Every holiday season, I share the wise words of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.
Dickens’ was a champion of the poor and unfortunate, particularly children. Having grown up destitute himself and enduring the abuse and ills of the labor houses, Dickens knew firsthand of the timeless topics he wrote about.
The Ghost of Christmas Past was the first of Jacob Marley’s three mercurial warnings to the cruel, greedy miser Ebenezer Scrooge to change to his lifestyle or endure a hellish afterlife like his old partner.
She turned back time to show Ebenezer his past, how happy he once was, how in love he once was, but the young Scrooge allowed ambition and greed to rule his life and lost everyone he loved so dearly.
I wanted to pay a little tribute to the great horror icon Udo Kier, who passed away last month.
Udo Kier, the charming blue-eyed German actor with over 280 film credits across multiple countries, worked with every director under the sun, and starred in every type of genre movie you can think of, from arthouse cult classics to Marvel blockbusters. He was mostly a champion for small and independent foreign films, and a LGBTQ rights advocate.
Udo Kier and Jim Carrey from Ace Ventura Pet Detective 1994
Udo Kier made small movies and big movies. He loved making art. He was smart, funny, and understood the movie business. He understood sometimes you went in to make money, and only money, and sometimes you went in to make art, no matter what it cost.
Kier often played villains, weirdos or deviants, and his immense talent could elevate even the smallest roles. He once said “The villain is the character that people remember.” Udo Kier’s menacing villains will always be remembered by horror fans and filmgoers.
Severin Films has a great collection of enamel pins celebrating horror directors and horror stars of The Theatre Bizarre, a horror anthology from 2011, with wraparound segments featuring Udo Kier.
I think Blood of Dracula is one of Udo Kier’s best roles. This is autograph reprint is a great small gift for anyone who loves those old indie euro subculture films.
Blood for Dracula and Flesh for Frankenstein starring Udo Kier and Joe Dallesandro, directed by Paul Morrissey were arguably both actors’ most memorable films. Filmed in Italy, the films were repackaged and released in the US under Andy Warhol’s production company. This Italian box set looks amazing.
One of Udo Kier’s first roles was a supporting character in the infamous Hexen bis aufs Blut gequält a.k.a Mark of the Devil, a 1970 German knock-off of The Witchfinder General. This horror historical film was known for its realistic scenes of torture and violence towards women, and featured a marketing campaign that leaned in and promoted the film with the slogan “rated V for violence.” Theaters even handed out sick bags. It’s no wonder the filmed eventually got banned in England under the video nasty age and wasn’t publicly shown again until heavy cuts were made.
Udo Kier had a small but important role in Dario Argento’s 1977 classic Suspiria. As Dr. Mandel, Udo showed off his range. Yes, he was known for over-the-top villains, but he could tone it down when he needed to.
Brand New Blade Trilogy (Blu-ray, 2024) Exclusive Slipcover, Wesley Snipes, $26 (varies by eBay seller)
In Marvel comic book adaption of Blade starring Wesley Snipes and Stephen Dorff, Udo Kier had a small but fitting part playing Vampire Elder Dragonetti who butts heads with young rebel vampire Deacon Frost played by Dorff.
Udo Kier joined fellow scene chewers Willem Dafoe and John Malkovich for a spine-tingling movie about the filming of Nosferatu in 2000 Shadow of the Vampire.
Udo Kier and John Malkovich Shadow of the Vampire, 2000
Obviously, with 280 films, there’s no way I can post suggestions to all of Udo Kier’s movies, but he has starred in some pretty iconic films that would make cult-film lovers and horror fans mighty proud to have on their shelf. He worked with Lars von Trier and Gus Van Sant a lot, so be sure to check out all those titles.
Buyer Beware Warning: Be sure to check specs before purchasing any movie DVDs, as some of these are in PAL format and won’t play in the USA. You can find almost anything on Amazon, but I suggest shopping small and independent this holiday season.
Back in Victorian times, people practiced strong Christmas traditions, including telling ghost stories. Charles Dickens wrote the most famous Christmas ghost story of all time and I like to celebrate it every year.
Ebenezer Scrooge was a crusty old mean rich white guy who liked to take out his selfish grievances out of the lowest and poorest of society, which included his own employees. The ghost of Scrooge’s former business partner Jacob Marley shows up one night with a warning for old miser, change your wicked ways or suffer eternity in chains just like him.
Earlier this fall, Toho Co., Ltd. celebrated the 70th anniversary of Godzilla, King of the Monsters. I wanted to do something a little better than a birthday shout-out to one of my favorite SciFi creatures, so I came up with a list of cool gifts for Kaiju lovers this holiday season.
Most of these are collector items, so if you’re looking for kids toys or less serious items, maybe try your local toy store. There’s no particular order to the list either, nor do I have any affiliation to any companies. My gift giving guides are always simply to help like-minded fans find awesome collectible gifts to buy for their loved ones.
10 Gifts for Kaiju Lovers
Godzilla Enamel Pins by Tom Whalen and others from Mondo Shop, $10
Enamel Pins make great stocking stuffers and Mondo Shop has several monsters, not just Godzilla.
Bandai’s Godzilla Store Limited Movie Monster Series Action Figurine from Godzilla.com, $32
Figure based off 1964 movie Mothra vs. Godzilla.
Pre-order Godzilla x Misfit Fiend T-shirt and Exclusive Apparel from Godzilla.com, $32
Two legendary icons brought together. This t-shirt is sure to become its own icon.
Godzilla Minus One Blu-ray Deluxe Japan Collector’s Edition, from Godzilla.com $65
An amazing collector’s boxset for this incredible reboot film, which showed big studios how to properly make a Godzilla film and brought in a whole new generation of fans.
Godzilla: The First 70 Years Art Book (Hardcover) from authors Steve Ryfle and Ed Godziszewski, published over at Abrams Books, $75
Written with love by kaiju super fan, Steve Ryfle, this is no mere coffee table book. A legendary giant needs a giant book to cover 70 years of narrative and visual history featuring exclusive behind the scenes photography, production materials, and other artwork.
From the 70 Years of Godzilla exhibition featuring artists from around the globe in conjunction with Spoke Art Gallery and Ghost X Ghost, you can find poster size prints for your wall.
Matt Taylor “Godzilla ’54” 24″ x 36″ print, $70
Dawn of the Monsters Video Game from 13am Games, prices vary by system
“Dawn of the Monsters is a co-operative kaiju beat ’em up out for Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4 and 5, Dawn of the Monsters is a co-operative kaiju beat ’em up out for Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One and Series X, and Stadia.”
Perfect for gamers and anyone who wants a little more interactive kaiju experience. I haven’t played myself to be honest but I hear this game is the most fun. You get to play as a kaiju!
Godzilla: The Showa-Era Films, 1954–1975 Collector’s Blu-Ray Set, from The Criterion Collection, $225
Godzilla and friends get The Criterion treatment with this one of kind Collector’s boxset featuring remastered original cuts of all the monster kaiju films, from the beginning to when the big studios started to rule the world.
Criterion films specializes in preserving only the best of the best in film history, and Godzilla is the best, he’s the king of the monster films! This is the most incredible boxset I’ve ever seen!
You better watch out. You better not pout. You better not cry, or you’ll give your hiding spot away.
Our theme this month is A Christmas to Dismember and it pairs perfectly with December’s cold moon, aptly named for the dip in temperatures. Winter is coming….but if ask any left american, it’s been here since last January.
under a cold moon a Christmas to Dismember hiding from Santa
We’re back! Typically, I lay low for November. It’s a haunted month for me, filled with memories and deep sadness. This year the melancholy was compounded by the state of our faltering nation. Our theme last month was Lost Souls, cuz right now, the US.A is full of them. I’m still hopeful though and looking forward to a busy, festive December.
Around here we celebrate the haunted holidays. I see your bad santa and raise you 3 evil elves and a killer Krampus! I’m feeling fiesty after my month off, and in the true spirit of the hellidays, I’m sharing the scares! It’s gonna be A Christmas to Dismember!
Don’t worry, we still like our normal Christmas traditions. I’ll be posting brand new gift guides for Halloween and Horror lovers. I also put together a little list for kaiju lovers. Long live Godzilla!
There’s also gonna be a creepmas photo challenge, with a focus on creepy, weird, and ridiculously old holiday ornaments, Dickens Sundays, cuz a whole lotta nazi scrooges need a visit from the three ghosts of Christmas, and lastly, the Holiday Haiku Challenge returns at the end of the month, with a chance to win some spooky prizes. See, we know how to bring the Merry and Fright! So check back often this December.
Be well. Stay safe out there, and season screamings!
Whether you’re joining the shopping boycott on Black Friday to send a message to oligarchs or just need to recharge and rest, Thanksgiving weekend is the perfect time for binging spooky TV shows. Here are ten of my favorites.
Castle Rock (Hulu)
The fictional town in Maine that serves as the terrifying locale for most of the stories in the Stephen King universe gets its own supernatural show produced by JJ Abrams’ Bad Robot. True to any Stephen King novel, it’s a dark, mysterious, creepy mind-bender, filled with compelling characters. Sadly, it only got two seasons. A real shame cuz I had so many questions…
The Strain (Hulu)
Back when the CDC were the good guys, the show about a doctor investigating a viral outbreak with ties to an ancient strain of the vampirism was created by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan based on their vampire trilogy. Hollywood superstar showrunner Carlton Cuse of Lost fame wrangled this thrilling action horror for four seasons on FX.
Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (Netflix)
Witches, warlock, humans, hobgoblins, old deities, and Satan, this ain’t your grandmama’s Sabrina. Forget the 90s WB sitcom, this is a much darker, scarier, and sexier show for Archie Comics breakout star.
Ash vs Evil Dead (Starz)
Evil Dead trilogy fans rejoiced when Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell brought their chainsaw-wielding hero and the Deadites to television for Starz in this action horror-comedy that squeaked out 3 seasons. It’s been 30 years since Ash left the Army of the Dead behind, working at Value Mart with his young friends Pablo and Kelly, drinking his lonely existence into oblivion and ignoring his responsibilities to protect the world until the evil dead come calling for the one that got away.
Stranger Things (Netflix)
Coming-of-age show about a group of friends investigating the disappearance of their friend and the supernatural acts happening in their small town of Hawkins, Indiana is Netflix’s most popular show. Season 5 premieres on November 26, so binging the first four seasons now is perfect timing.
The Haunting of Hill House (Netflix)
Mike Flanagan’s chilling first entry in the Haunting series for NetFlix was loosely based on Shirley Jackson’s 1959 novel of the same name. Part ghost story, part family drama, horror maestro Stephen King hailed Flanagan’s vision of Jackson’s story as brilliant. I guess that’s why King keeps agreeing to let the guy direct movies of his own novels.
Brand New Cherry Flavor (Netflix)
A mind binding thriller set in the 90s about young female filmmaker in Hollywood, whose career gets derailed after mixing it up with a catty bohemian witch. This limited series wasn’t supposed to go beyond 8 episodes, but fans can still dream.
Marianne (Netflix)
This smartly written and wonderfully acted French horror show created by Samuel Bodin about a writer haunted by an ancient evil witch only got one season, but that’s probably for the best, cuz it’s the scariest show on the list. It’s better to watch in French with English subtitles. Your eyes will be glued to the screen anyways.
Kingdom (Netflix)
Not quite Game of Thrones or The Walking Dead, this Korean gem is filled with colorful characters, political intrigue, and hordes of zombies. Based on a webtoon series The Kingdom of the Gods created by Kim Eun-hee and Yang Kyung-il, this Josean period action thriller was never officially canceled, so fans are still hoping for Season 3, despite the many years that have passed.
The Walking Dead (AMC)
I once read in a Hollywood rag, that studio execs believed no one wanted to watch a zombie TV show and it would be far too expensive to produce. 15 years and 8 spin off shows later, Robert Kirkman’s The Walking Dead franchise is still churning in some form, while knock off shows have come and gone. I believe it’s all due to the genius of Greg Nicotero and his special effects and make-up team. It’s the first, and the best zombie TV show ever produced, period. And, it totally proved the world loves zombies enough to watch them every week!
Happy November! It’s been a minute since this country has had any hope, but last night showed the world that Americans see through the lies of greedy evil conmen. A battle was won but maggots have declared war on our own country. This fight is far from over. We must stand tall like trees and trust in our deep roots.
November’s full moon is a Beaver moon, the biggest brightest supermoon of the year, and I have hope that it will light the way for lost souls well into next year.
forest trees stand tall lost souls searching through the fog misty fall morning
The Halloween Haiku Challenge has ended, but I’m sharing the scares this year, so check back in December for a new holiday haiku challenge!
The prize pool (see below) started with leftover or unclaimed gifts. I also have a lot more Halloween stickers but you can only get so many in one picture.😄
Halloween Stickers Unpainted ceramic witches feet magnet Harry Potter trivia game vintage cat patchskull patchMickey pin or ornamentPluto pin or Chip n Dale pin
Before every contest, please see Contest Rules and Eligibility page for specific details. It is player responsibility to know the rules before playing any games here.
Happy November! Anyone else forget to set their clocks back? LOL Here are the winners of the Halloween Haiku Challenge 2025!
We had three talented writers submit some great spooky original haiku in this year’s Halloween Haiku Challenge. It was another tough one to judge! Congratulations to all the winners!
1st Place:
2nd Place:
3rd Place:
I will directly contact winners to get mailing details to get prizes out. Please do not post personal information here or on social media.
I thank all participants for their contributions on making this a successful haiku challenge.
This concludes the Halloween season 2025. I thank everyone who stopped by this past October and shared in our love for Halloween, horror, haiku, and all things spooky!
May November be kind to you all. Be safe out there!
Halloween Horror Haiku 
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