Ghoul-Approved Music

Hello, again! Less than three days until Halloween, and I'm pretty excited. I'm planning on a nice little dinner with friends, maybe carving a leftover pumpkin, then wreaking some havoc on my town. Or just watching a lot of horror movies or going to a haunted house! So many choices, so little time...

Speaking of little time, do you have a Halloween shindig in the works? Maybe you're a little overwhelmed by all the tune possibilities to play at your party? You don't want your choices to be too obvious, but you don't want your guests to be bored to death by the third song. Never fear, reader dear! I'm here to keep you the life of the party, and make sure your guests will dance their toes off, all the while appreciating the nice Halloween-ness of every song.

Ghostbusters theme song: Okay, so this isn't the actual video for the Ghostbusters theme, but it is quite hilarious. Maybe put this up towards the beginning of your party to warm up your guests? Whatever you do, this song is so perfect for Halloween. Not one person doesn't know the line "Who ya gonna call?".
 

 

 Black No. 1- Type O Negative: I just stumbled on this song this summer, and I really dig it. Like, a lot. Plus the extended version even says "Everyday is Halloween," so it's automatically a favorite. Not really for kids, but it still rocks.

Little Red Riding Hood- Sam Sham and the Pharaohs: I can never stop thanking Pandora for this little ditty. I frequent the Halloween Party Station (but sometimes it goes on a random tangent), and this gem popped up. I cannot get enough of it. It's so dark and awesome and just great. 

 

Halloween- The Misfists: Anything Danzig comes up with, I love, obviously. But when it's about my other love, Halloween? Then it's pretty much my soul mate. So this song I listen to year round, but it's blasphemy not to play it on Halloween.

Graveyard Party- Be Your Own Pet: This band is killer, but this song? It's so awesome, and it's about zombies partying and drinking and eating people. So pretty much what you'll probably be doing on Halloween (except the eating people...), so you might as well make it your anthem now.

Killer's Touch- The Graveyard Stompers: This band is actually my uncle's band, but they are too amazing to not include! I mean, they dress up as ghouls, have stage names like Ophelia Shiver, and they play all types of different instruments. This is one of their originals, which was filmed at a haunted house by my hometown. If you like what you hear, check out their site! They actually just released their album Who's Got The Mojo, which is chock full of Halloween jams. You won't be disappointed!

Living Dead Girl- Rob Zombie: My older brother listened to White Zombie and then Rob Zombie when I was a wee baby (he even named our dog Zombie), so I was pretty much fated to love rock music and Rob Zombie. Well, sure enough I do and Halloween isn't Halloween without playing any of his music. This is one of my favorites because it's just a good song to move to.

I could keep going on and on and on with this list, but I figured I'd cut it short or else your guests would be dancing for eternity. I'll definitely be moving my feet to these songs in a few days, but for now I'm off to watch Hocus Pocus again to relive my childhood distraction-free!

Friday Eye Candy

I'm baaaaack... And here to bring you some handsome faces to swoon over, too! This FEC theme is sexay vampires. I'm dressing as a vampire pin up tomorrow for a party, so my brain's pretty batty right now.

David from The Lost Boys. I heart bad boy vamps.

So Michael technically wasn't a full vampire, but who cares?!

Of cooourse I couldn't have this post without this man^

Not a Tom Cruise fan, but his Lestat? Fan fo' life.

Interview was just a load of beautiful men, obviously...

Spike has always been my favorite vamp in Buffy. Team Spike!

...Eric Northman, everyone.

My favorite, though? Gary Oldman's Dracula. What a suave man.

This weekend will be crazy busy for me, so I'm taking a little break from blogging this weekend, but I'll be back on Monday to blow up the blogosphere like crazy for the last days before Halloween! Have a lovely weekend!

First Time Carvers

So this weekend was all together a nice early Halloween celebration! My friends came over one night and we watched The Shining. Jack Nicholson is the creepiest person in the world to me... Anyway, then the next night we carved pumpkins, watched Hocus Pocus and then went to a costume party! The lighting is kinda poop, but here's a bunch of pictures from my weekend in all its glory.

Leila's very first pumpkin stab!

Kyra and her ginormous pumpkin.

Leila was not too pleased by the pumpkin guts.

Leah hard at work.

Adding the eyes.

Me and Pugsley!

Me, Pugsley, Leah and 'the Ghost of Halloween Past'.

Leila's very first jack-o-lantern, Baby Derpy!

Earl, Pugsley, G.O.H.P, and Baby Derpy, respectively.

The gang's all here!

I laughed so hard at Leila's wonderful pumpkin. The best part was that she was the last one done carving! Proud o' her. This weekend will be more costumes and Rocky Horror and hopefully if the weather is dry, leaf piles! Hooray!

Paranormal Activity Over the Years

Last night, my friends and I filled an entire row in the center of the movie theater to watch the midnight showing of Paranormal Activity 4. I will admit, I was terrified, but I laughed and screamed the entire time, thanks to a group of guys in front of us making jokes along with us. It was like a big slumber party, except you had to pay eight bucks for your drinks. After seeing it, I thought I'd take a nice little stroll down memory lane with each of the films and compare and contrast them, along with my most memorable moments while watching them.

Paranormal Activity: This movie scared the crap out of me. It came out in 2009, my senior year of high school. I went with some close friends at the time, and the theater was absolutely packed. That was probably the best experience to see it in, when the theater was completely full. You could feel the tension from everyone, and not a single person dared to say anything or look away from the horror on the screen. It was unlike any other film we'd ever seen before (well, Blair Witch Project had influence, but Paranormal had something new entirely).
        Comparison: The first one didn't have any animals, it didn't have any creepy kids, it didn't have any whiny teenagers. All it had was a guy, a girl, and a creepy ass demon. AND THAT WAS ENOUGH. I thought the first one was so simple that it was perfect. It didn't need more than what it had, because let's remember how frightened we were just watching what happened every night in the bedroom. We didn't need to go all over the house, we didn't need more characters, we just needed those footprints of flour and our bladders betrayed us.
        Memory: My friends and I had gone to the theater the night it came out, and the ONLY time they checked my ID was that time. I was eighteen, but I didn't have my ID so I couldn't get in. I WAS FURIOUS. So I immediately got my ID and the next weekend we went! AND I DIDN'T HAVE MY ID CHECKED. Just my luck. The best part, though? Our guy friend was sitting next to my jumpy friend, and it was during a part where it was daylight and no scary things happen during daylight, right? She was texting and all of a sudden a picture frame gets smashed, and she jumped and flailed her arms, punching him right in the eye with her phone. Priceless.

Paranormal Activity 2: I saw this one my freshman year of college, 2010, with my boyfriend Nick. I was dying to see it, it had been out for a week and I needed to see it. So, before he took me back to school on a Sunday night, we decided to go. I didn't really know until we sat down that Nick hated scary movies. And we had gone to see it in IMAX, on the huuuuge screen with surround sound. This one made me jump a bit, but I wasn't as pleased with it as I thought I would be. It didn't really scare me as much, but I will not deny it had some definite creepy parts. The theater wasn't as interactive and was pretty empty (well, we did see it on a school night), so I think that took away from the film.
        Comparison: Well, this was a continuation of the previous film, a prequel and a sequel at the same time, I'd guess? It had a little kid, which you know makes the film 10x creepier because you know shit's gonna go down with him. Then it had the teenage girl who has an annoying boyfriend and a dad that doesn't listen and then the stepmom who ties us to our dear Katie from Paranormal. Just a happy family, right? WRONG. This one definitely ties up a lot of loose ends that the first film gave us, and also makes even new discoveries for the audience. It has a dog, which everyone knows animal sense ghostly presences, so that dog was a definite device to creep you out. Creepiest scene in my opinion? Mom getting dragged down the stairs (it can't be a Paranormal film without someone gettin' a ride on the Spectral Express), or when she's in the room with Hunter when the girl walks in and she jumps up and does this demon-y voice.
        Memory: Well, it was a daytime scene (again!), and I felt Nick kind of relax. I just knew something was going to happen. I tried to predict what would happen, but once the cabinet ripped open and shot out, I could have sworn Nick and I were going to have heart attacks. We both jumped so high, and the few people in the theater all screamed. Everyone looked around and laughed nervously. You got us, PA 2.

Paranormal Activity 3: This came out last year, 2011, when I was a sophomore. I didn't get to see it in theaters, but my friends and I did end up seeing it, watching it in my friend Leah's room. She, my friend Kyra, and I huddled up on Leah's little bed, gripping blankets with our eyes glued to the television. I thought this had better moments than the last one, and the boyfriend and his friend weren't too bad looking. It also gave the audience way more answers to what was up with this demon in the family, and how it came to be and why everything was happening to this family, and why they were all rich as hell.
        Comparison: No animals to creep you out, but now DOUBLE the creepy kid dose! Plusss now one of the kids has an imaginary friend (guess who!), who lives in a little cubby. Not scary, not at all. Paranormal 4 is a prequel to the others, showing how it all started out. I really liked that idea, and thought it was ultra creepy. I will never forget the babysitter moment when the 'kid' stands behind her in a sheet Casper style, then right before she turns around, it falls to the ground. NO THANK YOU. I would never ever babysit there ever again. Oh, and remember when the mom walks into the kitchen and just at the moment where you and her realize that everything is sitting on the ceiling? THEN IT ALL CRASHES DOWN. And then there's that creepy witches' coven that just has to ruin everything. Why couldn't you guys be the Sanderson Sisters, instead?
        Memory: My favorite moment with any of the Paranormal films. We were all huddled there, watching it on this huge TV. It sat on a shelf, where there were some knick-knacks and her roommate's hat that her boyfriend had given her. Well, of course stuff was moving around, thanks to imaginary friend Toby, and a bear in the movie falls off a shelf. Not even two seconds later, the hat falls off the shelf, and I see it starts to fall, so I'm scrambling back, then I start screaming, then we all start screaming and grab each other. Her roommate walks in, thinking we're dying, while the three of us are all hugging and just staring at the hat in terror. That was scarier than any moment in the Paranormal films. Of course, we laughed after the fact, all the while keeping that eye in our sights....

Paranormal Activity 4: Well, let me just say that this one probably has the most intense moments back to back than the others. The last twenty minutes will be a lot of heart gripping, yelling, screaming, and possibly not even looking at the screen. At least that was my experience. I'm not going to say a lot about it, so I won't spoil it to any readers out there, but just be prepared to be pleased. I will tell you that, for me, it left a lot of questions unanswered and not many ties fixed. BUT I did call part of it, in a way. Won't tell you what, but you'll see!
        Comparison: So, just to compare all the ones before to this: Paranormal 4 is a combination of the third one and the second one, in the fact that there is two kids AND a cat, so animals and kids combined make for a weak bladder's enemy. Also, there is the teenage girl that no one listens to, the boyfriend, and parents that barely do anything. And, warning: think Xbox Kinects aren't scary? Think again.
        Memory: Well, I think the whole night was memorable, but I really loved that, at one point, I was hiding my eyes and glanced up for a second and saw that almost half of the guys sitting in front of me were hiding their eyes, too!

Some of the jokes last night were priceless, I wish I could remember them exactly. If you're going to see this, I'd suggest seeing it at a later time when more people are there, or with a large group of friends. If you don't like that community fright feeling, then go on with your bad self and see it alone! I know I wouldn't be able to...

Trick r Treat Stole My Heart

Best Buy, how appropriate your name is for a girl with Trick r Treat in her DVD collection for four dollars now.

 

 As soon as I saw this gem, I knew it had to be mine. After a second of contemplating the happiness I would receive owning this over the four dollars I could have saved for something else, I laughed at my hesitancy and just bought it. I've kind of been on a DVD buying craze (if you call buying Hocus Pocus for ten bucks and then this a craze). I've never actually bought DVDs in my life, so it's a new threshold I'm on, creating a collection of DVDs that aren't just in an old CD case I got in 5th grade burnt from friends.

The first time I actually was able to see Trick r Treat was last year, actually. I'd been wanting to see it since it first came out, being a Halloween movie and all, but I could never find a copy. Ever. I can't tell you how many Family Video searches I went on, and how long I waited for my dad's Netflix to send it to us. Needless to say, I had to wait until I was a sophomore in college where I stumbled upon a copy in one of the dorm's movie rental place thingies. As soon as it started, I was in Halloween Heaven. It's just everything I love, rolled into 82 minutes.

Why do I love this movie so much, you ask? Where do I even begin...

One: It's an anthology that is all connected. I LOVE THAT. I loved watching each story unwind, bleeding over into each other (figuratively and, sometimes, literally). It just creates this nice little intertwined bundle of Halloween night.

Two: The stories are absolutely wonderful. Some lie on the comedy side, some on the pure horror side. Piled together, it's my favorite type of movies in one. 

Three: Anna Paquin is in it. I think she's the cutest little thing ever, and I love most characters she plays. But in Trick r Treat? Her character takes the cake. I won't tell you why, in case you haven't seen it, but it's the greatest thing ever.

Four: The little Halloween spirit-demon-thing Sam is cute. Well, as long as his mask is on. The first time I saw it, he kind of creeped me out, but now I think he's cuuuute. Maybe it's all those crochet dolls of him I've seen. If he showed up to my place in real life, though, (which he wouldn't, because I don't blow out jack-o-lanterns before Halloween's over), I'd probably wet myself.

Five: Like I said in my previous post, it's got the perfect Halloween celebrations I've never got to partake in. If only I lived in that movie....

Six: It teaches you the fundamentals of Halloween and how to respect it in all its spookiness. Okay, maybe not, but it does bring up good points. 

• Don't blow out jack-o-lanterns.
• Don't smash jack-o-lanterns.
• Don't steal kids' candy.
• Don't take all the candy from bowls.
• Don't go ghost hunting around gravesites.
• Don't take down your Halloween decorations before Halloween is over.
• Don't forget to hand out candy.

Most importantly:

• Charlie Brown is an asshole.

Seven: Alright, I'm just going to admit it, I'm a fan of Marilyn Manson. There you go. Well, you can expect my happiness at the point when there was some crazy werewolf transformation and Manson's cover of "Sweet Dreams" accompanied it. Pure Halloween gold.

So, there you have it. Trick r Treat is, unsurprisingly, one of my favorite movies, and probably one of my favorite Halloween films. I mean, it's got all the elements of a great Halloween film! Well, actually if a film just had jack-o-lanterns and kids trick-or-treating, I'd still probably really like it. I'm an easily pleased person.

Sweetest Transvestite in Town

The first time I saw Rocky Horror Picture Show, I was quite confused, for lack of a better word. It was like nothing I had ever seen, and there were so many questions to be asked: "Who were these Transylvanians? Why were they all living in this house? Why did that guy dressed like a girl kill the guy on the bike? WAIT, THEY'RE ALIENS?!". I still really haven't found out the answers to these questions, but now I just look past all the craziness and confusion and instead embrace my inner Frank-N-furter and sing my little heart out every time I watch it.

Well, now this little singalong fan girl is going to attend her first midnight showing of RHPS. Yep, that's right: I'm a fan that's never witnessed the happenings of a midnight showing. I've never thrown toast. I've never held up a newspaper while Janet and Brad sing in the rain. And, the sad thing?
That's all I know that they do at the midnight screenings!

GASP!

 So, here is my attempt at researching, in case you plan on going to your own screening of RHPS, and what to expect (especially for the 'de-virginization', YIKES).

First things first, PROP LIST AND WHEN TO USE WHAT:

rice (or confetti if you want to be on the safe side)- The wedding scene! Once the bride and groom come out of that church, throw that rice (or confetti). When the wedding guests on-screen stop throwing, there's your cue to cut the confetti. Also used when Frank and Rocky go off to the bedroom together


newspaper- So, I've heard that when Janet and Brad get caught in the rain, people tend to throw water (maybe you want to bring some? Maybe not?). Like Janet, I would advise a newspaper to put over your head to keep you nice and dry! As soon as you see rain on the screen, I'd put it up, just to be on the safe side....

water guns- Okay, do NOT quote me on this one, but the list on the Official RHPS Fan Site says that people bring water guns to make their own personal rainstorm (so THAT'S how you bring water...). Wherever you're going, I'd either call the theater to check or just sneak the water in and check to see if anyone else is using it.

flashlights- So, during the line "There's a light" in 'Over at the Frankenstein Place', you light up your flashlight (or handy dandy cell phone screen) and fill the theater with light.

rubber gloves- Doctor Frank-n-furter has gloves on when he's in the laboratory, presenting Rocky. Whenever Frank snaps his gloves, get to snappin' yours!

noisemakers- After Frank's creation speech, the Transylvanians make lotsa noise, mainly with these babies. I'll probably just get a kazoo.

Scotts toiletpaper (or any kind)- I never really understood why toilet paper was thrown until now. When Dr. Scott shows up, Brad yells "Great Scott!". SO, at that point, you throw your Scotts toilet paper. Get it? I had a nice little chuckle at that fact.

toast- Also, not too sure about this being let in the theater (even if it's a classic). When Frank does his toast at dinner, throw your toast! How punny. Be prepared to walk out of that theater with some crumbs in your shirt...

party hat- When Frank puts on a birthday hat before singing 'Happy Birthday' to Rocky, slap one on! Or two or three, your decision.

bell (or keys)- During the song "Planet Janet Schmanet" (a personal favorite of mine!), Frank sings 'Did you hear a bell ring?', ring your bell (bell, bell, ring your bell. Am I the only one that knows that song?).

playing cards that you plan on not getting back- Final song, "I'm Going Home", Franky sings 'Cards for pleasure, cards for pain'. That's your cue to start playing 52 Pick Up minus the picking up.

Supposedly, there are prunes and hot dogs that have been thrown before? I do not advise this. Especially since cold hot dogs are slimey and smell bad.

COSTUMES:
Another big party of the RHPS experience is to go in costume! If you don't know what to go as, I'd suggest a Transylvanian. Pretty much all you need is a black suit jacket, black pants, a bright shirt and a crazy hat and sunglasses. I'm going to dress as Columbia in her jammies (easy and cute!).

DE-VIRGINIZATION: WHAT IS IT?!
Oh jeeze. Well kids, I honestly have this to tell you: pretty much, the 'de-virginization' at a showing is just being put in a really weird and awkward position before the show starts to make the crowd laugh, and then you're done. There's actually some videos of it on youtube, which were interesting and not too bad, but I know some people who'd get embarrassed pretty easily, so it's really all up to you! If you don't want to do it, just simply act cool when they call for all virgins, possibly point to a friend inconspicuously. 

Well, this is what I'll be going through in a couple weeks. I'm really excited, partly terrified, and not at all prepared. I need to get my supplies and costume ready! AND I still have yet to find my Shaun of the Dead costume! Yikes!

If you are going to a RHPS screening this month, let me know how it went and what you thought of it! If you are a veteran at these screenings, let me know some dos and donts of the experience!

*All info found from The Rocky Horror Fan Site!

Halloween In Movies

Anyone else notice that Halloween in movies is just way better than in real life? Fall in general just looks better. The colors are all cool, everyone's dressed up, there are thousands of trick-or-treaters and there's huge costume parties and parades and dances. The cities seem to decorate everything, too. It's like they only celebrate Halloween and just go all out for it. You know what my city does? It gives the kids a curfew that makes filling up on candy nearly impossible. Plus, half the kids just slap on a mask and come to your door, expecting buttloads of Snickers. And you I can probably count on one hand how many houses actually put their heart into decorating their house for Halloween, not just one of those blow-up Snoopies with a pumpkin. If I could give anything, I would want to hop into a Halloween special and live in a orange and black wonderland on a permanent sugar high. Don't know what movies I'm talking about? Feast your eyes and be jealous of the celebrations that your city probably doesn't do.

Hocus Pocus- This costume party is the best costume party I've never been to. The costumes were crazy, the skeleton band was hot, and then there was a spell that made everyone get up and dance (I mean, it was meant to be a curse, but I think dancing until you die would be fun). Hocus Pocus is in Salem, Massachusetts, so that kind of explains all that crazy awesome Halloween party-going, but I'm still super jealous. I mean, why can't I just get into some trouble with three witches and a talking black cat on Halloween? Is that too much to ask?

Trick r Treat- I adore this film. Maybe that's because there's all these Halloween parties and trick-or-treaters that go all out. Oh, and maybe because of that awesome Halloween parade. Yes, you read that right: A HALLOWEEN PARADE. My city doesn't have a Halloween parade. I don't even think that my state has one. Plus, since Halloween's on a weekday, there probably wouldn't even be any festivities. Because my town is a big, conservative bore. Boo!

Goosebumps: The Haunted Mask - Okay, so pretty much every Goosebumps episode could probably work for this, but they always had the perfect fall weather! It always looked so crisp and bright, with the greatest leaf colors and every house decked out with decorations. I watched this episode a couple years ago and was so jealous of the kids getting to trick-or-treat in this awesome pro-Halloween town. It was like a dreamland (all except for that creepy mask).

R.L. Stine's The Haunting Hour: Don't Think About It- Same guy as Goosebumps, but for the newer crowd. Every year I get this movie out and watch it. I don't care if it was made for elementary school kids, I still watched it in high school and got all excited at the festivities in it. I mean, the parents even went to a costume party! ON A SCHOOL NIGHT. I was so jealous. I mean, parents nowadays would just shrug their shoulders, maybe hand out a piece of candy or two, then go to sleep like Halloween was any other boring night. Wrong. It's not, as this movie shows. No ones too old for costume parties.

I wish my town would sit down, watch these films and realize how much awesomeness they're wasting on a beautiful night like Halloween. I mean, throw a damn parade, at least! Even if it's just a bunch of kids in costumes, who cares! At least it's something, jeeze. I think I'm going to go wallow in my sorrows of not having awesome festivities and pine for a talking cat while watching Hocus Pocus.