October 31st is still the date for the debut of the Starz series Ash vs (the) Evil Dead.
Here’s another cover from one of the various Army of Darkness comic book series’ that came and went over the years.
I’ll check in with a few more as we while away the days before Ashley J Williams once again takes on a variety of Deadites. Continue reading
Filed under Halloween Season
Laughing at bad movies is one of the greatest pleasures in life. Regular readers of Balladeer’s Blog are very familiar with my Bad Movie page where I focus on various film flops that I feel deserve larger audiences because of how dementedly enjoyable they are. Since it’s the Halloween Season this list will present eleven of the most neglected bad horror movie classics, many of which deserve Plan 9- sized cult followings. These are short takes. For my full-length reviews of these and other cinematic turkeys see my Bad Movie page. https://glitternight.com/bad-movies/
MORE HALLOWEEN MOVIE TREATS: MEXICAN MONSTERS https://glitternight.com/2011/10/31/a-halloween-mexi-monster-bestiary/
BLAXPLOITATION HORROR: https://glitternight.com/2011/10/26/a-very-blaxploitation-halloween/
11. THE LIFT (1983) – A killer elevator is the unique menace in this joyously absurd horror film from the Netherlands. A heroic elevator repairman tries to stop the bloody reign of terror of a sentient elevator which the movie’s ads described as “the perfect killing machine”. (?) The flick was also advertised with the tag line “For God’s sake, take the stairs” which never fails to make me laugh.
10. ATTACK OF THE BEAST CREATURES (1983) – The surviving passengers and crew of a sunken luxury liner find themselves on an uncharted island full of ponds and streams that dissolve human flesh. The island is home to the title creatures, who are Continue reading
Filed under Bad and weird movies, Halloween Season
THE STRANGE ORMONDS (1833) – By Leitch Ritchie
Halloween Month continues! The last neglected Gothic Horror tale I examined was Isabella of Egypt back on the first of October. Let’s dive back into them with this 1833 story set in England.
The reader is informed right off the top that the Ormond family (no, not the same Ormonds who are beloved by all of us bad movie fans) lived in the north of England and were objects of mingled fear, suspicion, derision and horror. The story is narrated in the first person and the author pretends that he is concealing some info to protect the innocent. An unnamed doctor from an unnamed town was called in to attend the oldest living Ormond in his last days.
The doctor took his daughter with him to witness the death of one head of the Ormond family and the accession of another. The huge mansion of the Ormonds was as odd as the family itself. The building seemed to be composed mostly of additions added on during different decades – even centuries – and if not for the obvious wealth of the family would have been deemed ramshackle. Continue reading
Filed under Halloween Season
Balladeer’s Blog presents another neglected American horror legend in honor of Halloween Month.
THE DEATH SHIP
Every October 31st for over two hundred years Harpswell, ME was visited by a supernatural vessel. Sometime after dark a ship made of blood-red wood and with sails of purest white could be seen offshore.
Slowly but surely the ship would make its way into port. No crew members could ever be seen above or below decks. No one stood at the wheel, no one stood lookout in the crow’s nest. The ship would make its way in even against the strongest gales and the most violent seas. Continue reading
Filed under Halloween Season
Balladeer’s Blog presents another neglected American horror legend in honor of Halloween Month.
THE FOUR-FINGERED HAND
Andover, NJ in the years just after the Revolutionary War was the setting for this macabre tale. Four merchants of the area would often get together in the evenings at various taverns for a meal followed by several drinks before staggering home for the night.
Their last names are all that is now known and those were Evans, Bailey and Hill, but the name of the fourth man is no longer mentioned for reasons that will become clear. This fourth man had lost the middle finger of his left hand to a musket ball during the Revolution. Continue reading
Filed under Halloween Season
Yes, it’s another cover from one of the many Army of Darkness comic book series to come and go over the years. It’s all part of building the mood for the Starz series Ash vs (the) Evil Dead on Halloween!
Ash Williams, the man with the boomstick and the chainsaw hand takes on Deadites galore in the new cable series just like he did in these comic book series.
I’ll have more covers between now and Halloween. Continue reading
Filed under Halloween Season
Halloween Month continues as Balladeer’s Blog presents another neglected American horror legend.
THE SORCEROR FRANCIS WOOLCOTT
Francis Woolcott lived in Copake, NY in the Berkshire Hills during the first several decades of the 1800’s. Always drawn toward dark and unwholesome studies, Woolcott deciphered markings on the side of a fallen meteor one day in his 30’s.
The markings formed the letters of an unknown alphabet Woolcott claimed, though they defied the efforts of others to understand them. Francis stated that the lessons he learned from the markings on the meteor empowered him with potent magic. Continue reading
Filed under Halloween Season
Halloween Month continues as Balladeer’s Blog presents another neglected American horror legend.
THE BLACK RIVER NUNS
Along New York’s Black River there stood an imposing mansion in between Carthage and Watertown. The home had stood unoccupied for decades until, during the summer that the War of 1812 broke out, four mysterious women arrived to take possession of the home. These ladies dressed all in black, kept their faces concealed behind veils and claimed to be Nuns but by all accounts seldom said they were from the same order of Sisters twice.
Still, the women caused no difficulties and stayed completely isolated inside their new location. A large contingent of carpenters, painters and upholsterers restored the mansion to its former glory but the village gossips took note of the fact that all the workmen were from far away and could offer no new information on their reclusive employers. They also clucked over the high stone walls that were added, further cutting off the Black River Nuns from prying eyes. Continue reading
Filed under Halloween Season
Halloween Month continues! Balladeer’s Blog presents another neglected American horror story. “Workin’ the Catskills” takes on all new meaning in this tale.
THE GNOMES OF THE CATSKILLS
The now-closed Grand Hotel stood in the heart of the Catskills Mountains at Highmount, NY. On either Monka Hill behind the hotel or on Slide Mountain facing the hotel across Big Indian Valley (accounts vary) was the location of the mystic camp of the Catskills Gnomes.
Those gnomes were short humanoids with long beards and eyes like pigs. The intelligent creatures were already considered ancient by the time Europeans arrived in the area. Like the legendary town of Brigadoon the camp of the Catskills Gnomes appeared on Earth only periodically. Continue reading
Filed under Halloween Season
THE SKELETAL HORSEMEN
Halloween Month continues! Call this story Gothic Horror if you like or call it American Gothic Horror. It’s been around a very long time in various forms. In the first decade of the 1800’s the area between Goshen, NY and Long Island was being subjected to a periodic reign of terror.
That reign of terror was unleashed once a year in the dead of winter. At the stroke of Midnight on January 22nd skeletal figures with the rags of Colonial- era clothing clinging to their frames would ride the countryside atop skeletal horses and would smash in windows with their swords, drive off horses and cattle or frighten the poor beasts to death and would strike down anyone foolish enough to try to oppose their actions.
The ghastly raiding would come to a stop at sunrise but the moment the sun went down that night the mayhem would resume until the clock again struck twelve. The horsemen numbered six with the largest of the company riding out in front leading his unliving comrades into action. Continue reading
Filed under Halloween Season
