Monday, October 31, 2022

Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross - Halloween Theme

 

Reznor and Ross covering John Carpenter's legendary score. Happy Halloween, everybody! Remember to check those candies for razor blades.




31 Days of Halloween:

10/1 - Trick 'r Treat
10/2 - Barbarian
10/3 - Hellraiser ('84)
10/4 - Phenomena
10/5 - Hellraiser (2022)
10/6 - The Dark Backward
10/7 - Sick/The Beyond
10/8 - Werewolf By Night
10/9 - Something in the Dirt
10/10 - Let the Right One In Episode 1/Lux Aeterna
10/11 - My Best Friend's Exorcism/Grimcutty
10/12 - Smile
10/13 - Monstrous/VHS (Amateur Night segment)
10/14 - Halloween Kills
10/15 - Halloween Ends/Ed Wood/Plan 9 From Outer Space
10/16 - Spider Baby/101 Scariest Horror Movie Moments/Night's End/Behemoth
10/17 - Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon
10/18 - Random Acts of Violence/Two Witches/Let the Right One In Episode 2
10/19 - Footprints on the Moon/976-EVIL
10/20 - Alison's Birthday/Tone Deaf
10/21 - Elviria's Haunted Hills/Popcorn
10/22 - Resolution
10/23 - The Endless
10/24 - VHS 99
10/25 - Tigers Are Not Afraid
10/26 - Bliss
10/27 - Deadstream/Host
10/28 - The Convent
10/29 - Lot 36 (GDT's CoC ep. 1)/George A. Romero's Dawn of the Dead 3D/Return of the Living Dead
10/30 - Lords of Salem

After watching Rob Zombie's Lords of Salem for the third time last night, I'm pretty sure I consider it his masterpiece. I'll always love House and Rejects, but Lords is something else entirely. At first pass I didn't much care for it; then, a few years later I rewatched it and realized I was completely applying my frustrations with his other films to this one. I came around, and regularly described it in conversation (where I was often defending it) as, "It's Zombie doing Argento." There's certainly some truth to that, but to leave it there is a disservice to the film. Lords of Salem is the first completely serious, mature, elegant film he's made. Again, not that there aren't other movies by Mr. Zombie that I love (I dig most of them to one degree or another), but he has certain affectations that repeat throughout his oeuvre and sometimes prevent his films from being, first and foremost, Rob Zombie films. Lords of Salem shatters these restraints and becomes something else. The film is extremely visceral and, at times, downright unnerving in a pure psychological way. Its imagery is like nothing I've ever seen - even in Zombie's other films - and the mechanism by which the Horror in his story takes root and unfolds leans on folklore, myth, drawing a damning line between the pathos of modern humanity and our ancestors, proving we're not dissimilar enough to judge the past. 


I'd had the itch to watch this one of late, and I'm glad I waited until Devil's Night to do so. Next up, 31!




Read:

One of the books I picked up within the last two weeks but only just got around to reading 


I had no idea this was even coming out when I saw it on the shelf at Rick's Comic City. A few years ago, Butcher from The Horror Vision let me borrow the old FantaCo Night of the Living Dead prestige series, something I had never read. Now,  American Mythology Comics has joined with Romero's Image Ten to release a series that seems as though it will re-tell and expand on the story from the film we all know and love. Of interesting note, the scene in the FantaCo that really made the series for me was having the tribulations Ben describes as preceding his arrival at the farmhouse actually brought to life. We see that again in this book, so despite being a bit of a repeat if you read those FantaCos, it still signals - to me at least - that we may be in for a fun ride here. We'll see. 




Playlist:

✝✝✝ - Vivian (single)
✝✝✝ - Initiation/Protection
The Sisters of Mercy - Floodland
Here Lies Lucy - Heaven or HLL EP
John Carpenter and Alan Howarth - Halloween III: Season of the Witch OST
John Carpenter and Alan Howarth - Prince of Darkness OST




Card:

From Jonathan Grimm's Bound Tarot, which you can buy HERE.


For every inspiration, multiple, digressive pathways branch out and weaken its fundamental strength. Remain true to the voice of the idea. 

Directly referencing my current project once again. When I look back at previous posts that I made close to the completion of my other books, I notice the cards always begin to speak directly about the project of the moment. It's a good sign, these tools that allow my subconscious to speak directly to my oft-distracted conscious mind, reminding it how best to approach my craft when it nears completion and, thus, release into the world at large.

A final reminder, only a few hours left to back Grimm's Kickstarter for The Art of the Bound Tarot hardcover art book. Back the project HERE.

Sunday, October 30, 2022

New Music From †††


I've always dug Chino Moreno's other band, †††, but for whatever reason, their music has never hit me the same way the Deftones does.

This song changes that completely.

The Crosses store is located HERE. No pre-orders up for the forthcoming album Permanent.Radiant, but you can still grab a standard black vinyl edition of the recent Initiation/Protection EP that dropped a few months back.




31 Days of Halloween:

10/1 - Trick 'r Treat
10/2 - Barbarian
10/3 - Hellraiser ('84)
10/4 - Phenomena
10/5 - Hellraiser (2022)
10/6 - The Dark Backward
10/7 - Sick/The Beyond
10/8 - Werewolf By Night
10/9 - Something in the Dirt
10/10 - Let the Right One In Episode 1/Lux Aeterna
10/11 - My Best Friend's Exorcism/Grimcutty
10/12 - Smile
10/13 - Monstrous/VHS (Amateur Night segment)
10/14 - Halloween Kills
10/15 - Halloween Ends/Ed Wood/Plan 9 From Outer Space
10/16 - Spider Baby/101 Scariest Horror Movie Moments/Night's End/Behemoth
10/17 - Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon
10/18 - Random Acts of Violence/Two Witches/Let the Right One In Episode 2
10/19 - Footprints on the Moon/976-EVIL
10/20 - Alison's Birthday/Tone Deaf
10/21 - Elviria's Haunted Hills/Popcorn
10/22 - Resolution
10/23 - The Endless
10/24 - VHS 99
10/25 - Tigers Are Not Afraid
10/26 - Bliss
10/27 - Deadstream/Host
10/28 - The Convent
10/29 - Lot 36 (GDT's CoC ep. 1)/George A. Romero's Dawn of the Dead/Return of the Living Dead

I had completely forgotten that Guillermo Del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities landed on Netflix this past week. Totally blown away by the first episode. Directed by GDT's frequent Cinematographer, Guillermo Narravo, Lot 36 is not for the faint of heart. I'm really digging this darker tone Del Toro's work has had of late (it's always been dark, but I feel like starting with his Nightmare Alley, there is a fatalistic streak that's just nasty enough to be titillating, but not far gone enough to be mean.)


The list of Directors GDT enlisted for this is pretty fantastic as well, so I'm thinking every episode will be an immediate classic.




Read:

Sometime in the past week and a half, I sat down and did my annual reading of Rick Spears and Rob G.'s Teenagers From Mars.


I really can't love a comic more than this one. A light-hearted tale of small-town pandemonium against comic books and youth culture, I'm always shocked to remember this originally came out in 2003, as it seems a product of the 80s or early 90s, which I think is when the story takes place.
Either way, this one is such a friendly amalgamation of all the things I love: Comic Books, Horror Movies, and Punk Rock, and although it doesn't take place on Halloween, with its zombie face-paint party and grave-robbing subplot, it certainly feels like it does.

Unfortunately, I still can't find my copy of my other annual Halloween read, James O'Barr's original graphic novel The Crow. So many of my books remain packed until I buy bookcases, so this year, I will have to push that reading off. 




Playlist:

Electric Wizard - Wizard Bloody Wizard
Bexley - Female Hysteria (single)
The Cure - Seventeen Seconds Deluxe Edition*
The Nukes - Why Things Burn
Cough & Windhand - Reflection of the Negative 
Various - Joe Begos' Bliss Playlist
Zombi - Shape Shift
Pilot Priest and Electric Youth - Come True OST
The Misfits - Static Age

* I don't normally denote deluxe editions here, but I have to say, the live tracks that more than double this release's size are fantastic. 




Card:

From Jonathan Grimm's Bound Tarot, which you can buy HERE.


Trust my inner vision during the process of finalizing this current project I'm working on will bring it to fruition. 


Another reminder that we're down to the last hours to get in on Grimm's Kickstarter for The Art of the Bound Tarot hardcover art book. Back the project HERE.

Friday, October 28, 2022

New Music From Fever Ray!


This dropped a few days ago and I totally missed it. New music from Fever Ray, and if what I read is accurate, this track reunites Karin with her brother Olof, effectively making this a The Knife reunion!




31 Days of Halloween:

10/1 - Trick 'r Treat
10/2 - Barbarian
10/3 - Hellraiser ('84)
10/4 - Phenomena
10/5 - Hellraiser (2022)
10/6 - The Dark Backward
10/7 - Sick/The Beyond
10/8 - Werewolf By Night
10/9 - Something in the Dirt
10/10 - Let the Right One In Episode 1/Lux Aeterna
10/11 - My Best Friend's Exorcism/Grimcutty
10/12 - Smile
10/13 - Monstrous/VHS (Amateur Night segment)
10/14 - Halloween Kills
10/15 - Halloween Ends/Ed Wood/Plan 9 From Outer Space
10/16 - Spider Baby/101 Scariest Horror Movie Moments/Night's End/Behemoth
10/17 - Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon
10/18 - Random Acts of Violence/Two Witches/Let the Right One In Episode 2
10/19 - 976-EVIL
10/20 - Alison's Birthday/Tone Deaf
10/21 - Elviria's Haunted Hills/Popcorn
10/22 - Resolution
10/23 - The Endless
10/24 - VHS 99
10/25 - Tigers Are Not Afraid
10/26 - Bliss
10/27 - Deadstream/Host

Deadstream has been on my radar for a while, but when I saw the trailer at this year's Beyondfest, I felt certain the film wouldn't be for me. Movies that feature influencers/youtubers as unlikeable protagonists who eventually receive a comeuppance don't usually make up for actually having to follow them through the first act-and-a-half. I wrote a bit more extensively about this in my Letterbxd review HERE, but suffice it to say, I ended up really liking this flick. 

Found footage films are a dime a dozen, however, when done right they may be the last corner of Horror capable of truly frightening me. I'm not talking about jump scares or gross-outs, I'm talking about the Magic that occurs when a film truly inspires sustained and palpable fear in me as a viewer. 

 

After this and the To Hell and Back segment they did for V/H/S/99, I can't wait to see what Joseph and Vanessa Winters do next.
 


Watch:

Servant's fourth and final season lands in January, and they've dropped a trailer. I'm posting this, but probably not going to watch it.


Damn, I love this show. Hope it goes out with a "Bang."




Playlist:

A001 - Necro (single)
Type O Negative - Origin of the Feces
The Thirsty Crows - Hangman's Noose
The Veils - Total Depravity
Fever Ray - What They Call Us (single)
The Knife - Heartbeats (single)
The Knife - Full of Fire (single)
Various - Joe Begos' Bliss Playlist
Electric Wizard - Dopethrone
Electric Wizard - Wizard, Bloody Wizard
Bad Looks - Bad Looks Single




Card:

From Jonathan Grimm's Bound Tarot, which you can buy HERE.


The results I'm after will only be achieved through a combination of Will and Emotional detachment/clarity.

Also, only four days left to get in on Grimm's Kickstarter for The Art of the Bound Tarot hardcover art book. I'm throwing down today, you should too if you dig the art on these glorious cards. Back the project HERE.

Thursday, October 27, 2022

Antonio Sánchez feating Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross


New music from world-renowned drummer Antonio Sanchez. This is the first single off his upcoming Shift (Bad Hombre, Vol. 2) album, and it features Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. You can order the new album  HERE.




31 Days of Halloween:

10/1 - Trick 'r Treat
10/2 - Barbarian
10/3 - Hellraiser ('84)
10/4 - Phenomena
10/5 - Hellraiser (2022)
10/6 - The Dark Backward
10/7 - Sick/The Beyond
10/8 - Werewolf By Night
10/9 - Something in the Dirt
10/10 - Let the Right One In Episode 1/Lux Aeterna
10/11 - My Best Friend's Exorcism/Grimcutty
10/12 - Smile
10/13 - Monstrous/VHS (Amateur Night segment)
10/14 - Halloween Kills
10/15 - Halloween Ends/Ed Wood/Plan 9 From Outer Space
10/16 - Spider Baby/101 Scariest Horror Movie Moments/Night's End/Behemoth
10/17 - Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon
10/18 - Random Acts of Violence/Two Witches/Let the Right One In Episode 2
10/19 - 976-EVIL
10/20 - Alison's Birthday/Tone Deaf
10/21 - Elviria's Haunted Hills/Popcorn
10/22 - Resolution
10/23 - The Endless
10/24 - VHS 99
10/25 - Tigers Are Not Afraid
10/26 - Bliss

No matter how many times I watch Joe Begos' Bliss, it just gets better and more inspiring. 


There are ideas in this film that I think rank among the greatest contributions to the modern Vampire myth, and the execution only helps seal that. My big regret from this year's Beyondfest was that I already had tickets to see Zeal and Ardor at the Echoplex when Begos' new film Christmas, Bloody Christmas screened. That's the first of his films I haven't seen on the big screen at Beyondfest since a bunch of friends and I saw Mind's Eye, which sealed my love of his aesthetic.




Watch:

I finally got to see Moonage Daydream on the big screen. This was one I almost missed, but with my good friend Grez in town, we headed into Nashville to the wonderful Belcourt Theatre and saw a late showing. 


So how is it? Fantastic. Not a documentary with a narrative so much as it is a constantly evolving series of clips - interviews, performances, personal journal stuff - a slightly linear trajectory through David Bowie's life as an artist, or perhaps rather, a series of artists, dappled with some intimate peaks behind the thin, white curtain at the man behind those personas. Built for the big screen.




Playlist:

King Woman - I Wanna Be Adored (single)
The Stone Roses - I Wanna Be Adored (single)
Cold Cave - Cherish the Light Years
Type O Negative - Dead Again
Lindsey Buckingham - Gift of Screws
David Bowie - The Next Day




Card:

From Jonathan Grimm's Bound Tarot, which you can buy HERE.


Pretty straightforward. 

Only five days left to get in on Grimm's Kickstarter for The Art of the Bound Tarot hardcover art book. I'm throwing down today, you should too if you dig the art on these glorious cards. Back the project HERE.

Wednesday, October 26, 2022

Second Still - Altar

 

The bass guitar at the end of this track is like some heady hallucinogenic concoction. Man, I forgot how much I love Second Still, whose Bandcamp is HERE.




31 Days of Halloween:

10/1 - Trick 'r Treat
10/2 - Barbarian
10/3 - Hellraiser ('84)
10/4 - Phenomena
10/5 - Hellraiser (2022)
10/6 - The Dark Backward
10/7 - Sick/The Beyond
10/8 - Werewolf By Night
10/9 - Something in the Dirt
10/10 - Let the Right One In Episode 1/Lux Aeterna
10/11 - My Best Friend's Exorcism/Grimcutty
10/12 - Smile
10/13 - Monstrous/VHS (Amateur Night segment)
10/14 - Halloween Kills
10/15 - Halloween Ends/Ed Wood/Plan 9 From Outer Space
10/16 - Spider Baby/101 Scariest Horror Movie Moments/Night's End/Behemoth
10/17 - Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon
10/18 - Random Acts of Violence/Two Witches/Let the Right One In Episode 2
10/19 - 976-EVIL
10/20 - Alison's Birthday/Tone Deaf
10/21 - Elviria's Haunted Hills/Popcorn
10/22 - Resolution
10/23 - The Endless
10/24 - VHS 99
10/25 - Tigers Are Not Afraid




NCBD:

All hail NCBD!!!

Spidey vs. Hobgoblin? 'Nuff said.


Loved the first issue more than I liked most of what they've done with the new series on Shudder. Let's go issue two!


A new Wytches story? Sold. 

Okay, let's see just how "Earth-shaking" this finale is.


Werewolf By Moon Knight? So this is picking up where the story in last week's Crypt of Shadows left off. Super cool. After all, 'tis the season for Werewolves.


It's come to my attention that at some point, this book is likely to switch back over to following Stephen Stange. Nothing against ol' Steve, but I'll be cutting at that point. This arc with Clea, however, continues to surprise and delight me.


First issue of this new Horror Anthology was pretty great. R.L. Stine was after my time reading books for Young Adults, but I always appreciated the fact that his stuff seemed to serve as gateway horror to so many just a few years younger than me. By the looks of this book, Stine is moving his audience age up to a considerably more mature demographic, and if it maintains the level of the first issue, count me in.


I really dug the first issue of this re-branding of the way old X-Terminators idea, so let's see where this goes.




Playlist:

Dance with the Dead - Into the Abyss
Fields of the Nephilim - The Nephilim
The Final Cut - Consumed
Sisters of Mercy - Floodland
Second Still - Equals EP
Les Descrets - Prédateurs
Perturbator - Nocturne City EP
Perturbator - Dangerous Days
King Woman - Celestial Blues




Card:

From Jonathan Grimm's Bound Tarot, which you can buy HERE.


Encouraging words to make a decision and pull the trigger on sending out this new story I finally finished but am fussing with.

Tuesday, October 25, 2022

Beastmilk - Death Reflects Us

 

A little Beastmilk for your Tuesday morning, from their 2013 album Climax, a start-to-finish solid album. 




31 Days of Halloween:

10/1 - Trick 'r Treat
10/2 - Barbarian
10/3 - Hellraiser ('84)
10/4 - Phenomena
10/5 - Hellraiser (2022)
10/6 - The Dark Backward
10/7 - Sick/The Beyond
10/8 - Werewolf By Night
10/9 - Something in the Dirt
10/10 - Let the Right One In Episode 1/Lux Aeterna
10/11 - My Best Friend's Exorcism/Grimcutty
10/12 - Smile
10/13 - Monstrous/VHS (Amateur Night segment)
10/14 - Halloween Kills
10/15 - Halloween Ends/Ed Wood/Plan 9 From Outer Space
10/16 - Spider Baby/101 Scariest Horror Movie Moments/Night's End/Behemoth
10/17 - Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon
10/18 - Random Acts of Violence/Two Witches/Let the Right One In Episode 2
10/19 - 976-EVIL
10/20 - Alison's Birthday/Tone Deaf
10/21 - Elviria's Haunted Hills/Popcorn
10/22 - Resolution
10/23 - The Endless
10/24 - V/H/S/99

Well, another year, another VHS film. At first, I thought I was going to hate this one as much as the previous entry, but Johannes Roberts' Suicide Bid and Joseph & Vanessa Winter's To Hell and Back proved to be pretty great (Suicide Bid especially), and Tyler MacIntyre's The Gawkers won me over despite having the most unlikable characters I've seen since the Adam Wingard's Tape 56 in the original V/H/S. I know that's the point, but these characters - like so many in the V/H/S franchise - are so despicable, not even watching them die horrible deaths doesn't make up for what they put you through.


I'm also aware that the entire aesthetic of these films isn't really congruent with my tastes, so there's a definite disconnect there as well. All in all, despite how I feel about the series as a whole, I'd say they're all definitely worth watching, despite what I would call diminishing returns.




Playlist:

The Teardrop Explodes - Kilimanjaro
Steve Moore - Mind's Eye OST
Joy Division - Still
Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats - Wasteland
Zeal and Ardor - Eponymous
The Northern Boys - Party Time (single)
David Bowie - Earthling
Sour Deluxe - Manchester (single)
The Blues Brothers - Rubber Biscuit (single)
Lynard Skynard - Gimme Back My Bullet
Lynard Skynard - Street Survivors
Kermit Ruffins - Chicken and Dumplings (single)
Dr. John - Gris Gris
Sylvaine - Nova
Bauhaus - The Sky's Gone Out
Beastmilk - Climax
Youth Code - Eponymous
David Lynch & Marek Zebrowski - Polish Night Music




Card:


Feeling it. For real. 

Friday, October 21, 2022

No Animal Escapes


Been a minute since I threw on some Youth Code. Still love their 2013 eponymous debut. Skinny Puppy vibes big time.




31 Days of Halloween:

10/1 - Trick 'r Treat
10/2 - Barbarian
10/3 - Hellraiser ('84)
10/4 - Phenomena
10/5 - Hellraiser (2022)
10/6 - The Dark Backward
10/7 - Sick/The Beyond
10/8 - Werewolf By Night
10/9 - Something in the Dirt
10/10 - Let the Right One In Episode 1/Lux Aeterna
10/11 - My Best Friend's Exorcism/Grimcutty
10/12 - Smile
10/13 - Monstrous/VHS (Amateur Night segment)
10/14 - Halloween Kills
10/15 - Halloween Ends/Ed Wood/Plan 9 From Outer Space
10/16 - Spider Baby/101 Scariest Horror Movie Moments/Night's End/Behemoth
10/17 - Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon
10/18 - Random Acts of Violence/Two Witches/Let the Right One In Episode 2
10/19 - 976-EVIL
10/20 - Alison's Birthday/Tone Deaf




Playlist:

John Carpenter and Alan Howarth - Halloween III: Season of the Witch OST
Youth Code - Eponymous
Skinny Puppy - Too Dark Park
Attrition - In the Realm of the Hungry Ghosts
The Soft Moon - Exister
Dance With the Dead - B-Sides, Vo1. 1

Thursday, October 20, 2022

The Days of Swine and Roses

 

I'm sure I've posted this particular MLWTTKK track here before, but it bears repeating. So much awesomeness. 




31 Days of Halloween:

10/1 - Trick 'r Treat
10/2 - Barbarian
10/3 - Hellraiser ('84)
10/4 - Phenomena
10/5 - Hellraiser (2022)
10/6 - The Dark Backward
10/7 - Sick/The Beyond
10/8 - Werewolf By Night
10/9 - Something in the Dirt
10/10 - Let the Right One In Episode 1/Lux Aeterna
10/11 - My Best Friend's Exorcism/Grimcutty
10/12 - Smile
10/13 - Monstrous/VHS (Amateur Night segment)
10/14 - Halloween Kills
10/15 - Halloween Ends/Ed Wood/Plan 9 From Outer Space
10/16 - Spider Baby/101 Scariest Horror Movie Moments/Night's End/Behemoth
10/17 - Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon
10/18 - Random Acts of Violence/Two Witches/Let the Right One In Episode 2
10/19 - 976-EVIL




Read:

After finishing Spider-Man: Kraven's Last Hunt on Friday, I surprised myself by digging out Todd McFarlane's sequel, the first five issues of his short-lived fourth Spider-Man series first launched in 1990 at the height of the artist frenzy that led McFarlane, Leifeld and a bunch of other in-demand zeitgeist artists to split off from Marvel and start Image Comics. 


"Torment" is a thinly written and now artistically dated sequel to Kraven's final story, wherein a villain named Calypso uses Voodoo to control Dr. Kurt Connors' deadly reptilian alter-ego The Lizard to attack Spider-Man. It's not terrible, but it's kinda close to terrible, especially the way Todd makes every issue start with narration that leads into the phrase "Rise Above it all" on the opening credits-splash. By issue two this gimmick felt forced, by issue five I could barely keep my eyes from rolling out of their sockets. Not to be a dick; this was McFarlane's first job as a writer, and I think that shows and was done better than a lot of first-time writers would have done. What doesn't help things is how busy his art is. Yes, it's awesome in terms of style, ideas and proportions, but there's just so much going on with each page that often, I just read the words and flipped to the next page instead of giving myself a headache trying to ascertain just what impossible contortion Spidey or the Lizard were in as they fought across a good half the pages in the overall arc. 


The first two arcs in this series had a huge impact on me when they first came out, however, for the most part, they have not aged well. That said, it's been at least 30 years since I've read these, so I figured why not? I'll probably go directly into the Wendigo/Wolverine storyline that follows Torment in issues 6-10. that was my favorite. I'll report back if that one holds up better.
 


Playlist:

Various - Every Day (Is Halloween) Chicago Industrial Playlist
Carpenter Brut - Leather Terror
Sisters of Mercy - Floodland
Joy Division - Unknown Pleasures
Here Lies Lucy - Heaven or HLL EP
Fantômas - The Director's Cut
The Soft Moon - Exister
The Cure - Pornography
London After Midnight - Kiss (Club Mix) single
Carpenter Brut - Blood Machines OST




Card:

From Jonathan Grimm's Bound Tarot, which you can buy HERE.


Loud and clear. I have already realized that I've constructed a bit of a creative trap for myself lately, and a lot of it has to do with what these cards are very visually, on-the-nose saying: I'm drinking too much and it's tying my hands on my creative pursuits. I need to chill and get back into the routine I had going in September: Wake up by 8:00 AM so I can punch-out by 4:30 PM, then head out and spend at least an hour-and-a-half writing.

Tuesday, October 18, 2022

Your Favorite Toy

 

From Ritual Veil's 2017's Wolf in the Night EP, available from Avant! Records. The Ritual Veil Bandcamp is located HERE.




31 Days of Halloween:

10/1 - Trick 'r Treat
10/2 - Barbarian
10/3 - Hellraiser ('84)
10/4 - Phenomena
10/5 - Hellraiser (2022)
10/6 - The Dark Backward
10/7 - Sick/The Beyond
10/8 - Werewolf By Night
10/9 - Something in the Dirt
10/10 - Let the Right One In Episode 1/Lux Aeterna
10/11 - My Best Friend's Exorcism/Grimcutty
10/12 - Smile
10/13 - Monstrous/VHS (Amateur Night segment)
10/14 - Halloween Kills
10/15 - Halloween Ends/Ed Wood/Plan 9 From Outer Space
10/16 - Spider Baby/101 Scariest Horror Movie Moments/Night's End/Behemoth
10/17 - Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon
10/18 - Random Acts of Violence/Two Witches/Let the Right One In Episode 2

 

Two Witches is a new film that just hit Arrow's streaming app on 10/17. Pretty damn good, and would make a fantastic double feature with H6LLB6ND6R. Props to Peter Tsigaridis on his first feature.




NCBD:

Pretty big haul this week. Damn. 


Not entirely sure I'll be continuing this one, but I can at least give it to the end of the second issue, if not the first arc (much like the last).


A Halloween one-off that immediately earns my $$$ by featuring not just Moon Knight but Man-Thing (aka Ted) on the cover. SOLD!


The final issue! Holy sh*t! End of an era indeed. I will miss Deadly Class so very much. This and Black Science - both by Rick Remender - defined a certain era of my life, and as sad as I was to see Black Science end a few years ago, it's Deadly Class that will be taking my heart with it. That said, I always prefer the books that leave too soon than those that overstay their welcome. Kudos to Mr. Remender for holding his ground on all these titles launched under his Giant Generator imprint. Can't wait to see what's next.


Moon Knight!


Issue one blew me away. 

So far so good on this Predator series. This issue, I believe we have a big throw-down coming. 


Final Issue? I'm not really sure. This story is, as I've said previously, completely insane. 


Yes! Finally, the fireman's story!


I really can't wait for this series to get in gear; feels like it's been MONTHS since issue #1. 


Love this cover. That face on Forge's vest - Krakoa? Either way, it's creepin' me the f*&k out.




Playlist:

Fantômas - The Director's Cut
Diamond Galas - The Litanies of Satan
Sa Bruxa - Ritual
Ritual Veil - Wolf in the Night EP
Odonis Odonis - Spectrums
Various - Every Day (Is Halloween) Chicago Industrial Playlist
Here Lies Lucy - Heaven or HLL EP
Carpenter Brut - Blood Machines OST




Card:


I've been wanting to pull the Raven Tarot back out, but as I've been in three-card-spread mode, and I can't imagine doing a spread with all Major Arcana cards, I had to find a way to augment the reading. Then I thought, hell -why not mix two decks. Voila! A lot of good ideas bring abound fresh ideas, fresh breath and better circumstances.

Monday, October 17, 2022

AHS NYC

 

Happy Monday, October 17th! Here's some Dance with the Dead to wake all our asses up! From the B-Sides: Vol. 1 collection, which is available on the group's Bandcamp HERE.




31 Days of Halloween:

10/1 - Trick 'r Treat
10/2 - Barbarian
10/3 - Hellraiser ('84)
10/4 - Phenomena
10/5 - Hellraiser (2022)
10/6 - The Dark Backward
10/7 - Sick/The Beyond
10/8 - Werewolf By Night
10/9 - Something in the Dirt
10/10 - Let the Right One in Episode 1/Lux Aeterna
10/11 - My Best Friend's Exorcism/Grimcutty
10/12 - Smile
10/13 - Monstrous/VHS (Amateur Night segment)
10/14 - Halloween Kills
10/15 - Halloween Ends/Ed Wood/Plan 9 From Outer Space
10/16 - Spider Baby/101 Scariest Horror Movie Moments/Night's End/Behemoth

Jennifer Reeder's Night's End hit Shudder a few months back as a Shudder original and kind of got pushed right past my radar by all the other titles that came in hot on its heels. Luckily, while browsing back through the "All Movies" heading, I stumbled on it. Fantastic film. a tight 81 minutes, this one really pulls you into the protagonist's inner world with visual cues, then kind of explodes all over the place in the final act. Loved it.



Also, we have the first episode of AHS NYC dropping this coming Wednesday, and I'm pretty excited. I don't think it's any coincidence that this season lands just after David Bruckner's Hellraiser and appears to focus on a lot of the same imagery and even, possibly, an extension of the scene that inspired Barker to write the original The Hellbound Heart


Will this be American Horror Story's version of Hellraiser? Probably not exactly, but it looks like it will scratch a similar itch.




Playlist:

Boy Harsher - Burn It Down EP
Boy Harsher - Careful
Miranda Sex Garden - Fairytales of Slavery
Type O Negative - Dead Again
Public Memory - Veil of Counsel EP
G.I.S.M. - Detestation
Jammes Luckett - May OST
Goblin - 2013 Tour EP
Claudio Simonetti - Phenomena OST
Jim Williams - Possessor OST




Card:

From Jonathan Grimm's Bound Tarot, which you can buy HERE.


Say no more. This is one of those "loud and clear" readings: I haven't gotten shit down with writing in weeks. The second week in LA, when I stayed with friends, fine. That's an excuse. Working, commuting, seeing almost a flick a night and a concert? But I've been back a week tonight (technically a week tomorrow morning) and I've only written once. That has to change. I need to focus my energies on that time, and apply my Will. 

Sunday, October 16, 2022

Havana Lied

 

Currently eying a vinyl copy of this in Denmark. One of my favorite albums of all time, and absolutely perfect for the grey, rainy Autumn weather I'm currently immersed in.
 



31 Days of Halloween:

10/1 - Trick 'r Treat
10/2 - Barbarian
10/3 - Hellraiser ('84)
10/4 - Phenomena
10/5 - Hellraiser (2022)
10/6 - The Dark Backward
10/7 - Sick/The Beyond
10/8 - Werewolf By Night
10/9 - Something in the Dirt
10/10 - Let the Right One in Episode 1/Lux Aeterna
10/11 - My Best Friend's Exorcism/Grimcutty
10/12 - Smile
10/13 - Monstrous/VHS (Amateur Night segment)
10/14 - Halloween Kills
10/15 - Halloween Ends/Ed Wood/Plan 9 From Outer Space

BIG movie day yesterday. I've hyperlinked two of those entries because I wrote Letterbxd reviews for each. Also, the episode of The Horror Vision that will drop later today/early tomorrow will be our Spoiler-Free/Full-Spoiler Halloween Ends entry, so definitely check that out if you need a reason to see it (then stop it when we go spoilers), or, if you've already seen the film, Butcher and I do a fairly deep discussion on it. In a nutshell, we both really liked it.




Playlist:

Dance With the Dead - B-Sides, Vol. 1
Goblin - Tour 2013 EP
Claudio Simonetti - Phenomena OST
Boy Harsher - Burn It Down
Shawn's Halloween Playlist on Spotify

Saturday, October 15, 2022

Boy Harsher - Burn It Down

 

A new EP dropped from Boy Harsher, and for four tracks consisting of entirely reworking one song - the titular Burn It Down - I dig. The "Rework" version above is probably my favorite. These two have kind of blown up since I saw them open for The Soft Moon back in, Christ, 2016. A short film on Shudder, quite a few high-profile live shows and notoriety from a lot of their peers in both the music and film communities, but I hope this release heralds a new album on the horizon. 




31 Days of Halloween:

10/1 - Trick 'r Treat
10/2 - Barbarian
10/3 - Hellraiser ('84)
10/4 - Phenomena
10/5 - Hellraiser (2022)
10/6 - The Dark Backward
10/7 - Sick/The Beyond
10/8 - Werewolf By Night
10/9 - Something in the Dirt
10/10 - Let the Right One in Episode 1/Lux Aeterna
10/11 - My Best Friend's Exorcism/Grimcutty
10/12 - Smile
10/13 - Monstrous/VHS (Amateur Night segment)
10/14 - Halloween Kills




Read:

I have to give a very enthusiastic recommendation for two Horror comics that came out recently. First, Scott Snyder and Francesco Francavilla's Night of the Ghoul:


My god was this first issue spectacular. Working on the premise that the screenwriter who wrote the original Universal Monsters (or this book's version of them) also wrote an autobiographical Horror film that was burned and lost due to its revelation of actual events, this book really goes deep into story and sets the stage for what will be - if Snyder's other works are to be considered - a fantastic Horror epic. Can't wait for issue two.

Secondly, Joshua Williamson and Andre Bressan's Dark Ride:


This book reunites the team who did the book Birthright, which despite not being into I mention here because I know a lot of folks who loved that book. Dark Ride presupposes a deal with dark forces decades ago has led to the creation of a mega-corporation Horror theme park - a place Horror fans travel from all over the world to visit, but which actually contains dark, terrible secrets which are all coming to a boil based on inner-family agendas. Another book that I really liked and can't wait to continue, and another with a huge first issue.




Playlist:

Fantomas - The Director's Cut
Boy Harsher - Burn It Down EP
Boy Harsher - Careful
Cold Cave - Full Cold Moon
Bad Looks - Eponymous (Single)
Final Light - Eponymous




Card:


Determination can disrupt harmony - I suppose in some manner of speaking that's its job - and this can lead to uneven thinking; the concern or worry that good things will not last, or after disruption, stabilization will become impossible to achieve again. I think I need a clarifier here, so:


Well, that's pretty clear, isn't it? Always nice when the cards cut right to the point.

Friday, October 14, 2022

Let the Right One In

 
How about a little Fields of the Nephilim to start this fine Autumn day, eh? I'm telling you, the leaves are crispy and colorful, the air is cool with hints of smoke and rain, and my brain is full-on October. Oh, how I have missed this!!!




31 Days of Halloween:

First, I totally forgot that I watched the first episode of Showtime's new Let the Right One In series earlier in the week, so I've added that below. I was one of those weird moments where I was talking to someone about it the night before, my phone obviously overheard me say I was considering re-subscribing to Showtime to watch it, and the next day I had an email from Showtime offering $3.99 a month for the next three months. 

Sold.

 
I REALLY liked the first episode. Great setup for an ongoing series based on this. Reminds me that I never read the novel, and should do that at some point. The author, John Ajvide Lindqvist, also wrote Handling the Dead, which I read a few years back and really dug. 

10/1 - Trick 'r Treat
10/2 - Barbarian
10/3 - Hellraiser ('84)
10/4 - Phenomena
10/5 - Hellraiser (2022)
10/6 - The Dark Backward
10/7 - Sick/The Beyond
10/8 - Werewolf By Night
10/9 - Something in the Dirt
10/10 - Let the Right One in Episode 1/Lux Aeterna
10/11 - My Best Friend's Exorcism/Grimcutty
10/12 - Smile
10/13 - Monstrous/VHS (Amateur Night segment)

While scrolling around Showtime, I noticed Chris Sivertson's Monstrous is on the platform; this is a flick I'd been meaning to see for some time, but which completely dropped off my radar shortly after I posted the trailer back in April. Ends up, Monstrous is a very well-made and gorgeous movie that I didn't quite take to, despite everything on screen looking and feeling great. This may have been due to some stomach issues I've been having forcing us to pause the film several times, creating gaps in the experience. Whatever the case, if you have Showtime, it's worth checking out.




Read:

Almost every year I read two Graphic Novels in October, Rick Spears and Rob G's Teenagers from Mars and James O'Barr's original The Crow. This year, however, since I still haven't acquired bookshelves, A LOT of my books are still packed. I plan on rifling through everything to find these, but in the meantime, the hankering came over me the other night and I realized I would now add a third because it totally fits this time of year for me, and because it was right in front of me:


Originally reading Kraven's Last Hunt as it was published across all three Spidey titles at the time (Amazing, Spectacular and Web) in October of 1987 (I was eleven), I think this is the series that defined my love for Spider-Man. I'll always prefer the Black Costume. Not the symbiote, the black costume. I'll also always consider this a Horror story. It's damn terrifying, maybe not in the I'm afraid to fall asleep way (but what fiction is as an adult?), but in the "Jesus, that's really terrifying" way. You identify so many events in this story as dark A.F. and the ending... wow.  Anyway, I am thoroughly enjoying my re-read, for which I am using the Hard Cover I bought about a decade ago, leaving my original floppies safe in their bags and boards.




Playlist:

Rein - Reincarnated
Rein - Freedom EP
Trust Obey - Fear and Bullets (1994  Edition)
Jammes Luckett - May OST
Jim Williams - Possessor OST
Trust Obey - Fear and Bullets (1998 Edition)
Burzum - Filosofem




Card:

Middle-of-the-Night pull last night with my mini-Thoth:


A new idea will require extra fortitude to pull-off, but if followed through, can change things completely. I love when every spread I pull seems to hone in on a project I'm working on.

Thursday, October 13, 2022

Smile

 

I completely forgot about the fact that a new album from The Mars Volta dropped back in... early August? Really? Holy smokes am I behind. Having only heard the one other single I posted sometime back in late June/early July, I have no context for the album, however, this particular song as a single? Not a criticism, but definitely a head-scratcher. I can only imagine the impetus for this may well have been the images for the video. Either way, I'll be making the full plunge into the entire album later today. 

You can order the new, self-titled album from the band directly HERE.




Watch:

I headed out to the local Regal Cinema last night to cross another recently released Horror film off my list. To my complete and utter surprise, Smile is absolutely fantastic. 


No disrespect to first-time Feature director Parker Finn, who totally knocked this out of the park. My misgivings with the film had to do with the trailer - I just thought it looked like something this totally is not (which is why I'm only using a poster here)!  

Smile is creepy, atmospheric, and, at times, genuinely frightening. Sosie Bacon's frenetic terror at seeing something no one else can makes Elizabeth Moss's in the 2019 Invisible Man look almost calming. We basically watch anxiety and fear eat a woman alive for an hour and a half, and it's glorious for all its moments of, literally, sheer terror. HIGHLY recommended in a theatre, as the score and sound design are top-notch.




31 Days of Halloween:

10/1 - Trick 'r Treat
10/2 - Barbarian
10/3 - Hellraiser ('84)
10/4 - Phenomena
10/5 - Hellraiser (2022)
10/6 - The Dark Backward
10/7 - Sick/The Beyond
10/8 - Werewolf By Night
10/9 - Something in the Dirt
10/10 - Lux Aeterna
10/11 - My Best Friend's Exorcism/Grimcutty
10/12 - Smile

I'm not being completely accurate with the days while I was in LA - there wasn't time every day to watch movies, so on other days when we top-loaded extra flicks, I've taken generous liberties and spread them around to fill in the gaps. From here out, however, it's day by day!




Playlist:

Ritual Veil - Wolf in the Night EP
Perturbator - Lustful Sacraments
Final Light - Eponymous
Fields of the Nephilim - The Nephilim
Sylvaine - Nova
Miranda Sex Garden - Suspiria
Type O Negative - Bloody Kisses 




Card:

From Jonathan Grimm's Bound Tarot, which you can buy HERE.


Staying grounded can lead to healthy returns, both emotionally and economically.

Wednesday, October 12, 2022

My First Autumn in Sixteen Years!!!


Now that I'm home and can partake properly, let's start things off in October with some Type O! This is the first time I'm experiencing Autumn since I moved from Chicago back in May of 2006, so I am EXCITED!!! Also, this is K's first Autumn ever, so it's even more of a thrill seeing the adorable wonderment that overtakes her as she watches the trees change, sits outside as a Thunderstorm rolls in, or sniffs the smell of the Dying Time that hangs in the wonderful Tennessee air.




31 Days of Halloween:

1) Trick 'r Treat
2) Barbarian
3) Hellraiser ('84)
4) Phenomena
5) Sick
6) The Beyond
7) Hellraiser (2022)
8) Werewolf By Night
9) Something in the Dirt
10) Lux Aeterna
11) Grimcutty




NCBD:

Pretty mellow pull this week, which is good, because I have books stacked up in my box at Rick's Comic City from the past two while I was away in LaLaLand. Here's what's on the menu for today:






I'm pretty behind on my reading, so I won't get to some of these for a while, especially if this catch-up pace at work persists (took my post-travel day off on Tuesday, as I worked until 4:30 PM Monday, then ubered to LAX and didn't land at BNA until around 1:20 AM. Collecting my bag and ubering home to Clarksville put my much-anticipated arrival at around 2:30 AM. So I was TIRED). 




Playlist:

Sylvaine - Nova
Zeal and Ardor - Eponymous
The Flamingos - Best of Playlist
The Ronettes - Presenting the Fabulous Ronettes
Alice in Chains - Dirt
Type O Negative - Dead Again
Northern Boys - Party Time (single)
Boards of Canada - Music Has the Right To Children
Stereolab - Pulse of the Early Brain (Switched On Vol. 5)
Cold Cave - Full Cold Moon
Rein - Reincarnated
Zombie - 2020




Card:

I've been dying to get back to my Bound Tarot deck from Jonathan Grimm, especially since Grimm currently has a Kickstarter going for a full-on Art of the Bound Tarot Hardcover Book! You can check out and support the Kickstarter HERE

Today's spread:


So, delicate machinations will require a sacrifice to reveal hidden information? Also, and I almost never read the cards this way, but if you add 12+02+18 you get 32, or the day after 31 Days of Halloween, so perhaps I should set my sights on that as the day to release the free Kindle exclusive, which I originally hoped would land in October.