.........The Thing On the Doorstep

This blog area will deal with Halloween, trick or treaters and things that get people in the Halloween mood. The title of this section is named after the H.P.Lovecraft tale "The Thing On The Doorstep" because it fits the idea of those creatures on your doorstep that ring your doorbell on Halloween night. Here is a link to the Lovecraft tale "The Thing On The Doorstep". http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Thing_on_t he_Doorste p

...........Dark Night of the Scarecrow (1981 (made for tv) Unrated) This film debuted on tv on October 1981, a perfect Halloween movie for that time. This movie stars Larry Drake who stared as Dr. Evan Rendell in the movie, Dr. Giggles (1992 Rated R). There isn't a lot of gore in this film and most of the killing is shot with the camera being at the point of view of the killer which deepens the mystery and suspence of the movie. Bubba Ritte r(Larry Drake)who is a mildly retarded man who is falsely acused of molesting his friend Marylee(Tonya Crowe). She tries to convince the people of the small town that bubba didn't do it, but they won't listen. Larry Drake plays such a convincing role in this film, it's one of his best roles. Bubba hides in a scarecrow and is killed by a group of townsfolk that take justice into their own hands. He is also killed by the local mailman Otis(Charles Durning) who is the real criminal. The deaths later are a revenge toward the townsfolk that murdered Bubba. It isn't until the end of the film that you see the moving scarecrow and know that the killings were done by the scarecrow, (and some nasty murders including a death by a woodchipper). There is a cute creepy end with the little girl Marylee taking a flower from Bubba dressed as the scarecrow after the final killing. Marylee says to him, "You know what? Tomorrow I think I'll teach you a new game. Did I ever show you how to play the chasing game?"

...........Night of the Demons (1988 Rated R) This film is a bit of a teen romp with some nudity and strange music but it has some great scarey effects, so do let that turn you off, it's bett than the usual teen films. Angela ((shown above in a demon state)) who is played by Amelia Kinkade throws a Halloween party with the help of her friend Suzanne(Linnea Quigley) for all her friends. Angela is the creepy goth girl who has some knowledge of the occult. They decide to have their Halloween party in Hull house, which is an abandoned funeral parlor where Mr. Hull lost his mind and killed his family. But supposedly that area had a reputation for insane murders, clear back to the time of the indians (including a story which I'll leave out - watch the movie if you want that tale). They play a party game of staring into a large mirror to see their past lives, and an image of the death of one girls. A strange smell is noticed by everyone and Angela explains that it's a sign that the house is possesed (inhabited by demons). Suzanne is the first to become possesed, followed by Angelab but they don't look demonic at first. There are some nasty murders, severed limbs, broken necks, impalements, eyes gouged from someone's head, and so on but this is far from the most bloody film I've seen but the effects and setting is great. As the film progresses Angela's face looks rather demonic as she floats down the hall looking for victims. Towards the end of the film Angela is burn up a bit using a gas pipe as a blow torch. Angela is quite a burned up demonic looking sight toward the end. This is a great film to get you in the mood but with language some gore and nudity it's hardly a kids movie.

...........The Halloween Tree (1993 Unrated) This as an animated film that is written and narated by Ray Bradbury who narrated the cartoon and it is based on his original 1962 book by the same name. This is a beautiful film that can enjoyed by the whole family and enjoyed by almost anyone of any age. The film starts on Halloween night in a small town surronded by forest where four kids are going to the home of their friend Pipkin, who is the leader of the five kids. To their surprise when they get to his house it's not decorated and Pipkin is being taken away in an ambulance to have his appendix removed. But the kids see Pipkin going to an old haunted looking house where they meet Mr. Moundshroud (voiced by Leonard Nimoy) who went in his house. In front of his home is an ancient old tree covered with pumpkins of all shapes and sizes filled with pumpkin souls. They make a deal with Mr Moundshroud who wants to recapture Pipkin's soul which is in the form of a pumpkin. They timetravel and chase after Pipkin through the different era's that relate to Halloween to get Pipkin and his pumpkin soul back while learning four lessons about the origins of Halloween symbolized by Pipkins four friends and the characters they decided to dress up as. Pipkins' friends are dressed as a witch, a beast, a mummy and a skelaton and they go to ages that deal with those subjects, the Middle Ages during the witch hunts, the Dark Ages when Notre Dame cathedral was built with stone gargoyles, to Egypt when people were mummified, and to Mexico for their Day of the Dead festival. In the end they travel back to the present day times with Mr. Moundshroud who has Pipkins soul. They make a deal with Mr. to give up one year of their lives to save the life of their friend Pipkin. In the end all is well and this is a beautifully told and intelligent and well illustrated tale that is a lot of fun.

Authors and books that will get you in the Halloween mood.

Adult Horror Authors: Edgar Allen Poe, Stephen King, Howard Philip Lovecraft, Ramsey Campbell, Robert Bloch, Peter Straub, Clive Barker, John Saul, Brian Lumley

Young Adult books: Many of the books by Alvin Schwartz like Scary stories to tell in the dark, SPOOKY Campfire Tales retold by S.E.Schlosser, R.L. Stine and the goosebumps books. Ray Bradbury's Something Wicked This Way Comes, and The Halloween Tree.

Movies that will get you in the Halloween mood: The Legend of Hell House (1973 Rated PG), Halloween (1978 Rated R), Salems Lot (1979 Rated PG), The Howling (1981 Rated R), Dark Night of the Scarecrow (1981 Unrated). Ghost Story (1981 Rated R), Poltergeist (1982 Rated PG), The Gates of Hell (1983 unrated - also titled "City of the Living Dead"), Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983 Rated PG), Terror in the Aisles (1984 Rated R), Trick or Treat (1986 Rated R - includes Ozzy Osbourne), House (1986 Rated R), The Serpent and the Rainbow (1988 Rated R), Slaughterhouse Rock (1988 Rated R), Night of the Demons (1988 Rated R), Lady in White (1988 Rated PG - 13 (original rating R), Waxworks (1988 Rated R), A Nightmare Before Christmas (1993 Rated PG), The Halloween Tree (1993 Rated G), Hocus Pocus (1993 Unrated), The Frighteners (1996 Rated R), House On Haunted Hill (1999 Rated R), Sleepy Hollow (1999 Rated R), The Devils Backbone (2001 Rated R, In Spanish - subtitles), Rose Red ((2002 Rated PG-13), Skelaton Key (2005 Rated R), Monster House (2006 Rated PG), Return To House On Haunted Hill (2007 Rated R), 1408 (2007 Rated PG-13) Trick r Treat (2008 Rated R), Silent Hill 2 (2008 Rated R)

The first video is various clips from the movies "Night of the Demons" (part 1 + 2) set to music.

The second video is a trailer with clips from the movie "Lady in White" which is a ghost story that takes place in a small town where murders are taking place.

The third video is a trailer for the movie "Skeleton Key".

The fourth video is a set of clips from the movie "Dark Night of the Scarecrow".

..NVampiresN..----------/---//------.----..................---------.---/-------------------------------------------------

......The Subspecies films have all of the castle and none of the count. The Subspecies movies were actually produced in Romania and they are a very dark gothic departure from the count's that wear lacey sleeves and ruffled shirts and speak with a corney fake long toothed European lisp. And Subspecies 2 and 3 has one of the best ancient witchy characters ever concieved that is more terrible looking than the hag that ressurects the abomination in the movie "Pumpkinhead". Is this strange old woman 200 years past dead? I don't know but the look is great.- if you like horrible looking and the vampires look rather demonic with long claws and not like a grinning"Top Gun" character if you know what I mean. Also once you get into the second movie of the series you realise that the creatures known as the "Subspecies are actually the small demons that in the start of the second film help to ressurect the vampire Radu (which is the name of the real life brother of Count Vlad that the vampire legend is born from. Also most of the films have brief nudity and some horror movie gore.

Radu and Michelle

......The Subspecies movie series.includes the following movies. Subspecies (1991) (Rated R)

Bloodstone: Subspecies II (1993) (Rated R)

Bloodlust: Subspecies III (1994) (Rated R)

Subspecies 4: Bloodstorm (1998) (Rated R)

Vampire Journals (1997) (Rated R)

......The first subspecies film has three college students on a trip through Romania to study the local myths and legends. An evil vampire named Radu has stolen the precious bloodstone from his father (a strange artifact that drips the blood of the saints), and then Radu killed his father. Radu is drawn to one of the three girls but his brother Stephan tries to stop Radu.

......At the beginning of Bloodstone: Subspecies II small demons put the head of Radu back on and he goes looking for the bloodstone which is in the hands of one of the three girls from the first film named Michelle telephones her sister Becky asking her for help because she has been bitten by Radu. Radu seeks help from his mother who is an evil witch that lives in a family crypt. Michelle battles Radu who has captured Becky and allows her to escape the crypt. But Michelle cannot leave the crypt because it is daytime and her sister promises to return at night. After that you see Radu's mother laughing and pulling Michelle back into the crypt and shutting the door from within.

......Bloodlust: Subspecies III begins with Michelle still trapped in the crypt where. Michelle has killed Radu and Radu's Mother uses Michelle's blood to restore him to life. Radu, his Mother, and Michelle return to the castle in Romania. Michelle asks Radu to show her the ropes as a new vampire and Radu being in love with Michelle agrees. Michelle becomes more powerful and Radu's Mother keeps insisting that he kill her because she knows she is not truely loyal. Radu and Michelle continue a battle of wills and in the meantime Michelle's sister Becky is still trying to rescue Michelle with a crew that comes with her for a final battle athe the castle.

......Subspecies 4: Bloodstorm starts with the escape of Michelle. She is found by a stranger named Ana. She is taken to a hospital to a doctor who claims to be able to cure the curse of her vampirism. Her doctor is a vampire also and seems to be keeping his desire for blood in check. Radu survives the attack from Michelles sister and her vampire killers, but just barely. Radu goes to Budapest in search of Michelle and moves into the home of a former fledgling vampire of his named Ash (who is the subject of the fifth Subspecies movie called "Vampire Journals"). Ash begins to plot his former masters murder and soon three are wanting the precious bloodstone, Radu, Ash and Michelle's doctor. In the end of this film (which appears to be the actual end of Radu), Michelle and Ana(who took Michelle in in the beginning of Subspecies 4) both battle Radu. His body is burnt and he is beheaded. His head is then taken out into the sun where it turns to dust.

......Vampire Journals This film is a bit of a departure from the rest of the Subspecies series but it is thought by many that it deserved a sequel but that the financial problems of Full Moon Entertainment which produced the Subspecies movies was probably the reason this never happened. In this very dark gothic feature Zackary, a vampire that hates his vampire state seeks to destroy all the vampires in his bloodline. He tracks down the master vampire known as Ash (who is also in Subspecies 4). He plots to enter his heavily defended fortress. Ash the master vampire falls in love with Sophia, a beautiful pianist and takes her to his club called "Club Muse" and kidnaps her. So Zachary must find a way to stop and destrroy Ash, and his disiples and rescue the girl. This is a very serious dark moody vampire tale with a larger cast than the rest of the Subspecies tales and is a great compeditor in the world of vampire films.

......Salem's Lot (1979 Rated PG Made for tv movie) First off something very important to notice is that even though this is a vampire movie the vampire subjects are not the main topic of this Stephen King book based movie, no the town of Salem's Lot is not the main topic of this movie either. The main topic is the "Marsten House". Ben Mears (David Soul) is a former resident that has come back to his hometown to write about the local haunted Marsten House that he had a terrifying experience in. Ben asks the town doctor do you believe a house can be inherently evil, in it's floorboards, in it's wooden beams? The doctor doesn't know but Ben goes on to tell of the long history of evil and of murders that happened there at that house and says "I believe that an evil house attracts evil people". This same evil house theme also occurs in other Stephen King novels such as "The Shining", "Rose Red", and Stephen King's It when the young boy is drawn into a home by a voice and he sees a ghost and holds up his boyscout manual like a shield and repeats the name of all the birds he can think of to get rid of the fear.

......The movie begins with the arrival of the very mistrusted Ben Mears (David Soul) who has returned to his hometown to write about the evil "Marsten House". Soon afterward Richard Straker (James Mason) opens an antique shop with his partner who is away on business. When one boy is missing and another dies under very strange cercumstances Both Ben Mears and Mr. Starker are viewed in a very suspicous way by the local small town sherrif and by the townfolk. The number of deaths strangely increases with many suffering from anemia with no logical answers. Richard Straker plays a well dressed servant of a master vampire named Kurt Barlow (Reggie Nalder) who is a pale creepy darkly powerful Nosferatu style vampire with long clawlike fingers and pircing hypnotic yellow eyes.

......... ...............Master Vampire Kurt Barlow

......But the master vampire isn't shown for a while and then in brief flashing moments usually while making strange snarling noises that gives his appearance a vile bizarre supernatural effect. This movie has a few genuine shocks but most of the time it is a slow haunting creepy movie that gets under your skin. In the end after much of the town has fled, including the local sherif, there is a showdown with the master vampire. This is a very suspenseful dark vampire tale without flashy one liners and vampires that are out to discover themselves. This Vampire comes off as pure cold evil that can't be reasoned with - a great stormy weather movie

......................

......Other vampire films include, Dracula: Prince of Darkness (1966 Unrated), Taste The Blood Of Dracula (1970 Rated R), The Satanic Rites Of Dracula (1974 Rated R), Salem's Lot (1979 Rated PG), Fright Night (1985 Rated R), Lifeforce (1985 Rated R), Near Dark (1987 Rated R), The Lost Boys (1987 Rated R), Lair of the White Worm (1988 Rated R), Children of the Night (1991 Rated R), Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992 Rated R), Interview With The Vampire (1994 Rated R),Cronos (1994 rated R), From Dusk Till Dawn (1996 Rated R), Vampires (1998 Rated R), Vampires - Los Muertos (2002 Rated R), Queen of the Damned (2002 Rated R), Underworld (2003 Rated R), Van Helsing (2004 Rated PG-13), Underworld - Evolution (2006 Rated R)

......Anne Rice vampire books from (The, Vampire Chronicles)

(1) Intrview With the Vampire (1976)

(2) The Vampire Lestat (1985)

(3) The Queen of The Damned (1988)

(4) The Tale of The Body Thief (1992)

(5) Memnoch the Devil (1995)

(6) The Vampire Armand (1998)

(7) Blood and Gold (2001)

(8)Blackwood Farm (2002)

(9) Blood Canticle (2003)

Anne Rice vampire books from (The New Tales of The Vampires)

(10) Pandora (1998)

(11) Vittorio (1999)

......Vampire books by other authors,.The Vampire, by John William Palidori (1819)(a rare book), The Vampire And Other Tales of the Macabre, by John William Palidori (2001), Dracula, Prince of Many Faces: His Life and His Times, by Radu R Florescu (Oct. 31 1990), The Bloody Chamber, by Angela Carter (1990), The Mammoth Book Of Vampires, edited by Stephen Jones (1992), The Vampire Book, by Gordon J. Melton (1998), Blood Thirst: 100 Years of Vampire Fiction, Leonard Wolf Editor (1999), The mammoth Book Of Vampire Stories By Women, Stephen Jones Editor (2001), Vampires: The Occult Truth, by Konstantinos (2002)

The top left video is a trailer for the movie Salems Lot and it has some great effects.

The top right video is from the movie Subspecies II: The Bloodstone It is the beginning of the film where the small demons that are (the subspecies) re-attach the head of the vampire Radu after he has been killed.

The bottom video is a song by the group Concrete Blonde called Bloodletting. The song is played with a video game clip. The song was inspired by the vampire tales of Anne Rice.

............................Dark And Even Darker

......Fair-Haired Child is the "Masters of Horror" series (season one episode 9) is 55 minutes long and first aired Jan. 2006. Tara (Lindsay Pulsipher) a local teenager is kidnapped by a parents of a dead child (Lori Petty and William Samples) and dropped into the basement of their home. Tara eventually realizes that she is to be the twelfth and final sacrifice to a dark entity in order to ressurect the couples long dead son.Jonnie (Jessie Haddock). Tara must escape with the help of the zombie form of their son Jonnie before he turns into a beastly creature that will kill her and seal the evil pact. This film is directed by William Malone who directed the film re-make of House on Haunted Hill. It is excellently filmed, beautifully scored, and is a creepy dark film that you can purchase now from store shelves.

NNNNReality Based Ghost MoviesNNNN

Sightings: Heartland Ghost (2002) Rated R

This is a pretty strait forward serious reality based (Adult) ghost story in spite of having some nudity. This movie deals with the crew of the Reality-TV show Sightings which investigates a house in a small Kansas town that is haunted. This turn of the century home is owned by a middle class couple that has invested every penny of their savings in restoring the home and re-selling it, however several ghosts of the former residents haunt the home including a ghost of a child called "Sallie". When the film was made the location of the home was kept secret but it is now known that the home of the ghost "Sallie" is located in Atchison Kansas. Click the link below for a web page with the complete and updated story. Many of the facts from the Reality-TV show Sightings were not entirely accurate, and this page corrects the inaccuracies. http://www.prairieghosts.com/sallie.html

Grave Secrets: The Legacy Of Hilltop Drive(1992 Made For TV Movie) - (Unrated)

This movie stars Patty Duke and David Selby and it is supposed to be based on a real story. It has a familiar ring to it because the home of the Williams family is built on a graveyard which the developers didn't tell them about (so in that scene it is like the movie Poltergeist). It is not a super scary movie and it is largely story driven and takes on a real everyday feel, toilets that flush themselves and garage doors activate themselves but the movie doesn't have many effects and the acting is fair. It is hard to say how much of this story is based in reality but it has much more of a down to earth real feel than most reality based ghost movies. This film is unrated and has only mild violence and would be one of the better movies for ghostchasers to watch and research.

The Haunted (1991 Made For TV Movie) (Unrated but Parental Discretion was advised)

The Haunted stars Sally Kellerman and Jeffrey DeMunn and is a Fox Network movie that is supposed to be based on events that took place in Pittston Pennsylvania in the 1980's in the Victorian home of Smurl family. The Smurl family is attacked by three ghosts and a demon. Even though this movie is unrated there are adult subjects such as the rape of the father by a demon (but there is no nudity). During the actual real life events, the paranormal investigators, the Warrens (Ed and Lorraine Warren) were called in to investigate the haunting but in the movie the are portrayed by actors. The ghosts were portrayed in an unbelievable demonic way and the acting is fair at best but it is an interesting story behind it all for people who enjoy investigating hauntings.

NNNNFiction Based Ghost MoviesNNNN

Haunted (1995) (Rated R for sexual subjects and nudity)

Starring Professor David Ash (played by Aidan Quinn) who is a sceptic of the supernatural. While David Ash was a small child his small twin sister drown and he is plagued by the guilt through his life. He is invited to an English country estate to investigate paranormal events. At the home David finds three young adults the Mariells - one woman Christina Mariell played by (Kate Beckinsale) with her two brothers Robert Mariell and Simon Mariell. Also living there is Mrs Webb their old nanny who called David to investigate. Mrs. Webb is clearly terrified of something that is going on in the house, and the Mariells all seem to be humoring her. The young adults are wild and eccentric - and there is much nudity but at first nothing seems too much out of the ordinary.But there is strange music that is heard playing and a ghost child that plays around the grounds of the home. As the story progresses Mrs. Webb becomes increasingly terrified as the story builds to not only a big surprise ending but with the spirit of Davids sister saving David from being destroyed. In spite of the nudity this is a very strongly story driven movie and has a few good unexpected twists that make it well worth seeing. It is a very imaginative tale.

The Legend Of Hell House (1973)(Rated PG but it has full nudity and violent adult subjects)

Physicist Lionel Barrett is enlisted by an eccentric millionaire, Mr Deutsch, to make an investigation into 'survival after death' in 'the one place where it has yet to be refuted'. This is the Belasco House: The "Mount Everest" of haunted houses," originally owned by Emeric Belasco, a perverted millionaire who disappeared following a massacre at his home. The house is believed to be haunted by numerous spirits; the victims of Belasco's twisted desires

.

The new investigation team consists of two psychics and a scientist and his wife. The previous psychic team was destroyed except for one person. The current team has to unravel a mystery before they are destroyed emotionally and physically. This film includes nudity and many adult subjects and even though it doesn't have Hollywood style effects the feeling of ghostly encounters is quite effective and convincing with a very dark and heavy atmosphere.

Other great modern ghost story movies that I recomend are, Poltergeist (1982 Rated R), Lady In White (1988 Rated PG-13), The Haunting (1999 Rated PG-13), House On Haunted Hill (1999 Rated R- modern re-make of the original), The Others (2001 PG-13), Thirteen Ghosts (rated R modern re-make), Rose Red (2002 PG-13) None of these films have and nudity (Except Thirteen Ghosts - the modern remake) but there is some moderate violence and adult subjects

Here is a web page advertising an upcoming movie based on a real life haunting.The web page has the term The Crossroads Haunting written at the top. The sound effects are great and the advertising video is interesting and if that tells anything about the movie it should be great.

http://www.freewebs.com/rasbam/index.htm

Here is a very serious web site that lists graveyards, haunted places, historical places, a list of the meaning of various grave symbols and a lot more.

http://www .graveaddiction.com/index.html

Here is a link to a large mansion that was the site of murders and fire and is reputed to be haunted. I would go to the web page just for the creepy music though. But what Halloween season fan wouldn't love to see a home called Corpsewood Mansion?

http://www.geocities.com/corpsewoods/

This first video is from the movie "The Haunted" where things start to go wrong in the home and the first ghost appears.

The second video is about "The Winchester Mystery House"

The third film is by Evanescence called "Sweet Sacrifice" and it say's that fear is only in our minds - but you be the judge of that