This House Possessed TV-Movie (1981)

 

Welcome to Friday! Today, as I do most Fridays during the Countdown to Halloween, I present a long-form video to enjoy. This week, it's the 1981 made-for-TV movie This House Possessed!

In the film, Parker Stevenson plays a young rock star who suffers a nervous breakdown and takes time off in a luxurious mansion with his nurse. While in the house, very strange things occur to both the rock star and the nurse. Is the house haunted? Are they crazy? Or is something else going on? And what exactly is the history of the house?

The reputation of this movie is admittedly not good, but I'm featuring it because a specific scene stayed in my head when I first stumbled upon this movie as a child involving a very creepy shower.

Enjoy below or directly on YouTube here. Have a great holiday weekend! Enjoy the extra day if you're lucky to have it!

The Pink Panther, "Pink Panic" and "Pink Plasma"

 

Welcome back!

Today I offer not one but two great cartoons featuring the magenta mountain lion himself, the Pink Panther. In the first, "Pink Panic," the Panther spends the night in a haunted ghost town with a troublesome ghost and skeleton on his tail. In the second cartoon, "Pink Plasma," Panther spends the night in a creepy castle with a hapless vampire. Fortunately, the intrepid Panther comes out on top--most of the time.

Enjoy!

Halloween TV Commercials 2025 Edition

 

Welcome to the first full week of the Countdown! And today I have a great way to kick the week off. Today I present my annual look at great Halloween TV commercials!

Of course, they're not necessarily Halloween specific, but may simply have a spooky, scary, or strange theme. Let's check them out!

First, try claiming Dracula's gold (Dracula has gold?) in this fun electronic game from 1982.

Next, it's always great to pay a visit to Count Chocula and Frankenberry, but especially on Halloween!

This British commercial for Knorr soup is supposed to be whimsical, but frankly, I find it a bit creepy. I'm sure this scarecrow is friendly, but..well, take a look!

Most of the commercials I feature are many years, even decades old, but the final two commercials I have today are in fact from this very year! The first one from this past July features Cheetos doing a tie-in with Netflix's hit series Wednesday by auditioning Thing to be Cheetos' new spokes...hand.

Finally, my last commercial today is extremely new--it debuted September 29, 2025, exactly one week ago from when I'm writing this! Dr. Frankenstein attempts to teach his creation the ways of the world with poor results. But hook Frankie up with Xfinity wi-fi, and he becomes an overnight sensation!

Thank you for your time! Please come back every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday in October for more Halloween greatness!

The Horror Hall of Fame: A Monster Salute starring Vincent Price

 

Hello again, and welcome back! Today we kick off the Countdown in earnest with a fun look at movie monsters of the past, hosted by the unofficial mascot of the Countdown.

Today I present The Horror Hall of Fame: A Monster Salute, a special that aired on February 20, 1974 as part of ABC's Wide World of Entertainment series on weekday late nights. It's a lighthearted look at horror movie characters of the past, hosted by none other than one of the greats, and a favorite of this blog--Vincent Price. I try to include at least one visit from Price in every Countdown, and this year, there may be more than one!

The special is heavy on comedy, and the jokes are pretty tame, but that's 1974 TV for you. Guests include Price's fellow Batman alum Frank Gorshin, John Astin (TV's Gomez Addams as well as another Riddler portrayer), and horror movie legend John Carradine, among others.

You can watch the special below or directly on YouTube at this link. Enjoy! Have a great first weekend of October. Drink pumpkin beer! Watch horror movies! Read my blog's archives! Eat candy!

Welcome to the 2025 Countdown to Halloween!

 

Hello one and all to the 2025 Countdown to Halloween! The time has come once again to arise from our coffins and partake in the Danse Macabre that is the Countdown. And am I sure ready for it!

Rejoice as we enjoy our annual parade of movies, cartoons, TV episodes, and other gifts of ghoulishness for a packed 31 days. I'm so happy you've chosen to spend your season with me!

Of course, I'm not alone in the Countdown. Thanks to Dex of AEIOU and Sometimes Why for organizing this year's Halloween hootenany. Please be sure to partake in all of the participating sites this year.

Please be especially sure to try my daughter Megan's Instagram site, Wallflower Avenue, as this is her first year participating in the Countdown. Way to go, Meg!

Without further ado, let the 2025 Countdown to Halloween begin!

Superman Stories from Peter Pan Records (1978)

 

Welcome back!

I'm way late to the party on posting a Superman item, as it's been six weeks since the release of the brand-new movie in theaters, but it's now available on digital, so maybe it's still timely.

Here is an album-length collection of Superman audio stories from 1978 (the year of the first Christopher Reeve film release) by classic children's record company Peter Pan Records. I have a 45 RPM of a Superman story that curiously isn't on this album, but they're all a lot of fun.

Enjoy! And stay tuned this fall, as I plan on more frequent blog articles and, of course, the Countdown to Halloween.

You can check out the YouTube video below or directly on YT here.

Thanks!

Fantastic Four Radio Series from 1975

 

Welcome back!

As I'm sure you know, the latest Fantastic Four movie is coming to theaters Friday, July 25th, and this time, it's set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Fans have been waiting years for this, and based on the trailers, it looks very interesting! But what some may not know is that the quartet were once brought to life via radio.

In 1975, a Fantastic Four radio series was produced in Canada and adapted from the first 13 issues of the comic book, with narration by Stan Lee and various actors portraying Marvel's First Family. The Human Torch was voiced by none other than Bill Murray.

Yes, THAT Bill Murray.

Here are all 13 episodes of the audio series, both embedded below and directly on YouTube here.

Excelsior!