The spooky scary skeletons come out to play!

Continuing the Shades of Gray Halloween 2021 celebration, we've got creepy, scary skeletons thanks to artist Bryan Baugh and one of our favorite cover artists Leo Moracchiolli!

It's not Poe, but it's still poetic

Back: A Tale of Romance and Necromancy (2013)
Starring: Oskar Brown, Anna Juliana Jaenner, and Lara Hoffman
Director: Sebastian Matthias Weissbach
Rating: Seven of Ten Stars

A broken-hearted man (Brown) turns to dark magic to bring the love of his life back to life (Jeanner).

"Back" is a quiet little film that is more atmospheric and melancholy than scary, but as it reached its conclusion, I could see one of those hosts from the old-time horror comics anthologies (or the Cryptkeeper from "Tales of the Crypt") close the book from which he or she had been narrating the film. That sensation alone makes this more than suitable Halloween viewing. It's even more suitable, because as it unfolded, I thought more than once about certain poems and short stories from Edgar Allan Poe... and there is no higher praise that I can bestow upon a film like this than that.

On the technical front, "Back" is beautifully filmed and director Weissbach makes clever and impactful use of trick photography and splashes of color at a couple of points as the film unfolds. The only complaints I can mount is that he should have included a two-shots or some deeper focus in a couple of scenes, and the sound could be mixed a little better. I understand the impulse to have the reanimated lover speak very softly, but the sound of actress' Anna Juliana Jaenner's voice is so soft at a crucial moment at the film's climax that you can't hear what she's saying unless you crank the volume way up--and the narrator booms like the voice of God immediately afterwards if you do that.

Those are fairly minor problems though, and in the final analysis it's nice little film that's excellent Halloween viewing. 

Halloween is here...

 ... and Grace Bradley is regretting that she volunteered to be the host for his year's reunion of the cast for "Minnie the Moocher", "The Skeleton Dance", and "Wot a Night".

But she still thinks she made a smart move when she declined to watch all the scary short films that have been appearing at Terror Titans for all of the "31 Nights of Halloween"!

A Halloween Treat from Richard Sala!

Here's some comic strip poetry from the great Richard Sala, in observation and celebration of the Big Night! (Click on the panels for larger, more readable versions.)

For another bit of rhyming horror humor at Shades of Gray, click here. You can also check out a selection of his color drawings (including several featuring his signature character Peculia, at our sister blog Terror Titans by clicking here.)

Bones Coffee's Army of Dark Chocolate

Although it wasn't the first blend I posted about, it was Bones Coffee Company's Army of Dark Chocolate blend that made me notice them. The packaging and name--blatant references to the Bruce Campbell-starring "Army of Darkness" horror comedy, so it was a no-brainer that had to order myself a package. When I realized how good it tasted, I decided to order more flavors from the firm, and thus a post series was born. So now, with the Halloween here, I've circled back to give the Army of Dark Chocolate the formal treatment.

BONES COFFEE: ARMY OF DARK CHOCOLATE

This review is based on another 4-oz., pre-ground sample pack. If you've read previous articles in this series, you've probably gathered that medium- and light-roasts are what my tastes go toward, not the intense flavors of the dark-roasts. Given the emphasis on flavored blends, you've probably also puzzled out that I am quite the fan of fru-fru coffee; I hardly ever drink it straight... and until I came across certain Bones flavors (like their Salted Caramel) it was never something I would do by choice.

The Army of Dark Chocolate blend has changed that. According to the Bones Coffee Company website, this was their first crack at a dark roast, and I think they've done a wonderful job. While it's brewing, it gives of a pleasing aroma of coffee and chocolate, which also rises from the cup once it's been poured. And while it has the expected powerful coffee taste of a dark roast, the flavor of chocolate also came through strong, smoothing it out. In other words, the taste matched the aroma perfectly with full-bodied flavors that blended perfectly. Even better, this was the first dark roast I've had where I didn't immediately feel the need to reach for sweeteners and creamers to take the edge. Without a doubt, this is a flavored blend for those of you out there who love both coffee and chocolate. As you drink it, the flavors remain steady and in balance, unlike some other Bones blends I've reviewed where the flavor lingers in your mouth. Here, it's coffee and chocolate, going down smooth and tasting the same with each sip and swallow.

When I did try it with unsweetened almond milk, the edge was taken off the coffee, but the flavors remained strong and full-bodied. The chocolate even seemed to be a little enhanced. I tried another cup with unsweetened vanilla almond milk, and the result was even better. The vanilla taste mixed extremely well with the strong coffee flavor, and the chocolate popped as well. I also tried it with a dash of sugar-free Italian Sweet Cream, and like the vanilla almond milk it didn't detract from the coffee but rather caused the chocolate flavor to stand out more.

This blend remained tasty as it cooled and was drinkable at room temperature, especially when taken with the unsweetened vanilla almond milk. It was also good iced where it seemed to work best straight or with a bit of unsweetened almond milk or unsweetened vanilla almond milk. Like when it's hot, the coffee flavor was powerful but the chocolate made it go down easy. Both tastes also remained nicely blended and stable. All-in-all, whether you like your coffee hot or iced, this is a blend that will satisfy.

A haunting thought...

 ... on this last day before Halloween 2021.

For more fun cartoons from Sarah Andersen, visit her website. You can also get collections of her cartoons in book-form, with which to impress your friends (or just to have them in a more permanent form and to support her work with some royalties off the book-sales)!

Also, for something different from Andersen, you want to check out the very excellent book "Fangs"--which is a chronicle of the romance between a werewolf and a vampire. You can read my review of it here. 

Picture Perfect Special with Katy Ford

Most of the time, we're looking backwards here Shades of Gray. Today's pictures of actress Katy Ford are an exception.

Born in 1992, Katy Ford is an up-and-coming California-based actress and model who goes by the online moniker of "FreckledHobo", and it's easy to see why she chose that screenname. Her primary credits so far have been leading roles in a number of horror shorts by writer/director/producer Alex Magana (several of which can be watched at our sister blog Terror Titans), and co-starring in the ten-part online comedy series "Becoming Famous" (which she also co-wrote, produced, catered, and so on and so forth). She's also very active on TikTok where she regularly uploads weird little clips.

Ford is a self-described "geek" and her interest in sci-fi, fantasy, and roleplaying games creep into her posts. Early in 2021, she became embroiled in a copyright dispute with the creators of Critical Role when it appeared they had misappropriated a character Ford created for use in their series of simulated RPG sessions. It soon became evident that it was a case of simultaneous creation, and Ford recently issued a public apology to the Critical Role team.

Additional short films featuring Ford will continue to appear at irregular intervals appear at Terror Titans throughout 2022.

Ice Cube Ain't Got No Haters (Well... actually...)

Ice Cube, shown here doing his world-famous Three Stooges impression, is notable for having enjoyed more than 30 years of creating music and raps that appeal to a huge audience--even those who aren't supposed to be listening to rap music if we are to believe the shrieks of the Wokies.

A few years ago, Ice Cube released a catchy, upbeat rap about how he has no haters--or at least doesn't acknowledge them, because his life is great, and he knows the haters hate because their lives aren't and they're jealous. He also further delivers the message, along with co-rapper Too Short, that he simply doesn't have time for haters, because he is too busy being successful.

Well, Ice Cube is, sadly, about to discover the loud and hysterical voices of the Covid Culists since he has recently walked away from a $9 million salary and a co-starring role in the comedy "Oh, HELL No" over the producers' desire to force him to become vaccinated against Covid-19.

We at Shades of Gray salute Ice Cube for standing up for his right to decide what medications and vaccinations he does and doesn't put in his body. He has more courage of his convictions than anyone around here.  We just hope he doesn't buckle under the cancel-happy mobs of Wokies, close allies of the Covid Cultists, when they come for him. (Although... as much as we salute Ice Cube and wish him the best, we will be watching with glee if the Wokies go on the warpath against him, because it will clearly show them to be the thought-policing, would-be totalitarian hypocrites that they have always been.)

Meanwhile, here's Ice Cube & Too Short performing "Ain't Got No Haters".

Announcing the winners of this year's Halloween Costume Contest at Shades of Gray!

The annual Shades of Gray Halloween Staff Party is over, and the judges have decided the winners of this year's costume contest! Here they are!

Honorable Mention:
Virginia Bruce for "The Latest Batgirl Reboot"

Honorable Mention:
Irish McCalla for "Alec Baldwin"

Third Place:
Janie Doe for "Scary Story"

Second Place:
Oksana Bondareva for "Wallflower"

 

First Place:
Dorothy Lee for "Robert Woolsey"

Grand Prize:
Fenfang and Huan Hong for "Me & My Shadow"

The Avengers: The House That Jack Built

The House That Jack Built (1966)
Starring: Diana Rigg, Michael Goodliffe, Patrick Macnee, Griffith Davies, and Michael Wynne
Director: Don Leaver
Rating: Nine of Ten Stars

The past returns to haunt and torment Mrs. Emma Peel (Rigg) when she becomes trapped in the nightmarish hallways and rooms of a mansion left to her by her recently deceased Uncle Jack.

The set-up of this episode seems a bit far-fetched to me. If faced with the same situation that Emma Peel is presented with, I never would have exposed myself to the situation she ends up in... and I find it far-fetched that little old me, who whose life hasn't been steeped in international and industrial intrigue and danger since my teenaged years is more cautious about unexpected news than someone like Mrs. Peel that led Emma Peel. I similarly understand completely why John Steed took the steps he is revealed to have taken as the show unfolds, even if they were completely ineffectual, because he seems to have a more cynical outlook about the unexpected than Emma Peel does.

Aside from the weak set-up, however, this is one of the most intense episodes in the entire fourth season. Other episodes have flirted with trapping characters with horror and/or trapping characters in a surreal, mind-twisting environment (with "Too Many Christmas Trees" being foremost among them), but this one nails it perfectly and it keeps the tension building and mystery deepening throughout the episode. Even after the full extent of the villain's scheme and depraved, revenge-driven creativity has been revealed, there still seems very likely that Peel is going to meet her end, trapped in a nightmare maze.

And speaking of Peel, this episode is focused pretty much entirely on her. Diana Rigg is really the only actor in the episode who has any significant amount of screen time, and we get to see her full range of talent on display. Fans of Rigg should love every minute of this episode.

This episode is even more interesting, because it tells us of Emma Peel's life before she went to work for the British government as Steed's partner. It also bridges the gap between her nomadic childhood as the daughter of a hands-on international captain of industry and her modern life as a multi-discipline subject matter expert who sometimes has to kill people. One question that wasn't answered, however, is whether Peel stepped away from actively running her business because she got married, or if she had already chosen to pursue the more varied life that her wealth allowed.

"The House That Jack Built" is one of the must-see episodes of "The Avengers". I can nitpick the set-up, but what follows is brilliant in every way. It's low on the humor content, but it's more chilling than many straight-up horror movies.