Creeping Up On Halloween With The Hardy Boys

Wait? Is Halloween over? Or can I count Daylight Saving, and the fact it's night still?

Oh, well. Either we're finalizing Halloween this year, or slowly ramping up for next year. (What? Is Christmas coming up? I hadn't noticed.)

So let's take one more trip back before we stop our creeping for a few days, or weeks, or months. And we again head back to the 1970's. -- Hey? Between this KISS, Paul Lynde, and The Halloween That Almost Wasn't. Was there a hidden theme this year of the 70's? Weird.

The Horror Of...Halloween Night, Web Series

Come Halloween night, we all want something fun or interesting  to watch. Going online offers various options. So it's time to update the list from last year.

Here are some:

Carmilla

It takes the 18th century novella and moves it to a college setting. When I first covered it, only the first series was done. It currently has three series.

Series 1
Series 2
Series 0


Mispelled

A group of young women find themselves suddenly with great power, and a whole set of issues to deal with. They currently have 1 series. Great new series,


Spooked

It follows a group of amateur paranormal investigators seeking out evidence of a world beyond, for a number of reason. It has a nice cast, some of whom you may remember from other series. So far we just have the one series.


Victoria Frankenstein, M.D.

The story of Frankenstein. Victoria Frankenstein. The series works a lot like Carmilla, with the characters creating vlogs that help continue the tale. It takes Frankenstein into the modern age. Live the classic tale once again.

The Horror Of...Halloween Night, The Halloween That Almost Wasn't

There are many specials that come out at Halloween. Or there were. We get some special episodes, and some oddities. But rarely do networks and actors put themselves out in often such an strange manner.

Consider the late 70's, 1979 to be exact. ABC gave us an odd little Halloween treat. The Halloween That Almost Wasn't. It's an odd collection of comedic and not so comedic actors in the role of various classic monsters. You may also know it by the name it picked up in 1992. The Night Dracula Saved the World. Yeah, the first title is more accurate, but the second one makes it clear that you're getting a dose of Dracula. With it's original title, maybe people thought they were seeing a Halloween version of the animated film Twas the Night Before Christmas. This is far goofier.

And that's apt, as the show was for years embraced by Disney and shown at Halloween.

Creeping Up On Halloween With Universal Monsters

While many people and studios have had there impact on cinematic horror, Universal Studios has a long pedigree.

The 1930's began a line of films that help shape horror in many ways still. Black and white. Dark moors and forest. Angry villagers with their torches. "Good evening." "It's alive!" "Even a good man who is pure in heart and says his prayers by night, may become a wolf when..."

Creeping Up On Halloween With LEGO Minifigs

Oh I do love LEGO. And these days they sell individual minifigures series. The current one that just came out is one with a horror/Halloween vibe. Mad scientist. Zombies. Ghosts. Etc.

Just in time for Halloween. I have begun the quest to acquire them all. Madness will follow.

Web Series to watch on Halloween

With Halloween here, you may need some viewing choices via your computer, or phone, or tablet.

Here are some web series that may prove a diversion amidst everything else you'll be dealing with today.

Plus there's an extra video at the end.


Carmilla
A missing roommate leads to a new one. And I think she might be a vampire.

Frankenstein, MD
Victoria takes bold strides into her destiny, and comes to regret it all.

Monster Management
It's time to rebrand your nightmares.

Spooked
Paranormal hunt, but with some humor.

And here's a video looking at the problems that come when you are a serial killer with a franchise to keep going.

Happy Halloween!

The Horror Of...Halloween Night, Frankenstein, MD (Web Series)

Among web series that can make some fun and interesting watching this October, I have to suggest this. Frankenstein, MD.

It comes from the PBS Digital Studios. What it enacts is a modern telling of Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. But the title makes that obvious.

It deviates by making the focus Victoria Frankenstein (played by Anna Lore). She likes to talk like she is a full and proper doctor, but she isn't...yet. Just a little more work and the honor will go to her.

As she finishes her studies she delves into various areas of scientific interest, eager show her merit as a brilliant researchers. Along the way she is assisted by a fellow student, Iggy DeLacey (played by Steve Zaragoza).

The structure of the show is that she's making a web show, where she can showcase the wonders of science, and her research. Her experiments help shape where the show goes. This breaks the story of Frankenstein into episodes. The result is the tale of an eager almost doctor, her research, and how it starts to go out of control. Woe to Frankenstein, MD.

This may sound familiar to another book that was remade as an episodic take. The Lizzie Bennet Diaries. This project comes from the same group, Pemberley Digital.

Penny Dreadful Review - Episode 2 - Seance

The next Penny Dreadful is hot off the presses. Have you got your penny?

Good. It's time for...

"Seance"


What Came Before? 

Well, it seems that our Dr. Frankenstein has been hard at work on his extra curricular activities. He's eager to pierce "the tissue that separates life and death." And it appears he's been inching closer and closer, until he's now finally succeeded.

"You know? Some nights it's like you're not even alive."

And there stands his creation. Bloody. Scared. Scarred. And, in need of answers.

"Daddy?I think I made a boom boom."

Penny Dreadful Review - Episode 1 - Night Work

Another horror series? A show that will make use of various Victorian and Gothic settings, characters, and ideas? A penny dreadful motif? ...You have my attention.

Of course, they are now getting to their...season finale? ...So I am a little behind. As I mentioned elsewhere, I've had some technical, among other, issues. Still, if you haven't heard about the show, or are undecided on watching it, enjoy.


In case you've never come across the term before, Penny Dreadfuls were beloved pastime of Victorian London society. A penny each issue, they were a cheap and popular periodical of the day. They covered various lurid tales. Monsters preying on the citizenry. Murderers brutally killing God fearing families. Dark tales of the criminal life in London, from the thieves to the opium dens. The more dark and terrible the story, the better, as that brings people back looking for more. I looked a little at this in reviewing the origins of Dracula, and the penny dreadful tale of Varney the Vampire.

Penny Dreadful examples - the super natural Spring Heeled Jack and
murderous Sweeney Todd

As a source, they are quite rich. They have given us, or made us of such notables as Varney the Vampire, Spring Heeled Jack, and Sweeney Todd. The output of the penny dreadfuls were wide reaching. A developed fictional world taking advantage of these ideas is bound to be horribly fantastic.

Also, Victorian horror as a whole is a heady source. The works of Bram Stoker, Mary Shelley, H.G. Wells, Robert Louis Stephenson, J. Sheridan Le Fanu, Oscar Wilde, and others...What a menagerie! Maybe we'll get a bit from Charles Dickens and Arthur Conan Doyle as well?

But will it be fully taken advantage of?


The series has been created by John Logan. That may be a good or bad thing depending on your mood. He's written Star Trek: Nemesis, The Time Machine (2002), and Skyfall. He's also written Gladiators, Sweeney Todd, and Rango. It all depends on your love and hate for these individual movies. I can't say I hate any of them. But I do note that he's written a take on Sweeney Todd, a story that came from the Penny Dreadfuls that inspire this show. It shows a previous interest in the topic.

From the look of the show, this seems to be a labor of love. He even preemptively constructed a show bible for the story and character. There is some passion here.

But to be honest, when I did first see his name tied to this project, I was paused. But, maybe we shouldn't be too quick to judge.


Let's see what Penny Dreadful does to entice us to buy into this first chapter of their lurid tale.

Trilogy of Horror B-Days

As will happen in any attempt to group, this week has given us a trio of horror great birthdays. These three fellows spent decades scaring, thrilling, and amusing their fans.

From House of Long Shadows - Christopher Lee, Vincent Price, and Peter Cushing
-- And a John Carradine bonus!

Penny Dreadful - New show, Victorian horror

Penny Dreadful is officially starting tonight on Showtime. A Victorian Horror Series that brings together a number of archetypes and characters of the era's horror, it offers what the potential to sate one's Sunday night horror needs.

It's already an overstuffed night, with Game of Thrones, Veep, Last Week Tonight, Mad Men, etc. So I thought I'd take a quick look at the show's opener to tempt anyone looking for something new.

Now to be clear, this is a Showtime show. So that means, blood, gore, and sex will be included. I know most of us assume any drama show that appears on Showtime or HBO will have this stuff, it is worth reminding people who are bothered by that.

So to begin, Josh Hartnett has the question to ask as Penny Dreadful starts.