Horror Flick of the Week: Suspiria (1977)

Back in the 60s, there was an intriguing artist who had come into the world of directing. Inspired by Mario Bava in his art, Dario Argento created some very interesting...and very striking films. Three films of his focused on witched, the 'Three Mothers' trilogy. Suspiria is my favorite of these movies, if not my favorite Argento picture in general....with The Bird With the Crystal Plumage as a close second.

It takes place in a bizarre (and prestigious) dance academy where some of the more curious students seem to be dying in very strange and mysterious ways, by the hands of something living...or perhaps dead? It's an absolute visual feast, a movie that demands full attention if it is to be appreciated. I had put off watching Suspiria for a long time because of the hype, and that generally kills a movie for me. I really wish I hadn't, but I'm also glad I did, because seeing this as an adult really helped me to appreciate the brilliant cinematic qualities of this movie.

If you like witches. If you like magic. If you like horror. Faerie tales. Creative murder scenes. Creepy children. Weird tall men with ugly teeth. Intriguing camera techniques. Beautiful architecture. Intense lighting design. Any of this...you need to watch Suspiria as soon as possible.

Censorship and Horror Comics

A lot of people do not like censorship. In fact, I've often heard arguments against even having ratings to designate whether movies are appropriate for children or adults (G, PG, R, etc.) But censorship doesn't just stop with movies.

Back in the mid-50s, horror comics had reached an incredible height of gruesomeness the silver screen had yet to even dream of. There were images in these comic pages of terror and fright that at the time could only be summoned by the pens of the truly depraved (and awesome) artists.

Unfortunately, as is common with all forms of art, there were people who didn't really...appreciate these comics as they deserved. Some people treated inked pages of zombies and screaming blondes as if they were akin to fluoridating our water supply. Which is apparently bad if you're absolutely insane and uninformed about proper dental health.

At the time concern began to arise, there were an awful lot of unregulated comics on the market from both minor and major publishers, and it was a goldmine of the good and the bad. Then 'Seduction of the Innocent' came about, and because people didn't think they had enough to complain about, they decided to read it. This was a book written by Fredric Wertham, a psychiatrist too lazy to properly investigate the neuroses of his patients...so he just blamed it all on comics with their dirty words and pictures. One thing led to another as the panic train snowballed, and that's how we got the 'Comics Code Authority', which ultimately decimated the field of horror comics.

But any horror addict knows there's no scratching that itch you get when you really want something to scream at. Artists continued to work, oftentimes even working without putting their names on their comics. Horror comics didn't die completely, they were just giving way to the more family-friendly resurgence of super heroes and fantasy.

Thankfully today nobody really pays attention to the dangers of the written word if there's no political message. They'd rather focus all of that fear on video games and television. The golden age of our beloved horror comics may have passed on into the realms of the beyond, but as I'm sure all of my readers know...you can't keep a good ghoul down. Horror comics have returned, and they're 'worse' than ever.

Hallow-Holics Podcast, Ep. 6: Ghoul's Night Out

A quick note before we launch into this week's episode. When you are recording something, always remember that the most essential element is actively hitting the record button. Just...you know...keep that in mind.

Unfortunately Chris wasn't feeling well, but we like to make our crab-apples into bobbing roulette anyway, so this episode is all about girly things for the Halloween season. Julianne and I also discuss Hocus Pocus, Troll 2, and a lot of very random off-topic memories. Directly below you'll find some excellent make-up tutorials I found on youtube for those of you who might be interested in dressing up as any of the witches or Billy. And the following links are to the two costume sites we discuss at the beginning of the episode.
First Link
Second Link

Vintage Comics - Eerie, Issue. 8: Ghost of the Gorgon, The Ghost of Doctor Renick (Cover - Pg. 14)

Having mentioned before that I've been planning a Medusa costume for ages, I was only too excited to see the first story in this comic featuring a gorgon...with the most awesome snake hair I've ever seen. Who cares if Medusa was the only one of the sisters who actually had snake hair? This girl is rocking it. The exposition is surprisingly fast-paced in this comic, which I definitely appreciate. It's nice when writers and artists both realize they aren't making a novel, but a story that conveys action through pictures rather than words.

Halloween Commercials

You know what I used to love about October? All of the awesome Halloween commercials. Just a dash of plastic fangs and a sprinkle of green make-up could make a product that much more appealing in October. Here's to the television spots that reminded us all about Halloween's impending approach...

Netflix Horror Instant Watch List 2014

Now that we're really getting the ball rolling, I've got this year's October Netflix list for every day of the month. What does that mean? It means I invite you guys to join me in watching each and every one of the movies on this list every day of the month. You get a freebie for yesterday, but if you really want to make up for it...it was I Sell the Dead.

This year I'm diving into dangerous territory, I have not seen many of these.  But it will be an interesting experience for all of us. What's more, plenty of stuff to bring up on the weekly podcast.

October 2nd - Never Sleep Again
October 3rd - Madhouse
October 4th - We Are The Night
October 5th - Hellgate
October 6th - The Iron Rose
October 7th - Visible Secret
October 8th - Shakma
October 9th - Devil's Kiss
October 10th - Appetite
October 11th - The Incredible 2-Headed Transplant
October 12th - The Bloody Judge
October 13th - The Vineyard
October 14th - Absence
October 15th - Shallow Ground
October 16th - Hellraiser
October 17th - Dread
October 18th - Scourge
October 19th - New Year's Evil
October 20th - Stalled
October 21st - Nightmare City
October 22nd - Proteus
October 23rd - Daughters of Satan
October 24th - Return to Horror High
October 25th - The Evictors
October 26th - The Spell
October 27th - Edgar Allen Poe's Murders in the Rue Morgue
October 28th - Dumplings
A quick note on Dumplings, if you have a weak stomach....it's probably best to avoid.
October 29th - Virgin Witch
October 30th - Monkey Shines
October 31st - Brain Dead

2014 Vintage Halloween Hotties

Ahhhh, October at last. I already feel that last breath of warm Texas air submitting to the cooling rush of Autumn. It's hard to believe that 12 months ago we had our last daily posting challenge. But here we are again. Today I decided to start it off with a little special treat for all of you, and a very witchy delight it is. Time again for vintage Halloween pin-ups of actresses and models from yester-year...