Americans react to the outcome of the 2020 presidential election...

 

Opium Fiend vs Booze-Stealing Moon Hussy

The Dream of an Opium Fiend (1908)
Starriing:  Jeanne d'Alcy and an otherwise anonymous cast

Director: Georges Méliès

Rating: Eight of Ten Stars

An upper-class drug addict's opium-enduced fantasy turns bizarre and nightmarish.

"The Dream of an Opium Fiend" is one Georges Méliès many "dream sequence" films. Although I prefer the ones where it's unclear if what's happening is a dream or if the main character has been transported to a weird world or is being visited by supernatural beings, I still rank this one among the best of this particular type of Méliès. The trick photography is expertly executed, the mechanical effects are excellently done, and the acting is hilarious. The storyline of the dream is both funny and frightening, something that's befitting of it being a drug-induced hallucination. 

I might have given this film a Nine or even a Ten rating if not for the odd choice of having the beer-stealing Moon Maid descend from her perch on a step ladder instead of by floating. The sudden appearance of the ladder is amusing, but I feel like her descent would have been more impactful if it had taken place through less mundane means.

If you've liked other Méliès films I've written about and featured here on the blog, I think you'll like this one, too. As usual, it's embedded below. It ends rather suddenly, so I think what's survived to this day is missing whatever the original ending was. Still, it's an enjoyable few minutes.

It's Wednesday on a Musical Monday

We bring you Wednesday on a Monday to welcome November with the beautiful "November".

Yeah... we're kinda confused on this first Monday in November, too. At least we think it's Monday. Anyhow... here's Wednesday!



"November" was the first single off "I Was Trying to Describe You to Someone", released through Orindal Records this past February. We hope you enjoyed this introduction to a new band!

'I Go Out at Night' with the Ratboys

The Ratboys is a Chicago-based indie band whose style has been described as "post-Country", but it just sounds like pop-rock to our ears. "I Go Out at Night" was the lead single off their third album, Printer's Devil, which was debuted earlier in 2020.

It's a neat song with pretty vocals and some very nice guitar work, and the video tells the story of some kids trick-or-treating according to a mysterious map on Halloween night. So, of course we had feature it today! (Like of this video turns to "love" because it's set up with fake movie credits to make it feel like one of the many classic horror movies that we've reviewed here.)
We hope you have as happy a Halloween as the characters in the video, and we hope this song helps set the mood!


I Go Out at Night (2020)
Starring: Julia Steiner, Dave Sagan, Sean Nuemann, and Marcus Nuccio
Directors: John TerEick & Jake Nokovic
Rating: Seven of Ten Stars

Halloween is here...

 ... but June Havoc is still social distancing and self-quarantining due to Covid-19 and coronavirus fears, so there will be no partying for her. At least she won't feel lonely anymore, because she's gone a bit bonkers an the voices from the masks will keep her company!

It's an Old World Vultures Halloween!

The Old World Vultures is a four-member Canadian band that performs "post-rock" instrumental music. Their piece "Too Much Eye Makeup" is an interesting listen with a bizarre title... but the video for it is a creepy little ghost story that inhabits a space between an early 1960s B-movie, and a 1990s Japanese horror flick. It's just the sort of thing to get you in the Halloween Spirit, so check it out right now!


Too Much Eye Makeup (2010)
Starring: Edwin Conroy Jr. and Natasha Pedros
Director: Devin Hughes
Rating: Six of Ten Stars

A Very Peculia Halloween

Richard Sala was a writer and artist whose work consistently had fun with and payed homage to pulp fiction; 1950s and 1960s pop culture; and horror films and thrillers from the dawn of the genre up through the present day. He worked mostly in comics, but he also illustrated children's books and did cartooning. He passed away on May 7, 2020, at the age of 65, leaving behind a legacy of unique artwork and highly entertaining graphic novels and short stories.

Sala's perhaps best known character was Peculia, a teenaged girl who had the bad luck of constantly running into monsters and maniacs everywhere she went, all while being stalked by a masked mystery man and his hirelings. Most of Sala's tales featuring her have been collected in "Peculia" and "Peculia and the Groon Grove Vampires", which we recommend you read, because they're full of creepy fun.

In the meantime, here are some pen-and-ink drawings of Peculia with monsters and/or admirers in celebration of Halloween and in memory of Richard Sala. 

Also, if they ever make a Peculia movie, they better use Lenka's "Trouble is a Friend of Mine" as the theme song.

A close second candidate for the perfect "Peculia" theme song is "All Night Long" from Peter Murphy... although it's more the story as seen from the point of view of our heroine's not-so-secret admirer, Obsuras.

(For samples of Sala's color work--including more portraits of Peculia--click here to visit our sister blog, Terror Titans. Depending how far into the future from when I type these words you are, there may even be a review or two of Sala's color books.)

It's a Type O Negative Halloween!

"Ah, the Children of the Night. What sweet music they make."

[Dracula does the Batusi]

The Big Day is here--it's Halloween! We hope you enjoy the day of ghouls, ghosts, and goblins! Here's a certified classic song and video from Type O Negative--Black No. 1 (1993)--to get you in the mood!

The Greatest Album Ever

 Comics? On a Friday? Yes... it's the Halloween Season where everything is unpredictable and spooky and maybe even funny! (Click on the image for a larger version, more easily read version.)

To read many more comics from this creator, click here.

Welcome to Betty Boop's Halloween Party

Betty Boop's Hallowe'en Party (1933)
Starring: Bonnie Poe (as the voice of Betty Boop)

Director: Dave Fleischer

Rating: Six of Ten Stars

When a big bully crashes Betty Boop's Halloween party and threatens to ruin everyone's fun, the Spirits of Halloween come to the rescue.

"Betty Boop's Hallowe'en Party" is a cute tribute to Halloween parties. It's well worth checking out for anyone who can use a little cheering because Halloween is being "cancelled" in most places this year. Even if you're lucky enough to have Halloween and are able to go to parties, you'll still enjoy the opportunity to live vicariously through Betty and her pals. (The way Betty and her odd friends work together to decorate for her party is lots of fun to watch.)

You'll also see that "fan service" is a time-honored tradition in cartoons that dates back to at least 1933.