Monthly Haiku Corner – August

Happy August! We’re getting very close to the Halloween season. July was a shitshow and I’d like very much to leave the month behind. I promise more social media interaction, a recap of my time from Midsummer Scream along with lots of pictures, and an entertaining movie list for August.

This month’s theme is August Aliens. In celebration of Alien: Romulus from legendary Director and Producer Ridley Scott, which is the latest installment set in the Alien universe, one of my favorite franchises of all time. This month, I’ll pay tribute to the Xenomorph lore and also the dark fantastical artwork of beloved Swiss Artist and Designer H.R. Giger, original creator of Xenomorphs. Giger and the design and special affects team won an Academy Award for the sci-fi horror spectacle Alien, 1979.

dark corridors
alien lifeform unleashed
terror in deep space

Artwork by H.R. Giger. To see more wonders of Giger’s macabre biomechanical world and learn about this legendary artist, please visit H.R. Giger Museum.

Happy Father’s Day 2024

It’s been a while since I’ve had a chance to post about any horror movies. Seeing as it’s Father’s Day and people might be relaxing at Grandpa’s house, I thought I’d make a Scariest Dads of Horror list, in case you were worried your family was a buncha weirdos.

The guys on this list range from deranged psychotic killers to demonically possessed deranged killers. All of them have killed somebody, or several bodies, but those who try to kill their own family especially take the cake, cuz if Daddy wants to kill you, what chance do you have out there in the real world?

Monthly Haiku Corner – June

Happy Summerween! June is beach-going weather. June is creature feature time! Actually, I despise hot temps, so you won’t catch me down by the ocean past 10am. I prefer air conditioned movie theaters and I know what lurks in the chemically-altered plastic-filled nuclear waters. So, I dedicate this month to all the monsters, the werewolves, vampires, zombies, Jaws, Piranha, the kaiju, like Godzilla, Ghidorah, King Kong, all the eldritch horror of Lovecraft and the monsterous creations from the King of B-roll, Roger Corman, who passed away last month at the tender age of 98. May he long rest in peace. Halloween is creeping into retail stores and this season is gonna be big! I can feel it.

something sinister
lurks beneath the water
Summerween

Happy World Storytelling Day!

I always love March because it gives me a chance to mention my favorite spooky creature, the headless horseman. You mean the guy from that story with Ichabod? Yes, that guy! The Legend of Sleepy Hollow written by Washington Irving was most likely inspired by the legendary Dullahan, a menacing spectre of Irish lore, that travels the countrysides of Ireland and Scotland, collecting souls of the recently departed.

The Dullahan is a demonic fairy or wicked hobgoblin, often accompanied by a wailing banshee, and typically depicted riding a black horse, carrying his head under one arm and a whip made of boney human spine in the hand of the other. When the Dullahan calls out your name, death is nigh. It’s also said that just hearing or seeing the Dullahan is an omen that a death in the family is immenient.

Sometimes, the headless horseman is drives a silent black carriage, known as the coiste bodhar (Ireland) or the hell wain (Scotland), which is led by six black horses and emerges out of nowhere from the dark night sky. Legend says once the death coach sets out, it can never return empty, but if you carry even a single gold coin in your pocket, you have nothing to fear, for supposedly, any item made of real gold can send the Dullahan away. However, if you steal the entire pot of fairies’ gold, well…look to the skies.

Of all the Irish legends, the story of the Dullahan is by far the scariest, again, inspiring the legendary Headless Horseman of Sleepy Hollow and countless other stories, books, movies, comics, video games, you name it. There are four movies featuring the Dullahan or coiste bodhar, the banshee, and other creatures that I absolutely adore and highly recommend. Be sure to move these into your queue:

Walt Disney’s Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad, 1949

Tim Burton’s Sleepy Hollow, 1999

Darby O’Gill and the Little People

The Phantom Carriage, 1921 (silent)

St Patrick’s day may have past, but we can keep the mythical stories of Irish folklore alive all year long.

Monthy Haiku – March

I always love March because it gives me a chance to mention my love of my favorite spooky creature, the headless horseman. You mean the guy from that story with Icabod? Yes, that guy! The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washibgton Irving was based off old Irish legend of the Dullahan, a spectre of Irish lore who drives the death coach, collecting souls of the recently departed.

stolen fairy gold
the dullahan’s midnight ride
death coach approaches

Cannibal Love: Top Ten Movies about Cannibals

Cannibal horror has been around since the pre-code days of Hollywood with films like Sweeney Todd and Doctor X. Once the Motion Picture Production Code was passed in 1930, the taboo subject was once again off the table. Then, in the 1970s, the subgenre came roaring back to life when Italian film directors cooked up a period in horror, known as the cannibal boom.

Despite any commercial success or artistic merits in filmmaking, many of these movies were exploitation films that took extreme gore and sexual violence to another level. Controversial films like Cannibal Holocaust and Cannibal Ferox were banned in several countries for scenes depicting bigotry, xenophobia, racism, sexism, sexual violence, and animal cruelty. In fact, not long after its release, Cannibal Holocaust director Ruggero Deodato was arrested on murder charges and accused of making a snuff film. All the actors had to appear in court before the judge to prove they were very much alive, but that did little to save the cast and crew’s reputation, as the public learned many animal killings in the film were real. Shock films are one thing, but ripping the heads of turtles? Human beings can do better. It’s for this reason, I choose to leave these films off my list.

1. Raw
2. Bones and All*
3. Ravenous
4. Fresh
5. Bone Tomahawk
6. Texas Chainsaw Massacre, 1974
7. Wrong Turn
8. Parents*
9. Hannibal
10. Delicatessen

*These titles reflect February’s theme of cannibals in love.

Monthly Haiku Corner – February

Valentines is the epitome of an overcommercialized holiday. It imposes on parents, encourages sexual stereotypes, enables predatory behavior, and obstracizes the lonely, making them feel worse than they already do. Cue the horror fans, who have basically hijacked February to be our second Halloween. Nothing wrong with love, enjoy your flowers. My couples advice though, stay clear of small intimate restaurants next to dark alleys. This month’s theme is cannibals in love.

nibbling hunger
romantic dinner for two
cannibals in love

Monthly Haiku Corner – January

New Year. New You. New me!

Time gets the best of all of us, but if starting anew can happen any day of the year, why do we wait for January? Do we really need time’s permission to change? The only thing it’s time to do is toss out old thinking. The theme this January is about rebirth.

shedding old skin
talons ripping through the flesh
birth of a monster

Happy New Year, 2024!

Welcome 2024!

I’ve been taking my time and thinking about my goals for this year. No big resolutions to reveal, only a promise to myself to write more spooky stories and find ways to hold myself accountable. I suppose I could walk a little more, eat more salads, and be kinder to all people, including myself, but’s the closest to resolutions that you’ll hear me say.

It was fun to post themed haiku last year, even when I strayed from my original idea of posting connecting haiku into bonafide story. Great idea in the beginning, but I struggled a lot due to work constraints. Nevertheless, I’m quite proud of the fact that I wrote new, original haiku every week for a year.

This year, I’m determined to blog a little less and only post a Monthly Haiku Corner with a spooky haiku each month. I’ll continue to post themed haiku for holidays, special events, or whenever inspiration strikes, and of course, I will still post horror movie lists, for all those looking for recommendations, because these are my first loves and I enjoy blogging about them.

As always, I wish everyone good health, love, joy, happiness, and prosperity throughout 2024.