THE GOODS: Diary of a Madman

Thursday, October 24, 2013

THE COUNTDOWN TO HALLOWEEN: DAY 24

(The Price of Fright)

Tonight, Turner Classic Movies features another slew of films

in which Vincent Price chews more scenery than a zombie can chew brains!

And it's all horror, all the time too!

It is impossible to go wrong with any of these films but I do want to let you know, dear reader, that this Goods Guy would more likely recommend HOUSE OF USHER, HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL or THE RAVEN.

In USHER, Price's character takes a journey from refined, reserved and restrained to manically mad, madman and it is a pleasure to watch him bloom!

HAUNTED HILL is full of character intrigue as one wonders what to think of Price's character and his wager with those who are willing to stay locked in his house.

THE RAVEN is equal parts Dr. Strange, Edgar Allen Poe and all the while we have Price matching wits with Karloff all the while poor Peter Lorre tries to wiggle his way out of the whole situation.

At 8pm

HOUSE OF WAX

Here's the trailer for this 3-D masterpiece:

At 9:45pm

THE MAD MAGICIAN

The trailer...

At 11pm

HOUSE OF USHER

The trailer...

At 12:30am

DIARY OF A MADMAN

And the trailer...

At 2:15am

THE TINGLER

The tingling trailer...

At 3:45am

HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL

The trailer...

At 5:15am

THE BAT

This is the Price himself selling the movie...

At 6:45am

TOWER OF LONDON

No trailer here, but the drinking contest scene between ol' Vinny and Basil Rathbone...

At 8:15am

THE RAVEN

Quoth the trailer...

Finally, Vincent gives Kermit insight into the method of acting...

Tomorrow it's back to vampires for the final week of our Countdown to Halloween!

Where does the time go...

Friday, October 19, 2012

MONSTER MONTH: A COUNTDOWN TO HALLOWEEN (Day 19)

(Frankenstein's Monster is a Foodie?)

Well it’s much later than I usually post these Monster-Month blogs, but I had a snag last night and could not complete the task. And so, let us look instead to the future. More specifically to the children who will carry the torch (pardon the pun) for Frankenstein’s creation for the forseeable future.

Adam Rex created a couple of really neat books featuring our fair Frankenstein Monster and they are for kids, though I’m of the opinion that they’re good for all ages. The focus isn’t completely on the creature, but on many of the monsters who are out there making meals every day trying to feed themselves and their families.

FRANKENSTEIN MAKES A SANDWICH and FRANKENSTEIN TAKES THE CAKE are the two titles in question and I wish I had my copies of these two books available, but I can’t seem to find them at the moment. But as you can see from the art and bit of poetry in the images around, it’s fun stuff.

(Click to Frankensize)

from the KIRKUS REVIEW:

FRANKENSTEIN MAKES A SANDWICH (reviewed on August 1, 2006)

Readers will relish every gross and hilarious entry in this monstrous menu of misadventures, from the towering appetizer concocted by Frankenstein—a green-skinned Fred Gwynne in Rex’s detail-rich, superbly over-the-top illustrations—to the Japanese-inflected closer, “Godzilla Pooped on my Honda.” Interlaced with repeated appearances from an increasingly frantic Phantom of the Opera (who can’t get a succession of pop tunes out of his head), the verses and accompanying art go from suggesting unfortunate results when “The Invisible Man Gets A Haircut,” to making lurid allusions to the contents of “The Lunchsack of Notre Dame.” They range from why “The Yeti Doesn’t Appreciate Being Called Bigfoot,” to tracking the Mummy’s reluctance to bed down: “Here’s his new excuse: / He wants cookies with his juice. / But he won’t get far— / that’s his stomach in that jar.” Making Judy Sierra’s Monster Goose (2001), illustrated by Jack E. Davis, look like an exercise in restraint, here’s a read-aloud candidate sure to elicit loud screams—but not of fright. (Poetry. Ages 6-10)