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.