HAPPY HALLOWEEN FROM BALLADEER’S BLOG! This year for my October 31st horror post I’m looking at my favorite stories from H.P. Lovecraft’s earliest works by year of publication.
I chose 1916 to 1921 because using 1921 as the cutoff year means we can avoid over-reviewed Lovecraft material like Herbert West – Reanimator and most of the Cthulhu Mythos. SPOILERS AHEAD!
1916
THE ALCHEMIST – Count Antoine de C- is the last of his family line. Hundreds of years earlier one of his ancestors caused the death of the sorcerer Michel Mauvais. Michel’s sorcerer son Charles cursed the Count’s family so that all male descendants would die shortly after turning 32 years of age.
All of Antoine’s male ancestors did indeed die in their 32nd year and Antoine himself has devoted all his adult life to studying Black Magick in hopes of coming across a cure for the family curse. Our main character is all alone in his crumbling ancestral castle, with his last remaining servant having passed away recently.
Antoine’s 32nd birthday is approaching, so his desperation is increasing. He begins exploring the decrepit portions of the castle hoping to find eldritch tomes that might provide salvation. Continue reading
THE CAPTAIN AND TENNILLE (1976-1977) – Balladeer’s Blog’s recurring Forgotten Television posts look at the variety show hosted by the musical duo called the Captain and Tennille. The pair were married in real life and their full names were Toni Tennille and Daryl Dragon. Since “Captain Dragon” sounds like a superhero, the recording partners just went by the Captain and Tennille. 
“UNRIVALED” is the name of the brand-new Women’s Basketball league set to tip off in January of 2025. WNBA stars like Napheesa Collier are running the league and some other big-name WNBA players have already been signed. CAITLIN CLARK is being wooed with a fat contract but has not yet committed. 
FIRST, FOR OVERSEAS READERS – Trump supporters are basing that support on THE FOUR YEARS HE ALREADY HAD IN OFFICE, not on “promises”, like anti-Trump fanatics pretend. 
REMEMBER THAT EVEN IF TRUMP DOES NOT GET BACK TO THE WHITE HOUSE, YOU WON’T BE ABLE TO GET AWAY FROM HIS NAME BEING IN THE NEWS. Democrats have seen how well they can work their conformist sheep into a frenzy using Trump’s name. They will go on using his name in political campaigns against every male and female candidate who could remotely be construed as ever having agreed with President Trump on any issue. 
AND NO MATTER WHO THE NEXT PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE IS FOR THE OPPOSITION PARTY … be ready for the usual endless screeching and propagandistic comparisons of that candidate to Hitler, Mussolini and others. IT WILL CONTINUE. The Democrats have been doing that at increasingly shrill levels for the past few decades. 
I WAS A TEENAGE FRANKENSTEIN (1957) – Herbert Strock’s follow-up to I Was a Teenage Werewolf always calls to mind the Movie Host shows of the past and the way they would often pair up those two Teen Monster flicks as a Double Feature the nearest Saturday night to Halloween. 
TEARING DOWN NUMBER ONE – In NCAA Division Two, the 4th ranked FERRIS STATE BULLDOGS paid a visit to the nation’s number 1 GRAND VALLEY STATE LAKERS. The Bulldogs were all over Grand Valley State, leading them 13-0 by Halftime. The 3rd Quarter ended with Ferris State on top of the Lakers 27-7 and the 4th with a 34-7 Bulldogs victory. 
NUMBER FOUR TAKES A FALL – Over in the NAIA, the number 8 MORNINGSIDE UNIVERSITY MUSTANGS took it on the road against the country’s 4th ranked DORDT UNIVERSITY DEFENDERS. The Mustangs were up 21-7 in the 1st Quarter and 28-7 at the Half. From there, the Defenders outscored Morningside 14-3, but with so deep a deficit the Mustangs still won 31-21. 
Unrelated: With both the Los Angeles Times and the Washington Post refusing to endorse Kamala Harris, one might wonder – in this year that has already seen assassination attempts and more against Trump – will the Democrats force Joe Biden to step down completely and thus make Kamala Harris the new president JUST as a last-minute boost to her campaign? 
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