Oct 21, 2023

Haunted Library - Freddy Krueger's Tales of Terror

Let's keep the Freddy energy rolling into the weekend!
 
From 1994-95, a series of six YA novels were published under the name Freddy Krueger's Tales of Terror. While they sported Freddy prominently on their covers, he only briefly appears in the stories, usually relegated to hosting duties much like on Freddy's Nightmares where he introduces and wraps up the story.
 

These books fit in among teen horror at the time like Fear Street or the works of Christopher Pike. They even had die-cut covers that gave a peek at an image on the first page. On a side note, both Friday the 13th and Halloween Also had YA series around the same time but the killers were actually in them. 


I remember reading these when they came out because I could not get enough Freddy at that time...no matter how tangentially related to the source material it may have been. They're okay if you want that 90s teen horror nostalgia fix, not so good if you're looking for a proper Nightmare story. 
 
The books have long been out of print and used copied go for crazy money. But now you can experience these tales thanks to the Haunted Library! Just click your card to check them all out.
 
 
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Oct 20, 2023

Freddy Friday - Enter the Slasherverse

You may have traveled the Spider-verse but are you ready for the Slasher-verse?


I accidentally stumbled into this while looking at Freddy fan films. I don't know why fan films are a particular rabbit hole I never jumped into before but there's a lot out there! Slasherverse is an ambitious project by Conrad Studios that tries to weave a tale the crosses over into some of the most popular horror franchises.


Above is a playlist that will take you across the five short films.

It started out pretty good with Elm Street and then went on to Halloween. The Friday the 13th and Scream entries were the low point for me. Both feature voice over dialog which doesn't fit the vibe for either franchise. I'm not a huge F13th fan but Jason just didn't feel right. The series bounces back with the Texas Chainsaw finale.

Be sure to check out the complete list of Countdown bloggers by clicking below.
 

Oct 19, 2023

The KidsTime Zone Halloween Special (WTXX, 1986)

 A huge thanks to The Haunted Drive-In on YouTube for posting this gem.


WTXX was local station 20 in Waterbury, Connecticut from 1982 to 2010. KidsTime with T.X. Critter was your typical Sunday morning kids show featuring a live host and puppets. Puppet co-host T.X Critter was created by Paul Fusco who would go on to create ALF a few years later!

This special hits that magical Halloween childhood sweet spot. It gives me nostalgia feels even though I'd never seen it. There's just something about it being a product of the 80s and the charm that only comes from a locally produced show. 
The school kids are just *chef's kiss* 
 
Did I mention it also has the original commercials?
 
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