ealgylden: (Brimstone (tzikeh))
[personal profile] ealgylden
I'm a big fan of Halloween in general, because it's one of the few days when some of the things I love, like watching low-budget horror movies while trying to go into sugar shock, are popularly acceptable. So I thought I'd share some Halloween-y links that I have; since I can't give you guys candy (and since that trick-or-treat meme has decided that I like to give out dead frogs), I hope this will do instead.

So let's start with the Elder Gods. After all, they were here first. Here are the ever-popular Tales of the Plush Cthulhu, and of course Cthulhu for President (which isn't any scarier than what we have in the White House now, at least). No bad movie addict should overlook The Lurker in the Lobby, a nicely obsessive guide to Lovecraftian movies (some material is only available in the book, but the webpage has a good selection). And don't forget Cthulhu Lives, home of Lovecraftian fonts, prop documents, and the most evil, catchiest Christmas carols, 'scuse me, Cthulhu carols ever. I'm serious, don't listen to them. They'll eat your brain.

Speaking of brain-eating, it's good to have a source of brains available, in case you should ever be zombified. And for those who are anti-zombie and would like to pursue a career along those lines, there's always The Federal Vampire and Zombie Agency. Or you could go freelance and get yourself a vampire killing kit like this one (though perhaps a cheaper model would be a better choice).

Brains are a Halloween standard, and Dr. Freex ponders why that is while reviewing the "classic" (awful) movie, The Brain from Planet Arous. Andrew Borntreger from Badmovies.org has another take on evil brain Gor and his Fissure of Rolando (complete with sound files), as does Alan from Oh the Humanity. These guys are a lot more fun to read than the movie is to watch, trust me.

RetroCrush (great site in general) lists their 100 Scariest Movies and 100 Greatest Monsters of All Time (not to mention their very fun gallery of Halloween costumes). Brian's Drive-In Theater has handy information on some of the greats of low-budget horror and scifi films, ranging from John Agar (from Brain from Planet Arous!) to Grant Williams, from Susan Cabot to Marie Windsor. The ladies at Sequential Tart have a look at Horror and Hollywood in the current issue, and reminisce about their fave horror movies, pre- and post-1990. Gee, I wonder why no one mentioned the Robert Sean Leonard mistake, er, movie, My Best Friend is a Vampire, or maybe former Cinema Psychotronica selection Jesus Christ, Vampire Hunter?

Speaking of which, we all know Bruce Campbell is a god, right? Right. Astounding B Monster (an essential site) did two short interviews with him back around the release of Army of Darkness, and here's another one from RetroCrush. Also very neat is this interview with Tom Sullivan, the effects guy behind the Evil Dead movies.

Other deities of B-movie Horror- here's an interview with Janet Leigh, she who made showering a scary thing, and one with Ingrid Pitt, vampire queen of Hammer Films. David Hedison talks about The Fly ("heeeeelp meeee!") and Gene Evans remembers Donovan's Brain. And of course, the great ones: Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, and (my fave) Vincent Price (check out some of his non-horror work at the Vincent Price Exhibit, too. He was a man for all seasons).

There's also X-Entertainment's huge, strange, fun Halloween Countdown, or this interesting exhibit of rare occult books, or this brief look at EVP, or Electronic Voice Phenomena (ie recording ghosts and paranormal beasties- one of the creepiest ghost stories I ever heard centered around a tapedeck and a weirdly undulating hum. So, so creepy). Or the rather interesting hobby of taking gravestone rubbings. The FAQ of the
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I'm a big fan of Halloween in general, because it's one of the few days when some of the things I love, like watching low-budget horror movies while trying to go into sugar shock, are popularly acceptable. So I thought I'd share some Halloween-y links that I have; since I can't give you guys candy (and since that trick-or-treat meme has decided that I like to give out dead frogs), I hope this will do instead.

So let's start with the Elder Gods. After all, they were here first. Here are the ever-popular <a href="http://www.logicalcreativity.com/jon/plush/01.html" target="_blank">Tales of the Plush Cthulhu</a>, and of course <a href="http://www.cthulhu.org/" target="_blank">Cthulhu for President</a> (which isn't any scarier than what we have in the White House now, at least). No bad movie addict should overlook <a href="http://www.thelurker.com/" target="_blank">The Lurker in the Lobby</a>, a nicely obsessive guide to Lovecraftian movies (some material is only available in the book, but the webpage has a good selection). And don't forget <a href="http://www.cthulhulives.org/toc.html" target="_blank">Cthulhu Lives</a>, home of Lovecraftian fonts, prop documents, and the most evil, catchiest Christmas carols, 'scuse me, Cthulhu carols ever. I'm serious, don't listen to them. They'll eat your brain.

Speaking of brain-eating, it's good to have <a href="http://www.brains4zombies.com/" target="_blank">a source of brains</a> available, in case you should ever be zombified. And for those who are anti-zombie and would like to pursue a career along those lines, there's always <a href="http://www.fvza.org/index.html" target="_blank">The Federal Vampire and Zombie Agency</a>. Or you could go freelance and get yourself a <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/news/offbeat/2003-10-31-vampire_x.htm" target="_blank">vampire killing kit</a> like this one (though perhaps a cheaper model would be a better choice).

Brains are a Halloween standard, and Dr. Freex ponders why that is while reviewing the "classic" (awful) movie, <a href="http://www.stomptokyo.com/badmoviereport/arous.html" target="_blank">The Brain from Planet Arous</a>. Andrew Borntreger from Badmovies.org has another take on <a href="http://www.badmovies.org/movies/brainarous/index.html" target="_blank">evil brain Gor and his Fissure of Rolando</a> (complete with sound files), as does <a href="http://www.ohthehumanity.com/review.php3?ID=402" target="_blank">Alan from Oh the Humanity</a>. These guys are a lot more fun to read than the movie is to watch, trust me.

RetroCrush (great site in general) lists their <a href="http://www.retrocrush.com/scary/" target="_blank">100 Scariest Movies</a> and <a href="http://www.retrocrush.com/monsters/index.html" target="_blank">100 Greatest Monsters</a> of All Time (not to mention their very fun gallery of <a href="http://www.retrocrush.com/archive2003/costumes/index.html" target="_blank">Halloween costumes</a>). Brian's Drive-In Theater has handy information on some of the greats <a href="http://www.briansdriveintheater.com/horror.html" target="_blank">of low-budget horror and scifi films</a>, ranging from John Agar (from <i>Brain from Planet Arous</i>!) to Grant Williams, from Susan Cabot to Marie Windsor. The ladies at Sequential Tart have a look at <a href="http://www.sequentialtart.com/cv_1003_7.shtml" target="_blank">Horror and Hollywood</a> in the current issue, and reminisce about their fave horror movies, <a href="http://www.sequentialtart.com/cv_1003_5.shtml" target="_blank">pre-</a> and <a href="http://www.sequentialtart.com/cv_1003_6.shtml" target="_blank">post-1990</a>. Gee, I wonder why no one mentioned the Robert Sean Leonard mistake, er, movie, <a href="http://x-entertainment.com/articles/0831/" target="_blank">My Best Friend is a Vampire</a>, or maybe former Cinema Psychotronica selection <a href="http://www.sequentialtart.com/archive/oct02/cv_1002_4.shtml" target="_blank">Jesus Christ, Vampire Hunter</a>?

Speaking of which, we all know Bruce Campbell is a god, right? Right. Astounding B Monster (an essential site) did <a href="http://www.bmonster.com/horror13.html" target="_blank">two</a> <a href="http://www.bmonster.com/profile13.html" target="_blank">short</a> interviews with him back around the release of <i>Army of Darkness</i>, and <a href="http://www.retrocrush.com/archive/bruce/index.html" target="_blank">here's another one</a> from RetroCrush. Also very neat is <a href="http://filmthreat.com/Interviews.asp?Id=643" target="_blank">this interview with Tom Sullivan</a>, the effects guy behind the Evil Dead movies.

Other deities of B-movie Horror- here's an interview <a href="http://www.bmonster.com/horror19.html" target="_blank">with Janet Leigh</a>, she who made showering a scary thing, and one <a href="http://www.bmonster.com/profile17.html" target="_blank">with Ingrid Pitt</a>, vampire queen of Hammer Films. <a href="http://www.bmonster.com/horror36.html" target="_blank">David Hedison</a> talks about <i>The Fly</i> (<i>"heeeeelp meeee!"</i>) and <a href="http://www.bmonster.com/horror30.html" target="_blank">Gene Evans</a> remembers <i>Donovan's Brain</i>. And of course, the great ones: <a href="http://www.deliriummag.com/christopherlee.html" target="_blank">Christopher Lee</a>, <a href="http://home.earthlink.net/~mhoaglin/sfilm/artists/petercushing/" target="_blank">Peter Cushing</a>, and (my fave) <a href="http://pages.prodigy.net/beatlebob/" target="_blank">Vincent Price</a> (check out some of his non-horror work at the <a href="http://www.angelfire.com/film/rdsquires/vpintro.htm" target="_blank">Vincent Price Exhibit</a>, too. He was a man for all seasons).

There's also X-Entertainment's huge, strange, fun <a href="http://x-entertainment.com/halloweencountdown/" target="_blank">Halloween Countdown</a>, or this interesting exhibit of <a href="http://www.rareoccultbooks.com/" target="_blank">rare occult books</a>, or this brief look at <a href="http://www.diecastgarden.org/paraphysics/ward/ward.html" target="_blank">EVP, or Electronic Voice Phenomena</a> (ie recording ghosts and paranormal beasties- one of the creepiest ghost stories I ever heard centered around a tapedeck and a weirdly undulating hum. So, so creepy). Or the rather interesting hobby of taking <a href="http://www.savinggraves.org/education/print/rubbings.htm" target="_blank">gravestone rubbings</a>. The FAQ of the <a href="http://www.gravestonestudies.org/faq.htm" target="_blank"(" target="_blank">Association for Gravestone Studies</a> are more interesting than you might think, and then there's always this <a href="http://www.morbidoutlook.com/art/articles/1999_00_rubbingskey.html" target="_blank">short guide to gravestone symbols</a>. Or spend some time at <a href="http://kids.msfc.nasa.gov/events/Halloween.asp" target="_blank">NASA's special Halloween site for kids</a> (<a href="http://kids.msfc.nasa.gov/Events/Halloween/Halloween2002.asp" target="_blank">last year's</a> was better, though).

There are also creepy crafts, like <a href="http://x-entertainment.com/articles/0837/" target="_blank">shrunken apple heads</a> (we used to make those in Brownies), and some fairly repulsive-looking <a href="http://www.britta.com/HW/HWr.html" target="_blank">Halloween recipes</a>. Or the scariest site of all, <a href="http://www.lileks.com/institute/gallery/" target="_blank">the Gallery of Regrettable Food</a>. Aiiieeeee!!!

I'll end with some movie top ten lists from B Monster. You can't go wrong with some low-budget, cheesy, 50's horror movies for Halloween, and these might help you pick one:

<a href="http://www.bmonster.com/horror28.html" target="_blank">Top 10 Horror Films of All Time, selected by "horror authorities"</a> (directors, techies, film historians, etc.)

<a href="http://www.bmonster.com/scifi33.html" target="_blank">Desert Island Vincent Price Movies</a> and <a href="http://www.bmonster.com/more33.html" target="_blank">Top Ten Vincent Price movies, selected by his daughter Virginia</a>

<a href="http://www.bmonster.com/horror16.html" target="_blank">Top Ten Werewolf</a>, <a href="http://www.bmonster.com/cult22.html" target="_blank">Water Monster</a>, and <a href="http://www.bmonster.com/cult23.html" target="_blank">Giant Creature</a> movies

<a href="http://www.bmonster.com/cult30.html" target="_blank">Top Ten Brain movies</a> (guess what #1 is), not to be confused with the <a href="http://www.bmonster.com/more2.html" target="_blank">top living head movies</a>

<a href="http://www.bmonster.com/scifi19.html" target="_blank">Top Ten Mad Scientists and Doctors</a>, some of whom may have come from the <a href="http://www.bmonster.com/horror34.html" target="_blank">top horror families</a>.

Happy Halloween!

(no subject)

Date: 2003-11-01 01:20 am (UTC)
thenightsfall: (Sultry Ezra)
From: [personal profile] thenightsfall
Boy howdy! Thanks. This shall maintain the scary vibe for awhile. Halloween is second only to Christmas as my fave holiday. :g:

Happy Halloween!

(no subject)

Date: 2003-11-01 07:38 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] ealgylden.livejournal.com
Glad you enjoyed! Obviously I'm a big Halloween fan, too- only Thanksgiving is higher on my list (food-centered holidays always rank high with me *g*). Happy Halloween to you too! I hope it was a good one.

Just saying hi.

Date: 2003-11-01 07:45 am (UTC)
From: (Anonymous)
Hi, I'm the owner of www.rareoccultbooks.com. I saw you linked to me. Thanks. :)

- moonlightembrace@rareoccultbooks.com

Re: Just saying hi.

Date: 2003-11-05 02:55 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] ealgylden.livejournal.com
Hey there! It's a great site, one I was happy to point people toward. Thank you for your excellent work!

(no subject)

Date: 2003-11-02 05:21 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] castalianspring.livejournal.com
Plush Cthulhu! A friend of mine has one, and it's cute in an odd little way :)

Ahh, Bruce Campbell. He's played so many characters I love - Ash, Autolycus, Brisco County. A friend of mine is a *huge* fan of his, and actually writes Evil Dead fanfiction (http://www.network54.com/Realm/Deb_U/omar/omar_index.htm).

Top 10 Horror Films of All Time, selected by "horror authorities" (directors, techies, film historians, etc.)

Hee! One guy listed The Sound of Music. *snicker*

Hope you had a happy Halloween!

(no subject)

Date: 2003-11-05 03:09 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] ealgylden.livejournal.com
Aw, Plush Cthulhu. Weird but cute. I keep almost buying myself one, and changing my mind at the last minute. One of these days, though...

You know, I've never seen Evil Dead fanfic. Wow. I'm a huge Bruce fan, though. My sister got me a signed copy of his book for last Chanukah, and she has pics of her and her friend with him. He looks simultaneously very handsome and dorky, which is a feat. He's so very cool.

Hee! One guy listed The Sound of Music. *snicker*

Ha! I missed that! Good choice! (Did you ever read the Good Omens version of it, by, um, Daegaer I think? Now that was scary!)

Hope your Halloween was fun too! Hopefully it involved less sugar-poisoning than mine did. Erg.

(no subject)

Date: 2003-11-06 02:52 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] castalianspring.livejournal.com
Bruce has always seemed like such a cool guy. He even dropped by our netforum once and left a message. I feel bad as I've never gotten around to reading his book.

Did you ever read the Good Omens version of it, by, um, Daegaer I think? Now that was scary!)

Ooh, yes! Sheer brilliance, that. I laughed so much.

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