Tag Archives: horror

I’m Back (Also, Happy National Save a Spider Day!)

Well, it’s been awhile, folks, but I’m back.  Who knew that taking care of a baby would take up so much of my time?  The little monster is now almost 3 months old (wow, time flies), so since we’ve got almost a quarter of a year under our belts as parents, I felt like maybe I have enough of a handle on things to make time to post again.

We’re celebrating not one, but two holidays today!  First, it’s National Pi Day.   A lot of people celebrate National Pi Day by having  – you guessed it – pie, which is a great idea.  Since this is a horror blog, I’ll try to keep in the theme.  A slightly scary way to celebrate this day is to take whatever pie you’re eating and just call it a creepy cobbler or a petrifying pie.  That’s the easy way out.  If you’re feeling like going all crazy with it, you could make some sort of skull shape out of crust for the top of the pie, or just eat a cherry pie and pretend it’s oozing blood.  That’s probably my favorite.

It’s also National Save a Spider Day!  Spiders are our friends.  They kill annoying bugs and only bite us on special occasions, like when we accidentally threaten them or whatevs.  So in honor of today, if you see a spider in your house, catch it and let it go.  Don’t stomp on the little guy.  Check out the video below:

Isn’t that cute?  And a little creepy?  We should try to help out our little eight-legged friends however we can.  They just want to live in harmony with us, so let them.

Now, if you see a scorpion, screw that guy. Smash it and send it back to hell from where it came.

April Fools

Prank day!  Has anyone gotten fooled yet?  Fooled someone yourself?  I don’t normally take part in this holiday.  Not willingly, at least.  I appreciate pranks, but I’m just too lazy to pull them off.

And it’s too bad that I’m lazy because this day is full of scary possibilities.  Have some costume blood handy?  Fake an injury.  Know one of your friends is home alone?  Maybe a creepy stalker decides to call them from a random number.  Just use your imagination.   But be careful.  You don’t want to scare someone so badly that they have a heart attack or shoot you if you surprise them.  Use your head.

On that note, severed head pranks are good, too.

One thing I will do to celebrate is watch the 1986 horror classic April Fools Day.  I suggest you do the same.  Maybe you’ll get some good ideas for next year’s pranks.  I won’t give any of the plot away, but I will say there are some bloody shenanigans going on.

I do not recommend watching the 2008 version of April Fools Day unless you just want to waste an hour and a half of your life.

Happy April Fools Day to everyone out there!

Upcoming Horror Movies

For this edition of Friday Night Frights and in honor of the release of The Conjuring 2, I thought I’d update the list of upcoming horror movies.  I initially made this list for my second blog post, but after going to see X-Men: Apocalypse last weekend and coming across a movie poster for Bye Bye Man, a movie I had not heard about until then, I thought it was time for an update.

So without further adieu, here it is:

MOVIE TITLERELEASE DATE
The Conjuring 2June 10
ClownJune 17
The ShallowsJune 24
The Neon DemonJune 24
The Purge: Election YearJuly 1
GhostbustersJuly 15
Lights OutJuly 22
Don't Breathe (AKA A Man in the Dark)August 26
Patient ZeroSeptember 2
Before I WakeSeptember 9
When the Bough BreaksSeptember 16
DeliriumSeptember 30
Underworld 5October 14
Ouija: Origin of EvilOctober 21
Boo! A Madea HalloweenOctober 21
RingsOctober 28
The Strangers 2December 2
Bye Bye ManDecember 9

It has grown considerably since I created it in April, and I bet I’ll have a few more to add or delete before the end of the year.  The movie I’m most ready for is Lights Out, and they’ve actually moved it up from its September release date.  *Happy dance, happy dance*

I’m thinking about expanding the list to go out a full year and adding it as a page at the top of the blog that I’ll update regularly.  I’ve been looking at the upcoming movies for 2017, and let’s just say that the words “remake” and “reboot” will be popping up aplenty.  Not that I’m complaining, but there have to be some original ideas left somewhere.  Right?

Well, now that the big part is finished, is anyone going to see The Conjuring 2 tonight?  I’m so excited.  I might have another happy dance left.  Let me check.

*Happy dance*

There it is.  Have a great weekend, everyone!

Horror Movie Streaming

I love horror movies.

Surprising, I know.

I have quite the collection, but even I run out of things to watch from time to time.  That’s why I was so excited to discover that there are actually streaming services that specialize in horror movies.  Yeah.  That’s a thing.

Now, there are a few of these streaming services out there.  Let’s look at the 3 I’ve found.

FRIGHTPIX

Frightpix has one big thing going for it.  IT’S FREE.  The movie selection isn’t great, but there are a few hidden classics in there – namely The Last House on the Left, An American Werewolf in London, and Suspiria.

The rest are mostly B-movies, straight-to-DVD types (*cough*Poultrygeist*cough*) that are good for a laugh but don’t have any real substance.  Regardless, check out Frightpix if you want a quick, cheap horror fix.

SCREAMBOX

Screambox is pretty cheap at $3.99 per month (or $2.99 per month with an annual membership), and it has a few gems in there – Scream 2, The Hills Have Eyes, Hellraiser, and The Prophecy series just to name a few.  It also has the full Masters of Horror series, which is pretty great.  It might have been more of a selling point for me if I didn’t already have them, but if you don’t, it’s definitely a plus.

SHUDDER

Shudder is more expensive than Screambox at $5.00 per month, but this is the one I ultimately chose just because of the selection it offers. It’s got a wide variety from classics like Nosferatu to newer, critically-acclaimed horror like Let the Right One In.

Movies can be browsed in alphabetical order, or they can also be browsed by collection, such as Comedy of Terrors, Monster Mash, and A-Horror.  The A-Horror collection was probably what sold me.  I love Asian horror movies like Shutter and Audition, so the fact that they had their own section made me smile.

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So if you’re looking for something to supplement your horror collection, my recommendation is a subscription to Shudder with a side-order of Frightpix.

How do you satisfy your horror cravings?  I’d be interested to know what others think of these services.  My experience so far has been positive, so I think I’ll keep Shudder around at least for now.

 

IT’s Coming

Well, if you’re up on your horror news, you know that Warner Brothers recently announced the release date of the remake of one of my favorite movies, Stephen King’s IT.

Cue happy dance.

My mom has said time and time again that she can’t believe she let me watch that movie when it premiered on TV in November 1990.  I was just 6 years old, and I remember watching it with her in my parents’ bedroom, hiding my eyes at some points and loving every minute of it.

Back in those days, we taped everything.  We recorded a VHS copy of the movie, and I wore that thing out.  I can’t even estimate how many times I watched it, but you know how little kids are with their favorites.  It was on constantly.

Seriously. I’m pretty sure it rivaled my little sister’s obsession with Space Jam and Spice World.

I took it with me to every slumber party and sleepover.  It wasn’t my intention to make all my friends scared of clowns, but it happened. I’m not proud of it.

Okay. Maybe a little. 😉

We’d turn it on late at night and watch Pennywise terrorize kids our age.  It was so fun.  We loved the scene where Georgie’s picture winks at Bill with its awesomely 80s horror movie track and the one with Pennywise coming out of the drain.  I don’t know if I ever took a bath or shower without thinking of that one.

Another favorite was the scene in the Chinese restaurant. Fortune cookie, anyone?

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Tim Curry’s Pennywise will forever hold a special place in my heart as one of my favorite villains.  I don’t know anyone that would argue that Curry didn’t play that role to perfection.  That voice. That laugh. I don’t know how anyone can fill those shoes.

Let’s see if the September 2017 date sticks.  I’m not holding out hope since the production has seen so many problems, but you can bet I’ll be first in line if it does.