Only a few days left for Balladeer’s Blog to squeeze in some more seasonal posts this Halloween Month.
THE STORY OF THE HAUNTED SHIP (1825) – This tale was written by the German author Wilhelm Hauff, who died in 1827.
Our unnamed Arab narrator informs readers he has just turned 18 years of age. His father recently died from despair over the failure of certain investments he had made and the narrator signs on with a ship’s crew in Basra determined to build up his own fortune at sea.
Accompanying him was his father’s old servant, whom he had known since childhood. While heading toward India, the Captain sighted a vessel which he called the ship of death, and he and his panicked crew did their best to escape the death ship’s influence, as well as a fierce storm which came out of nowhere.
The horrific storm left the death ship unharmed but rent apart the craft on which our narrator and his servant sailed. The pair wound up as the only survivors, floating precariously on some wreckage from the sunken vessel with no food or drink.
The next morning and all through the day Narrator and Servant clung to the small piece of wreckage, rapidly losing hope of rescue. Another night passed and in the afternoon of the following day the duo spotted the death ship itself cutting through the ocean toward them. Continue reading
HOUSEBOAT HORROR (1989) – “Mullets ahoy!” would make a good alternate title for this Shot on Video disaster from Down Under. Star Alan Dale of Neighbors fame leads a cast of untalented actors and barely adequate musicians who get chopped up by a disfigured slasher.
Text onscreen tells us it is October, which in Australia should be Spring, but the Aussie filmmakers for some reason have the characters keep saying it’s Winter. Guess they forgot what month they claimed it was. 
NUMBER SEVEN TAKES A FALL – In the NAIA, the 23rd ranked SOUTHWESTERN COLLEGE MOUNDBUILDERS visited the number 7 team in the nation – the FRIENDS UNIVERSITY FALCONS. By Halftime the Moundbuilders were on top 20-14, and 26-21 to end the 3rd Quarter. From there Southwestern College won the game 40-21. 
ENTER: THE DRAGONS – The NCAA Division 2 TIFFIN UNIVERSITY DRAGONS traveled to face the HILLSDALE COLLEGE CHARGERS. A 7-7 1st Quarter tie became a 21-7 Dragons advantage at the Half. After the break, the Chargers shut out Tiffin but still lost to them 21-14. 
PART 80 – As always, it’s fascinating to read the over 100-year-old opinions of James Larkin Pearson (and by extension his Fool Killer), including the opinions that one doesn’t agree with. Here are some of the Fool Killer’s targets in December 1915. 
MARVEL SPOTLIGHT Vol 1 #5 (August 1972) 
LA MALROCHE (1833) – By Louisa Stuart Costello. Halloween month continues here at Balladeer’s Blog with yet another look at a neglected work of Gothic Horror, this one dealing with witchcraft, a monstrous child and supernatural beasts. Louisa Costello, the female author of this eerie tale, deserves to be much better known.
THE HILARIOUS HOUSE OF FRIGHTENSTEIN (1971-1974) – Balladeer’s Blog’s recent review of Countdown Canada (1970) generated so much excitement that I decided to go to the Canada Well once again with this classic children’s series which combined kid-friendly monsters with educational programming and the always welcome Vincent Price. 
That poem went “Another lovely day begins, for ghosts and ghouls with greenish skin. So close your eyes and you will find, that you’ve arrived in Frightenstein. Perhaps the Count will find a way, to make his monster work today. For if he solves this monster-mania, he can return to Transylvania! So welcome where the sun won’t shine, to the castle of Count Frightenstein!” And then Price did his patented sinister laugh, again like he would go on to do for Thriller more than a decade later. 
As that intro indicated, the premise to this show was that Count Frightenstein and the others at his castle in Frankenstone were living in exile from Transylvania until he could bring Brucie J. Monster (basically the Frankenstein Monster) back to life. That backstory was really just the excuse for the ensuing madness in the form of kid-friendly comedy sketches and educational material, all presented with monsters as the characters. 
Institution: YAVAPAI COLLEGE 
