Happy Halloween/Birthday!!!

Happy Halloween! And no costume for me today - I haven't done the costume at work thing ever for some odd reason. I know, doesn't sound very much like me.

And Happy Birthday to my cousin Cari! And my buddy Nate! So many Halloween Birthdays....

But all is not happy today as the world lost Robert Goulet yesterday. Sure, he only became a house hold name thanks to Will Ferrell, but still - he was entertaining.

As for Halloween, I like to watch horror flicks.... I've spent time in the past year trying to catch up with all the slasher 80s movies that we all remember not too well. Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm Street, and even Hellraiser (about half way through them). But what are my favorite horror flicks?

10. What Lies Beneath - An unusual one, but I'll admit to hitting "mute" on the stereo when I watched this one during the scenes where you KNOW something's going to jump out at you. Didn't make it any less scary.
9. I'll put a place holder for the "gory" movies such as Saw, Saw II (I was 5 minutes into Saw 3 and realized I had had enough of this gory crap), Hostel.... they can be scary, but the over the top realistic gory stuff is just not worth it sometimes. I did enjoy the first two of the Saw flicks.
8. Halloween - The Original... although the new one by Rob Zombie looked pretty well done. Need to go find that while I'm thinking about it.
7. Scream - Yeah, I liked the trilogy from Wes Craven, just hated Courtney Cox and David Arquette. They were a cultural thing too as they brought back Edvard Munch's painting The Scream. Saw someone weird dressed like this at the zoo on Sunday. Too bad they weren't behind a cage.
6. Friday the 13th - Part 1 only! Something about the end where Jason makes his first appearance that makes the movie worth watching!!
5. Silence of the Lambs - I know, not really a "horror" flick but it had it's moments. The acting and wonderful plot take this one up on the list.
4. The Ring - the new one.... another movie I started watching at about 11pm and when the "thing" comes out of the TV and it's completely black in the basement of your rental house on 19th street (it got really dark in there) - you'll freak when you see that for the first time.
3. The Shining - Jack Nicholson at his finest acting. Something about twins saying "come play with us" at midnight in a dark room that gets your body awake.
2. The Exorcist - A classic movie with the unforgettable random devel mask in the middle of the movie... what was that about? (here's a clip... ignore the first 30 seconds or so, it was the best I could find)
1. The Blair Witch Project - Why this one? Because the entire movie you're waiting for something to jump out at you and it never does! It was awesome to watch in the theatre and observe all the people around you watching it for the first time Still one of the best well done projects/movies with regards to the desired effect. But The Blair Witch Project 2 might rate at the top of my "worst sequel" list.... even worse than Blues Brothers 2000

Apologies to the "classics" that by the time I was old enough to watch scary movies, they were no longer scary because they wre black and white!

Too bad that Stephen King books don't always make great movies. It was one of the scariest books I've ever read (and still one of my favorites) but it was ruined when they pulled John Ritter and Harry Anderson to star in the "made for TV" version. As a reference: Stephen King books made into movies are pretty well done (Green Mile, Misery, Shawshank Redemption, The Shining).... books made for TV movies are worth staying away from (It, The Stand, Rose Madder).

And in case you missed it: NBC announced it will do a spin-off of “The Office,” a la ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy/Private Practice.” The big difference? The “Office” spin-off will star characters yet to be introduced on the show.

Interesting...... FYI - Iowa State game on Versus channel on Saturday!!!

Haiku of the Day
A Scary Movie
Good for any time of year
I know Jen hates them!!

Entertainment of the Day - Another scary story that I love is Edgar Allen Poe's The Raven.... and to enjoy it even more, watch the version by Homer and Bart of The Simpsons - actually well done!! James Earl Jones is Da Man!!

Weblink of the Day - And the yearly Homestar Runner Halloween toon!! Harder to figure out the costumes this year, but still well done! Make sure you click on the characters at the end for further interaction!