Posting just before month's end because Creepmas starts tomorrow!
This is the shortest Monthly Movie Recap I think that's ever been posted. I started a new job mid-month and good bye free time! But that's a very good thing.
As always, clicking on a movie link takes you to Amazon if you want to buy it. If you're not interested in one of these films and still want to do some online holiday shopping, please consider using the links over on the right for Amazon, Entertainment Earth, and Loot Crate. You can get cool stuff and give me some pocket change at the same time!
Call Girl of Cthulhu (2014)
This flick was a lot of fun and an indie Kickstarter project. The trailer pretty much sums it all up: girls, gore, and a dose of comedy. If you're into Lovecraft you should check this out because it's definitely different than anything else that's been inspired by him.
Rating: 6/10
Shock Waves (1977)
The other movie that came out in 1977 with Peter Cushing.A group of yachting friends wreck on a remote island to find a mad German scientist creating an army of Nazi zombies. It sounds a lot more fun than it ends up being.
Cool: Nazi zombies! Lame: Cushing is seriously underused. Watching the zombies emerge from underwater gets old after awhile. Pacing is slow-ish, similar to horror from the 30s/40s. Rating: 5/10
High Score (2006)
Couldn't find a trailer but it's available on Hulu right now. This documentary clocks in just under an hour and follows one man's quest to break the world record for Missile Command, and the machine that wants to stop him. No seriously, I think his game is possessed or something, it just does not want him to win!
Rating: Only recommended for those that have a love of classic arcade gaming.
Grumpy Cat's Worst Christmas Ever (2014)
If you insert the word "Movie" between "Christmas" and "Ever" it's right about on target. It wants to be Home Alone in a mall with talking animals and pretty much fails on every level. The one genuine time I LOL'd was at a single line about 5 minutes before the end.
Funko's SciFi Mystery Minis have finally started hitting stores in my area. The thrill of finding them was almost short lived as it was in Toys R Us that I found them. They're pricing for the Guardians of the Galaxy Minis is around $10 and the Nightmare Before Christmas ones are $8. Which I don't get how they can have different prices, but moving on...
I was super psyched to find they were only $7, so I grabbed two.
Mini Robocop looks great and has a nice metallic paint job. Even though the mouth is just an itty bitty crescent, they managed to nail it. If I could pick any one I wanted, he wouldn't be at the top of the list but I'm glad I got him.
This guy! Rocketeer is definitely at the top of my list if I had a choice in which one I would get in my blind boxes! Yes, even ahead of Tron, if for no other reason than Rocketeer is the rarest figure in the wave. He's only found in 1 out of every 72 boxes! I didn't get a shot of his back side but his rocket pack even has the wad of gum on it! Now that is attention to detail.
Kudos to Funko for knocking it out of the park, yet again!
The blog will (most likely) be taking some time off so be sure to come back on December 1st as we start the 13 Days of Creepmas!
Disclaimer
Loot Crate supplies AEIOU and Sometimes Why with a Crate every month in exchange for sharing it with you fine people.
Wow, it feels like forever since October's Loot Crate review! The month of November brings to mind falling leaves and family gatherings...unless you're Loot Crate, then it means BATTLE!
Before even opening the box, it seems something different is afoot...
But I'll get to what that message means later, for now we're going to crack this puppy open and see what's inside.
The cover of the monthly mag (and button) definitely make it seem like we're in for a battle of the video game variety. Probably my favorite kind! This month's mag features an interview with Ubisoft on Assassin's Creed, an article on Halo, and an unusual last page with punch-outs. Again, we'll circle back to those when I get to the inside of the box.
Next are a few slightly larger than postcard cards: one for 50% off the purchase of Lichdom: Battlemage (which if I had the time, I would totally take advantage of, the game looks awesome), a free download of Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition with a free MegaMan comic download on the flip side, and a Pirates vs Ninja card encouraging you to include either #TeamNinja or #TeamPirate with your Loot Crate photos to give voice to your allegiance of choice. I'm Team Ninja, all the way!
Did someone say Pirates vs Ninja? This shirt about sums it up! I really like this style of art where they use descriptive words to make the characters.
And now to the video gaming goodies!
Mega Bloks deployed a HALO Drop Ship Mini Figure in the Crate. Geek confession: I tried playing the original Halo shortly after it was released, didn't like it, and have not touched the franchise since. This little Covenant dude is pretty neat but my LEGO minifigs have all but ostracized him so he went back to hanging out in his dropship/grenade thing.
Hey, it's that blue guy! Yes, dear reader, my video gamer cred is going out the window today. I have never played a Megaman game! When the gaming consoles came out, I was very focused on the games I would buy, which were mostly licensed properties so I never branched out to original stuff. The only reason I played Legend of Zelda is because it came with the console. Anyway, I can still appreciate how nifty this mini helmet is. They're blind boxed and come in four different colors (also red, blue, and green). Even as a general sci-fi helmet, it looks nice on the shelf.
If you want to do your best Ryu impression, Loot Crate has you covered with this Street Fighter bandana! I played SF in the arcades back in the day, since the not-so-great first one, even! Chun Li is my fighter of choice, I always take speed over power.
Probably the thing with the most "wow" to it this month is the Assassin's Creed IV Unity coin. It's about half dollar sized (kids ask your parents) and has got some heft to it. The lower right inset shows the other side of the coin where they left a nice blank spot for you to get your name engraved on it. And in case you were wondering, no, I've never played Assassin's Creed either, but it sounds like something up my alley. I loved Thief.
So, back to the box itself! If you've been following my Loot Crate reviews, you know they've taken things to a new level the past few months when they started putting designs on the interior. This month's Crate has a mini playset for you to battle it out on.
There's actually more to it than this. The opening flap has a billboard you can cut out to put on the top, but the collector geek in me couldn't bring myself to cut up the box. Each side of the this alley has a pull out platform for your fighters to pose on. They included some punch-out figures on the last page of the monthly mag for an in-house Capcom throwdown.
If you want to get a box of geeky swag delivered to your door every month, head over to Loot Crate and sign up today! Enter code AEIOU for 10% off your order.
"Most people want to avoid thinking about death, but Caitlin Doughty—a
twenty-something with a degree in medieval history and a flair for the
macabre—took a job at a crematory, turning morbid curiosity into her
life’s work. Thrown into a profession of gallows humor and vivid
characters (both living and very dead), Caitlin learned to navigate the
secretive culture of those who care for the deceased.
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes
tells an unusual coming-of-age story full of bizarre encounters and
unforgettable scenes. Caring for dead bodies of every color, shape, and
affliction, Caitlin soon becomes an intrepid explorer in the world of
the dead. She describes how she swept ashes from the machines (and
sometimes onto her clothes) and reveals the strange history of cremation
and undertaking, marveling at bizarre and wonderful funeral practices
from different cultures."
I don't read a lot of non-fiction but this one happened to catch my eye while I was in line to check out. In particular, it was the subtitle "& Other Lessons from the Crematory" that got me to pick it up and read the summary. And that was pretty much all it took to convince me I had to read it.
I'll start my review by telling you this book won't be for everyone. As you might imagine, there's a lot of discussion about death and the handling of the dead. While I didn't find anything to be too gruesome in nature, more often it's the "mundane" day to day tasks that working in a crematory requires that may be off putting to some. Of course, being a fan of horror movies, my definition of gruesome may differ greatly from yours.
Having said that, this isn't a clinical discussion by any means. Doughty relates her experiences with equal amounts humor, honesty, and historical context. I really enjoyed her style of writing, it felt like we were having a casual chat. If you can imagine having a friendly chat about prepping people for their funeral, embalming, or cremation.
Throughout the book, she weaves in her own philosophies on death and opinions on the current state of how we, as a culture, deal with the business side of death. And I have to say, I found myself agreeing with a lot of her thoughts. Most of people don't really think twice about the way things are done because that's just how we've always seen it. But when you stop to think about it, isn't it a little odd to pay hundreds, if not thousands, for a fancy box that is only going to be placed underground inside a concrete box?
The only way these time honored traditions might change is if we start questioning just why we do the things we do. In 2011, Doughty founded the Order of Good Death in an attempt to bring the discussion of death back into pop culture. This is a great idea, check out her site and her "Ask a Mortician" YouTube videos.
At various points she also talks about how death is dealt with in other cultures. I found the differences, especially their openness in facing it, fascinating. Some return their dead to nature, giving food to the flora and fauna, and others consume parts of the dead!
When I first started the book, I was excited to take a peek behind the black curtain where most people wouldn't even want to acknowledge Things were being done, much less talk about them. After about the first third I started wondering if I should continue on because as interesting as it was I was starting to think a lot about mortality (not only my own but family and friends), funerals, and the like. As I kept on with it, those thoughts moved to the background as I began to see where Doughty's ideas were going.
As I started out by saying, this book will not be for everyone. However, I think everyone should at least try to read it. In addition to giving insight into things we prefer not to talk about, it will also make you think not just about death, but also about living your life.
Tired of seeing Christmas decorations on the shelves in October?
Then join us for the Creepmas blog-a-thon!
It's similar to the Countdown to Halloween, but we're stealing the first 13 days of December to strike back against that jolly elf for starting to creep into October.
You can sign up and grab your official Creepmas 2014 badge at Creepmas.com.
Click the image below to get the skinny on the #MakingCreepmas image challenge.
It's like Drawlloween and Inktober with a spooky festive twist!
Just wanted to pop in for a quick post-Halloween wrap-up.
First, thanks to everyone that participated in the Halloween Web interview series. I know a lot of you had fun recounting Halloween memories and it was fun for me (and the readers) to see so many great takes on the questions. There was such an unexpected (by me) turnout that I didn't get to post on some of the Halloween goodies I picked up in October! Those will either trickle out over November or I may hold on to them for Creepmas, which is only a month away.
Second, thanks to the readers! Whether you just found the blog from the Countdown to Halloween or you're a long time reader, thanks for stopping by!
On to Halloween!
I didn't really mention it in my self interview but part of my ritual is putting on some Halloween music (usually our cable's "Sounds of the Season" station) and making up the treat bags to be given out. I found a new friend to help me this year. He wanted to make sure someone checked the candy.
Around 4:30pm a woman I didn't know showed up knocking on our door. She said she and her young sons were getting ready to go out soon and wanted to know if Freddy would be around! You may recall from me interviewing myself, that my stepdad inherited my Freddy costume when I took up the mantle of the Creep. Every year he becomes Freddy and wanders the neighborhood while we tend the trick or treaters before going into Salem. He's usually not out and about until it gets a little darker, but he's not one to turn away fans!
It was definitely an odd night for trick or treaters. We've been getting more every year but it was very slow to start this year. I don't know if people were waiting until it got darker/later because it was a Friday night but they did start coming eventually. One of the best costumes was the Headless Horseman, the version from TV's Sleepy Hollow. I wish I'd taken a pic, it was pretty cool!
Trick or Treater ready!
As it got close to the time we were leaving, of course more and more kids started coming! I almost wish our town would do trick or treating on a scheduled day and time that wasn't Halloween night so I could see all the kids and still get to haunt Salem.
Salem also seemed a bit under populated this Halloween. You'd think on a Friday night it would be really packed! If you're a Salem Halloween vet like me, you could tell there was noticeably more room to move around than previous years. Here's a few of the shots my wife was nice enough to take. In my costume, not only can I not see clearly more than 20' in front of me, I can't operate the camera!
I have to give this guy some major points for putting an actual pumpkin on his head all night!
One thing Salem is never short on Halloween night are religious people that want to tell you that you're going to Hell for celebrating Halloween. Because if it's one thing a city famous for persecution needs, it's more close-minded people. At least one of their signs is correct...
I wish I'd seen this costume in person! I was shocked looking at the photos to see someone did Dr Syn, the Scarecrow of Romney Marsh.
It wouldn't be Halloween without the Pumpkin King!
Love that this thing was tied to a parking meter.
There are a few live bands that play at various locations around the city.
This Beatles tribute band performed on the Salem Common.
Mrs & Mr Creep!
There's quite a few more pics on my Flickr page to check out.
And I also found this 15 minute YouTube video someone made walking down the pedestrian mall. It's not the best, but it will give you a little idea what it's like in Salem on Halloween.
Well, as you might imagine, I watched some horror flicks in October. Although it's not much different than my past few months of watching history, I do try to cram in a few extra and some favorites.
If you're already in a funk because October has left us, just remember: It's only a month until Creepmas! If you joined in the Countdown to Halloween blog-o-thon, be sure to keep your internet dial tuned to Creepmas.com, which will be updating soon.
I don't know if it's because I'm coming off six more or less joyless Children of the Corn movies but I thought this was kinda fun! Despite how stupid it could be, it was still way more entertaining than any Corn movies I sat through. I was a little let down by the ending because there was no final "gotcha" scare.
Cool: Warwick Davis is fun to watch; A few inventive kills
Lame: How much time did we need with the guy in the pawn shop? Why introduce an amulet that's sort of the Lep's kryptonite and not use it at the end to kill him?
Before seeing this, I'd only heard jokes about the series going to space. If you haven't seen it, watch the above trailer. If you ever wanted a movie like Aliens but with a Leprechaun, shoestring budget, and effects that look like they came out of a mid-90s screen saver, you have arrived! Where 3 was guilty pleasure fun, this one is "so bad, it's good" fun.
Cool: The only thing that's good about this one is how bad it is
Lame: After this one, I'm convinced the series is an anthology because there's very little continuity from movie to movie. Did I mention how bad the effects are?
Somehow, this one has the highest rating of the series on Rotten Tomatoes: 33%. As a white guy, I was finding this uncomfortable to watch. I've seen Blaxploitation before, this is more like Blaxploitation parody, just not very funny. I'm guessing there was just as much weed smoking behind the camera as in front of it.
Cool: The only thing mildly entertaining is the Leprechaun's rap video at the end and even that is really bad
Lame: I can't recall another horror movie I've seen recently where I've wanted the main characters to die
I thought it was going to be just another one of those "family comes together after someone dies" movies. Turns out, it was really good. Everyone had great performances and there's a good amount of comedy throughout.
Rating: 8/10
Bloody Bloody Bible Camp (2012)
Does a good job of emulating a 70s/80s slasher. There's plenty of kills but they're at the start and end of the movie. My biggest complaint is that it never seems to follow any of the standard "rules" of a slasher. The final girl could have been any character, there's nothing redeemable in any of them. And the killer's identity seems to be shoehorned in. Ultimately it's a decent goofy horror flick.
Cool: It says something about the movie when I say that Ron Jeremy as Jesus had one of the best performances in the movie; Gore effects were decent Lame: It's got all the ingredients you'd want, they're just not in the right amounts Rating: 4/10
*Hocus Pocus (1993)
I only discovered this a couple years ago but it immediately became an October staple. Plus, a fair amount of exterior shooting was done in and around the Salem area. See yesterday's Hocus Pocus-centric post!
Rating: 8/10
Vicious Lips (1986)
Couldn't find a trailer for this so here's the poster. You'd think an R-rated 80s movie with an all girl band in a sci-fi setting would be mind blowingly awesome. I have never been so disappointed in the promise of a poster. The girls have to steal a ship (which happens to hold a killer monster) to get across the galaxy to a gig. The ship crashes and the monster gets loose. At the end, you find out you just wasted 90 minutes watching it.
Cool: Some of the hair rock songs are pretty catchy Lame: Just about the rest of the movie Rating: 4/10
Bad Taste (1987)
This is one of those titles I've seen the cover for a million times but never actually watched. It definitely has a low budget 80s charm to it but overall the pacing up to the finale was too slow. I can see why it's a cult film but I won't be revisiting it.
Rating: 5/10
Hack O'Lantern (1988) aka Halloween Night
I wanted to see this one based on the title because I imagined it would be some type of mutant pumpkin that went on a killing spree. I need to make that movie. This one is about a grandfather that inducts one of his grandsons into a satanic cult. Just about everything in this movie is laughably bad: the acting, the plot, you name it.
Rating: 2/10, strong contender for worst movie of the year! Including that one I had to turn off halfway through.
*The Pit and the Pendulum (1961)
I rewatched this the day after I got to meet Victoria Price. I felt it necessary to watch something of his and I just got the BluRay Vol 1 collection. It's not one of my top Price films even though he's fun to watch in it and the set design is fantastic.
Rating: 6/10
Street Trash (1987)
Weird, weird horror comedy with lots of melting hobos. I still feel like I need a shower from watching it.
Rating: 5/10
Housebound (2014)
Recommended to me by Chad Savage and well worth it! I can't really say much about it without giving away the good bits because they worked some great twists into it. Seek it out!
Rating: 8/10
Life After Beth (2014)
Zach's girlfriend dies and then mysteriously shows up at her parents' house a couple days later, seemingly fine. But is she? It's a little bit Fido and a little bit Warm Bodies and I thought it was a great zom rom com.
Cool: Great comedic cast; Fresh take on zombies Lame: Dude, I know she's your girlfriend but stop and think about it for a second... Rating: 8/10
Wicked Wicked (1973)
The only reason I sought this one is is for its gimmick: DuoVision! Most of the movie is presented in split screen. The beginning was interesting, the left side followed the killer and the right his victim. Unfortunately, the script starts to feel like a daytime soap after awhile as the house dick tracks down the murderer that we know the identity of. Although once they do catch up to him at the end, it's a little twisted and there's some morbid humor that feels out of place. It's not horrible, it's just not very engaging but it's probably the only film ever presented this way.
Rating: 4/10
*Trick R Treat (2009)
I can't believe it's been 5 years for this classic already! Love, love, LOVE this movie. 'Nuff said.
