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don-daygamerz · 3 years ago

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Halloween Special #1

Husband!Billy Russo x Wife!Reader

Summary: Halloween is upon the Russo family.

Warnings: none

Word Count: 1.1K

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The flat-screen T.V in the living room was on and playing a special feature in regards to this year’s holiday, that is Halloween. The special feature happened to be an all-time Tim Burton film classic, ‘The Nightmare Before Christmas.’ Two special little darlings sat on the couch, their mesmerizing dark eyes never straying from the screen, for their minds were hooked on the entertaining musical that was playing.

Billy was in his home office doing his usual Anvil paperwork while his wife was occupied in the kitchen preparing supper for her family. (Name) would occasionally look towards her children sitting on the family couch, she’d smile at the sweet docile looks on their faces as they were watching one of their favorite Halloween films. Billy and (Name) had been together for around thirteen years and in those years, they had been married for nine years. Nine wonderful years. And during their marriage, they were gifted with two beautiful children, their son, Henry William Russo, and their daughter, Sybil Francesca Russo. Henry was now seven years old and his little sister was 2 years old.

Despite their young age, they were never scared of Tim Burton’s animated films, in fact, they loved them. While (Name) was so focused on the bubbling pots and sizzling pans, two long muscular arms wrapped around her waist. Those warm arms had brought her back to rub against her husband’s chest, Billy placed his chin on her shoulder and then gave kisses to her soft neck, “Mmm…smells good,” he complimented his wife’s cooking. (Name) giggled at her husband, “Only the best for my family.”

Billy hummed at his wife’s sweet gesture as they swayed from side to side, his hands slowly rubbing her hips in a loving manner. He could hear his kids singing along to the musical number playing from the movie, which made him smile. He had everything he never could imagine having, and he wouldn’t trade it for anything.

“You sure Sybbie won’t get any nightmares watching that movie?” Billy didn’t want his little princess getting night terrors from the Burton film but (Name) assured him that their toddler really liked it, “Little Sybbie will be fine, in fact, she’s gotten hooked. Look…” she pointed out to their children in the living-room.

Billy watched his children seated side by side, Henry clutched onto his Spiderman stuffed doll, and his little Sybil was cuddling a stitch doll, which he found adorable. His children meant everything to him, including his beloved wife, (Name). Halloween was upon them, and since the birth of their first child, they would without a doubt be going all out on this holiday.

Henry was at the age where everything was just superheroes. Ever since Spiderman started gaining fame and recognition in their home city of New York, their son has looked up to the friendly neighborhood hero. But Henry’s real hero would always be his dad, even though he was a mama’s boy. Now as for Sybil, Billy’s little angel, she had a big love for Disney films, her favorite being Lilo and Stitch. Stitch this, Stitch that, it was everywhere; her dolls, plates, utensils, cups, socks, onesies, etc. But Billy and (Name) didn’t mind, in fact, their cute little obsessions were a good influence for them.

Both the parents knew what their children would dress up for Halloween this year. Henry would obviously dress up as Spiderman and Sybil would lean towards something Disney-related. Billy loved when he would dress up his kids in animal costumes.

“You looking forward to tomorrow’s trick or treating?” (Name) asked him as she prepped the table for dinner.

“You know it. I even have the costumes all set,” Billy was excited for this year’s Halloween. He and his family lived close to the Castle family, so they would be hanging with them along with their kids whenever especially on holidays. Billy and (Name) would hang with Frank and Maria, chatting and having a round of drinks. Frank Jr. would play with Henry and look after him like a big brother, and Lisa would also play with little Sybil.

(Name) was now setting up the table and bringing in the food, so she turned to Billy to ask that he bring in their children for supper now.

“Alright, you little gremlins!” Billy playfully teased, “It’s time to eat.”

“Can’t we finish the movie dad?” Henry complained but his little sister gave a big smile and reached for him to carry her, “Daddy! Want Up! Up!”

Billy leaned forward to lift Sybil up and gave a big smooch to her chubby cheek. Sybil laughed as his beard tickled her face. “Your mom prepared supper. She made your favorite.” Henry paused the T.V quick and ran to the kitchen as Billy followed with Sybil in his arms.

The Russo family sat together and ate the delicious meal happily. Henry ate while he chatted up a storm with his dad about his baseball practice which interested him for Billy enjoyed the sport. Sybil was busy eating her food with her little Stitch spoon that she held tightly and (Name) would dab a napkin to clean her messy cheeks. Her daughter would just move her arm away and give a cute harrumph as if saying not to disturb her. It was adorable.

“I can’t wait to go trick or treating. You’re gonna be there, right dad?” Henry asked him.

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world, kiddo,” he reassured his son.

“Now don’t forget Henry, your little sister will be joining you as well,” His mother told him which made him smile and nod.

“How ‘bout you hold Sybbie’s hand when you trick or treat together?” Billy asked.

“Fine…”

“Oh Billy! We should take pictures of them doing that and of Sybbie doing trick or treating herself….It will be adorable!” (Name) gushed at the thought of seeing her little babies being cute together. One thing (Name) enjoyed doing in life was taking pictures of her family. Her favorite pictures were the ones taken when they were born, walking for the first time, when Billy held them for the first time, and even when Henry first held his sister, his face filled with wonder and curiosity.

Billy also took a lot of photos of his family and even had some framed and placed on his office desk at Anvil. Every time he did work, made calls, did his thinking, he always looked towards the photo of his beloved family.

“What are you gonna dress up for Halloween this time?” (Name) had asked her kids.

“I’m going as Spiderman! Pew! Pew!” Henry exclaimed in excitement while making web-shooting gestures. Billy just laughed and ruffled the kid’s hair. “Not the hair, dad!” Henry tried to fix his hair.

“And what about you my little angel?” Billy sweetly asked his little girl.

Sybil smiled at her daddy, “I wanna be princess!” she shouted. “Wanna be Belle!”

“Anything for you.”

And Billy had meant it. Anything the kids asked for they got it.

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Author's note:

It's been a while I know. I hope you enjoy this simple one-shot. More Halloween specials coming soon. Major writing slump and have been occupied with helping my family. So thank you and so sorry for the wait. This is just the beginning...

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thealmightyemprex · 3 years ago

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Top 10 Christmas movies

Well Its Christmas Eve might as well talk about my favorite Christmas movies

10.Batman Returns (1992)

I love this film ,flaws and all ,and it is certainly a Christmas movie to me ....A twisted one ,focusing on the melancholly of the holiday but its a favorite of mine, with great performances by Michelle Pfeiffer,Danny DeVito ,Michael Keaton and Christopher Walken

9.Gremlins (!984)

There are many Christmas horror movies ,I couldve included Black Christmas or Krampus, but this film is both funny and scary ,with great practical effects and some great antagonist in the form of the Gremlins

8.Die Hard (1988)

YUP ITS A CHRISTMAS MOVIE TO ME ! DEAL WITH IT !!! Its one of the best action movies ever with Alan Rickman playing one hell of a villain

7.Jingle All The Way (1996)

Not even a guilty pleasure ,I legit enjoy this film . It is one of my favorite Arnold movies ,I think Sinbad is great,always love watching the late great Phil Hartman , and I watched it a lot as a kid.Also my dad likes it cause it reminds him of all the times he went last minute Christmas shopping for me and my brother .Also of all movie dads I saw as a kid , one that felt the most like my dad ,in that he was a normal dude who happened to be big and tough

6.A Christmas Story (1983)

Is this movie over played ...Kind of. Its gone from being a hidden gem to being merchandised to hell ....Still doesnt take away from the fact its a great movie .I think the scret weapon of the film ,for me at least,is its overwheling feeling of nostalgia and capturing the experience of being a kid.I didnt have a childhood exactly like Ralphie but I remember experiences much like the ones Ralphie ecperiences in the film:The fantasies,the embarassing gift ,parents getting excited over something kind of dumb .Its very much a slice of life movie .Also quotable as hell

5.Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

CHRISTMAS IS IN THE TITLE<CHRISTMAS MOVIE !!Honestly its a fun holiday mashup ,with gorgeous stop motion , wonderful songs and music by Danny Elfman

4.Miracle on 34th Street(!947)

A sweet film that is a must watch around Christmas ,about a old man who says he is the real Santa .I like the ambiguity whether or not this little old man is Santa ,theres a lot of fun side characters,its funny and Edmund Gwenn gives a dignified take on Kris Kringle

3.Its A Wonderful Life (!946)

Now truthfully this is the best MOVIE on the list,like it is one of the great American movies .....But also only the third act takes place around Christmas ,so It could only get number three .I still love4 this movie ,Its a beautiful film that tugs at the heartstrings with a great performance by James Stewart ,and like Miracle on 34th Street has great supporting characters (Including one of the most despicaple villains ever Mr Potter ).Its very qoutable and the ending makes me cry .Also hold a special place for me personally cause I was in a play based on it

2.Hogfather (2006)

OK so this isnt about Christmas but of the fantasy celebration known as Hogswatch ,but is an examination of the holiday of Christmas .Its a fun fantasy story ,its really funny,very inventive,Mr Teatime is an extremely creepy villain,and Ian Richardson does an amazing performance as Death,his spech about the necessity of fantasy being a highlight

1.Scrooge (1970)

MY FAVORITE FILM TO WATCH AROUND CHRISTMAS ,ITS A MUST WATCH .There are many great versions of a Christmas Carol ,but this is my favorite.I love the spectacle of it ,the performances ,the gorgeous songs ,and Albert Finney's rather hammy take on Scrooge

Feel free to share not only your favorite Christmas movies, but favorite holiday movies, or just movies that make ya think of winter

@ariel-seagull-wings @amalthea9 @theancientvaleofsoulmaking @metropolitan-mutant-of-ark @marquisedemasque @lord-antihero @filmcityworld1 @princesssarisa

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innittowinit · 4 years ago

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SBI headcanons awooga

Some headcanons and things for my sbi fd! Abandoned amusement park fic lol

Here's the link if you haven't read it btw

SBI last name is Reid, DT last name is Jackson btw lmao, i probably won't mention it much though unless it's like Mrs Reid for the sbi mom y'know

This has Tommy, Techno, Wilbur and Phil included; lmk if a dt post would be a good idea too

Tommy

The youngest brother, he’s seven lmao what a child

Even though he’s the youngest, he’s also the most confrontational and will gladly ‘fight’ anyone who talks bad about his brothers

He can’t fight

He’s very tall for his age but is also extremely light since he’s always running around

Phil tries to get him to try new foods a lot but Tommy’s a really picky eater

...Tantrums.. Every time he doesn’t get his way

This lead to his brothers spoiling him quite a bit, he’s still sweet enough though since Phil has had many stern conversations with him about being nice to people

Has a toy music boy, with collectable discs

Wilbur got his first disc for him, it’s his most prised possession

Every time he does all of his chores (which are really just small things like clean up after himself and keep his room tidy) someone, whether its his Mum, Wilbur or someone else, gets him a new disc

Techno got him ‘Pig step’ for his seventh birthday and he listens to it every night before bed

One time he snuck downstairs while Techno and Wilbur were having a sleepover and watched the horror movie they were watching without them realising it. Techno and Wil were the ones to get into trouble since Tommy wouldn’t sleep for a week afterwards.

Techno had to read him a story every night until he stopped thinking he was going to be eaten by a demon in the middle of the night

Drinks way too much caffeine for a kid, someone take this boys coke away

He’s got a habit of biting his nails, which has left him with some pretty crooked teeth, which will probably need to be fixed with braces when he’s older.

It’s also gross because he climbs so much there’s almost always dirt under his nails

Hasn’t really grasped the whole concept of not saying everything he thinks yet

Oh my god someone shut this boy up

He still believes in Santa and The easter bunny too

One time Techno told him Oogie Boogie from the nightmare before christmas was real and he cried

He talks a lot in school because he finds it boring but he’s also very good at maths and English for his age

Wilbur

Middle child, Wil is 13. Techno’s twin

He’s pretty insecure about his music even though he’s been playing his whole life

That’s why he likes being able to practice in L’manburg, there’s no pressure to be perfect when he’s alone with his brothers

Super extroverted and confident in everything else though, Since Techno can’t talk to most people, he usually tries to speak for both of them

After realising that Techno didn’t really like it when he said ‘Techno thinks’ a lot, back in primary school, he adapted to trying to speak for what Techno wants without making Techno’s issues obvious

They tell people who need to know, but for people they’ll only talk to a few times they usually just get away with Wilbur acting super obnoxious and loud so it seems like Techno just doesn’t have room to talk, rather than that he can't

It’s easier than getting into it since they don’t feel like most people will understand

has separation Anxiety, when he’s not with his brother he doesn’t relax/ feel safe at all. If it happens at school he won't do his work at all/ Will probably just leave the room and try to find Techno

Everyone kinda knows this and they try to suit things around it without saying it outright

He’s kinda embarrassed, he likes to think he’s the one protecting Techno but really they need each other the same amount

Techno gets this though, He doesn’t mind if wilbur has a bit of a saviour complex, he’ll play along if it makes him happy

They’re working on it with their Therapist though so don’t worry, he won't grow up to be an ass

Interests (besides music) include:

Watching obscure documentaries

Disney movies, favourite is peter pan

Skating

He and Techno got Picked on in primary school for being so close, he learnt kickboxing so he could defend himself if things ever got physical. Luckily they didn’t but he still knows how to kickbox so watch out

Almost always turning in homework late, he’s good at talking his way out of Detentions though.

And when he cant talk his way out, Techno finds a way to get detention too

He’s VERY protective of his younger brother(s(he was born first so he likes to insist that Techno is his little brother))

That’s good for the most part but he can be a little overbearing sometimes, he’s got detention many many times for cussing out people who so much as looked at Techno wrong

When he’s feeling guilty he mumbles a lot

Techno

Middle child, 13. Wilbur’s twin

Has selective Mutism, completely fine talking to Wilbur, Only talks to Tommy and Phil if Wil is there too but other than that he’s completely fine talking to them as well. He speaks to his parents but not as openly as he does with his brothers, with them its usually very quiet, one word sentences

Like Wilbur, separation Anxiety also, It’s not as bad as Wilbur’s is though, Wil just makes him comfortable enough to talk with his brothers, he can deal with being without Wilbur but he absolutely doesn’t want to

He can be a bit arrogant and possessive of his brothers at times, he’s a bit scared of them leaving him because he can be so difficult so he has a tendency to be cold to any new people they bring home

Interests include: Pvp games, ancient china, farming

He was hyper-fixated on a cartoon when he was younger and now he has multiple cosplays from it that he’ll probably never wear again

His hair is LONG and pink, they never figured out why it grew so fast or why it was pink but it is lmao

When he was born his parents were terrified, they thought he had some kind of rare condition that was going to hurt him but the doctors eventually came to the conclusion that he just had healthy hair that grew fast and the pinkness was due to an abnormality in the melanin in his system or something idk fellas im failing science pls pretend this part makes sense

Being silent with long pink hair as a kid, he got picked on a lot. There were many instances where he just pushed kids over or hit them because they were being mean

Since he’s the quiet one, teachers usually trust him a lot so he and wilbur used to skip class a lot, back when they got picked on, by saying they had to help another teacher do something

In an attempt to get him to be more social, his parents signed him up for violin lessons aged 8, he really liked his teacher and had even managed to speak a little to her over the past 4 years he took lessons

Spaces out a lot

He watches a lot of conspiracy theory videos but he doesn’t actually believe any of them, he just finds them interesting

One time he convinced Tommy they were living in a simulation and Tommy hit a kid to see if his hand would pass through

He’s spoken a few words to squidkid too since they’re childhood friends and he’s very comfortable with him. Ironically all he seems to say to him is ‘bozo’ to tease the other for saying it so often, instead of literally any other insult

Phil

Oldest brother, 16

Cares about his brothers so so so so so much like he will do anything to keep them happy and safe

One time he missed an exam because Tommy was sick and he wanted to take him to the doctor before anything else

Tommy was fine btw, just one of those bugs you get when you're little

Their parents are pretty distant so Phil has been pretty much raising them since he was little, he doesn’t mind though

Their parents aren’t bad people or anything, they just get called out a lot for work and can’t be at home a whole bunch, it’s a big part of the reason why Techno never got comfortable talking a lot around them

He works at a Nearby florist to get extra cash to buy his brothers things when his parents arent home

When their mum is home, he brings her flower arrangements home from work because he is sweet <3

He’s really into mythology and Folklore as well as drawing, when he was younger he had multiple sketchbooks filled up with different creatures that he had drawn

When he, techno and wilbur were all little, he used to play a game with them where they’d describe a monster off the tops of their heads and he’d draw it for them

Techno and Wilbur loved this and always put up Phil’s drawings on their bedroom walls

When he was 13 he used to write angsty poetry, He told wilbur about it one day and that's when wilbur first started adding lyrics to his songs

He can be pretty gullible, he likes to believe that people mean good no matter how hard it might be to see it that way

He can hold grudges for a pretty long time, he’s quick to forgive when it’s himself that’s been hurt but it’s very very hard to get on his good side again if you hurt his brothers

Watches Alien theories with techno, unlike techno he actually believes in them

Has the ‘i believe in aliens’ poster

When they were little, he used to grow strawberry plants with techno and Wilbur, this is what prompted techno to start growing other vegetables in their garden himself

#sleepyblr #sleepy bois inc #sbi #fanfic #mcyt #mineblr

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liskantope · 4 years ago

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Some briefer(?) reactions to major Disney films 1989-1998

I consider the Disney Renaissance (around the period I refer to in the above title) to have been the last official leg of my chronological journey through major Disney features through Disney+ (for this one I need to mention that I’m excluding CGI animated ones on this journey, except when I feel like watching them on the side). I logged some thoughts on the films I watched in the two earlier legs of the journey here and here, where honestly I intended my notes to be short and not turn into full-blown mini-essays for each movie. Those posts turned out to be major timesucks and I can’t afford that now, but I thought I’d jot down a hodgepodge of reactions and just be briefer and sloppier about it. I feel like I have overall less to say about this set of films anyway, since they’re pretty much all very high-quality and are talked about extensively in the cultural discourse much more than films from Disney’s earlier eras.

As I was still trying to stick to taking one day for each year in the Disney Studios timeline and major film production by Disney picked up pace a lot at the start of this era, I wound up doing a rather intense marathon of one full Disney movie each evening: over ten evenings (corresponding to the years 1989 through 1998), I watched the ten movies The Little Mermaid, The Rescuers Down Under, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Nightmare Before Christmas, The Lion King, Pocahontas, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Hercules, and Mulan. I would have watched Tarzan the following evening, but I had very recently sort of re-seen it when it came on Netflix -- I didn’t see it for the first time until an outdoor event near the end of grad school not that many years ago; I didn’t bother paying full attention on seeing it the second time a couple of months ago and couldn’t much get into it on the second viewing.

The thing about the ten major animated Disney movies on this list is that, while I can’t say I love all of them, the uptick in quality is dramatic right from the start and never wavers. Every single one of these films just seems objectively better than Pete’s Dragon, The Fox and the Hound, or Oliver and Company. This will help me be a little shorter-written when talking about them, as it’s easier to expand on specific criticisms than to wax on about how great something is.

[EDIT: Okay, these still turned out pretty long and more on the polished side. Guess I’m just not that capable of being brief and sloppy.]

The Little Mermaid, 1989

Although we didn’t have the video at my house growing up, I somehow knew The Little Mermaid quite well; I guess I watched it quite a few times. I went a gap of many years before seeing it again in college (I’m fairly certain that my college girlfriend and I watched it together, in fact). My reaction at the time was that although it was well enough done with good music, the story was terrible. This was right around the time I watched a performance of Once on This Island, a musical based on Hans Christian Anderson’s “The Little Mermaid” on which, of course, the Disney movie was based. I thought the tragic tale told in Once on This Island was beautiful and scorned The Little Mermaid for cheapening it. In fact, my opinion was quite scathing in the way that my opinions more often were when I was younger. So I was a little wary on watching it again.

I’ve mellowed out since my college days and don’t hate the story quite as much now -- in particular, I can’t really blame Disney for Disnifying a mature tragedy into a more lighthearted tale with a happy ending -- but I still think it’s kind of bad. We’re back to Disney princesses (I think for the first time since my first round of Disney films?), this time with a Disney princess who had goals that didn’t involve meeting her prince, until she actually meets him and every other interest, including staying in the world she grew up with where to which all the people who ever loved her or knew her are confined, giving up her voice, and drastically changing her physical form. And this is all for a prince character of flatly generic personality who is superficial and dim-witted enough that he only knows his true love by her voice. (I don’t understand why this isn’t the Disney Renaissance-era film that routinely gets criticized for being anti-feminist rather than... a certain other one also on this list.) Also, while King Triton isn’t by any means a flat character, his sudden turnaround at the end and almost lightheartedness at saying goodbye to his daughter presumably forever doesn’t quite feel right.

I was very surprised at how much I’d completely forgotten among plot events and certain scenes in the movie. For instance, as the action neared the climax, I really had no memory of how Ursula would be defeated and watching it didn’t jog my memory.

This is the first of several films on this list where I noticed a sample of what I’m starting to think of a set of 90′s sitcom/romcom tropes, in this case the situation of the romantic leads courting very publicly with all the other characters watching and cheering it on and working behind the scenes to help it happen. This shows up again in Beauty and the Beast and (to a slight degree) Aladdin below.

Great music of course, even slightly better than what I remembered. Fun fact: you know that “Part of Your World” song, almost certainly the most widely popular in the film, the one that musical theater kids at my (and maybe your) middle school always used for auditions? Apparently it was almost cut from the film, mainly because it was shown to a test audience of little kids who all fidgeted and got visibly distracted.

The Rescuers Down Under, 1990

I don’t have too much to say about this one, the first Disney sequel ever. I had only ever seen the first Rescuers before and, as my previous set of reviews indicates, didn’t particularly like it, but came in to this one a little more optimistic since some consider it better than its predecessor. They aren’t wrong -- this movie was similar to The Rescuers but better, I think. Although the villain was just as forgettable, the setting was far more enticing (at least to someone like me who has never been to Australia and thinks of it as exotic), and the dynamic between the main mouse characters was more engaging. Here we have another subplot that somehow reminds me of a 90′s-ish sitcom/romcom, with the aborted marriage proposals and a love triangle -- not that love triangles hadn’t featured in movies for decades, but something about how this one was done felt distinctly more modern.

Beauty and the Beast, 1991

Ah, this is not only one of the Disney movies I saw the most as a kid but one which has only grown on me as I’ve gotten older -- I consider it one of the most groundbreakingly beautiful of the animated classics ever made, one of my very favorite Disney productions of all time. We got the video when I was only five or so; I remember distinctly that it came out on home video (right after coming out in theaters) right around the same time that 101 Dalmatians came out on home video and that my mom explained to me that she was choosing to buy Beauty and the Beast instead because of its superior music. She was right about this -- not that 101 Dalmatians has bad music, but it’s hard to measure up to Alan Mencken’s masterful compositions for Beauty and the Beast. For me it solidly ranks in the top three Disney movie soundtracks ever, one of the others being that of Mary Poppins and the third being from an easily-predictable film later on this list.

I’m pretty sure I remember watching portions of this movie every morning for weeks before leaving for kindergarten (this is what makes me think we got it when I was five), and I continued to enjoy it throughout childhood. I next watched it when I was much older, but I can’t remember exactly when. During college I got hold of the soundtrack of the musical, which since has been one of my favorite musical soundtracks to listen to. I never actually got to see the musical until last December when it was showing in my hometown, and I thought it was excellent. Interestingly, there were a number of scenes that I assumed had been added for the musical but I had actually forgotten were in the movie -- unlike with certain Disney musical films *ahemMaryPoppinsahem*, they didn’t take many liberties with the musical except to add a number of new (very good) songs.

Leaving aside the top-notch music and exquisite animation, the story in my opinion is one of the most beautiful and distinctively memorable stories Disney has ever told, not to mention entertaining without every being silly or over-the-top. It speaks of compassion, drawing out core goodness from an ugly exterior, and the fact that, to quote the enchantress from the start of the tale, “beauty comes from within”. Belle is also, to my mind, the most feminist Disney protagonist ever to be seen up to that time, which is why I get super super annoyed that so many people point to this movie loftily shouting “Stockholm Syndrome!” I feel it’s kind of inevitable that I quickly address that here, even though I’ve brought it up on this blog several times before. (Also, for an excellent takedown of the “Beauty and the Beast is a sexist story because Belle has Stockholm’s Syndrome” take, see this video essay of Lindsay Ellis.)

When watching the musical last winter I kept an eye out for justification for the Stockholm’s Syndrome take that I might not have remembered and couldn’t find any, but it pains me to admit that I did find a smidgen of justification, for someone determined to be a bit uncharitable, in a particular bit of dialog from the movie. I don’t recall it appearing with quite that wording in the musical, although it’s entirely possible that the musical has those exact same lines and I just wasn’t being observant. Here it is:

BELLE: What did you say?

BEAST: I release you. You’re no longer my prisoner.

BELLE: You mean... I’m free?

BEAST: Yes.

BELLE: Oh, thank you. Hold on, Papa. I’m on my way. [tries to hand mirror to BEAST]

BEAST: Take it with you. So you’ll always have a way to look back... and remember me.

BELLE: [in sweet, deeply moved tone] Thank you for understanding how much he needs me.

So okay, maybe Belle comes off as showing just a bit too much unqualified gratitude here, an oversight that the writers circa 1990 clearly should have avoided in case diagnosing female characters with Stockholm’s should ever become trendy twenty-something years later. But this could be remedied by a quick rewrite of the dialog in that one scene; it’s not as though the whole plot has to be changed away from its inherently misogynistic nature.

And that’s all I want to say on that one aspect of this absolute gem of a Disney production. Despite a few minor issues I noticed, such as Maurice being a little too innocent and helpless, and it lacking my very favorite line from the musical (“Belle don’t you recognize the beast within the man who’s now before you?” at the end), Beauty and the Beast comes about as close to perfection as it gets.

Aladdin, 1992

Although I didn’t see this major blockbuster hit when it first came out -- it was probably considered a bit too intense for me at kindergarten age -- this is the first time that I was aware on some level that a particular Disney movie was a new release. (One of my few sharp memories of kindergarten recess was a boy standing on a stump or low piece of playground equipment making proclamations to passersby for minutes at a time that alternated between, “You are a street rat!”, “You were born a street rat!”, and “You will die a street rat!”, and how this made me consciously contemplate the concept of present/past/future tenses for the first time.) When I saw it, I loved it -- it was clearly the most exciting animated movie out there. At some point in childhood I thought it was bested by its sequel, but a few years later as a teenager I decided that the tightly resonant plot of the original Aladdin made it the best Disney movie ever. I’ve definitely mellowed out my opinion on this, as Aladdin certainly has flaws and some other features are more deeply meaningful to me as an adult, but I still hold up Aladdin as one of the greats. I saw at least parts of it as an adult on TV and saw it very recently prior to getting Disney+ when it appeared briefly on Netflix, but I was perfectly happy to rewatch it yet again on Disney+ the evening after watching its predecessor as Aladdin is fun and entertaining every time.

In this animated production we have finally topped The Great Mouse Detective in terms of animated action. We have topped most movies that ever came out prior in terms of a manically funny yet also soulful character in Robin Williams’ role as the genie. The story is excellent, apart from having only one female character, and my being bothered just a little by the slough of magic tricks dominating the action towards the end -- I tend to prefer universes where magic requires scholarly study and careful training (e.g. The Black Cauldron) rather than “genie points his finger at you and now you have the ability to point your own finger and make anything happen that pops into your head”. The sultan continues the trend of old man characters who are portrayed as helpless and infantile -- in this case, even more intensely, since the sultan has none of Maurice’s brilliant smarts. But I’m mostly nitpicking here -- Aladdin is well deserving of its high status in the history of Disney.

The Nightmare Before Christmas, 1993

I was very glad to finally get a chance to see this movie, because I clearly remember knowing about it from the time it was being advertised back in 1993, and I heard about it during my entire childhood, adolescence, and early adulthood. Although it seemed that most of my friends had seen it growing up, it didn’t look much like my conception at the time of a “normal movie” or even normal content, and so I don’t recall ever asking to watch it. But my recent-day self recognized that it’s quite a classic and was curious to see it.

I don’t regard The Nightmare Before Christmas as one of the really great Disney productions, but I strongly admire how original it was (particularly for its time) in every single aspect, including use of claymation, overall aesthetic, intriguing characters, and story. It was also fun to see what seems to be the only Disney musical that is done in the style of opera, that is, where the entire story is told in songs without any extended non-musical dialogs. And the songs are quite good in their own way, too. I don’t particularly want to see the film again, but I might not mind getting a soundtrack of it.

The Lion King, 1994

This is the first Disney movie -- and I believe the first movie of any kind, in fact -- that I went to see in the theater. I remember it as a powerful and sometimes overwhelming experience, but as a movie I overall liked even as young as I was. This is remarkable especially considering that much of the story feels more adult in nature than almost any other Disney animated feature.

What can I even say about this one? I think the general reaction to watching it is almost unanimously shared. My impression is that what its creators were going for, more than anything else, was epicness, and they succeeded in a way that had never been done through animation before. Apparently the entire (incredibly epic) opening number was shown as the trailer -- a questionable move, but understandably it got people very excited about The Lion King’s release.

One of many particular things that makes The Lion King stand out is the profound darkness of its main villain, perhaps the most chilling that has ever appeared in Disney. An argument can be made that not only murdering a major protagonist halfway through the movie but convincing the child that he’s to blame is the most evil act we’ve ever seen from a Disney villain. I’ve seen it pointed out that it’s vaguely ableist to give the villain an ugly scar and even make it his name. Some have suggested that they should have made the villain the handsome and strong one and given the scar to one of the heroes -- Simba or Mufasa -- instead. I’m definitely sympathetic to this point of view, and I totally agree that Scar shouldn’t actually have been someone’s name. However, without getting bogged down into something that could be a lengthy post all on its own, I strongly feel that in a way it adds to the depth of our villain’s depravity through the backstory that it implies. And by the way, his ending is probably my favorite out of the fates of all Disney villains.

The music also follows the film’s ethos of being as epic as possible (well, with the exception of a couple of the songs, but they were still fine songs). “The Circle of Life” and the instrumental music propel The Lion King’s soundtrack to possibly the very best in all of Disney.

To be sure, this movie does have more flaws than I remembered. As I said, Scar is a terrible name to give any of the characters, especially in a story where everyone else’s name comes from Swahili. Pumbaa is basically just one big fart joke. (Although, I give the writers major credit for managing to switch the tone to accommodate fart jokes within like five minutes of Scar confronting Simba over Mufasa’s death.) The video essayist Big Joel has pointed out interesting things about the story and made some rather troubling points about it, although to me that almost just makes the film deeper and more thought-provoking rather than actually worse (I see the Chronicles of Narnia this way). But overall, The Lion King has well earned its high rank on the list of highest grossing films of all time.

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At this point in Disney’s history and my childhood, apparently I decided that I didn’t care to see new Disney films coming out because I was content with watching my old favorites over and over, and anyway I was getting older and discovering that non-Disney movies could be quite entertaining as well. Therefore, I didn’t see any of these last four until adulthood, even though they all came out when I was still a kid.

Pocahontas, 1995

I was glad for the chance to finally see Pocahontas for the first time, unfortunately not before hearing countless references to it as being Problematic while I would have preferred to go into it completely uninfluenced by popular opinion. I had actually seen songs from it and Disney books of it as a child and it didn’t interest me at all. On finally watching the film, I found that I got what I expected on both counts: it wasn’t terribly interesting or gripping, and it doesn’t really pass the muster of today’s higher standards of responsible storytelling about colonialism.

All that really sticks out at me looking back (after some delay in writing this post, so that it was over a month ago that I watched this) is that the plot felt a bit atypical in two ways. One, a character, who is neither a protagonist really nor a villain, is killed off around halfway through -- a daring move that The Fox and the Hound chickened out of doing, but I shouldn’t have been all that surprised given that Pocahontas’ very predecessor did this with a protagonist in a much bigger way. And two, the story ends sort of anticlimactically: I can’t help feeling a bit disappointed when a big Disney animated feature doesn’t end with a lot of action, despite realizing that this more peaceful kind of ending being a reasonable alternative is basically the entire point the story wants to make.

The songs are sort of meh, at least by the high standards of Disney movies of this period. Nothing more really to say on this one.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame, 1996

Here is another movie that I had never gotten around to seeing before, despite having been somewhat more interested in it than I ever was in Pocahontas. And this turned out to be the main breakout attraction on this list, as I found it nothing short of spectacular (save, perhaps, the music, which was “only” quite solid, maybe not spectacular).

I would nominate this for the award of most mature movie among all the animated features included in this journey. I would almost say its ideal audience is adults, not children. It showcases an abusive relationship with enough intricate care to be worthy of analysis through abuse discourse on Tumblr. It displays lust and sexuality in a way that I don’t think I’ve never seen anywhere else in Disney animation. Its violence and political undertones are quite dark. It examines religion deeply (which is as far as I know unique in Disney), and the capacity of religion to bring out both the best and the worst impulses in humanity is exposed. Its main villain is one of the more multi-layered ones. It treats physical handicaps and deformities in quite an honest way and subverts expectations with its love plot.

Perhaps the only thing one might reasonably criticize this movie for is the characters of the gargoyles, which are clearly present to lighten the tone a bit so that the film isn’t entirely heavy and austere. But I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised -- I think the gargoyle stuff could have been executed in such a way that may have made the whole film sag, but instead they were done just right: the gargoyles are depicted as being animated only in the mind of Quasimodo. This means in fact that in a way, they actually implicitly add some gravity to his situation. (Consider that in a more typical Disney film there would have been some sort of cheesy sentient animal friend instead whose existence would not have been confined to the protagonist’s imagination.) Here I’m going to choose to ignore the fact that the gargoyles do seem to interfere in the final battle with some explosives, a possible inconsistency which is minor enough to be glossed over.

Anyway, I think before I unsubscribe from Disney+, I might just give this one a second watching.

Hercules, 1997

Although I never saw this one growing up, I did get talked into watching it by my college girlfriend who had been fond of it growing up. I distinctly remember not caring much for it when I saw it with her. My reaction at this later stage of my life is basically the same. There’s something about the animation style that I find subtly grating and distracting. And there’s something about the story itself that feels like way too light and cartoony a take on ancient Greek mythology (although it’s not like the ancient Greeks had a particularly heavy or dark mythology, and what else could I expect from Disney, really?). I guess that stories that are so explicitly centered around a young man’s quest for hero-hood and being godlike just don’t speak to me that well, and I didn’t find any of the characters that appeared to be especially memorable or engaging.

I did like the muses and enjoyed their singing but can’t say I love any of the musical numbers. So, I respect the effort and earnestness and general respect for ancient Greek culture that went into Hercules, but my overall reaction is still meh.

Mulan, 1998

I had only seen this movie once before, during a trip with some grad school friends back some years ago. One of my best friends at the time, who was with us on the trip, highly recommended it as pretty much her favorite Disney movie as she especially liked father-daughter stories. At the time, the film didn’t make a particularly strong impression on me, although I could recognize its quality. Watching it again on Disney+ has given me a deeper respect for it as having quite a good story and characterization, fine animation, and pretty decent music. I like both Mulan and Mushu as characters, and I enjoyed their dynamic.

I guess it’s telling, though, that I don’t really have all that much more to say about it. Maybe I don’t relate closely enough, maybe the movie didn’t imprint itself on me at an early enough time in my life, maybe I don’t engage that well with any plot that involves organized warfare, I don’t know. But I think I can only really like this film on a more dispassionate, intellectual level, rather than feeling touched in any kind of resonant way by it.

I think it’s interesting to note that Mulan is actually pretty rare among Disney protagonists in having two parents who survive through the entire story. And that moreover, despite it being billed as a father-daughter story to me (and I’m not denying that it is somewhere at its core), Mulan never directly interacts with her father except at the beginning and the very end.

Anyway... since watching all of these, I’ve been watching the more recent major films sort of sporadically: The Return of Jafar (a favorite of mine at some point in childhood, but with maturity I can now see why it was direct-to-video), The Emperor’s New Groove (quite good, better than expected), the first half of Home on the Range (about as bad as I expected, hence my quitting halfway through), WALL-E (as good as I remembered from when it came out when I was in college), Enchanted (one of my favorites, not on Disney+ so I got it through... other means), The Princess and the Frog (a real treat, slathered with Louisiana flavor), Tangled (sweet but nothing outstanding), Frozen (one of my favorites from seeing it in the theater; however I had never seen the first ten minutes which makes a major difference!), and Frozen II (which I had been sorry to miss in theaters last winter, a bit of a weird story but not bad and absolutely the most stunning animation I’ve ever seen). And, of course, Belle’s Magical World, the infamous mid-quel to Beauty and the Beast; this was not a major film but I just had to see if it was as legendarily bad as people say and, yes, it was.

I’m very glad to have been able to get a break from Netflix by taking a tour through the main history of Disney -- including many childhood memories, would-be childhood experiences, and more modern things from my adulthood -- thanks to Disney+.

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reservethesun · 5 years ago

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Tagged By @shellygurumi

Do you make your bed? Uhh when I change the sheets, but otherwise I’m lazy af.

What’s your favorite number? 13

What is your job? The technical title is “Behavioral Services Technician”. Which is a fancy way of saying I work in home healthcare for adults with behavioral disorders and other disabilities.

If you could go back to school, would you? I am currently back in school for an elementary education degree.

Can you parallel park? In theory. I passed the driving test. I have not seriously attempted to parallel park in years.

A job you had that would surprise people? Uhh? I don’t know. I mean I was in retail work for 7 years. And for a year I worked security at the football stadium. Those are the only other jobs I’ve had.

Do you think aliens are real? Again in theory? Like... the possibility of them existing somewhere is highly likely. There’s too much of the universe we’ve got no idea about. Do I think we’ll ever actively see any? Probably not.

Can you drive a manual car? No. Not even a little. I’d probably kill it.

What’s your guilty pleasure? I don’t really have any guilty pleasures. If I enjoy something, then I enjoy it. I don’t care if no one else does or it doesn’t fit certain peoples’ ideas of who I am. But I guess maybe you could consider BL’s to be? Not that I actually feel guilty about watching them, but more the fact that they’re not something I would talk to with a lot of people around me because of where I live and them not being understanding or accepting.

Tattoos? No T_T I want so many though - but I’ve never had the time to go get one or been able to justify spending the money on one.

Favorite colour? Gonna be that typical emo kid and say black - don’t tell me it’s not a color

Favorite type of music? Listen. I will listen to almost anything, honestly. If I like a song, then I like a song. I don’t think I could pick a favorite type. My music taste is such a mess. I’ll listen to rock of all kinds, top 40, pop, hip hop/rap, country, some instrumental pieces, foreign music of various kinds (yes including kpop). If it appeals to me, I’ll listen to it. Simple as that.

Do you like puzzles? Sometimes. I’ve got to be in a certain mood to enjoy them.

Any phobias? I have a fear of heights. And clowns. Clowns terrify me. Like ;fajlajf even just talking about them almost makes me want to cry so I’mma move past this.

Favorite childhood sport? I played volleyball in elementary school, but then did martial arts for 4 years in high school. That was probably my absolute favorite. I made it to a brown belt and would’ve continued if I could have found a class I enjoyed when I moved.

Do you talk to yourself? Yeah.

What movie do you adore? If I list all of them, we’ll be here for aaaaaaaggggggeeeeeeesssss. So we’ll go with the one that has been with me the longest - Nightmare Before Christmas. It’s one of the very first movies I actually remember.

Coffee or tea? Both? Both. Both is good.

First thing you wanted to be while growing up? Look. I was a weird kid. But the first goal I ever had was to be a storm chaser. That was my Ultimate Dream Job from the time I was in kindergarten up until about 7th grade when I finally realized how many math classes I’d have to take in university lmao.

Tagging: @asplashofjin @autumnjoon @nakhunperth @angel-something @bronrocks1 @fan-mari @kindaanartblog and anyone else who sees this and wants to do it!

#about me #tagged

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virgyvandijk · 5 years ago

Note

you know who

who hogs the duvet

virg. he’s always cold and does it without realising, just rolling himself into a little duvet burrito. hendo has realised that if he wants a share of the duvet (not his allotted fifty percent, tho, but he can live with that), he just has to let virg put his cold feet on his calves and cuddle up to him properly

who texts/rings to check how their day is going

virg, bc he could spend his entire life listening to hendo talk. he wants to know everything, what made hendo laugh, what made him annoyed, and then he wants to know who dared to annoy hendo.

who’s the most creative when it comes to gifts

they both are, but virg, mostly. he loves a good notonthehighstreet haul, little personalised things that represent special memories and milestones that they’ve shared, but hendo has learnt how to shop for a man who insists he doesn’t want anything (because hendo is everything he’s ever wanted, is what he always says)

who gets up first in the morning

hendo. he doesn’t like it, especially on their days off, but it’s instilled in him now. it’s like a little captain’s alarm in his head, warning him that he’s going to be late for training even when they’ve not got training, but it’s useful three quarters of the time.

who suggests new things in bed

virgil, obviously. he’s dutch and not exactly shy. do i need to say any more?

who cries at movies

virg. loves disney (which hendo thinks is a little bit ridiculous, but he’ll indulge him anyway). he’s a big softie really, loves a bit of emotion, and he’s not afraid to cry.

who gives unprompted massages

hendo. have you seen virgil’s back? he’s obsessed, can’t resist when virg is laying on his stomach messing about on his phone, and he just has to touch his shoulders. a massage is a perfect reason to touch, and virgil isn’t exactly complaining

who fusses over the other when they’re sick

hendo fusses over virg, because he sulks about it (but only in private. in public he pretends he’s fine). hendo doesn’t let virg fuss over him, because he never lets on that he’s ill. just fights through it, including training and playing, even if it kills him. yes, it gets him in lots of trouble

who gets jealous easiest

hendo, but only because virgil is so touchy. it doesn’t overly bother him – he knows that virg is madly enough in love with him that wouldn’t even think about anyone else, but seeing him with his hands all over people (especially the dutch nt lads, the ones that hendo doesn’t know) makes him flash a bit with jealousy until he catches himself

who has the most embarrassing taste in music

hendo. loves a bit of pop, especially a bit of diva pop, and he’s partial to the odd boyband. virg isn’t embarrassed of anything he listens to, although his music taste is virtually the same as hendo’s

who collects something unusual

this isn’t really unusual, but hendo collects every little scrap and stub and ticket of everything he and virgil do together. stubs from the cinema, gig tickets, even the first note that virg gave him when they first met, the one that had his phone number on. they’re all placed carefully in a shoebox under their bed

who takes the longest to get ready

virg, but only because he fiddles with his collar or his sleeves or his trainers for ages in front of the mirror before they can leave. it drives hendo insane, because he thinks virg would look perfect in a bin bag

who is the most tidy and organised

hendo. he knows where everything is in the house and he has a system, so virg just leaves him to it. he also makes sure his hotel room is picture perfect on away days, and then goes and tidies virgil’s, too. tidy room, tidy mind, after all

who gets most excited about the holidays

virg. he’s a big kid at heart, loves spoiling his loved ones, wrapping presents neatly, and the sparkling lights on christmas trees. he always drags hendo to a christmas market at least once.

who is the big spoon/little spoon

virg is the big spoon and hendo is the little spoon. it’s always been like that, bc hendo loves how big virgil is, loves the fact he’s taller, the fact his shoulders are broader, loves how much he dwarves him when he wraps his arms around him. that’s what makes him the perfect big spoon in hendo’s eyes

who gets most competitive when playing games and/or sports

they’re both quite competitive, but hendo is a nightmare. if hendo loses a game, he will practice and practice and practice until he can come back and win, which is something virgil found out the hard way. virgil lets him win most of the time for an easy life

who starts the most arguments

they don’t argue. they slam doors and don’t talk to each other for a few hours, but that’s the height of it, and they always discuss it afterwards with endless apologies, and then it’s forgotten

who suggests that they buy a pet

virg. he’s always wanted a cat but his mum always said no, and then when he was moving between football teams, he didn’t think there was any point considering he wasn’t at his flat most of the time, and now he just thinks hendo would look really, really adorable with a kitten

what couple traditions they have

when they’re on international duty, virg always calls hendo shortly before england kick off to wish him luck. it’s more of a superstition than a tradition now, because the one time he didn’t do it, england lost to the czech republic, and hendo got arsey about it

what tv shows they watch together

soaps. they’re that boring old couple who watch all the soaps and aren’t ashamed about it, because they have no drama in their own lives. they don’t want any, and they’re very happy watching fake drama with fake characters, thank you very much

what other couple they hang out with

all the lads on the team and their respective partners, to be honest. they’re very good at adapting to whatever social situations, but they’d much rather spend a night in by themselves

how they spend time together as a couple

they barely move on days off. virg makes hendo breakfast in bed, they shower, then inevitably end up back in bed, watching netflix and teasing each other. it’s relaxing, calming, and most importantly, makes them feel closer than ever. that’s all they really need

who made the first move

virg. hendo always knew that he liked virg and wasn’t exactly shy about it, definitely letting virg know that there was something there, but once his daydreams slipped into the unchartered territory of virg rejecting him and he was too scared to make the first move after that. virg was very happy to pick up the baton, though, and show hendo that he definitely wouldn’t reject him

who brings flowers home

virg, because as much as he likes to spoil hendo, he doesn’t like to buy him expensive or dead personal presents every time. flowers are enough, they show his love for hendo, and besides – if you look it up, they’re a love language of their own, and virgil loves to speak it

who is the best cook

virg. hendo can’t cook, and virg is sick of trying to scrub burnt bits of food off the bottom of saucepans. now virg cooks and hendo washes, and it makes things a lot more harmonious at home.

#vh #lucy writes #long post #jordanshenderson #asks

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high5nerd · 5 years ago

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The Misadventures of Fanty and Pitch Black---Chap. Five

Since it was Halloween, Fanty arranged a party with everyone, including Pitch. The Nightmare King watched Fanty set up streamers of gold, black and orange, and blow up balloons of black and orange. She set out a pile of Blu-Ray DVDs like The Nightmare before Christmas, A Charlie Brown Halloween, Sleepy Hollow, and her Harry Potter collection. She even baked a giant cake that looked like half a pumpkin, lit orange candles on the table, and set up bowls of popcorn, m&ms, caramels, gummy bears and lollipops near the TV. Pitch was offered to help cook the chicken fingers, but he ended up just putting the ketchup and BBQ sauce on the table instead.

Fanty didn't like how he handled the stove.

What really creeped the hell out of Pitch was that Fanty dressed for the party. He knew kids did for Halloween, but not teens. Apparently he needs to really learn more in order to become stronger and take in more fear. She dressed as a pirate, with the whole embroidered coat, feathered hat, heavy boots and swashbuckling cutlass. Good thing the cutlass was fake, because she whacked him with it when he tried sneaking a caramel.

It startled him even more that everyone else wore costumes as well. Mystic was the first to arrive with a bowlful of fruit salad, dressed as Artemis Fowl. She looked very fancy and mature in the costume, unlike Angel, who dressed as a giant kitten with the bell and everything. Xion dressed as a man named Doctor Who, who Pitch didn't really know but the name sure did sound familiar. He must have heard his name while searching for fear. Star dressed as a mermaid, and she even dyed her hair a bright blue and green and painted scales on her legs that almost looked real. Drago was the last to arrive, but came with the delicious mint fudge and bottles of root beer, cream soda and Sprite. She wore a shaded hat, a whip by her side, high brown boots, a leather jacket that looked well worn, light brown pants and a button up.

"Indiana Jones." She smiled at Pitch, shaking his hand while trying to balance the tray of mint fudge in one arm.

"Wow." Pitch could only blurt.

The merriment lasted for about four hours, just three hours to midnight. Music blared from the stereo, and all the girls jumped to dance to Thriller. Pitch simply watched and ate caramels to his heart's content, pretending to be bored but really fascinated by their way of celebration. It was strange, because he was so used to people shuddering and hiding from fear while these girls literally laughed at its ugly face. He couldn't help but smile at their bravery.

After eating to their fill of dinner consisting of chicken fingers, fruit salad, French fries and pasta, they sat around the TV, surrounding Pitch completely and blocking off any escape. Fanty sat to his right and Angel to his left.

"So what's it like being immortal?" Drago asked, resting her head in her hand as she slowly chewed on a caramel.

"Boring at times, but you certainly have your freedoms." Pitch honestly replied, feeling oddly warm and flattered at the attention that was on him.

"What do you do for fun?" Xion asked, leaning forward as if Pitch were to tell a secret.

Pitch shrugged indifferently, "Sometimes I like to go for a ride on one of my nightmares or take a stroll through the forest. Maybe even read a good book."

"Really? Have you read Brothers' Grimm?" Xion beamed, her eyes shining.

Pitch nodded, and started listing off his fingers, "Edgar Allen Poe, Shakespeare, Grimm, Algernon Blackwood, H.P. Lovecraft, Stephen King, you name it."

Fanty rested a hand on his arm, and he looked at her. She gave him a warning look, a look that really made her appear like the pirate she dressed as. "Be careful, Pitch, or Xion might swoon."

If Xion could, she'd have flowers and light flares erupting from her very body like in those animes she loved so much.

They continued to talk, making sure they avoided sensitive topics like why Pitch had contempt for certain spirits. Once it finally hit midnight, the sugar rush exploded. The girls were perky and bouncing up and down, wild smiles on their faces. Pitch couldn't help but laugh at them. They all voted to watch The Nightmare before Christmas, and Fanty quickly popped it in before snuggling up into the couch once the movie started.

Everyone laughed at certain parts and enjoyed the film, but Pitch and the girls-besides Fanty-laughed at the introduction to Oogie Boogie. Once the shot of his actual buggy form came forth from the shadows to torment Santa Claus, Fanty gasped and jumped behind the sofa, peeking out so only her hat to her eyes could be seen. Pitch laughed cruelly, understanding why Oogie Boogie freaked her out. All those bugs crawling out of him didn't scare him, but it did gross him out. Still, the music was entertaining. Everyone turned from the screen to watch Pitch, who tapped his foot along with the music and had a happy smile on his face as he bobbed his head side to side. He imagined himself in Oogie Boogie's place and North in Santa Claus's place, strapped to the table after being kidnapped.

But then Fanty and the girls giggled at Pitch's face during Jack and Sally's duet, which was twisted into a grimace.

"They just had to put romance in it. Maybe if he bit off her arm I would rate it five stars." Pitch said as everyone sat in a circle in Fanty's living room, the lights dim and the candles lit to tell ghost stories.

"Jack does have scary looking teeth." Mystic nodded, understanding where Pitch was coming from.

"I dunno, romance is pretty cute. Just not for some movies." Fanty said dreamily.

Pitch scoffed and shoved a lollipop in her mouth, and she glared at him, but then began eating it since it was in fact her favorite kind.

"Pitch, have you ever been in a relationship?" Drago asked, playing with her candy wrapper.

Fanty choked on her lollipop as she hooted with laughter, causing half of the girls to glare at her or smirk. Pitch gave her a look, and without a warning, growled and bared his teeth at her with his fingers curled, getting into the right light of the candle to accent his cheekbones and his eyes and teeth. Fanty shrieked, and then slapped the lollipop onto his nose, and Pitch exclaimed at the disgusting cavity on a stick that was glued to his nose.

Drago, Xion, Mystic, Star and Angel burst out laughing, making Fanty grin happily that she was able to outmaneuver Pitch without making a mess. Pitch finally yanked off the lollipop from his nose and tossed it into a nearby garbage can, before gently rubbing his nose at the feeling of air hitting his skin.

"But really, have you?" Star asked, eager to know.

Pitch cast one glare at Fanty before replying, "Yes, I have."

Everyone gasped. "Really?! Who!? Mother Nature?!"

Pitch looked horrified, "She's my daughter!"

Everyone held up their hands in apology, and Pitch could tell from their wide eyes they meant no harm and they sincerely were sorry. The pose they were all doing looked as if they were about to do a ritual in a witch's coven.

"Awkward!" Xion exclaimed, and Star couldn't help but laugh it off.

"We're sorry, Pitch. We're not very knowledgeable on spirits and stuff you're so used to." Drago said with a gently smile, handing him a napkin to get rid of the remaining lollipop goo on his nose.

"And I asked about the Tooth Fairy earlier, and that was a definite no." Fanty informed the five other girls, who nodded understandingly.

"I was married before I became the Nightmare King," Pitch said lowly, really not wanting to talk about it, "I had a daughter, too."

"Was that daughter Mother Nature?" Mystic asked.

Pitch nodded, and something in Fanty clicked. She could see he didn't want to talk about this, so she vouched for him immediately, "Hey! Let's hear Pitch share a scary story. I bet he's really good at it!"

Everyone agreed with unison of "Yeah!" and compliments on his work as the Boogeyman and making Halloween so spooky. Pitch felt truthfully flattered, and he couldn't help but smile proudly as he shifted his legs, making him look even taller than he was before.

"Well, I am pretty talented. Hmm…which story?" Pitch playfully tapped his chin, and the six girls grinned and leaned forward, wanting to hear the best horror story from him.

"Ah! Well, long ago, during my first centuries as the Boogeyman, there was this tiny village somewhere in Mexico, and in this village was this beautiful woman named Maria. She was loved by far, and I couldn't blame them. She had silky looking hair that nearly reached the floor, and her eyes were the color of rich chocolate. Back then, chocolate was a luxury, but she received so much of it, it made her fill with pride at knowing how beautiful she was."

"She sounds high-strung." Fanty crinkled her nose, but the other girls shushed her for Pitch to continue.

"But then this traveler came into the village, and once he saw Maria, he fell in love just like the rest of the men. But unlike them, he was persistent, clever, and knew just how to woo her and earn her heart. Maria, thinking he was the perfect match for her since he was handsome, fell in love with him and immediately agreed to his marriage proposal. It sounds promising, does it not? They even had two beautiful children, and they seemed to be such a happily family. But…"

"There it is, the but!" Xion exclaimed, and Drago covered her mouth with her hand, enraptured with the story and Pitch's deep, velvety voice.

"Maria's husband returned to the praries, where he originally came from. Days turned into weeks, and he would then leave at dawn and return in time for supper. Maria, confused and suspicious at his departures, asked the other villagers where he goes, yet none knew. She knew he would come back, for he always did. Just before their two children got into bed, he would come home and spend time with them, like telling tales of his adventures and his family's history. Yet…he paid no attention to Maria. She was starting to get irritated. Was he no longer enraptured with her beauty? Her suspicions got the best of her, and slowly she grew more angry every day he left. But one fateful Sunday, a day of Sabbath, Maria's husband admitted to seeing another woman of his own class and wanting to never see her again.

Maria was furious. Her anger turned into red-hot hate. She even started to hate her own children, for they got his attention and love when she received none. To her, it was their fault. But that afternoon she was on a stroll with her two children, her not-so-faithful husband drove by in a richly decorated carriage, and sitting beside him was a wealthy looking woman. He only stopped to greet his kids, wish them a pleasant day and continued on down the road.

That caused the final blow to Maria's pride, for she was so angry and spiteful, she grabbed her kids by their necks and threw them into the river, and they drowned."

"Oh no…" Drago whimpered, her eyes widening in shock.

"But just as their bodies floated down the river, she realized the horrible mistake she made. She cried out in fear, and tried to reach for them, but they were gone. The following morning, a lone traveler on his way home found her dead body by the side of the river. The village buried her in the exact spot where she was found dead.

Yet…every night, the villagers could hear a woman crying in the night, somewhere close to the river. She cried for her children. A foolish villager went out around midnight to confront the sound, but never returned nor was heard from again. Some say her red-hot anger turned her eyes red and she attacked him, drowning him just like how she drowned her kids. Even now, she still roams the rivers, sobbing for her children."

Pitch looked at every individual girl, and grinned in victory. They all shook with fear, had gumball sized eyes and were either biting at their nails or hugging themselves, their mouths wide open.

"I've heard the story before," Mystic finally choked out, "But you made it ten times creepier."

"You definitely have the voice for it." Drago nodded in agreement to Angel's opinion.

"Well! I think that sums up this party. Bedtime!" Pitch clapped his hands, like he was the king of the court.

All the girls groaned and whined, falling limply to the floor in a mini tantrum. Well, besides Drago. She merely shrugged while looking at her watch, knowing Pitch was right. She was the most mature of the group anyways.

"Aww, why!?"

"Do we have to?"

"Noooo…."

"I don't wanna."

"This isn't fair!"

Pitch grabbed at his hair, feeling ashamed. "Oh MiM, I feel like I'm your father. This is terrible."

After everyone left, everything was cleaned up and Fanty was out like a light and sleeping in her bed, Pitch sat on the couch in the living room, peering at the DVD case of Sleepy Hollow.

This story was true, he thought to himself, flipping it over to see the actors in the movie, I remember. The sense of fear was so thick. Even I couldn't approach the Headless Horseman. Not that I was scared. He was just rude.

He silently put the DVD case down and rubbed at his head out of exhaustion. What am I even doing? Why am I even sticking around here? I could just leave and never come back. The thought made him sit up and berate himself, You wished day and night for someone to accept you, and you finally got your wish. Granted, they may be insane teenagers, but you were having fun and you like having them around, admit it.

"Darn. I'm stuck." Pitch muttered to himself, standing up in frustration and pacing over to the window, where he could see Man in Moon shine brightly in the navy blue sky.

He glared at the moon, and hissed rudely, "You did this, didn't you? Fate. This was all fate caused by you."

Pitch listened to his reply, and scoffed. "Don't play dumb. Why do you choose to speak to me now and not when I needed you most?"

He listened again, and rolled his eyes. "Whatever, Dark Ages Shmark Ages."

He waited. He then furrowed his eyebrows and spat, "I am not turning into Fanty!"

But then Man in Moon said something that caught his attention. "Wait, why do I need her?"

Man in Moon explained himself, watching Pitch's expression fall from suspicious confusion to utter disbelief. "Wait…I'm…why?"

Man in Moon was silent for a minute, and tried explaining that he was trying to help Pitch, but Pitch was…scared. He was too scared. He stepped away from the window, half hidden from the line of sight of the moon.

"But why? Why am I dying?"

#rotg #rise of the guardians #rise of the guardian fanfics #fanfiction #fanfics #pitch black

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laikaworld · 7 years ago

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The Stop-Motion Animation Studio With a Cult Following

Travis Knight, CEO of Laika, is breathing new life into an under appreciated art form

Travis Knight is sitting in the back of Laika Experience, an exhibition at Comic-Con in San Diego, next to an interior set from his film Kubo and the Two Strings, one of several film sets stationed around the room. Each setup looks effortless, but the reality of the hours and decisions that went into that tiny space is something only Knight and his team understand. In a way, you could say seeing the sets re-created is like returning to an alma mater campus. Memories. Sometimes too many. “I won’t say which one, but one shot on Kubo took two months to get the expression right,” says Knight, CEO and president of stop-motion animation studio Laika. “It’s ridiculous on some level.”

The first stop-motion film was made in 1898, but the technique was largely replaced by hand-drawn celluloid animation by the 1920s. Stop motion was deemed too time consuming: painstakingly animating clay or wooden puppets by hand, frame by frame, so that, played in succession, photographed frames mimic real action. “One of the things I wanted to do at Laika right from the start is take this medium that I’ve loved since I was a kid and bring it into a new era, dragging, kicking, screaming,” Knight says.

And guess what?! We get some new-ish info on film five!

“According to Knight, the fifth film (the name of which is still secret) is a major departure for the studio. For one, it has no characters who are children.”

Read the rest under the read-more below!

Knight, 44, grew up outside of Portland, Oregon, where he filled his time with illustration, music and the arts. He watched stop-motion animation flicks like Ray Harryhausen’s creature features and Rankin/Bass specials including the holiday staple Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. In 1998, shortly after Knight graduated from Portland State University, his father, multibillionaire Nike co-founder Phil Knight, invested $5 million for a minority stake in an animation studio led by Will Vinton, who co-directed Closed Mondays, the first stop-motion short to win an Oscar for best animated short film. Vinton, who had opened the animation studio in Portland in 1975, was in financial trouble and in need of an investor. The younger Knight, coming off of a failed attempt to launch a rap career in New York and still passionate about animation, started an internship.

‘I wanted to take this medium...and bring it into a new era.’

At Will Vinton Studios, Knight rose to production assistant and then animator on the Emmy Award–winning stop-motion show The PJs, which was created by Eddie Murphy, Larry Wilmore and Steve Tompkins. He quickly became one of the studio’s standout animators. But by 2003, Vinton was still struggling, so Phil bought the company—he has said he was partly motivated to own Will Vinton Studios because if it failed, his son would likely leave for a studio in Los Angeles. He had spent most of his sons’ childhood away from home, a reality that was especially difficult when his older son, Matthew, died in 2004 at 34. In 2005, Phil and Travis launched Laika and began developing their first feature.

What links Laika’s films—Coraline (2009), ParaNorman (2012), The Boxtrolls (2014) and Kubo and the Two Strings (2016)—is their depth and complexity. Ben Kingsley, who voiced the villain Archibald Snatcher in The Boxtrolls, explains that the movies “include a dark side many other people in [Knight’s] field might outlaw.” Coraline, adapted from the children’s gothic novel by Neil Gaiman, follows a blue-haired girl who slips away from her inattentive parents into a twisted dream world. Kubo, a story in which Knight says he channeled emotion from his own experiences, is about a boy who seeks his deceased father’s armor to protect him from his unfeeling specter grandfather and aunts. In both films, family members vie for control over the main characters’ sight and identity.

Gaiman met Travis years before he became CEO, when Gaiman and Henry Selick, director of the 1993 film The Nightmare Before Christmas, were already working on the screenplay for Coraline. Shortly after the film’s release in 2009, Travis was promoted to president and CEO. “It was terrific watching a relatively reclusive animator step up,” Gaiman says. Animators work mostly alone. Once a director has briefed them on a shot, they work solo with the puppets and sets. There are 24 frames in a single second of film, and each puppet is meticulously posed and made to stand, often with a rig that is later removed from the picture using CGI. An animator will finish around four seconds of film per week. If a character takes a couple of steps, it’s a good day.

After years spent tending to the micromovements of puppets, Travis grew into his role as CEO, then director, and has now branched out. This summer, he began filming his first live-action feature, Bumblebee, a Transformers prequel backed by Steven Spielberg. But his accomplishments with Laika are still his greatest achievement. Each of the studio’s four films has been produced with the same budget, about $60 million, a fraction of the cost of CGI projects from studios like Pixar and DreamWorks. If his father’s Nike empire was built on products for speed and momentum (“Just Do It”), Knight has dedicated his life to stopping motion, breathing life into pauses and stillness (just barely move it). Yet, working as a businessperson and artist, Knight often calls on his father for wisdom. “Personally, one of the most rewarding things has been how I’ve been able to understand and connect more deeply with my father,” he says.

All four of the studio’s films have been nominated for an Academy Award for animated feature film, and in 2016, the studio won a scientific and technical Oscar for its innovation in rapid prototyping, or 3-D printing, in animation. Each puppet is designed so that the facial expressions can be switched, with thousands of eyeless masks that can pop on and off the puppet’s steel armature. Although this technique, known as replacement animation, has been used for a century, Laika’s integration of modern technology has given its characters unprecedented depth. In The Nightmare Before Christmas, the moon-headed Jack Skellington wore 800 hand-sculpted faces. For Coraline, the title character had 6,333 printed and painted faces. Kubo had even more (23,187).

But despite all of Laika’s accolades, none of the films’ characters have been mass-marketed—meaning none have ever appeared on bedsheets or sippy cups. The studio launched its first Instagram page only a week before the exhibition at Comic-Con in July. “At some point you step back and realize we’re doing the company a disservice by not exploring these opportunities,” Knight says. In 2016, Laika hired Brad Wald as CFO (he had commercialized Downton Abbey for NBCUniversal in London). Knight wanted to expand the studio’s brand and produce a film each year, along with apparel, dolls and life-size foam figures. For the fifth Laika feature, which will wrap filming around March 2018 and will be released by 2019, the plans for merchandise are already underway.

According to Knight, the fifth film (the name of which is still secret) is a major departure for the studio. For one, it has no characters who are children. The collective vision of the films will be on full view at a Laika retrospective, Animating Life: The Art, Science, and Wonder of LAIKA, that will run at the Portland Art Museum beginning this month. When you see a tiny puppet with bits of human hair dipped in silicone and remember how they blew across the character’s face in a snow gust, you can’t help but marvel at the fact that each strand had to be lifted by hand to create that swirl. “The only life [a character] has on-screen is the life that the artists bring to it,” Knight says. “I just think that’s movie magic in its finest form.”

#laika #laika studios #animation #travis knight #news #laika film 5 #same here travis!#i put the whole story under a read-more #because you need to subscribe to the NYT to read it all i think?#queuebo and the two strings

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crdenhart · 7 years ago

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10 Movies You Should Watch This Halloween 2017

October is here, and now is the time to get into the Halloween spirit! Instead of the traditional “best of” Halloween movie list (don’t need to mention yet again how much I love The Shining, the first two Halloween films, and The Exorcist), here are a list of 10 movies (in release date order) that may not be as well known or not usually listed among the upper echelon of scary movies but perfect for this 2017 Halloween season and worth a look.

Eraserhead (1977)

“In Heaven everything is fine…”

The spectacular new season of Twin Peaks just came to an end last month, so this Halloween would be the perfect time to take a look back at David Lynch’s brilliant feature film debut on its 40th anniversary. The film create a sense of total dread and darkness in its beautiful black-and-white cinematography, eerie sound design, and well-acted performances. It is pure horror! The film has inspired a significant number filmmakers over the years, including Stanley Kubrick while he worked on The Shining. It may be one of the most important movies ever made!

Phantasm (1979)

“Boooy!”

This cult-classic horror film was remastered in HD this past year (with the help of JJ Abrams) so this Halloween would be the first time to experience the film in its full visual glory. I love the creepy music, eerie sets, and low-fi feel of the film; feels like being in a haunted house. Really high quality for such a low budget and some really good scares, especially Angus Scrimm as the menacing Tall Man. If you like movies such as Stranger Things, Super 8, and the Halloween series you will love Phantasm!

Vincent (1982)

“Vincent is nice when his aunt comes to see him, but imagines dipping her in wax for his wax museum.”

This early Tim Burton stop-motion short film is a masterpiece! Vincent Price provides the narration with great inflection. The animation is top-notch and some of the best stop-motion work ever; love the dark visuals and music. At some points it feels like we are getting a glimpse at Tim Burton’s childhood. The short celebrates its 35th anniversary this year, and its influence shows in the many stop-motion films that have been released since (i.e. Nightmare Before Christmas, Corpse Bride, ParaNorman, Frankenweenie). It’s almost as if all stop-motion animated films have to be horror-themed and this one was the first.

Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982)

“Happy, happy Halloween, Halloween, Halloween! Happy, happy Halloween, Silver Shamrock!”

Most overlook this film and pass on it as “the one without Michael Myers,” but Season of the Witch is actually a great horror film in its own respect. John Carpenter’s idea of having a different Halloween-themed story with each sequel while maintaining some of the same crew and cast (albeit in different roles) was way ahead of its time and now seems to be commonplace with American Horror Story changing its story and characters every year. I love the cinematography, special effects, scary soundtrack, especially the dark “Silver Shamrock” commercial song. The movie also celebrates its 35th anniversary this Halloween. Definitely worth another look because it is actually a good horror movie, especially if one doesn’t think of it as a Halloween sequel.

Return to Oz (1985)

“There’s no place like home!”

Many see this movie as the weird Wizard of Oz sequel. However, it stands on its own as a truly unique fantasy adventure film. It is actually quite dark in parts; more in the likes of The Neverending Story or The Dark Crystal than the 1939 original. This movie is great for Halloween with the fall setting, the Halloween visuals (i.e. Jack Pumpkinhead, the thousand-head wicked witch Mombi), and the spooky interpretation of Oz.

Stephen King’s It (1990)

“They ALL float down here. When you’re down here with us, you’ll float too!”

If you like the new IT adaptation (or if you don’t), definitely check out the 1990 original. The new film has more impressive special effects and is a better movie overall, but the 1990 miniseries holds a special nostalgic place in my heart and is much scarier thanks mostly to Tim Curry’s terrifying performance as Pennywise the Dancing Clown. This film also would make a great introduction to the horror genre to younger viewers because it scary without the excessive gore or gratuitous sex found in many horror films.

Halloweentown (1998)

“Being normal is vastly overrated.”

With the passing of star Debbie Reynolds this past December, this Halloween is the perfect time to pay tribute to the late actress by watching one of her best films. My siblings and I watched this film and its sequels (the 2nd one is good too, 3rd and 4th are not so much) every Halloween at our grandparents’ house. Not really scary as much as it is a fun Halloween movie. I love the decorative set designs of the town (it’s a place I would love to visit if it were real) and the cool costumes used for all the monster characters who live in Halloweentown. It’s a movie all ages can enjoy!

The Sixth Sense (1999)

“I see dead people.”

With writer-director M. Night Shyamalan making a successful career comeback earlier this year with Split, this Halloween is the perfect time to take a look back at the film that made him a celebrity filmmaker. The atmosphere and performances are incredible! I used to watch this film for the horror elements as a kid and in my teen year, but now as an adult, I see this more as a film about love and relationships. There are some scenes that really hit me deeply on an emotional level, especially in the scene where Cole tells his mom how much her mother really loved her and the final scene with Malcolm and his wife. One watching this movie can see why Shyamalan was at one point thought to be the next Spielberg.

Rob Zombie’s Halloween (2007)

“Behind these eyes one finds only blackness, the absence of light. These are the eyes of a psychopath.”

This Halloween marks the 10th anniversary of Rob Zombie’s Halloween film (my dad and I saw it theaters on opening day when I was a high school freshman). It is quite possibly the best horror film of the past 15 years! Though not as much of classic or as scary as the 1978 original, the 2007 film stands above other horror remakes (i.e. Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th, The Fog, Prom Night, Psycho, Amityville Horror) and succeeds by being its own thing and not trying to be a carbon copy of the original. I especially like the performances including Malcolm McDowell as Dr. Loomis and Daeg Faerch as young Michael Myers. Also some really great cinematography and use of colors and overall pacing that gives the story a grand scope. Plus it has a killer soundtrack featuring awesome songs like “God of Thunder” by KISS, “Baby, I Love Your Way” by Peter Frampton, and “Love Hurts” by Nazareth.

Trick ‘r Treat (2007)

“Always check your candy.”

Good elements of dark comedy are sprinkled throughout this colorful horror anthology. I like how the film is several Halloween-themed shorts that are all tied together. It’s the rare horror film that is both fun and scary! Also check out writer-director Michael Dougherty’s short animated precursor “Season’s Greetings,” really retro and creative!

Happy Halloween! By the way, as an added treat, here is a picture from my animated Halloween short in post-production called “Halloween Cat.”

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moonlitmoth · 7 years ago

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Oh hey look it’s my answers to a survey no one asked for

Are you a morning person? Hell no. I’m demon spawn in the morning.

Have you ever been to Target? I love Target

Do you like iced tea?

Yes

When is the next time you’ll be at work? Tomorrow’s my day off, then I’m working Thursday morning.

Do you have a savings account? Yes

Have you ever been to Disney World? If so, how many times have you been? No

Are you good at wrapping gifts for others? Yes and I taught all my friends how to back in middle school. I joke that I’m goth Martha Stewart, but it’s true.

Do you enjoy big holiday dinners? In theory. I hate the majority of my family so I’ve always hated and dreaded the holidays. Someday I hope I have a nice family of my own so I can actually enjoy the holidays.

Is your vision good? 20/20

Is your present hair color natural? Sort of. I have an ombre balayage so the stylist matched my roots so well that you can’t tell. The rest is bleach. Naturally dirty blonde.

What was the last thing you ordered online? Special anti-itch shampoo for my dogs with seasonal allergies. Very exciting.

Have you ever worn color contacts? No

Do you follow a certain religion? Raised Catholic. I follow a blend of Druidry and Norse paganism.

Do you have any family members who live out of town? Out of town and out of state. Most of my dad’s family is in Illinois and most of my moms are in Texas.

Do you consider yourself short? Yes

What room are you in? Mine

Do you listen to any country music? I lived with my Texan grandparents as a kid so there was always country music playing (mostly from the 70′s). I have to be in the mood to seek it out specifically, but I don’t mind it if it’s playing. I listen to some though. I like Margot Price, Nikki Lane, 16 Horsepower/Wovenhand in particular. I like Southern Gothic-type country music.

Do you ever watch Lifetime? I have in the past, but the acting is awful

Would you ever consider having children in the future? I know I want kids

Have you ever lived on a farm? No, but the area I live in used to be fairly agricultural before gentrification

Do both of your parents have jobs? Just my dad

Ever been in a car accident? My mom got rear-ended picking me up from school when I was younger.

Have you ever tried to walk on a moving vehicle and fallen over?: What? No

What is your favorite kind of bread? Is there any of that in your house?: I’m not a huge bread person, but I love sourdough. Don’t have any at the moment.

Do you own any equipment to make cocktails, like jiggers or shakers?: I have them in my house, but they’re not mine and I’ve never used them. I think the only cocktail I’ve ever made myself are Dirty Shirleys and you don’t need anything special for those.

How many times have you seriously injured yourself?: Once and it wasn’t too serious. I cracked my head open as a kid by falling backward onto a glass coffee table and had to get staples in my scalp.

When was the last time you were a passenger in a car and sat in the back?: A week ago

Did you attend Sunday School as a child?: Not really. When we’d go to mass, halfway through the priest would call all the kids out of the audience and we’d all go to a smaller classroom and have a little Sunday school lesson from the Bible, but it wasn’t anything really official.

What is the longest your hair has ever been?: I’ve almost always kept it very long. It’s currently past my waist. It’s been down to my butt for several years. It’s probably way too much hair on me since I’m short anyway. But I feel really powerful with long hair. What about the shortest? (not including being a toddler or baby): I had a bob as a kid. For some years in high school, it was just past my boobs.

Have you ever smoked a cigarette?: No

Are/were you in the school band, and if so, what instrument did you play?: No

Who does the grocery shopping in your household?: Me

What is the best thing you’ve ever bought at a thrift shop?: I was Cindi Lauper for Halloween in 8th grade and I found a perfect match for the one from the Girls Just Wanna Have Fun video. I also bought this tartan skirt in high school that I used to wear all the time.

Would you dye your hair blue for $10,000?: I’d dye it for nothing, but I’d prefer pink

Have you ever ordered an unusual drink at a bar?:

Not really, just fairly typical cocktails.

What is your favorite thing about summer?:

Flowers

When was the last time you went to your local library?: I go about every other Friday. I’m on a first name basis with all the librarians at my branch and they have my stuff ready for me at the front desk when I come in to pick up my holds.

Do you have any friends who work in retail?: Yes

Can you do a proper cartwheel?: Not anymore

Have you ever been pulled aside by security at the airport?: No

Are you a fast-thinker or a slow-thinker?:

Both

What is your favorite card game and when was the last time you played it?:

I’ve never been much of a card player. Just kid games like slapjack and I haven’t played since I was 8.

Would you consider yourself to be good at spelling and grammar?: I’m not great, but I’m alright. My writing is much more relaxed when I’m doing it casually. It’s the internet, I’m not going to write the same way in my free time as I do for academic/professional things, but I try.

Who was the last person you cuddled with?: HAHAHAHAHAHA

Have you ever spoken or performed on stage in front of a large audience?:

I read some of my poetry aloud in a talent show in middle school. I was in choir for a few years in elementary and middle school. A few dance performances.

What is your favorite seasonal candy? (only available at certain times): It’s not that they’re not available during the rest of the year, but I only eat lacy cookies around Christmas. I only eat jelly beans around Easter.

Are there any television shows you own in entirety on DVD or VHS?: No

How far away from your house is the nearest gas station?: 1 Block

Do you know anyone who is fluent in a second tongue?: Most of my friends are bilingual

What is the scariest movie you’ve ever seen and who did you watch it with?: It's not that it really scared me when I was watching it, like I wasn’t screaming or anything, but for whatever reason, Zodiac fucked me up. I had nightmares and trouble sleeping for an entire summer. I don’t really even know why. Just the thought of how they never caught him, I guess?

When was the last time you had a bubble bath?:

Today. Used some Lush rose bubble bar thing

Have you ever been pressured into doing drugs? Did you say yes or no?:

Not seriously. My friends never pressured me. The only pressure I’ve ever gotten has been from family, actually. I hardly drink and I’ve never done any drugs at all (addiction is rampant on both sides of my family so I just never had any interest). My dad got punched in the face by one of his brothers once because he refused to drink moonshine with him at a funeral (surprise, we’re super white trash). And I had an aunt make fun of me at dinner once because I was the only adult at the table not drinking. She just had another baby who was born addicted to drugs and is going back to rehab for about the 10th time so...yeah, I’ll stick with my sprite thanks.

I copied these from someone else’s post, so go ahead and do the same!

#about me

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myhalloweendreams · 7 years ago

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gtkm 🌙

tagged by the lovely @honeyedmilks <3

(sorry it took me so long to answer ... I suck)

how tall are you: 5′6 ? i think ? (i converted it but i don’t really get how it works so i’m not sure if it’s right or not !! but 171cm)

what colour are your eyes: I have boring brown eyes.... I wish i had black eyes they’re awesome or blue they are beautiful

do you wear contacts and/or glasses: glasses ... I suck at putting contacts so I only use them when going out for free and spontaneous peer pressure

do you wear braces: nope, never had to... but I still have a milk-tooth that I had to cover

what is your fashion style: i don’t have money enough to buy nice things style + my mom is very controlling and will vet things and if you buy it anyway she will throw it out of the window style - but I normally dress like: I don’t like to show skin, I don’t fell comfortable in dresses or skirts and I don’t use bright colors or patterns or anything that draws attention to me... so you’ll find mostly in black jeans and plain or simple stamp dark shirt (probably black) bonus points if it’s long enough to end under my butt and something over it (like a sweater or jacket or something ....probably has something to do with my need of not showing skin) and my favorite short boots. There isn’t much for my mom complain and it doesn’t show skin and mostly is comfortable (when it isn’t too hot... i suffer a little when it’s) so it’s what I normally go with

when were you born: may 28th

how old are you: old !! how i say since i was little kid(and i’m talking about my five years old self) i was born a 60 years old person and i’m just growing older from there (I don’t only was a kid who had an easier time communicating with adults, but I never wanted to play with the other kids, I have back problems, I would take everything serious and be responsible, I nagged even the adults about wrong and right and so on... I was born old)

do you have any siblings: hm yes . one brother (younger) ...he’s awful ... next question

what school/ college do you go went to: interior design

what kind of student are you: I have always been a good student, but I talked a lot in class... but now that I think about it I had to teach myself everything because I couldn’t concentrate enough, but I was always an overachiever and the teacher’s favorite, but never the best student (I made a conscious effort to not be the best - second is always better than first as it’s be the second in command in any group, never the leader... you’re good enough to be heard but the attention is not on you... I can’t handle attention).... I was always the one to assemble the power points and group’s essays, because that way I would know that it would be done(I’m always freaking out so I couldn’t handle not know if the others weren’t doing their part or if it wasn’t going to be finished) and I would always research everyone’s part so I knew that it wouldn’t lack one part if that person didn’t do its part, but I would always include the information they researched in the essay, but in that way I at least would know that I wasn’t writing nonsense on the essay when they gave me their part and it would be a tool to help the ones that had a hard time finding their part (I liked to be prepared and I liked to be able to help who needed and I liked to know all the subject being researched, normally a lot more profoundly than needed to do the essay ... as I said overachiever)

what are your favorite subjects: arts, math, statistics and I do love history, but not the school subject (I had a mix of bad and not interested teachers in this one)

what are your favorite movies: i have no idea !! you ask my favorite movie and all movies that I ever watched just vanishes from my mind. I can try to think in a few that I like (but probably not my favorite) I guess...

The Mummy 1 & 2 (that Sofia cited)

Zombie ones (like Dawn of the Dead, Shaun of the Dead, World War Z, Train to Busan, etc)

i love animated movies (some of them: Shrek 2, Coco, How to Train Your Dragon, Coraline, Mulan, Anastasia, The Nightmare Before Christmas... I could keep citing animated movies for a long time here)

Grinch

The Covenant

Pride and Prejudice

The A-Team

Hero movies (even the bad ones)

Rom-coms (but I can’t think in any rn)

Silly comedies (i’m saying silly like the mummy ones and not over-sexual and stupid like american pie... i hate that kind of movie)

That’s all that I can think of rn :X

what are your favorite pastimes: I live from one distraction to another... Sooo, there’s a few...

I listen to music, a lot, while doing everything (I shouldn’t be let alone with my thoughts... ever); I read as much as my concentration and motivation let me; I watch stuff (like tv shows, dramas, movies and not so often: youtube videos); I draw sometimes when my motivation let me(... can I still say that after all this time? there is probably more than a year that I don’t draw anything), I blog and scroll down in the blue hell a lot; I look through and save pins on my Pinterest; I do some diy projects, i really like it but it’s linked to my motivation too so I do less and less stuff as the time passes; there were a time where I would play on my phone but it’s memory it’s too small and I can’t have games anymore; I used to play videogame too but I kind of linked it to my father so I don’t do that anymore; I create stupid stories or scenarios in my head; I really like to play around with photoshop; and I like to learn new things or tricks in things that I already know how to use/do

so you have any regrets: I have only regrets

what is your dream job: i dunno... you have to want to have a future for want to do something in the future i guess

would you like to get married: nope

do you want kids? how many if so: nope... i love kids but nope. Pregnancy is a terrifying thing and everyone painting it as a beautiful full of flowers and rainbows experience is lying. But even if it (pregnancy) wasn’t a problem put another person in this world would not only hypocrite of me, but a really mean thing to do. The world sucks every day more and bring an innocent life to this hell would be mean. Well, if I ever find any will to live I could adopt I guess... the kid is already here and I could at least love her/him, protect and give them the best I can, i guess.... No, I’m too afraid to become my mom, I don’t think I can do that. :(

how many countries have you visited: i can’t even say that i have visited mine... i know like three cities of it. I wish I had ever went to another country.

what was your scariest dream: i dunno... maybe the one where i was in this big ass house that i don’t know and i was running away and i could feel something hunting me and keep entering in different rooms or not being able to open doors and never finding a way out, and i started to run slower and i was terrified and then a very graphic version of the hunter of the left 4 dead that my brain created jumped in front of me and then in my face. Maybe not the worse since I have had several nightmares through my life but pretty terrifying and I remember it know..... and what kind of question is that?! who wants to think about that D:

do you have a boyfriend/ girlfriend/ significant other: nope... i’m asexual

put your playlist on shuffle and without skipping the first 15 songs:

almost gave myself a heart attack since I forgot to check the volume~

(I got my old ipod for the last five of the list, because I still listen to it... but it haven’t see a new music for like seven years)

Perfect Man - BTS (cover)

Ciao Adios - Anne-Marie

Often - The Weeknd (i didn’t even knew i was listening to a remix)

Play Hard - Krewella

The Edge - Tonight Alive

I Hate Everything About You - Three Days Grace

Pocketful Of Sunshine - Natasha Bedingfield

Fight Song - Rachel Platten

Now I'm That Bitch - Livvi Franc ft. Pitbull

The Outsider - Black Veil Brides

Tea Party - Kerli

Call Me When You’re Sober - Evanescence

C’est Moi - Marie-Mai

Papa Don’t Preach - Kelly Osbourne (cover)

Blue Suede Shoes - Elvis Presley

Bonus: Until the Day I Die - Story of the Year (because I forgot its existence until it start as the next in this shuffled list)

#tagged #gtkm #gtkm tag #honeyedmilks #long post

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riotatthemovies · 5 years ago

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So welcome back to another QUESTIONS WITH RIOT!

So here is a nice big post for you to read, see it on my tumblr page and the facebook group and maybe in a new book someday.

I will be reaching out to B movie directors and actors in the next week or so with a handful of (often similar questions) .

They are not real time interveiws , I just sent them the questions and they msgd me back. Because they are awesome people.

Todays guest that I suckered in to using their precious time to answer my questions for b movie film makers is Richard Mogg a fim maker from Vancouver. Richard chilled us with the Massage Parlour of Death! As well as hit us right in the Easter time nightmare of EASTER BUNNY BLOODBATH which just recently released a sequel. Riot at the Movies folks will remember BIGFOOT ATE MY BOYFRIEND that played on the first ever Terrible Two Day best a few years ago. On top of all that he is a writer of a few of the most detailed go to books on the genre of shot on video and low budget underground film makers.

Lets get to the questions

ADAM RIOT : SO RICHARD, IF YOU WERE GIVEN A MULTIMILLION DOLLAR BUDGET WHAT WOULD YOU DO? GO CRAZY?

Mogg: To be honest, I'd split it - but only half of what you're thinking. I'd take half and make THE ULTIMATE sci-fi Extravaganza! Then I'd make a whole bunch of small independent features. So yes, I'd make my GALAXINA but with a bunch of cheese to go with it.

Adam Riot: HOW OFTEN HAVE YOU WRITTEN SOMETHING AND SAID "OH THAT'S SO BAD, BUT I'M KEEPING IT IN"?

Mogg: Actually never... unless it overwhelmingly sucks. I've been writing scripts long enough to know you can write unlimited, but it's smarter to write what you can actually do. So write ambitiously but never against your vision. One time I thought to not include something, but after we shot the film, I was able to edit back in my original idea... so first impulses are usually the right impulses.

Adam Riot: WE DO TEND TO DOUBT OUTSELVES TOO MUCH. OF ALL THE MOVIES YOU HAVE MADE WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE? FROM EXPERIENCE OR FINISHED PROJECT, WHAT MADE IT YOUR FAVORITE?

Mogg: My favorite film that I've done is BIGFOOT ATE MY BOYFRIEND, which isn't gory at all but heavy in the awkward comedy I enjoy. But the real reason it's my favorite is that everything seemed to come together. It was the first time my vision matched execution, and the final product was as good/better than I had hoped. BIGFOOT was my 5th feature film, so it took that many tries to get things right - plus I had my all-star cast.

Adam Riot: WE ALL LOVED IT HERE.

HAVE YOU MADE FILMS THAT YOU HAVE NOT SHOWN TO THE WORLD THAT YOU JUST DIDN'T LIKE SO YOU HID IT AWAY?

Mogg: There are films I've done that haven't been released yet, but that doesn't have anything to do with hiding them. Sometimes it seems that opportunities come up and you have to be ready to jump in... my 3rd feature film was shot just as 2013 rang in, but that was the year I found out we were having our first baby. So after quickly moving and getting our lives set straight, I had an empty bedroom while we anticipated the baby's arrival. But did I waste the opportunity of an empty bedroom? Heck no, so I quickly shot MASSAGE PARLOR OF DEATH using the bedroom as a massage parlor. So MASSAGE took the place of that 3rd film I shot (which hasn't been released), but that's the way life happens sometimes. One day I'll release everything but timing and momentum occasionally get in the way. I still have 3 films in the can yet to be released: HOT CHICKS BLAST URANUS, DEATH RIDES OF DEATH (formerly ROLLERCOASTER KICKBACK) and my "exotic" picture JOHNNY GLOBBER.

Adam Riot: I AM ALMOST SCARED BY THOSE TITLES BUT CURIOUS AS WELL. AND LAUGHING THE MASSAGE PARLOR BECAME A BABY ROOM.

WHAT MOVIES IN A MICRO BUDGET GENRE HAVE IMPRESSED YOU RECENTLY?

Mogg: You know, I'm so obsessed with watching older films to see their overall genre evolutions that I don't get to see many "newer" films. Drew Marvick's POOL PARTY MASSACRE was a favorite, as was 2019's MORBID STORIES. I recently caught Dave Castiglione's rerelease of DEEP UNDEAD and it's a knockout with some amazing underwater photography - stuff you just don't see in a lot of micro budget flicks. And that's the great thing about lower budgeted stuff... it's made from the heart using igneous techniques rather than boatloads of money.

Adam Riot: WHAT MAKES YOU LOSE YOUR LOVE FOR INDEPENDENT FILMS, THE PEOPLE? THE MONEY? THE RESPONSE FROM FRIENDS OR BUYERS? HOW DO YOU OVERCOME IT?

Mogg: Wow, LOSE my love? That's a tricky question. I think there are personal turn-offs that might not let me get into a film, but the filmmaking spirit never leaves. Yeah sometimes the people involved are only out to "get rich quick" can be trying, or rip off artists who turn out flicks every week with no investment in their content... that's a turn off. I don't personally enjoy mean-spiritedness in movies, which is why all RickMoe titles are lighthearted and silly. But as a pure business, I think basic indifference and self-righteousness in people infront and behind the camera can really effect the product. But that's true of any business really...

Adam Riot: WE ALL KNOW THERE NEEDS TO BE SOMETHING MORE THAN MONEY. YOU HAVE BEEN MAKING WITH A LOT OF DIFFERENT PEOPLE, HOW DO YOU FEEL FRIENDSHIP IN THE INDEPENDENT FILM WORLD IS IMPORTANT AND HOW HARD WOULD IT BE WITHOUT CLOSE FRIENDS?

Mogg: Great question. Close relationships and treating people with respect is everything. Acknowledging that everyone counts and their efforts are never taken for granted is key to longevity and happiness in this business. It's true, in independent filmmaking many (perhaps all!) people involved in making films don't get paid financially... maybe they do it for a credit or recognition or even just to have fun, and we as the audience need to know that people really do put their blood, sweat and tears into these movies. Sure there are straight up jerks running around with a camera, but when you start seeing the same people out there having fun and KEEP TRYING, you really get to feel that they're being honest with the audience. Making movies IS fun - even when you're against problems - but a positive, uplifting leader can make the world of difference. And I think that positivity can draw others together. So making close friendships is really the sign that you're doing things right.

Adam Riot: WHAT'S YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE STREAMING SERVICES, DIRECT DOWNLOAD, TUBITV THAT KIND OF THING?

Mogg: ANY OPINION? Well I'm trying it now for the first time with EASTER BUNNY BLOODBATH 2: NO MORE TEARS. I went thing route (direct streaming through Vimeo) because I needed to have quick access for viewers before Easter. But also because of this damn coronavirus pandemic. So being able to have audiences access something instantly without waiting for physical mail was very important. But in general, I'm a physical media type of person. I WANT a VHS/DVD/BLU copy on the shelf to look at, admire, hold. I don't think I'll ever get away from that need to hold a film... because when everything is digital, it almost feels like it doesn't exist. Delete and it's gone forever!

Adam Riot: FOR THOSE READING RICHARD MOGGS EARLY WORK IS ON SRS IS AVAILABLE ON TUBITV NOW.

IS THERE A CHARACTER YOU SHOWED THE WORLD THAT IS ON THE TOP OF YOUR WANT LIST TO BRING BACK?

Mogg: 100% our Federal Bigfoot Investigator John Saurius (played by the incredible Kirk Munaweera) is a character I'd bring back for EVERY film. He's so applicable to any story, and he carries a comical vengeance (his dick was torn off by Bigfoot). But I'd like to see him lead a film completely too... he sorta does with EASTER BUNNY BLOODBATH 2: NO MORE TEARS, but I'd like to bring him in in a bigger way for our upcoming Noir picture.

Adam Riot :I do hope to see the son of the kung fu kid or something (smirk)

YOU HAVE WRITTEN SEVERAL BOOKS ON THE SHOT ON VIDEO GENRE, ONE THAT'S NOW BASICALLY THE GO TO ENCYCLOPEDIA FOR THE GENRE AND ON THE TWISTED HORROR LOVE FOR CHRISTMAS. IS THERE SOMETHING ELSE ON THE DRAWING BOARD/TYPING BOARD?

Mogg: YES! And thank you for asking! I learned a lot writing "ANALOG NIGHTMARES" and even more with "GIFTWRAPPED & GUTTED" and the door is always open for another... maybe even a revisit. But the next writing project excitedly being discussed is turning some of my own films into novels. And not just the movies written as stories... but actual novels based on the ORIGINAL SCRIPTS of the films we've made, including much more graphic ideas. For example, sex scenes were originally written in our early films that (of course) our actors weren't too interested in performing for no money... but NOW! Now we can really write in detail the spicy hot sex always intended! And same goes for the gore!

Adam Riot: EASTER BUNNY BLOODBATH 2: NO MORE TEARS IS ONLINE NOW AND ITS A VERSUS TITLE. TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT THE MOVIE AND TELL ME WHAT VERSUS TYPE MOVIES IMPRESSED YOU IN THE PAST.

Mogg: YES! EBB2 is a "BIGFOOT VS BUNNY" sequel! So there's an amazing climax where the two beasts meet for a showdown to the death! After shooting BIGFOOT ATE MY BOYFRIEND, I knew that the only way to bring Bigfoot back would be to pair him against and equal of physical strength... and the Bunny hit me like a ton of bricks. Plus it was great fun revisiting 2010's EASTER BUNNY BLOODBATH which isn't the best film around but was my first feature length film (which I lovingly say "taught me all the mistakes I wanted to teach myself"). So in making this sequel (after making tons of other films), I was able to re-examine my early approaches and redo things from a new standpoint. It was also fun to reuse some of the old musical cues and try to match the style of the first film. But I think the biggest difference was in the editing, because I have become a much more experienced video editor since then... learning how to better time things for a greater payoff. But as a versus film, I felt it was important to focus clearly on the Bunny storyline first, then bring in Bigfoot almost unexpectedly at the end - surprising the audience. And that's sort of the way I cut films, leaving the end to play out in a zany over the top fashion (anyone who made it through TEENAGE SLUMBER PARTY NIGHTMARE can see this). But I do love THE TOXIC AVENGER III's pair off with TOXIE and the DEVIL...

Adam Riot: Thanks so much Richard, now every get his books and get your Easter and rent or buy Easter Bunny Bloodbath 2. Stay Safe and Stay Awesome

Rent or download Easter Bunny Bloodbath 2 here https://vimeo.com/ondemand/bunny2/

Ps I will post a review of Easter Bunny Bloodbath 2 tomorrow on my social medias as well as the Riot at the movies instagram. Regardless you know I think you should see it too.

#rickmoe #richard mogg #easter bunny bloodbath #bmovies #thank you #riot at the movies

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fathersonholygore · 7 years ago

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Ahhhhh. The house smells of cinnamon and cookies, it’s warm, cozy. Hot chocolate, egg nog with an extra drop of something in it. Perfect time to settle in with some movies. Especially some scary ones, or at the very least something weird and wild. Santa-themed horror movies are a sub-genre unto their own. Usually it’s the typical slashers you’d expect. Then there are some truly great surprises, such as the disturbing psychothriller Christmas Evil, one of the greatest slashers ever made Black Christmas. And then there are other Christmas horror flicks, like the classic Gremlins. This year, I tried picking out a few holiday gems I haven’t included on lists for the previous years. Some of them aren’t so much gems as they are very rough yet enjoyable little trinkets picked out of the trough. Moreover, this isn’t a list that’s strict. I’m bending the rules; in certain cases, big time. Bear with me. We all celebrate the holidays in our own way. With that in mind, let’s take a look at a few horrors worth throwing on during the season, on a dark, snowy night, in the comfort of your home where nothing bad could ever happen so close to Christmas, right? RIGHT?

Oh, and if you’re mad at something I put on the list, get a grip on yourself – I’m in the holiday spirit, one way or another. Fucking sue me.

1) Tales from the Crypt (1972 film) 1st Segment: “And All Through the House”

Not only does this segment involve Joan Collins playing a housewife who’s had enough of her husband’s shit, murdering him, it also includes a killer Santa Claus in the form of an escaped asylum patient dressed as jolly ole Saint Nick roaming free in her neighbourhood. The murderous Mr. Claus arrives while Joan is trying to cover up what she’s done, so it makes for a real holiday treat. The part about this one that gets me is the Santa, he’s dishevelled and uneasy looking, exactly like an escaped mental patient who killed some Salvation Army bell ringer and stole his beard and outfit. Add that to a frantic Joan Collins trying her best to survive this horrible man, you’ve got some fine horror for Christmastime!

Tales from the Crypt (TV series) Season 1, Episode 2: “And All Through the House”

This TV adaptation of the segment from the 1972 film isn’t as good, but it’s still damn fun. It’s got another solid lead female performance out of Mary Ellen Trainor, and Larry Drake as another really fucking eerie Santa. This one has a bit more dark humour than the relatively pitch black film segment. I love Trainor’s reactions to being told the police are heading to the neighbourhood to search for the escaped mental patient Santa, there’s just something hilariously disturbing about the whole thing. Plus, we do get a bit more than the 1972 version, simply because this is a full 22 minute episode rather than the segment itself being much shorter. Gives you more bang for the buck, either way.

2) Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale

Equal parts pseudo-archaeology, horror, and adventure, Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale takes the story of Santa Claus into fresh, unexplored territory. On the surface it’s similar to other holidays flicks, where you feel bad for a kid. Here, that kid is Pietari Kontio (Onni Tommila). He’s treated much like a dog. His father Rauno (Jorma Tommila) takes part in the reindeer slaughter. Business has been on the edge for a long while. Things aren’t great. A massive herd of reindeer have turned up dead, taking a worse chunk out of Rauno’s business. At the same time, there’s a British company digging into a mountain, they’ve found something peculiar: wood, and encased within it is tons of ice. Strange, no? That’s because Santa Claus is coming to town. Nothing to be happy about, not like the song says. If you’re looking for something pretty different from most other Killer Santa films, Rare Exports is the ticket. It’s definitely got some stuff to make you chuckle. It’s got even more to creep you the hell out!

3) Sint

Something endlessly hilarious about Christmas and Santa are how deadly serious people can get over it. Forget the Christian stuff (reminder: it’s a pagan holiday, anyway) – especially in the US, conservatives can get wildly sensitive about the portrayal of Santa Claus, a fictitious entity that gives presents to all of the kids across the world who celebrate Christmas. That’s why it’s likewise endlessly enjoyable to see Santa treated as a malevolent, mean spirited entity rather than one bringing yuletide joy. Sint is the tale of Sinterklaas. Now, the legend of Sinterklaas says he’s not entirely evil, though he does have helpers called Zwarte Piet (Black Pete; whole thing traditionally gets a little too close to racism for my tastes, the movie avoids any of that nonsense). The film says shag that, this guy’s a creep. And boy, does he ever get evil, too. Director Dick Maas (De Lift, Amsterdamned) makes the legendary figure into a former bishop who has gone rogue, leading a gang of thieves looting villages. He’s killed one night, and every 23 years after, on that same night when a full moon is in the sky, the old bishop, St. Nicholas returns to kill. Dig in. This one’s fun, it’s weird, and makes no bones about doing its own thing. Fantastic Christmas horror! One of my favourite seasonal horror movies out there.

4) Good Tidings

This isn’t anything special, it’s not going to blow any minds. Good Tidings suffers from poor acting, whereas it excels in atmosphere. Particularly, the murderous Santa(s) here makes for true holiday terror. When three psychopaths lay siege to a homeless shelter celebrating Christmas, a poor war veteran must revert to old, long abandoned ways in order to help him and others survive. This has a lot of problems. Above all, this is creepy, there are lots of spooky scenes and little moments to unsettle you. The score, when it’s good, it is damn good, and a throwback to the 1980s when the killer Santa flick was thriving. Don’t expect too much, then this one will definitely provide a fun night with some friends, a glass of nog, and a bit of Christmas grub.

5) Silent Night, Bloody Night

Several films on the list are only barely connected to Christmas, Silent Night, Bloody Night is no exception. The event which acts as catalyst for the whole plot and story of the film involves Christmas Eve. Other than that it isn’t much related. Still, this is a pretty wild and genuinely good slasher before the sub-genre of horror was officially a thing. This was released in 1972, before Black Christmas, Halloween, any of the other films that defined the slasher going forward. Now I’m not daring to claim this was hugely influential, nor is it anywhere near as good as those aforementioned slasher flicks. Not at all. But, it’s interesting to see that this was doing things these other movies made staples of the sub-genre. Like the score, it’s a classic. And there’s lots of blood, blasphemous killing with the soiling of Christian iconography. In addition you’ve got some odd arthouse-style filmmaking going on, particularly when it gets to flashbacks to the Christmas Eve night in question. A wild ride all around. Definitely worth a shot around Christmas, to put you in that mood. Horrific Highlight: You’ll know what it is when you see it. The broken glass moment is one of fucking nightmares, it’s indescribable. Watch. Be terrorised.

6) Dexter Season 1, Episode 11: “Truth Be Told”

Just like the first Christmas episode of The X-Files, Dexter uses the holidays to dig deeper into its characters, namely the titular one, whose past begins to erupt further in “Truth Be Told” – not only do we gradually discover more bits of Dexter (Michael C. Hall), we discover more of the other characters, from Deb (Jennifer Carpenter) to the Ice Truck Killer himself. There are plenty of things going on here. The meat of the episode is the latest Ice Truck Killer crime scene, fine holiday treats for the forensic team and the cops to deal with, and though the whole episode isn’t Christmas-centric, the lights shine in the backdrop, the crime scene itself is smack dab in the midst of the holiday season. Then, when you get to the last few minutes, the plot gets cooking with gas. Doesn’t have tons of holiday flavour. What it does have is excellent suspense and tension. You can’t ask for more than that.

7) To All a Goodnight

The one and only feature film directed by actor David Hess (Krug from Last House on the Left and Alex in The House on the Edge of the Park) is, as expected, appropriately sleazy considering some of the films he’s done. This is a true Killer Santa premise, one that doesn’t stray at all from a formula that’s become the standard for Christmas horror. A group of young people + some breasts + bunch of blood courtesy of a naughty Santa + isolated environment + redder than red herrings = To All a Goodnight. Nothing special. Yet the cinematography’s surprising, really enjoyable. Then there’s the classic slasher score, which aids in building good suspense for the mostly by-the-numbers stuff; add to that a little eccentric music, it gives the score something extra. A lot of this is generic. It’s still fun, creepy at times, and just a proper flick to toss on with some friends at Christmas, if for nothing else but to have a laugh.

8) Prometheus

Ridley Scott’s Prometheus (just like Alien: Covenant) gets shit on a lot. Father Gore loves both these films. Because they’re fun, they’re vast stories with far reaching themes, and we get more of the birth of the xenomorph, the world Scott began building in ’79 with the masterpiece, Alien. For all the shit it gets, Prometheus is a fantastic sci-fi film. And, I’m going to go out on a limb suggesting the Christmas connection isn’t one that’s added for nothing. It’s not merely fodder for a fun Idris Elba moment. We’re dealing with thematic content here concerning the existence of a God, as humans have known it. Follow me here. If Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace) and Charlie Holloway (Logan Marshall-Green) prove that God doesn’t exist, at least not in the form Christianity imagined, then there’s no birth of Christ, all that. Therefore, no Christmas. So, for me, the holiday specific scene in Prometheus is an especially tragic one, like we’re watching this Christmas go on in the shadow of much bigger things, perhaps the last Christmas as they know it.

9) The Children

Technically, this is cheating: The Children takes place just before the New Year. However, it’s a snowy, holiday-themed horror, it’s got the vibes of a Christmas horror flick. I vote it goes on the list. And, well, there’s nobody to stop me, right? And lord, is this ever a brutal, effective, mean little film. At only 80 minutes, director Tom Shankland’s The Children pulls not a single punch. It’s well acted, particularly in the case of Hannah Tointon who plays Casey, the sole teenager in the story. It’s a nasty horror, crossing the borders of decency in all the right ways, asking violent questions about the differences between adults and children in a primitive sense, as well as just a plain tense movie. Special Mention: The editing and sound design during the dinner scene will have you stressed out, ready to snap yourself. But the kids, they snap first. Boy, do they ever snap. This is the worst – in an appropriate way for the plot – dinner scene in cinema history, or at least in the top three. Makes me physically tense. Love it; but I’m a masochist.

10) All Through the House

This one isn’t one you’ll write home about – do not anticipate any impressive acting, above all else. If you can check expectations at the door, All Through the House plays out as a significant, relatively fresh twist on the Killer Santa sub-genre of horror movies. There are only so many different ways a guy ends up in a Santa suit, murdering people. This flick sort of flips the script, as far as it can, anyway. The reveal won’t blow your socks off. Nevertheless, it will disturb the hell out of you. That’ll also explain, later in the film, why early on so many penises are cut off; not that misandry isn’t my thing, because it kind of is, y’know. (sorry, not sorry.) Highlight: Santa humping the air with a pair of garden shears. It’ll be more horrifying when you actually figure out who the character is in the reveal later on.

11) Krampus

What I anticipated as being a cheesy Christmas movie with a few scares turned out to be a few good scares with a deliciously twisted Christmas movie wrapped around it. Krampus is, essentially, set around what happens when a family made up of staunch Republicans and Democrats have to come together for the holidays, co-existing in one relatively small space for a matter of days on end. So, when one boy starts taking the season for granted, wishing his family weren’t a bunch of shitheads, the folklore figure Krampus lays siege to his neighbourhood, his home, and decides to take the kid a lesson. Not only is there some enjoyable holiday horror, this flick is funny. The cast is phenomenal – Adam Scott, Toni Collette, David Koechner, and Allison Tolman play the couples, all in-laws with their kids. And the young actors are pretty great, too. It’s Krampus and his legion of mischievous creatures that seal the deal. From toys coming to evil life to gingerbread men attacks and more, the horror is as fun as the comedy. What do I love most about Krampus? It’s not necessarily the typical Christmas movie, in that it may not end up where you expect. In a lot of ways, this story stays true to the Krampus legends. That means be good, boys and girls. Else you’ll get a visit, and it won’t be from no Santa Claus, either.

12) The X-Files Double Feature Season 5, Episode 6: “Christmas Carol”

Not only is this a Christmas episode of The X-Files, one of my most beloved shows on television, ever, this is also an episode that plays into the overall series mythology, as well as a strong, emotional, personal dive into the history of Agent Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson), whose infertility plays a large part in the story. When Scully goes home for the holidays, she soon starts getting strange phone calls. She winds up in the midst of an investigation, which soon proves to reveal things about her own past, things that, on the surface, look too impossible to be true. Even though the Christmas connection here isn’t huge, it provided Vince Gilligan & Co. a reason to have Scully reunite with family, setting off all the personal issues and emotions she faces throughout the episode. There’s a second part conclusion, “Emily” – that one doesn’t have anything to do with Christmas. But “Christmas Carol” is absolutely an interesting part of the series, not just a one-off holiday episode, rather a big piece in Scully’s puzzle. But let’s move on to the other Christmas episode of the series, one that also includes Agent Fox Mulder (David Duchovny)!

Season 6, Episode 6: “How the Ghosts Stole Christmas”

Mulder’s “a left cheek sneak” fart reference gets this Christmas episode rolling with tongue planted firmly in cheek. All the better compared with Scully and her unimpressed attitude about being called out by her partner to an old house on Christmas Eve to deal with “ingrained cliches from a thousand different horror films” Mulder is, as usual, interested in. When Agent Mulder calls Agent Scully out to a creepy house they’ll be staking out, both the agents get more than they bargained for after they get inside and the house is much more than it seems. A dash of haunted house, a little Christmas spirit, some laughs, some scares and an intense showdown in the friendship between Agents Scully and Mulder. A fun, eerie, suspenseful chapter of The X-Files, pitting that usual sceptical, empirical mind of Scully against the ever theoretical, hopeful belief of Mulder, as the two FBI agents search through the old place. They even run into Ed Asner and Lily Tomlin who play the couple living in the house. Lots of good stuff. Good, weird fun for the holidays!

13) The Twilight Zone Double Feature Season 2, Episode 11: “Night of the Meek”

Art Carney is a treasure. The Twilight Zone‘s “Night of the Meek” is only one of the reasons why. This is the tale of a department store Santa who’s fallen into the bottle a bit hard. But he knows it. And he knows too much, about the world, about pain, of struggle, all those things. What starts out as a depressing tale of a rundown man becomes something else entirely. Not the typical Rod Serling-style fare that you’d expect. Definitely magical, fantastical, and like many great Twilight Zone episodes, there’s a message behind the story, about the nature of giving versus receiving during the holidays.

Season 3, Episode 14: “Five Characters in Search of an Exit”

There’s not much to say about this one, because saying too much runs the fun. Maybe don’t even pay much attention to the pictures, either. Anyway, “Five Characters in Search of an Exit” is not simply a Christmas-adjacent episode of The Twilight Zone, it’s one of the top ten greatest episodes of television that exists. Some people will tell you that’s not true, that it’s an overrated episode which gets more credit than it deserves. Fuck those people. This episode is tight, it is tense, and the reveal is worth a thousand twists in other films and television. You won’t realise it’s a Christmas episode until you get to those final moments. When all is revealed, then you’ll understand.

14) Terry Gilliam’s Brazil

Another cheat. Not a Christmas movie. However, it does feature Christmas, to a degree. It’s set during Christmastime, one of the initial scenes involves a family enjoying the holiday together in their quaint apartment before the ever present bureaucracy in their dystopian society comes crashing through the living room, into their lives. Brazil‘s all about bureaucracy. Terry Gilliam uses Christmas to exemplify the materialism of this society where he sees us headed. We’re caught up in his weird world, where every dumb custom, every rule, every last little thing is enforced, and everything costs money, and shopping is like one of the deepest circles in Dante Alighieri’s Hell. In short, Gilliam’s Brazil presents Christmas in its purest, most rotten economic form. Much as I love the holidays, he’s not wrong.

15) American Horror Story Season 2, Episode 8: “Unholy Night”

I love American Horror Story. Fuck the haters. Season 2: Asylum has a special place in my chilly little heart because of the themes and the location, just an all around terror. The eighth episode the season, “Unholy Night”, is a particularly creepy chapter of Asylum. There’s lots of naughty stuff going on at Briarcliff, between the devil using Sister Mary Eunice (Lily Rabe) as his Earthly plaything, a stark raving mad Ian McShane playing a man traumatised by the holiday season, and much more. It’s McShane who makes this episode so memorable. He does appear in a second episode afterwards, but it’s this one where he leaves his best, darkest mark. At the start of the episode his criminal Santa’s laying out what he’ll do to a couple he has tied up, and his remark to the husband – as well as the look on his face while saying the line – is chilling beyond chilling. Even if you don’t like the series, this episode is worth watching if you want some Christmas horror. And there’s some horror, as is usual for AHS. Try not to laugh when McShane bawls: “Well I don‘t wanna be in your shitty picture, then.” Just be prepared for lots of horrific, unsettling holiday horror around the handful of laughs.

16) Syfy’s Happy!

Happy! stars Chris Meloni as a washed up hitman who starts seeing a little kidnapped girl’s imaginary friend, a blue, flying unicorn (voiced by comedian Patton Oswalt) after the girl is taken by a psycho, meth smoking Santa Claus. Not sure if there’ll be a Season 2, but Season 1 takes place during the holiday season, obviously, as a really bad Santa is the focus of the crime plot. Surrounding that is a ton of mayhem, laughs a-plenty, two excellent performances from Meloni and Oswalt, and on top of that? It’s violent as hell, just as twisted. The visuals are exactly like a comic book, seeing as how the story comes from a Grant Morrison work. Check this out, because Season 1’s been perfectly messed up TV for the holiday season! It isn’t horror, so to speak, yet it has the right amount of madness to be proudly on this list.

Father Gore’s Films & TV to Ruin Christmas Ahhhhh. The house smells of cinnamon and cookies, it's warm, cozy. Hot chocolate, egg nog with an extra drop of something in it.

#A Christmas Carol #And All Through the House #Christmas Horror #Happy!#Ian McShane #Killer Santa #Krampus #Rod Serling #Sint #slasher #Tales from the Crypt #Twilight Zone #X Files

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