Haiku of the Week

pumpkins smile
beware the witching hour
don’t blow out the light

Poe Sundays

The Haunted Palace

by Edgar Allan Poe

 In the greenest of our valleys
By good angels tenanted,
Once a fair and stately palace-
Radiant palace- reared its head.
In the monarch Thought’s dominion-
It stood there!
Never seraph spread a pinion
Over fabric half so fair!
Banners yellow, glorious, golden,
On its roof did float and flow,
(This- all this- was in the olden
Time long ago,)
And every gentle air that dallied,
In that sweet day,
Along the ramparts plumed and pallid,
A winged odor went away.
Continue reading “Poe Sundays” →

Friday Fright Nightcaps – Witches Brew

There once was a witch who was blue
So, she whipped up one helluva brew

You don’t need magic to make all your troubles disappear. The merry makers over at Recipesjust4u.com have discovered the ancient recipe for Witches Brew that anyone can cook up in the comfort of their own kitchen.

witches brew sm
Photo by Recipesjust4u.com

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 oz Grey Goose Vodka
  • 1 oz Triple Sec
  • 1 oz. Blue Curacao
  • Lime Juice
  • Black Sanding Sugar or Sprinkles for coating the glass
Photo by Recipesjust4u.com
Photo by Recipesjust4u.com

To view full recipe at Recipesjust4u.com: https://recipesjust4u.com/witches-brew-halloween-drink/

 

Underrated Halloween Movies for Teens

There’s plenty of kid-friendly Halloween movies out there, and but finding good movies for pre-teens and teens can get challenging. Halloween movies skewed towards older kids are far too scary for little ones and not quite scary or gory enough for adults, thus, many get overlooked as good Halloween movies. Not only do these movies on our list have a strong message, they invoke the spirit of Halloween.

♦♦♦♦♦

Monster House (2006) Steve Buscemi, Catherine O’Hara

Three friends discover their cranky neighbor’s haunted house is actually a scary monster.

monster house

At first glance, it’s just a silly kids movie but the story really highlights working through pubescent troubles and learning to get along with adults. When released, the film was mis-marketed to children, when clearly geared towards pre-teens and above. The movie deals with some teen issues and is far too scary for little kids. As for the characters, the adults are kinda creepy and the kids get into trouble, not your ideal role models, but they’re realistic enough that teens might will identify with them. There’s some excellent visuals and 3D version out there for those with a fancy TV.

Continue reading “Underrated Halloween Movies for Teens” →

Wicked Art Wednesdays – Dienzo

This October, we celebrate the creepy cute visions of Rick Blanco a.k.a. Dienzo, an artist and designer from So Cal, who’s done work for Disney, Mattel, Cartoon Network and more.

Artist: Rick “Dienzo” Blanco
Company/Studio: The Art of Dienzo
Where to Purchase Goods: Online shop, comic book conventions, special events, specialty stores, i.e., Halloweentown Store, Hyaena Gallery, etc.
Website:  http://www.dienzoart.com
Social Media:  https://www.instagram.com/dienzoart/

Why we love them:  Along with his stunning original art, Dienzo takes our favorite Disney and horror characters from movies and TV, and creates dark, intriguing, and sometimes sinister settings for them. This is pop culture turned upside down.

 

 

©DIENZOart
©DIENZOart
©DIENZOart
©DIENZOart
©DIENZOart

Halloween Playlists

The beauty of creating your own playlist vs. listening to someone else’s is that you’re guaranteed to LOVE every song. With the variety of hosts and methods available, it’s super easy to create your own playlists these days. The real problem lies in finding the time to research a good variety of songs. So, I thought I’d help out with a little playlist of my own Halloween faves.

30-40s-50s

The Ghost of Smokey Joe by Cab Calloway

Old Man Mose by Louis Jordan

That Old Black Magic by Frank Sinatra

I Want to be Evil by Eartha Kitt

Purple People Eater by Sheb Wooley

Poison Ivy by the Coasters

Witch Doctor – David Seville and the Chipmunks

singingskeletons2

60s

Monster Mash by Bobby ‘Boris’ Pickett and the Crypt-Kickers

Riboflavin-Flavored, Non-Carbonated, Polyunsaturated Blood by Don Hinson and The Rigamorticians

Martian Hop by the Randells

I Put a Spell on You by Screamin’ Jay Hawkins

Love Potion #9 by The Searchers

Little Red Riding Hood by Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs

Devil in a Blue Dress by Mitch Ryder

Spooky by Classic IV

Ain’t Superstitious by Howlin’ Wolf

Sympathy for the Devil by The Rolling Stones

screamin_jay2

70s

Superstition by Stevie Wonder

Angie Baby by Helen Reddy

Devil Went Down to Georgia by Charlie Daniels Band

Devil Woman by Cliff Richard

Don’t Fear the Reaper by Blue Oyster Cult

Werewolves of London by Warren Zevon

Frankenstein by Edgar Winter Group

Swamp Witch by Jim Stafford

Witch Queen of New Orleans by Redbone

redbone.jpg

80s

Abracadabra by Steve Miller Band

Magic by The Cars

Thriller by Michael Jackson

Ghostbusters by Ray Parker, Jr.

Somebody’s Watching Me by Rockwell

A Nightmare on My Street by DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince

Dead Man’s Party by Oingo Boingo

Ghost Town by The Specials

Devil Inside by INXS

Hammer Horror by Kate Bush

Psycho Killer by Talking Heads

Pet Semetery by The Ramones

return of living dead rockers1

90s

Sweet Dreams by Marilyn Manson

The Munsters Theme by Los Straitjackets

Werewolf by Southern Culture on the Skids

Dragula by Rob Zombie

Halloween (She’s so Mean) by Rob Zombie and the Ghastly Ones

robzombiebanner2

This is in no way a comprehensive or ‘best of’ list. I’m just hoping to inspire people to put together their own awesome Halloween playlist and encourage younger music lovers to continue listening to the great music of years past.

Haiku of the week

thin veil lifted
halloween night brings magic
the world awakens

 

 

Artwork above: Halloween 2013 ©Unid Color
https://www.deviantart.com/unidcolor/gallery/

 

Poe Sundays

Spirits of the Dead
by Edgar Allan Poe

Thy soul shall find itself alone
‘Mid dark thoughts of the grey tomb-stone —
Not one, of all the crowd, to pry
Into thine hour of secrecy:
Be silent in that solitude
Which is not loneliness — for then
The spirits of the dead who stood
In life before thee are again
In death around thee — and their will
Shall then overshadow thee: be still.
Continue reading “Poe Sundays” →