Musical Monday with Zella Day

We're one week away from the Big Night--Halloween--so here's a song and video that's equal parts pretty and spooky... so you can get your week started in a pleasant way but still keep the Halloween Spirit building!

Holocene (2021)

Starring: Zella Day and Weyes Blood

Director: Cameron McCool

Rating: Six of Ten Stars

Sunday Scribbles from Sarah

 

The Face of Halloween?

Is it Vampirella? Is it someone else? You can let us know your thoughts in the comments!

Premiere Day with Charlize Theron

South African actress Charlize Theron is part of an all-star cast in "The School for Good and Evil", a film adaptation of a fantasy novel by the same title that's debuting on Netflix today. Go check it out... once you're done admiring our gallery of photos!

Halloween is coming...

... and we're here to get you in the mood with another spooky short film!

Misery (2019)

Starring: Vanit Pela Sung

Director: Daniel De Silva

Rating: Seven of Ten Stars

Take a look inside a mind that's melting down...

 "Misery" is another student film that we discovered in a distant corner of YouTube that we found interesting and that we think you will, too. It's a moody, non-narrative piece with a moody dreamlike quality that is either an abstract view within a breaking mind, or it's a man walking through the ground floor of a building as his psychic powers run out of control.

Both of those interpretations are based on filmmaker's Daniel De Silva's comment about it -- "a depressed guy discovers something within him" -- and no matter which one is correct, this film is a minute of visual creepy fun.

Check out "Misery" by clicking below. We're sure you agree that there's an abundance of Halloween Spirit contained within it. And if you feel so inclined, leave a comment letting everyone know what YOU think is being represented in the film. 

Halloween is coming...

 ... and you better watch out: He knows when you're sleeping, he knows when you're awake. He knows if you've been bad or good, because he's Batman!

And this year, he's joining forces with Vampirella, so the minions of darkness and evil are in big, BIG trouble!

An artsy take on a classic horror story

The Fall of the House of Usher (1928)
Starring: Hildegarde Watson, Herbert Stern, and Melville Webber
Directors: Melville Webber and James Sibley Watson

Rating: Seven of Ten Stars

A traveler (Webber) is drawn into the existential nightmare-made-real shared by a brother and sister (Stern and Watson).

This 13-minute short film was the first screen adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe's short story "The Fall of the House of Usher". Its creators were more concerned with capturing what they saw as the essence and mood of the story than they were with retelling its plot. As such, this film will make little sense if you're not familiar with the story it's adapted from.

That said, while the film's creators assumed viewers would know the story even if you're not familiar with it watching this film will be an interesting and worthwhile experience. This goes double if you have an interest in film history and cinematic techniques.

What's even better? This creeptacular classic is bound to awaken and/or strengthen the Halloween Spirit within you . The version embedded in this post is one of the visually sharpest ones we could find, and it's got a modern, highly effective score that was composed specifically for it.

Musical Monday with Rachmaninoff

In 1927, actor and filmmaker Castleton Knight created a short horror film that drew its inspiration in equal parts from Edgar Allan Poe's "The Premature Burial" and Sergei Rachmaninoff's "Prelude in C-Sharp Minor", which the composer stated was inspired by a nightmare about a premature burial.

       

 

Knight's film, "Prelude", was created to run as Rachmaninoff's "Prelude" was being played, either on a recording or live. As such, Knight ended up creating the first music video in history!

And now, to help you build up the proper Halloween spirit, we present this historic milestone, as it was meant to be seen by its creator! Click below, turn up the volume, and sit back and watch this well-crafted film unfold!

Prelude (1927)

Starring: Castleton Knight

Director: Castleton Knight

Rating: Nine of Ten Stars

It's a Sala Saturday

Today, we've got a rarely seen one-page weird tale by the great Richard Sala. It was never published in any magazines or anthologies, but now you can enjoy it here... and it might even help stir a little Halloween Spirit within you! (Click on the image for a larger, more easily read version.)

 

They only come out at night

If you are in the streets after most sane people are sleeping soundly in their beds, you might see them.

They are the Night Dancers, mysterious and graceful beings who can be seen moving from shadow to shadow, sometimes pausing beneath the streetlights and dancing to music only they can hear. As Halloween draws closer, sightings of Night Dancers become more common.

It is unknown where the Night Dancers come from or where they disappear to, but it is said that those who witness one of them dancing through the night will have good fortune and find happiness in the near future. On the other hand, those who interfere their dance or pursue them are rumored to suffer dark and terrible ends.

Photographer Dane Shitagi is one of the few people who have managed to catch Night Dancers on film. We share some of the more intriguing results of his work in today's post.

If you have had an encounter with a Night Dancer and wish to share it, we welcome you to use the Comments Section below.

You can also let us know if you think any of these songs are close to what the Night Dancers perform to...