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

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

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

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

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

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” →

Happy Caturday!

halloween cat apofissx — http://www.facebook.com/apofissx

To buy prints or calendars from Apofissx, please go here: https://www.deviantart.com/apofiss

If you would like to support Apofissx through Patreon, please go here: https://www.patreon.com/apofiss

Friday Fright Nightcaps – Monster Martini

The Monster Martini is how you keep it classy and spooky on Halloween night.

Below is a simple recipe, but I’ve seen different variations, and in particular, different garnishes, that can really bring out theme you’re trying to convey. Don’t be afraid to get creative and experiment a little. Dr. Frankenstein would approve.

monster martini

Ingredients:

3/4 oz. MIDORI
2 oz. SKYY Citrus
Splash of white cranberry Juice

midori sm

Get the mixer recipe and many other Halloween drink recipes here:
https://sandiegostyleweddings.blogspot.com/2012/10/ghoulish-halloween-cocktail-ideas.html

Drop in a tiny piece of dry ice for a spookier presentation, but, be careful. Dry ice bites!

Ten Fun Halloween Classic Movies

Halloween is a spooky time but it’s also a time of fun. Here are ten classic comedies that will send a chill up your spine and tickle your funny bone at the same.

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The Ghost Train (1941) Arthur Askey, Richard Murdoch

After scheduling mishap, a group of travelers are stranded at an isolated station, fearing the arrival of legendary phantom train.

For whatever reasons, British director Walter Forde remade his own quirky supernatural comedy, based on a theater play, just ten years later. It was mostly a vehicle to showcase the talents of comedian Arthur Askey, whose Chaplin-like antics are definitely the highlight of the movie.

ghost train

Spooks Run Wild (1941) Leo Gorcey, Bela Lugosi

The East Side Kids (The Bowery Boys) are stranded in a small rural town camp for boys with a “monster killer” roaming the countryside.

If you’ve never seen any of the 40 plus movies starring the East Side Kids a.k.a the Bowery Boys, expect goofiness, hijinks and a bunch of laughs. Horror star Bela Lugosi joins the mayhem, playing a mysterious magician caught up in case of mistaken identity.

spooks run wild

Continue reading “Ten Fun Halloween Classic Movies” →

Wicked Art Wednesdays – Rhode Montijo

This October, we celebrate Rhode Montijo, children’s book author & illustrator and creator of curious oddities from Southern California.

Artist: Rhode Montijo
Company/Studio: The Fantasmical World of Rhode Montijo
Where to Purchase Goods: Online shop, comic book conventions, special events, etc.
Website: http://www.rhodemontijo.com/
Social Media: https://www.instagram.com/rhodemontijo/

Why we love them: Rhode Montijo specializes in that vintage Halloween look, where his works truly capture the whimsical innocence of Halloween. When browsing through prints, be prepared for a flood of childhood memories to engulf you and remind you why you fell in love with Halloween in the first place.

©RhodeMontijo

The Ten Creepiest Urban Legends

Urban legends are stories that are meant to scare us and typically serve as a warning or have some type of moral lesson attached. Every state has their own urban legends, some states even share legends, changing the details to fit their locale or whichever narrative is needed, but the core plot stay the same. The ones I have chosen for this list are the creepiest found in the USA, and some of them are based on real-life true stories! Can you figure out which ones?

♦♦♦♦♦

Turn on the Light

After partying most of the night, a co-ed decides to spend the night with a boy she met at the party. She returns to dorm room to retrieve her keys, careful not to wake her roommate. In the dark room she can hear the sleeping roommate’s heavy breathing and assumes she’s got a cold. When she returns the next day, she finds her roommate’s dead body and the note written in blood on the wall, “Aren’t you glad you didn’t turn on the light?”

This story is sometimes told with the co-ed being more studious and returning to retrieve a book for an all-night study session, but the end-result is always the same. This legend has been around 50 years or more and most likely was started by a parent worried about their college-bound kid.

Moral of the Story: Screw your roommate’s feelings, always turn on the damn light.

Licked Hand

One night, a woman who lives alone with her nice little dog, hears on the radio that an escaped lunatic is on the loose in her town. She locks up the house tight and goes to bed with her faithful canine companion, who stays close by her bedside all night. When the woman wakes the next morning, she finds her pooch slaughtered and note written in blood on the bathroom mirror, “Humans can lick too.”

Some variations of this legend feature an old woman and sometimes, a young girl. Sometimes she wakes in the middle of the night, hearing a dripping sound, and sometimes, the pet is alive and well at the end. Like the ‘Turn on the Light’ legend, the killer rubs the survivor’s nose in the fact that they barely escaped death.

Moral of the Story: You’re never going to be in control of your own death and maybe you should get a cat.

Continue reading “The Ten Creepiest Urban Legends” →

Haiku of the Week

lurking creature
yellow eyes shine in moonlight
black cat pounces

Poe Sundays

The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe

Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore,
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.
“‘Tis some visitor,” I muttered, “tapping at my chamber door-
Only this, and nothing more.”

Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December,
And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor.
Eagerly I wished the morrow;- vainly I had sought to borrow
From my books surcease of sorrow- sorrow for the lost Lenore-
For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore-
Nameless here for evermore.

And the silken, sad, uncertain rustling of each purple curtain
Thrilled me- filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before;
So that now, to still the beating of my heart, I stood repeating,
“‘Tis some visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door-
Some late visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door;-
This it is, and nothing more.”

Continue reading “Poe Sundays” →