Showing posts with label Halloween. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Halloween. Show all posts

Seasons Of Change: 2022 Halloween Flicks



Hello my Ghoulish fiends! Halloween is just around the corner and whether you are excited for trick-or-treaters, plan to get dressed up in your favourite costumes, or intend to spend quiet time honouring  our spirited souls, it's always good to include a movie or two in the mix!  

I'm excited to share a few new ones that have popped up this year, as well as some old favourites. You can always transport back to my other blog posting that has even more movies and nostalgic series that bring me joy especially during the Halloween season.



With only a run time of 53 minutes, Werewolf By Night was a lovely little homage to many Universal Classic monster flicks, combined with some Twilight Zone eeriness. The monster hunter characters were great, in particular Jack (played by Gael GarcΓ­a Bernal) who has an interesting role as a lycanthrope superhero of sorts. This short tale had such fantastic cinematography and black and white effects. It is definitely worth a watch.  I hope Marvel comes out with more of these, in particular something extra vampy.



Halloween Ends...or has it?  If you're not familiar with this horror-ific franchise, I would suggest to watch the other films to just delve more into the saga of Michael Myers. Although in this one, they do a rewind of some pivotal kill scenes, plus a rehashing of the tragedies in the town of Haddonfield,  so you are not going in totally blind. 

There was plenty of suspense throughout the film, a few irritants tossed in, but definitely a lot of brutal scenes that might have you squirm in your seat if you're more of the squeamish type, so stay alert, my friends. 

Was it the best out of all the others? Not in the least, but I think we're all here for Jamie Lee Curtis. She was amazing, reprising her role as Laurie and letting us know that when it comes to her masked-murderous foe, Michael Myers, if you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen!



Teen Wolf is an 80's comedy and coming-of-age werewolf tale, starring the beloved Michael J. Fox, as Scott Howard, just your ordinary geeky guy who is trying to figure out who he is, with and without the all extra fur. Who doesn't love a werewolf who can play basketball? 



The wonderfully grotesque and pun-worthy Crypt Keeper is back to tell a tale in Bordello of Blood. Although rated poorly by many, I fondly recall this film with its heavy metal and glam soundtrack. It's a terribly corny flick, with raunchy humour, groan-worthy acting, but it's a great one to just sit back and have fun watching. 


Finally, we have The Hunger tv series, created by Jeff Fazio and presented b Tony and Ridley Scott. No one gave me chills down my spine like Terence Stamp, and in this horror anthology; The Hunger, he hosted each short story in a way that would surely tingle all your senses, like The Secret Shih-Than. 

This provocative British/Canadian series opened up quite a new world for me that I never knew existed before, but was incredibly liberating, even though subject matter was rather taboo at the time, and still might be today for certain types of people.   

If anyone remembers, it was aired here in Canada on a tv channel called Showtime - with its tagline Television Without Borders.  Every late Friday evening, they would have "Friday's Without Borders" which had content that pushed the limits for a more mature and rather open-minded audience. Taking over the series was the late, David Bowie, who in my opinion did a good job, but I'm still partial to the British charm of Mr. Stamp.  



πŸ’œLet me know what you'll be watching this Halloween or what plans you may have! I love hearing  from you, so drop a comment below, or feel free to privately e-mail me using my web form!

The Giggle Mat: Tricks & Treats

 



COME JOIN US FOR EPISODE 9: TRICKS & TREATS!


🌈 The Giggle Mat 🌈 is made possible through the wonders of modern technology. To maintain the safety of everyone, we are still utilizing the virtual space, however we are able to appropriately social-distance for any additional filming. 

Come visit Dizzy, Mr. Purpleman, Miss Kate and Uncle PJ as they discover, explore and express themselves in the amazing world around them through stories, music, dance, crafts, juggling, magic, laughs and more!

We are now on EPISODE 9 and have several local #YQG authors who will be featured in the next few months, plus some other exciting news to share with all our fans!

Don't forget to like The Giggle Mat on Facebook to keep up to date with more content, games, outtakes/bloopers, contests and info on upcoming episodes!

Our shows are also available on Youtube, so you can watch Episode 9 and check out all the other episodes too!!



πŸ’œSupported by the City of Windsor’s Arts, Culture & Heritage Fund (ACHF) achfwindsor.ca

Fangs For the Memories: Halloween Favourites!


From the vampiric Nosferatu and the blood-lusting Lost Boys from Santa Carla, to the pun-filled Young Frankenstein and gender-bending cult classic like The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Halloween is always full of surprises.  

Back in the day, I remember my first costume going trick or treating was this enormous inflatable plastic neon blue witchy get-up.  I could barely get out the door, let alone up and down the stairs to get candy. However, it was still fun and I came home with enough candy to make any dentist cringe! 

Although I tread carefully with watching films on the paranormal side (Poltergeist gives me shivers and I didn’t sleep for a month after watching The Exorcism of Emily Rose), I have so many other favourites to enjoy. I’m definitely more into campy, cheesy and of course the classics. I don’t mind  many of the Nightmare on Elm Street  series (my orthodontic surgeon looked identical to Robert Englund - true story!) Halloween - Michael Myers series and some creepier films but it just depends on my state of mind. 

I wanted to mention some movies that many have probably seen and then a few others you may want to add to your Halloween watch-list.  I also included my 2 favourite tv series and to keep things on the strange side, I tossed in a made-for-tv adventure from the "Wonderful World of Disney!" that even got its second life!

πŸ’œ My Halloween Favs πŸ’œ

Corpse Bride – Although everyone raves over Tim Burton’s, Nightmare Before Christmas, which is a great film, I found myself really tuned into the gothic stop-motion animated and romantic tale of Corpse Bride. I loved the characters, the story, and of course the entire soundtrack from Danny Elfman.


Witches of Eastwick –  Power, love/lust and loneliness have a reoccurring theme here. Great cast, especially with the one and only Jack Nicholson wooing the ladies.  Definitely a dark one, but plenty of comedic fun.



Shaun of the Dead – Another gem, also a bit of a rom-zom (yes I said rom-zom) with Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. It’s a zombie apocalypse that’s never been funnier. 


Clue - All the characters bring their own charm to this unforgettable dinner party. It’s a murder mystery of “who-done-it” with some of the best deadpan humour.



Silver Bullet - 80’s horror cheese? This one has it. Corey Haim is an endearing character though, and sure the werewolf was coined as looking more like Smokey Bear with a hangover, but it’s still great. 


My Mom’s a Werewolf  - Another comedy/horror that I watched so many times back in the day that my VHS tape broke. John Saxton is the most handsome yet creepiest in this film. 



Haunted Honeymoon  -  Gene Wilder’s best playing the neurotic, wee hypochondriac groom-to-be who starts suffering from panic attacks after proposing. Shock therapy is on the menu for the cure, but comes at a price. If you thought your family was a bit weird, this eccentric bunch will have you thinking otherwise. 


The Monster Squad –  When some of your favourite classic Universal monsters come together on screen in the 1980’s and try to invade your town to get the elusive amulet to rule the world, you’ll get your buddies together and fight tooth and nail so that doesn’t happen. “Wolfman’s got nards!”


TV

Mr Boogedy/Bride of Boogedy – These were made-for-television short films.  The weirdness factor coming from Disney is pretty much off the charts, but it has a cool nostalgia factor.


Hilarious House of Frightenstein – An incredibly creative, funny, and a little morbid Canadian television series. Billy Van played nine characters and Vincent Price’s eerie narration was the joy of waking up on Saturday mornings to sit in front of the tv.  The Oracle tells me that you must watch this

The Little Vampire – A very special 13 part Canadian-German children's television series that melted my heart about a young boy named Anton, who befriends a family of vampires. Yes you can see the strings of them flying, but they can see in the dark. :)




Clearly there are so many more amazing Halloween films so I will have another fun list up for next year! What are some of your favourites? Leave me a comment and let me know!

Happy Halloween!!



Happy Halloween!


Fred is excited about seeing all the trick-or-treaters tonight. :)