Tag Archives: horror movies

Moving Slow on Monstrous Monday

Posted on June 19, 2018 by mohawkvalleygirl

Nobody does! Oh, I suppose YOU do (you know who you are).

I haven’t used this charming gentleman in a while, but he seemed appropriate.  It was a grisly hot day in the Mohawk Valley today.  Really, there were all kinds of warnings on the news about how we should stay hydrated and get our exercising done early in the morning.  I worked too early to run, so I just didn’t bother; judge me if you must.  The sad thing about that is that, quite abruptly, running has gotten fun again.  As I watched the afternoon drag by, I was sorry I was not going to run.  I looked forward to running on Tuesday, when temperatures are supposed to moderate somewhat.

Safety first! Walk, don’t run!

As I was looking through my Media Library for a picture of a monster running (which I don’t think I have anyways), I saw the above, which I believe I have not used recently. It is, of course, from Night of the Living Dead (1968), back in the days when zombies did not run but lumbered threateningly and people for some reason were often unable to get away.  I understand zombies move faster these days.  I have not see a recent zombie movie.  I don’t much like horror movies after the late ’60s.  They got too slashy for me.  There are, of course, exceptions.  Some newer movies are more atmospheric and psychological, and there are a few I like even if they did go through a tanker truck of fake blood.

“Who were you expecting, the Avon Lady?”

Thinking of blood, I close with my favorite blood-sucker, Nosferatu.  I’m calling this a Monstrous Monday post, or did you figure that out already?  Longtime readers may recall that I wilt and become quite useless in the heat.  I am brain dead.  Perhaps I am a zombie.  Today I am the lumbering kind, but tomorrow I hope to run.

 

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Bette and Joan on Tired Tuesday

Posted on January 17, 2018 by mohawkvalleygirl

I’ve got the I CAN’T POST THAT disease,  also known as the Type It In Backspace It Out disease.

They look how I feel.

When in doubt, post a picture.  I confess to not being a great fan of Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? although I adore both Bette Davis and Joan Crawford, as well as old horror movies.  You may ask me, what’s that all about? But I will not have a good answer.  After all, one can’t like everything.

“I can just about spit in your eye!”

I may not have that quote right, but here is Davis in a movie I thoroughly enjoy, Hush… Hush, Sweet Charlotte, which ironically enough (given my enjoyment of one and dislike of the other) was originally titled Whatever Happened to Cousin Charlotte?  I read all about it in a wonderful book called The Divine Feud by Shaun Considine.  Ooh, now I should find a picture of Crawford in a movie I like, preferably horror.  How about Straitjacket?

The caption is not a line from the movie. Also, Miss Crawford did not appreciate being referred to as a “broad.”

I may flatter myself, but I think this is turning out to be a not bad silly post. I haven’t even mentioned my headache (that was one of the lines I typed in and backspaced out, as mentioned earlier) (oops.  Well, go ahead and judge me for whining).  I’ll keep it short and end with another favorite picture.

She really lost her head over that movie.

Happy Tuesday, everybody.

 

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The Grinch Stole My Weekend!

Posted on December 5, 2017 by mohawkvalleygirl

Monster, you are not alone.

I thought I would do a Middle-aged Musings Monday with Monsters. I like monsters.  And I think many can identify with the sentiment expressed by Frankenstein’s Monster (I capitalize it, because I feel he is a friend).  I suppose there is no point in harping on the fact that it is Monday and we don’t like Mondays, so I shall merely express the thought and move on.

“Every Who down in Whoville liked Christmas a lot…”

Here is one of my all-time favorite pictures of a couple of my all-time favorite guys:  The Grinch and Boris Karloff.  I thought it was the best thing in the WORLD when I heard, at a fairly young age, that Boris Karloff was the Grinch.  I had never seen Frankenstein, but I knew quite a bit about it.  Now that I am a true fan of the movie, of old-time horror movies in general, and of Boris Karloff, I relish seeing our DVD of that classic cartoon.

I guess I have expressed all these sentiments before.  We just watched How the Grinch Stole Christmas the other day, and came across that photo on Facebook.  I knew I would use it in a blog post.  I’m only sorry it is not a better blog post, but, as I often say, you’ll have that.

The title just now occurred to me, and I rather like it.  Full disclosure:  Nobody stole my weekend.  I had a weekend, I enjoyed it, it passed as time passes, I await the next one.  However, one is not best served by spending five days of the week merely anticipating two.  I will find useful things to do and accomplish during my week.  I will write blog posts about them.  Happy Monday, everyone.

Oh, I just realized, I said “Middle-aged Musings with Monsters.”  I suppose you could count The Grinch, and that makes two.  Still, I’ll feel better if I include one more.

“I still don’t know why they wanted me to be in this blog post.”

I bet you thought I was going to go with Nosferatu.  Maybe we’ll see him on Tuesday.

 

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Sorry, Mr. Lee

Posted on November 26, 2017 by mohawkvalleygirl

Alas, I did not participate in Shop Small Saturday, so I cannot do a post plugging local businesses. I went running this morning, so I could have done Saturday Running Commentary.  And I am going to cook something for dinner, so I could yet do a cooking post.  But here I sit, wanting to get my post done and over with, and I’m just watching, in the most desultory fashion imaginable, a Hammer Horror film I DVR’d in October.

He looks so horrified by the cross. Do you suppose he went to Catholic school?

Who doesn’t love a Hammer Horror film with Christopher Lee as Count Dracula?  Well, Lee himself, as I learned in Ben Mankiewicz’s pre-movie commentary.  As it happens, I am not paying a great deal of attention to it myself, even less so than usual, which regular readers know is very little indeed.  I’m just not in the mood.  So obviously I cannot do a real write-up as I enjoy doing, necessitating a spoiler alert. I did a quick search of Facebook for public pictures, though, to punch up what I do post.

He looks as if he is rather relishing the role in this shot.

 

Dracula must look after his health, after all.

 

What a double bill!

I would not have thought of putting Trog with Taste the Blood of Dracula.  Steven and I watched Trog some years ago, back in the days of video stores.   It was Joan Crawford’s final picture, so we watched it to show respect.  There isn’t really much other reason to watch it, if I recall correctly.  Still, if it shows up on TCM I will DVR it.  Maybe I’ll let it play while I type a blog post.

 

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Lee is Undead and I am Brain Dead

Posted on November 21, 2017 by mohawkvalleygirl

It’s that dreadful moment when you want to make your blog post and you realize you have not a thing to write about.  I’m not even sure I can do a Monday Mental Meanderings, because my mental capacity is running low.  I have not done much today.  I went to Basloe Library and printed out the registration form for the Reindeer Run 5K.  I guess I’m going to run it.  I think I’m going to run it.  Maybe I’m going to run it.  We’ll see.

Count Dracula don’t need no stinkin’ napkins!

As I type this (as Truman Capote once said, “That’s not writing, that’s typing”), Dracula is Risen from the Grave is playing on my DVR.  I wrote a blog post about it the last time I watched it.  It stars Christoper Lee, who was purportedly sick of playing Dracula by the time.  I stopped paying attention to it when I watched it that time, too, although I think my write-up on it was pretty fun (or do I flatter myself?).  The other Christopher Lee Dracula movie I have seen and written about was Dracula, Prince of Darkness.  I paid better attention to that one, but with me that isn’t saying much.

This shows how frustrated Lee was to still be playing the Count.

When TCM shows this movie again next October and I DVR it, I think I will try to pay attention to the whole thing.  No promises.  For one reason, am I likely to remember this brain dead moment a year from now?

He looks like he’s worried I might write another blog post about him.

Ah, I did have one more picture of Lee in my Media Library.  I do like to include three pictures.  Tomorrow I will try to include a more coherent blog post.  Happy Monday, everyone.

 

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A Little Murder to Finish my Weekend

Posted on November 6, 2017 by mohawkvalleygirl

Ah, Wrist to Forehead Sunday, a day when I get even more lame than Lame Post Friday and wuss out even more than Wuss-out Wednesday.  All I want to do today is sit on my couch, crochet, and watch television.  That is pretty much what I have been doing in, with small breaks to wash dishes, make popcorn, fix dinner, and do a couple more marginally useful things.  I can never get anything done on a Sunday.

When Steven got home from work, I informed him that I did not want to take down Halloween decorations, as he had suggested we do.  I said we should leave them up for one more day and watch Halloween movies.  Steven is the nice sort of husband who agrees to such things.  We watched The Old Dark House, which I had DVR’d from TCM.

I mostly remember Tom Poston from “Newhart.”

We also have the original Old Dark House with Boris Karloff on the DVR.  Still, I thought a William Castle-Hammer production was worth a watch.  But what to watch next is the question?  I’ve seen two Hammer Dracula movies starring Christopher Lee this weekend. I have one more yet on my DVR.

Gotta love that Christopher Lee.

While I think about it, I am looking at my usual Sunday entertainment, Snapped on Oxygen.  It’s so relaxing.  I put it on while I made the popcorn, “For background music.”

I have not reached my breaking point.

I do love a true crime show.  Maybe I should look for a Dateline or 20/20.  Something cheerful to round out my weekend.  Happy Sunday, everyone.

 

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Neither Carnival Nor Much Soul

Posted on October 24, 2017 by mohawkvalleygirl

I feel like the reflection, blurry.

I would love to do a Monster Movie Monday, but the movie on my mind today does not exactly have a monster in it.  Carnival of Souls (1962) is low budget, atmospheric and CREEEEPY!  I admire it intensely, although I can’t say it is a pleasure to watch.  I find it unsettling.  What I really love is how scary it is using just make up, camera work, and acting.

This was my favorite among the posters I found.

This is why I don’t often write about movies I truly admire, especially horror movies.  I don’t want to tell you anything about it.  I feel a movie like this is best enjoyed if you allow it to unfold before you.  Well, maybe I could share a couple of pictures, which I found on a Carnival of Souls Facebook page.

I suppose we could call this a monster.

 

Here is another depiction of how I feel, only I am dry. And I have short hair.

Full disclosure:  I did not intend to write about this at all.  I was going to call this Migraine Monday, because I have been suffering this nagging headache most of the afternoon.  It is not a full-blown migraine, but you know how I love alliteration.  To add to my sense of ill-usage, it got worse AFTER work.  What’s that all about?  But I was afraid it would sound like whining and begging for sympathy.  I’m not, really. Actually, I’m afraid this is not a very good blog post, and I am offering a pathetic excuse.  Hmmm… that doesn’t sound much better, does it?  So judge me.  Happy Monday, everyone.

 

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Lame Post Friday with Joan

Posted on October 14, 2017 by mohawkvalleygirl

According to the Facebook page I stole this from, the left is the original and the right is photo-shopped.

I am neglecting to make my Friday Lame Post, because I am watching I Saw What You Did, produced and directed by William Castle and starring Joan Crawford.  This photo is the only one I could find from the movie.  Don’t you just love that necklace?  I do.  Speaking of Joan…

Personally, I like the picture better without the caption, but Facebook thieves cannot be choosers.

Under the heading Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, I used this photo in this blog as well as for a Facebook profile picture.  The shot is from the William Castle movie Straitjacket, another favorite of ours.  I personally am trying NOT to eat candy.  You can probably imagine how well that is going.

I found “NINA”!

Another picture of Joan: here she is with Bette Davis in a Hirschfeld drawing of them as their characters in Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?  For all I love horror movies and Bette and Joan, I don’t love that movie.  Maybe if I watched it again.  Sometimes you have to watch a movie more than once and let it grow on you.  But not like a fungus.

Anyways, this is my Friday Lame Post for the week.  I’m busy watching Halloween movies.

 

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Karloff Works his Magic on Me

Posted on October 8, 2017 by mohawkvalleygirl

There were several posters, but this was the one I downloaded first.

I am in the midst of watching The Sorcerers (1967) with Boris Karloff, but I really, really want to make my blog post before it gets any later.  I will attempt to watch and type.  Ooh, stopped typing for a few minutes. The movie just got quite horrifying.

OK, that scary moment is over and I will type a few more words, insert another picture, till I just have to watch again.

He does not appear to be a harmless old man, even before things get creepy.

This is one of the many movies where Karloff gets to use his real voice.  As I always say, I will never get over my delight at those deep, mellifluous tones.  And yes, with every sentence, I can hear, “Every Who down in Whoville liked Christmas a lot…”   In this movie… well, I don’t want to give away any plot points, as I do with the cheesy horror movies I love to write about.

Here is a creepier shot of him.

Karloff and his wife are mad scientists.  At least, he says he’s a kind of a hypnotist, but I never saw a hypnotist with all this creepy equipment.

I kind of wish they had done more in the laboratory (pronounced la-BORE-a-tory).

This is actually a gripping tale of horror, control and power with a surprising strong moral center.  But more I shall not say.  Watch the movie when you get a chance.

And we’ll call this a Slacker Saturday post.

 

 

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Graveyard, Nosferatu, What’s Not to Like?

Posted on October 5, 2017 by mohawkvalleygirl

I was feeling better than I felt yesterday, so I went running.  I was going to do a Running Commentary post, but in the first place, the run was not that memorable.  In the second place, my headache is back and I have to start thinking about dinner.  As I was looking through Facebook, hoping for a little inspiration (oh, don’t give me that hoary cliche that inspiration follows writing, sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn’t, and sometimes you do so get it before you write).  Where was I?  Ah yes, I found a monster movie picture, and you know how I love to make a post of monster movie pictures.

SO atmospheric! I love it!

It is from the James Whale Frankenstein.  It reminded me of another picture of a cemetery in another horror movie.  I knew I had seen it on Facebook at some point but could not remember what page.  I went to The Golden Age of Monster Movies, a group I am in, and began scrolling through their photos.  Of course I could not find the one I was looking for, and I do not have all night to search for an obscure picture.  However, I soon found a shot of my favorite guy, Nosferatu.  I must share Nosferatu.

I remember this shot from the first time I saw this movie, when I was in the sixth grade. I was scarred for life, but, you know, in a good way.

So I gave up on doing a graveyard theme and just looked for a couple more pictures I liked.  I soon found the following:

We recently watched this one. I should write a blog post about it. I haven’t written about a cheesy horror movie in a long time.

 

I have no idea what this is from, but Peter Lorre, Vincent Price, a severed head, what’s not to like?

So this is my Wuss-out Wednesday post for the week.  I don’t say I won’t have another day of monster movie pictures and silly commentary, but at least I won’t call it Wuss-out Wednesday.  As always, thank you for tuning in.

 

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