, but no marks from any of the other teeth? What's the lower jaw doing during this biting? That's always bugged me. It's more of an issue here, because unlike most other vampires, all of Yorga's teeth are jagged fangs.

31 Days of Halloween - Day 25

Still need some decorating ideas? Here's a couple of scans from the "Ladies Home Journal" I'm not sure what year the top one comes from, or certain that's what magazine it was actually from (you think I'd label these things). The second one though is from the October 1919 issue. Everything, for the most part, looks to have been done with crepe paper, and looks really great. These are much like the decorating tips in the Dennison Bogie Books from the early part of the 20th Century. Of course Dennison was also selling all of the products used in their decorating tips. Still, this looks much better than those semi transparent vinyl clings the sell now to stick on your wall so that you can transform your room into a scary set. The samples I saw put up in various party supply stores, sagged, and looked pretty crappy. I'll take crepe paper any day.

31 Days of Halloween - Day 24 Movie

"House of Horrors" (1946) is one of Universal's lesser efforts, coming in at the tail end of their classic horror years. Instead of the Frankenstein Monster, the Mummy, or the Wolf man, we get "The Creeper" played by Rondo Hatton who was physically deformed with enlarged features, particularly his head, due to a condition known as acromegaly. Here he plays a killer who snaps the spines of women because they scream. He is taken in by an unwitting, failed sculptor to serve as his model for a new work. It's not long before their reciprocal relationship has the Creeper murdering off the critics who derailed his friend.

It's an easy movie to sit through, though not particularly noteworthy in any area. The sculptor is somewhat sympathetic, and his cat is put to good use to heighten this. The rest of the characters are all pretty much generic cyphers; cop, nice guy hero, Lois Lane reporter, beautiful model, nasty critic, etc. Hatton is very understated in his role, the matter of factness of his delivery should create some menace, but in spite of his appearance he's a pretty nonthreatening presence, and seems bored with the proceedings.

If it ever airs, it's not a bad way to pass an hour, but I don't recommend tracking it down.

31 Days of Halloween - Day 24

Here's a seasonally approprate story I did for the short lived anthology series, "Flinch," published by DC/Vertigo in 1999.

31 Days of Halloween - Day 23 Movie

Except for an epilepsy inducing opening credits sequence, and an irritating score, "Horror Express" (1973) is a pretty decent movie, though tedium does start to set in during the final 10 minutes. Christopher Lee uncovers a very well preserved 2 million year old ape man in China, and has it shipped, via trans-Siberian train, when the ape-man comes back to life and all hell (and the ape-man) breaks loose. The ape-man is not what it seems, but is merely the host of an extra-terrestrial intelligence that learns what it needs by completely absorbing the contents of its victims' brains, sucking them dry and killing them in the process. Through in a mad religious zealot in the Rasputin mold, a Russian soldier played by Telly Savalas, and Peter Cushing, and you have what is mostly a clever little movie.

This movie was made shortly after Cushing's wife died, and he stayed on at Lee's urging, reminding him of the enjoyment they'd shared on numerous movies in the past. Unfortunately, the shared scenes between Cushing and lee, who play rivals, are not as plentiful as one would hope, and don't play them off of one another either. Shortly before he died, screenwriter, Arnaud D'Usseau was one of my writing instructors at NYU.

31 Days of Halloween - Day 23

We've all see pictures of giant pumpkins like these. Apparently, these champions don't taste very good. So what do you do with them after the state fair?

Well, Craig Fitzgerald, a large pumpkin growing hobbyist, came up with a solution; hollow them out into canoes and race them across a pond.



On October 8th, Rutland Massachusetts held its first annual Massachusetts Pumpkin Paddle. 1000 people attended to watch contestants paddle their way across Long Pond and back in their great pumpkin boats.


1st Prize was a trophy

2nd Prize was a bushel of apples

3rd Prize was a loaf of home-baked pumpkin bread


For more information on the festivities go to the official Massacusetts Pupkin Paddle website

This article from The Worcester Telegram & Gazette News

or this transcript from the radio program Living On Earth.

31 Days of Halloween - Day 22 Movie

"Martin" (1977) is the movie George Romero made right before "Dawn of the Dead" it's also the movie that Make-up effects master Tom Savini cut his teeth on before moving on to "Dawn of the Dead," "Friday the 13th" etc., creating the entire splatter film subgenre.

"Martin" played by John Amplas, is a young man who not only believes he's a vampire, but exists as one. He doesn't live in a coffin and bite people, not does he don goth gear and participate in blood sports. Armed with a razor blade, a syringe, and a lot of cunning, he obtains his blood in this more mundane fashion. He moves in with an elderly cousin of his, who is equally deluded, sharing , and possibly fueling Martin's fantasy. He, too believes Martin is a vampire, a situation brought on him by an old family curse. His goal is to save Martin's soul before destroying him.

Like most Romero movies, this one is a thinking person's horror movie, focusing more on ideas than on gore. Like most Romero movies, this one has an unpolished feel to it (much like a feature length student film), most likely due to its low budget and guerilla-style filmmaking. The acting is more balanced in this movie than in other Romero films. Everyone does a good job, lending the film a believability necessary to its success.

The only shortcomings are a police shootout that seems out of place in this movie, and the garish red blood that Savini describes as looking like melted crayon. It's the same blood that was later used in "Dawn of the Dead" and is about as convincing as the blood in any Hammer horror movie. It's inauthenticity tends to draw attention to itself, momentarily pulling the viewer out of the reality of the film.

This movie deserves to share the same respect as Romero's zombie movies.

31 Days of Halloween - Day 22

Once you've carved your jack o'lantern, you need to roast those seeds for one of my favorite treats. I usually just wash the seeds, throw them on a cookie sheet with some oil and salt, then cook them at 350º for about 20 minutes. It's not an exact science.

Here's a pumpkin seed recipe I haven't tried, but maybe you will.

Pre-heat oven to 350º.

Place 4 cups fresh pumpkin seeds, 4 cups water, and 2 teaspoons salt in a large saucepan and bring to a boil for 15 minutes.

Drain seeds, blot dry, and toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon paprika, and 1 teaspoon salt. Spread the seeds in a single layer on a nonstick baking pan; roast until lightly golden and crisp -- about 30 minutes.

Makes 3 cups.

Enjoy!