i've found my little place

if there's a heaven, and if i get to go, and if it gets to be whatever i want, it will be this...

(excerpt from "The October Country" by Ray Bradbury)

"October Country...that country where it is always turning late in the year. That country where the hills are fog and the rivers are mist; where noons go quickly, dusks and twilights linger, and the midnights stay. That country composed in the main cellars, sub-cellars, coal bins, closets, attics, and pantries faced away from the sun. That country whose people are autumn people, thinking only autumn thoughts. Whose passing at night on the empty walks sounds like rain."

i could be there. content there. always there.

what would make my life complete

dear nbc,

if pam and jim don't end up together i will egg your house, roll your lawn, and light bags of doggie doo on your porch.

i'm not kidding.

hello, sweet aaron

just found an old poet friend on myspace. hope he remembers me and adds me as a friend. talented boy....

little blood splatters all along the wall

Check out the lobby card for Suspiria I found. Lovely.

Please do go here for the world's best Halloween everything, especially wallpapers for your computer as they are sinister & gorgeous & everything yummy:

www.pumpkinrot.com


When Severance hits town, go see it. It's gory, hilari-sick fun.

And check out Let's Scare Jessica to Death. A bit hard to find, but you can netflix it.

If you're not watching Dexter, get Showtime now and catch up! Dexter is my new horror-love. Besides, you should have gotten it when Masters of Horror started a year ago--that's good eats!

Excuse me, Dr. Loomis?

I wish there was a way to eat & breath Halloween & horror movies every moment. I know to non-horror folks out there that must sound absolutely deranged, but to me it sounds like a utopian existence. I want to watch horror movies, smell pumpkin spice, listen to horror scores, watch the leaves fall, and carve a jack-o-lantern every weekend.

sigh.

I can see pumpkins...

My new love. Polaroid Pro-Pack.

Halloween is finally coming 'round again.

strange little girl, where are you going?

Movies of late:

Wordplay, 2006. (Non-horror) Documentry about the New York Times Crossword Tournament.
The Butcher, 2006. This is actually a really decent direct-to-dvd horror flick.

Equinox, 1970. I think I'm the last horror fan to see this little cult favorite. Made by a bunch of friends for only $6,500 and lots of love and dedication. Reminded me a bit if Evil Dead--I wonder if the young Sam Rami was a fan. The dvd extras were a hoot, especially the silent B monster movie, Zorgon: The H-Bomb Beast from Hell (1972) featuring the Equinox cast and crew. Lots of shaggy, pretty 70's boys to boot!

The Convent, 2000. This was buckets of fun. Lots of laughs, lots of cheese, and Adrienne Barbeau kicking demon ass.

Someone Behind the Door, 1971.

Intruder, 1988. Overlooked 80's slasher flick. The whole thing happens in a grocery store at night after close. I love horror movies that take place within the confines of one area.

Horror Rises from the Tomb, 1972. An okay Euro-trash. I loved the opening most of all-- an austere landscape with dead trees and a blue sky.

The Long Hair of Death, 1964. Italian. Nothing special, but I liked it just the same. It had a refreshing slow pace, lite on gore, and very character driven.

Cinemania, 2002. Documentary about 5 New Yorkers who are obsessed with films. It was extremely interesting, somewhat disturbing, and any film lover will pause to self-reflect on thier own movie-going habits.

Brick, 2005. This film is brilliant. I see one, maybe two, amazing first-run movies a year. This was one of them.

It's Lives Again (It's Alive II), 1978.

It's Alive III, Island of the Alive, 1987.

The Boogey Man, 1980.

The Devonsville Terror, 1983.

Someone Behind the Door, 1971.

Redneck Zombies, 1987.

One Body Too Many, 1944.

The Monster Maker, 1944.

The Mad Monster, 1942.

Clawed, 2005.

Blood and Black Lace, 1964.

The Vampire Bat, 1933.

Don't Look in the Basement, 1973.

Dr. Gore, 1973.

Blood Feast, 1963.

i kill what i cannot catch

Crocheting: Small little secret keepers that button close. I also just finish a purse for my sister-in-law that is brown and pink, lined with pocket, and adorned with some cool vintage buttons. Small matching secret keeper is inside.

Movies:

The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh, 1971. This is considered a giallo. "Giallo" refers to the controversial series of savage Italian suspense thrillers that shocked international audiences in the 1960s and 1970s. Lots of sex, lots of blood.

I Dismember Mama, 1974. I have to admit that from the title, I expected this to be a fun, blood-splattered romp. It wasn't. It was D-A-R-K. It was sweaty, gritty, creepy, and about a rich pretty boy that hates women. Not much blood, but the deaths were horrifying. He also kidnaps a 12 year old girl and "marries" her because he deems her pure. Luckily, she gets away fully intact. Ew. Ew. Ew. I need a bath.

Isle of the Dead, 1945. Boris Karloff.

Three on a Meathook, 1972.

The Beast Within, 1982.

Beyond the Darkness, 1979.

Tombs of the Blind Dead, 1971.
Return of the Blind Dead, 1973.

Underworld Evolution, 2006. Most horror fans really poo-pooed this one. I liked it. It wasn't grand--just pretty straightforward.

The Prey, 1984.

The Zodiac Killer, 1971.

Xtro, 1983. This had the same lead actress as Macabre (which I loved). The love didn't transfer to this one...

Rawhead Rex, 1986. FUN!

Shriek of the Mutilated, 1974. Nice twist that I did not see coming.

Vent: The last 8 out of 10 of my netflix movies have arrived BROKEN. It's not netflix, it's our postal service. I have missed some good titles because of them. I've complained...we'll see if that does any good...

Reading:
The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath
Ariel: The Restored Edition : A Facsimile of Plath's Manuscript, Reinstating Her Original Selection and Arrangement by Sylvia Plath
Rue Morgue #57
200 Crochet Blocks by Jan Eaton

Listening:
Monster's Ball Score
Extraordinary Machine-- Fiona Apple

Wanting to get into: Horror podcasts & NPR podcasts.

My crochet hook is my weapon of choice...

Looking forward to watching this very, very soon:

He pulled up to your drive-thru

I must admit I adore this little purse. It's made with one of my favorite yarns, and the color is too, too yummy. It took me awhile to put it together, and I had to wait for the right buttons to come along. They eventually did-- all the way from Canada (god bless eBay). The lining is a maroon/beige/blue 1970's weave kinda groove, and of course it has the "bean" signature inside.

As for movies....

I recently watched "Macabre", http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080764/. I love this movie, except for the completely unnecessary supernatural ending. The acting was great, the set was sumptuous (New Orleans in 1980), and the storyline was horrific in it's simplicity...

An unhappily married mother of two, Jane, rents a room from a blind man, Robert, and his mother to carry out an affair in. While carrying on in her secluded apartment, her 12 year old daughter back home murders her toddler brother by drowning him in the bathtub--framing it as an accident. When mom gets the call about it, she and the lover rush home, only to have a terrible car accident on the way. The lover dies. Damn. Talk about your bad day. After spending sometime in a mental institution, she moves into the rented room permanently. While she was convalescing, Robert's mother passes away. Now it's just the two of them in the house, with the crazy ass 12 year old daughter, Lucy, occasionally showing up to cause trouble. Robert is tuned into Jane, listening to her shuffle about above him, and pining away for her. He hears her making love to someone passionately every night, and spends his days fawning over her, trying to get her to sit and have a meal with him. All the while your waiting for Robert to lose his shit and do something crazy, while wondering who the hell she's tumbling with in bed every night. Robert never does anything horrible, in fact when he figures out that she's actually tumbling around with the decaptitated head of her dead lover, he desperately tries to get her help, alienating him from everyone...but endearing him to the viewer...because obviously, Jane does need the help. Lucy shows up and screws with everybody and serves mom her dead lover's ear in some cajun soup, causing mom to totally friggin lose it (and you thought she already had, right?), kill Lucy and knock poor doe-eyed Robert down the stairs. Much later Robert comes to and wander's into Jane's room, accidently kills her while trying to fend off her attack, then unfortunately comes across the head in the bed which proceeds to tear his throat out with it's teeth.

WTF?

I dunno. It's supposedly based on a true story. While a woman carrying on a love affair with a decappitated head is somewhat interesting, the idea that the head killed someone is not.

Why did I love this movie? Well, I've watched it three times trying to figure that out. I think it comes down to Jane's escapism, and Robert's honest & genuinely sweet desire to reach out to Jane. Jane has lost everything that meant something to her & she makes the conscious decision to check out and build herself a little hidden cocoon where she can carry on in any way she wants. I have to admit, I like the idea. And of course it helps that it's some beautiful, old house in New Orleans. There's no way this kind of hiding can last, but I admire her for trying. Then sweet Robert is doing his best to care for her, look out for her, & figure her out. It's all too late when he finally does, as sister's mind is long long gone.


Other movies:

Caved In, 2006. Asylum studios cash-in on "The Cave." Skip it.

Deadly Daphene's Revenge, 1987. This was put out by Troma, and that's the only reason I can see for it being in the horror section. This is actually a drama that tackles many of the complicated and awful aspects of rape. It is surprisingly complex, even if a bit dated. Also gets into issues of racism, and classism. Pretty growed up for the boys at Troma!

Little Dieter Needs to Fly, 1997. Werner Herzog. Incredible, as usual. No one gets a landscape across like Herzog.

Katiebird* Certifiable Crazy Person, 2005. Hooray for the female serial killer! Girl's got issues, but who can blame her? Not your average serial killer movie--not even close. Great camera work, sets, and acting sear this little sucker right into your brain...along with the help of the brutal tooth pulling scene. And god bless Justin Paul Ritter for giving all us wanna-bes a stern talking to. I'm gonna tape that shit and play it every damn day....

Breaking Dawn, 2006.

Deathdream, 1974

Anguish, 1987

The Premonition

Don't Go in the House, 1980.

Savage Weekend, 1979. This was fun! And guess who had a part? William Sanderson. :)

The Day of the Beast, 1995. Appropriately, I watched this on 6/6/06. Heh. It was some serious fun. The sidekick is so very funny.

Buttons n bones, buttons n bones...

I've been meaning to put a bit of my crocheting on the blog. This little shaggy purse is one I designed. It's adorned with old buttons and lined with vintage material.

I can't decide what to do with my pile o' purses. I'd love to sell them, but am having troubles with a venue. I thought about ebay, but all the crochet purses on there seem to go so cheaply-- for less than I pay for the yarn.

I guess when I'm an old lady I'll have an attic full of goofy purses to keep me company. The purses, and hundreds of horror movie DVDs.

"Hi, Susie. What's with the axe?"

Movies:

Tamara
Slaughterhouse of the Rising Sun
Bug
The Nun
It Waits
Bloodrayne
Madman

Reading:

The Witches of Coos by Robert Frost (a poem)

"...She hadn't found the finger-bone she wanted
Among the buttons poured out in her lap..."

Poetic Horror

I still think of the opening lines of Guillermo del Toro's "Devil's Backbone" almost every day:

What is a ghost?
A tragedy condemned to repeat itself time & again?
An instant of pain, perhaps.
Something dead which still seems to be alive.
An emotion suspended in time,
like a blurred photograph,
like an insect trapped in amber.

The photo: my aunt Ellen. Still young. Still sane.

I don't completely know why these two things are tied together in my mind. But, it's good to see them on the page, pushed together to give her some semblance of recognition.

there's so much blood

Movies:

Mortuary (2005--Tobe Hooper) Amazing set, set up, and cast. Awful script.

I Bury The Living- Very cool. B&W, just like a long Twilight Zone episode.

Aswang- Strange and well made little low budget horror.

Derailed- Yuck. I want Jennifer Aniston to do more films like "The Good Girl." I loved that movie.

Want to read (so that means I need to buy):

Final Girl by Daphne Gottlieb. (Poetry.)

Check out this excerpt:


"i never took my clothes off

for a doctor but my body

became a secret

handshake

all the boys knew

and i didn't.

the ghost story

made me a ghost"


It's about a common stock character in 80's slasher films: the slutty girl. I think it's freakin' brilliant and I NEED this book of poetry. First time I've felt that in a very long time....

Listening to:
Stay (film score)

motel hell o

movies:

children shouldn't play with dead things
the dark
ring around the rosie
andre the butcher
the living dead girl
the case of the bloody iris
death bed, the bed that eats
scary movie 4
slither
henry: portrait of a serial killer (anniversary edition)

listening:
"october language" by belong
"the tired sounds of stars of the lid" by stars of the lid
"thunderstorm" relax with nature

Hairpins & a Cracked Claude Glass

Lately I've watched....

The Keeper, 1976. Even though it starred Christopher Lee and looked trippy as hell, I quickly became bored when the plot became ridiculously implausible. What??? An implausible plot in a low budget horror movie??? I admit, I watch a lot of trash & that includes many many many completely absurd concoctions. But some nights my patience is better than others. That night, after 30 minutes, I moved on...

Fear No Evil, 1981. True, it's hard to be the anti-christ, especially when it's your senior year and there's so much bad music to listen to. It was fine for what it was. But to be honest, I already forgot most of the movie.


Alice Sweet Alice, 1976. Delicious fun with a very young Brooke Sheilds. I dug this movie, even more so as I was raised Catholic & much of it deals with growing up in the culture of the church. The opening credits were especially minimalist cool with a blank background and a young girl covered in her first communion veil. (For those of you uncatholics...first communion is a big freakin' deal. It's like prom, only there's no dancing, booze, or screwing.) The rather large neighbor with no eyebrows and 20 cats who lived downstairs from the family was a delight every time he was on screen. You know a "delight" in that sweaty, grubby, too-much-touchy kinda way.

The Dead Hate the Living, 2000. Great title. Shitty film. Slow & boring & full of itself.

The Psychic, 1977. Another Fulci I felt I should watch just because it was a Fulci. And after seeing this one...I've decided not to do that anymore. Aside from The Beyond (which I LOVE), I just don't think he's a good director. I know I differ from most horror fans on this, but...oh well. This movie was boring and ridiculous & treated its audience as if it had the IQ of a hamster.


The Johnsons, 1982. Incest is soooo creepy, even more so when you have 7 brothers and you're the only girl...

Picnic at Hanging Rock, 1975. First off, this is NOT a horror movie. So those of you who read this and hate horror movies (memphisartgirl), feel free to check this one out. It was amazing, brilliant, and extremely haunting. One of the most beautiful movies I've ever seen. And talk about metaphors & symbolism!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Any grad student interested in feminist theory, and female sexuality in culture & religion, would have a field day with this one. (Hinty hinty.)

The House with Laughing Windows, 1976. Italian. I totally dug this gothic Italian horror flick. Great look. Great premise. An art expert goes to a little village to check out a something that has been discovered on a church wall. Turns out it was painted by a crazy local artist before he died. Murder & mayhem ensue! Also some bedding of a couple of hottie Italian ladies, some falling in love, and some being gutted alive. The opening credits were creepy and graphic as hell. The cover art for the dvd is the friggin' best. See for yourself...

The Bloodstained Shadow, 1978. I kinda sorta don't really remember it, and I only watched it a week ago. Hmmm.

The Case of the Scorpion's Tale, 1971. Italian. A fun who dunnit full of beautiful people who make eyes, have secret rendevous, screw, & kill. One stylish fight scene takes the cake with its bird's eye view & lime green mod apartment setting. Sweet.

Horror Express, 1973. This is little gem came in a pack of fifty horror movies I bought for $20. Stars Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing--two horror greats. Still, I can't help but feel it stole a bit from the original 1951 "The Thing" in which a creature from another planet is dug out of ice and, once thawed, begins using people as hosts. Same thing here, only it's set in 1907 and, like the title says, we're on a train. Things are going pretty much 70's horror movie expected, until Telly Savalas shows up as a Russian officer. He's loud, abusive, and ready to kick some alien ass...though he doesn't realize it's an alien & he plans on kicking everyone else's ass as well, since he's, you know, there and all. His performance steals the whole movie much the way Alan Rickman did in the nauseating Kevin Costner version of Robin Hood. Too bad Telly died only 10 minutes after showing up. Horror Express was gross and fun and the kind of total crap that I like to curl up with while in my jammies drinking hot cocoa. Afterwards I sleep soundly knowing that all is right with the world.

Panic, 1976. Pizza-faced monster terrorizes small town full of people who like to make out in cars or wander off alone away from anyone who might hear them scream.

Silent Night, Bloody Night- This 1974 low budget was fun, even if it was badly written & full of plot holes. I loved the look: muted colors, grainy...I've got to figure out this how this is achieved. Film selection? Or is it what happens to cheap film over time? It had a young Mary Waronov in it, which was a nice surprise. She would later go on to star in Eating Raoul, play Calamity Jane in Deathrace 2000, and portray the hard ass principle in Rock & Roll High School.

Cathy's Curse, 1977. Wow, a whole film in sepia. And not on purpose....

House of the Dead, 197?. This one doesn't even come up on IMDB.com. It came from the same pack o' 50 horror movies. Oh yes, there is some bad shit in there. And I LOVE IT.

Melinda and Melinda, 2005. Interesting idea. Love me some Will Ferrell...but this movie wasn't near as clever as it thought it was. Plus the Woody Allen formulas are just wearing me out.

Horror House on Highway 5, 1980. I tried. I so so so tried. I made it about an hour into it before a quit. You have to admit, what a great title! But a SURE sign of movie suckage is when they put no stills from the movie on the outer box art. They are trying to get you to pick it up and take it home, but they are hoping to hide just how bad things are until AFTER you've paid to rent the thing. I must admit however that when I see such a dvd/video display I go straight freakin' for it. It's like getting the mystery grab bag at the fair. And those usually sucked too... Anyway, the movie didn't know what it wanted to be, where it wanted to go, who was the star, what was the point, or how to end. I will give it credit for one great moment: When the bimbo girlfriend and the stupid jock run over the killer, who wears a Richard Nixon mask by the way, the jock gets killed by breaking his neck. She thinks he's kidding, and laughing gleefully from the relief of just burning rubber over their stalker she exclaims, "You can't be dead!" The laughing fades and she gets out of the car...just as our Nixon clad killer is pulling himself up by the hood. She turns, and in the most convincing, bewildered "you sunk my battleship voice" she says, "You can't be alive." Needless to say it didn't work out well for her. Our anybody else in the film. I "IMBDed" a few of the actors to see what else they'd done. Looks like this was their only film. Truth is, they probably had a blast making it. Drank lots of beer, "hooked up" at the end of the night, and later had great stories to tell their kids.

I also watched Wolf Creek, but need more time before I write about it. I did TOTALLY FUCKING LOVE IT, and highly recommend it to all you fine horror film fans out there.

Listening to:
Sia's Colour the Small One
Wolf Creek Soundtrack
Stay Soundtrack

He said, "First let's just unzip your religion down..."

Why? People close to me often ask me that question. Why do I love horror movies so much? I always find this embarrassing--like somehow the only answer that makes sense is that something is deeply wrong with me. I don't actually think they think that, but it is the answer I've feared most. Then this weekend as I was on a roadtrip by myself, I figured out part of the answer. I love horror movies because they are so honest, and so trustworthy. Sounds crazy, right? But think about it... the slasher on your doorstep makes no bones about what he (she?) wants from you: to humiliate you, to dominate you, to cause you great pain, to pick you apart piece by piece, and ultimately destroy you. He is so very different from the people who hurt us slowly over time: the self-absorbed parent who has no time for you, the deceitful lover who promises you are loved & special, the caretaker who rocks you to sleep at night and whispers with drunken breath that you will never amount to anything, the spouse who slowly destroys you over the decades by quietly invalidating you cell by cell. The knife coming down in the movie is a refreshing smack of sincerity when compared to the small little lies and deaths that occur everyday. You know where you stand with a driller wielding manic, but how often are you sure of where you stand with the people who come into your life?

Watching:
Scream Bloody Murder-I love 1973 grainy ass film :)
The New York Ripper--wow, did Fulci hate women...
Flightplan (YUCK, how come people with the biggest budgets make the worst movies?)
Rebecca--STRAIGHT TO MY TOP TEN LIST!
The History of Violence-I so dug this and all the extras. I need to watch it again...

Love is not patient. Love is not kind.

Once again I have managed to watched MANY MANY movies without writing them down...which was the whole fucking point of this lame little blog. How hard is it to write a list? I've demanded no great critical essays of myself on the wonderful & surreal grittiness of Italian horror (giallos...daaaammmnnn), or the brilliant social commentary of early Romero. Nope. None o' that. Just a goddamn list.

So once again, from memory:

H-- Japanese. So, so very bad. Bad acting, bad writing, bad bad bad. I turned it off after 45 minutes, and I was being very forgiving for letting it go on for that long.

Maniac-- Excellent. Creepy as hell. I have no idea what it's like to be a sweaty, overweight, murdering pervert... but this got me a little closer to it...

Manhattan Baby--It's Fulci, so I felt I had to watch it.

Papherhouse--I loved this strange little film! I could have done without the cheesy 80's score (but that's just how it is with that whole decade...), and the sentimental ending. But it was a magical, chilling little flick that I dug.

Don't Torture A Duckling--Awesome. The beating scene of the witch was groovy. Rob Zombie clearly took inspiration from it.

Latest Harry Potter movie

Black Sunday

Fear of Clowns (don't ask)

The Stink of Flesh--at least they had a good time making it...

The Dead Next Door--I may write an essay about this one sometime. Written, directed, and shot by an 18 year old kid in his small home town. The equivilant of an awkward but sincere love letter from a kid to his biggest crush. It rocked.

Outlaw Dancer--- 3rd personality, Elvis, threatening to kill his wife...priceless. Go to Black Lodge and RENT THIS.

Outlaw Dancer 2

Collateral--should have been titled "predictable & ridiculous" what a steaming pile.

Soft for Digging

House of Voices--beautiful, amazing, feminine ghost story. I friggin loved it.

Murderous Maids--french & fun!

Twitch of the Death Nerve, aka Bay of Blood

Your Vice Is A Locked Room And Only I Have The Key--Yep, that's really the title. Too bad the movie wasn't as good as its name.

Cold Blood & Ghost of a Needle--these two films are by the same duo. Cold Blood was good for a first film. Ghost of a Needle blew it away. I can't WAIT to see their third, Dark Remains, which is doing the festival circuit right now....

Aftermath

Nightmare City

The Freakmaker--oh how I love thee, Donald Pleasence.

The Beyond (again...sigh..it's sooo beautiful)

I, Zombie--This was a cool idea, and for the most part, a cool execution.

Malevolence--- low budget actually shot on 35mm. I thought it was great and can't wait to see what this director can do when given a bigger budget.


There's more, but I can't recall at present.

Read: Hell House
Reading: We Have Always Lived In This Castle

Listening: Audiodrome

subtext has ruined me

Movies:

Deathrace 2000
Piranha
Horror of the Blood Monsters
Masque of the Red Death
Premature Burial
The Slumber Party Massacre
Throne of Blood (1957) --This was amazing...some of the most eerie moments I've ever seen on film.

so many monsters under the bed

watching:
the devil's rejects
silence becomes you
the tenant
repulsion
possession
bloodline
brother's keeper
corndog man
bog creatures
green river killer
dark harvest
masters of horror series, "the fair-haired child"
sci-fi channel's "the triangle"
lake placid (my mom's favorite movie--go figure)
skinned deep
old boy
a tale of two sisters
dark water
dark water (japan)
premonition
boxcar bertha
the cave
the card player
the hills have eyes
werewolf hunter
nursie
hellboy
path of evil
winged migration
wedding crashers
anchorman
hostel


listening:
"transfiguration of vincent" m. ward

reading:
invisible monters-- chuck palahniuk