Tag Archives: cheesy horror movies

Is It Spooky Season Yet?

I have been making a few late blog posts lately (see what I did there?), and I am doing it again with a Throwback Thursday made early-ish Friday morning.  My early gets later and later as I go, because I find I love staying in bed.  If I wanted to be really productive, I would get up at 2 or 3 a.m., when I am wide awake, but I say, “No, no, I want another REM cycle!” and do relaxations techniques or count sheep till I sleep again.  Then at five or six,  I want to stay asleep till seven or eight.  Judge me if you are so inclined.

I wonder where I put this little cutie.

I delved in my Media Library back to September 2017 and saw several spooky illustrations.  For me and my late, beloved husband Steven, spooky season began after Labor Day, or on years with a late Labor Day like this one, Sept. 1.  Actually, Halloween for us was less of a season than a lifestyle.  I’m sure real goth and horror buffs would laugh at our idea of the macabre, because we loved cheesy horror movies, not gory slasher flicks, and we had no problem with the cutest of Halloween decorations.

Well, maybe one gory slasher flick.

Then again, we loved Carrie, which you could hardly call cheesy.  Actually, I found Carrie more sad than scary.  She was so happy on prom night!  And everybody was NOT laughing at her, just a few of the mean kids.  The thing I found least believable about Carrie was that there was not one misfit kid in that school to befriend her.  I was a misfit kid in junior high, and I had friends.   We weirdos tend to stick together.  Was her school so small she was the only one?  But I had to suspend my disbelief for dramatic purposes.  And I agree with my husband that the gym teacher did not deserve what she got.

OK, here’s a silly one, not particularly spooky.

I add this one merely to honor the recently passed Tim Curry.  My family has spent many hours happily entertained playing the game Clue.  The movie certainly has a stellar cast.

I see I am over 350 words.  Score!  I guess I had better get to work cleaning my house, so I can start decorating for this year’s spooky season.

 

Monsters I Have Never Known

This will be a Monstrous Monday post.  I still recline on my couch (which is almost as good as a dramatic swoon), waiting for the health care system to work me in.  But no more about my physical woes.  It would be a HIPAA violation, not to mention dull and boring.  I would rather see what I can come up with using a few fiends from my Media Library (and, yes, autocorrect, I mean fiends, not friends!) (stupid computer changed it on me twice).

That’s a scary looking guy!

I never saw Lady Frankenstein, but I appreciate this poster.  I did not know Joseph Cotten did any horror movies.  I can’t find any older horror movies on RokuTV, although I will probably continue to look.

He looks scary.

Here is another movie I have never seen. I do not even know what movie it is.  It is some picture I found scrolling around Facebook back in the 2018.  Back then I found it easy to steal photos from the internet for blogging purposes.  I do not know how to do it on my Chromebook.  I am SO twentieth century!

All-time best ending for a horror movie.

Too bad StraitJacket wasn’t made by Twentieth Century, or this would be a perfect photo to follow that last remark.  This is a movie I have seen many times, a heartwarming film starring Joan Crawford as a mother reunited with her daughter after 20 years in a mental institution. In the prelude, we learn Crawford chopped her husband’s head off.  These things happen.  In the movies, at any rate.

I see I am over 250 words.  I fear these foolish posts will continue for the foreseeable future.  However, it helps me to make them, and I hope it entertains somebody to read them (that wasn’t blatantly fishing for compliments, was it?) (I know, if I’m going to fish for compliments, I ought to find better bait).

 

No Cinema or Shakespeare on Sunday

I had such good plans to not have a Wrist to Forehead Sunday post.  I was going to find movies on RokuTV and have a Cinema Sunday.  Perhaps that was not a great plan; I think my readers prefer to hear about Mohawk Valley Adventures over my cinematic indulgences.  Anyways, I couldn’t find the sort of movie I crave.  At least, I found two.  One I had to pay for, so I said no thanks (put $2.99 on a credit card which has a zero balance?  I don’t think so), the other said Free, but when I pushed OK and watched the commercials, all it showed me was a black screen.

I crave the monster, not the half-dressed chippy in the foreground.

This is not one of the movies I looked for, but I am too lazy to search my Media Library until I find one of them.  Rest assured, this movie would have done if I could have found it.  I am not adept at finding things, on the internet or on RokuTV, as it turns out.  My strengths, if any, lie elsewhere.

THIS is where I shine!

I post a picture of one of my past theatrical endeavors to cheer me up.  Alas, I was supposed to be participating in In Her Voice: A Midsommer of Shakespeare at Arkell Museum and Library at the end of the month.  I had to drop out, due to the foolish problem I am having with my back or leg or whatever.  Will my future hold any more Shakespeare?  I can only hope.

In the meantime, I am over 200 words.  I shall sign off now, to swoon, dramatically posed with the back of one wrist to my forehead.  Since I am forced to remain lounged on my couch, I have not very far to swoon.  That is probably just as well.  I would probably hit my stupid head or something if I went for a full swoon.

 

Still Stagnant on Sunday

Oh dear, I was about to make a Wrist to Forehead Sunday blog post and suddenly my whole body wanted to bag it.  But I don’t like to skip a day of blogging if I can help it!  What’s a blogger to do? Type in a few words, share a few pictures, hit Publish, and hope for the best, I suppose.

Cool!

Not wanting to spend a lot of time scrolling through my Media Library I quickly grab this dragonfly.  Isn’t it pretty?

This I could get into!

This is one of my favorite DVD collections.  It would be nice if I could watch a few of these cheesy selections to pass the time, but it is not within the realm of possibility (never mind why; explanations are tiresome).  However, I count my blessings and am truly grateful for Roku TV.  I have watched numerous episodes of Columbo, a couple of Datelines, and am now sampling a Snapped.  Murder is my life.

Wishful thinking.

Oh how I wish this was my current view!  I had not gotten very far in clearing off my deck when I had to abandon physical efforts, at least temporarily.  Will I get help, find a miracle cure, and return to my life of Mohawk Valley Adventures?  A little uncertainty adds suspense to my week.

 

No Excuses, But Monsters

Well, it’s Wrist to Forehead Monday, because I neglected to make my Wrist to Forehead Sunday post.  I am quite mortified, as you may imagine, especially as I have no good excuse.  I am also a little shame-faced, because I am making a Monstrous Monday post.  I just don’t have it in me to write about any of the Mohawk Valley Adventures I have been having recently.  In short, I am tired.  Could I be too old for all the running around I have been doing lately?  SAY IT AIN’T SO!!!!

Me, aghast at myself for missing a day’s blog.

That is from the silent film, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, 1920.  Very atmospheric.  I must watch it again.  I rarely watch silent movies, because it is difficult for me to knit or crochet and watch.  I like to run in place on the mini-tramp while I watch, although that also has its drawbacks.

Not the cure for insomnia.

Here is Vincent Price with the eponymous Tingler, a William Castle masterpiece.  I kind of identify with this picture, because I had the weirdest post-apocalyptic dream this morning.  It just kept getting stranger and more scary.  That is what I get for trying to get back to sleep after my body said, “I’m wide awake.  Let’s get up now.”  In my defense, it was two in the morning.

“I told you to blog about the Mohawk Valley!”

I finish with this scary guy from Carnival of Souls, a low-budget masterpiece from 1962.  When I DuckDuckGo’d the movie to see what year it was, predictive text suggested “Carnival Cruises,” and I thought, “How about a Carnival of Souls Cruise?”  Passengers can spend the whole time running from the undead.  In luxury conditions, of course.  I hope some entrepreneur jumps right on that idea, because that is a cruise I might actually save my pennies for.

 

Spoiler Alert! I Give Away the Ending of One Monster

I am resorting to a Monstrous Monday post, because I fear if I wait till I leave my house and do something blogworthy (and there is no guarantee of either of those things happening), I will not post at all.  We can’t have that.

“Why can’t we?”

Regular readers may remember my favorite guy, Nosferatu, of the eponymous 1922 silent film.  It’s scary!  I love it!  I also love the song by Blue Oyster Cult, which I only recently discovered.  I think my vampire friend looks startled in this picture, or perhaps he is just trying to remember how to say grace.

She looks like I feel.

And here is the beautiful Candace Hilligoss in Carnival of Souls (1962).  I guess she is not looking her best in this shot.  Carnival of Souls is a great example of how you can make a very unsettling movie on a low budget.   One might argue that Candace is not exactly a monster, but I usually try to avoid arguments as I often lose them.

Another scary one!

These could be described as monsters of the human sort, but I believe they call themselves witches.  Does anybody recognize a young Christopher Lee?  I think I need to revisit some of these older horror movies I have on DVD.

A reformed monster.

I close with a seasonal monster, the Grinch.  I suppose this gives away the ending of the story.  I know what!  I’ll put in a Spoiler Alert in the headline!

 

Oh No! Not a Blogger’s Sick Day!

So I missed blogging and running Sunday and Monday then took a three mile run this morning.  I was set to do a Running Commentary Post!  I even purposefully ran by a few places I know I have pictures of in my Media Library so I could illustrate.  I felt rather awful after the run, wondered if I should have kept it to two miles, trudged my cool-down walk, and just managed to stretch before getting in the shower.  Still, this was going to be find.

After a shower and finding an outfit to put on, I fixed myself a nice egg sammich for breakfast, using Heidelberg French Peasant Bread (just to add a little local flavor to the post).  I had big plans in my head to go shopping and get stuff done after writing my blog post and  before covering the Frankfort Town Board meeting tonight.

Then after breakfast, it hit me.  For some days I have been dealing with some sore throat/coughing, which I thought was post nasal drip due to my ever present allergies.  This morning, it was suddenly much worse, with a banging, sick headache.

Only I feel like the real thing.

It’s no fair!  This is Thanksgiving week!  I am supposed to get together with my family and have fun!  Oh well, these things happen and we must make the best of them.  Perhaps it is a 24-hour Bugaboo and I will be fine tomorrow.  I am about to try the effects of a hot toddy.

Take your medicine, old lady!

This is actually from The Atomic Brain, a favorite cheesy horror movie.  She is actually drinking a cocktail, and that sour look on her face is natural.  My hot toddy features whiskey from Cooperstown Distillery, just to give another area business a shout-out.

Anyways, I wanted to post something, anything, so here it is.  As always, I thank you for tuning in.

 

The Blog Marches On

How about a nice Slacker Saturday post to start my Sunday off right?  I know, several things wrong with that statement.  To begin with, I have been up for hours. Went to bed early, got up early, haven’t had coffee or tea yet… I think this might turn out to be a Slacker Sunday as well.  Last weekend I was down with a cold, this weekend, I am just… down.  Not severely down, just…

Sign of the times? Or just of my life?

I quick threw in a picture to pep things up, as I like to do, and this gem from last March caught my eye.  I remind myself not to dwell on being down.  For one reason it makes a dull blog post.

Well, why not slack once in a while?

I took this picture in March 2021.  A March day when it was warm enough to sit on the front porch!  Oh do I miss porch sitting!  I have been cheering myself up lately with plans for spring.  Oh yeah, I did that in my last blog post, didn’t I?  That seems like a long time ago. Maybe I shouldn’t have skipped the morning coffee.

Doesn’t she notice the crazy eyes?

I go a different way with my third picture, because weekends are also a good time for black and white movies, especially the cheesy kind.  Many people do not consider The Bad Seed an especially cheesy movie, but I find moments of lovely melodrama, and I agree with what my late husband Steve always said, how can anybody be surprised to find out that brat murders people?

So now I have rattled on for over 250 words and said not much.  Well I will try for a Mohawk Valley Adventure sometime today to make a blog post about, or at least a Pedestrian Post with Pictures.  As always, I thank you for tuning in.

 

I Manage to Make a Post

Yesterday (Thursday) and today (Friday) are Blogger’s Sick Days.  I have a terrible cold, not as terrible as it could be, but it sure isn’t making me happy.  So right now I am making a little placeholder post, then I will make some tea or something.  I wonder if I could bestir myself as far as a pot of chicken soup.

What a difference a year makes!

This is a picture from last February.  It was a very warm day, and my sister Cheryl and her grandkids, Sheppy and Evie, and I went to the playground.  I feel the picture is appropriate because of how one’s head spins when one has a cold.  Also, it is a fun picture.

Random snow picture.

This is from February 2021.  There was less snow.  I need to get out and take a few pictures of what I have been struggling with lately.  However, I have gotten my car unstuck.  Multiple times.  So I have that going for me.

Me drinking tea?

This is, in fact, not me, but I feel that old and wicked.  It is the villainess from The Atomic Brain.  Her evil plan is to transplant her brain into a young and beautiful body.  You know, I don’t think that’s tea she’s drinking.  I bet it’s bourbon.  Maybe single malt scotch.  I’ll have to watch that movie again and see if they say.  Hmmm… cheesy old horror movie might be just right for my current state of mind.

In any case, I am over 250 words, which I find more than respectable for a placeholder post.  It also has elements of Throwback Thursday and Non-Sequitur Thursday.  Who says I can’t multi-task?  Oh yeah, I said it.  Silly me.

 

I Follow Different Directions

I went for a walk yesterday but did not take any pictures, so no Pedestrian Post.  I guess the best I can do is a Throwback Thursday, and, yes, I am making it Friday morning and not that early either.  Judge me if you feel so inclined.

But first, another plug!

Ah, but before I throw back to anything, here is one last plug for Curtains for Frangelica, our latest murder mystery.  The last I knew, there were still tickets available, local readers!

The eyes have it.

Before I decided to begin with a plug, this picture from the past caught my eye.  It is the end of my Black-Eyed Susans, before that patch became entirely overgrown with all manner of weeds and things.  That reminds me, I need to get out there and cut everything back.  Perhaps later today if it does not rain (my bunions are non-committal, and I forget what I saw on WKTV News Tuesday).

I think he’s cute.

I was looking for other dead vegetation pictures and came across this adorable fall decoration.  I have no idea where he is now, but I see he is sitting on a Roger Ebert book, I Hated, Hated, HATED That Movie!  I do like reading bad reviews, although I do not agree with all the movies Ebert hated.  I am actually a little uncomfortable looking at the portion of the title showing, because in general I greatly prefer love to hate.  But I digress.

A dramatic conclusion indeed.

Since this is turning out to be something of a Non-Sequitur Thursday, I close by going in yet another direction with a shot from Horror Hotel, from one of my horror movie DVD collections.  I guess this kind of loops back to the beginning: murder mystery, horror movie.  I may be stretching a point.  However, I am over 300 words on one of those mornings when I had at first felt inclined to bag it altogether.  Let that be a lesson to me.  And thank you for tuning in.