Drawlloween Day 13 : Thursday the 13th

Thursday the Thirteenth

I’m not a huge fan of Friday the 13th.
My tiny bit of fandom really stems from my appreciation of horror
and whenever the 13th lands on a Friday during the year.

The story just doesn’t grab me. I mean it’s probably fair to say this about any slasher film but each sequel seems like basically the same exact film. Though I did find Freddy vs. Jason fun and the 2009 remake was an interesting concept. Friday the 13th (2009) takes place over several years and takes ideas spanning over several films in the series.

And to be honest, I love a good-looking villain. Jason doesn’t have a big part in Friday the 13th. (His mother was the murderer…clever.). Jason makes his debut in Friday the 13th Part II but is wearing a burlap sack. He doesn’t wear his iconic Hockey Mask until the third installment of the franchise.

Speaking of Hockey Masks, Jason’s original mask was sculpted out of an old Detroit Red Wings goalie mask. The original mask was too small and needed to be enlarged.

Writer, Victor Miller originally named his villain, Josh, but considered it sounded too nice. So, he decided to change it to Jason after a school bully.

Including the entire Friday the 13th franchise, Jason has killed a total of 167 people.

The original Friday the 13th was filmed at Camp No-Be-Bo-Sco in Hardwick, NJ.

If you want to learn more on Friday the 13th, there’s a pretty cool documentary that came out in 2013 called, Crystal Lake Memories: The Complete History of Friday the 13th.

Thank you for Reading.
❤
Now head over to Instagram…but don’t wake Jason!
🙂

Drawlloween Day 12 : “No, it’s pronounced ‘eye-gor.'”

I’ve Got a Hunchback

In honor of Halloween, let’s talk about Igor…no, not Ygor.

Igor is most famously known as the assistant to Dr. Frankenstein. Even though he does not appear in the original book by Mary Shelley. In the 1931 film version of Frankenstein, Dr. Frankenstein has a lab assistant but his name is Fritz. In the sequels to Frankenstein, Son of Frankenstein (1939) and The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942) instead of a hunchback named Igor,  a black smith with a twisted back named Ygor appears.

In Mel Brooks‘ 1974 comedy classic, Young Frankenstein, Marty Feldman plays Igor (Eye-Gor) to Gene Wilder‘s Dr. Frederick Frankenstein (Fronk-un-steen). The parody was nominated for 2 Academy Awards, one being Best Writing for Gene Wilder and Mel Brooks’ script.

~Some Igor Facts~

Marty Feldman started switching the side of  his hump sub-rosa for the first few days of filming. Once the cast noticed, it was written into the script.

Igor makes a brief appearance playing the piano when Dr. Frankenstein and the monster are performing, Puttin’ on the Ritz.

Apparently, the scene when Igor tells Dr. Frankenstein to “walk this way” influenced one of the best Aerosmith songs Walk this Way! After seeing the film, they found that line so catchy and funny that they decided to name their next song after it. Now, all they needed were the lyrics…

Click for Igor
😀

Thank you for Reading!
❤
-Post Script-

During the A to Z Challenge I wrote a blog post in honor of my favorite Hunchback, Quasimodo, Q : QUASIMODO “These Chains aren’t what’s holding you back, Quasimodo.”

Drawlloween Day 11 : Swamp Thing

Slimy Swamps, Foggy Bogs

SWAMP THING

I don’t know much about Swamp Thing other than the beautiful picture of him, Abby and their baby, Tefe’. I have nothing against Swamp Thing, I’ve just never been exposed to it before. I’m much more of a Batman, Justice League, DC Comics type of gal. But I’ve always appreciated his style.

:a brief bio:

In the 1970’s Louisiana, Scientist, Alec Holland was working on a secret formula to transform deserts into forests. In his lab he is killed by a planted bomb in hopes of obtaining the formula. Holland is splashed with burning chemicals while he runs out of the lab and into the swamp water. Holland later turns into “a vegetable-like being, a ‘muck-encrusted mockery of a man'” and becomes Swamp Thing.

:some fun facts:

Swamp Thing has the power to control plant life, as well as, supernatural knowledge and super strength.

Swamp Thing made his first appearance in HOUSE OF SECRETS #92 (1971). Though in this issue he was Alex Olsen and he was vying for the affection of a woman named Linda.

Alec made his first appearance in Swamp Thing #1, about a year later in November 1972. Both were created by Len Wein and Bernie Wrightson.

Justice League was one of my favorite cartoons growing up. In Season 2 of Justice League, Episode 23 called Comfort and Joy, “an alien bearing a striking resemblance to Swamp Thing makes a blink-and-you-missed-it appearance in the background during Hawkgirl and Green Lantern’s scene.

One of my favorite things about comics is the continuation of stories. How Dick Grayson’s Robin becomes Nightwing, Clark (Superman) marries Lois, and
now I have Swamp Thing and Abby and their daughter to follow.

Thank you for Reading!
❤
Click for more Swamp Thing!!
😀

Drawlloween Day 10 : “There is no Dana, there is only Zuul.”

Demonday

In 1984, Cellist, Dana Barrett saw a demon named Zuul inside her refrigerator
…the rest is history.

I saw Ghostbusters when I was 5 years old. Usually movies don’t give me nightmares but lucky for me this viewing coincided with my parents going out-of-town for the night and me having to spend the night at a friend’s home.
All I could think about was Slimer roaming the halls waiting to slime me…

But after I got back home, Ghostbusters and even Ghostbusters 2 became one of my staples. I used to watch them any chance I got. I stopped that practice along the way and usually reserved it for an October viewing but my husband loves this movie, so my love for Ghostbusters has reblossomed.
In fact, I’d like to think of us as Venkman and Stantz.
Stan as the sarcastic Venkman, me as the dreamer Stantz.
❤

Zuul aka The Gatekeeper of Gozer.

One of the two gargoyle like hellhounds known as Terror Dogs.

The Terror Dogs of Zuul and Vinz Clortho that come to life were actual statue designs from an old church in Philadelphia.

The director, Ivan Reitman, provided the demonic voice for the possessed Dana/Zuul.

In 6000 BCE, Gozer, Zuul and Vinz Clortho were worshiped by the Sumerians and Hittites. They were overthrown by the Babylonian goddess Tiamat and her followers . They were banished to another dimension and put into a centuries long hibernation.
Until they’re awoken in 1984…

Thank you for Reading!
❤

Click here for ZUUL!
😀

Drawlloween Day 9 : “Hi, I’m Chucky. Wanna play?”

He’s a Dummy Doll

He may be a doll but he’s no dummy
but he has been killed multiple times by a child so…

Charles Lee Ray aka the Lakeshore Strangler or Chucky as he’s better known
is the most famous murderous toy in all of film history. His rampage has spanned six movies and a modest 35 kills. His six films have ranged from scary to silly but they’re all pretty entertaining…to some extent at least.

My favorite Chucky movie has always been and always will be Child’s Play 2. My favorite character being Kyle. It happens to be the first one I stumbled upon watching while I waited for my parents to get ready for dinner. I’m sure they assumed I was innocently watching cartoons. Fun Fact: Child’s Play 2 is also voice actor Brad Dourif‘s favorite from the franchise.

I can appreciate the first three films. I think what really makes these movies for me is Dourif’s performance. If it wasn’t for him, I probably wouldn’t give these films a second watch.

And what the Bride of Chucky & Seed of Chucky lacked in Horror and substance, it more than made up for  with with Jennifer Tilly. If you’re looking to be entertained, Tilly’s your woman. Her voice is the perfect companion to Dourif’s maniacal chuckiling murderer. For me, that’s the main, if not, only reason I watch those films to begin with.
As you can read, I’m a sucker for good voice acting.
😉

:Some Spooky Facts:

Child’s Play was originally meant to be a satire about toy marketing and merchandising for children. This was before it was a Horror film.

Chucky got his full name from some of the biggest scum in America.
Charles Manson, Lee Harvey Oswald (assassinator of John F. Kennedy) and James Earl Ray (assassinator of Martin Luther King).

Originally, Charles Lee Ray was going to be Andy’s father.

And speaking of Andy’s father, some people believe that Andy’s late father was in fact murdered by Charles Lee Ray. The clues being that Chucky knew that Andy’s father was dead and that Charles Lee Ray has killed many people prior to becoming Chucky the killer doll. (Including Nica‘s father.)

Nica is the main character from the most recent Chucky film, Curse of Chucky (2013). Nica is played by Fiona Dourif, that’s right, daughter of the voice of Chucky!

Minor Spoilers

Alex Vincent, the actor who plays Andy in the first two films has a special cameo in the Curse of Chucky.

In Child’s Play 3, only men were killed, no women die in the film.

What do you think?
Are you a fan of Chucky?

Don’t Forget to check out Instagram!

Thank you for Reading.
❤

Drawlloween Day 8 : “This is Ripley, last survivor of the Nostromo, signing off.”

8 Legs 1000 Eggs

I started watching hardcore horror films when I was in High School…and when I say hardcore let me clarify that I was watching more classic horror.
Poltergeist, The Exorcist and Alien.

Alien really opened my eyes to a whole different world.
I immediately got my hands on the other three films,
Aliens, Alien³ and Alien: Resurrection.

Sigourney Weaver instantly became my hero.
Every detail of this world amazed me.
I appreciate the fourth one, the third ticked me off a little
but the first two are just out of this world.

The creepiest creature in the whole Alien Quadrilogy are those kin to arachnids, space horseshoe crab like brutes, the Facehugger.

Facehuggers are the second stage of a Xenomorph’s life cycle.
Having been hatched from a Ovomorph (egg) which the Queen has laid,
and from there it grows into a Chestburster to Xenomorph.

The Facehugger was conceived by  writers, Dan O’Bannon and Ronald Shusett came up with ideas for the Facehugger when trying to find a plausible way for the Alien to get aboard the ship. Shusett thought of the idea of having one of the crew impregnated with the alien and the idea grew from there.
It all boiled down to “male rape” and “impregnation”.

There were three reasons why they chose Kane’s character to be attacked.

1. They felt that it would have been a horror movie cliché to have a woman be the weakened victim aka damsel in distress.

2. It would have been inappropriate for a woman to be the victim of such a symbolic rape.
3. They liked the idea of reversing the gender roles and felt that it would make male viewers more uncomfortable.

In the original script the Facehugger was going to immediately decompose after it died, resulting in them turning into acid and thus eating away more of the ship. Which would have made them more dangerous dead than alive.

SPOILERS AHEAD
FOR THOSE WHO HAVEN’T WATCHED
THE FULL SERIES

In Alien³ Ripley is impregnated with a Queen embryo.
The Facehugger is a special one known as a Royal Facehugger or Super Facehugger. It’s said that this special Facehugger can impregnate twice. One would be the Queen while the other would be a normal Xenomorph which would act as a guard.

A Royal Facehugger was created for the film but was cut from the theatrical release. But you can find it in the extended Assembly Cut.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going back to the amc Alien marathon.

Thank you for Reading!
❤

Don’t forget to Check out my Facehugger ❤

Drawlloween Day 7 : “Don’t go out there! There’s something in the mist!”

What Lies in the Mist?

The first Stephen King story I ever finished from beginning to end was the Horror Novella, The Mist. First published as the longest story in the 1980, Horror Anthology, Dark Forces. It was edited and rereleased in Stephen King’s Skeleton Crew in ’85. And then to coincide with the film’s release it was rereleased once more as a separate novella, The Mist (2007).

When I was in middle school, I tried to read Cujo but found the story too convoluted for my age. The Mist on the other hand gripped me from beginning to end, granted I was much more mature and prepared at that point in my life. Nonetheless, I really dove right into the plot as well as the characters.

The film version was also released in 2007. The Mist was a pretty faithful King adaptation. For the most part I was very pleased with the changes that were made. Nothing too out there or crazy except for the ending. Where the book left it ambiguous and mysterious, the film ended in a very finalized and heart wrenching manner.

I won’t go into details, but I have two different reactions to this ending. On the one hand, I was extremely disappointed and saddened by it. I wanted the more ambiguous approach. But from an artistic point of view, I can appreciate the darkness. Mainstream films don’t usually end like that.

It’s kind of like the ending of Se7en. Do I wish everyone lived happily ever after? Yes, of course I do. But from a plot standpoint, it’s better to be faithful to the story. And unfortunately life isn’t always happy endings.

Director, Frank Darabont is best known for writing and directing The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile. Darabont was adamant about the ending he felt the original was too ambiguous and gave the story an ending which Stephen King hints at in the novella. Darabont asked King about the change to which King responded that he wished he would have thought of ending the story in that way.

King also said that the adaptation genuinely frightened him, to which Darabont replied as “the happiest moment of his career”.

Thank you for Reading!

❤

Don’t forget to check out Instagram!

😀

Drawlloween Day 6 : It’s a RASSSP!!!

Urban Legends

There are tons of Urban Legends out there, horror stories, pop culture and a little silly, you might know of certain Urban Legends you’ve forgotten about.

The Russian Sleep Experiment, Walt Disney froze himself, the crying baby on the bridge, Mr. Rogers is a Navy Seal…the list goes on.

My personal favorite being:
Bloody Mary…Bloody Mary…Bloody Mary…
This popular Urban Legend was first introduced to me during the Fall of 6th Grade. My friends and I would go into the bathroom, turn off the lights, crowd around the mirror and take turns reciting those words three times. Then we would rush out each time and check over our arms for tiny “cuts”. Which of course we’d all find one that hadn’t been there before.

I’m a sucker for a good scary movie and especially a good documentary.

I found Killer Legends on accident and since then I’ve had it on multiple times while I work. I find it to be a very interesting and easy to watch documentary.

It’s a very informative and extremely creepy.

Joshua Zeman and Rachel Mills did the documentary Cropsey about an urban legend from their hometown of Staten Island, NY turned real life serial killer. Their next documentary explores some of the most popular urban legends throughout history and uncover the try to get to the root of the myth.

Because behind these Urban Legends, rests some very real horrors.
These are the Legends which the documentary crew delves into:

The Hook:

Two lovers head to lovers lane, they hear a report on the radio of a mental patient with a hook for a hand has escaped. The girl is scared but the boy wants to continue their date, that is until the girl hears a scratching news and demands to go home. The boy reluctantly leaves but when he goes to open her door he finds a hook ripped from the socket hanging from the handle…

The Phantom:

Similar to The Hook, this urban legend takes place in Texarkana, TX. Where a real murder occurred which deals with a man in a hooded mask who killed people in a “lovers lane”. This Urban Legend is unique since it was perpetuated from an actual event. It’s since been memorialized in films such as The Town That Dreaded Sundown.

Candyman:

Children should watch out for tainted Halloween Candy.

Babysitter:

A baby sitter is home alone with the children when she receives a call. Playful at first but the stranger begins asking about the children. After another ominous call the baby sitter calls the police, they’ll get back to her. In the meantime the stranger calls again but is interrupted by the police…the call came from inside the house!

Killer Clowns:

Deadly. Scary. Killer. Clowns…enough said…and if you look at the news, this particular Urban Legend has been poping out all over the country recently.

The documentary explores each one, revealing an unsettling story behind each one.

Check it out for an eerie treat.

Are there any Urban Legends near you that you grew up with?
Any favorites?

Check out Instagram for a special treat!

Thank you for Reading!
❤

Drawlloween Day 5 : Wandering Gnome

Better Gnomes & Goblins

Today, I’ll briefly talk about two different creatures and my favorite films they’ve appeared in.

Gnomes

The 2001 French film, Amélie has a delightful little Gnome in it which lives in her Father’s Garden. Amélie decides to give her Dad a little thrill and sends the Gnome off with her Flight Attendant Friend. Who sends pictures back to Amélie’s Father.

This is known as the wandering Gnome. This was inspired by similar pranks played out in England and France in the 1990s. In 1997, the Leader of this group of thieves was arrested and convicted of stealing over 150 gnomes! The name of his group is translated into Garden Gnome Liberation Front.

Don’t let the subtitles scare you!
If you have yet to watch Amélie please do your self a favor and watch it.

Goblins

My favorite Goblins have appeared in the Harry Potter Franchise.They’re portrayed to be so stoic and serious yet their not evil scary.

Goblins don’t trust Wizards. Many Goblins were murdered in the ’70s, during the first Wizarding War. Later, a Ministry Official swindled a large sum of gold from some Goblins during the 1994, Quidditch World Cup. Which led to the Goblins remaining neutral during the second War. Unfortunately, many Goblins were still murdered when Harry and co. broke into Bellatrix Lestrange’s vault at Gringotts. But you know that .

As Hagrid told Harry during their first trip to Gringotts, “They’re goblins, Harry. Clever as they come, goblins, but not the most friendly of beasts.” My favorite part of the newest ride at Universal Studios Florida, Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts is the queue. Once you get inside the bank, you really feel like you’re inside Gringotts watching the Goblins work. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed the ride, but the attention to detail in the queue is just magnificent.

Thank you for Reading!
&
Don’t Forget to Check out the Picture that goes with this Post.
❤