13 Days of Hallowe'en 2019 Day 12

Day 12

movie: Friend Request
starring: Alycia Debnam-Carey, Brooke Markham
genre: Horror,
year: 2016
format: Netflix Canada

plot: After accepting a friends request on facebook, Laura, the most popular girl on campus becomes the latest obsession of the school's outcast Mia. Things quickly become stressed as Laura finds herself stalked by Mia and unfriends her profile, who then commits suicide live on camera. Before long, Laura's friends begin to die one by one in horrific ways.

I thought I was getting just another creepy stalker film, but it ended up becoming a ghost story. So bonus. I have to admit too, that this one made me jump a few times. Yes, there are a lot of old fashioned jump scares in it, and they work.

You've got a few things going on here. The obvious, which is the whole cyber stalking/bullying issue, and the psychological effects/side effects of how jacked-in society has become. When you strip away the paranormal elements of the story, you are left with just as scary a one. The fact that from a day to day stand point, social media allows people to get personal without getting too close, is scary all on it's own. Add to that the growing number of people with anxiety issues who find it easier to live "online" than it is in reality; and you've got the perfect cocktail to build upon.  And build upon it does.

If you remove the reality based story and simply go with the paranormal elements; then you've got a really great ghost story that has some cliched ideas that come across as fresh and new. The orphan who's family died in a mysterious fire, the occult, and a haunting.

Jealousy is used as a weapon in this. From Laura's boyfriend who feels insecure towards her best male friend, to the actual idea that one media profile is something to covet.

I am going to bury this one here in the graveyard. I'll be back tomorrow with one last treat for your Hallowe'en displeasure.

13 Days of Hallowe'en 2019 Day 7

Day 7

movie: Soul Survivors
starring: Eliza Dushku, Luke Wilson
genre: Thriller
year: 2001
format: TV Edit

plot; On their first night away at college, a group of friends end up in a car accident. Three of them survive and end up grieving over the death of their fourth. A few days later, one of the survivors begins to have hallucinations and can no longer tell what's real.

Um...er yeah, I'm not having a lot of luck this season with the movies. This is one that could have been good, but it just manages not to put you to sleep...mostly because of the headache inducing light show you get through out. Seriously, there isn't a lot going on here. You have some stupid teenagers who are all cheating on each other and cause a two car accident, one of them begins to see ghosts and becomes paranoid to the point of confused black outs. You're purposely tossed in circles for the second act of the movie, with the lead character's sanity in constant question. She's seen in and out of the emergency having surgeries on her after the accident, and drifts in and out of consciousness. Which of course is set to make you wonder at this point what's really going on. The "big twist ending" - spoiler alert- is that the lead is still in a coma after the accident and the ones who "survived" are actually the ones who died, but because she's in a coma hovering between life and death, she's the only one who can see their ghosts.  Been done to tears.

We see the lead character being chased more than once by the three people in the second car. I was fully expecting for the ominous looking guy with the scars to have been a grim reaper or something, but sadly he was just the drunk dude from the other car she was paranoid about. I think if they had actually given this film more of a supernatural plot and less of the relationships, it might have been better.

Okay, I'm going to bury this here in this unmarked grave. I'll be back tomorrow with another treat for your Hallowe'en displeasure.

13 Days of Hallowe'en 2019 Day 2

Day 2

movie: Stan Helsing
starring: Steve Howey, Leslie Nielsen
genre: Comedy,
year: 2009
format: TV Edit

plot: On a random Hallowe'en night, Stan and his friends find themselves locked in a gated community after midnight with a bunch of horror film franchise style serial killers after them. And everyone in the small community believes Stan is the hero they've been waiting decades for.

Oh my god, this was a ball of crap. I can't believe I sat through this, nor can I believe it ever got released. It's a parody of  bad parody films. Yeah, not a lot going on under the hood in this one, other than loose ends that you really don't care stay untied.

The first few minutes of this takes place in a Blockbuster video rental and the set up made me think it was going to be worth it. But sadly, the best part of the movie is the nostalgia you get from that first five minutes of footage. It quickly and not so quietly dissolves into pure mind numbing garbage, as the characters begin their quest to deliver a stack of movies to the manager's grandmother. Along the way, they meet up with every badly drawn version of Freddy, Chucky, Pinhead etc, you can think of all while being told that Stan is a long lost member of the Van Helsing's.

This movie goes nowhere and does it without any style. The biggest running gag in this is that one of the female characters has a unexplained costume change every few minutes. There really isn't anything nice to say about this, nor does it have any real substance to it.  Not only does it play on every typical horror icon, it mixes too many horror themes into it without success. Such as the ghost town that really is a town of ghosts, nightmares that loop around themselves making you dizzy trying to sort out what's the actual nightmare, the long lost identity and the crazy hitchhiker killer.

Okay, I'm going to bury this one here in yet another unmarked grave, and I'll be back tomorrow with another treat for your Hallowe'en displeasure.

13 Days of Hallowe'en 2019

Spudguns!, it's Saturday the 19th of October, which means Hallowe'en week officially begins today.  I thought it would be great to sink our fangs into a 13 day movie post.  That's right, back to the roots of the blog, for the next week and a half, I'm going to post one movie a day. Groovy right?

Day 1:

movie: Gingerdead Man (13 Nights of Elvira version)
starring: Gary Busey, Robin Sydney
genre: Comedy, Horror,
year:2006
format: online

plot: When a serial killer vows revenge on the one person who turned him in, his soul is reborn in a cookie that wrecks havoc on a small town.

Okay, this is pretty straight forward, and is a direct rip off of the Child's Play movies. There isn't a whole lot of story going on here, in fact even with the classic Elvira intro/extro and interruptions, this movie was barely 80 minutes.  The jokes are as stale as they are raunchy, and at times don't even fit with the tone of the scene. Such as one of the characters being hit over the skull with a fry pan before being forgotten for half the movie, only to be found covered in whipped cream. I get that the killer is a giant cookie, but even a direct food reference should have had more of a set up for the joke.

The end of the film, has the "hero", who by the way is on screen for about 4 minutes; get killed. Yeah, sorry opps spoiler alert but yeah he does. He eats the evil gingerdead man and becomes possessed himself.  Now, correct me if I'm wrong in thinking, if the dead dude in the cookie could possess people simply by having them eat him, wouldn't he have forced someone to bite into him sooner? I mean, the gingerdead man spends half the movie stuck in a bakery with limited abilities, and the second someone takes a bite out of him he has triple the powers. 

The plot is thin even for Full Moon Features. Who, by the way, are still the best at low budget films. The characters themselves are less than one dimensional, and deliver their lines like paper weights.

Honestly, I found the addition of Elvira's intro/extro the funniest part of the script for this; and feel this is one time Full Moon Features dropped the ball. To say Gingerdead Man is half baked is an understatement.  Since this is the "hosted by Elvira" version of the movie (2014 on her show) , I have to comment on the sketch she does. It's her baking cookies and eating them. Which, given the material she had to try to work with this time around, pulled together nicely. The jokes weren't over the top nor were they extremely memorable, but they fit the plot better than some of the jokes in the movie itself.

Okay, I'm going to bury this one here. In this unmarked grave. And I'll be back tomorrow with another treat for your Hallowe'en displeasure.

May Book Club Day

This month the selection was the novel Queen of the Damned by Anne Rice.  I decided this time around to skip the movie version, as I've talked about it a few times before on here. (last year when I covered The Vampire Lestat in book club I talked about the movie version of Queen of the Damned)

plot:  It's a week until the big rock concert by the Vampire Lestat. Everyone in the world, be it human or supernatural is planning to attend. Some are going to experience the show, others are out to kill Lestat. As the week progresses, we learn that Akasha, the oldest living vampire, has awoken after thousands of years. She makes her way towards the gathering, destroying all in her path. We also learn of a common nightmare all the vampires, and many of the human psychics have been having repeatedly. They keep seeing two red haired twins and a burnt body. No one is certain what the meaning of the nightmare is? It isn't until after Lestat is kidnapped by Akasha, and turned into her personal steward, forced to kill for her, that the remaining vampires come together under one roof to learn the truth of the nightmares and their origins. Akasha feeling affronted by the remaining vampires, gives them an ultimatum.  They refuse, and a final showdown between them and Akasha begins.

Okay, so first off, this is one of those novels that has been studied in university courses and by professionals countless times in the last 30 years since the novel was written. I don't know how much I can actually add to it?

This book, which is book 3 of The Vampire Chronicles, is told through the eyes of many characters. From the main characters like Lestat, Jesse, and Maharet, down to minor "extras" like Baby Jenks. Keeping with a bit of a theme, it's like from Royalty down to the Commoner.
It's also the first major depart from a straightly solid vampire story into witchcraft and the outlining areas of other paranormal issues; with the story of the Twins and the Great Family. (something Anne Rice would expand on in other novels)

For me, the characters of Jesse, The Talamasca and the Twins -Maharet and Mekare, were the most interesting.  These are the witches and the paranormal researchers in the story. And the core of the two major family lines.

It's a very global thinking story. One that tackles the issues that were being faced in the 1980's when it was originally written. Issues we are only now really years later dealing with. A conscious thought that pointed out the flaws. The vampires gathered at the end; the survivors, are almost like a small version of the united nations. Each representing a "nation" so to speak. (Egypt, Rome, Iceland etc) and take on the responsibilities and perspective of such an enclave. A ruling factor advising the monarch.

It's almost visionary in the way Anne Rice describes the way Akasha sits undisturbed in front of screen after screen, connecting to the rest of the world without participating in it. Much like we do now with endless hours of internetting. It's hard to believe it was written 30 years ago before this was the norm. And Akasha's initial response to the images she sees, is equal to a child acting out on impulse learning that the information isn't always as it first appears.  Akasha is trapped not just physically as a statue for thousands of years, but emotionally in her stubbornness. Her need to be right even when she knows just how wrong she is; is one of her only driving desires for so much of the story.

Where as the second novel in the series, The Vampire Lestat, was a clear metaphor for paganism, this seems to be a note on feminism and what one would consider extremism.
It's very female centric. Parallel in the fact Akasha begins killing all the men in the areas she visits, while Maharet ignores all the male family members basically stating that they are insignificant in the grand scheme of things. Choosing to focus her attention and wealth on the females of her family.
The story is about evolution as much as it is about political boundaries. It parallels the idea of evolution itself with "two great families", both coming from one root. The human descendants and the surviving vampires. Proving that everyone is connected and all is one. We are given a clearer version of this metaphoric truth through the eyes of Baby Jenks as she sees the webbing of souls upon her final death. The same webbing Akasha claims to have seen when she was turned in the beginning.

Unlike the first two novels, the male perspective is down played to the point Lestat is afraid to use his powers. To test just how strong he truly is. As we're reminded time and again in the story that history can repeat itself. It's almost as if he's not sure he wants to admit he could be capable of falling into the queen's viewpoint/actions on his own. Even the most powerful of the male vampires, seem to be in a more docile role. Khayman being forced to rape the twins by the King's order, while the King being controlled by Akasha. Marius, being trapped in ice and completely unable to help himself as he waits for Pandora to rescue him. Daniel the newly turned vampire, who is addicted to Armand's blood.

Okay, I'm going to end this here. I think I've said all I can without a degree in anything.

Night Bleeds 2019 March book

Spudguns!,  It's book club day. This month's selection was Queen Victoria Demon Hunter by A.E. Moorat. 

plot:  It's the mid-1800's and young Victoria has just both had her eighteenth birthday and been informed she is now Queen. At the same time across town, Quimby and his manservant Perkins have just survived a horde of zombies that have broken out of their captivity. Well, mostly survived, as Perkins is half eaten by a zombie before Quimby is able to save him. Perkins then becomes the latest zombie. As well a large pack of rats have begun chasing people through the streets. The information reaches the ears of Maggie Brown, head of the Royal Protektors, and she is called into action to the Queen's side. Maggie manages to fight off an attack by a succubus saving the Queen. With their assassination attempt a failure, the Queen's enemies lay dormant for the next few years. During this time, the Queen marries her beloved Albert and gives birth to both a daughter and son, all the while unaware that her enemies have been living with her. As we learn, Sir Conroy, the very human familiar to the Queen's uncle; had a hand in setting up the royal marriage. Meanwhile, while this is happening, Quimby, who has managed to create a serum that causes reanimation, has been blackmailed by Conroy into helping the Queen's enemies overtake the Parliament by turning half the members into zombies.  The Queen's enemies, who are in fact demons, kidnap her husband Albert, forcing Queen Victoria to rescue him. The Queen, along with Maggie and another member of the Royal Protektors, Vasquez, find themselves first having to deal with the chaos caused by the zombied members of Parliament, before tracking Albert to Bedlam where he's being held captive. And which turns out is also the entrance to hell. 


There are so many sub-plots going on here. They do eventually come together to make one cohesive story, but at first glance, they seem almost not to have anything to do with each other. You're about midway through the book before they really connect.

I liked this a lot more than some of the others in this mash-up genre I've read. About the only real complaint I have on this novel is that the last 50 pages becomes one long action scene. Some of the characters could have been a little more fleshed out, such as the Royal Protektors Hudson, Hicks and Vasquez, as it is they ended up being sort of flat.  One of the most interesting characters other than the character of Victoria herself; happens to be Egg, and he's only given a few scenes with little to do. I kept expecting him to have a more important role in the whole thing, but sadly he didn't.  There are also the mysterious creepy children who are Conroy's bodyguards. A little bit of a back story on them would have upped the game just a notch.  There is also, an entire group of werewolves that at first seem like the center of the villains, and are given some depth, but you quickly learn they are just the comic relief.

I don't have a whole lot else to say about this one. It's a lighter book, which sways between action-gore and dramatic-comedy. You're drawn between the relationships which focus on the mentor/student dynamic of Maggie and the Queen, and the buddy/odd couple of Quimby and Perkins more so than anything else.

I'll be back in a day or two with the official announcement for April's selection.

Feb 24th Night Bleeds Bookclub

This month's selection was the 1989 novel The Dark Half by Stephen King.

plot: Thad Beaumont is a successful writer, only most of his fans had no idea who he was as he wrote under the name George Stark. That is until he decides to do a tell all in a national magazine. Before long, Beaumont finds himself not just the center of attention but the center of a series of brutal murders. The local police attempt to arrest him after the first death occurs, but find he was nowhere near the actual crime scene when it happened. Before long, it's revealed that someone believing themselves to be the alter ego Stark, is in fact committing the murders and framing Beaumont. While this is happening, Beaumont starts to experience headaches and black outs that he had thought were long buried in his past. As the local police begin to investigate, the sheriff uncovers more that a few linking factors to Beaumont's current situation and his past. The key elements being a strange swarm of sparrows that only seem to have appeared in Beaumont's life at the time of his brain surgery. The sheriff has to then disregard his own belief system if he's to get to the bottom of the mystery that is Stark.

I have to admit, I'm not too sure where to start with this one given there have been actual classes taught on the themes and subject matter in every inch of King's works.

The topic of twins comes up -pardon the pun- more than once. We have the characters of Beaumont and Stark having been twins who come from a long family that's had twins in multiple generations. Beaumont admits that his wife had miscarried twins at the start of their marriage before finally having a second set of twin children.
The idea of an alter ego is brought up commenting on the Jekyll and Hyde aspect nearly all writers carry in them in order to work. As well as the comparison to Frankenstein; with a mention of the fact if the Stark character can't create he will uncreate, much like the comments made in the novel Frankenstein.
The Stark character because it is a "twin", is a Doppelganger. He calls himself a vampire more than once, reveling in the idea that his capacity to take "life" in order to create it in story form makes him a psychic vampire. This lends itself to the deep rooted psychic link the two "writers" have. This also leads him to being the best version of a Tulpa you can come up with. A thoughtform believed in so strongly it manifests in the physical.
The character of Beaumont at one point calls Stark a ghost, leading to the fact he's not suppose to be a physical reality. I find it interesting that the character of Stark only manifests in the beginning as a result of grief and addiction.
And then of course we have the addiction theme running strong here. Like any vampire in mythology, Stark is addicted to his violent nature and Beaumont is addicted to the freedom Stark allows him to have. Stark is the freedom of desire that Beaumont would otherwise be denied. He's the permission slip of bad behaviour.

The addiction leads to the doubt of sanity in what clearly is a fractured reality. The imagery of windows and mirrors are used when the character of Stark's existence is threatened, like when he's examining himself while layering make-up to hide his flaws, or when the two are finally sitting side by side in the windowless room with the mirrored door.

The bulk of the story takes place in a 2 week timeframe, with flashbacks to Beaumont's childhood. I loved the weaknesses that the main character of Beaumont had with his addiction and self doubt. There is a complete scene where he's actually comparing himself to a character in a story, talking about how in a perfectly pictured novel the heroes and villains never need a bathroom break or a moment to rethink their last decision.
One of my favourite elements of this story, is the other professor. The character of  Rawlie DeLesseps, who ends up being the token supernatural expert and I'm assuming based a bit on Hunter S. Thompson. It's the first time we are given an real explanation to what the sparrows might mean.

There is this nearly delicious moment of pure uncertainty near the end of the novel where you start to see the two halves blending into each other, and you're left thinking the Stark side is about to come out on top. You soon realize that as the character of Stark relaxes into his personal victory, the character of Beaumont has sacrificed his own version of reality in order to end the addiction. He gives up so much in order to just hang on to what he's currently got.

Okay, and I think I'll end it here. I will be back later in the week with the official announcement for next month's book selection.

Random movie Waxwork

movie: Waxwork
starring: Dana Ashbrook, Zach Galligan
genre: Horror, Comedy,
year: 1988
format: DVD

plot: A group of teenagers decide to visit a wax museum at night, and find themselves the victims of a devious murder plot. The owner of the museum is using the displays as supernatural portals, and needs eighteen real bodies to finish his work.

This is one of those movies that tried to be too ambitious. You're never really sure what the end goal of the film itself is? Is it a commentary on the animal within (the werewolf, vampire and Marquis de Sade are the longest segments all having to deal with duality and repression) the fear of others (the staff of the museum are a pair of butlers - a midget with an authority issue and a mute strong man) a comment on greed (everyone is rich and the lead villain sold his soul to live forever) or is it something else all together?

As this does try to cover all sub-genres of the larger horror world; vampires/ghouls, zombies, aliens, werewolves, serial killers/psychos, cults etc. You sort of know that each segment of the story will be rushed, as they are only smaller segments of the larger story happening, but you want to linger on them and try to understand why they were used.  (Such as using the Marquis de Sade instead of Jack the Ripper to cash in on the fact Hellraiser had just been released.)

The sad part of this is, the film is really pretty good till the last ten minutes, when an angry mob of secret society members shows up to battle the reanimated wax works. Then it just looses all credibility and becomes a massive joke.

Random movie- Crimson Peak

movie: Crimson Peak
starring: Mia Wasikowska, Tom Hiddleston
genre: Drama, Crime, Thriller, Paranormal,
year: 2015
format: Netflix Canada

plot: A young writer, who has the ability to see ghosts, is swept up in a wild romance when she meets a young man and his sister. Having arrived in town to ask her father for a partnership on his invention, the English baronet begins courting her. Much to the quiet disapproval of his sister. After her father dies, the young writer, Edith, marries quickly only to run off to the English countryside with her new husband, Thomas, to live with him and his sister, Lucille. Edith's romantic notions are soon destroyed as the house is falling apart around them, and the fortune has long been lost on Thomas's inventions. As winter sets in, Edith finds herself isolated from the town, and begins to uncover the secrets the family are hiding. Namely, that she's not the first wife. Her ability to see and communicate with ghosts is heightened as she finds them in every corner of the house. Intent on figuring out why they were killed and by who, she realizes no one can be trusted.

I have to admit, I wasn't too sure on this one when I first sat down to watch. I'm not a fan of the lead female actor, and it took a few minutes to get past that fact. But, the story itself was completely worth it.

You get that feeling of isolation; not just from the sets but from the coldness of winter, the loss of her father and friends. It's just the right level of eerie madness. And you can't help but compare it to the Shinning from start to finish.  There's this great sense of uneasiness just in the love story itself. You're given a hint from the first scene between the characters of Thomas and his sister Lucille, that they are plotting something. Then as the film progresses, you're swayed away from Thomas and back again on whether or not to trust him.

The addition of the family dog appearing, which seems to irritate both siblings, is a wonderful little hint that they're not who they seem to be. 

Random movie - Little Evil

Movie: Little Evil
starring: Adam Scott, Clancy Brown
genre: Comedy, Horror,
year: 2017
format: Netflix Canada

plot: As a new step dad, Gary is convinced is his new wife's son is more than a little troubled. After their wedding photographer points out the priest spoke backwards in the vows and instead of asking the normal wedding vows, asks Gary to look after the son instead, Gary and his best friend Al; begin to investigate. They soon learn that the boy Lucas was conceived during a cult ritual. Before they know it, all the dads in the neighbourhood have to band together to fight the cult leader and keep the devil from rising.

This was a cute film I found it to be less horror and more horror spoof, and I think it would have been a great launching pad for a tv series.  50% Omen, 40% Rosemary's Baby, and 10% nods to other horror classics like the Shinning and Amityville.

Sally Field has a small role as the child services worker/cult member, and the nod to her tv show The Flying Nun, was quick but there none the less.  This movie is actually pretty fast paced given the amount of story that they manage to get across without it feeling rushed. We learn that the wife has a bit of a checkered past with keeping a husband, as they all seem to either die or runaway.

The one tiny detail that stuck in the back of my mind after the movie was over, was the priest. If he never actually referenced the wife, only the kid, why was that never addressed? It's set up in the beginning of the film but then never even used as a joke or anything afterwards. 

Themed Day p6

March theme is Witches/Witchcraft. And yes, a day late this week but...

movie: Warlock
starring: Julian Sands, Richard E. Grant
genre: Horror, Drama, Paranormal,
year: 1989
format: DVD

plot: In the mist of the witch hunts of the 1600's, one male witch manages to time jump to save his life. The witch hunter follows, and begins trailing him. The two end up in the late 1980's where the male witch begins searching for the missing spellbook known as The Grand Grimoire. With the help of a young woman who's  now hexed by the witch, the hunter travels road trip style across the U.S. trying to find the book first.

This movie is an interesting mix of folklore and fiction. Remembering, this was done back in the 1980's, when anything dealing with witchcraft or the occult, was still considered slightly taboo and only for horror stories. That's also what makes it an interesting movie. Treating it as a horror story allowed them to not water anything down. But, at the same time, because of that factor, it's seen strictly from a Christian point of view. aka they make the witch the bad guy.

My biggest complaint aside from that, is there doesn't seem to be any "chemistry" between the character of Redferne, played by Richard E. Grant, and the character of Kassandra, played by Lori Singer. They just don't have any dynamics coming through. I get that the character of Kassandra is suppose to be a bit "plastic" given it's the late 80's and she's very much the typical 80's chick, and she's suppose to have some abrasiveness to her. But, with that said, they might as well have had the Grant character hiring different cab drivers to take him on his hunt. And his character seems a bit too well adjusted for someone who's just time traveled 300 years into the future.

I would have liked to have had more back story with the actual Warlock, as we're given some more on the Redferne character with him having lost his wife, but you're sort of left asking "is that the only reason he became a hunter?" Was there something else between these two in the 1600's?  And ever notice in these movies, the witch hunters who seem to condemn the idea of witchery always use it themselves to hunt the witches?   This sort of falls in line with the way the old Hammer films were styled back in the 1960's, with the hunter chasing down the vampire just because he was a vampire, and having to save the village; namely the virginal girl. Which, for a horror movie works.

October 2017 FnF Randomness

Spudguns!  This would be my offering for this month's Food n'Flix, of which I'm hosting.  In case you forgot; I picked the remake of Ghostbusters. (here is my announcement )

I've talked about this movie in year 5 of the blog when it first came out, but the run down goes like this... (and made a Slimmer Soup inspired by the first two films {here})

Plot:  After Prof Abby Yates, learns that a book she'd co-written years before; that she thought had been destroyed ends up online for sale, she tracks down her former best friend Dr. Erin Gilbert in order to ask her to stop selling it. While there, Abby gets roped into joining Erin and her coworker Jillian Holtzmann as they investigate a local haunting. This leads to them being invited by Patty, a subway worker, into also investigating what she believes is a ghost, that has started to terrorize people on the subway system. Before long, the foursome are in need of a new office, a new secretary and new ride; as they begin to clean up the city's latest mess. The gang discover that a crazed fanboy, Rowan, a janitor for a local hotel; has been studying the same source material they have. Only, he's out to use the knowledge to open a portal between the living and the dead.

One of the things about this film I really dug, was that 90% of the effects were done practically in-camera. All the slime we see through out was actually cooked up in the props kitchen, the one scene at the opening which has a character is running up stairs that break away; which was done with pullies; a comical scene near the end of the film with the Stay Puff Marshmallow Man who has the ghostbusters trapped was done with them against glass. It's good to know that movies are starting to return to the "old ways" more and more. 

Notes: Chinese food, wonton soup, carrots, potato chips, toast (mentioned), cotton candy (mentioned), hard candy (seen on desk) beer, coffee, shrimp, water chestnuts, hot dogs, sugar, Vienna sausages (mentioned) pizza, pop, goat (mentioned) chicken (mentioned) salad, bologna (mentioned) sandwiches, wine, sushi, mustard, ketchup, fries, popcorn, hot pretzels, marshmallows, twinkie (sign in street) rum (sign in street) ice cream (mentioned), potatoes (mentioned) tomatoes (mentioned) steak, nachos, fruit plate, flap jacks (mentioned) walnuts (mentioned end credits)

One of my favourite lines in the film comes from Patty when they are at the heavy metal concert hunting the demon ghost. She shakes her head saying that the music is making the creature angry and "To Play Something Gentle!".  I decided to combine that line with the fact we see hot dogs a couple of times in the film, along with Patty mentioning that she has a cousin who will "work for Vienna Sausages", and of course one of the earlier scenes in the film when Holtzmann is eating potato chips during their first hunt.

I decided to make a "Heavy Metal Hot Dog Casserole"



Ingredients:

half a package of pasta
1 can cheddar soup
4 Yves veggie dogs
onion chopped
chopped green pepper
half a package of shredded cheese (I used a nacho blend)
1/2 bag of nacho cheese flavoured chips






Boil your pasta one minute underdone, drain MOST of the liquid leaving about a tablespoon,

transfer to your casserole dish,

add the soup to your pasta and mix well

Cook your hot dogs to package instructions (in this case boiled for 3 minutes), then chop up into smaller pieces,

Layer hot dogs and green peppers and onions on top of pasta

Crumble nacho chips over top,

Add shredded cheese

Bake for 20 minutes at 250 degrees or until cheese has melted

This is the part where you say "oh my god! She actually made a casserole!!!!"  Yeah, I know I know, they have been few and far between.

I decided to go with the nacho flavour theme here, because veggie dogs are known for having zero taste to them. (unless you use a spicy veggie sausage) So I thought, instead of trying to "doctor up the dog" I'd just take the easier route, and pick a flavour profile that I know would work.  No guess work needed, just nacho cheese all around. And other than salting the pasta water, there is NO extra salt/pepper, as I find canned soups no matter what the flavour, to be very salt.

Don't forget to check back in a few weeks (I think I said the 2nd of November) to find out what the rest of the gang were inspired to make when I post the round up.  And also, if you want to join in with us next month, the selection will be Planes Trains and Automobiles  and hosted by Amy at Amy's Cooking Adventures 

October Food n Flix Announcement

Spudguns! it's that time again, when I say guess what, I'm hosting Food in Flix this month. And, in the spirit of October season, I've selected the 2016 remake of Ghostbusters.

The rules are simple, watch the 2016 remake of Ghostbusters during the month of October 2017, and then head to your kitchen and cook or bake something it's inspired; then blog about it.
Your post must be current (October 2017), and must have a link to both this post and the FoodnFlix site.
Then, send an email to myself at "domesticanddamned@gmail.com", as well as cc-ing  Heather at "heather@foodnflixclub.com".   With the email header of "FoodnFlix Submission".  It must include your name, your blog's name, the link to the post, and a photo of your recipe. Or, you must give me permission to snag a photo from the blog post.
The deadline this month is  Monday October 30th 2017.  I'll be posting the round up for that on the 2nd November 2017.
You may also post your recipe on Instagram. IF you do so, it MUST include a short intro, the name of the recipe, #Foodnflix, and @ardethblood,

Ghostbusters is about four female paranormal investigators who find themselves in the middle of a city wide revenge plot; by one rogue inventor who has found a way to unleash the spirits of the dead on New York.  They've got one chance to stop the world from being sucked into oblivion.

Have fun, be inspired and watch out for the slime. 

Night Bleeds December

The last combo of the all vampire movie book club for 2016, is Dracula  and the 1992 movie version Bram Stoker's Dracula. 

movie:  Starring Gary Oldman and Sir Anthony Hopkins.
plot:  1462, and there is a war between the lands of Vlad Tempes and the Ottoman Empire. Vlad manages to turn the Turks back away from his lands, but not before is wife is tricked into believing that he was killed. She then commits suicide, damning her soul in the eyes of the church. Vlad Dracula, then in a violent fit of depression vows to return from the dead to take revenge.  1897, London and we see Johnathan Harker, who has just been given an assignment by his new boss of traveling to Transylvania to meet with a Count Dracula, in order to deliver deeds to his new properties. Harker, leaves behind a new fiancee; Mina, to make the trip where he is kept prisoner by the Count. Mina, meanwhile, is staying with her childhood friend, Lucy for the summer. Lucy, agrees to marry Lord Arthur Holmwood (after turning down his two best friends Dr. Jack Seward and Quincey Morris) After a letter arrives from Harker, Mina wonders if he's in fact alright, but her attention soon is taken completely by a Prince Vlad who has arrived in London. Meanwhile, next door to Lucy's house, is Dr. Seward's insane asylum where R.N. Renfield; the lawyer who had Harker's job before him, is being kept. Seward has a close friendship with Renfield, which proves interesting as the story progresses. Lucy, while sleepwalking one night is attacked by a werewolf-like creature and begins to act out. Dr. Seward then requests help from Professor Van Helsing. He preforms three blood transfusions on Lucy, but she ends up the victim of the Prince after Mina leaves for Transylvania to be with Harker.  The men (Van Helsing, Seward, Morris and Holmwood) then proceed to track and destroy Lucy once they learn she has become a vampire herself. When Mina and Harker return to London, they learn that the Count is a vampire, and Mina his original choice of victim as she is the reincarnation of Vlad's dead wife. The group try to save Mina, by hiding her in the asylum, only to cause Renfield's violent death by Vlad, and then chase him from London back to Transylvania for a final showdown.

So some of my favourite scenes are the shaving scene when Dracula breaks the mirror, the seduction of Harker in the castle by the three brides, Lucy running down the garden stairs screaming "I love him, I love him",  Van Helsing asking Seward for the knives, the love scene between Mina and Dracula, and Lucy's werewolf rape scene.

Van Helsing  - "Jack, I need for you to get for me before nightfall, a set of post-mortem knives."

Seward - "An autopsy, Lucy?"

Van Helsing- "No, no no, not exactly, I just want to cut off her head and take out her heart...Jack Jack!"

The themes in the movie, are forbidden love, lost love, reincarnation, trust, faith, mental illness, domination, sexual repression, drug abuse.

I like the parallel going on in this. We have Lucy with her three "husbands" Arthur Holmwood, Quincey Morris and Jack Seward; while Harker has the three "brides" who are actually un-namned. Both are being "seduced" in their own way.  Then, tipping the scales, we have Mina with her three love interests as well in the form of Harker, Dracula and to a level Van Helsing.

Both the movie and the book bring up the idea that by exchanging blood, a form of marriage has occurred. Arthur Holmwood is the one who mentions it in regard to himself and Lucy, unaware (in the book anyways) that Van Helsing, Morris and Seward have also "fed her" their blood by medical means. You then see the sire bond beginning to take shape between Dracula and Lucy, and later Dracula and Mina. With the emphasis on the psychic/empathic connection. (a big trait in folklore on the proof of vampires)
The movie drops a lot of the folklore, such as the fact vampires can not cross running water (the book deals with this element - no pun intended- by having low tides and running boats aground)

The book:  Johnathan Harker sets off across Europe, to meet a Count Dracula, in order to hand over the deeds to a series of properties around England. The Count, at first is pleasant but after awhile, begins to become shifty. He even goes so far as to steal Harker's clothes locking him in a high tower room. After escaping his rooms, Harker wanders the castle and discovers what at first seems like three ghosts, but are in fact vampire women. They attempt to trap him by seduction, only to have the Count threaten them for it. Harker then witnesses their true nature when he sees them devour a child. Again, he tries to escape only to find the vaults where the Count has begun collecting dirt in large boxes, and the Count himself sleeping in one. Meanwhile, back in England, Mina and Lucy are on a trip to Whitby. Lucy's mother is gravely ill and the two girls are doing their best to keep calm but it's wearing Lucy down causing her to sleepwalk. One night, she sleepwalks out to their favourite spot, while a storm has happened just the night before, causing a ship to run aground. Lucy is then attacked unawares to herself and Mina. Lucy, then starts to become sick herself and they return to London. Here, we meet the three men who are in love with Lucy, Dr. Seward, Arthur Holmood (Lord Godalming) and Quincey Morris. She quickly becomes engaged to Holmwood.  Mina is then pulled way from England by a letter from a convent in Romania, letting her know that Harker was found wandering with a brain fever. Meanwhile, Dr. Seward who is self medicating over his depression, is giving special attention to one of his lunatics, R.N. Renfield. Renfield keeps escaping his cell and running to the empty house next door. Seward ends up having to ask his friend Van Helsing to come help out with Lucy. Within two weeks, Lucy's mother dies of a heart attack, as does Holmwood's father. Lucy then dies of extreme blood loss. This causing the men to follow stories of  'the white lady' and the fact a sudden rise in children disappearing only days after Lucy's death. They soon learn she is a vampire and destroy her. Mina and Harker then return to London, to learn of all this. From the many letters and diary entries that everyone has kept in the long five months, Van Helsing pieces together what has happened and that they are looking for a real vampire. Tracking the Count down to the building next to the asylum, they begin to purify the boxes of dirt. While this is going on, Renfield is murdered in his cell, and Mina is attacked in her bedroom. The group then travel to Transylvania chasing the Count for the final showdown.


There are a lot of differences between the 1992 movie version and the original 1897 story. Such as, the movie has added much more of the idea of Vlad Tempes, where the book just touches at it. The movie added the entire reincarnation idea, the vampires have less weaknesses in the movie than they do in the book.  In the book, Renfield as far as we know, was never a lawyer or in Transylvania; in fact he doesn't meet Dracula until near the end of the book when he's killed.
The movie has Mina still in London when Lucy becomes gravely ill and meets Van Helsing just before she goes off to rescue Harker, where as the book does not.  Dracula himself, has very little scenes in the original novel, as Seward and Van Helsing are the real main characters.

The book, though is a classic gothic novel, it's also a bit of a crime story which were becoming popular at that time. A lot of the story has the group making plans over breakfast or dinner, or having the characters tracking down information/leads; which drags the story out for nearly nine months. 

Something I have always wondered about the novel, is if it was meant to be a serious book or a bit more comical? There are paragraphs where Van Helsing is babbling in what seems like complete sarcasm. Not too mention Mina's constantly commenting on "brave men...men's work" etc. You almost wonder if Stoker wrote it tongue in cheek or if he was serious about his social concerns?
The men in the novel are appalled by the fact that the women are more aggressive, voluptuous, and calmly confident when death/near death after having been in contact with the Count. At certain points, all of them physically turn away disgusted by the sight of their beloved in the "trances", when they are more "live"; and calmer when both Mina and Lucy return to a more compliant frame. 

Some of the themes in the novel are fear of foreigners/foreign lands, mental illness, equality, sexual repression, religion/superstition, status, plagues.

Okay, I have to admit, given the hundreds upon hundreds of essays and literary studies done on this novel, I don't know if anything else I have to say right now, will measure up?  So this is my end for this topic. I must admit, because I've referenced Dracula all year in comparisons/examples of the other book club selections, I feel like I've covered all I can at this point.

Doing Night Bleeds this past year has been an exercise for me in my biggest obsession/hobby/studies. I'm grateful for anyone who joined in with me, who read what I had to say, who might have picked up the movies and book reading/watching along with me and Heather (I think she's got a take on this coming? I will post a round up if/when she does)   I am still tossing around ideas for doing Night Bleeds in 2017, so if anyone is interested...

Food n Flix October (Hallowe'en Week 6)

Spudguns! it's been a few months since I last joined in the group, and I couldn't think of a spiffier way to cap off Hallowe'en Week this year then doing a little treat based on a movie of tricks.  The Food'n'Flix selection this month is Beetlejuice, and it's being hosted by Deb at Kahakai Kitchen.

plot:  When a couple are killed in an accident, the find themselves stuck in their old house as ghosts with a new family. After many attempts to rid themselves and what they consider to still be their home, of the unconventional modern family, they hire a so called expert to help. The self proclaimed bio-exorcist offers them not only a free possession with every expulsion, but his help comes at a price. He wants to be able to keep his human form, and not be confined to the afterlife. Soon, the ghostly couple find that they have more than just the uber modern family to get rid of.

I do believe I've chatted about this movie back in year one of the blog. (I know I did, I'm just too lazy to search for the post)

Notes:  milk(the model truck) juice, wine, bread, garlic, coffee (mentioned) beer, chicken (wall decoration) apples, rum and bananas (the song) bottled water, Chinese food (Cantonese actually I think is what they said?) pop, tea, soy sauce, cow, chocolate bar, onions, lettuce, turnip, chives, tomato, radicchio, herbs, artichoke, green peppers, salad dressing, jam, spices, oil, ginger, fruit, peas (mentioned) Italian food (mentioned) shrimp cocktails with sauce, lemons, limes, ice, olives, martinis. 

I would love to say I had this great out of the box idea for this, but that would be a lie. It sort of stumped me, (I think that I've hit a food creative wall lately)   One of my favourite scenes actually has nothing to do with the main cast, but with the sidekick Otho during the ending of the seance; where he's stripped of his dark cool looking suit and ends up in the powder blue nightmare 70's one. And I desperately was trying to come up with something for it. Sadly, my creative food writers block got bigger.

But, as I was staring at the screen giving myself an ego attack, I thought about the blood red wedding dress Lydia gets "stuffed" into against her will. And I had it! So simple it hurts, but I made a really easy Stuffed Red Pepper.

I started with a basic mushroom fried rice.

Cooked the rice, added some chopped mushrooms, green onion, and a fried egg.
Mixed it together with a splash of oil and pinch of crushed red pepper flakes and a splash of hot sauce.

I then gutted the pepper, stuffing it with the mixture and baking it for 20 minutes at 300degrees.

Sadly, I don't have a spiffy cute name for it (my creativity is suffering)  Don't forget to join in next month when the movie de jour will be Burnt, which is being hosted by Caroline at Caroline Makes. 

year 5 day 176 (night bleeds Sept)

movie: Dark Crystal
starring: Barry Dennen, Joseph O'Conor
genre: Fantasy, Sci-fi, Adventure,
year: 1982
format: DVD

plot: Being told he is the only one left of his kind, Jen is given a quest to make the great crystal whole again. He is given the missing piece of the crystal, and instructed to save the worlds in which the crystal controls. Along the way, he meets Kira; who has also been told she is the last of her kind. The two, Gelflings, then find themselves on a journey against time, as each member of the races of both the Mystics and the Skeksis are dying. The Skeksis who currently own the crystal, are unwilling to see it repaired, as it would mean they will die out completely. They have for the last few hundred years been able to cheat death by draining and drinking the lifeforce of other creatures.

This whole movie is about duality of life. Light and dark, male and female, positive and negative, and how it all balances each other out.  When the one race splits into two; the Skeksis become the more physical representations of "human nature" while the Mystics become the more enlightened representations.

I like the little addition of the "drained creatures" becoming zombies and aging rapidly once they have been juiced for their life energy. Shows once again the direct link between the vampire genre and the zombie genre.  They become the slaves to the Skeksis, in a way very similar to Renfield in Dracula. Completely under the spell of the ones who drained them.
I've always said this isn't a kids movie. From the vampires to the witch to the young lovers, this really is something heavier, something darker than a kid's movie.  The fact too that the creatures look like vultures (animals that represent death/rebirth/new way to view things)  and sloths (the need of a different perspective/the way will be slow but you will reach your destination/psychic insight) adds an undertone that makes you think if these were picked for those reasons? I like the touch of the idea that the Skeksis have to sit in the "light of the sun as it is prismed through the dark piece of the crystal" hinting at it as if it were moonlight. (another toss back to vampiric folklore)

You also have this coming of age story. The character of Jen is sent out into the world alone, to deal with very adult issues when his "parent" dies. He discovers girls and violence, and revenge.  The "grandmother" figure of Aughra, is a psychic/hoodoo/hedge witch; who puts him on the right path in his "crossroads".
There is also the fact that the female Kira, is drained almost to the point of death, then does die having sacrificed herself, only to be brought back to life once the crystal has restored everyone else. You could look at it as her being "turned" by the vampiric energy. It's the sacrifice that makes the point that to enjoy life, you have to know when to let go. (birth/death/rebirth)

what do I think I learned? I'm an adult and I still get creeped out by the one character's "hhmmmmm". Will haunt my nightmares for a few days trust me.

Okay, so this month, I decided to do something bit different, I gave you the movie, which was Dark Crystal, and told you to pair it up with a vampire book, expressing the combo of it. Think of it as a mid-term test. I want to see how good you my lovely Spudguns! have gotten with finding the vampires in things.

My personal choice for the book half of the combo is ...Sweet Blood by Pat Graversen (1992).

plot: Adragon and his mother Elsbeth are never seen apart. They look alike, act alike and have spent almost every moment of his seventeen years together. That is until the night Elsbeth gets invited to the Society of Vampires. They want her to write a novel about them, and their secrets. Adragon accompanies her to the strange private party, where he meets Del. A twenty-six year old woman who he quickly falls for. Against his mother's wishes, he begins an affair with Del. After their first night together, she informs him that what he saw at the party was real, and that she is a vampire. Refusing to believe her, Adragon begins to fall deeper under her spell, choosing his new lover over his mother. Before long, Del lets him feed off of her own blood, awakening the vampire side of him. Adragon discovers that for one to become a vampire, one has to have already been one in a past life or at the very lest, one parent must currently be one. To his horror, he finds out both to be his fate. He learns his mother Elsbeth is in fact a vampire, and that they have both lived many lifetimes as such. When he confronts Elsbeth, she confirms this; letting him know they are one in the same. They share a soul, and have been punished in this reincarnation to be only parent and child, and not lovers. This truth begins a downward spiral for Adragon, as he begins to deal with his new life and new choice of who to trust, and who to love.


My "combo connection" was the idea of soulmates and duality and how one can't exist without the other. As we see in the movie, how the creatures of the Skeksis and the Mystics are each soulmated to each other, unable to move on to the next incarnation without the other (originally one being who was split when the crystal cracked), and how the Gelflings can share psychic/telepathic connections. And of course, the taking of "life essence" (souls in the movie via liquified sweat like, and blood in the book) in traditional vampire fashion.

I found it a little ironic that one of the sub-themes in this novel, is that of the "vampire pretending to be human pretending to be vampire -author" which became a strange sub-genre in the 1990s in vampire fiction.

Not only does this novel jump into the idea of what a real soulmate is, it's main theme is addiction. We have the character of Adragon, who becomes addicted to the vampire blood of his lover, Del. He's seventeen, with the temperament of someone who is used to getting their own way. Though the character doesn't start off that way, it only shows itself after he starts the affair. He's also, in his own innocence, experiencing the emotions of that first real love. The two elements begin to counteract each other, making the character a violent greedy one. (much like the character of Chamberlain in the Dark Crystal) He becomes possessive of her, but at the same time disgusted with the situation. He flounders back and forth between wanting to be with his girlfriend Del, and wanting to be with his mother. And then he begins fighting the instinctual desire to be with his soulmate on a sexual level. This brings up a whole new set of insecurities within the character and becomes a new undertone to the story. (I've said it before you can't escape the theme of incest within the vampire or werewolf genres. Whether it's on purpose or not it's always there.) 

Just like in the movie, we have the character of the "girlfriend" being the teacher to the young male hero. Who's real history has been kept from him.

In another ironic twist, both the movie selection and book I picked this month, has a "society lead by an ancient vampire".  In the case of the book, we have the character of Raymond, who has lived in the same "body" without dying for centuries. He's reluctant to let go of his physical life to restart the next phase, because he is alone; without a soulmate of his own. It's only when a willing sacrifice by one of the main characters is offered, does he accept his fate.

I think that is the big theme here that you can say truly runs through both stories. Knowing when you have to give up the thing you are clinging to most, and face the big fear.

And I will stop there for today. October's selections are Salem's Lot (book) and Fright Night (1985) but I will be back later in the week with the official post for it.

year 5 Day 174 Night Bleeds Aug

This month's all vampire book and movie club combo was Let the Right One In. The original 2004 book and the 2008/09 movie version and/or the remake Let Me In.  I did both movie versions, cause I like to get in over my head. (I must become the vampire queen of all bloggingness. Yeah I'm having one of those days. Laugh and carry on)
Yep, I know, I'm super late in the day with mine.  But that's okay, cause you know vampires are late day people. hahaha.   So, before I get into it, my regular readers know I do my best to keep spoilers to a minimum, but there's no way around it today.  So onward...*SPOILER ALERT*

movie: Let the Right One In
starring: Kare Hedebrant, Lina Leandersson
genre: Thriller
year: 2008
format: DVD

plot: As young Oskar is bullied at school, he begins to connect with the strange new neighbour Eli, who has just moved in next door. She helps him to learn to fight back and gives him hope that things will improve. All set to a back drop where the neighbourhood is no longer safe, as a serial killer is on the loose. What Oskar is yet to learn, is that his new girlfriend is a vampire. 

This is based on the 2004 book of the same name. 

So the movie drops a ton of elements that are in the book. Half the book's plot and characters are missing. Which I'll get to in a moment. 

This version of the story focuses on the bullying that is going on, and the innocent sexual awakening between the "young couple".   The bullying has left Oskar self aware, but with little self esteem. We see him pouring over clippings about serial killers, and murders in the area. Partly as a foreshadow of his future, partly because we're suppose to get the idea that he's not completely "normal".  He's filled with revenge fantasies, that he's not sure he'd ever be able to uphold. 
While Oskar is playing out one of these revenge ideals, Eli sneaks up and silently watches. She sees in him a potential that he is unsure he has himself.  This is all inter cut with scenes of an unknown man trying and failing at killing someone not far from the neighbourhood.  Which we quickly find out is the "guardian" of Eli.
Eli is left alone after her guardian is caught and tries to cover it up by attempting to kill himself. This also goes wrong, and Eli is forced to feed off him. This in turn is the point, where the vampire theme really kicks in. As Eli then begins hunting nightly, no longer able to drink "bottled blood" that her guardian had been getting for her.
One of her victims survives, and while in hospital, is exposed. Literally. As she allows the daylight to kill her, setting her husband off on a rampage to "kill the thing that did this."  He then tracks Eli to the apartment building and attempts to kill her, but Oskar stops him long enough for Eli to feed.
Oskar has one more run in with the bullies at the school swim lesson, and is nearly drowned, causing Eli to save him. Killing the bullies.

Alright now, in this version, we never learn how Eli became a vampire. What we do learn is Eli is not a girl. Technically speaking. She's a transgendered person.  This is one of those subplots from the novel that got wiped under the sofa in this version of the story.  This is hinted at through out, as she keeps saying to Oskar "What if I'm not a girl? Would you still like me?"  the audience to this point, just thinks she's going on about not being human. 
The relationship that the two enter into, is that of a "first crush" type of situation. As it's a friendship with little to no physical contact, but you can tell from Oskar's behaviour; that he's sexually attracted to her. There is one scene later on where they kiss, and we see Eli as a middle aged woman for a brief few seconds. 
This relationship on the surface, appears to be that of equals. Eli is relating to Oskar as a child would. But, before long, it spirals down into a more Dracula/Renfield situation. As Oskar replaces Hakan; Eli's previous guardian. 

This version of the story, is about self esteem, being true to you and not being afraid to love. It's also, as I stated earlier, about that innocence of first love.

what did I learn?  Strength and love are not always separate entities.   

The Book:  In a small suburb, a neighbourhood is in chaos. Oskar, who is left alone too much, bullied constantly, has begun acting out. He's obsessed with murders, steals, sneaks out, disrespects his mother, and hangs out with the older kids. A few doors down, Tommy, one of the older kids he sometimes hangs out with, is a thief and stoner, who's mom is about to marry an extremely religious police officer; Staffan. Staffan is currently on a manhunt for a ritual killer, who has been draining people of their blood only blocks away from the neighbourhood. The same time the killings started, Eli and her dad Hakan, moved in next door to Oskar.  
Eli and Oskar, develop a relationship; over a few weeks time frame. During which, Hakan becomes jealous, acting out on his own by hiring teenaged male prostitutes.  After Hakan attempts but fails to kill a young male, and is captured, he disfigures himself. This leaves Eli alone and vulnerable. She's forced to hunt, for the first time in years, exposing herself as a vampire. Visiting him in the hospital, she feeds off of him, before allowing Hakan to throw himself from the hospital window. But doesn't die. The killings continue to worsen, leading the police to question everything. 
Meanwhile, Oskar is dealing with everyday situations, which include the school bullies, who are making his life a holy terror daily. Eli, in an effort to help him, tells him about her past. We learn that in fact, that when she was human, she was not a girl but a boy. Eli had been sexually mutilated before becoming a vampire. 
The two find they have no choice, but to runaway together, but first, they have to tie up loose ends.

Okay, so there are - and I never actually counted- about 20 characters in the cast of this novel. The original movie version only deals with about 6.  We're brought into the lives of the entire neighbourhood. The kids, the police, the victims and their friends.  One of the big subplots that is left out of the original movie, is that the character of Hakan, is a pedophile. This is why Eli picks him to begin with. She's able to control him, by manipulating him with the "promise of being together" that she never follows through on. This leads to an attempted rape scene much later in the novel, where Tommy the stoner character, ends up becoming a bit of a hero. 

Though in the novel, we are given some of Eli's history, we're never told just how she becomes a vampire. We learn she was a boy while human who was mutilated by someone. But we're never told if the one who did so was a vampire as well, or just a psychopath? You are left to draw your own conclusions on this. But, as I've talked about before in other months, folklore states that a violent death be it by murder or suicide; one becomes a vampire. So, we could be led to believe that Eli became a vampire because of the way she died. She's also got the ability to shapeshift. Being able to change her form to resemble a bat-human hybrid. Eli is also a bit careless. I got the impression this was suppose to help bring the idea that she was a kid when turned. 

The "good guys" in this are really up to interpretation. The outer appearance of some of the characters, such as the police officer who it turns out is extremely prejudiced, is almost too saccharine. And the theme of things not being what they appear is a main one in the novel.  Another element that is left out of the original movie version, is Oskar's acting out. He steals, he has no regard for his broken family, and lies. He's more human, more understandable in the novel than in the movie version. The movie I felt, made him too much of a victim in an attempt to make him overly likable as the hero. The novel all around is grittier. 

I didn't care for the characters of the older group. Most of who are middle aged alcoholics and become the vampires victims. The cowardly Gosta who is the witness to the crimes, and the obsessed crazy cat guy, just felt flat. But at the same time, he's the perfect vehicle to express the loneliness and isolation everyone is feeling. Which, given this is set 30 plus years ago, adds to the heaviness of the situation.  There is a lot of talk about not having the right environment to grow up in playing on the fear of not being like everyone else. Being the "other".  Most of the families are single parents, even the middle aged characters are either single parents themselves, or dealing with the death of their only parent. The idea of being orphaned runs heavy through this. Given this is set in 1981, it really plays well with the idea of things not "getting out there"; the way it would now a days. Everything is contained within the small neighbourhood.  One of the best metaphors running in this, is the paranoia of the outsider theme. As it uses a subplot of the people's fear of the fact the Russians were seen just off their coastline. It's referred to whenever the characters find themselves too worked up over the killings, and need to talk about "in other news".

There is so much going on in this novel, from the characters being afraid to admit they just want relationships, to the idea of running away to better their situations, to being afraid of themselves. While reading this, I actually kept thinking of the 1983 slasher film Sleepaway Camp. 
Two things about the book I really have to mention, one - the bathtub. In the book, Eli is sleeping in a tub filled with blood. This gets changed in both films, to her just covered up in a sleeping bag in the tub. Removing all connections it had to Elizabeth Bathroy.  and two- the cats. The whole subplot of animals, specially cats, being able to tell when a supernatural creature was around, was brilliant. It does make it to the original movie, but not to the remake.

Remake : Let Me In
starring Chloe Grace Moretz, Kodi Smit-Mcphee
genre:Thriller, Horror
year:2010
format: DVD

Plot:After arresting a serial killer, who's disfigured himself, a detective finds himself on the trail of the man's identity, which leads him to uncover the real killer who is a vampire.

Right off, this is set in 1983, a two year difference from the original story.  There is this great subtly shown with our lead character of Owen, standing first in his room looking from one set of windows to the other; as if at a crossroads. One direction points out to the normal life, as a couple are about to have sex, the other direction leads to the supernatural, as he sees Abby for the first time.  This is quickly followed by the lead character standing outside at a literal crossroads in the street, looking first up at Abby's darkened apartment window, then at the couple as they walk up the parking lot on the opposite side.  I honestly thought this was a brilliant way to show him exploring; as all 12 years olds seem to do, the balance between life and death. The fascination with the power we have over life and death.

This then, becomes pretty much scene for scene to the original film. But, I found it to be a darker texture, with more emphasis on the crime angle, as well as just the human nature of it. The little differences of removing some of the characters/combined a few, gave it more depth. I also thought the acting was better. Where the original version focused more on the innocence of the two leads, this lends to them being more rounded.
We also don't get let in - no pun intended- on the fact she's transgender/non-gender. There is a scene where Owen asks Abby to be his girl, and she tells him she's not a girl, she's nothing. That is the only hint we have towards the big plotline in the original novel. 

It's rare for me to say this, but I liked the remake a lot more. I think having two powerhouse actors of Richard Jenkins and Elias Koteas, added a lot to the weight of the characters. This version also reminded a lot of the remake of Fright Night from 2011. 
I found they made the Jenkins character - Hakan in the original story- smarter in the remake. He still gets caught, but he's able to get out of the situations somewhat better than the other version. 

Okay folks, I'm know there is a ton more in the metaphors and details that I'm failing to express, but I have to cut this here.  Don't forget to check out Heather's take on this month's combo.  Next month, there is half a combo. Don't laugh, the vampire movie will be Dark Crystal, and the book will be your choice.  But I'll be back later in the week with the official announcement on that and the round up. I know I know, I haven't done a proper round up for these in a long while. 
 

year 5 Day 164 (what that movie inspired me to do 48)

movie: Ghostbusters
starring: Bill Murray, Harold Ramis
genre: Comedy
year: 1984
format: DVD

plot: When a group of paranormal researchers stumble upon a doorway to the realm of the dead, they end up having to use all their resources in order to save New York from an apocalypse.

Ghosts, hauntings, paranormal research...before it was trendy. I love the little nods to H.P. Lovecraft in this, with the idea of having a cult from the 1920's and the names of the gods. Zuul and Vinz Clortho. (very Cthulhu) and to Aleister Crowley (the fact the two possessed Dana and Louis have to use sex magick to open the seal/gateway) There are hints of real occultism running wild through this whole film.

At the time this originally came out, it was more acceptable to be talking about cults than it was the paranormal, so it's no wonder they made the plot run around a long dead cult leader who wanted to bring about the end of the world. (and maybe a little prophetic too given the last decade) as society was still coming off the Manson Family and the fear of cults were the topic de jour.  Another big theme that was everywhere back in the 80's was the little man vs the corporations. In this case, you've got the team having to battle the environmental protection agency; who are trying to (and succeed for a brief time) shut down their main containment vault. This was also a point in society where "environment issues" was starting to really become catch phrases in the headlines. So basically, everything that you remember hearing in the news back in 1984, found its way into the film, be it in your face or just hiding under the bed.

Of course, I have to mention the fact we have a "keymaster" who is male, and a "gatekeeper" who is female, going back to the idea of ancient fertility rites, that a lot of old societies had. Every pagan religion, believed in the duality of things. In this case, it takes both the male and female "joining" in order to "bring forth" the third element which is the god.  (sex magick still the strongest form of power raising)

This would have never made it as a straight up horror. Weird to say, but it needed the comedic elements for it to be digestible at the time.

what did I learn? Class Five Full Roaming Vapor

This is also the second round of 80's Day! Totally tubular. Really, did you think I would pick anything other than the original Ghostbusters given it's Ghostbusters week?

notes: chocolate bar, coffee, whiskey, lettuce, mineral water, eggs, cereal, celery, marshmallows, pears, pasta, cookies, mustard, mayo, ketchup, parmesan cheese, pickles, soy sauce, pop, cheesy-nips, beer, popcorn, peanuts, casserole, lunch meat, yogurt, jam, pudding cups, cheese, ground beef, salad dressing, Chinese food, pastries, sandwiches, cake, tea, salad, chicken, spud (mentioned) "jello mold" (Slimmer) wine, rolls, duck, carrots, spices, onion, stir-fry, potato chips, twinkies, sunflower seeds, salmon, dip, juice, bagels, soup, pancake mix, pizza, hot dogs, fruit basket (mentioned)

okay so my first instinct was to do a rice crispy treat with vegan marshmallows, only they don't sell those here. So I actually tried to make my own vegan marshmallows. The treats tasted great. BUT, even with being in the freezer for over 8 hours, the second I took them out, they fell apart, and no amount of "shaping" them worked.  So that left me scrambling trying to figure out a new recipe, and I was desperate not to have to switch movies and start all over.
We see cans of soup in one of the kitchen scenes, and plenty of veggies so thinking of how to tie that in, all I could think was Slimmer.
Oh yeah, I went there. What I ended up going with was a version of a green goddess soup.

Slimmer's Soup

broccoli
cauliflower
carrots
onion
salt
ground black pepper
cabbage
celery
spinach
cream of asparagus soup
water and almond milk


As always, I just rough chopped everything, and had a few cheats.  I used half the package of the cole slaw, which had both green and purple cabbage as well as carrot, and half the package of spinach.
As well as about a half cup of both the broccoli and cauliflower.
Half a medium onion, and one stalk of celery.

I cooked the veggies down first for about 45 minutes, then added the cream of asparagus soup and almond milk.  I have to say, at first it had a beautiful shade of green once I added those two ingredients, but the almond milk separated and the colour went back to a darker shade.

So I'm not alone in this 80's Day theme post. As always, my friend Heather over at All Roads Lead to the Kitchen, has made something too. And this this is always my favourite part of the whole challenge; neither of us has told the other what movie we decided to do today. So head on over to her blog (here) and see what she has on the stove...awesome.

year 5 day 163

movie: Ghostbusters (remake)
starring: Melissa McCarthy, Chris Hemsworth
genre: Comedy
year: 2016
format: Cinema

plot: After being fired from her job as a professor, Dr. Gilbert is forced to take a job with her former best friend, Dr Yates, in checking out the legitimacy of a hunted house. With the help of Dr. Holtzmann, and city worker Patty, they discover a plot by a mad scientist to open the portals between this reality and the one of the dead.

So I loved this movie. I went into it liking McCarthy and Hemsworth, and expecting a lot of cameos from the original cast.  I'll start there. McCarthy rocked the roof off. She makes arguing over soup the funniest thing on the planet. Hemsworth plays a confused character. Literally. I am still scratching my head why they made his character so dumb?

SPOILER ALERT : there is a small statue of Harold Ramis, Bill Murray plays the paranormal debunker, Annie Potts plays the angry hotel manager, Dan Aykroyd plays the lazy cab driver, Slimmer appears to steal Ecto, the Stay Puft Man appears as a parade balloon, Ernie Hudson plays Patty's uncle the undertaker, Sigourney Weaver plays Holtzmann's boss.  I was more than a little upset that Rick Moranis did not make any appearance, as he was always one of my favourite characters. Aykroyd had one of the best lines in the film as he says "It's only a class five" when referring to the city being over run by ghosts. The giant twinkie in times square is a little in joke that you might not catch at first. END SPOILERS

The first scene is in itself a bit of a tribute to the second movie, as you get to see a river of slime, which is what was causing the ghosts to react in Ghostbusters II.  I like how they gave a nod to the current trend in paranormal "hunting" with their little snip of "reality tv".
And I have to say it, the whole mixing heavy metal with the occult. Full on 80's style of horror, even though this isn't a horror, just the fact they go for the goat.  Yeah, you read me right...goat.  I loved that kind of  feel. The music they used for the metal concert was lacking in everything, but the "spirit" of it is there.

what did I learn? If an actor is willing to be slimmed, slime them every scene.