Happy Halloween 2024!

 

And just like that...HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

I feel the need to apologize: due to some goings-on in my personal life (job hunt, other stuff), I'm afraid my Countdown output was not as robust as I had planned this year. It wasn't due for lack of content, but time was just too little in supply this year. Be that as it may, I hope you enjoyed what I did share this year. We had a fair bit of Dracula than expected and a fair bit of comedy than expected, which was totally coincidental, but fun nonetheless.

Once again, I thank Dex of AEIOU...and Sometimes Why for running this year's Countdown, and completely solo at that. Thank you very much, Dex!

Have a great rest of the year, and HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

And next up on our annual holiday cavalcade:

The Carol Burnett Show, "My Husband is Dracula"

 

We're approaching the frightening finish line of the season! Don't lose steam now!

Today I offer a clip from The Carol Burnett Show, titled on YouTube as "My Husband is Dracula," although the title of the sketch in the clip says "The Bat and the Beautiful." Either one works!

In this skit, Carol is indeed married to the famous bloodlusting count, but marriage to a vampire isn't all it's cracked up to be. Poor Carol!

Enjoy!

Two Classic Cartoons: Spooks (1932) and Skeleton Frolic (1937)

 

I'ts early Friday evening, but it's still Friday, and here is my last post for the last full week of this year's Countdown.

Today I feature two very old cartoon shorts from the 1930s, Spooks by MGM (1932) and Skeleton Frolic from Columbia (1937). These rare cartoons are very reminiscent of classic Disney shorts such as The Haunted House and Skeleton Dance. I love seeing this old school animation. They truly don't make them like they used to.

Enjoy! Have a great last weekend before Halloween!

The Saw 20th Anniversary Jewelry Collection by Gnoce

 

Welcome back! I hope you’re enjoying your Halloween season!

Today at the blog, we’re doing something a bit different than we normally do.

I was recently contacted by Gnoce, the jewelry company that offers beautiful, timeless jewelry that is festive, fun, and affordable. They offer jewelry for a variety of occasions and holidays; Halloween is no exception. And in that Halloween spirit, they reached out to me because they are excited about their latest line of spooky bling, honoring the 20^th anniversary of the Saw film franchise. Thanks to Gnoce for providing me with these complementary pieces. I can’t wait to show them to you!

Billy the Puppet has been placing his victims in the most precarious of situations for two decades, and you can now literally wear your adoration for the rascal on your sleeve. Case in point, this awesome bracelet, letting you know that, for his latest victim, it’s truly “Game Over.”

A great thing about the bracelet is that you can add charms to it, such as this one featuring Billy on a tricycle (see above on the bracelet and below by itself). You know, when he’s on his downtime.

Moving from the wrist to the finger—Saw is all about body parts, after all—Gnoce also offers this Saw ring, featuring the face of our favorite little maniac. Choose your size and he can be yours!

Finally, we have this beautiful necklace, complete with Billy’s face and a favorite weapon of choice. Add this to the other pieces shown above, and you will be the number one Saw fan in your ‘hood!

To show off these pieces “in the field,” my daughter Megan has graciously agreed to model these pieces to show how great they look (thanks Megan!). Complete your spooky, goth look with the Gnoce Saw collection today!

If you like what you see, Gnoce has other great pieces for Halloween available. Check out their Halloween Sale: buy two pieces, get two free, plus get a free bracelet worth $49 with every order. Take advantage of this great offer today!

Thanks!

Starsky & Hutch, "The Vampire"

 

Welcome to the weekend! I'm rounding out this week of the Countdown with a vampire story starring the late David Soul--no, not THAT story!

This is an episode of Soul's most famous claim to fame, the '70s police series Starsky & Hutch, costarring Paul Michael Glazer. In this episode, a perp wholeheartedly believes himself to be a vampire. Which of course can't be true--or CAN it?

See for yourself. Enjoy the episode embedded below or watch directly on YouTube here.

Have a great weekend!

The Famous Adventures of Mr. Magoo, "Doctor Frankenstein" (1965)

 

Today I present my first cartoon of the season, and it's long overdue. This is an episode of the 1960s TV cartoon series The Famous Adventures of Mr. Magoo.

This series was a follow up to the original Mr. Magoo series. In this series, Magoo would play a famous story from literature, similar to Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol. This episode, which aired March 13, 1965, features an adaptation of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Unlike the fun, wholesome silliness of the original series, this episode was quite dark and serious, and it is a bit more faithful to the original novel than one would expect.

Please enjoy this episode embedded below or directly on YouTube here. Thanks!

Remembering Joe Flaherty: SCTV Monster Chiller Horror Theater

 

Last year I posted a segment of "Monster Chiller Horror Theater" from SCTV starring comedy legend Joe Flaherty. Little did I know at the time that we would lose Flaherty just a few months later. When he died, I knew I had to feature him as Count Floyd once again.

Here he is in two SCTV skits as that Halloween-ish character: the first skit with costars John Candy and Eugene Levy, and the other with actresses Catherine O'Hara and Andrea Martin. Everyone is great in their respective roles in these sketches, but I send this out in Flaherty's memory. He was such a great actor!

Thanks!

The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew Meet Dracula

 

Well, I might have to throw out my Monday/Wednesday/Friday schedule of posting, because I missed another day (Wednesday), but here we are at Friday. Continuing the Dracula theme, today I present a movie-length installment of the late 70s TV series The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries entitled "The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew Meet Dracula."

This series featured Parker Stevenson and Shaun Cassidy as the brotherly sleuths, and Pamela Sue Martin as Nancy Drew. The boys and girl took turns each week solving a mystery, but sometimes they teamed together for a big event. You can't get more "event-like" than running into the Prince of Darkness himself!

Enjoy! Have a great weekend! Please see the show embedded below or directly on YouTube here.

Dracula, Sovereign of the Damned (1980)

 

Welcome to the first full week of the Countdown to Halloween!

I'm afraid I goofed! I promised you readers new posts every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday in October, but I missed out this past Friday. Sorry about that! I'll throw in an extra post at some point this month to make up for it. Today, I share with you what I would have posted last Friday.

This is the 1980 Japanese anime horror film Dracula, Sovereign of the Damned! Based on Marvel Comic's 1970s horror comic Tomb of Dracula, the film features the Son of the Devil, being, well, devilish. If you think it odd that a Japanese studio would adapt an American horror comic, don't--it's also been done with Marvel's The Monster of Frankenstein comic from the same time period. I've featured the Frankenstein film right here on this blog a few years ago.

Enjoy! And sorry for depriving you of this movie last Friday! Watch the movie embedded below or directly on YouTube here.

Halloween TV Commercials 2024 Edition

 

Hello all! Welcome to the first real post of the Countdown to Halloween. Today I kick off the Countdown in earnest with a look at fun TV commercials with a Halloween spin, or at least a spooky spin. Here we go!

The Bride of Frankenstein is a fan of the New York lottery in this fun spot.

Her husband appears in our next commercial, shilling for--the Federal Trade Commision? Yep! Also, I find it interesting to see the monster boss around Igor instead of the doctor doing so for once.

In this next very quick spot, local Philly haberdasher Benny Krass advises you on the best suit to wear to the grave!

This Rice Krispies commercial from 1997 is actually two commercials in one: the first an everyday commercial, the second Halloween-specific for Halloween Rice Krispy Treats, a classic holiday perennial.

I suspect the voice of Pop is legendary voice actor Rob Paulson, but I'm not certain.

Here is a commercial for Nickelodeon's Nick or Treat event from 1992. I was too old for Nick at that time, but I'm sure this spot will resonate with older millenials out there!

Way back in 1971, you could take your chances with the Voice of the Mummy board game!

Boo! Avoid free radicals by drinking Pom pomegranate juice. Wash your sheets in peace!

Finally, sticking with the ghosts theme, you never know what's going on in your house when you're not there. Ikea shows us what!

I hope you enjoyed this year's crop of spooky commercials. Stay tuned for more Halloween hi-jinks. We're just getting started!

Welcome to the 2024 Countdown to Halloween!

 

REJOICE, FOOLISH MORTALS! FEAST YOUR SENSES ONCE AGAIN TO THE ANNUAL RITE OF FUN AND SILLINESS, THE COUNTDOWN TO HALLOWEEEEEEEEEEEEEN!

Dramatic much?

Welcome, everyone, to the 2024 Countdown to Halloween! I feel like we were just here 11 months ago! Surprising as it may be, it is indeed the Halloween season again, and it's time for all of the spooky shenanigans that come with it: movies, TV shows, music, commercials, comedy, horror, and all-around fun.

Thanks to Dex of AEIOU and Sometimes Why for organizing this year's Countdown. He's a one-man operation this year, so please give him several rounds of applause for holding down the haunted fort this year. Thank you very much, Dex!

Please also be sure to visit as many of the participating blogs as possible--this ain't just about me, you know. This wouldn't be nearly as much fun without the many and varied blogs and social media accounts adding their unique spin on the festivities. There's more than one correct way to celebrate the season, as all of the sites will show. Thank you, fellow participants!

Without further ado, let the 2024 Countdown to Halloween begin!