The Diamonds, "Batman, Wolfman, Frankenstein, or Dracula"

Today I have a sample of the very many songs from the 50s and early 60s that combined rock'n'roll with horror themes.  I'm sure you own or at least have heard many of these from other blogs just by the fact that you're reading this, but this is one I hadn't heard until earlier this year. 

The group is The Diamonds, most famous for their cover of "Little Darlin'" and "The Stroll."  This song is about the singer's girlfriend, who can only be moved to make the moves on him by watching horror movies, namely featuring the Batman (no, not that Batman), Wolfman, etc.  It's a cute song, total fluff, but a lot of fun.  Enjoy!

Animaniacs: Draculee, Draculaa

It's back to cartoons today for a show I loved in college and am glad to finally feature here:  Animaniacs!  Today, the Warner brothers (and the Warner sister) go fang to fang with Dracula.  My money's on the Warners.  Enjoy!

On The Road With Charles Kuralt: Venetucci Farm, Colorado Springs, CO

Sorry for my lack of posting yesterday, but I have a good excuse. I took the day off (both from the blog and work) to spend the day with my family at our local pumpkin patch, where the kids and I picked our Halloween pumpkins, walked through the corn maze, and enjoyed the sunshine and unseasonably warm day. We had a great time!

This is a long-standing tradition for so many Americans this time of year, of course. No one documented such poignant moments so well as the late news journalist Charles Kuralt. I've been a huge fan of Kuralt's for many years, and I bring you today a sample of his great work. Here he tells us of the Venetucci Farm, located in Colorado Springs, CO, where the Venetucci brothers provide a huge pumpkin patch for the area's children completely free of charge.  This story documents the wonder and amazement of children as they look for that perfect pumpkin, just like my kids did yesterday.  If you have any heart at all, you are sure to be touched and reminded of why we love this holiday so much.



Happy Halloween indeed!

Super Friends Meet Frankenstein

It really happened!  Everyone's favorite Saturday morning heroes, the Super Friends, battled the Frankenstein monster.  He was a pretty diabolical cat, too.  Check it out!

Siskel & Ebert and the (Horror) Movies

Whether you agreed or disagreed with them, movie critics Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert have had a definite impact on looking at movies since they first appeared on TV in the late 70s. They each had their own perspective, and horror movies are no exception.

Below are clips from various incarnations of their TV show in which they examine horror classics Halloween, Poltergeist, and Ghostbusters. I apologize for the less than stellar quality of the clips, especially regarding the audio, but I find their opinions interesting and worth debate. Do you agree or disagree with them on these films? Let me know in the comments section. Thanks!

It's the Great Parody, Charlie Brown

Here are two clips spoofing and repurposing footage from the classic Halloween special It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.  The first one was created for some unknown purpose by unknown people, and the clip seems to contain a few in-jokes only the creators are in on, but it's funny nevertheless.



The next clip uses footage from the special and makes a music video to the 80s rap classic "Nightmare On My Street" by DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince.  Good stuff!



For those with several social media sites, don't forget about the contest sponsored by the Peanuts estate.  I'm participating, and you can too.  Learn more here.

Thanks!

Schlocky B-Movie Trailers

More than anything else, Halloween should be fun, and what Halloween activity is more fun than watching goofy b-movie trailers?  Just don't eat your candy while watching these, you might choke from either fright or laughter, whichever is your style.  Enjoy!  If you've seen any of these movies, please let me knwo what you think of them in the comments section.