31 Days of Spoooktacular: Rock and Shock (The Event)

I keep trying to condense all of this into one picture or thought that encompasses the entire event, but it's just not possible. There are the celebrities. The few we actually talked to were absurdly nice and patient with our mumbling and limp handshakes. All around me, I see adulation for a genre that gets … Continue reading 31 Days of Spoooktacular: Rock and Shock (The Event) →

31 Days of Spoooktacular: Rock and Shock (The Trip)

We're taking the train to the convention and so far, there have been enough oddities too warrant a mini entry. The moment we boarded the train, an older woman stood up and shouted, "Oh God, is this Worcester?" The confused young man standing next to her assured her we had not reached the last stop … Continue reading 31 Days of Spoooktacular: Rock and Shock (The Trip) →

31 Days of Spoooktacular: Rock and Shock (Prelude)

So here's the plan; I'm going to try and post small entries throughout the day from Rock and Shock. Hopefully there'll be pictures and commentary and at least one story of me running from a crowd while Yacketty Sax plays. I'm terrible at live blogging, but we'll see how this goes. At the very least, … Continue reading 31 Days of Spoooktacular: Rock and Shock (Prelude) →

31 Days of Spoooktacular: Even a Man Who Is Pure in Heart

For 31 Days of Spoooktacular, I wanted to do the occasional spotlight on the monsters that have formed the deep and gristly backbone of pop culture. Through a society's monsters, you can tell a lot about that society. What scares us, helps to define us. It is no coincidence that, in the wake of World … Continue reading 31 Days of Spoooktacular: Even a Man Who Is Pure in Heart →

31 Days of Spoooktacular: Rock and Shock (The Prequel)

I know I've already talked about this once already, but I cannot stress enough how excited I am about Rock and Shock. Pinhead and Michael Myers and Jason and Candyman are all going to be in the same room together at the same time. And I will do my best not to call them that … Continue reading 31 Days of Spoooktacular: Rock and Shock (The Prequel) →

31 Days of Spoooktacular: The Horror in the Tin

I really like the show Good Eats with Alton Brown. This is important if you're to know about The Horror in The Tin and why I did what I did. I need you to understand that I was once very much like you and I was normal. I was so normal. Anyway. Alton, I can … Continue reading 31 Days of Spoooktacular: The Horror in the Tin →

31 Days of Spoooktacular: Fear Desensitized

I haven't been scared by a fictional book or movie in year. I've been lightly creeped out. I've been unnerved. I've been put slightly on edge. But I haven't been out and out scared. I have to work to even reach that level of fear. I have to set the mood. I lower the lights … Continue reading 31 Days of Spoooktacular: Fear Desensitized →

31 Days of Spoooktacular: Portrait of a Slasher Movie

The slasher movie is, by far, one of the subgenres of horror that most sticks to a formula. And here is the formula: Pre-Credits Kill+Character Introduction+Cat Scare*+Minor Character Killed Off+Pointless Drama/Comedic Scene+Secondary Character Killed+Hero(ine) and Killer Meet-Up+Hero(ine) Triumphs+One Last Scare=Slasher Movie This is, for the most part, how every slasher movie plays out. You have … Continue reading 31 Days of Spoooktacular: Portrait of a Slasher Movie →

31 Days of Spoooktacular: The Learning Curve (Part 2)

A few months ago I talked about reading older horror authors in order to see what had come before and learning from it. Just reading modern work is like reading the stuff that came before, but diluted, with six degrees of separation. You'll see a little bit of Matheson and Lovecraft in a Stephen King … Continue reading 31 Days of Spoooktacular: The Learning Curve (Part 2) →

31 Days of Spoooktacular: The Anticipation

Halloween, a long time ago, stopped being about Halloween. I don't go out and Trick 'r' Treat. I don't wear costumes. I don't have kids and take them Trick 'r' Treating. Generally, I hang out and watch a movie. But all the days and weeks leading up have become a celebration of their own. I … Continue reading 31 Days of Spoooktacular: The Anticipation →