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.
Here we are at the end of Week 4 of the Countdown to Halloween! This is the last weekend before the big night, so let's soak in as much candy-fueled joy as we can these last few days!
This weekend I present to you a long program, but I hope you will find it entertaining. This is the 1979 short-lived TV series The Curse of Dracula. This was in fact a series within a series.
In February of 1979, NBC debuted an anthology called Cliffhangers. The series consisted of three different series under the Cliffhangers umbrella title, similarly to what they did with the NBC Wheel of Mystery (Columbo, McMillan & Wife, McCloud). Each week the Cliffhangers series would present an episode of one of the three adventure series: this Dracula series, Stop Susan Williams, and The Secret Empire. The Curse of Dracula was the highest rated of the three series.
But not highly rated enough. All three Cliffhangers series were canceled later than season, but a follow up movie, The World of Dracula, aired in 1986. Maybe I'll save that one for next year. :)
Here, edited into one giant block, is the entire Curse of Dracula. I've embedded it below, but you will probably prefer watching it directly on YouTube here.
Another Friday means another long-form program, and today is another special one.
Today is one of the biggest days this Halloween season, because today is the release of the long-awaited movie Halloween Ends, the final showdown between Michael Myers and Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis). It opens in theaters today and appears on the streaming service Peacock.
In preparation and celebration of this event, here is where it all started--the original classic Halloween. But at the same time, not quite the original!
This is in fact the TV edit of the film made for broadcast on NBC on October 30, 1981, which was the movie's television debut. After editing the film for content (this was over-the-air TV after all), Halloween was running too short for a two-hour broadcast, even with commercials. So at the request of the network, brand new scenes were shot specifically for the TV version, filmed at the same time as Halloween II (which was opening in theaters the same weekend this version of the original aired). Reluctantly, John Carpenter and the other filmmakers agreed, and this edit of the movie was born.
Enjoy! Have a great weekend! Eat, drink, and be spooky! Beware the Bogie Man!
Closing out Week 3 of the Countdown to Halloween is a film adaptation of the Ray Bradbury classic Something Wicked This Way Comes...but not the version you expect!
This version from 1972 appears to be a British production and is 11 years older than the more famous version by Disney released in 1983. I saw the Disney version for the first time this year, and possibly due to all the hype I've heard about it over the years, I was disappointed in it. Maybe this more obscure version will do me better.
Have a great weekend! It's the last one before Halloween, make it count!
Today's presentation is the animated short film Vincent, created by Tim Burton.
Vincent is a stop-motion animated film based on a poem Burton wrote that he originally intended for a children's book. This was created while Burton was still a Disney animator. It features a young boy named Vincent Malloy, who has a macabre personality and pretends he is in fact Vincent Price. His imagination has him believing he is a mad scientist who does experiments on his dog and who yearns for his deceased wife. Despite his mother's efforts to snap Vincent out of his head, he proceeds to be consumed by his morbid fantasies. Oh, the narrator of the film is the real Vincent Price.
Yep, it's a Tim Burton film, all right.
I didn't know this film existed until this month, which is another reason I love doing the Countdown. I love finding this stuff.
Today I have an especially fun treat. Today I present an episode of the classic radio drama Suspense.
Suspense was a top-notch radio drama with A-list writers and actors that ran on CBS radio from 1940 to 1962. Most episodes featured stories of crime and danger, with the occasional dive into the fantastic. This is one of those episodes.
"Ghost Hunt" features Ralph Edwards, most famous for being the host of This Is Your Life, as a disc jockey who enters a supposed haunted house as a stunt for his radio show. He of course doesn't believe in such things so he enters the house willingly with an expert in the paranormal.
Let's just say the jock shouldn't be so skeptical.
I loved this episode when I first heard it years ago, and I hope you enjoy it too. Thanks!
It's Friday, which means a long form program, and this week, we are paid a visit from our old friend Vincent Price.
An Evening With Edgar Allan Poe features Price acting as Poe reading four of his classic tales: "The Tell-tale Heart," "The Sphinx," "The Cask of Amontillado," and "The Pit and the Pendulum." Price performs in front of a live audience, which gives the program a theater-like feel. A great way to spend an October weekend.
Today I present an audio adaptation of Marvel Comics' origin story for The Monster Frankenstein. The Monster is a real character in the Marvel Comics universe, and his title was one of several successful horror titles for Marvel in the 70s.
At the same time, Power Records, a small kids record label, made an audio adaptation of Marvel's version of the character, with a matching comic to be read while listening to the story. I had other Power Records as a kid and absolutely loved them. These records are always a lot of fun.
Today is Friday, which means it's time for a longform program for you. This week, I present the 1982 TV-movie Desire, The Vampire.
Desire, The Vampire (aka I, Desire) stars David Naughton (An America Werewolf in London) as a hospital worker who gets in the way of a female vampire making her way through her victims one by one in downtown Los Angeles. He is assisted by a disbelieving police detective and an intense ex-priest (played with scene-stealing glee by Brad Dourif) who has chased the vampire across the country.
The movie is naturally more tame than a theatrical film, but it does a decent job of being suspenseful within the constraints of 1980s network television. Plus, I always find network TV horror a curiosity because of those same constraints.
Enjoy! Have a great weekend! If you are off for the Columbus Day holiday, make it a great day! Happy Thanksgiving, Canada!
And come back Monday, October 14th for the start of Sleepy Hollow Week here on the Countdown! Five days of Headless Horseman goodness! See you then!
I'm excited to see the new Swamp Thing horror series debuting tomorrow on the DC Universe streaming service. In preparation, I watched the original 1982 theatrical movie directed by Wes Craven and starring Adrienne Barbeau yesterday. After doing a little IMDB-ing on ol' Swampy, I came across something I didn't know existed.
Back in the fall of 1991, a Swamp Thing animated series appeared on the Fox network. I was in high school at the time and wasn't paying much attention to Saturday morning TV at that point, so I shouldn't be surprised I missed it. Still, I'm surprised I don't hear other geeky-minded folks bring it up.
Admittedly, it's not a great series, but for a comic book fan, it's an odd curiosity worth checking out. It fits right in with what I remember Fox Saturday morning programming being: irreverent and obsessed with wacky, gross-out kinds of characters.
See the first episode for yourself and let me know what you think. Enjoy!
It's Movie Friday, and this week it's--My Mom's A Werewolf!
A single mom is bitten by a werewolf while on a date and receives the curse herself. She tries to hide her "condition" from her family, but the curse gets the best of her. Her kids do their best to get her help, and family-style horror and hilarity ensue.
Hardcore horror fans will likely pass on this one, but it's a fine film for families.
Today's offering is an episode of the 1980 Saturday morning cartoon series Drak Pack.
Drak Pack consisted of three seemingly normal teenagers who were in fact descendants of classic monsters. Led by Count Dracula (referred to as "Big D" by the cast), the three teens would go on missions to stop a villainous band of monsters known as O.G.R.E--the Organization for Generally Rotten Enterprises--from causing worldwide havoc.
Oh, did I mention that the teens had the power to turn into monsters themselves? Yes they did. See above for the results.
The show only lasted one season, the fall of 1980, but I found it amusing enough as a kid to watch. When you're six years old, "amusing enough" usually is all you need.
This episode is also featured on Dinosaur Dracula's side blog Dino Drac After Dark. If you don't know about that site, you really need to get acquainted with it.
Thanksgiving is exactly two weeks away as I write this, and while many don't like to celebrate the holidays before their time, it's still smart to at least begin holiday preparations now. And that's what these links are all about!
Below are some holidays happenings you may want to work into your seasonal calendar. Take a look!
Reba McIntyre hosts this year's CMA Country Christmas celebration on ABC Monday, November 27th.
It's the last weekend before Halloween! AUGH! Make it a great one! Hopefully you can start by watching the last full length program I have for you this year, the 1982 slasher film Trick or Treats.
Trick or Treats involves an escaped madman searching for his ex-wife and son on Halloween night. The mom is out for the night, and the son is at home with a babysitter. The son is a holy terror, playing prank after prank on the hapless sitter. Meanwhile, the deranged father gets closer and closer to the house.
To be honest, in the research I did for this movie, I came across some less than stellar reviews. But I've decided to feature the movie anyway for two reasons:
1) The son actually does play some cool, Halloweeny pranks.
2) David Carradine.
Although this isn't the goriest of slasher flicks by any measure, viewer discretion is still advised. Enjoy! And have a great Halloween weekend!
With October 31st mere days away, I'm running out of both time and material. So today I just want to give you a few small treats that I think you will enjoy that may not necessarily warrant a blog post unto themselves. Consider these items Halloween hors d’oeuvres to tide you over until the full course of
Halloween night. Let’s get to it!
By the way, I had to Google how to spell “hors d’oeuvres.”
See how much I love you fine folks?
First up: the Muppets’ own Dr. Bunson Honeydew and Beaker go
ghost hunting—with hilarious results!
Next, here is an adorable video about how to greet deaf or hard-of-hearing trick-or-treaters this season!
Here is the recording of the great Vincent Price's voiceover for Michael Jackson's Thirller without the music, plus with extra text that didn't make it into the single. You really get to hear how amazing Price's work is on the song--not that you couldn't tell that with the music. This is further evidence that Vincent Price was the ultimate pro!
You've never heard the theme from Alfred Hitchcock Presents until you've heard it played on the banjo!
Here is a fun TV promo for the much beloved 80s horror series Tales From The Darkside!
Speaking of TV promos, I can't let a Countdown to Halloween season go by without mentioning It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown at least once!
Finally, here is by far the most bizarre and graphic clip I have for you today. This is John Carpenter's The Thing as recreated with characters from the foreign children's program Pingu the penguin. Even if you're not familiar with Pingu--and you probably aren't--you should find this both disturbing and hysterical! VIEWER DISCRETION ADVISED!
Closing out Week Three of the Countdown to Halloween is the 90-minute radio drama Sherlock Holmes vs Dracula.
Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson are inserted into the classic Dracula story, working, somewhat contentiously, with Professor Van Helsing to stop the famous Count. This program aired on BBC Radio 4 on December 19, 1981.
It's a bit weird to hear the rational Mr. Holmes easily accepting the presence of supernatural beings such as Dracula, but the story is so fun and well done you can put that peccadillo aside for the sake of the story.
Enjoy! Have a great weekend! And please come back Monday for the last full week of the Countdown to Halloween!
I can't resist. I just can't! I still have so many great spooky TV commercials that they can't wait until next year. I have to share them with you now. YOLO, right?
Also, last week's installment of commercials has been one of the most visited articles I've written in a very long time. I have to give the public what they want. Thank you all for your support!
Without further ado, here are more great commercials!
For starters, in case of vampires, hope that there is plenty of Heineken beer around!
Sticking with the vampire theme, here Dracula enjoys a hearty soup with plenty of cheese!
You don't get to type that sentence very often.
Next, Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble encounter some strange visitors as they enjoy their Pebbles cereal.
Not only is the zombie in this Starburst commercial the living dead, he's also very cranky!
This commercial for a local Kia dealer isn't all that spooky, but I still love it because it at least makes the effort to acknowledge the holiday even when it doesn't have to. It some ways, those are the best Halloween commercials, because they actively try to celebrate the day by choice rather than the necessity to sell.
Same thing with this other local Kia dealer, which goes even farther with its Halloween commercial. It's hokey, it's crudely produced, it has talking dogs--I love it!
As I've said before, Snickers has some of the best Halloween/spooky commercials of all time. In this extra long example, the product shilling takes a back seat to the star of the commercial, pumpkin carver John Neill. He is excellent!
In this next one, Snickers goes in a different direction. The host of a fictional budget Halloween kids special is obviously hungry--and obviously unprofessional!
Finally, the master of horror himself, Stephen King, praises the powers of his American Express card in this classic spot (the first time I ever saw King was when I was a kid when this commercial aired).
I'm thoroughly convinced that's his real house and not a set.
Rounding out Week 2 of the 2017 Countdown to Halloween is the 1981 Japanese animated movie The Monster of Frankenstein!
The movie was created by Toei Animation and aired on Japanese television on July 27, 1981. This English-dubbed version I feature today was released on home video in the States in 1984. This version stays pretty close to Mary Shelley's novel.
Although this is an animated movie, don't think this is a family film! There is graphic violence in this version, so viewer discretion is advised!
Enjoy! Have a great spooky weekend! Happy Friday the 13th!
As promised, here are more spooky TV commercials to put you in that Halloween mood!
It wouldn't be Halloween without the involvement of McDonald's. Here is a Happy Meal commercial with the ever-popular McNugget Buddies!
Next, here are promos for CBS Saturday morning programs from 1981, as well as a promo for two long-forgotten Halloween specials, Bugs Bunny's Howl-O-Ween and Raggedy Ann and Andy and the Pumpkin Who Couldn't Smile(featured previously at this blog)!
I can't let a Countdown to Halloween go by without at least one mention of the Monster Cereals. Here they are pushing their monster-sized marshmallows!
Here is a fun ad for the defunct party supply store iParty involving zombies hungry for Halloween savings!
This is an awesome TV spot from 1980 for the first Friday the 13th movie. I see commercials for horror movies all the time today, but there's something about the older ones that seem to have more...something. I don't know what, but I think you know what I mean!
Vampires are tough. Vampires are ruthless. Vampires...can be stopped by a set of Audi headlights.
This commercial was recorded off of a camera pointed at a TV screen, but it doesn't make watching this ad for Play-Doh's Fuzzy Pumper Monster Shop any less fun!
Finally, here is a great one for T-Mobile. Dr. Frankenstein can be such a condescending bore!
Even better, outtakes from that same commercial!
Maybe--maaaaaaaaaaybe--I'll have one more installment of commercials for this year. I don't want to go this well too often, but I have such a large collection this year that I may not be able to resist.
