The Halloween Season has rolled around once again! For newcomers to Balladeer’s Blog let me point out that I post about more than just horror topics in October. I also cover my usual recurring subjects but throw in reviews of neglected, centuries old novels and short stories from around the world in a Gothic Horror equivalent of my Ancient Science Fiction blog posts. I also review horror films throughout the month.
A NOVA CALIFORNIA (1921) – This short horror story from Brazil was written by Lima Barreto. The tale is set in a fictional Brazilian town called Tubiacango after the river along whose banks it stood. Tubiacango’s population was roughly 4,000.
The tranquil town had never known much in the way of excitement or scandal outside of a few crimes of passion and some political violence committed by the incumbent political party.
NOTE: Something I’ve been struck by as I read more and more Brazilian literature is how even the smallest towns could boast an international population. There will be native Brazilians, newly arrived Portuguese, white Europeans, and – as the literature itself points out – every shade of dark colored people from all over the world.
The end of the tranquility came with the arrival of a wealthy and mysterious man who practiced a form of pharmaceutical science beyond the understanding of Tubiacango’s resident pharmacists, physicians and schoolteachers. Continue reading
SUN VS LYNX: GAME ONE – The CONNECTICUT SUN surprised their hosts the MINNESOTA LYNX in Game One of this semifinal series. 
CAMPBELLSVILLE OVER D2 – In this game the NAIA’s CAMPBELLSVILLE UNIVERSITY TIGERS welcomed NCAA Division Two’s ROOSEVELT UNIVERSITY LAKERS. The Tigers kept the higher division team off the scoreboard until the 4th Quarter while putting up points themselves all the way. The final score in this Upset was Campbellsville University 24 Lakers 8. 
BOBCATS CONQUER DIVISION ONE – Meanwhile, NCAA Division Two’s FROSTBURG STATE BOBCATS took it on the road against the NCAA Division One MERCYHURST UNIVERSITY LAKERS. The Bobcats put Mercyhurst on Upset Alert by Halftime with their 17-12 lead. From there Frostburg State had to hold on by their fingertips for a 25-24 victory. 
Maggie Smith (1934-2024) is no longer with us, unfortunately. To many fans, Smith embodied sophistication and withering wit. She and Sian Phillips were long among the elder stateswomen when it came to traditionally classy British actresses. 
THE DEADLY HANDS OF KUNG FU SPECIAL Vol 1 #1 (June 1974)
Synopsis: Storywise, this tale features three separate sections as Iron Fist, the Sons of the Tiger and Shang-Chi the Master of Kung Fu go up against Fu Manchu in three separate stages of his “master plan.” 
DESTINATION INNER SPACE (1966) – In a true rarity Scott Brady got to be the less-than- hunky action lead in this film! THE Sheree North and The Green Hornet‘s Wende Wagner were along for the ride in this flick that plays like an episode from Jon Pertwee’s Doctor Who era recast with Americans.
HEADMASTER (1970) – Andy Griffith had left the streets of Mayberry behind him to take on a new leading role in this short-lived comedy-drama. Griffith played Andy Thompson, Headmaster of the Concord School, a top-tier private academy in California. 
The star had expressed his pleasure at getting to play an urbane academic rather than a country bumpkin for once. Headmaster was shooting for the same appeal boasted by Room 222, another half-hour series that mixed high school comedy with drama. 
Balladeer's Blog 