NOVEMBER 29th, 2015
By LANA CARBON & JOHN LILIES
We talk to Patrick Keller about our blog, our Hallowe'en movie project and what the future holds for Carbon Lilies. Thank you so much Patrick for inviting us into your parlour. Click on the title to listen.
NOVEMBER 26th, 2015
By LANA CARBON
I remember back to when we started writing our blog and thinking that if anyone at all (outside of family) even read it, I would be amazed. This was something that John and I wanted to do primarily for ourselves. It was just a fun way to keep track of our little trips, vacation time and the interesting places that we might pop into along the way. We enjoyed the adventure of not only reaching our destination but the actual journey itself. We are intrigued by the paranormal and so we threw in a little of that. We added a few little tidbits about days that were special to us…the holidays, Remembrance Day and, of course, Hallowe’en.
We joined social media with our new aliases and started chatting with a lot of interesting people and out of the blue one day; I thought it might be an interesting post to have an interview with a real life paranormal investigator. John was a little surprised, to say the least, having the news of our impending interview sprung on her. (Sorry John.) We had no idea what we were doing and it was so unlike what we had been posting up to that point… but we did have a lot of fun with it. Our horizons were slowly expanding. We hoped to do more interviews some day (after we had time to recover from this one of course).
Time passed and we continued writing about the things we love. Our social media accounts kept growing at a slow but steady pace. We had no idea, however, that the friendships we were building online would lead to such an interesting month as the one we have just had. It is no surprise to our readers, that we are huge fans of the Haunted Walk and we try to support them in any way we can. They contacted us to help them out with their Hallowe’en Haunted Talk podcast episode with their guest, psychic/medium Chris Medina. It turned out we were invited on the episode to receive a (truly accurate) reading. There was only time for one of us on the episode and I somehow managed to coerce John into being the one because I knew she would do an excellent job…much better than I would have in my opinion (despite John’s fervent disagreement to this point).
When our spooktacular friends Diane Student and Denise Moormeier from the History Goes Bump podcast were putting together a research crew, we knew we would like to help them out. In September, we joined our hosts and a few other new researchers to record the anniversary round table episode. Just this week, another episode we worked on, Ottawa’s Carleton County Gaol, was released (which we happily discovered featured an interview with the Haunted Walk’s Jim Dean - also host of the podcast Haunted Talks - and an actual excerpt straight from our blog).
Finally, due to our 31 Movies and 31 Songs in 31 Days of Hallowe’en article, Patrick Keller of the Big Séance podcast asked if he could interview us. He had been following our progress every day as we would post which movie we had watched and which song we had listened to. We couldn’t believe it… Someone actually found our little project entertaining and interesting enough to want to share it with their listeners. We are still flabbergasted. The Big Séance episode should be out within a few days of us posting this entry. Patrick was gracious enough to be our second guest for the blog, allowing us to interview him as well. (Watch for that interview in an upcoming post.)
For two introverted bloggers getting their feet wet in a sea of wonder, it has been a roller coaster ride of nerve wracking, sweat-inducing, butterfly-in-the-tummy craziness…and I, for one, wouldn’t have traded it in for anything. So thank you very much Patrick, Diane, Denise and Jim for giving us an adventure of a new kind. We can hardly wait to see where the road takes us.
NOVEMBER 23rd, 2015
By LANA CARBON & JOHN LILIES
[Lana] Sherlock Holmes, Imitation Game, Star Trek: Into the Darkness, The Hobbit…
Frozen, Excalibur, The Woman in Black, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows…
Alice in Wonderland, 28 Days Later, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo…
American History X, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Water for Elephants…
What do all these movies have in common?
They all featured one of the actors from National Theatre Live’s recent presentation of Hamlet.
I know, when most people think about the works of William Shakespeare, they let out a groan. In their minds, they see prim and proper actors like in those old movies we saw in our English Lit classes (if they aren’t simply stuck with an image of the words jumbled together on the page as they struggle to find meaning in those words).
I understand it, to a point. The old style English can be challenging when you aren’t used to it and a lot of people find the old black and white movies cheesy these days. At the same time, who isn’t at least a little familiar with some of these great lines from this play?
“To be, or not to be: that is the question:
Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them? To die: to sleep;
No more; and, by a sleep to say we end
The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks
That flesh is heir to, ’tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wish’d. To die, to sleep;
To sleep: perchance to dream: ay, there’s the rub.”
― William Shakespeare, Hamlet
“There are more things in Heaven and Earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.”
― William Shakespeare, Hamlet
“This above all: to thine own self be true.”
― William Shakespeare, Hamlet
“Conscience doth make cowards of us all.”
― William Shakespeare, Hamlet
While I am not like one of the people I mentioned above (I quite enjoy reading Shakespeare and have no difficulties sitting down to an old black and white classic), I think that seeing a play at your local theatre will open your eyes to the masterworks of The Bard.
[John] I’m a huge fan of Shakespeare myself though I have not a drop of the dramatic ability that Lana holds and I cannot remember lines and character names in the same way. Despite this, there is magic within the world of Shakespeare and the privilege the audience is granted to watch and to enter that dynamic if for a brief few hours, is emotional, confusing, wonderful and exhausting. It can be compared to nothing.
[Lana] Let’s take the name Shakespeare out of the equation for a moment.
Picture, if you will, the son of a king who was murdered by his own brother…the brother then marries the son’s mother to become the new king. Enter the ghost of the fallen king to spur on the son to avenge his death; friends-turned-spies, madness, treachery and more murder.
It is a movie anyone who enjoys action films would love.
Photo by Johan Persson
Now add Ciaran Hinds who is no stranger to playing the villain. Add one of the hottest actors today in Benedict Cumberbatch to play the lead to perfection, and you have a blockbuster in the making…and it was written by William Shakespeare.
I am not going to say that the performance is for everyone but I would implore you, if you have never seen the play live, give it a chance. Who knows, you may just be surprised.
[John] You know, I’ve honestly never thought about it in that way. I have never placed one of his plays in a different light. I suppose I’ve never felt the need to look at Shakespeare from a perspective other than it simply being Shakespeare. What sense it makes to look at it as a story separate from the author. It really is just a story… a plot with characters that experience joy and loss and anger and success. Yet the name Shakespeare does instill a sense of fear and dread in so many people.
I was in grade six when I first read Hamlet. At eleven years old I know I did not grasp everything but I also know it hooked me. Hamlet was my first Shakespeare experience and it stuck. How many times I’ve read the play, I have not a clue. I’ve only see it performed maybe six or eight times and I’ve never been touched by its performance the way I was with this particular cast.
[John] Hamlet made me cry this day. A performance so intense - so riveting that Lana was on the edge of his seat for most of the time and I cried.
This presentation of plot and human ability brought everything together for me and I gained a new understanding of the story. I don’t remember another performance allowing the words to form their own meanings and the pauses drawing their own breaths. I made an emotional connection and it sparked in me a new dimension of appreciation for Shakespeare.
[John] I suppose it didn’t hurt that for a time, Hamlet wore a David Bowie t-shirt, Guildenstern had on running shoes with his tux and Horatio wore a plaid shirt while carrying a canvas backpack. Obvious subtleties that brought through an awareness of drama occurring throughout generations and helping one understand that family is complicated regardless of the era and location. We are born of specific times and certain experiences whether wished or disregarded. We react and plan and react again. We question and accuse, reflect and question some more.
We live. In whatever way we choose and however we feel we must. We live.
NOVEMBER 12th, 2015
PART 1 - By LANA CARBON
This November 11th, I made a discovery…
Every year, around the first of November, I would buy my poppy to pin to my jacket and then I would continue about my business as though nothing had changed until the 11th day when we would stand for our two minutes of silence at 11:00 a.m.
When those seemingly long two minutes came to an end, it was back to work. Please don’t get me wrong, during this time I did contemplate everything those brave men and women sacrificed for our freedoms but then it was back to the daily grind as if this was merely a blip on the radar.
This all changed for me this year.
For the first time since we have been together, John took the day off from her regular gig to truly honour those who had fought so valiantly for their country. Ordinarily, she would attend a ceremony close to where she works but would then have to return to the office, quite emotional and not wanting to be there. We decided we would go to a ceremony together as I had never been to one (I am not including those school functions where we all crammed into the gymnasium and didn’t have the maturity to realize it was more than just an excuse to get out of class).
It was so interesting for me to see how serious John became about the planning. Did she have enough poppies, which was the best of the three local ceremonies, were we going too far considering she wanted to visit the cemetery where her grandfather (who fought in the Second World War) lays buried…
I started to contemplate how it must be for those people who had someone in their family who served or is serving. It started to sink in how frightened a person would be everyday that their loved one was away fighting, not knowing whether they were hurt or even alive. It made me think about the loss. The most profound realization was that it was for all of us.
This year, I watched a parade with literally hundreds of men and women in uniform gathering around one small cenotaph as veterans and community leaders laid wreaths in memory of those who died to keep us all safe and free. When it came time to bow our heads for two minutes of silence, I truly felt the waves of emotion crash over me and cried for those who came before and gave the ultimate sacrifice for all of us.
I get it now.
Thank you, John, for helping me to open my eyes. This is more than a short two minutes once a year. This is something I shall always…
REMEMBER!
PART 2 - By JOHN LILIES
November 11th is deeply important to me.
As Lana explained, my maternal grandfather fought in WWII. I don’t know where he fought. I don’t entirely know what he did though I have an idea. I don’t know what he saw but I can imagine. I don’t know whom he lost but I know he survived.
He didn’t speak of his experience in the war. Most don’t and I likely wouldn’t either.
The not knowing has plagued my adult existence thus far. I’ve tried in the past to find details on his service but have as of yet been unsuccessful.
I was 13 going on 14 when my grandfather died. I loved him dearly though I hardly knew anything about him. He was a man of few words and great love. He squashed our rib cages with the strongest bear hugs imaginable. Every ounce of love he had for his entire brood of grandchildren, showed in his eyes without any guard. He was beautiful.
He survived the war but I’m positive he lost a significant portion of self within the experience.
Growing up, my Remembrance Day involvement was much like Lana’s… Memorize and recite In Flanders Fields, stand at attention for the two minutes of silence, listen to a recording of Taps, kids sing war-related songs – and few of us truly understand what it all means.
I was in high school when it started making more of an impact on me and by college, I was wishing my grandfather had been around long enough for me to reach a mature level of awareness and ask the questions now burning a hole in my heart. To this day I feel confident he would have opened up to me.
For years as an adult, my Remembrance Day ritual consisted of a visit to my grandfather’s grave and leaving my poppy behind at his stone. Then I began incorporating a ceremony close to my office. In the two minutes of silence, I thank each person who fought and still fights. I thank my grandfather for volunteering with no guarantee of success or survival. I ask him to help me understand what he went through.
After the tragic events in Ottawa last year, shortly before Remembrance Day, I decided I would no longer work on November 11th and instead dedicate the day to attending a service or two, and continuing my tradition of hanging out with my grandfather and giving him my poppy.
This year was even more special, having the opportunity to introduce Lana to the rich and emotional experience. This year it felt more emotional than ever with the large number of participants and uniforms. This year I didn’t know if I could ever stop my tears. This year… I knew not the impact it was having on Lana and that impression has made the day immensely more important.
Thank you, Lana, for joining me and finding true meaning in the ritual of Remembrance.
NOVEMBER 11th, 2015
By JOHN LILIES
November 11, 2015 – Remembrance Day
“Their courage, service and sacrifice will never be forgotten.”
What they give in battle and peace keeping… what they gain and what they lose… what they live with when they return home – if they return home.
We remember and we will never forget.
Thank you all for your service and dedication.
Google images
NOVEMBER 1st, 2015
By JOHN LILIES
In July this year, Lana shared his first paranormal experience (a ghosty visit from his grandmother that kept him safe from harm) and I decided that it’s time for me to share mine. My experience involves my paternal grandmother and though no ghosties are involved, Lana says it qualifies under the paranormal umbrella.
My father’s mother began living with Ma, Pa & Sister Lilies before I was born and lived with our family until I was six years old. Those years with Grandma Lilies were incredibly important and formed a bond between us that tugs at my heart to this day. When I was eight, after some time ailing and deteriorating in her home country, Grandma Lilies passed away leaving a permanent hole in my heart.
Before Grandma Lilies died, I had already been feeling ‘things’ and knowing ‘things’ without understanding the source. To this day I have not wondered how or why I feel, see, hear or know ‘things’. It just is and it’s just me. My relationship with Grandma Lilies provided the first distinct moment that I can remember, when I felt and knew ‘something’.
It was January. I was eight years old, Grandma Lilies had been back in her home country of Trinidad & Tobago for a little while and I knew she wasn’t well. Ma & Pa Lilies had explained that Grandma Lilies might not be around much longer and so we planned a trip to visit her and say goodbye. It was my first trip on a plane, my first time outside of Canada and my first visit to this mysterious place from where my father emigrated. I was excited and nervous.
I have disjointed recollections about the trip because there was so much to take in and figure out but I remember that everything was different… so incredibly different. The food and music were the only familiar experiences and I was grateful for that comfort. Prior to this trip I had met and spent significant time with some of my relatives living there, but there were more to meet and spend time with. The weather was drastically different from the cold and snow we had left at home. The bugs were different… oh how they were different and so much bigger! Spiders were not the spiders I knew from home and it was on that trip when I saw my first ever cockroach – big and with wings! It was this place that spawned my love of bats and reptiles. It was here I decided I could do without any more roach encounters and I didn’t feel the need to live with any other bugs of any sort but how I so enjoyed the wee lizards running around everywhere. I felt like a complete outsider and I felt like I was at home.
My most vivid memory of this week was visiting Grandma Lilies in the hospital. There was some sort of gathering taking place outside – I remember a large crowd of people and a man with a megaphone. Ma Lilies tells me it was a church assembly but I only remember being afraid because there were so many people and it was so loud. I knew that at home we were to be quiet around hospitals so this group was worrying me – I was deeply concerned that the patients wouldn’t be able to rest with people yelling outside the walls. I was already nervous to see Grandma Lilies in the hospital, knowing she was dying, and now I was scared from the experience of this crowd.
Entering the hospital, I was struck by the smell and the layout. At home, I had been inside hospitals and they looked very different. Here, where Grandma Lilies was, everything was so open. The ward was housing so many people in one room – I didn’t know where to look and had I been left on my own I was sure I would never have found Grandma Lilies among the many sick & dying in this room. I remember a couple of nurses smiling at me and I couldn’t understand why they were smiling when my grandmother was dying. Ma & Pa Lilies pushed me to the side of Grandma Lilies’ bed and told me to talk to her, to tell her that I loved her. I remember looking at her and thinking that she didn’t look like the Grandma Lilies who had lived with us – who I knew so well and loved so much. I looked up from the bed towards the eyes I could feel on me and there was this woman – a patient – sitting on her bed staring at me and smiling. It wasn’t a smile that warmed me. It made me feel cold to my core and I remember immediately feeling like she was an empty person. She scared me and though I didn’t entirely understand what evil was, I knew that was the word that entered my head when I looked at her and I knew how scared I was. I looked back at Grandma Lilies and suddenly felt so exposed I didn’t know how to say anything to her. I actually don’t remember if I did say anything. I know in my head I told her that I loved her and I that I hoped she would be okay when she died but I really don’t know if any words actually left my lips.
The next few days are a blur. I remember a patient transport van bringing Grandma Lilies home to my aunt’s house to stay in her final days. I remember my parents discussing plans to return home – Pa Lilies had to get back to work but Grandma Lilies would probably not last much longer so what should we do, etc. In the end, we all came home. After a short three days at home we were traveling back for the funeral. Grandma Lilies had moved on.
The day that Grandma Lilies died hadn’t been an unusual day by any means. I don’t remember much about it until the end of the day when I was in my grade three art class packing up to go home. Without warning I burst into tears - uncontrollable, deep sobs. Everyone turned towards me in a panic asking what was wrong and all I could say was, “I don’t know… something’s wrong with my grandmother.” The teacher knew we had been away visiting my ailing grandmother and must have just figured it was the stress that was causing my episode but I knew something was wrong. I didn’t know what – I just knew that something had happened. I knew something had changed.
Something had definitely changed significantly. Grandma Lilies had passed away at that same time and though she was 4,000+ kilometers away, I had felt her death. I don’t know how nor do I know why but I know how intensely I felt it.
Trinidad became a different place for me after that but I will be forever grateful that I had the opportunity to see Grandma Lilies in the days before she died and I am sincerely appreciative of the time I had with her in my first six years and the profound influence she had on me.
I’ve since had other incidences surrounding death and, I guess, premonitions of sorts. Though Pa Lilies will declare he doesn’t believe in ghosties or forewarnings or anything like that, his own stories and those about occurrences within his family make me think that my experiences (some people call them abilities but I don’t know how able I really am with it all) must come from the Lilies family. Perhaps that is what allowed me to feel my connection to Grandma Lilies change when she died, or maybe it was just a strong relationship between us that gave me the privilege to be a part of her transition in that way. Whatever the reason, it seems to sit outside the realm of ‘normal’ – well, society’s normal I guess. For me that’s just the way life is and though I’ve never delved deeply into it and I haven’t invested time to learn more about it or strengthen my ‘abilities’, I’ve also never questioned it or fought it. There might be a part of me that is afraid to learn about it – like I’ll lose the intuitive part of myself if I start focusing on it. I once had a dear friend who was also somewhat of a teacher for me when it came to this part of my life and though she is gone now I feel like she is still teaching me. I suspect she has recently had a strong hand in placing certain people in my path… but maybe you’ll read about that another time.
NOVEMBER 1st, 2015
By LANA CARBON & JOHN LILIES
[John] Back in September with the awareness that October was quickly approaching and with it Hallowe’en, we realized we needed to start considering our plans for this year. Our thinking and planning was spurred by our friends over at the History Goes Bump Podcast when they asked us to participate in a round table discussion (scary in itself for us!). One of the questions we knew we would be asked was “what are your plans for Hallowe’en?” We had vaguely thought about it prior to this but we realized we needed to really solidify some sort of plan.
While looking at various possibilities for October 31st we discovered that the Toronto Symphony Orchestra was playing live with a screening of the 1960 classic film Psycho at the famed Roy Thompson Hall in Toronto. This quickly became our plan for Hallowe’en night and from that idea was born the goal of 31 movies for 31 days of Hallowe’en. Yes… 31 movies; one movie for each day of October.
[Lana] Daunting we know but to make it even more difficult, we intended on watching these movies together – and with John’s work schedule that is not an easy accomplishment!
[John] Yes, I am definitely the hiccup in these types of commitments. My work days are long and when I arrive home, I tend to keep going to accomplish more tasks. Add to that the fact that I am not nearly as invested in pop culture and social media as Lana, getting me to sit through one movie a night (or more than one in a night to make up for nights lost)…
[Lana] is a challenge to say the least!!
[John] Yup. Sorry about that. By the way… if we do this next year… could we please work harder to avoid the blood and guts and violence? Thanks!
[Lana] What’s Hallowe’en without blood and guts and violence?
[John] A happy one.
So… we began sketching out our list for the month – and I have to say that if Lana had not advertised our “31 for 31” plan, I would not have stuck to it and I probably would have had a bit more sleep in October.
[Lana] But it was so well worth it. Was it not?
[John] Yes and I never thought I would say this – but I might be horrored out for a while and I think I need to stick to the ghosties in my real life without adding the ghosties on screen for the next while. Shiny happy people are my goal for the next few weeks – (enter Christmas anyone?).
[Lana] Blasphemy! If the light hits Michael Myers’ mask the right way, it’s shiny!
[John] Mhmm.
I really am a huge horror fan (minus the blood and guts and violence) but after 31+ movies within 31 days (in addition to regularly following The Walking Dead – which I watch while peeking out between my fingers over my eyes), my brain has had it. My nervous system feels perpetually in “flight” mode and I would like to aim for an earlier bed time now. (HA!)
[Lana] But that is not all that we did. We had to include John’s speciality of a musical variety so we also chose 31 songs for 31 days.
[John] The entire musical list was not my doing – you had a hand in a good chunk of those selections too! I also wouldn’t call music my speciality but it is close to my heart – more so than movies and television.
While some of our song choices were paired with the daily movie selection, some were random, giving us some room to play.
I think one of the most exciting and entirely unexpected parts of this month-long expedition was the audience participation as so many of you followed along with us on social media. We had no idea anyone would really pay attention but as you commented and made suggestions and asked questions and even added some of our pickings to your own Hallowe’en watch lists, we realized we were deeper in this than we had originally thought.
Can anyone say “pressure”?
As October 31st neared and we realized how far behind we were on movies, my own hope of reaching our goal was dwindling. How could I possibly sit through so many more movies in so much less time?!?
[Lana] Just to give you an idea – with two days remaining, we had seven films left to watch.
[John] *Audible gulp and moan*
Not one to back away from a challenge (I really need to learn how to say ‘no’) I decided we would meet our target and settled in with a nice hot chocolate (and by ‘nice’ I mean ‘spiked’).
Our original plan for All Hallow’s Eve was to attend the Psycho screening in Toronto but life had some alternate plans for us and so we decided instead to ensure that Norman Bates would be our finale in the comfort of our own home.
So… we are now here on November 1st with an extra hour of sleep under our belts (which is really only a mental excuse for not needing to sleep in as much as I’d really like to because who needs a full six hours of sleep when you gain an extra hour in the five you were kind of planning that sort of becomes six but then you wake up because your brain says it’s later than it is and your clock says it’s earlier than you think it is and your insanity level increases when you try to do the math at 4:00 in the morning because that’s when your brain usually starts waking up but you know you don’t have to today because it’s Sunday but you think you need to get up because the clock says you should get up soon but you want to sleep in but you realize you are getting an extra hour anyway and so why sleep late but then that kind of defeats the purpose and…)
[Lana] I think you’ve started a run-on sentence. It’s cute when you talk that way but I don’t know what our readers are going to think.
[John] They will appreciate the honest look at the internal ramblings of John Lilies… it’s entertaining isn’t it?
Okay, it’s sad really. I know. Did I mention that I might be a bit tired?
Moving on… Thank you everyone for being a part of this crazy endeavour and thank you for your suggestions too! If we make this happen again next year we hope you will stick it out with us again!
[Lana] Next year??? What about Christmas?
[John] I love you. I really do. Please don’t ever doubt that.
[Lana] 25 for the 25th? That gives us a week for New Year’s!
[John] Deep breaths. Slow, deep breaths.
[Lana] Too soon?
[John] I love you. I do. I’m breathing. Let’s maybe chat later about this, maybe…
We thought we should recap, so… Here’s our list of…
Movies
1. The Conjuring (2013) – Based on the true case files of the Warrens.
2. Annabelle (2014) – Before The Conjuring, There was Annabelle.
3. Carnival of Souls (1962) – She escaped death. Now it wants her back.
4. Lost Boys (1987) – Sleep all day. Party all night. Never grow old. It’s fun to be a vampire.
5. Frankenweenie (2012) – The electrifying dog is back from beyond the grave.
6. 13 Ghosts (2001) – Terror has multiplied.
7. Ginger Snaps (2000) – She’s got the curse.
8. Poltergeist (1982) – From a dimension beyond the living, a terror to scare you to death.
9. Poltergeist 2: The Other Side (1986) – They’re Back.
10. Poltergeist 3 (1988) – He’s found her.
11. The Changeling (1980) – …an experience beyond total fear.
12. The Exorcist (1973) – Something beyond comprehension is happening to a little girl on this street, in this house. A man has been called for as a last resort to try to save her. That man is the exorcist.
13. Halloween (1978) – The trick was to stay alive.
14. Wishmaster (1997) – Careful what you wish for.
15. Flatliners (1990) – Some lines shouldn’t be crossed.
16. Beetlejuice (1988) – Say it once… say it twice… but we dare you to say it three times.
17. Silver Bullet (1985) – It started in May in a small town and every month after that whenever the moon is full…It came back.
18. Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) – She is the only one who can stop it…if she fails, no one survives.
19. The Amityville Horror (1979) – Houses don’t have memories.
20. Ghostbusters (1984) – They’re here to save the world.
21. The Uninvited (1944) – From the most popular mystery romance since “Rebecca”.
22. The Crow (1994) – It can’t rain all the time.
23. Jeepers Creepers (2001) – What’s eating you?
24. The Shining (1980) – Heeere’s Johnny!
25. Carrie (1976) – You were warned never to push Carrie to the limits. Now you must face the evil consequences.
26. Rosemary’s Baby (1968) – Pray for Rosemary’s baby.
27. Witchboard (1986) – Never play it alone.
28. House on Haunted Hill (1959) – The doors are locked at midnight.
29. It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1966) – Peanuts, pumpkins and pleasure for the whole family.
30. As Above So Below (2014) – The only way out is down.
31. Psycho (1960) – A boy’s best friend is his mother.
Songs
1. Bloodletting by Concrete Blonde
2. Ghosts by Cellmod
3. Bela Lugosi’s Dead by Bauhaus
4. Cry Little Sister by Gerard McMann
5. Lullaby by The Cure
6. Here Lies Lily Brant by iVardensphere
7. Bad Things by Jace Everett
8. Werewolves of London by Warren Zevon
9. Time Warp from the Rocky Horror Picture Show Soundtrack
10. Dark Thing by Johnny Hollow
11. Voodoo by Godsmack
12. Forsaken by Disturbed and Jonathon Davis of Korn
13. I Put a Spell on You by Screamin’ Jay Hawkins
14. Nightmare on My Street by DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince
15. Living Dead Girl by Rob Zombie
16. Pet Sematary by The Ramones
17. This is Halloween by Danny Elfman
18. Strange to Say by Dragonfly Lingo
19. The Monster Mash by Bobby Pickett
20. The Banana Boat Song (Day-O) by Harry Belafonte
21. Bad Moon Rising by CCR
22. One, Two, Freddy’s Coming for You
23. Dead Souls by Joy Division
24. Ghostbusters by Ray Parker Jr.
25. It Must Be Halloween by Color Theory
26. Bloodsuckers by Johnny Hollow
27. After the Flesh by My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult
28. Peek A Boo by Siouxsie and the Banshees
29. Bloodwater by iVardensphere
30. Psycho Killer by The Talking Heads
31. Every Day is Halloween – Ministry
[John] As if that weren’t enough… Lana filled some alone time with a small handful of extra films. I squeezed in three extras myself… compared with Lana’s 31 additional viewings. Crikey!
[Lana] As a movie buff, I’m the kind of person who waits for the scenes after the credits, who watches the bonus material on their discs and reads about upcoming features. Consider this my extra content.
[John] Aside: When Lana calls himself a “Movie buff” he isn’t kidding. You should have seen the look he shot me when I said “It’s just a movie, if I miss it it’s not end of the world.”
[Lana] Blasphemy!
Anywho… here be our list of extra bits of entertainment:
Movies
1. The Fearless Vampire Killers, or Pardon Me But Your Teeth are in My Neck (1967) – You’ll never know what bit you…but you’ll love it.
2. Stephen King’s It (1990) – Your every fear – all in one deadly enemy.
3. What We Do in the Shadows (2014) – Some Interviews with Some Vampires.
4. The Babadook (2014) – If it’s in a word. Or it’s in a look. You can’t get rid of…The Babadook.
5. Paranorman (2012) – You don’t become a hero by being normal.
6. Paranormal Entity (2009) – Decide the truth for yourself.
7. The Strangers (2008) – Lock the door. Pretend you’re safe.
8. Trick ‘r Treat (2007) – Poison, drowning, claw or knife. So many ways to take a life.
9. The Last House on the Left (2009) – If bad people hurt someone you love, how far would you go to hurt them back?
10. 7 Below (2012) – Evil has found a new home. (John’s bonus – “Not worth it”)
11. The Haunting (1963) – You may not believe in ghosts but you cannot deny terror.
12. After (2012) (John’s bonus – “Meh”)
13. Vampyr (1932)
14. The Haunting of Molly Hartley (2008) – This Halloween her past is yet to come.
15. Darkness Falls (2003) – An eye for an eye. Your life for a tooth. (John’s bonus – “I wouldn’t watch it again”)
16. Drag Me to Hell (2009) – Christine Brown has a good job, a great boyfriend and a bright future. But in three days, she’s going to Hell.
17. Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon (2006) – Jason, Freddy, Myers. We all need someone to look up to.
18. One Missed Call (2008) – What will it sound like when you die?
19. The Craft (1996) – Welcome to the witching hour.
20. The Haunting in Connecticut (2009) – Some things cannot be explained.
21. American Werewolf in London (1981) – John Landis – the director of Animal House brings you a different kind of animal.
22. Sleepy Hollow (1999) – Who will it come for next?
23. The Innocents (1961) – Apparitions? Evils? Corruptions?
24. The Cube (1997) – The only way out lies within your own mind.
25. Tales of Halloween (2015) – One night. One town. Ten chilling stories.
26. Paranormal Activity (2007) – What happens when you sleep?
27. The Hunger (1983) – Nothing human loves forever
28. Howl (2015) – Last train. Full moon. All change.
29. Exorcismus (2010) – There are some things best kept secret.
30. The Ghost and Mr. Chicken (1966) – G-G-Guaranteed! You’ll be scared until you laugh yourself silly!
31. Wolf (1994) – Inside every man there are two people - one good, one beast
32. Practical Magic (1998) – Prepare to come under their spell.
33. The Cabin in the Woods (2012) – If you hear a strange sound outside…have sex.
34. Blair Witch Project (1999) – In October of 1994 three student filmmakers disappeared in the woods near Burkittsville, Maryland, while shooting a documentary… A year later their footage was found.
Songs
1. Big Bad Wolf by The Wolf Sisters
2. Hallowe’en by Steven Lynch
3. How Soon is Now by The Smiths
4. Feed My Frankenstein by Alice Cooper
5. Halloween theme
6. Jump in the Line (Shake Senora) by Harry Belafonte
7. Somebody’s Watching Me by Rockwell
8. Killing Game by Skinny Puppy
9. I Fall to Pieces by Patsy Cline
We would especially like to thank Patrick Keller, Josh Wood, A.G. Ruff, Yvonne Pulkkinen and Paula Nicholson for suggesting movies to increase our viewing pleasure.
We hope everybody had a safe, scary and eerily wonderful Hallowe’en!!!
