Remember the Treehouse of Horror 9 title sequence?

Following on from 1997, we move into the 9th year of Halloween Specials.

This year, they've decided to more play with the traditional show opening, giving us a switch to a stormy sky, and the titles.

We cut as always to Bart at school, this time writing the special's title.

He races out.

We cut to the house and Homer getting home, as does Bart. Bart flies over the car, as always.

But things go wrong.

The Horror Of...The Nanny (Not that one! It's from 1965.), In Short

Ah, The Nanny...

No! Stop! Not that one!

This is something from the realm of Hammer Horror. A 1965 tense horror movie. It centers on the great Bette Davis, as the eponymous Nanny.

Remember the Treehouse of Horror 8 title sequence?

Coming out of the last post, we head out of an election year and into 1997.

This year gave a little more of an opening, taking us into the life of a FOX censor, skimming through the latest Simpsons' script...

...and censoring it...

...and loving the comedy...

...then cutting the comedy out.

He then explains that thanks to his work, the Halloween Special will be rated G.

And then the rating retaliates.

Remember the Treehouse of Horror 7 title sequence?

Following on the 6th, we come to the 7th Halloween Special. Ah, 1996. Clinton vs. Dole. "Where's the outrage?!" Bridges to the Future. Big sucking sounds.

But we're here for some Simpsons. And this year was another of the short title sequences, starting with a carved pumpkin, and Homer lighting it up.

But he also manages to light himself up.

And set himself off.

And now the titles.

Creeping Up On Halloween With The Muppets

[I've updated a lost video, and now relabeled and named this to be part of the Creeping Up On Halloween posts.]

It's October, so we need plenty of horror. And what better for this than the Muppets. Always a good source for your Halloweening needs.


They can help you get the right foods ready.

The Swedish Chef vies with some pumpkins.



And then help monsters find friends.

A monster who wants friends...and to eat.

Sleepy Hollow (S2) - Episode 2 - The Kindred - "Inside the mangle."

So last episode we got to enjoy Abbie and Ichabod getting out of there predicaments. It was fun. It was nice. It righted some of out anxiety we'd had since the last season. ...We could exhale again.

Then we get this episode. Since watching the episode for the first time I have been unhappy. I have been trying to figure out why. There was some good action. Some scares for me. Some macabre. The plot was moved forward. And we learned the state of every character. Everything I want.

The answer to my problem is a Mangle. Odds are you are too young to know the word mangle as a verb. And you are way too young to remember mangle as a noun.

The mangle, or wringer. It just squeezes the water out of laundry. It's something you don't want to go through.


This episode was like a mangle. It put me through the wringer/

It feels like nothing good happen this episode. Almost like it was all bad news.

I guess things were going to easy last year. The producers must have
toggled the show to the Hard setting.

To start, finally, there is a new sheriff in town. Sheriff Leena Reyes (played by Sakina Jaffrey). Finally! After a season, we have an actual sheriff again!!! Also, it is verified that Irving had been standing in for a sheriff. (GTK.)

Reyes is someone who is returning to Sleepy Hollow. She served in the sheriff's department before, back when Abbie was a child. She even knew Abbie and Jenny's mom.

It seems like it should be great to have a sheriff again. But for the last season we had Irving. He gave Abbie a lot of latitude even when he didn't believe in the paranormal danger the town was in. Reyes seems a lot more strict and stiff on this stuff.

She talks with Abbie, and seems to respect her abilities. But she also expects her to follow the rules and order.

"Hey! We're back to walk and talks like last season." "Let's not pretend like
were going to be bantering, Lt. Mills."

Later Reyes checks out the Archive. When she gets there, she finds Jenny grabbing some weapons for Abbie, which they'd had stashed there.

Beyond anything else, Jenny is not someone legally allowed to own weapons. (And, I know it goes unsaid in these sorts of shows, but where did they get their guns? And was it entirely legal?)

I'd joke that Reyes better not mess with Jenny...But I'm kind of intimidated
by her...

So Jenny is under arrest. Oh, Reyes also fires Ichabod. (She doesn't see the point of a historical adviser....She didn't even get a chance to find out how annoying he can be first.)

"...Really?!"

How bad is that?

...It gets worse. FLIPPIN' WORSE!

Return of the Misplaced Horror Of Bats

Detective Comics # 27 by Bill Finger and Bob Kane

Here's a partial repost on...

Bats.

"Creature of the Night. Black. Terrible...A bat!"

Wow! Bats sound horrible. Terrifying! They must be terrible things, a blight on us! What will we do ?! How can we hope to fight back?!


PANIC!!!


...No. The reality of bats is far less scary. But, come on. Look at them. You shouldn't be surprised.

They are upside down puppies!


Like many lifeforms that people misunderstand, the bat receives a good deal of fearful hate. They get presented as evil creatures. Creature that are out to get you.

As a result, they don't get the respect or understanding that they deserve.

So let's get to know a little about the bat.

First, the legends. In the history of legends and folk tales, we have a far better track record with the bat.

• In China, bats have long been a symbol of good luck through history.
• In Ancient Egypt, bat talisman were hung over doors to keep illness away.
• In Navajo folklore the bat is an ancient being from early in time, when all was dark, who mentored the night. 
• One Ojibwa legend tells of the bat coming into being do to it's efforts to save the sun.
• Among the Bakairi of Brazil, the bat is a form the goddess of night takes.
• In many pre-Columbian tribes the bat held important symbolism for the sky and/or the underworld.
• In some cultures the bat was a symbol of change and upheaval in one's life (not necessarily bad, but changes to your life).
• Of course, in the European medieval period the bat was tied to witchcraft and witches, and were much reviled.
• Of course there are the tales of the trickster to. Like in one Nigerian tale where the bat tricks a rat he's jealous of into boiling itself. (The fact the bat is an animal of the night lends itself to tales of a thief or one that is hiding. Aesop even uses this idea. Also the fact it flies, but isn't a bird, lends to the idea that it is an outsider in some tales. Sometimes it's existence was treated as a punishment.)

Now, let's get to the modern age and the science.

Remember the Treehouse of Horror 6 title sequence?

Following on from the shift in the titles last time, let's move on to 1995 and the sixth of the Halloween Specials.

This one begins a run of the specials that have very short openings.

It begins with the beating of hoofs along a road, and the reveal of a headless horseman.

The horseman lifts a head up from the side of the horse. The head of Krusty the Clown.

And then he throws the head at the camera.

Smashing into the camera, out of the ichor appears the shows title.

Flash sprints onto TV again.

The Flash is almost about to make his return to our TV's! Just in time for Halloween, but too late for costumes that I could wish I could wear.

But what does that matter? The Flash is about to return. Hopefully this time his series will have a far longer run. Flash is a hero built for endurance.

So let's consider what we are getting with this new series.

Remember the Treehouse of Horror 5 title sequence?

1993 was interesting. Now let's move on to 1994. And this feels like the year they might just be wanting to try something new with the opening titles of their horrible little special.

This time out, Marge is back!

As she frets, she receives a notice. It says that the channel is worried about how nasty this year's show looks. So they are preempting it with

Glenn Ford's 200 Miles to Oregon.

Thankfully, unlike some shows, this clip is just moments. And then we cut to black.

An oscilloscope effect starts. Bart speaks over them, making the classic declaration of taking over your TV, as culled from The Outer Limits opening.

And Homer breaks in to screw around.

We now get the titles.

Gotham - Episode 1 - Pilot - "And the first domino falls."

Gotham has finally started. And the reactions have been about as I expected. Some people already not happy with the idea of the show are still not happy. Others that are interested continue to be so.

So let's look at what we've got.

But to do that we do have to discuss one thing. Batman.

No. I am not interested in rehashing his history and how he is pivotal to any story you tell about Gotham City. (See the All Star Western run with Jonah Hex in 19th century Gotham City for a counter example.) Because I disagree with such a notion. Over the past 75 years both Batman and Gotham City have been enrichened with stories and backstory to add wonderful dimensions to them and their histories.

So dismiss the story of a city because we want to focus on a single legend? No. That is silly. There is history to tell. From the city's founding to it's burgeoning crime crisis.

I am actually interested in this stuff. This is the era we never get to learn much about. What is this city really made of?

The Horror Of...Witchboard, In Short

Time for a healthy does of 80's horror. A good chance you haven't see this one. But even if you have, this would make a good watch this October (or whenever you read this).

And seeing as a similar new movie is about to come out in theaters, let's get into some ouija.

Now I don't really care for ouija and the attempts to try and make them look scary in real life or paranormal reality TV. But this is a horror movie. So yeah, ouija is all evil. And so is Parker Brothers.

Remember the Treehouse of Horror 4 title sequence?

Coming out of the last post, we head on into 1993.

And the Treehouse of Horror evolves more.

Starting this year, they've abandoned the whole opening warning, and get right into the titles.

Remember the Treehouse of Horror 3 title sequence?

Following on the previous post on the second year, we march on into 1992.

This year, Marge isn't there to greet and scurry us off. Instead Homer is sent out, in a send up of Alfred Hitchock's classic show opening in Alfred Hitchcock Presents.

Being pressed into the job, he gives the disclaimers. Then he belittles the whiners and dares everyone to just turn the TV off. Which everyone does.

And we begin.

Time to Halloween up!

October is upon us. Halloween is approaching.

Time to let your Halloweenie Self out.

Trailers In Short - Everything Old Is Reused Again Edition

Old ideas have long been drudged back up to use. Sometimes it's a creative choice. Sometimes it's a return to a classic. Sometimes it just boggles the mind. Let's see where Paddington the Bear, Mad Max, Moses, a woeful space station crew, the Equalizer, and...others fall on the scale.

Paddington

Oh, Paddington. There is a slight cuteness to this trailer. But then we actually get to Paddington. He feels like so many modern takes on older kiddie characters...Just off.

Now I did actually go back to the old Paddington Bear cartoons to try and remind myself what he was like decades back. I am not as enamored of those shows now as I was as a kid. But it is hard not to see the differences.

This may well click with little kids. Ear wax. Flooding a bathroom and surfing out. But it does feel sad that most all studios have given up on the idea that kids can enjoy with stories that aren't wildly wilder stories of popular characters. (Did you see what they did to Postman Pat?)

I think the thing that was really most off putting about the trailer was that all the added wackiness makes iconic Paddington so much more like every other character put out for kids. He's been made more generic.

But, this may just be a horrible ad. Maybe better will follow.

The Horror Of...Tales from the Darkside the Movie, In Short

The Halloween season is upon us again. So it's time to peruse your movie shelves, or Netflix, or where ever you dwell...

So here's the first of some new ideas to haunt your October nights, or really any night of the year.


Skulking out of 1990 comes Tales from the Darkside the Movie.

The movie has a name drawn for the preceding 80's TV series of the same name. It was an anthology series focused on horror. Ironically, the show was inspired by the success of another fun horror anthology movie, Creepshow. ...I'll have to get to that movie later in the month.

This movie is, like the show, an anthology.

Remember the Treehouse of Horror 2 title sequence?

Continuing from the first post, let's look back to 1991, and the title sequence for the second of the Simpsons' Halloween Specials.

Much like the first time, the turn to Marge to open the show, offering her warning, before she just gives up on us.

Then we head back to the cemetery, much like the first year.

All Hallow's Read, treat people to a good scary story.

As you may know. Halloween has found it tied to many traditions over the years since the first coming of a harvest. The traditions come and go, and vary from place to place. And from the time you were a kid to now, it's changed some more.

So some bright soul came up with another idea for this holiday. The idea of All Hallow's Read.

The idea is simple: During this Halloween season, share a scary book with someone.

It's a simple enough prospect. It's wonderful to share literature and stories. And at this time of year, along with costumes, candy, and spooky movies, throw in a beloved book (a comic book, children's book, Stephen King -- Whatever is appropriate for who you plan on sharing with.).

So, please, join in.


And here's Neil Gaiman to explain as only he can.




And here are some posters ideas, if you would like to promote or enjoy celebrating the All Hallow's Read.

Remember the Treehouse of Horror title sequence?

Let’s go back to 1990…

Have I already lost you bringing up ancient history? … This month we have the latest of the Treehouse of Horror coming on. It follows in a long proud tradition, going back to 1990. And that makes it…add a zero… The 200th!…Wait! My mistake. I didn't take into account the international dateline. Silly.

 But now, let’s go back. Back to the first Simpsons’ Treehouse of Horror!  And let’s take a look at it’s title sequence.

They decided for this show to open with Marge walking out on a stage, through some curtains to make an announcement. It's a lot like some of the classic introductions done in movies of the past, where a man greets the audience (much like they would in many theatrics theater). He would sometimes, in horror films, offer warnings for those with weak hearts to leave. It was a ploy to build up excitement and tension.

Here though, The Simpsons has Marge come out to say how disgusting the show is this week. Then she suggests everyone just turn it off and do something else.