Oh, October!

October is one of my favorite months! We finally get cooler weather here in Florida. Our household celebrates birthdays. And all things spooky take center stage. 

 

I do read, write and watch scary stuff all year long, but I like to ramp it up in October, binge on stories of things that go bump in the night. I've got stacks of books to choose from and jotted notes of movies and TV shows, but I'd love to hear your recommendations.

 

*** What books and/or stories had you checking under the bed before going to sleep? What movies and/or TV shows had you turning on every light in the house? What was it that made your skin crawl? ***

 

Wishing you all a wonderful month and a Happy Halloween! 

🎃👻😱🎃👻😱🎃👻😱🎃👻😱🎃👻😱🎃👻😱🎃👻😱

Pass the Popcorn, Please!

I love a good scary movie, but because I am a giant chicken, I rarely venture out to the theaters to watch them. I much prefer curling up on the couch with popcorn, my husband nearby, and the remote control in my hand so I can press "pause" if I get too freaked out.

(Believe me, this works out well for everyone concerned. No one wants to hear me scream or watch me weep from terror. Even the tortoises roll their eyes at me - okay, it at least looks like they're rolling their eyes - before tucking themselves safely away in their shells.)

So, even though my chicken-ness means I have to wait for movies to be available to rent, I was still very excited to come across this article "Over 30 Horror Movies We Can't Wait to See in 2019" over on the Bloody Disgusting website. My Movies-to-Watch list is growing almost as fast as my Books-to-Read list! (Pfft. Not even close.)

I haven't watched any trailers yet, so my picks are based on other things -

For Stephen King fans - it's Pet Sematary 2019 versus Pet Sematary 1989! I remember loving the book, but I can't remember if I liked the movie. I'll probably give the new one a shot. I also want to see In the Tall Grass, which is based on a novella written by King and his son, Joe Hill. I will, however, skip IT: Chapter Two since I didn't really enjoy Chapter One.

Speaking of sequels - and remakes - I'm looking forward to Annabelle 3 and Grudge.

And I have high hopes for: Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, Body at Brighton Rock and The Lighthouse. Oh, and Midsommar by Ari Aster. Aster's movie, Hereditary, left me haunted for a good long while, so this new one should be - fingers crossed! - amazing.

Time to stock up on popcorn! And peanut M&Ms . . . and pizza . . . and wine. . . .

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Do you like scary movies? Have any favorites? What about them makes them your favorites? Anything here - or anything else from the linked article  - sound good to you? (I have notes of more but couldn't list them all!)   

Popcorn, Please!

Did you know The Exorcist was the first horror film to be nominated for a Best Picture Oscar?

Did you know Psycho is the first American film to show a toilet? It's also the first time we hear a toilet flush.

For more fun trivia, check out 40 Fascinating Facts About Your Favorite Horror Movies (MentalFloss.com, 10/23/17.) I love this kind of stuff! Here are a few more:

Robert Englund was not the first choice to play Freddy Krueger, and Sissy Spacek was not the first choice to play Carrie. Can you imagine anyone else in those roles?

Gene Hackman was supposed to star in and direct Silence of the Lambs. No Anthony Hopkins?! And speaking of Silence of the Lambs, remember Buffalo Bill's creepy dance? That wasn't in the script, but it was in the book, and actor Ted Levine insisted it be included to help explain the character.

Jaws is one of my all-time favorite movies for many reasons, but one of the biggest is that not seeing Jaws right away escalates the tension and the creepiness. But the real reason the shark doesn't fully appear until one hour and twenty-one minutes into the movie? Because apparently, the mechanical shark rarely worked during filming.

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Do you enjoy watching horror/scary movies? Have any favorites? Have any interesting movie trivia to share?

Maybe More Than a Little

Last week, a local theater ran the original Psycho. In honor of Halloween and the start of another NaNoWriMo, my husband and I went. We'd seen Psycho before but not on a big screen, not in a roomful of people with their own reasons for going. Soon, we were all lost in another time, another place. 

That's pretty much what happens to me during November - I get lost in a world of my own making. I look up from my keyboard and have to blink a few times to situate myself. I walk out of my office and catch a glimpse of a character running down the hall, darting into another room. I have to ask my poor husband to repeat his question a third time because I'm busy trying to figure out how - or if! - my protagonist will manage to kill the creature lurking in the shadows.

I am not easy to live with during the best of times, but November brings its own special kind of Hell for my long-suffering, patient husband. So, while we were watching Psycho, a particular scene made me laugh out loud because I'm pretty sure it sums up what my husband thinks of me during NaNoWriMo. (Okay, maybe he feels this way all the time, but he's too nice to say it.) 

"IT'S NOT LIKE [SHE'S] A MANIAC 

OR A RAVING THING.

SHE JUST GOES A LITTLE MAD SOMETIMES.

WE ALL GO A LITTLE MAD SOMETIMES.

HAVEN'T YOU?"

(Norman Bates)

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Do you wig out (pun intended!) during NaNoWriMo? Or when you're deep into a creative project? How does your spouse/significant other/support team handle you? Do you do anything to thank them when - if?! - sanity returns?

The Horror! The Horror!

Even though the title of this post is from Joseph Conrad's story The Heart of Darkness, we're not going to talk about books today. (Shocking, I know.) No, I need help with something else - movies. 

I am banned from picking the next, um, five to ten movies my husband and I will watch. Why? Because the last handful I chose pretty much stunk. Now, to be fair, my husband is a good sport. He knows how much I like a good horror movie and he indulges me in my (occasionally) odd choices . . . to a point. So, I know it's gotten bad when he says enough is enough. 

What I need from you all is help redeeming myself. Plus, I just want to watch some good scary movies for a change. Here's an idea of what I like (and my husband likes/tolerates):

Jaws

Psycho

Misery

the Scream movies 

the Paranormal Activity movies

Joy Ride

Jeepers Creepers

Quarantine

28 Days Later 

The Woman in Black

Dream House

Please share your picks for horror, scary, creepy, suspenseful stuff. Nothing too gross or gory or freaky, please. Older, newer, independent, black-and-white, all fine. If you're not sure it's horror - like, I don't think Jaws technically is but it scared me! - mention it anyway. 

And please, hurry. My husband is talking about us watching some sports documentary DVDs he's got hanging around. Help!

Scare Me. Please.

Author Joshilyn Jackson mentions in one of her posts how this was the "Year of Abduction Fiction" for her.  She lists her top three reads that all concerned long term abductions.  I'd have to say the same goes for me.  I enjoyed Laura Lippman's I'd Know You Anywhere.  I raved here about Chevy Steven's Still Missing.  And I was recently blown away by Emma Donoghue's amazing novel, Room. 

Great writers and writing aside, why do I enjoy these kinds of stories?  Why do I enjoy those end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it novels and movies?  Why do I enjoy creepy horror books and films?

Do I think they'll give me tips if I'm ever (God forbid!) in those situations?  Let's get real.  If a meteor crashes into earth or a band of zombies is eating its way through the United States, you'll find me curled up in a ball in some corner either weeping or wondering how I'd taste to the undead. 

Maybe it's because reading those books and watching those movies from my bed or the living room couch makes me feel safe.  It's easy to yell "Don't go in the woods!" at some stupid teenagers while I cower behind my husband's arm.   And I can always shut the book or turn off the TV.  Right?  Right?

Wrong.  Images from the books I mentioned above are going to stay with me for quite awhile.  That's the power that all well-done stories - scary and otherwise - have over us.  I don't know about you, but I, for one, am happy to let them.