Shark Week 2026: Group Photo #6

    MEG: a Novel of Deep Terror by Steve Altin came out in 1997. I had a first edition hard cover, but I kept it in my classroom when I exclusively taught language arts, and it got really beat up by the guys who would fight over it during my required reading time. 

    The MEG movie came out in 2018, and I was disappointed the filmmakers didn't use the same opening as the book. In the book's prologue, a herd of Shantungosauruses are on a beach feeding on a smaller group of dinosaurs when a T-Rex breaks up the party and flips the script by making the herd his prey. But when he stumbles into the nearby ocean, a Megalodon emerges from the depths and kills the T-Rex with it's superior size and jaws. Or something like that... I think The MEG 2: The Trench used this idea for its prologue. Both films used Jason Statham, and that's always a good thing.

    Great White's LP Once Bitten came out in the summer of '87. I was working 60 to 80 hours weeks on a road crew so I could pay for my freshman year of college. I had my tuition covered by the end of June. I had enough cash for my dorm room, books, and food by late July. In August I bought a few records to bring with me, and Once Bitten was in that lot. I'm not gonna lie. Working the road crew was zero fun. It's probably also the reason why my dermatologist keeps coming at me with a scalpel. 

    The Black Demon movie came out in 2023, and the novel Extinct by Charles Wilson was published in 1997. Both also have a Megalodon as the antagonist. I like how the covers echo each other. Extinct's cover says a it was coming to NBC-TV presumably as a made-for-TV movie, but that - spoiler alert!- didn't happen.

    When I bought Shark Night from Goodwill, I didn't know the original title for the film was Shark Night 3D. Of the four Jaws movies, Jaws III, or Jaws 3D, is my least favorite. I also didn't know that during the credits the cast was going to be in a music video performing the song, "Shark Night Cast: Shark Bite."     

Here's Char hamming it up at Flix when she was about to turn eight

Shark Week 2026: Group Photo #2

    The Sharknado soundtrack is by a band named Quint. They are named after Robert Shaw's character in Jaws. The band is fronted by Robbie Rist who is an actor who played Oliver, a new and young character added to The Brady Bunch TV show's sixth season. It was an attempt to revive their dwindling viewership. That didn't work. The show really jumped the shark when Oliver showed up, but that's not his fault.

    The Holiday Horror Shelf is also displaying Sharknado, Sharknado 2, Sharknado 3, and a souvenir magnet from our vacation at Oceanside.

  Anymore, the only souvenirs I want to bring home when I travel are pictures, magnets, and thrifted t-shirts.

Summer 2026, Cruisin' for a Bruisin': Group Photo #1

     Some people think that summer is over once the 4th of July has passed, but I'm throwing a BS flag on the field.

   Time to climb into your car and cruise the loop! Let's see what's on the Holiday Horror Shelf!

    

    For 1983's Christine, Scott Baio and Brooke Shields were considered for the film's leads. Brooke would have been an easy fit for the role of Leigh Cabot, but it might have been strange to see Scott, as Arnie Cunningham, slowly become crazy and evil. I bet he could have pulled it off, though.

    Here's what I learned from 2011's Super Hybrid: if you are walking along a dark alley, and you come across a 1969 Chevy K-20 Pickup, or a 1069 Lincoln Continental, or a 1971 Dodge Charger, or a 1973 Mercury Colony Park, or a 1976 Chevy Nova, or a 1985 Chevy C-10 pickup, or a 2004 Chevy Corvette C5 and the vehicle is unlocked and the keys are in the ignition... run away as fast as you can. 

    1977's The Car is now touted as being inspired by Duel (which I will bring up later), but I remember when the first DVD of The Car came out (second from the right). The film was advertised as, "It's Jaws, but on dry land!" The original three cars used in filming The Car were Lincoln Continental Mark IIIs ('69 -'71 chassis) that were modified by Chuck Barris (a hero). The fourth car was loosely attached onto a Ford Thunderbird chassis and was shot out of a car cannon (that's a thing?) for the final shot.

    2019's surprise sequel, The Car: Road to Revenge, really has more in common with Christine, than The Car. "The Car" in question is a Chrysler 300 SRT8. Later in the movie, this "Car" is given parts from the original "Car", and in the end the vehicle looks kinda cheesy. Kinda like the artwork on the Blu-ray that's in the middle of this picture. Cartoon drawings... really?

    FYI: The Holiday Horror Shelf theme for today is, "Dude, that car is killer."

    Drive safe!

Birthday 2026: Group Photo

    I know my birthday isn't a real holiday, but what the heck. Let's see what's on the Holiday Horror Shelf!

    The original posters for 1981's Canadian slasher Happy Birthday to Me had the blurb, "John will never eat shish kebab again. Steven will never ride a motorcycle again. Greg will never lift weights again. Who’s killing Crawford High’s snobbish top ten? At the rate they’re going, there will be no one left for Virginia’s birthday party… alive. Happy Birthday to Me Six off the most bizarre murders you will ever see." That's quite a spoiler and quite a mouthful. (SWIDT?)

    In 2017's Happy Death Day, a character relives her birthday over and over with references to Groundhog Day. In 2019's Happy Death Day 2U, the same thing eventually happens, but the movie references are to Back to the Future II. I was hoping for a second sequel, but I don't think that's going to happen.

    In 2010's My Soul to Take, it seems like a deceased killer called The Riverton Ripper is coming back for the seven children who were born on the day the Ripper was killed. Say what you will about this Wes Craven film, but an alternate ending on this release made me choke up. Didn't see that one coming...

 

    Here's a little info about my birthday t-shirt choice:

        In the late 80's there was a popular TV drama called Thirty Something. The series was about seven people living in Philadelphia dealing with their everyday adult angst. My mom really liked that show.

    

       A Chicago band named Local H released their first LP, Ham Fisted, in 1994. "Mayonnaise and Malaise," is a song on that record, and it has the lyric, "It's really something to be twenty nothing." I thought was clever, and I wore this rock tee all the time in the 90s. 

    I remember wearing it while shopping in Sioux Center, Iowa, and a stranger stopped to tell me how much he liked my shirt. To me, that's almost the ultimate compliment.

    Anyway, here's the shirt I wore to dinner tonight.

    Charlotte hadn't seen this shirt before, and she complimented me on this rock tee. High praise, indeed.

        In my small bubble, for a small amount of time, I was a main character... Yay!

Father's Day 2026: Group Photo

    Happy Father's Day! Let's see what's on the Holiday Horror Shelf!

    I miss Bill Paxton, but I think it's cool that he directed and starred in the 2001 horror movie Frailty. (One of my favorite movies to watch with Daphne is Twister.)

    It took 35 years, but the Stanley Hotel that inspired The Shining finally got a real hedge maze.

    

    It has been scientifically proven that Sinister is the scariest movie ever made. I was surrounded by moving boxes in our basement the first time I watched this movie. I felt like I was sitting in the mists of the sinister pods from Aliens after a certain jump scare. 

    

    As for the Amityville Horror movies, in real life, the Lutz family's dog Harry did survive, thank goodness.

    FYI: The Holiday Horror Shelf theme for today is "Horror Dads and Axes".

    Well, we're off to Texas Roadhouse. Time to let someone else make me a steak...

    Here's my t-shirt pick from Goodwill. Not horror related, but I think it's funny.

    Don't forget to call your Data today.

Mother's Day 2026: Group Photo

    Happy Mother's Day! Let's see what's on the Holiday Horror Shelf!

     

     1980's Mother's Day is a low-budget Troma film, so you know exactly what you're in for: a lot of gore, violence, and satire. Probably a lot of nudity, too.

    2010's Mother's Day is a loose remake of the Troma film. "Mother" is played by Rebecca De Mornay. She gives off the same evil vibe as she did in The Hand that Rocks the Cradle.

    2008's Baby Blues has a young son pitted against his postpartum mom bent on killing him and his siblings. Yikes.

     Man, it took me so long to locate my 1993's Mutha's Day Out CD. My Soul is Wet is a one-and-done grunge album that's still popular in Paris, France. Seriously. 

    2021's You Are Not My Mother is set in Dublin, Ireland, so it could have gone on the St. Patrick's Day shelf, but come on, this title fits in here too well. This is a slow-burn flick with no gore. Hazel Doupe plays the lead character Charlotte, but everyone calls her Char. Hmmm. Sounds familiar.   

    Don't forget to call your mom today.  

Cinco De Mayo 2026: Group Photo

    Happy Cinco De Mayo! Let's see what's on the Holiday Horror Shelf!

    In 2015's Killer Piñata, "A possessed piñata, seeking to avenge the savagery that humanity has inflicted on his kind, picks off a group of friends, one by one, in an unending night of terror." IMDB

    IMDB also says the entire movie was filmed in 8 days. 

    1995's Mexican Moon by Concrete Blonde is my musical pick for today. According to Wikipedia, "On the closing track, "Bajo la Lune Mexicana," Johnette Napolitano (lead singer who does not speak Spanish) wrote the Spanish lyrics, which are a literal translation of the lyrics to the album's title track. However, none of the verbs are conjugated, noun gender is ignored, and correct grammar is non-existent; [still,] it doesn't detract from the overall translation from Spanish to English." 

    Make of that what you will.

    In 2013's Cinco De Mayo, "After being unjustly fired, harassed by his students and labeled a potential menace to society, El Maestro sets out to teach everyone one final lesson." IMDB 

    Ummm, the "final lesson" is that El Maestro kills a bunch of them. Sorry if that's a spoiler. 

Halfway to Halloween 2026: Group Photo

"Six more months 'til Halloween, Halloween, Halloween. Six more months 'til Halloween. 

Silver Shamrock."

    We're already halfway there! Let's see what's on the Holiday Horror Shelf!

    I'm going with a camping theme since summer is almost here. I've already did a Friday the 13th shelf (with more to come), so here are two other summer camp movies. 

    1983's Sleepaway Camp is a bit of a Friday the 13th knockoff, but the movie is famous for the twist ending. Back in the day, the shocking denouement could have given the ending to Psycho a run for its money. I bought this used Blu-ray online and apparently Travis took this to a horror convention and had it signed by actress Felissa Rose. It reads, "To Travis - Meet me at the waterfront after the social."

    1981's The Burning can brag that it launched the acting careers of Holly Hunter, Jason Alexander, and current documentary director Fisher Sevens. This film is mostly remembered for Tom Savini's gory special effects. Apparently the film had to be heavily edited just to get an R rating. The uncut version wasn't released until 2007.

     1963's Camp Favorites by The Campers is exactly what you think it is except it features an uncredited Phil Ochs. Since the LP is on the horror shelf, I'll choose the track "Cannibal King." That song ends with, "Match in the gas tank. Boom, boom."

April Fools' Day 2026: Group Photo

    Happy April Fools' Day! Let's see what's on the Holiday Horror Shelf!

    I just realized that April Fool's Day, released in late March of 1986, is celebrating its 40th anniversary. The film is a horror-comedy, but it was marketed as a straight up slasher, and horror fans didn't like the surprise ending. I think the film's title should have tipped the audience off. That, and the fact that all of the "kills" happen offscreen. 

    The Jeff Rovin's novelization of the film was based on the original screenplay that ends on a darker note. Some copies of this book have movie stills on the back cover that aren't in the movie, but they match what is in the book's plot. 

    So, what's up with The Sound of Music Blu-ray and The Pacifier DVD? Those aren't horror movies. 

    I thought you'd never ask.

    Our family tradition at the theater is to give each movie trailer either a thumbs up or a thumbs down when it's over. That helps us plan what family movie we could all see next. We also did this with the trailers on the DVDs I'd bring home from the library. We watched a trailer for The Pacifier when Charlotte was in 4th grade. Char really laughed at Gary the duck and the dirty diaper jokes. Daphne did not. At the end, Char and I gave the movie trailer a thumbs up, and Daphne was decidedly at thumbs down, "That movie looks terrible," she said. I secretly gave Charlotte a wink, and she nodded at me. 

    Later, when I went into Char's bedroom to say goodnight, we hatched our plan for April Fools' Day.

    The next day I found a copy of The Pacifier at Urbandale's public library and hid it at home in my backpack. At dinner that night Charlotte casually asked her mom if she could watch any movie at home, what would she pick? Daphne responded, "Oh, I haven't seen The Sound of Music for a long time. That would be a fun one." 

    Char replied, "Okay, let's watch that tomorrow night." Char secretly winked at me while her mom was clearing the dishes. I was impressed. She had a pretty good game face for a ten-year-old. 

    That was March 31.

    I found our Blu-ray of The Sound of Music the next day after school. I loaded The Pacifier DVD into our player, clicked past the previews and the menu, and set it so the movie would begin right after the Walt Disney Productions logo. Since the Blu-ray player has place memory, I ejected The Pacifier DVD and put it in the case for The Sound of Music. I was fairly confident the movie would start right where I hit "Stop". I put The Sound of Music case on the kitchen counter, and waited for Daphne to come home. 

    Our trap was set.

    We gathered in the living room after dinner. I made a production of pulling the disc from the case, and placing it in the player while the girls were watching me. I hit "Play" on the remote, and the movie started where I had hoped it would.  Daphne knew she had been had about 30 seconds in. She yelled, "Oh nooooo! Not this movie!" when Vin Diesel appeared on the screen.

    Char and I yelled, "April Fools!" and Char laughed and laughed and laughed. I did, too. Daphne took it in stride (her yell was mostly fake) and agreed to watch the movie with us. 

    I probably wouldn't even be writing this story if that was all. But our movie-switch wasn't the only surprise. In The Pacifier, one of the teenage characters that Vin Diesel is supposed to be protecting has secretly joined an amateur production of The Sound of Music, and when the director quits, Vin takes over. At the end of the movie, we get to see the cast perform a scene from the musical. None of us saw that one coming. Turns out Char and I weren't really lying. 

    Secondly, Daphne was surprised that she enjoyed the movie as much as she did. She asked me when it was over, "Is Vin Diesel in any other movies like that? If he is, then I would watch them with you guys for sure." Unfortunately, this is his only family-friendly comedy.

    This afternoon I asked Char if she remembered pranking Mom with this movie six years ago. She nodded her head, "That's the movie where mom got to see The Sound of Music anyway."

    So, yeah, The Pacifier might not be an April Fools' Day movie at your house, but it sure is at ours.

St. Patrick's Day 2026: Group Photo

    Happy St. Patrick's Day! Let's see what's on the Holiday Horror Shelf!

    From left to right: This is the seven movie set of the Leprechaun films. 

    If you haven't seen any of these horror comedies, skip number one and jump to Leprechaun 3 or Leprechaun 4: In Space. 

   2024's indie horror film Oddity starts with a serious you-don't-know-who-is-in-the-house-with-you scare and then morphs into a fun twist on the Golem monster.

    Here's how the imdb.com describes 2012's Grabbers:

    This Irish horror comedy can be fairly compared to Tremors (Kevin Bacon and Fred Ward were great in that). I liked the redemptive storyline for one of the leading Garda characters. 

    Musically, I'm going with The Pogues' LP If I Should Fall from Grace with God because it includes "Turkish Song of the Damned." Bandleader Shane MacGowan explained its lyrics as being a mixture of pirate and ghost story '...about a guy on a Turkish island who deserted a sinking ship with all the money and all his mates went down… then his best mate comes back, and all the crew, to drag him back down to hell or wherever they are.’" - Wikipedia

        It felt pretty timely when I found this Leprechaun Returns Blu-ray at Goodwill last week. I didn't even know there was an eighth film in the series. Apparently this one ranks pretty high with the fans. Some websites put this 2018 movie at the top of their lists. I haven't watched it, yet, but it was cool to find it in time for this post.

    Great Irish Tales of Horror: A Treasury of Fear was first published in 1995 and is divided into three sections: Lurking Shadows, Wake Not the Dead, and To Make the Flesh Creep. AI says 1861's "The Child Who Loved a Grave" by Fitz-James O' Brien is the most famous story in the book, and he's known as the Celtic Poe.  I'll rate that story as "meh" since a child dies at the end.

    Don't forget to wear your green. You don't want to get pinched!

Friday the 13th 2026: Group Photo

    Happy Friday the 13th! Last month had a Friday the 13th, but I was too focused on Valentine's Day to notice. Luckily, March has one, too.

    From left to right: I picked up this two DVD set from Half Priced Books not realizing that it contained FT13th Part 2, not Part V. That's okay. Part 2 is better than Part V anyway. The real star of the show is FT13th Part VI: Jason Lives. Director Tom McLoughlin shot Part VI like an old Universal horror movie (by1986, Jason, Freddy, and Michael had basically become the new Dracula, Frankenstein, and Mummy), and he has stated that, "... if you turn the color off, this movie would look great in black-in-white." I've watched the opening in black-in-white, and I agree.

    FT13th was released for the NES system in 1988. I wouldn't call this a good game, but I think it looks good on the Horror Holiday Shelf. I just came up with that name. I like it.

    FT13th Part 3 in 3D! came out in 1982. They cranked out eight of these films in the 80s. That's almost one a year. There's gonna be diminishing results at that pace, and Part 3 shows some of that. Still, I like the scenes that are set up exclusively for a 3D effect; like when a guy holds up a red hot fire poker to the camera for no apparent reason. My friend Tim gave me this Blu-ray.

    FT13th: The Final Chapter does really end with the death of Jason (at the hands of Corey Feldman), but like this VHS tape, Jason experiences a comeback. Just call this movie Part 4. 

   Up next is Ghoulish: The Art of Gary Pullin.  From Amazon: "[Pullin is] a go-to artist for official film artwork, concert merchandise, LP packaging, and endless other pieces of pop culture ephemera, Pullin has put pencil to paper for film posters such as Friday the 13th, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Halloween, The Big Lebowski, Vertigo, and The Babadook, soundtracks including Creepshow, Scream, Christine, and Tales from the Crypt, and concert merch for the likes of Jack White, Alice Cooper, and the Misfits."

    I got Ghoulish in a bundle deal on eBay. This isn't the book that I initially wanted, but currently it's the only book from that bundle that I have read. Funny how that works sometimes.

    I'll admit that I bought this can of hard cider from Angry Orchard just for the shelf. I don't even like hard cider. I'll probably punch a couple holes in the bottom and make it a Halloween decoration. 

    

    Stay safe out there!

Valentine's Day 2026: Group Photo

 

    Hey, not everybody loves Valentine's Day.

    1981's Canadian slasher My Bloody Valentine is good time, and I think I'll give that Blu-Ray in the middle a spin tonight since I'll have the house to myself.

    I probably wouldn't have bought the soundtrack on LP, but Waxwork Records slashed the price in half last Feb. 14, for a one-day-only sale. I thought that was pretty funny.

    For a long time the DVD on the left was the only way to see the uncut version of the film. Wow, this newer edit goes a lot harder than what I watched on HBO back in the day.

Halloween 2025: Group Photo #30

October 30

    Look out! The 31st is right around the corner (and it's holding a knife). 
    I had planned to blog about 1978's original Halloween on the actual day, but my friend Tim surprised me with an October gift, and I decided to stretch this topic to two displays for the last two days of the month. 

    From left to right: The first Halloween film is tense, violent, and scary, but it's not very gory. Still, to air the movie on network TV, they cut some scenes and added 12 minutes of new scenes that were shot during the filming of Halloween II. The "Extended Version" DVD is that television edit. It was released by Anchor Bay, and came with a 16mm "Original Film Cell" display.

    Tim gave me the Halloween / Ash vs. The Evil Dead cartridge for the Nintendo Switch. He also gave me the 35th Anniversary Blu-ray that's next door. I've known Tim for over 20 years, and I might have mentioned Halloween one or ten times to him. Thanks, bud!

    I've bought a handful of UMD movies for the Sony PSP after my friend Robert gave me one for Christmas back in the 2000's. I still have it, Rob, and it still works great! Thanks, again. Of course, Halloween was my first pick.

    The Halloween 25 Years of Terror DVD is still sealed. If I haven't watched in 22 years... I think it's headed to the donation box.

    This is the best Flix Brewhouse souvenir glass I have ever found while thrifting. And that's saying something.

  

Here's a closeup of the film cell. 

Halloween 2025: Group Photo #29

 October 29

    Here's a shelf for 1981's Halloween II. From left to right: a DVD actually purchased new from a big box store, Betamax tape from Goodwill, novelization from the Animal Lifeline Thrift Shop, I found this LP soundtrack at Goodwill at the same time I found the soundtrack for Halloween III. Trust me, I looked for the OG soundtrack, but had no luck. The Blu-ray came from Amazon (snore). 

    When I was growing up the kids in Rock Valley organized themselves into four TV camps: Camp C, Camp H, Camp S, and Camp WDHC. I was in camp H.

    C = Cinemax

    H = HBO

    S = Showtime

    WDHC = We Don't Have Cable

    I was in 7th grade when Halloween II came out on HBO. I had a couple of friends from other camps come over for a watch party while my parents were out for dinner. We accused each other of being frightened when the film got tense, and we all denied being scared at all after it was done. Halloween II ended at 8:30, and the night was very dark when we went outside. 

    My friends yelled and laughed defiantly into the darkness as they mounted their bikes and sped out of the driveway and into the street. Like me, they knew there was nothing to be afraid of.

    They did, however, make sure to only ride underneath the street lights as they pedaled home as fast as they could.

    I went back into the house, quickly turned on all of the lights, and hoped my folks would be back soon.

Halloween 2025: Group Photo #28

 October 28

    Spend a a few seconds Googling 1982's Halloween III: Season of the Witch and the first thing mentioned is how much fans hated that Michael Myers wasn't in this movie. Since then the film has been reevaluated and is now considered a minor classic... blah blah blah. Read the title, folks. It's "Season of the Witch." Did they think Michael was gonna fly in on a broom? 
    I had a couple of non anamorphic Halloween III DVDs that I got rid of after buying the Blu-ray on the left. I wish I hadn't, for the sake of this display, but what are you gonna do? Hindsight is 20/20. Much like how fans look at Halloween III today. 

    The LP soundtrack came from Goodwill, and the air freshener is from my buddy Boris. 

    If you ever encounter a Silver Shamrock mask tag (in front of the Blu-ray), please don't poke it with a hairpin. 

    Just trust me on this.

Halloween 2025: Group Photo #24

 October 24

      I've always thought Trick or Treat (1986) was a fun heavy metal horror movie, and the DVD forums lit up when Platinum Disc released the movie as a budget DVD in 2002. This release was a Best Buy exclusive and was seemingly always sold out in the Des Moines area. I finally scored a copy when Daphne and I were visiting Kansas City. 

    The DVD is on the right. The video image looked better than VHS, but screen ratio was full frame. Dang! Gene Simmons (of KISS) has a small role as a DJ, and Ozzy Osborne makes a cameo as a televangelist. Both are featured on the cover despite their brief screen time.

    The Blu-ray in the middle is an Italian import from eBay. The title Morte a 33 Giri translates to Murder at 33 rpm and is a reference to the haunted LP that brings deceased demonic rocker Sammi Curr back from the dead. This bare bones Blu-ray allowed me see Trick or Treat in anamorphic widescreen for the first time.

    The Blu-ray on the left came out last March. The transfer is a "1080p Blu-ray of a 4K restoration from the original 35mm camera negative approved by Director of Photography Robert Elswit" (Amazon). The Blu-ray looks great and is packed with extra features. 

    I bought the record at Half Price Books back in the 90's when kids were listening to grunge and wearing flannel. No one wanted anything to do with hair metal.

Halloween 2025: Group Photo #17

 October 17

    You couldn't throw a stick in an 80s video store without hitting a slasher film on VHS, but by the end of the decade the genre was played out. Thanks to Wes Craven's Scream (1996), the slasher was back. 

    Like the classic Halloween (1978), the success of Scream inspired a slew of imitators that had the look, but didn't have quite the same firepower. The I Know What You Did Last Summer films fall under that category, but they're still fun. 

    The IKWYDLS screenplay was written by Kevin Williamson (he also wrote the screenplay for Scream), and it was based on Lois Duncan's young adult novel. Several movies were made based on her books.

    I'd vote for this Lois Duncan novel as having the creepiest cover. The face reminds me of Captain Howdy in The Exorcist. 

    Wes Craven (Scream) directed the TV movie Summer of Fear in 1978, and a grown Linda Blair (The Exorcist) starred in the film. Weird how these things connect.

Halloween 2025: Group Photo #15

 October 15

    It's a Pumpkinhead-theme day. The Nightmare Before Christmas is represented because, "Cartoonist Tim Burton has acknowledged Jack Pumpkinhead as an inspiration for the iconic character Jack Skellington in The Nightmare Before Christmas." IMDB

Then there's this guy hanging out in front of our house.

Halloween 2025: Group Photo #14

 October 14

    Today's shelf is dedicated to the "unexpected horror" in some of the kid shows I watched when I was little. The Wicked Witch of the West and the flying monkeys in The Wizard of Oz made me run out of the living room when I first saw them. 

    I was too old to want to see Return to Oz when it was first released (I was 16), but I was intrigued when I heard it had been described by a critic as "a horror movie flying under the flag of family entertainment."     

    The boat ride and what happens to Augustus Gloop in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is the stuff of nightmares. 

    The Child Catcher in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang always freaked me out. 

    The TV stations in our area when I was growing up didn't air H.R. Pufnstuf, so when I first saw it at my grandfather's (my mom's side) dark and dreary house, I thought I was watching a fever dream. I  was done when the flute started talking.

    These were all purchased with the intentions of entertaining our daughter, but I don't think she has watched any of these. She did see Tim Burton's remake of Willy Wonka, though. 

Halloween 2025: Group Photo #13

October 13 

  Putting these shelf displays together has turned out to be a pretty fun exercise. I'm combing through boxes and digging out stuff I haven't looked at in years. I'm also realizing that I should start thinning the herd. 

    Okay, from left to right: Frankenstein Double Header DVD, vintage Frankenstein Old Maid card, Frankenstein from the Film Classics Library (over 1000 film frames plus all the dialogue from the film), Frankenstein playing card that I found in the book, VHS tape, DVD, and a Frankenstein's Monster cartridge for the Atari 2600. 

        Here's what the book looks like.

    This Old Maid set is from 1964. The original Frankenstein came out in 1931. Thirty years later the kids in the 60's thought the Universal Monsters were cool again. Pop culture circles were a thing back then, too. These are before my time, by the way.

    Perforated card from a game given away by the French Paper Co. Someone thought it made a good bookmark for the Frankenstein movie book. I have to agree.