Friday, October 29, 2021

Best of Halloween 2021

Halloween is only a few days away and I have to say that the 2021 season has been a real surprise for me. Last year was fun, but COVID really put a damper on a lot of the usual festivities. This year, my family is back to doing some door to door trick or treating and we'll be decked out in some sweet costumes!
My youngest daughter and my wife will be hitting the streets as characters from the Harry Potter books. My daughter is dressing up as a student from the Ravenclaw house, while my wife has decided to be Bellatrix Lestrange. I have read the first Harry Potter book on my girls recommendation, but I am not too familiar with the character. I know she will pull something cool together in the end though.
My oldest daughter, my son and myself will be going as characters from Stranger Things. I have been a fan of this show since day 1 and my daughter just finished watching the first 3 seasons. My son, has never seen the show, but has played the games and read some of the comics. I will be going as Chief Jim Hopper, my daughter will be Eleven and my son as Dustin. Should be a lot of fun!
The candy selection this year has been fantastic! I found these Ghoul-Aid popping candies at the Dollar Tree and my kids really enjoyed them. My wife picked up the new M&M candies with glow in the dark bags and the Hershey Cookies n' Cream Fangs. Also of note but not pictured here is the Skittles Shriekers! These bags hide super sour versions of Skittles candies within. You never know if you will get a regular flavor or super sour. These are way better than the "Zombie Flesh" flavored Skittles they released a few years back. Not as fun, but definitely more palatable.
Of course the traditional General Mills Monster Cereals returned to shelves and are as tasty as ever! Boo-Berry is my favorite. This year the makers of these cereals stole my idea and introduced...
Monster Mash cereal! Which is a mix of all the monster cereals in one box. I had been doing this for years, but now it is a whole lot easier and I don't have to open 3-5 boxes of cereal to create this delicious mash-up! Also hitting grocery stores was Ghostbusters Cereal as a tie in to the new Ghostbusters Afterlife movie. It is a solid cereal filled with fruity cereal bits and marshmallows. Can't complain about that!
Usually around this time Burger King unveils a new Halloween themed menu item. Past offerings have included the Ghost Whopper, Halloween Whopper and Nightmare King. This year they released the Ghost Pepper Chicken Nuggets. I loved these! The first bite I took was a bit underwhelming, but after a minute the burn hit my mouth and it was AMAZING! These need to be a year round menu item or as had been suggested, turned into a premium sandwich! Wendy's got into the holiday spirit as well by offing "Boo Books". For $1 you got 5 coupons for free junior Frosty treats. The artwork was fantastic and gave us this little zombie Frosty character. My family used our coupons after we went to the pumpkin patch. It was a nice way to end the day.
Mountain Dew was back with VooDew 3! I know a lot of people have many different opinions on what the mystery flavor is this year, but after much consideration and consumption, I have to say it tastes like blue raspberry Airheads candy to me. What do you think it is? Another spooky addition to the Halloween treats this years was the Little Debbie Pumpkin Delights cookies. I'm not sure if I've had these before, but they seem fairly familiar to me. 
One of my favorite memories from this Halloween season was finally sitting down with my son to watch the Monster Squad! I loved this movie as a kid and I was hoping my kids would enjoy it too. Every time I mentioned watching it, I was turned down flat by those kids. Then my daughters and wife decided to watch a Harry Potter movie which my son had no interest in viewing, so I suggested Monster Squad and we both had a blast viewing this 80's scary flick offering.
Overall it has been a great Halloween season and I can't wait to see what 2022 brings. Hope you all have a great and HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Wednesday, October 27, 2021

Comic Book Pick 10/27/21

   The comic book I am most excited to read this week is...
TASK FORCE Z #1
(W) Matthew Rosenberg (A) Eddy Barrows
In life, they’ve terrorized the people of Gotham. Now, they are Gotham’s last hope. Task Force X saw villains working their way to freedom. Task Force Z will see dead villains working for a new chance at life! On A-DAY, the attack on Arkham Asylum left hundreds of Gotham’s most cunning and deranged criminals dead…now, a mysterious benefactor has activated the government’s TASK FORCE clause to bring them back as the ultimate army of the night! To lead this team of the undead, only a person who knows exactly what it feels like to be brutally murdered and brought back to life can handle the job…enter: RED HOOD. But when Jason Todd unravels the mystery surrounding Task Force Z’s creation, will he try to destroy it…or embrace it? BANE. MAN-BAT. THE ARKHAM KNIGHT. SUNDOWNER. MR. BLOOM. RED HOOD. THEY ARE TASK FORCE Z, AND DEATH WAS JUST THE BEGINNING...!
SRP: $3.99
Synopsis Provided By: DCcomics.com

Monday, October 25, 2021

Throwback Jam of the Week: 10/25/21

  Throw on your leather hat and head to Spook Central as we take you back to the 80's! Without further ado, here is the 20 Years Before 2000 THROWBACK JAM OF THE WEEK!

Artist: Bobby Brown
Song: On Our Own
Album: Ghostbusters II Soundtrack (1989)
Peak Billboard Hot 100 Position: 2
Bonus Fun Fact: This song reached #1 on Billboard's "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs" and features backing vocals by Babyface.

Friday, October 22, 2021

2021 Halloween Movie Recap

Every year myself and my wife compile a list of horror flicks we would like to view during the Halloween season. Unfortunately this year we were thrown some unexpected curves and the list was never made. We have watched a few scary movies, but not nearly as many as in the past. Some have been surprises and some have been not so great. Here are my thoughts on a few of these films.
Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark (2019)
This movie has been on my "Want To Watch" list for a few years now. I remember reading these books back in grade school and becoming entranced by the gorgeously grotesque drawings of artist Stephen Gammell. One thing this movie did exceptionally well was the ability to bring these illustrations to life!
The story itself reminded me of the Goosebumps movie that starred Jack Black from 2015. Several teens find a haunted book, unleash a bunch of creepy monsters and have to figure out how to stay alive while getting these literary nightmares to disappear. The acting was solid, the effects were a big upside to this film and overall it was an enjoyable watch. Not that I would want to have a repeat watch, but if you were a fan of the books, I say give it a try.
Hell House LLC. (2015)
I had read about this movie on other blogs throughout the years and when I saw it in the free offerings on VUDU, I decided to give it a whirl. This was one of the films that surprised me. It is yet another found footage horror film, but it is presented in such a way that it felt like you were watching a documentary. The premise is that there was a mass casualty incident at a haunted house in New York state and no-one who witnessed the events was able to say what actually happened.
The story of the disappearing haunted house crew and patrons is told through interviews with town officials and found footage from the recordings of the crew and those in attendance the night of the incident. There were some scares, the acting was on par with other low budget horror films and the characters made you genuinely care about what happened to them. I still want to know what really went down at Hell House that night!
Hell House LLC. II: The Abaddon Hotel (2018)
Hoping to get some answers from the original Hell House LLC., I decide to watch part II! This entry was a huge step down from the first film. It felt disjointed, the acting was not great and the story felt like they were making it up as they went along. 
Yes, the creepy clown was back and that's about all this sequel had going for it. I was looking for answers and the film makers tried to provide them, but it was more of a letdown than anything. If you liked the original, I would suggest skipping this one because it kind of ruins the mystique that was built up in Hell House LLC.
Pumpkinhead (1988)
I had not seen this movie in years and decided it was time for a re-watch. This one did not disappoint! Famed creature designer Stan Winston took to directing this 80's monster classic and he did a fantastic job in his debut. If you don't know the story, it's pretty much a revenge flick. A man's child is killed on accident by a few reckless teens in a backwoods town. The man seeks the help of a local witch to help him enact revenge on those who did him wrong. This brings about the resurrection of Pumpkinhead, a mean, ruthless, killing machine!
The creature is beautifully done and creepy, the story is not the most unique, but works and the acting is fantastic for this type of film. Lance Henriksen gives one of his best performances and John D'Aquino plays a great villain. His turn as Joel is a pretty far dip from his portrayal of Todd Gack in the Seinfeld episode "The Calzone". He really has great range as an actor. I know Pumpkinhead was not a huge success when it was released in the late 80's, but this creature feature deserves better than the 3 direct to video/tv sequels it has received. I think it's time we see a full fledged theatrical revival! 
Thankfully, we still have time to view some of our traditional faves like Friday The 13th, Halloween, Nightmare on Elm Street, Monster Squad and Trick 'r Treat on Halloween night. I hope you had an enjoyable movie viewing season. I can't wait to get back to our traditional viewing next year and I'm excited to see what ends up on the list in 2021! HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Wednesday, October 20, 2021

Comic Book Pick 10/20/21

  The comic book I am most excited to read this week is...
TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES #122

(W) Sophie Campbell (A/CA) Jodie Nishijima
The fallout from the confrontation between the Mutanimals and the TMNT continues with many questioning what direction Mutant Town is headed for. While the Turtles discuss their new path forward, Hob begins to set his sights on a new target: Baxter Stockman!
SRP: $3.99
Synopsis Provided By: PreviewsWorld.com 

Monday, October 18, 2021

Throwback Jam of the Week: 10/18/21

  Throw on your thick rimmed glasses and head to the Walt Whitman projects as we take you back to the 80's! Without further ado, here is the 20 Years Before 2000 THROWBACK JAM OF THE WEEK!

Artist: Dana Dane
Song: Nightmares
Album: Dana Dane with Fame (1987)
Peak Billboard Hot 100 Position: N/A
Bonus Fun Fact: This song was produced by Hurby Love Bug and features a sample from "The Munsters".

Friday, October 15, 2021

Ghostbusters Comic Cards

It always bothered me that we never got a proper Topps trading card set for the original Ghostbusters movie. Yes, in 1988 Topps released their "Fright Flicks" set of cards that featured a few shots from the movie, but their was never a dedicated set!
Thankfully in 2016, over 30 years after it's release, Cryptozoic gave us a very cool set of cards highlighting some of the best parts of the original 1984 Ghostbusters movie!
This set was amazing and well worth the wait. The base set of cards consisted of 54 great looking cards. For me though, it's the subsets of this release that really make it stand out. There were "Behind The Scenes", "Character Bios", "Quotes" and "Tricks & Traps Puzzle" sets. My favorite though, has to be the "Sing For Your Specter" comic cards. This set consists of 9 cards that tell an exclusive comic story that was written & drawn by regular IDW Ghostbusters collaborator, Erik Burnham! I'd like to share those cards with you now.


Not the most in depth Ghostbusters comic ever, but it reminds me of the comics we would read in the newspapers every weekend and it is fun to collect. If you would like to score a set of these cards, they can be found fairly cheaply on ebay. I am so ready for Ghostbusters: Afterlife!

Wednesday, October 13, 2021

Comic Book Pick 10/13/21

 The comic book I am most excited to read this week is...
MY LITTLE PONY: FRIENDSHIP IS MAGIC #102

(W) Jeremy Whitley (A/CA) Andy Price
An oversized adventure caps off over a hundred issues of Pony fun! Don't miss this thrilling conclusion to the My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic comic! The climactic battle of Season 10 ends here! With the Knights of Order attacking Equestria, Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity must face a foe that seeks to take the Elements of Harmony. Good thing they have a lot of friends-old and new!-upon whom they can rely!
SRP: $5.99
Synopsis Provided By: PreviewsWorld.com 

Monday, October 11, 2021

Throwback Jam of the Week: 10/11/21

 Throw on your knifed glove and head to Elm Street as we take you back to the 80's! Without further ado, here is the 20 Years Before 2000 THROWBACK JAM OF THE WEEK!

Artist: DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince
Song: A Nightmare On My Street
Album: He's The DJ...I'm The Rapper
Peak Billboard Hot 100 Position: 15
Bonus Fun Fact: This song led to a lawsuit by New Line Cinema against JJ & FP for copyright infringement. The lawsuit was settled out of court and the music video was to be destroyed and a disclaimer was to be placed on all future pressings of the album. The disclaimer noted that this song is in no way authorized, licensed or affiliated with the Nightmare on Elm Street films.