Tag: Halloween

The Electric October waltz

On By BrandonLeave a comment

It’s that time of year once again, the most wonderful time of the year. The October waltz, the spooky season is in full swing, the vampires sharpening their fangs, the witches brooms lift that much more higher, and the skeletons buff and polish their bones. I started playing my Halloween playlist weeks ago, cramming more horror movie viewing parties in before the waltz fades out.

I’ve been keeping to the grindstone, writing my novel and failing to post regularly on my new Instagram account. I did have an author photo shoot the other day, so I will have proper photographs for book jackets and promotions (if my image shows up on film). Not that anyone is clamoring for my picture, that I know of (that shadowy goth woman in the neighborhood notwithstanding), but fake it until you make it. Soon, my dark and gruesome mug will be seen all over my social media no doubt.

Speaking of horror movies, I did manage to finally watch Sinners. It was certainly well made, and acted, with a good mix of horror and drama. To be honest, I thought it took slightly too long to get the vampires into the story. They also (SPOILERS) totally wasted the idea of native American vampire hunters in that time period. I expected them to return and help take out the vampires later. I want to see them featured in a spin off as soon as possible.

That’s all I have for now. Enjoy your Halloween to the fullest, and as always, keep it spooky.

Top 5 Vampire Films

On By BrandonLeave a comment

I’ve seen a few vampire movie lists pop up recently, and have found that I disagree more often than not. While my tastes usually veer more to the classics than modern, the dearth of modern vampire movies (let alone ones that are good), does nothing to dissuade me from doing so.

Therefore, I present my top 5 vampire films, with a few honorable mentions added for variety.

  1. Dracula (1931)- I never grow tired of watching this film. Love Bela Lugosi as Dracula, Dwight Frye as Renfield, Helen Chandler as Mina and Edward Van Sloan as Van Helsing. Tod Browning sometimes gets a bad rap for creating a stagy atmosphere, (specially when compared to the Spanish counterpart for their version shot on the same set) but there are a ton of memorable shots and scenes he helped to create. I also like the newer score Philip Glass created for the film on the DVD I have. If you have not seen this film, this Halloween is the perfect time to remedy that.
  2. Dracula, Prince of Darkness (1966)- I could just as easily choose The Horror of Dracula or Dracula Has Risen From the Grave. The Dracula films from Hammer Studios are all superb. Christopher Lee is a highly menacing and almost animalistic Dracula, yet his noble, refined bearing can be glimpsed often in the way that he presents himself. I love the way that Dracula returns in this one. It involves a lot of bright red blood, of course. You can’t go wrong with any of the Hammer Dracula films, but this is my top choice today.
  3. What We Do In the Shadows (2014)- True confession: I laughed so hard at parts of this film that I may have snorted loudly and rolled around unable to breathe. It was wonderful. You can tell that Tiaka Waititi and Jermaine Clement have a lot of love for vampires. You couldn’t make this as funny as it is without having that love in the first place. Shot in a documentary fashion that follows a group of vampires that happen to be flatmates, this is one of the best modern vampire films. Now, let us all have a moment of silence for poor Petyr.
  4. Abbot & Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948)- I know what you’re saying. This is a Frankenstein film and not a vampire one. Wrong. It is just as much a Dracula film as Frankenstein. Bela Lugosi plays the role of Dracula again, and is a delight as he tries to revive the Frankenstein monster and give him the brain of a simpleton, Lou Costello’s Wilbur, to more easily control him. The wolf-man is along for the ride as well, of course. The jokes are great, as usual for Abbott and Costello, though the monsters are all played straight as if unaware they are in a comedy. This is a mainstay at my household, with my now eleven year old daughter asking to watch it every October.
  5. Fright Night (1985)- The premise of this film is great. What if a vampire moved in next door to your house? What if no one believed you? What if a horror host was your only help in defeating this vampire? If only more movies featured horror hosts as character. Maybe there would be a glorious revival of horror hosts across the streaming channels of the land (this is happening a bit already if you know where to look,but that’s another blog post entirely). With Roddy McDowell as the horror host, Chris Sarandon as the vampire and William Ragsdale as the young horror fan next door to the vampire.

Honorable mention: The Brides of Dracula, Interview With the Vampire and Blacula.

October Reading

On By BrandonLeave a comment

I thought I would do something a little different this October. Instead of recommending movies, I will recommend books to read during the Halloween season. You can find my movie recommendations easily enough, and they have not changed much. There is nothing like finding that perfect book to guide you into the Fall and get you in the mood for candy corn breezes, skittering shadows and howling at the moon. Without further ado…

Dracula by Bram Stoker: If you don’t know what this book is about, I pity you.

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova: This eerie tome will capture you in dark shadows and far off places, and drown you gently in its splendid prose.

Anno Dracula: What if Dracula lived through Bram Stoker’s tale? It won’t be pretty…

From the Dust Returned: A fabulous collection of tales woven by the master of October. Read each one carefully and bathe in the magic of the night.

The Savage Tales of Solomon Cane by Robert E. Howard: You can choose any of the stories in this collection to read or read them all. Kane will take you into the thrilling dark wild and face things that will make your bones quake.

The Poems of Edgar Allen Poe: Take your pick. My personal favorites are The Raven and The Bells. You will easily find your fill of the macabre and spooky within Poe’s verses.

I will leave you with these for now. I bid you good night…and a good haunt.

Pumpkins

Start With a Scream

On By BrandonLeave a comment

A week into October and the Halloween season is well under way. It’s no secret that Halloween is one of my favorite times of the year. I love the air being a bit chillier, the leaves of trees burning bright and the jack-o-laterns grinning on steps. Little monsters come out from hiding and the evenings whisper a promise of treats and scares.

To kick off this Halloween I thought I would you give you some of my picks of movies to watch to get you in the spirit. Sit for a spell, pull up that favorite blanket on your lap and grab a bowl of fresh popcorn. It’s movie night.

  • Halloween: We’ll start with John Carpenter’s masterpiece that birthed a whole genre of horror coined the slasher movie. Tame by today’s standards but brutally effective in the creeping-you-out factor. Not to mention the wonderful score that could easily be the theme for the entire holiday.
  • Monster Squad: You know who to call when you have ghosts, but who do you call when you have monsters? A ragtag group of kids brought together by their love of monsters. These kids are the only ones that are able to stand up to the classic monsters invading their town. Monster Squad is a great cheesy romp through Universal’s classic horror movie line up.
  • The Others: Ghost movies don’t come much creepier then this one. The mood and atmosphere set during the story will have you looking out of the corner of your eye at shifting curtains and swinging doors. Wonderful acting from Nicole Kidman and the kids. The ending will floor you.
  • Dracula: I’m talking about the Bela Lugosi one though the Christopher Lee interpretation isn’t bad either. I could easily throw all of the other Universal classic monsters in here as well, but there’s something about Dracula that sets itself apart.
  • The Ring: Will scare the pants off you. Nuff said.
  • Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein: The pattern all horror comedies should follow and the good ones have done just that.
  • The Fog: That’s right, Carpenter made the list twice. Terror always knocks. There’s something in the fog. Don’t make the mistake of watching the half-baked remake.
  • It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown: Makes you want to sit in the pumpkin patch and watch for the Great Pumpkin with Linus. Gather your kids around and enjoy a holiday classic.
  • Nightmare Before Christmas: My daughter would not be happy if I didn’t mention this one. The great thing is that you can watch this movie for the next three months. I’m sure it will go down as Tim Burton’s greatest movie and it will be difficult to argue otherwise.
  • Sleepy Hollow: Speaking of Tim Burton. This is Burton’s ode to the Hammer horror movies of old. The story of the headless horseman and the modern detective that is set on solving the mystery. Heads will roll.

That’s all for now. Everyone have a safe and happy Halloween.

There was no driver…

On By BrandonLeave a comment

With Halloween nearly upon us, I thought I would share a few of the movies I have watched to get in the spirit this year. I started with one of my all time favorites; The Monster Squad. I have always had fond memories of this movie. I had once resigned myself to viewing it only in those memories, until it finally was released on DVD. I owe much of my love of monsters to this movie. If you haven’t seen it, see it now. Right now. OK, now we can talk about the story of Dracula rounding up all his fiendish friends (Creature, Wolf Man, Mummy, and Frankenstein’s monster) to tip the balance of good and evil in their direction. Too bad they weren’t prepared for the local kids horror club rechristened the Monster Squad. Good thing the kids have that scary German guy on their side. Oh yeah, and Van Helsing’s diary.

The next movie in line was The Fog. I’m talking the original one, not the updated version that isn’t even worthy to crawl in the shadow of John Carpenter. The Fog is a classic, plain and simple. Remember, death always knocks in Antonio Bay.

Lastly, so far, was The Car. I suppose this is a great double feature with The Fog due to the title alone. This is another movie that I had resigned myself to never see reach DVD. It has its goofy parts but overall it is a great movie that knows exactly what to do with a killer modified black Lincoln. I could actually see this being remade today if the right person was behind the camera. Maybe I’ll tackle the script myself someday soon.

Speaking of scripts, I am still working on my Deadington script and am determined to finish this thing before this year ends. I don’t know why I find it so hard to find time to sit and write consistently…probably has something to do with a lovely little almost three-year old that wants to play. When she wants to play monsters, it’s hard to refuse.

Awesome News of the Day!

On By BrandonLeave a comment

Neal Adams Is back in the Batman business. According to an article on CBR.com Mr. Adams is writing and drawing a 12 issue series of awesomeness (OK, I added the awesomeness part). I want this in my hands right now. You owe it to yourself to check out a new page of Batman art in the article.

One of my favorite possesions is a Halloween record album with music and a story about Dracula, a werewolf and Frankenstein’s monster. There is an oversized comic book of the story drawn by none other then Neal Adams. If I ever get to meet Mr. Adams I’ll have him sign it.

In not-so-awesome news…I still have not found an artist for Deadington. Expect a lament post soon.

Happy Halloween! What do you mean it’s over?

On By BrandonLeave a comment

Better late then never, eh? Hope everyone had a gruesome and horrible Halloween filled with ghouls and goblins and things that go KRUNK SLOSH in the night.

I have begun writing my YA novel again. It feels good to slip back into step with Dax, Christabel, the scarecrow, Rawley and the rest.

I have only received one return mail in regards to the children’s story I wrote. Rejected again. There are still plenty more places to submit the story to so lets not break out the noose yet. I have a back-up plan even if none of the agents or editors accept the story.

I am contemplating writing another comic-book mini-series but am leary of getting too far ahead with it before finding an artist. From past experience, I know the difficulties of finding an artist. It’s like, really difficult. I have never found one but I know they are out there. Someone is looking for just the right project and someday I will have written it. Oh yes. I will have written it.

Remember to mark you calenders for November 27th and be certain to visit the new Chickenhare webcomic site. There’s a link to the site in my blog roll. Book mark it. Now!