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