Tuesday's Overlooked Film, "The Car"

The second installment of Tuesday's Overlooked Film in this year's Countdown to Halloween continues the theme of "killer cars" established last week with Christine by featuring the 1977 horror movie The Car.

The plot is pretty straightforward: a mysterious killer car is, well, killing people for no apparent reason in a small Southwestern town, and it's up to the newly installed sheriff (James Brolin) to stop it. End of plot!

The driverless car doesn't have an origin--it kills because it can. The only hint as it its origin is it's unwillingness to drive onto consecrated ground. Apparently, the devil likes to drive a 1971 Lincoln Continental. The car, by the way, was customized for the movie by legendary Hollywood car designer George Barris, who also designed the Batmobile for the 1966 Batman TV series and the Dragula for The Munsters.

Here is the movie's trailer. Seems like a good flick to put on so you can laugh at it for an hour or two. Thanks!

Halloween TV Commercials 2016 Edition

We're already ten days into October, so the Halloween season will be over before we know it. Let's go full steam ahead into the Countdown from here on out.

Today I present my annual collection of Halloween TV commercials. Every commercial is either tied directly to Halloween or is at least in some way spooky, creepy, or even funny (in a spooky way). Roll that beautiful bean footage!

That's a gif of a skeleton juggling Funyuns, by the way.

Snickers has had several fun Halloween commercials in recent years. Here's another example!



In 1986 when this commercial aired, the influence of E.T. on popular culture was still in full force three years after its release. Here, an alien and an Elliot stand-in enjoy a bowl of Campbell's Soup.



Godzilla must be really parched, breathing fire all the time and whatnot. No wonder he wanted a Dr. Pepper so badly.



Back in the 90s, Pizza Hut let its pizza do the talking for itself--literally! Mr. Pizza Head was a staple of Pizza Hut advertising during that decade. Here is a Halloween-themed example.



This next commercial features two things that go perfectly with Halloween--Frankenstein and Reese's Cups.



The creatures in this commercial for Atari's Atlantis game don't play around!



Finally, the best Halloween commercials are often local commercials. They don't usually have the high production values of national commercials, but they more than make up for it in creativity and charm. A perfect example is this commercial for a company called iParty, based in New England. A spoof of old fashioned horror movies with a mad scientist, this commercial is funny and admirable for the length it goes to sell itself on a clearly small budget. I love it!



Thanks!

Halloween With The New Addams Family (1977)

Welcome to the weekend! Weekends are always awesome, but are even awesomer during the Halloween season, and that's totally a word! I'm kicking this weekend off with the 1977 TV-movie Halloween With the New Addams Family.

This stars most of the cast from the TV show in their old roles celebrating that most Addams of holidays, Halloween. However, Gomez is away on a business trip, and his brother Pancho is visiting the family. Pancho has been jealous of Gomez because Pancho and Morticia once were an item, and...OK, the plot doesn't really matter. It's the Addams Family and Halloween put together, what more is there to say?

I only saw this once as a kid late at night some Halloween season in 1980-something (I don't think I saw it when it debuted on NBC on October 30, 1977), but I enjoyed it then, and I hope I enjoy it now, as I haven't seen it since and only have memories of a couple of scenes here and there. I'll be experiencing this one right along with you.

Enjoy! Have a great weekend! The Countdown to Halloween is just getting started!

Underdog, "Batty Man"

Today at the Countdown, I feature an unusual episode of the 1960s cartoon series Underdog.

In this episode, our fearless hound goes up against the nemesis Batty Man. Not Batman, the duly deputized Caped Crusader--Batty Man, criminal vampire.

That's correct. A criminal vampire. A vampire who doesn't suck victim's blood, no. He steals things. Clothes, fruit, baseballs in play, and police cars.

A creature with the powers of a vampire, and he uses them to steal things. Things that eventually include the gold in Fort Knox, but still.

Enjoy Underdog battle the world's most underachieving vampire now! Thanks!

Tuesday's Overlooked Film: "Christine"

For those new to the blog, I occasionally take part in another multi-blog event called Tuesday's Overlooked, in which blog writers spotlight a movie, TV series, or audio series that may be obscure but nonetheless deserves more love from the public. The feature is curated by my friend Todd Mason at his blog Sweet Freedom. Check it out!

For the Countdown to Halloween, I always devote my Tuesday's Overlooked selections to horror/thriller and similarly related offerings. Last year, I decided to go by a theme, "crawling hand" movies. This year, I've chosen another theme--killer cars! Because--well, why not? For the first Tuesday's Overlooked of the Halloween season, I am going with what is likely the most famous killer car--Stephen King's Christine.

Actually, it's Stephen King's Christine by way of director John Carpenter. The story involves nerdy Arnie Cunningham, your standard bullied geek who has no game with the ladies. One day, he becomes mysteriously enamored with an old 1958 Plymouth Fury nicknamed Christine, which he buys for cheap and refurbishes himself. As he spends more time and effort with Christine, Arnie undergoes a strange personality change--more arrogant, aggressive, and eventually, murderous, all under the influence of Christine.

The movie, an adaptation of King's novel, wasn't a hit with critics--or, reportedly, even Carpenter--but it has a niche following today. Here is the film's trailer. Enjoy!

My 2016 Halloween Playlist!

Hey gang, I hope you had a great first weekend of the Halloween season. You want to make sure to start it off right. A great way to do that is with an awesome Halloween music playlist. If you're in the hunt for just such a playlist, look no further!

Here is my very own Halloween music list for the 2016 season, courtesy of Spotify. With over 100 songs and six hours of music, it's sure to get you toe tappin' and dancing the night away in no time. There are the usual favorites along with what I hope are some surprises. If there is a song not included that you think would add to the fun, please feel free to leave a comment.

Enjoy!

Welcome to the Countdown to Halloween 2016!

HOWWWWWWWWWLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!

Welcome, one and all, to the 2016 Countdown to Halloween! Today through October 31st, this blog will feature nothing but the frightening, the scary, the terrifying, and most importantly, the most fun you'll find anywhere!*

*Your mileage may vary.

If this is your first time here, thank you for trying it out! And if you're a longtime reader, welcome back! I've got some great things lined up: Halloween TV commercials, movies, music, and lots and LOTS of cartoons. Updates will usually be Monday through Friday, with weekends a chance for you to catch up on stuff you may have missed.

Please please leave comments on my posts and let me know what you think. I want to make sure you're having a blast.

Today acts as an introductory warm-up for the not-so-long month ahead. Don't rush it--savor every pumpkin-spiced bite! November will be here before you know it.

Of course, be sure to check out the main Countdown site so you can enjoy all the awesome blogs taking part in this years-long tradition. Special thanks as always to John Rozum for organizing this monster shindig. He continues to do an outstanding job. We are all in his debt.

And with that, let the 2016 Countdown to Halloween begin!