The Sohome Horror Film Festival

 

2020 has been a trial. 

I know this is a soft assessment of what has been a truly bad year, but I am not given to using expletives in print. 

With all the tumult and turmoil, there has been some bright spots. For me, it has been the Sohome Horror Film Festivals.

Mitch Harrod put together the Soho Horror Film Festival in London in 2018 and 2019, with the physical festivals held in London. When the lockdown occurred, he decided to hold them online. Renaming them "Sohome", Mitch has held three so far this year with a fourth (The Sohohoho Horror Film Festival) slated for 19 December.

Being a fan of horror for most of my life, I am always on the lookout for new scares. Over the years, I have found short films to be a hotbed of inventiveness. Sohome is in the same mindset, usually showing more short films than features. Mitch seems to have a knack for finding some of the best of the year's crop of not only scares, but also laughs, as he tempers his selections with the funny side of horror. This point will be illustrated as I run though the viewing. 

This time, I went through the Sohome website and found the listings for 2018 & 2019's Festivals, as well as this past weekends Fest and the 2020 physical Fest slated for 13-15 November. I was able to track down many of the short films, and a couple of features from the previous Festivals and got a chance to view them. My intention is to give the links to see some of these films, as they are worthy of your time. I will also go over the films I viewed this past weekend and give you a head's off...sorry...head's up on films that you need to see!!  So, off we go!! Click the word "link" to view the film.

2018 Soho Horror Film Festival

Features

Boo!; Framed; Luz; Vidar the Vampire; Winterskin; Dementia Part II; Bong of the Living Dead; Involution; Inner Ghosts; All the Creatures Were Stirring; Trauma; and Rock Steady Row (link).

Short Films

The Helsinki Mansplaining Massacre; Monstagram (link); The Quiet Room; Pyotr 495 (link); The Sermon (link); Unto Death; Sang Papier (link); Oscar's Bell (link) ; What Metal Girls are Into; The Bloody Ballad of Squirt Reynolds (link); Tater (link) ; I Am the Doorway; Post Mortem Mary (link) ; Once Bitten; Goodnight Gracie (link); Proceeds of Crime (link); Lunch Ladies; and Holy Fuck.

I managed to find Luz and Vidar the Vampire on Crackle. Vidar is from Norway and is a very twisted spin on Vampirism, Religion and Relationships. Luz I have yet to see. Rock Steady Row is on YouTube. I got a chance to view most of the short films. Tater is the tale of mutant potatoes from outer space. Oscar's Bell and Post Mortem Mary are very chilling. Monstagram is cautionary tale about children and photographs shared online. Sang Papier is a funny spin on immigration. I have heard that Lunch Ladies is outrageously funny, but I haven't found it. The Sermon, The Quiet Room, Pyotr 495 and Unto Death are part of the LGBTQ+ horror genre.

I should mention here that Mitch's selections always include several examples of LGBTQ+ horror films, which is becoming a larger part of the genre. His second Festival of 2020 was exclusively LGBTQ+ and there were a number of short films in Fest III, which we will get to later.

2019 Soho Horror Film Festival

Features

Dreamland; Death to Metal; Attack of the Demons; An English Haunting; Itsy Bitsy; Sator; Z; Scare Package; Swing Low; Punto Muerto; Artik; Blood Machine; Scream Queen: My Nightmare on Elm St.; and Tammy and the T-Rex. 

Short Films

Peopling; Vinyl Destination (link); Brutal Realty Inc; Dead Air; Midnight (link); Finley (link); The Fortune Teller (link); Satanic Panic '87 (link) ; No One Will Ever Believe You; Ghost Turd (link); The Muffin Man (link); Critical Hit; The Fog vs. The Mist (link); In Sound, We Live Forever (link); Killer Date; Penance (link); Crop Dust (link); and We Got a Monkey's Paw (link) .

Artik can be found on Crackle. Z is part of Shudder's collection. Tammy and the T-Rex has been run on cable numerous times. Quite a few of the shorts leaned toward horror/comedy with Vinyl Destination, Finley (which made another appearence in a 2020 Fest), Ghost Turd, The Muffin Man, The Fog vs. The Mist, Crop Dust and We Got a Monkey's Paw, all generating laughs. The Fortune Teller is scary. Under the heading of 'Incredible' are both Midnight, which plays with the viewer's sense of time, and In Sound, We Live Forever, which is one of the most ingenious bits of storytelling that I have seen in a long time. It is a must see. Penance is another LGBTQ+ short.

2020 Sohome Horror Film Festival I

2020 Sohome Horror Film Festival II: Pride Edition

2020 Sohome Horror Film Festival III

Features

Bad Candy; Dead; Danni and the Vampire; Medusa: Queen of the Serpents; The Returned; Survival Skills; Death to Metal; The Quiet Revolution; Bleed With Me; Threshold; Ill: the Final Contagion; and Re-Elected.

Short Films

Milk Teeth; Backward Creep; Council House and Violent; A Funny Way to Die; Couriers; Night Feed; No Hard Shells Crack?; Phantom; Cursed Connection; Caught on Tape; Insecticide (link); Stagnant (link); The Drawing (link); Livin' After Midnight; Snake Dick (link); Grisley Girls; Behind the Door; Mateo (link); Little Willy (link); It Came from the 80s; Melvin and the Microphone; First Bite; Vinyl Destination; Regret; Sleep Tight; Going Steady; The Cleanse; Meta; The Hollow Hours; Don't Text Back; Polter; Limerince; Poltergays; Morbus; Unholy Mole; and Downs of the Dead. 

Among the Features, Dead from New Zealand is a must see! Through a combination of weed and his late father's medication, Marbles can talk to ghosts and help them cross over. Problems start when he meets up with a recently murdered policeman who wants his help to solve the crime. The Quiet Revolution is a documentary about the horror movie movement in Canada from the 1970s to the present. Incredibly informative and a must for the horror historian. Survival Skills is a very disturbing film. Done as if you are watching a VHS tape, Stacy Keach narrates you through the training and decline of a rookie police officer. Re-Elected....what can I say. Any film with George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Jackson coming back as Zombies has my vote. Silly film that makes you laugh out loud. I also saw Bad Candy and Bleed With Me.

I managed to see all but one of the short films. There were two sets of grouped short: Lockdown shorts (A Funny Way to Die; Couriers; Night Feed; No Hard Shells Crack?; Phantom; Cursed Connection; Caught on Tape; Insecticide; Stagnant; and The Drawing) and Horrorisqueer shorts (Going Steady; The Cleanse; Meta; The Hollow Hours; Don't Text Back; Polter; Limerince; and Poltergays). 

In the Lockdown shorts, Night Feed was hilarious, Stagnant and The Drawing were scary and Couriers was just unnerving.

The Horrorisqueer Shorts had several that dealt with issues among the LGBTQ+ community and handled them in amazing ways. In Meta, Artie is transgender and the favorite for King of the Prom, until becoming a monster as he questions what people see when they look at him. In The Hollow Hours, a cursed clock shows the relationship of a gay couple from best to worst. Poltergays explores a straight couple who think that the gay couple they share the house with are the spawn of Satan. This one is hilarious. Polter is also funny as a man is forced to share his deep secret to satisfy the ghost in the house.

Of the others, Milk Teeth is a poignant yet horrific spin on the Tooth Fairy. In the funny category, Livin' After Midnight, It Came from the 80s, Melvin and the Microphone, Sleep Tight, and Unholy Mole are good for a laugh. In the Zombie category, Mateo from Mexico gives you a peek into the mind of a zombie, while Downs of the Dead from Norway, casts a group of patients with Downs Syndrome as the heroes in a Zombie Outbreak, saving themselves and an inept orderly. 

As you can see, it was a very busy horror movie weekend. 

My thanks to Mitch Harrod for guiding us through another Sohome Horror Film Festival. All the best, Mitch!

Halloween Sing Along

 Aside from films, I am a music lover. I'm not bound by one type of music, or one period. There is beautiful music to be found everywhere. I love Beethoven. I live for the Beatles. I am of the belief that one of the greatest bands of the 1960s was The Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band. I believe that one of the most creative bands around was 10cc. My first concert was Queen at the Spectum in Philadelphia. I managed to see The Ramones twice, David Bowie twice, Berlin & the Thompson Twins twice and The Moody Blues twice. I think Scott Joplin was one of the most creative geniuses of American Music History. And I think novelty records are underappreciated.

Which leads me to this subject. 

I have compiled a small group of Horror/Sci-fi themed Novelty Records just right for Halloween, for your listening enjoyment. I tried to steer clear of many of the usual faire for this time of year. So, if you want to hear "The Monster Mash" by Bobby "Boris" Pickett, you'll have to read someone else's blog. These are among my favorites that just don't get the proper airplay. 

Click on the picture and listen to some fun recordings that are of a monsterous nature. They sound so much better if you have a bowl of candy corn to dine on while you listen.

This first one goes out to all you Kaiju lovers. Here is Cornell Hurd and the Mondo Hot Pants Orchestra with "The Texas Behemoth".

The song "Psycho" was originally recorded by Leon Payne. It has been covered by a number of singers over the years, one of which was Elvis Costello on the album "Almost Blue". Here is an excellent version by Jack Kittel.

Rose and the Arrangement, or Possum, recorded the iconic song, "The Cockroach That Ate Cincinnati". It would later be covered by The Misfits and a couple of full orchestras.

The one and only Nervous Norvus, who gave us great tunes like "Transfusion", "Ape Call" and "Noon Balloon to Rangoon", gives a taste of science fiction with an alien known as "The Fang".

To continue with the alien theme, here are The Ran-Dells with the story of an intergalactic dance, "The Martian Hop".

Herb Sage & the Spices gives us a live version of their classic tale about love gone wrong, "Cannibal Cutie".

Carrying on the Cannibal theme, sometimes, a father and son don't see eye to eye about dinner. Here's the music hall sounds of Flanders & Swann with "The Reluctant Cannibal."

In the 1940s, Phil Harris gave us "The Thing", which you'll never get of, no matter what you do. An updated version comes to us this thing from the brilliant minds of Barnes & Barnes, who gave us "Fishheads". Here's "Something's in the Bag."

Speaking of coming home from the Beatles concert....Jimmy Cross shows us that true love knows no boundries, with "I Want My Baby Back."

To finish, one of my favorite bands, They Might Be Giants, sing about the unusual things you might see if you just "Turn Around".

So, there you have ten songs to get you in the mood for that movie marathon you're thinking about for Halloween, or another Political Debate, whichever scares you more. I hope you enjoy them. 

I'd like to thank Dr. Demento. I spent many a Sunday night listening to his syndicated radio show while growing up. Without the good Doctor, I would never know the delights of such "laughing wax", as he called them. 

Stay Demented!! 

Halloween Short Films

 As anyone who has read my blog or the blog at BloodyWhisper.com, I am a big fan of short films. I marvel at the talent that goes into telling a story in less time than it takes you to pour milk on your cereal. Halloween is one of the best subjects for films, short or feature. 

Here are some of my favorite short films with a Halloween theme. I will be providing the link, so you can watch them as well. I will steer clear of spoilers.

I'm going to start and finish in the same place, with Canadian director Marc Roussel. In 2006, he gives the viewer a tale of "Sweet Tooth", a man who has issues with Halloween.

Animation always tops my list of qualifications for a viewing. Mike Inel's "Missing Halloween" (2015) is the touching story of a lonely boy, who finds friendship on Halloween. 

Humor is always a help. In Adam Green's "Monster Problems" (2015), three monsters want to eat a boy who is going to bed after Trick-or-Treating. Arguments ensue, as does hilarity!

Miguel Ortega's tale of "The Green Ruby Pumpkin" (2012) shows a witch who rewards those who have the Halloween spirit with wonderful treats from her magical pumpkin. The film is beautiful in its vision, but is also a cautionary tale.

Aaron Yonda in 2007, gives us "The Life and Death of a Pumpkin", a chilling tale of vegetable horror not often found in the cinema.

To end this, we return to Marc Roussel, with his award-winning film "The Last Halloween". Four children Trick-or-Treat in a world falling apart. A magnificent story.

So, take some time. Click on the photos. Enjoy the films. See Halloween in ways that will amaze and even frighten you. 

Happy Halloween. 

 

Turner Rides Again

 

Every year, I try to give you kind folks a disembodied heads-up to horror showing in October. In that time, we have found that Turner Classics has a hand so hot that the skin is falling off. This year is no different. There are at least 105 times that the cable channel will show some form of horror film. Add to that Peter Cushing, who is the Star of the Month. Once again, Turner reigns supreme.

Let’s have a look:

The Stars

Peter Cushing films include (Oct 12) Dr. Who & the Daleks (1965) 9:30pm, Daleks: Earth Invasion 2150 A.D. (1966) 11pm, She (1965) 12:30am and Corruption (1967) 4:30am; (Oct19)  Horror of Dracula (1958) 9:30pm, The Mummy (1959) 11:15pm, The Curse of Frankenstein (1957) 1 am, Frankenstein Created Woman (1967) 2:45am and Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed (1970) 4:30am; and (Oct 26) Nothing but the Night (1972) 8pm, Madhouse (1974) 9:45pm, From Beyond the Grave (1973) 11:30pm, Scream & Scream Again (1970) , The Satanic Rites of Dracula (1973) 3:15am and Dracula A.D. 1972 (1972) 4:45am.

Lon Chaney, Sr. has a small marathon of three films on Oct 14 with The Unholy Three (1925) at 10:15am, The Unknown (1927) at Noon and The Blackbird (1926) at 1pm.

Lon Chaney, Jr. films include the cult classic Spider Baby (1964) Oct 16 at 4:45pm (this was his last film), Indestructible Man (1956) Oct 29 at 4pm, and The Wolf Man (1941) Oct 31 at 4:45pm.

Boris Karloff films include The Ghoul (1933) Oct 9 at 8 pm, Black Sabbath (1963) Oct 16 at 12:15am, The Mummy (1932) Oct 24 at 5am, The Mask of Fu Manchu (1932) Oct 30 at 8am, The Walking Dead (1936) Oct 30 at 5:30pm, and The Body Snatcher (1945) Oct 31 at 3am.

Christopher Lee films (aside from appearances with Peter Cushing) include The Wicker Man (1974) 12:45am

Peter Lorre films include The Beast with Five Fingers (1946) Oct 26 at 6am, and Mad Love (1935) Oct 30 at 4:15pm.

Bela Lugosi films include Dracula (1931) Oct 2 at 8pm, Mark of the Vampire (1935) Oct 9 at 11pm and Oct 14 at 5:15pm, Island of Lost Souls (1932) Oct 30 at 10:45am, White Zombie (1932) Oct 30 at Noon, and The Vampire Bat (1933) Oct 30 at 1:30pm.

Vincent Price films (aside from appearances with Peter Cushing) include The House on Haunted Hill (1958) Oct 2 at 11pm, The Raven (1963) Oct 16 at 3:15pm, Twice Told Tales (1963) Oct 16 at 10pm, The Tingler (1959) Oct 23 at 11:15pm, and House of Wax (1953) Oct 31 at 9am.

Also found:

A Foreign Triple Feature on Oct 25 with Haxan: Witchcraft Through the Ages (1922) midnight, Diabolique (1955) 2 am and Eyes Without a Face (1959) 4:15 am.

A pair of Nasty Kids movies on Halloween with Children of the Damned (1964) 10:45am and The Bad Seed (1956) 12:30pm, not to mention that Village of the Damned (1960) is showing on Oct 16 at 9:15am.

Of course, the Giant Monsters dominate on Oct 12 with The Killer Shrews (1959) 7:45am, King Kong (1933) 9am, The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953) 11am and Godzilla (1954) 12:30pm, The Green Slime (1969) 4:45pm, and Night of the Lepus (1972) 6:330pm. Also, Them! (1954) is showing on Halloween at 10pm.

For laughs, there is Little Shop of Horrors (1960) Oct 16 at 8am, Roman Polanski’s The Fearless Vampire Killers (1966) Oct 17 at 1:45am, I Married a Witch (1942) Oct 19 at 6am, Topper (1937) Oct 22 at 2:30pm, Topper Takes a Trip (1939) Oct 22 at 4:15pm, and Angel on My Shoulder (1946) Oct 29 at 12:30pm.

 

Other Classics include:

The Haunting (1963) Oct 2 at 12:30am and Oct 31 at 6pm

Night of the Living Dead (1968) Oct 9 at 12:15am and Oct 22 at 1am

The Creature of the Black Lagoon (1954) Oct 12 at 2pm and Oct 23 at 8pm

Freaks (1932) Oct 14 at 4pm and Oct 31 at 6am

Devil Doll (1936) Oct 14 at 6:30pm and Oct 29 at 7am

Carnival of Souls (1962) Oct 16 at 12:15pm

Dead of Night (1945) Oct 16 at 8pm

Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933) Oct 22 at 11:30pm and Oct 30 at 2:45pm

The Blob (1958) Oct 23 at 9:30pm

The Thing from Another World (1951) Oct 23 at 12:45am

Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962) Oct 25 at 5:30pm

Doctor X (1932) Oct 30 at 6:30am and Return of Dr. X (1939) at 6:45pm

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1932) Oct 31 at 7:35am

I Walked with a Zombie (1943) Oct 31 at 1:30am

 

Aside from some of the lesser known films from above, Turner has chosen a few that are not likely to be found showing anywhere else. They include Mario Bava’s Blood and Black Lace (1964) Oct 5 at 4:30pm, The 13^th Chair (1929) Oct 14 at 2:30pm, Francis Ford Coppola’s Dementia 13 (1963) Oct 16 at 1:45pm, Rollerball (1975) Oct 17 at 5:45pm, Ninja III: The Domination (1984) Oct 23 at 2:30am, Brainstorm (1983) Oct 24 at 2:15pm, From Hell It Came (1957) Oct 29 at 5:15pm, The Four Skulls of Jonathan Drake (1959) Oct 30 at 8pm and The Seventh Victim (1943) Oct 31 at Midnight and Nov 1 at 10am.

This covers just about all the films to be shown in October at Turner. All times are Eastern Standard. 

Once again, I’d like to thank Turner Classics for its continued October efforts at doing their level best to scare the pants off us. It is kind of them to give us a whole month, while most stations barely give us the day!

The Next 50: Film Watching During the Pandemic

Well, folks, it's that time again. Another 50 films have been viewed. It was a much slower pace than usual, as the call of genealogy has been very strong. This particular group of films begins on 1 June and runs to 21 August. 

As has been the case lately, I have left the world of live action to live with the cartoon folk. This increase has never been more visible than in this 50. 

To start with, I picked up some of the early works of Mokoto Shinkai. For those unfamiliar, he is the director of "Your Name" and "Weathering With You." A number of his early short works are available on YouTube, DailyMotion and Vimeo. I managed to see:

Mokoto Shinkai

Other Worlds (1999)

She & Her Cat (1999)

Voices of a Distant Star (2003)

Someone's Gaze (2013)

A Garden of Words (2013)

One can see from these his ability to inspire emotions. He also features the rain in most of these, an occurrance that continues through his lastest films.

Other Animes include:

Modest Heroes (2018), currently on Netflix

Night on the Galactic Railroad (1985), on Amazon

A Whisker Away (2020), also on Netflix

Midori, or Mr. Arashi's Amazing Freak Show (1992)

Mirai (2018), Netflix or Hulu

Belladonna of Sadness (1973)

Angel's Egg (1985)

Mamoru Hosoda

Of these, "Mirai" is wonderful and is another strong work from Mamoru Hosoda, the director of "Summer Wars", "The Boy and the Beast" and "Wolf Children". If you truly want to be freaked out, find "Midori". Believe me, you've never seen any Anime like it. "Angel's Egg" is very trippy and I needed to seek out a YouTube video explaining some of it. It is still worth the watch.

Other Animated Films include:

The Nut Job (2014)

Animal Crackers (2020), Netflix

Terra Willy: Planste Inconnue (2019, France) on YouTube

Batman: Year One (2011)

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns Part I (2012)

Boy & the World (2013, Brazil), Netflix

When the Wind Blows (1986), Amazon

 

plus shorts:

Teeth (2015)

Wow! A Talking Fish (1981, Russia)

Noose (2016)

I really loved "Animal Crackers" & "Terra Willy". Both are adventures and just fun to watch. "Boy & the World" is an Oscar Nominee for Best Animated Feature and carries some stirring images. It has little dialog that isn't Portuguese played backwards. 

I have always known about "When the Wind Blows" and have avoided it. Not because it's a lousy film, but because I'd already seen "Grave of the Fireflies" and wasn't sure I could take another experience like that. The opening song of the film is sung by David Bowie, the voices of the old couple are supplied by Dame Peggy Ashcroft and Sir John Mills, and the soundtrack is by Roger Waters. The film is a classic, but a tough watch.

Late June saw the latest Sohome Horror Film Festival-Pride Edition, spotlighting LGBTQ+ Horror features and shorts. Due to time constraints this time around, I managed only to see the short films. As usual, they put forth excellent work. Hopefully, they can be found on line somewhere.

Unusual Attachment (2020)

The Pain Within Us (2019)

Conversion Therapist (2019)

Jeremiah (2019)

Thirst Trap (2019) 

Tea Parties are for Babies (2020)

Demons (2017)

A Halloween Trick (2019)

Documentaries also hit the forefront this time with:

David Bowie: Finding Fame (2019) Starz

Beyond the Brick: A Lego Brickumentary (2014) Starz

Doomed: The Untold Story of Roger Corman's The Fantastic Four (2018) Amazon

Birth of the Living Dead (2012) Amazon

Nightmares in Red, White & Blue (2009) Amazon

Not to lose sight of my personal favorite genre, Zombies showed up again. You'd think I'd seen them all by now, but NO...

Overlord (2018)

Little Monsters (2019, Australia)

I tried my hand at some Giallo from Italy, and found myself somewhat disappointed. 

Torso (1973, Italy)

Black Belly of the Tarantula (1972, Italy)

Both films may be found on Amazon. I remember the film "Torso" and the stir it caused when I was a kid. It came out right around the time of the horrific Delores Della Penta murder in Philadelphia. I didn't get to see it then. It wasn't what I thought it would be.

Other Films:

Features-

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (2019)

Crawl (2019)

Jurassic Thunder (2020), yes, as bad as it sounds

Inhumanwich (2017), a must see for anyone wanting a beautifully done homage to 50s B movies.

They Only Kill Their Masters (1972)

Hamilton (2020), yes, me too, Disney+

Tetsuo, the Bullet Man (2009, Japan), subpar remake of a classic surreal film. Stick to the original.

Shorts-

One Cut of the Dead Mission: Remote (2020, Japan), I'm not saying anything. It's online. See it.

Ten Dollars in Ten Days (1924), a Ben Turpin comedy

 

and finally, two from the UAE's wonderful Hashmic House, home of inventive horror and horror/comedy short films:

Faisal Hashmi of

Hashmic House Films

Skipped (2017)

Wicken (2019)

There you have it. By the count, I have managed to see 151 films since 17 March. And this doesn't count the number of times that I watched "Notting Hill" over this period (spoiler: at least 10 times). 

As it appears that I will be home for a while longer, who knows what will be seen in the coming weeks. 

Where I could, I have linked to some of my viewing.

A Head's Up--

Keep a look at BloodyWhisper.com in late September for the list of Turner Classics horror films showing in October. I am working on the article. I may add some surprises to it from other cable and streaming services. We'll see what we find. 

Be Well! Be Safe! Watch Cartoons!!

The Blogger Recognition Award

 

I have been fortunate to meet quite a few wonderful and knowledgeable people through blogging. As I am relatively new to having my own blog and am neither as prolific or as adept as other, I find myself humbled by being nominated for the Blogger Recognition Award. I thank Rebecca Deniston of Taking Up Room for the nomination. I have been fortunate enough to work with Rebecca on a couple of Blog-a-Thons and have learned a few things from those experiences. Thank you so much, Rebecca!!

Recieving this award requires sharing of the honor and a bit of yourself with others. So...

1. Thank the blogger who nominated you and include a link to their blog.

2. Post the award banner on your blog.

3. Share the reason you started your blog.

4. Share two pieces of advice for new bloggers.

5. Nominate a maximum of 15 other bloggers.

6. Tell your nominees about the award post, so they can participate.

Why I Blog

This is somewhat complicated. I started blogging at someone else's blog. I have been submitting reviews and articles about Horror Movies to Bloody Whisper for about five years. I started doing this when I met Cassie Carnage during my time of Google+. I had not yet experienced the joys of Twitter. 

I had told Cassie that I wanted to write. Being a fan of Horror Movies and having had experience on my high school and college newspapers, I felt confident that I could put some articles together for the site. Cassie has always been in my corner. When I started to write some short fiction for the site, she gave me the encouragement and the guidence that put me on the road to storytelling, my ultimate goal. I still submit articles to Bloody Whisper to this day.

My own blog, Until the Lights Go Up, is my branching out. Not everything I write fits in the horror world. I wanted an outlet for that material. It is also a place where I can try out the stories I want to tell, namely, a Middle Grade/Young Adult fantasy series set in 1879, with adventures concerning children and talking dinosaurs. Obviously, a bit different than the things that go bump in the night.

Advice to Bloggers

I have often found that my "feet of clay" has sometimes held me back for doing what I dream (yes, that is a reference to "The Neverending Story", a personal favorite). Do your best to put your fears into a box and ignore them as best as possible. You will write things that make you cringe later on. I know that from experience. Try not to let that stop you! You will get better. You will find your voice.

Don't limit yourself. As much as I love writing about Horror Movies, I have found that I can write other things. I have written some humorous articles for my blog, several genealogy stories about my findings as a family historian, a couple of photo essays, the list goes on. Being focused on one subject is fine, but remember, there is more to you than you think. You have other stories to tell.

My Nominees 

Now, I am sure that some of these folks listed below have already been nominated for this award. So, if you have already been recognized, I find you just as deserving of this award.

Cassie Carnage at  Bloody Whisper  

Rick at Classic Film and TV Cafe    

Joe Blevins at Dead 2 Rights 

John Harmon at The JHL Collective 

Barry at Cinematic Catharsis 

Gwen Kubberness at Criminal Genealogy 

Gill at Realweegiemidget Reviews 

Daniel at Daniel's Genealogy 

Gabriella Buba at G.A. Buba 

Robin at Dark Corners (note: Robin's blogs are all via YouTube)

I wish to thank all these nominees for their continued excellence. These blogs, along with Taking Up Room , should be on your reading list. 

Stay tuned. I think I may have built up the courage to run my own Blog-a-Thon! Details coming soon.

 

Daddy, What Did You Do During the Pandemic? (So Far)

For me, being home began on 17 March 2020. When I reached 17 June 2020, my three month anniversary, I marked the occasion by posting a gif of a flaming dumpster in flood waters. I am still home and may be that way for a while. (No worries, I'm okay. Just a little weirded out.)

So, how have I spent my time, you ask? Here is a rundown of my activities so far:

Watched a lot of movies. Over 125 features and shorts. 

Of which:

One was by Francois Truffaut

One was from Venezuela

Two were from Aardman

Two were by David Lynch

Two were by Taiki Waititi

Two were from Taiwan 

Three were Documentaries

Three were by Disney

Four were by Patrick Rea

Five were by Makoto Shinkai

Five were by Alice Guy-Blache

Six were from Pixar

Ten were Zombie films

Ten were Silent films

Twenty-two were from Japan

Thirty-three were Animated films

Plus:

Attended the Sohome Horror Film Festival on line. (Three features, ten short films)

Attended the Sohome Horror Film Festival - Pride Edition on line. (Eight short films)

Binged a number of shows:

The Hollow (season 2) Netflix

The Last Kids on Earth (season 2) Netflix

The Owl House (season 1) Disney XP

Gravity Falls (season 2) Disney XP

Parasyte: The Maxim (season 1) Netflix

Kipo and the Age of the Wonderbeasts (season 2) Netflix

Upload (season 1) Amazon

Outlander (most of five seasons. Couldn't help it. I was in the same room as the Good Lady Wife binged it) Starz

Household Activities

Cleaned up a Wood Pile in the back yard that represented years of build up. Thanks to recent storms, there is more deadfall to process.

Shredded bags of old bills and such, some of which were 20 years old. Of course, I first bought a Shredder. To give you some sense of how much was around, it took four weeks to get everything through recycling (seven lawn bags full).

Worked extensively on my Family History by finally processed all the little pieces of paper that contained genealogical data. And thanks to the Library, had free Ancestry.com for about a month and a half. I am now approaching 10,000 names in my database.

Found that backyard Birding was better than expected (saw a Black & White Warbler, a Pileated Woodpecker and a Rose-Breasted Grosbeak). Still maintaining seven feeders in the backyard. Supply of safflower seed is back as the Wild Bird Center reopened. As it's about a half hour drive to the store, I've stocked 80 pounds of safflower and 40 pounds of peanut splits. 

Watched a fox stalk a blue jay in the backyard. Watched the four groundhogs feed on the clover on the back lawn. Watched the chipmunks chase each other and empty our bird feeders. Wondered what happened to the rabbits we used to have around. Where is Marlin Perkins when I need him?

Managed a week up in the Poconos.

Read three and a half books. Books 2 & 3 of the "Last Kids on Earth" series, "The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse" and half of "Good Omens".

Finally got to visit Mom. I hadn't seen her since the week before Christmas. Thanks to New Jersey finally coming out of quarantine and the Good Lady Wife's unit at the hospital going back to it's usual status and no longer a Covid Unit. Yes, she was on the front lines.

Speaking of Covid, I would drive my Good Lady Wife back and forth to the hospital where she works. Recently found that the train could take her in, but I still had to pick her up in the morning. Starting 28 June 2020, her morning train from downtown is back and I will only have to pick her up on Satuday and Sunday mornings.

By the time you read this, I may have taken the Contract Tracing course online. It is being given by Johns Hopkins. 

Finally framed my beer cap mess into a decorative hanging beer cap mess.

I have been cooking most days. I learned that Cream of Chicken Soup is not good to use with Roast Beef Enchiladas (even if the recipe calls for it). The story is that I had leftover roast beef and wanted to do something interesting with it. I found a recipe online for Enchiladas. It called for cream of chicken soup to be used. I made them as the recipe dictated. I liked them. I was the minority opinion. The old adage about being able to eat one's mistakes came into play, as I finished them over a couple of lunch times. Next time, Cream of Mushroom soup instead.

This is my TENTH blog post for the period. 

Discoveries:

Tubi

the Fire Stick

Disney+

Putlocker

Sam's Club is better for deliveries than Costco

MasterClass (Thank you for the lessons, Mr. Gaiman)

"The Land where the Unfindable is Findable" (Weis Market).

Zoom and had several family meetings and discussed my writing with a publisher.

The joys of being 60 and getting into stores an hour before everyone else.

This is the carrier bag that goes back and forth to work with me. It is empty. The keys for the office are off my key ring. My wall hangings from around my desk are now home, as are my pens. I didn't lose my job. I know where it is. But when I go there, no one is doing it. (Thank you, Bobcat Goldthwaite)

Will Ernie work again?

Where will he work?

Will things turn around and his old job will return?

And...

What about Naomi?

For the answer to these and other questions (Is Key Lime Pound Cake a lifestyle choice?), tune in next time to Until the Lights Go Up!

The Beauty of Broad Street

I have always been a fan of architecture. 

In college, a friend waxed poetics about the current trend in glass and steel buildings and pointed out that they don't make old buildings anymore.

True, they don't. But they do restore them!

What I'd like to show is some of the restoration, some of the preservation and some of the dilapidation of Broad Street in Philadelphia. There is beauty in the brickwork. My hope is that more people see it.

The Divine Lorraine Hotel

Built between 1892 and 1894, the Lorraine Apartments was a luxury dwelling for the rich who populated North Philadelphia. In 1948, Father Divine purchased the hotel, renaming it the Divine Lorraine Hotel. It was the first racially integrated hotel in America. Although the building was closed in 1999, it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002. Graffitied and crumbing, the hotel was purchased at a sheriff's sale in 2012. In 2015, the restoration began. Today, it is once again a landmark on Broad Street.                                                                                                                                      

                                     

The Metropolitan Opera House

The Philadelphia Opera House, as it was originally called was built in 1908. It was sold and renamed the Metropolitan Opera House. Opera was its primary function in the beginning, but its use broadened to include the showing of silent films, a ballroom, a venue for basketball, boxing and wrestling, and more. In 1954, it became a church. By 1988, the congregation had moved on and the building was judged to be dangerous. Thankfully, it was saved from the wrecking ball and was restored starting in 2012. The Met was listed on the National Registry of Historic Places in 1972.

The Uptown Theater 

This is a personal favorite of mine. Built in 1927, The Uptown Theater is a wonderful example of Art Deco. Starting as a movie theater specially built for the talkies, the Uptown would become one the great venues for African American musicians to play. From 1951 into the late 1970s, the Uptown would rival the Apollo Theater in Harlem for quality entertainment. Even comedians like Redd Foxx and Flip Wilson performed there. The building has been in disrepair since the 1980s, however, there is a movement for restoration, with funding coming from varied sources through 2018. The Uptown was named to the Nation Register of Historical Places in 1982. 

Freedom Theater

The former residence of actor Edwin Forrest, then the Philadelphia School of Design for Women, then Heritage House, it became the Freedom Theater in 1968, home to the city's African American community theater and a home for instruction in the arts. At Broad and Master Streets.

Rowhomes

Rowhomes dot the street from one end to the other. Now, I've lived in a rowhouse. But it was a bland, two story structure. Along Broad Street, there are many three story houses with gorgeous facades. 

And the sign says...

There are numerous signs along the Street. Some are a reminder of Deco style, like the Animal Hospital

Some are reminders of the neon that once graced the Street.

Some welcome. Some warn.

                                  

And some show us what once was.

What could be in the future?

There are two very large buildings that make me wonder if they could be restored and, if so, what would they be.  The first is the building that once held the Botony 500 factory at Broad and Lehigh.

Botony 500 Building 

The Beury Building 

The other is this Deco beauty at Broad and Airdrie. Identified by Google Maps as The Beury Building, this place has been graffitied by many. Some artistic. Some less so. All daredevils. My fear of heights makes me cringe every time I look at it. 

The Beury Building, per an article in the Philadelphia Inquirer, 22 June 2020, was once the National Bank of North Philadelphia. Currently, it is planned to be redeveloped into a Marriot Hotel. The developers are attempting to keep as much of the graffiti on the building as possible, as it holds the title of the most graffitied building in the city. The Beury Building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.

The Beury Building

Murals

The street has many a mural. They range from a loving tributes to Grover Washington and State Senator Roxanne Jones to a huge "Rise" and "Shine" that covers multiple stories on each side of the building at Lehigh Avenue, across from the old Botony 500 building. Sadly, many of these are difficult to get a good photo of from the road, due to the presence of trees, billboards and other buildings. Here are some more visible ones.

Actually on Spring Garden Street, but visible from Broad

Broad and Master Sts.

you can see how tough it can be

There are so many other wonderful buildings, murals, and facades that grace Broad Street. Many people are too busy driving to and from work to appreciate them. That does cut down on traffic accidents if you pay attention to the road. But sometimes, it might pay to pull over and give the street some love.

(Thanks to Wikipedia and Google Maps for help with building identification and history. All photos were taken by your's truly, mostly at red lights.)