Monthly Archives: October 2015

October 26, 2015 · 11:05 pm

THE GREEN STAIN

Another neglected American horror legend from Balladeer’s Blog to help celebrate Halloween Month.

THE GREEN STAIN

Green StainOn Manhattan Island in the early 1800s a druggist named Rigdon ran an apothecary/ drug shoppe. He was a decidedly unfriendly man but the excellence of his concoctions and their rapid effect on his customers ensured him steady business.

The man’s wife and children seemed to fear the man and were a decidedly nervous lot whenever they were found to be helping out at Rigdon’s establishment. It was noticed by the gossips that feline and canine pets of the children never seemed to be around very long, and the children would refuse comment on the disappearances. Continue reading →

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October 26, 2015 · 9:58 pm

THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTED (1980)

Night of the Hunted 1THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTED (1980) – Halloween Month continues with a review of this French horror film. The Night of the Hunted was written and directed by Jean Rollin, who may be the definitive “love him or hate him” auteur.

My own view has long been that Rollin’s films are like projects David Lynch would direct from scripts by Anne Rice. I also believe that the often pedestrian translations of his movies into English accounts for why some viewers think his films are much less complex than they really are.

With The Night of the Hunted our man Jean departs from his usual tales of the undead and explores a different sort of horror. Brigitte Lahaie, the beautiful starlet of so many Rollin films, stars as Elysabeth, who is part of a pair of women on the run through the night-darkened roadways. Continue reading →

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October 26, 2015 · 6:25 pm

FREE PEOPLE DON’T HAVE TO LIVE ACCORDING TO MUSLIM SUPERSTITIONS

Islam

Islam

In my opinion religion is a disease of the mind and Islam is the deadliest and most oppressive form of religion at this particular point in history. The tendency of Muslims to insist that people in countries they migrate to have to live according to their backward religion needs to be opposed, loudly and daily.

*Women have the right to dress however they like no matter what Muslims say about it.

*People have the right to draw pictures of the blood-soaked child rapist Muhammad no matter what Muslims say about it.

*People have the right to question and criticize Islam the same way they question and criticize all other religions.

*Men have the right to love other men and women have the right to love other women no matter what Muslims say about it. Continue reading →

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October 25, 2015 · 4:35 am

SIX ZOMBIE FILMS THAT ARE UNIQUE

If you’re like me you’re bored with all of the zombie and pseudo-zombie films that seem to come out every few months. The 21st Century is as mired in tiresome, cookie-cutter zombie flicks as the 1980s were in tiresome, cookie-cutter slasher flicks.

Here is a look at six films which, while technically classified as zombie films at least adopt unique perspectives and don’t follow established formulas.

ShiversSHIVERS (1975) – David Cronenberg directed this overlooked gem that takes his love affair with body-horror and sets it in what would otherwise be a traditional zombie format. In fact my opinion is that George Romero’s Dawn of the Dead from a few years later shows a lot of this Cronenberg film’s influence.

Barbara Steele is the big name for horror fans in Shivers which was also released under the title They Came From Within. Lynn Lowry and Joe Silver are also in the film.

Countless other movies give us zombies that act purely on the animal instinct to kill and feed. Shivers gives us zombies who act first on the animal instinct to fornicate with killing being a secondary – but no less inevitable – consideration. Continue reading →

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October 25, 2015 · 3:38 am

COLLEGE FOOTBALL RESULTS FROM OCTOBER 24th

* HEADLINES *

Georgetown (KY) TigersGEORGETOWN COLLEGE RULES THE WORLD – Once again an NAIA team has toppled a team from NCAA Division TWO. For newbies that’s like a 1AA team upsetting a 1A team. The GEORGETOWN (KY) COLLEGE TIGERS were on the road against NCAA D2’s ALDERSON- BROADDUS UNIVERSITY BATTLERS and clobbered them 28-15.

Winona StateNUMBER ONE TAKES A FALL – In NCAA Division Two the WINONA STATE WARRIORS traveled to face the number 1 team in the nation – the MINNESOTA STATE MAVERICKS. The Warriors brought down Number One in their own house in a 31-27 game for the ages. Continue reading →

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October 24, 2015 · 10:52 pm

KILLIAN HEYLIGER’S PORTRAIT

Another neglected American horror legend from Balladeer’s Blog to help celebrate Halloween Month.

KILLIAN HEYLIGER’S PORTRAIT

1600s inBack when New York was still New Amsterdam Killian Heyliger was a vicious figure whose wealth protected him from the consequences of his actions. Today he would be considered a serial killer but back then with law enforcement technology in such a primitive state Heyliger had no problem getting rid of all traces of his victims.

Heyliger had financed an inn as an investment and lorded it over the establishment no matter what the actual management felt about it. Killian took any woman he wanted from the staff and befriended any men he wanted from the guests and would party and gamble with them all night in his private suites upstairs.  Continue reading →

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October 24, 2015 · 4:02 pm

MWINDO: EPIC MYTH OF AFRICA PART TEN

Balladeer’s Blog continues its examination of this epic myth of the Nyanga people.

PART TEN

banana treeMwindo, having survived the initial gauntlet of traps from Muisa, the god of the dead, spent the night with Kahindo, the goddess of good fortune, in her hut. 

Come morning in the land of the dead Mwindo reported to Muisa. As the death-god had threatened the previous evening, he had a task to assign the semidivine Mwindo. If the hero succeeded at the task Muisa would tell him where he could find his evil father Shemwindo. If he failed he would be slain by Muisa and never leave the land of the dead.

Muisa commanded Mwindo to plant banana trees there in the land of the dead and cause them to grow and produce bananas despite the fact that no fruit had ever grown in that lifeless realm.

Given the amount of time it would take to plant acres of banana trees let alone for them to try to grow Muisa figured that even if Mwindo’s magic was strong enough to accomplish the miraculous deed it would keep him occupied for months.   Continue reading →

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October 23, 2015 · 10:40 pm

HUGUES THE WEREWOLF (1838): GOTHIC HORROR

If you love Gothic Horror be sure to check out my October 1st review of the obscure Gothic novella Isabella of Egypt (1812)

HUGUES THE WEREWOLF (1838)

Hugues the WerewolfHugues the Wer-Wolf to give it its original spelling, is a very enjoyable 1800s horror story written by Sutherland Menzies. The Wulfric family are from old Norman stock and live between Ashford and Canterbury.

The Wulfrics are largely shunned because of the belief that for several generations lycanthropy has run through their family. Since this is a horror story we know it’s the truth and that the Wulfric werewolves are responsible for bloody deaths of livestock and human beings as well as the digging up of freshly buried corpses when other game is scarce.   Continue reading →

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October 23, 2015 · 3:52 pm

NOTE TO MUSLIM APOLOGISTS ON BURKAS AND NIQABS

burqa 2Spineless hypocrites often try to defend the way Muslim men force Muslim women to dress in demeaning body bags. Those hypocrites even try to pretend that Muslim women are “happy to be wearing them.”

THAT PUTS THOSE HYPOCRITES IN THE SAME HISTORICAL CATEGORY AS DEFENDERS OF SLAVERY IN THE 1800’s WHO USED TO INSIST THAT AFRICAN- AMERICANS WERE HAPPY TO BE SLAVES, OTHERWISE WHY WOULD THEY BE SINGING IN THE COTTON FIELDS.

Until such time as ALL Muslim women can make their own CHOICE on the matter it is irrelevant how many Muslim “Stepford Wives” come forward to pretend they wear those outfits willingly.

I’m not just pro-choice on abortion – I’m pro-choice on the clothing issue, too. Continue reading →

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October 22, 2015 · 11:43 pm

THE DARK WOODSMAN

Another neglected American horror legend from Balladeer’s Blog to help celebrate Halloween Month.

THE DARK WOODSMAN

Dark ForestAround two hundred years ago in the forest outside Brighton, MA stalked the Dark Woodsman. Big and brawny and garbed in the clothing of the era, he was a supernatural figure condemned by Heaven to labor eternally at the cutting down of the seemingly endless woodland of New England. Alone the damned figure would chop down a tree per night, carry it off to some hidden woodmill then whittle and craft the timber.  

All implements made from the trees of the Dark Woodsman were used for evil. From his wood slave ships were made, spears and arrows for Native American tribes at war were crafted, clubs for bludgeoning victims were fashioned and devices for every other possible evil came from the vile figure’s workshop.  Continue reading →

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