Sinister Saturdays – Best Era for Horror Films

Horror films have captivated audiences since before Universal’s wild heyday of Horror during the 1930s. Each era has had great scary films and some so good, they spawned sequels and created franchises. Jaws, a 1975 horror adventure from a new young director Steven Spielberg gave birth to the summer blockbuster! In fact, thanks to horror, some amazing technical achievements have been discoverd, like new camera and lighting tricks and, make-up, and special fx. Horror films are truly the backbone of Hollywood.

Art by Hao Shun Da

I personally have been a horror film fan for over 40 years and I pride myself on having seen a majority of scary films and always look forward to those I’ve havent found yet. But there’s just one thing I haven’t been able to figure out, and that’s which era had the best horror. Was it Universal’s monster era or the SciFi greatness of the 50s, or how about the great slasher films of the 80s? It’s so hard to choose! Help me out!

Friday Fright Nightcaps – Frankie’s Martini

Happy Frankenstein Friday! Today’s drink is a tribute to Universal’s classic monster movie Frankenstein, with my version of a melon martini.

Frankie’s tini

Ingredients:

3-4 oz. Midori Liqueur
.05 oz tequila
.05 oz. vanilla vodka
.05 oz. triple sec
1 tsp. lime juice
Splash of cream of coconut

Mix ingredients well. Serve chilled.

Garnish rim with salt and cherries.

You can catch Universal’s Frankenstein on Amazon Prime this month.

Thursday Time Travels – Young Frankenstein

Title: Young Frankenstein
Director: Mel Brooks
Screenwriter(s): Gene Wilder, Mel Brooks
Starring: Gene Wilder, Teri Garr, Peter Boyle, Marty Feldman, Madeline Kahn, Cloris Leachman
Distributed by: 20th Century Fox
Year: 1974 Run Time: 1 hr 47 minutes

Tomorrow is Frankenstein Friday. Last Friday before Halloween in October is always dedicated to Mary Shelley’s novel about a mad scientist and his undead monsterous creation. So, in tribute and in keeping with our theme of Halloween Classic, today’s Thursday Time Travel is Mel Brook’s Young Frankenstein.

Newly engaged Dr. Frederick Frankenstein, grandson of the mad scientist Dr. Victor Frankensten, learns he’s inherited his family’s estate in Transylvania. Embarrassed by his family’s legacy, Dr. “Fronkenstein” travels to Europe, where he meets his late grandfather’s staff, hunchbaked assistant named “eye-gore”, the lovely Inga, and scary housekeeper Frau Blucher.

When Frederick finds Victor’s secret laboratory and private journals, the doctor attempts to perform his own experiments on a reanimated dead corpse.

Mel Brook’s hilarious parody of the old Universal monster films of the 30s and 40s was shot in black and white and consistently shows up on all the top comedy lists of all-time. In 2003, it was deemed culturally, historically, and aestethically significant by the United States National Preservation Board and selected for preservation in the Library of Congress National Film Registry.

You can find Young Frankenstein on Amazon Prime this October.

Halloween Haiku Challenge 2024

Share your most original or scariest Halloween Haiku during the last week of October for a chance to win a Halloween classic grand prize!

Only 3 haiku are permitted per contestant. Pick your best 3 and post. If I see more than 3 from the same participant, they won’t count. Three is the magic number.

You must be a WordPress or Instagram follower to particpate. Two ways to enter a submission this year 1) post your haiku in comments section below, or 2) Tag me on Instagram and use the following #halloweenhaikuchallenge

Grand Prize – 1st Place Winner will receive Halloween Classic prize pack, which includes a vintage style Halloween patch (not pictured), some vintage style Halloween stickers, a Drew Rausch ‘I Support Halloween’ pin, and a Disney’s Huey, Dewey, and Louie Halloween Trick or Treat Ornament. This prize pack is worth over $50.

Second & Third Place Prize: Winners choose a Halloween pin and some buttons or stickers from this year’s prize pool.

The contest starts at 3pm PT on October 24th and ends at midnight, the witching hour, on October 31st, 2024. Winners will be announced on November 1, 2024, here and on social media.

Please see Contest Rules and Eligibility Page more details.

Wicked Art Wednesdays 2024 – Johanna Parker

Known for her whimsical folk art, Johanna Parker turned her love for Halloween into a successful, thriving world-wide business.

Artist: Johanna Parker
Company/Studio: Johanna Parker Design
Website: https://www.johannaparkerdesign.com/

Where to Purchase Goods: https://www.johannaparkerdesign.com/store

Social Media: https://www.instagram.com/jparkerdesign/

Why we love it: Johanna Parker’s name is synonymous with Halloween folk art and vintage Halloween replicas. She often partners with top retail and wholesalers, where her art and designs are featured on everything from art and clothing to Halloween decorations and home goods.

Trick or Treat Tuesday?

Monday Macabre

Posting a special Halloween haiku every week for Monday Macabre.

see children run
chase them down and steal their treats
goblins having fun

Spooky Sundays – Week 2 & 3

Spooky Sundays are all about reading, relaxing, and recharging our brooms. I just realized I forgot to put up last week, so I’ll include last week too. Here’s a visual recap of this past week.

Week 2

_empty

Sinister Saturdays – Scariest classic Universal monster

Lately, I’ve been rewatching a lot old classic horror movies and the Universal monster movies are still my faves. Fans of the 1930s viewed the supernatural fantasy as an escape from the daily misery, living through the depression. The films may seem tame or not as scary or sophisticated as the films of today, but for some movie goers, the stories were based on popular cultural myths and legends, while others had never heard of these creatures at all. Swamp creatures and the reanimated dead were the super scary, particularly to those who were extremely religious.

I tried to figure out which monster I thought was scariest but I’m on the fence. Help me determine which monster is the scariest.

Friday Fright Nightcaps – Pumpkin Wrap Martini

Happy Friday! Today’s drink is a tribute Universal’s classic monster movie The Mummy, with my version of a pumpkin pie martini.

Pumpkin Wrap Martini

Ingredients:

2 oz. Pumpkin Pie Cream Liqueur
2 oz. rum
1 oz. vanilla vodka
Dash of pumpkin pie spice

Garnish rim with cinnamon sugar

Opt garnish: whipped cream

You can catch Universal’s The Mummy on Amazon Prime this month.