Recruit

http://www.transylvania-tv.com/

Future Costco

Valley 6 Drive-In Kent, Washington
Originally uploaded by tjcappa

A memory preserved in each and every board and plank in this old Washington state beauty. Sadly, it is soon to be an apartment complex or a Costco.

Radio King

Author Stephen King offers left-leaning talk show

Horror writer Stephen King offers left-leaning talk show for 2 Maine radio stations

BANGOR, Maine (AP) -- Stephen King is offering an antidote to what he sees as the biases of right-wing radio talk shows by hiring a former Green Party vice presidential candidate to co-host a morning talk show on two stations he owns. In a rare public appearance, the horror writer held a news conference Tuesday in Bangor, Maine, at the headquarters of his three-station Zone Radio network.

"The Pulse Morning Show" will be co-hosted by 50-year-old Pat LaMarche and 43-year-old Don Cookson, a former television reporter. LaMarche ran for vice president as a member of the Green Party in 2004. During the news conference King said, "We're a little to the left, but we're right." The show will begin airing on WZON-AM and WZON-FM at 6 a.m. on Sept. 12.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Author-Stephen-King-offers-apf-2302925734.html?x=0&.v=1

One Sheet

THE RAVEN is a gritty psychological thriller in which famed author Edgar Allan Poe joins forces with a young Baltimore detective to hunt down a mad serial killer who’s using Poe's own works as the basis in a string of brutal murders.

Starring John Cusak, Alice Eve, Luke Evans, Brendan Gleeson, Dave Legeno, Oliver Jackson-Cohen and Pam Ferris. Coming to theaters on March 9, 2012.

Woman in Black

Sleepy Hollow

As the end of summer nears and the crisp autumn days draw closer, it's time to start checking in on one of my favorite blogs: THE LEGEND OF SLEEPY HOLLOW. Some of the most interesting Halloween-related blogs are those that fixate on one specific movie - and this gentleman's fascination with Tim Burton's film SLEEPY HOLLOW goes to the extreme. A master at crafting screen quality props, I'll be taking a trip to Sleepy Hollow every now and again to see what new scares he'll be working on this year...

http://civslegendofsleepyhollow.blogspot.com/

WWZ

Man - I was afraid this would happen. One of the most enjoyable books I've read in a long time, I was so looking forward to how Max Brooks' apocalyptic WORLD WAR Z would play out on the big screen. But leave it to Hollywood - who hasn't had an original idea in a decade - to take one of the most popular novels in the past few years and basically dumb it down for the masses instead of finding an intelligent way to make the pseudo-documentary the source novel sets up. If this proves to be true, then director Marc Forster is really making Brooks' other zombie novel: the ZOMBIE SURVIVAL GUIDE, which would be cool in itself, but not nearly as radical as trying to tell the flashback-heavy story of WWZ. Read on:

"Sorry, "World War Z" fans: It seems that the movie, which will star Brad Pitt and be directed by Marc Forster ("Quantum of Solace"), may be very different from the best-selling book by Max Brooks. And movie buffs on the Web are certainly rising up like an undead army to denouce the not-yet-finished horror flick.

The novel charts a U.N. worker's accounts of oral histories of a decade-long zombie war. The movie, according to bloggers who saw the press release, will take place as the zombie world war is breaking out when there is still time to stop it -- completely different from the premise -- and the timing -- of the book.

There had been reports that this atypical monster tale would certainly be a challenge to put into film. Paramont's seeming solution? As the AV Club sees it, "Make a typical zombie movie anyway."

More here: http://movies.yahoo.com/blogs/movie-talk/world-war-z-movie-causes-controversy-222651305.html

Lifelike

Scarecrow
Originally uploaded by Del Barfoot

I can almost see this guy undoing his ropes and walking away under the moonlight...

Pagan Power

Pagan Power
Originally uploaded by claustral

"The horror started on the eve of Samhain, in a foggy vale in northern Ireland, at the dawn of the Celtic race. And once started, it trod the earth forevermore, wreaking its savagery suddenly, swiftly, and with incredible ferocity."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloween_%28novel%29

Quote of the Day

"I do love a good joke and this is the best ever, a joke on the children. But there's a better reason - you don't really know much about Halloween. You thought no further than the strange custom of having your children wear masks and go out begging for candy.

It was the start of the year in our old Celtic lands, and we'd be waiting in our houses of wattles and clay. The barriers would be down, you see, between the real and the unreal, and the dead might be looking in - to sit by our fires of turf. Halloween...the festival of Samhain! The last great one took place three thousand years ago, when the hills ran red with the blood of animals and children.

To us, it was a way of controlling our environment. It's not so different now. It's time again. In the end we don't decide these things, you know. The planets do. They're in alignment, and it's time again. The world's going to change tonight, doctor, I'm glad you'll be able to watch it. And...happy Halloween."

-Conal Cochran from 'Halloween III'

Now Playing

CARNIVAL ARCANE REVIEW BY DRIVE-IN OF THE DEAD

Last Saturday I opened my mailbox only to find a strange package waiting for me inside. Eagerly tearing open the oversized envelope, I was surprised to find a review copy of Midnight Syndicate's latest effort, the dark carnival themed: CARNIVAL ARCANE.

Just to be clear - I'm not your typical music reviewer who can listen to an album once and immediately comment upon it. I wanted to give this album the proper attention it deserved and not rush right into an overly enthusiastic review simply because I'm a fan of the band. Well, after listening to the album at every opportunity for the past three days, I'm happy to report that Gavin Goszka and Edward Douglas have done it again. This is a terrific 'soundtrack to an imaginary film' that is loaded with realistic turn-of-the-century sound effects and seriously sinister atmosphere.

To be honest, when I first heard that Midnight Syndicate was going to do a themed album centered around a traveling circus, I had my doubts. I figured it was one thing to conceive a concept album around a haunted house like they did with THE 13TH HOUR, but how would the 'creepiness factor' translate to a circus? Wouldn't that subject matter be too narrow? Wouldn't they be catering to those haunts and a fraction of their fan-base that have (or are planning to have) Evil Circus type haunts? Once again my doubts proved to be unjustified. After all - this IS Midnight Syndicate we're talking about. Who else could take a theme like a circus and completely turn it on its head?

What we have here with CARNIVAL ARCANE is a richly layered album that, yes, has a distinctly circus-like theme; but also is so much more than that. While many of the tracks can only be interpreted one way (such as the terrific second track 'Midway' featuring some great vocal work by MS alumni, Jason Carter (my 4-year-old son listened to that track, heard the clown that rides by, and said: "That's the creepy-clown, right Daddy?"), or the track 'Carousel Ride' for example) others songs on the album vary between a mirthful but macabre sound to strangely magical - reminiscent of the music found in the Harry Potter movies. In fact, the only track I didn't like was #23, 'Sea of Laughter' which went on a little too long for my tastes, and indeed, there is perhaps more dialogue on this album than on any other by Midnight Syndicate - but it works. Yet woven in between these numbers are those classic sounding Midnight Syndicate tracks that we've come to know and love (like the bombastic 'Welcome To The Carnival' and 'Pulling The Strings') much of which will make for superb background music for any home haunt or Halloween party, no matter the theme.

When the final 'Epilogue' had run its course (and the hidden 26th track had played out as the twisted troupe rode off into that weird gloom just before sunrise), I found that Midnight Syndicate's CARNIVAL ARCANE had exceeded my expectations and proven that even a concept album based around a narrow subject like a demented circus can provide sufficiently creepy atmosphere and real shivers. I have no doubt that there will be a huge number of Evil Circus haunts popping up this year all across the nation come October! Another solid effort from those maestros of the macabre in Ohio, this album is definitely worth owning if you're a fan of the band, a lover of insane clowns, evil carnivals, or simply want to bolt the door, lock the windows, and stay up late.

Hey - did that clown just wink at me?


Buy it here: www.midnightsyndicate.com

Lords Tweet

Anybody else catch that Tweet from Rob Zombie concerning his latest cinematic endeavor: LORDS OF SALEM? Not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing, considering the train wrecks that were his last two HALLOWEEN films, but at the very least it looks like Mr. Zombie is setting the bar a little higher on this one. Here's what the the man had to say, direct from his Twitter page:

"Watching LORDS OF SALEM SFX test footage. Holy f*** this is f****** sick s***. I hope everyone loves demented, perverted satanic movies."

Again - good or bad - you be the judge. I think as Zombie has demonstrated perfectly well in his past two live-action films, extreme ultra-violence and nauseatingly realistic gore do not equal a scary movie. Hopefully this is the film where he redeems himself. Filming has wrapped and post-production has commenced - so expect more updates soon from everyone's favorite band!

Support

I suppose a bit of explanation is in order.

The book that is 'Modern Poe: Vol. I' is a project that actually had its genesis several years ago - almost three years to be exact - while I was working at a local newspaper. A co-worker of mine happened to be an amazing artist, and we started talking about doing a project together: my words and her illustrations. The idea initially started out as a children's book - an offbeat history lesson for kids on the life and times of Edgar Allan Poe. What you see in the picture is a very different book indeed.

The main theme of our children's book was utilizing the alphabet and finding important people, places, and things regarding Poe to match those letters. Well, as you can probably guess, the subject concerning the letter 'E' was Poe's 1848 scientific treatise he called 'Eureka.' As I was studying up on 'Eureka' and trying to muddle my way through it so that I could write something about it in our book - I was immediately taken by the beauty of the language within. I read it again a little more carefully (but still didn't really understand it). Poe had been known to say that this would be considered his greatest work - and, while I wasn't sure I agreed, or even still to this day completely comprehend it - it definitely stands as a remarkable piece of writing that deserved more attention.

Slowly, the subject of our little book became overwhelmed by 'Eureka,' and what was once 26 letters became paired down to ONE (and important number to remember if you've ever read 'Eureka.') Once that decision was made to focus on this one piece of writing, I forged ahead with great ambition and never looked back. The book took on a life all it's own, practically assembling itself. Over the course of the past year, from August 2010 until now, 'Modern Poe: Vol. I' has been pieced together, page by page - and now it is finally complete.

It is with a great sense of relief, and a fair share of pride, that I announce the release of my first book. I send out a huge THANK YOU to Katie Aguado, my fabulously talented illustrator, and Brenda Stilson, my tireless editor, for helping this book be the best it could be. It is my hope that this book will intrigue readers of Poe - at the very least it would make an excellent gift for those who like to give something spooky or macabre during the Halloween season. Please help spread the word about this book - considering buying one for yourself - and remember that we are all within the Spirit Divine.

https://www.createspace.com/3610670

Modern Poe

My first book. Please visit my e-store to pick up your copy today! Your support and feedback is appreciated!

https://www.createspace.com/3610670

Nervous

It was November 1969, and I was on my first hunting trip with my Winchester 30-30 I had received on my 11th birthday in August. My Dad and I were near Marlington WV at a camp site we frequented a lot. I do know the name of the people that owned the land, but I will not give it here even though I know they are deceased. It was well past daybreak on a clear, crisp morning, (Dad was not one to rise too early since he knew he was hunting on private land with an apple orchard to boot), so about 7:30 AM we headed out. Now I could not get you to this place now, and Daddy passed away in 1990, But I can draw you maps, layouts whatever you want because this place was my favorite, and even after this took place, we still went there for several years afterwards.

As we left the camp house down the dirt road past a small pasture area, you came upon a wooden fence around a hay field that stretched from the dirt road to the river. That river is a famous, in my mind. trout river in WV. It was 300 yards from the fence by the road to the fence by the river. Right at the corner of the fence, Dad made me kneel down saying he saw a bear. Well I'm excited as heck thinking this was a good day. Dad slowly rises and peered through his scope mounted on his 30-06. After what seemed a decade to me, about 15 seconds, he kneels back down. I said did you lose him and Dad said no, it is still there. I said are you going to shoot him, and he said no because I don't know what it is. Now my daddy taught me about every critter that ran through the woods, and for him to say he didn't know what it was, sent me into shock.

He told me to look at it. I always carried field glasses when I hunted, still do. I slowly stood up, located the animal and put the glasses to my eyes. I am retired military, and what humans do to humans scares me more than what I saw that morning. It was a very large animal about 7 foot tall standing across the hay field at the other fence post. There was very little hair on the face and I remember thinking he looked like the very kind and wise black gentleman that my Father knew. I was not afraid at all, as I felt at that time it was more afraid of us. I looked at that animal for nearly a minute before kneeling back down. It had brown hair with streaks of red, and a dark brown face with very dark eyes, but not "without Soul". Its hair, not fur, did not seem to be matted or nasty. No, I did not smell anything. After a minute, Dad and I stood back up and the thing was still there. Dad scoped it and I glassed it for 30 seconds when Dad said come on, lets head back to camp.

Once there, he took my gun and chambered the only round I had in it, and then filled the magazine. He loaded a 12 gauge with slugs and then got a 300 H&R Magnum from the gun case and loaded it. On a beautiful fall day, he would not let me out. The morning, Sunday, you could not hunt till noon. After Breakfast, Dad asked what I had saw. I told him and he said me too. He said we should keep this to ourselves, and as far as I know we did. I did share it wit my sons after Daddy passed away, saying that was the only time I saw him "nervous".

To read more: http://www.bfro.net/GDB/show_report.asp?id=29124

[Note: This is not my own personal account - simply one I found to be an interesting read at the BFRO website]

Circa 1982

Idaho, Grangeville, Drive-In Theatre (10,702)
Originally uploaded by eleatherberry

A great photo from the early '80's. By now this should be nothing but dust...

Ladies & Gents...

Ladies and gentlemen, children of all ages...welcome to the show! The uncanny Midnight Syndicate's latest audio feast, CARNIVAL ARCANE, is now available to purchase from their website! Visit www.midnightsyndicate.com today to order your copy!

P.S. Sorry about the sporadic posts lately - Blogger hasn't been wanting to work. Anyone else having problems logging in?

Arcane Talk

A great read about Midnight Syndicate's latest album: CARNIVAL ARCANE! Check it out - and then check out the album itself tomorrow when it's officially released on their website!

NEWS – Midnight Syndicate Talk Exclusively About Their New Album