Halloween Playlist 2016

This year I'm going to try something a little different for the Halloween party playlist. Instead of music, I decided to bring you all back to your childhoods, or perhaps give the kids something to pass the time after their late night trick-or-treating festivities are over, and they're far too tired to sort their candy out before bed. This list contains cartoons, classic tv shows, and even commercials that I've gleaned from Youtube.

Alas and alack, they may eventually be taken down, but certainly not before this year's Spooky celebrations. So, without further ado, I give you...My Halloween 2016 Party Playlist!

Some of the videos may not play on the blog, but don't worry. You can find the direct playlist here!

Vintage Halloween Paper Dolls

Children, small and big, arguably even adults...can be destructive. Which is why, when you find yourself a vintage Halloween magazine or game book...you may want to reconsider cutting out the paper dolls inside for a one-time spooky game of house. Fear not, those beautiful images can be appreciated outside of their antique setting, thanks to modern technology...google...and your printer.

The following dolls were some of my favorites I found browsing the web, and they're absolutely perfect for the Halloween season.

Charlotte Ware, 1939-40

Newspaper Paper Doll Series, 1926

Joan Walsh Anglund, 1987

Dolly Dingle by Grace Drayton, 1916

Children's Playmate Magazine, 1958

Netflix/Hulu Instant Horror Watch 2016

It's that time of year again. The Fog rolls in on your dvd shelf, eery Carpenter tunes playing as it awaits Halloween, while the echoes of 'Trick 'R Treat' can almost be heard outside your front door, and The Thing becomes Ravenous for Popcorn...yet, at the same time you wonder why these film references I just made seem to be disproportionately John Carpenter titles and a few other random titles thrown in. It's like this game is Child's Play, a veritable Witches of Eastwick...

Okay, that last one didn't make sense at all, even as a play on words. Anyway, this October I decided to not only post the instant watch list on time (for once), but mix it with some Hulu for variety. Alas and alack, it's mainly because Netflix really didn't roll out with much for horror this October...and the proportion of films I actually wanted to watch that I hadn't seen...well, this just seemed to be a little bit less painful. So, without further ado, the list begins...

1st. - The Rite

2nd. - The Silence of the Lambs

3rd. Most Likely toDie

4th. Hollows Grove

5th. Dead Set (this one is actually a show, but it's 5 episodes, boiling it down to the length of one film. Plus, it's awesome.)

6th. The Lodge

7th. Para Elisa

8th. 2001 Maniacs

9th. The Babadook

10th. Cujo

11th. Would You Rather

12th. All Hallows Eve: October 30th

13th. Stung

14th. Offpsring

15th. Curve

16th. Poor Pretty Eddie

17th. The Damned

18th. Beneath (2007)

19th. The Veil

20th. Occupant

21st. Final Girl

22nd. Stranded

23rd. Deformed Monsters

24th. Comforting Skin

25th. The House at the End of Time

26th. Witching & Bitching

27th. Out of the Dark

28th. Castle Freak

29th. The Host

30th. The Fury

31st. Jaws

Horror Flick of the Week: Nightmare Castle (1965)

It is no secret that a disgustingly high number of classic films, and especially Italian ones, found themselves butchered terribly in their transitions to the American screen. I've heard Nightmare Castle is no exception, but if you're looking for the full version, you can find it under the title of 'The Faceless Monster'. The discrepancy is 11 minutes. Pacing and I believe a bit of violence being the key missing bits...

However, I am not necesarilly a purist about these things. Because I can still enjoy it on its own if I haven't seen the original first, and that's why I'd recommend Nightmare Castle to any fan of B movies, Italian Gothic horror, Bava-esque settings, and of course...Barbara Steele. The one and only.

Throughout this film, I found myself mostly appreciating the set...the house...the costumes...and the fact that it really wasn't as slow as some people would have you believe. Especially if you're used to the sort of dragging elements Italian cinema is especially known for, the general classic philosophy of their filmmaking being that 'cinema is about the art and the experience, not the plot or the philosophy of being concise.' Taking that into consideration, there's quite a bit of plot in this that you wouldn't otherwise expect. A mad scientist tortures his adulterous wife to death, uses her blood to youthen their maid (who is obviously his dish on the side), then marries her step (or half) sister to get the family property and fortune...did I mention Barbara Steele is in dual roles? Barbara Steele is in dual roles.

A great film for the approaching holiday season. Check it out as soon as possible, and especially if it's dark and stormy in your neck of the woods. You won't regret it.

Vintage Comics - Midnight, Issue #1: 'Speedy, The Sport', 'Lighthouse Keeper Wanted!' (Pg. 15-end)

Back again for yet another little snippet of vintage comics, continuing where I left off with Midnight. So far, not really my favorite...the super hero/super villain elements in the first story leaned just a little too much away from the horror genre for me, but hey...the drawings are still cool to look at. Besides, as long as there's a mildly...I guess gruesome...moral, I guess that's good enough to qualify.

The second story gets a little bit closer, but stops just short of being anything but maybe a tiny mystery. I do appreciate the owner of the lighthouse having a peg leg, however.

Horror Flick of the Week: The Shrine (2010)

I feel like horror is one of the few genres that tends to truly suffer if you reveal the ending of a story. That, and obviously mysteries or thrillers. The Shrine is a movie you should watch first, without any sort of spoilers, if you really want to see the story in its entirety and get the most out of it. Because...well, I can't say much. What I will say is this: when you are traveling, if the people in a village don't want you to be there...go away. Don't explore. Don't stick around. Don't argue. Just leave.

That, in essence, is one of the establishing factors in The Shrine that really helps set the mood. It's not merely a mystery, but a supernatural thriller. The best kind. Also, of course, best enjoyed in the dark at night...possibly alone, unless you absolutely need someone to cling to. On another watch, I realized this one still held strong, and that made it even better for the kind of story it is. Nice, creepy, and a sort of moral story (which all good horror should be, if you follow the premise any good, dark Grimm faerie tale.)

Please, do yourself a favor, and watch this movie. It's on Netflix...it's waiting for you. Also...maybe avoid the forest for awhile. Just in case.

Vintage Comics - Midnight, Issue #1: Bedeviled Puppet, Eternal Struggle, There's a Will and There's a Way (Cover-Pg. 14)

What? I'm alive? You bet your sweet ass I am. And just to let you guys know, when I disappear for several months at a time, I'm probably not dead...undead at best, but I'm sure we all knew something like that was going to happen to me at one point or another. The sacrificial altar in my bedroom and haunted cemetery in the backyard don't help much, really.

In all honesty, I've just been writing a lot of short stories (even completed a few personal novels I will very likely never publish.) The result is of course maybe a little less blog-time, but fear not! October is around the corner, and as always I will be taking part in the horror blog-a-thon as I do every year. So if you've been desperately starved for more vintage comics, possible Hallowholic podcast episodes, trailer compilations, playlists, pretty pictures, and gruesome historical facts...they'll all be flying right at you on October 1st.

Anyway, I thought I'd start up a post this week with a little bit of vintage comics. The first thing that struck me about this one was actually the cover. The richness of the robe against that green backdrop...I can only imagine how incredible this must have looked crisp and new on the shelf.

The first story plays on one of my favorite tropes. Evil dolls/puppets. But...it really does explain every single action. I got the impression the writer for this one hadn't really acquainted himself with the practice of showing rather than telling. It promises something dark, but stops just short as a moral story...sort of...I guess. The second one is again, a moral story. But I did enjoy the little 'twist.' Imagine Final Destination if death pretty much lost in the end, and you get the picture. The third and final story of the entry...could have used more blood, but I doubt they could've gotten away with it at the time. Ultimately, this was one of those 'oh...I promise this is a scary comic' issues, that was really general adventure/moral lessons in disguise.

The cover promised a lot for this comic, and sadly did not deliver, but the art is still worth appreciating on its own.