LEGO Monster Fighters

If they had these when I was a kid,

I would have collected and built them all.

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Haunted House 

Beautiful house, beautiful accessories.

And the house opens - the rooms are accessible!

Amazing.

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Vampyre Castle

Also beautiful with another array of great figures!

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Characters

Love that they have the classic characters!

Werewolf and Creature from the Black Lagoon are great!

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Ghost Train

The train is just great fun!
So creepy - and I love the green flame!

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Skeletal Horse

This is amazing!

Kudos to them for even thinking it up!

Love it.

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I am way past my LEGO days,

but I wanted to share them anyway.

I love these sets, and

love that LEGO is actually making them.

For more fun, go to the official site

LEGO Monster Fighters

for pictures, games, videos and more!

Horror Crafts for Halloween 2013

Last year, I posted about the Halloween items I had made.

You can check them out at Psycho Killer Arts and Crafts Time.

Here are the items I have made for this year, so far:

These six are called

Classic Movie Monster Pixel Fridgies

The Bride of Frankenstein

Creature from the Black Lagoon

Count Dracula

The Mummy

The Wolfman

Frankenstein

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mini Michael Myers face

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PC Hero Michael Myers

This guy is over a foot tall.

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Bleeding Michael from Halloween II.

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Michael Myers silhouette.

Didn't stitch the background of this one yet,

going to wait until I can get some

glow-in-the-dark yarn!

All of these patterns are by a friend of mine,

the awesomely talented Michael Kramer.

Check his stuff out at his Pinterest page!

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The First Halloween - Nativity Set

So happy this arrived in time for Halloween!

Several months ago, I joined in a Kickstarter program

for a great Halloween product,

The First Halloween - Nativity Set 2 - Electric Boogaloo!

by Tim & Kurt

Here is a pic of our set, all displayed:

Included are:

Frankenstein and his Bride

Baby Dracula in his little coffin

The Three Wise Zombies

The Wolfman

The Mummy

A Gargoyle

2 Demon Dogs

The Crypt

A Full Moon with Clouds!

Here's a pic from the website:

I love it!

For more information and pics,

go to The First Halloween

The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Meet Dracula

From September 1977, I give you:

Parker Stevenson!

Shaun Cassidy!

Pamela Sue Martin!

Lorne Greene!

Paul Williams!

Dracula!

The 1970s!

all appearing in

The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Meet Dracula

Thank you to YouTube user NancyHardy for uploading these!

Hotel Transylvania

Genndy Tartakovsky’s animated feature film debut, Hotel Transylvania.

Starring Adam Sandler, Selena Gomez, Andy Samberg, Kevin James, Fran Drescher, David Koechner, Cee Lo Green, Steve Buscemi, David Spade, and Molly Shannon.

Opening September 28, 2012.

Great Scenes #7 - Dracula

Great Scene #7, the last for the Halloween season,
is from the 1931 classic, Dracula.

What do I like? What don't I like??

From the creepy setting of a decrepit, mysterious, eerie castle

to the general unease Renfield senses, you get the mood of the film and

the charming creepiness of the Count all at once.

Also love Dracula's classic line about the "children of the night"

and when he walks through the spider-web, leaving Renfield quite confused.

An awesome introduction to the Prince of Darkness.

Thanks to — MOVIECLIPS.com

The Halloween That Almost Wasn't

From 1979, here is The Halloween That Almost Wasn't,

starring Judd Hirsch as Dracula, Mariette Hartley as the Witch,

John Schuck as Frankenstein's Monster, Jack Riley as Warren the Werewolf,

Henry Gibson as Igor, Robert Fitch as the Mummy

and Josip Elic as Zabaar the Zombie.

Thanks to HalloweenShows.net for the heads up on this oldie but goodie!

Creepy Image Roundup

I had nothing to post for today,

so I am taking a cue from the always prolific Cal

and doing an image roundup!

Enjoy!

Hope you like them all!

Dracula vs the Atheist

I have new horror movie hero!

While watching the classic 1969 Hammer Horror film "Dracula Has Risen From the Grave" the other day, I was surprised by a scene where a character professes himself an atheist. And not only does he profess this in a small town held hostage by being so close to Castle Dracula, he does it at his girlfriend's family home, where her uncle is visiting - her uncle who happens to be a Monsignor. Quite a brave lad, eh?




Maria and Paul, before they meet the Count!

Paul (played by actor Barry Andrews) risks losing the very beautiful Maria (Veronica Carlson) over his belief, since her family is quite connected to the church. But he sticks by his views and is honest in front of her very religious family, and refuses to quickly change his mind when the Monsignor, gravely injured by an encounter with the vampire, tells him he has to protect Maria and destroy Dracula. Even though Paul drives a stake into Dracula, he refuses to pray for the vampire's death at the pleas of a priest, preferring to battle him physically.




skip to 5:00 in to see the scene

In the end, Paul again battles Dracula (Christopher Lee), inadvertently sending the Count over a balcony to be impaled on a fallen crucifix. He then clambers back up to comfort Maria, leaving any praying for Dracula's demise to the priest. Whether Paul remains an atheist after confronting the supernatural so blatantly, we will never know.

A great review of the film can be found over at The [Horror] Film Connoisseur, along with more pics like the one above.

If anyone knows of other atheists in horror flicks, drop me a comment or an email!

Halloween Month: 13 Horror/Humor Ads

B-Movie Becky at The Horror Effect mentioned a memory she had of a commercial, which triggered the same memory for me. That all led to this post. Enjoy!

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Here is the ad Becky and I remembered, for dependable Chevy vehicles:



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Volkswagen did a similar ad:



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Nike had a similar idea:



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Nike did it again, with a foreign soccer ad:



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AT&T / Cingular had a take on it, too:



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Coors got into the act:



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A foreign ad for cable TV:



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Dulux Paint had an ad that got banned:



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The Energizer Bunny up against Count Dracula:



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Frankenstein finds a supplement that helps:



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Vincent Price plays up the benefits of Polariod VHS tapes:



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This one is a good match up of creature and product:



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K-fee kafee ad or car ad? At the end, you won't care:



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Okay, now you are all mad at me.

Sheesh! It IS Halloween Month, ya know?

Here, something to lighten your mood:

Electronic Cerebrectomy has a post of Heineken Halloween ads.

The last one is worth the click over there!

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Halloween Month: Creepy Classics - FREE

Classic literature is always great, and at Halloweentime it is fun to read some of the spookier works of fiction.

Presented here are the beginnings to some classics. At the end of this blog, I will tell you how to get any of these works for free!

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The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

by Robert Louis Stevenson



Mr. Utterson the lawyer was a man of a rugged countenance that was
never lighted by a smile; cold, scanty and embarrassed in
discourse; backward in sentiment; lean, long, dusty, dreary and
yet somehow lovable. At friendly meetings, and when the wine was
to his taste, something eminently human beaconed from his eye;
something indeed which never found its way into his talk, but
which spoke not only in these silent symbols of the after-dinner
face, but more often and loudly in the acts of his life. He was
austere with himself; drank gin when he was alone, to mortify a
taste for vintages; and though he enjoyed the theater, had not
crossed the doors of one for twenty years. But he had an approved
tolerance for others; sometimes wondering, almost with envy, at
the high pressure of spirits involved in their misdeeds; and in
any extremity inclined to help rather than to reprove. "I incline
to Cain's heresy," he used to say quaintly: "I let my brother go
to the devil in his own way." In this character, it was
frequently his fortune to be the last reputable acquaintance and
the last good influence in the lives of downgoing men. And to
such as these, so long as they came about his chambers, he never
marked a shade of change in his demeanour.

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Dracula

by Bram Stoker



Jonathan Harker's Journal

3 May. Bistritz.--Left Munich at 8:35 P.M., on 1st May, arriving at Vienna early next morning; should have arrived at 6:46, but train was an hour late. Buda-Pesth seems a wonderful place, from the glimpse which I got of it from the train and the little I could walk through the streets. I feared to go very far from the station, as we had arrived late and would start as near the correct time as possible.

The impression I had was that we were leaving the West and entering the East; the most western of splendid bridges over the Danube, which is here of noble width and depth, took us among the traditions of Turkish rule.

We left in pretty good time, and came after nightfall to Klausenburgh. Here I stopped for the night at the Hotel Royale. I had for dinner, or rather supper, a chicken done up some way with red pepper, which was very good but thirsty. (Mem. get recipe for Mina.) I asked the waiter, and he said it was called "paprika hendl," and that, as it was a national dish, I should be able to get it anywhere along the Carpathians.

I found my smattering of German very useful here, indeed, I don't know how I should be able to get on without it.

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Frankenstein

by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley



LETTER 1

To Mrs. Saville, England St. Petersburgh, Dec. 11th, 17--

You will rejoice to hear that no disaster has accompanied the commencement of an enterprise which you have regarded with such evil forebodings. I arrived here yesterday; and my first task is to assure my dear sister of my welfare, and increasing confidence in the success of my undertaking.

I am already far north of London; and as I walk in the streets of Petersburgh, I feel a cold northern breeze play upon my cheeks, which braces my nerves, and fills me with delight. Do you understand this feeling? This breeze, which has travelled from the regions towards which I am advancing, gives me a foretaste of those icy climes. Inspirited by this wind of promise, my day dreams become more fervent and vivid. I try in vain to be persuaded that the pole is the seat of frost and desolation; it ever presents itself to my imagination as the region of beauty and delight. There, Margaret, the sun is for ever visible, its broad disk just skirting the horizon, and diffusing a perpetual splendour. There--for with your leave, my sister, I will put some trust in preceding navigators--there snow and frost are banished; and, sailing over a calm sea, we may be wafted to a land surpassing in wonders and in beauty every region hitherto discovered on the habitable globe. Its productions and features may be without example, as the phenomena of the heavenly bodies undoubtedly are in those undiscovered solitudes. What may not be expected in a country of eternal light? I may there discover the wondrous power which attracts the needle; and may regulate a thousand celestial observations, that require only this voyage to render their seeming eccentricities consistent for ever. I shall satiate my ardent curiosity with the sight of a part of the world never before visited, and may tread a land never before imprinted by the foot of man. These are my enticements, and they are sufficient to conquer all fear of danger or death, and to induce me to commence this laborious voyage with the joy a child feels when he embarks in a little boat, with his holiday mates, on an expedition of discovery up his native river. But, supposing all these conjectures to be false, you cannot contest the inestimable benefit which I shall confer on all mankind to the last generation, by discovering a passage near the pole to those countries, to reach which at present so many months are requisite; or by ascertaining the secret of the magnet, which, if at all possible, can only be effected by an undertaking such as mine.

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The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

by Washington Irving



FOUND AMONG THE PAPERS OF THE LATE DIEDRICH KNICKERBOCKER.

A pleasing land of drowsy head it was, Of dreams that wave before the half-shut eye; And of gay castles in the clouds that pass, Forever flushing round a summer sky.--CASTLE OF INDOLENCE.

In the bosom of one of those spacious coves which indent the eastern shore of the Hudson, at that broad expansion of the river denominated by the ancient Dutch navigators the Tappan Zee, and where they always prudently shortened sail and implored the protection of St. Nicholas when they crossed, there lies a small market town or rural port, which by some is called Greensburgh, but which is more generally and properly known by the name of Tarry Town. This name was given, we are told, in former days, by the good housewives of the adjacent country, from the inveterate propensity of their husbands to linger about the village tavern on market days. Be that as it may, I do not vouch for the fact, but merely advert to it, for the sake of being precise and authentic. Not far from this village, perhaps about two miles, there is a little valley or rather lap of land among high hills, which is one of the quietest places in the whole world. A small brook glides through it, with just murmur enough to lull one to repose; and the occasional whistle of a quail or tapping of a woodpecker is almost the only sound that ever breaks in upon the uniform tranquillity.

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The Black Cat

by Edgar Allan Poe



For the most wild, yet most homely narrative which I am about to pen, I neither expect nor solicit belief. Mad indeed would I be to expect it, in a case where my very senses reject their own evidence. Yet, mad am I not -- and very surely do I not dream. But to-morrow I die, and to-day I would unburthen my soul.FOR the most wild, yet most homely narrative which I am about to pen, I neither expect nor solicit belief. Mad indeed would I be to expect it, in a case where my very senses reject their own evidence. Yet, mad am I not - and very surely do I not dream. But to-morrow I die, and to-day I would unburthen my soul. My immediate purpose is to place before the world, plainly, succinctly, and without comment, a series of mere household events. In their consequences, these events have terrified - have tortured - have destroyed me. Yet I will not attempt to expound them. To me, they have presented little but Horror - to many they will seem less terrible than barroques. Hereafter, perhaps, some intellect may be found which will reduce my phantasm to the common-place - some intellect more calm, more logical, and far less excitable than my own, which will perceive, in the circumstances I detail with awe, nothing more than an ordinary succession of very natural causes and effects.

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House of the Wolf Man

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A post from "A Patchwork of Flesh" yesterday gave me a heads up on this:



House of the Wolf Man (2009)

Dr. Bela Reinhardt (Ron Chaney) is a mad doctor who has invited five people to his castle to determine which of them shall inherit his estate. He has arranged for a competition of sorts. The winner will be chosen by process of... elimination. The visitors quickly realize they made a terrible mistake in accepting Reinhardt's invitation, but are trapped like rats in a cage under the watchful eye of Reinhardt's ghoulish manservant, Barlow.

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Ron Chaney is the grandson of Lon Chaney, Jr. Very cool to have that Wolfman connection.

Supposed to be released on October 1, 2009. Not sure if that is in theaters or on DVD. I wrote to the address on the site and got this response:

"We are still in negotiations for distribution at the moment. Check the website for updates."
Thanks,
John

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Here is the trailer:



How cool does that look?

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Official "House of the Wolf Man" site

IMDb page for the film

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BOO! It's Halloween!

Halloween is finally here! Time for costumes, candy and scary movies!

Dozed off watching TCM (Turner Classic Movies) last night, with their very nice lineup of older films. I watched Torture Garden, with Burgess Meredith. Very nice movie, short stories held together by a sufficiently creepy narrative. After that, the channel aired Twice-Told Tales, starring Vincent Price in three short stories by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Watched the first of the three stories, then nodded off. Luckily, I thought ahead and set the DVR. Will watch the rest of it later.

This A.M., while doing the normal morning stuff, I had AMC (American Movie Classics) on. They aired some old, good flicks, like House of Dracula, House of Frankenstein and Horror of Dracula. All creepy flicks. Of course, most of these movies are better to watch at night, but what can you do when the day is so chock-full of horrific entertainment!

After the kids were off to school and the laundry was going, the channel stayed on AMC for another airing of John Carpenter's Halloween. I know I just watched this last Friday, but I never tire of this movie. And there is something particularly unsettling when you watch it on Halloween day. (As a side note, I actually had to go into the basement while watching the movie to look for something. Horror movies and one's imagination can be a tricky combo!)

After Halloween, I tried to switch to something different, as in I Still Know What You Did Last Summer, airing on FX. Couldn't stick with it, just bored me. So, I am back on AMC right now, with Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers. This movie can be very creepy. Definitely one of the best sequels to the original.

After this, who knows. The television airwaves are loaded up with horror-goodness today, so it shouldn't be a problem finding something good to watch. My wife isn't a horror-movie fan, but she never complains and I appreciate that. Thanks, Raven!

The kids are excited about trick-or-treating. My daughter is going as a 60s hippie (she won 2nd prize at the school dance last week, and Best Costume at her friend's party on Saturday) and my youngest son is going as Michael Phelps - medals, swim cap and all. They should have fun and will hopefully get lots of candy and no rocks!

I helped them carve their jack-o'-lanterns on Wednesday and we will be lighting them up again tonight. My son's pumpkin was rotting when I cut the top off, so scooping out the insides was NOT fun, but I couldn't see ditching it for another just to throw them all away in a week. So, lots of scraping, scooping and gagging led to a pretty empty shell that carved amazingly well.

So, looks like a fun night for all. Hopefully I won't have too much trouble staying awake. The older I get, the harder that is. Argh! We have a busy couple of days ahead, and the National Novel Writing Month kicks off tomorrow... ack!

For some fun, this site has a collection horror film posters. Sometimes those are the scariest parts of the movies!

Have a creepy, eerie, scary Halloween everyone!

Scariest Movie Monsters/Killers

In honor of the ongoing Halloween week horror movie-fest, and since another site decided to do their own Top 28 Horror Movie Villains, here are My Top 10 Horror Movie Monsters/Killers.

Notice I said MY, as in this list is totally my point of view. But, feel free to tell me who scares the beejeezus out of you!


10. 112 Ocean Avenue, Amityville (The Amityville Horror)

This house scared the crap out of me when I was a kid. I haven't watched the film in years, that shows you the fear etched into my brain. I remember seeing it at a drive-in one night and being freaked out by the scene where the stairs break and there is blood oozing. Gives me shivers still.


9. Norman Bates (Psycho)

Bates is one that lingers in my mind, because even a quiet mama's boy can be a nut-job, as insane a killer as the flesh-wearing maniac with a chainsaw. Anyone can be the lunatic.


8. The Miner (My Bloody Valentine)

This movie and it's killer had more to do with mystery and atmosphere, to me anyway. Something always seems dark and hidden, waiting to jump out and get you. Just unnerved me enough once to leave a lasting impression in the dark shafts of my mind.


7. Dracula (Dracula)

Even though he has been played by seemingly hundreds of actors over the years, there is still something evil about the Count. I like different takes on the character, for different reasons. Bela Lugosi's Dracula has that "Old World" mystery about him, but Christopher Lee's Dracula has a strange aloofness that can unsettle you. And don't forget Max Schreck's Nosferatu, so bizarre and creepy and weird. Was he playing himself?!?


6. Curt Duncan (When a Stranger Calls)

Not a typical pick, but this guy is so nuts that he stalks the babysitter so he can enjoy the torment he causes. The second half of the film shows more of his insanity. An uncomfortable experience, but I say that in a good way. Really.


5. The Creeper (Jeepers Creepers)

The first film is the better one, showing a really strange creature who is not human, but yet does such human things (driving like an ass, for one). The single scene that clinched this monster as a goosebump inducer is when the siblings drive past him as he dumps the bodies down the pipe. They see him and are justifiably creeped out, but he stops, looks and WATCHES THEM TOO! ack...


4. Leatherface (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre)

I can feel some sympathy for ol' Leatherface, due to his obvious mental problems stemming from whatever the hell happened with his face. But all pity goes out the window when he whacks the kid on the head, drags him into the kitchen and shuts the door. What the hell just happened???


3. Billy/The Prowler (Black Christmas)

I never saw this one as a kid, and that may be a good thing. When I did watch it a few years ago, I realized that Billy is one creepy, scary freak! Not only is he bat-shit insane, he is hiding in the attic! I would never have gotten our Christmas ornaments down from our attic again had I seen this when I was younger. I guess that would have made for 2 "black Christmases."


2. Jason Voorhees (Friday the 13th)

Jason, Jason, Jason. Some films in the series are seriously lacking in real scares (A New Beginning and Jason Takes Manhattan the worst, in my opinion), but Jason is so hell-bent determined to just kill, kill, kill that you have to be afraid of ever crossing his path. Relentless, ruthless, patient. How DO people sleep at campgrounds?


1. Michael Myers (Halloween)

The blank white face, the dark eyes, the tilt of his head. The original film does it best, of course. Michael Myers is a human void filled with the need to kill. Is he insane? Immoral? Just plain evil? Who knows and who cares. He is out there, and he wants to stalk and kill. To this day, I still feel uneasy, unsettled when I watch Halloween. It has the power to make me do double-takes at shadows and jump at slight noises. At age 37.


So, there you go, the ten movie monsters and killers that make my heart beat a little faster. But in a good way, as any horror movie fan knows.

Watch one of these flicks this week since "It's Halloween, everyone's entitled to one good scare."