#it’s giving afterlife with Archie vibes

[sjhawkins]

Wam Reads 2024: Jughead: The Hunger Vol. One TP

Returning to the Archie Horror line of books, it’s time to get my gnashers into a more meaty read: Jughead The Hunger. A series which launched off the popularity of a one-shot, how does this stack up compared to much loved Sabrina and Afterlife with Archie books?

With no prior knowledge of this series before reading, I have to say I was pleasantly surprised with the direction taken. Rather than the more spine-tingling horror of Sabrina or the black comedy of Afterlife, Jughead the Hunger has a more campy 80s horror movie vibe. And this works wonderfully, as there is a lot going on within these first four issues as Frank Tieri sets up his version of Riverdale and the supporting cast.

Meshing together some classic werewolf horror tropes, coming of age, along with, of course the loveable nonsense of Riverdale character dynamics, Jughead is established to be a sympathetic character. Discovering himself to be a werewolf and out of control, he loses the life he holds dear, fleeing for the safety of well, everyone.

And things? Things don’t go to plan. For Betty is the latest in a long line of werewolf hunters, intent on eliminating Jughead. The reveal that she never was truly infatuated with Archie and used him to hide her true intentions is hilarious, and one of the many clever uses of classic Riverdale characterisations to give this story its unique twist.

The art and colouring is superb, with the softer colour palette making the gruesome scenes less gory, and more spectacular. This helps match the tone of the story, with this feeling like an action horror rather than images intent on giving you nightmares.

Overall this is a very fun read. The pacing of the issues means this is a book which won’t take you too long to get through, but there is plenty of bonus material in terms of variant covers, sketches etc for you to appreciate once you’ve finished the main issues. I’m definitely excited to see where his goes next, and just how much more trouble the hapless Jughead can get himself into!

[amandajoyce118]

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina Part 2 Easter Eggs And References

I finally finished watching this set of episodes last week, and finally got to type out all of Easter eggs and references this weekend. There will, of course, be spoilers for the episodes here, but I have a feeling anyone interested in Easter eggs has probably already watched the episodes by now.

Enjoy!

Chapter 12: The Epiphany

The Spinning Clothes Change

Well, this is straight out of the Melissa Joan Hart era of Sabrina Spellman, isn’t it?

Sister Shirley Jackson

Shirley is one of the members of the coven. Shirley Jackson, however, isn’t a fictional character. That name belongs to the woman who wrote The Haunting Of Hill House, now adapted into its own Netflix series. Brother Lovecraft is also mentioned, which is probably a nod to HP Lovecraft.

Dorian’s Grayroom

If you don’t understand that Dorian here is the title character from Oscar Wilde’s Dorian Grey, I’m going to guess you haven’t had any classic lit in your English classes yet. You will, don’t worry.

Salome

The entertainment at Dorian’s is actually a woman straight out of the Bible. She’s also the subject of an Oscar Wilde play, so someone’s a Wilde fan.

“They go low, we go high.”

Roz is a Michelle Obama fan. Another reason to like her.

“The half-witch must not ascend…”

This word choice seems purposeful considering Sabrina is from the same showrunner as Riverdale where we have a bunch of kids running around Riverdale trying to “ascend” with the Gargoyle King.

Chapter 13: The Passion Of Sabrina Spellman

Bye Bye Birdie

It’s funny that Sabrina starred in the Baxter High version of this play since the actress also dealt with it quite a bit when she was in Mad Men. Cute nod.

The Play’s Color Palette

Did anyone else get a Baz Luhrmann Romeo and Juliet vibe from this play? Or was it just me?

Archie Comics At Cerberus’

Both the regular Archie comics as well as Afterlife with Archie can be glimpsed on shelves in the store.

Theo’s Locker

Theo’s high school story feels very Carrie at times. His locker being filled with feminine products is one of those times. Fittingly, Riverdale did Carrie: The Musical in an episode as well. So, you know the showrunner is a big fan.

Chapter 14: Lupercalia

So Many Archie Comics

Sometimes, it seems like that’s all the comic book store in town has. But it’s not, as we will see in the next episode.

Adam

So, there is a Dr. Masters in Archie Comics. The character here, and the character in the comics, don’t share the same first name though, which is likely purposeful since another Dr. Masters appeared on Riverdale as well. While his last name is likely a nod to the comics, his first name is likely a nod to the mythology of Lilith. The story goes that Lilith was created before Eve, that she was actually Adam’s first wife, before leaving the garden, thinking for herself, and also being branded as the world’s first demon, Lucifer’s first wife, or the world’s first witch, depending on the interpretation of the story. It’s fitting that Lilith gets a chance with another Adam.

Chapter 15: Doctor Cerberus’ House Of Horrors

Mrs. McGarvey

She’s played by science fiction actress Veronica Cartwright. She was in such classics as Alien, The Birds, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, and The Witches of Eastwick. She also appeared in TV classics like The Twilight Zone and Alfred Hitchcock Presents.

Wonder Woman And Aquaman

The long shots of the comic book store reveal images of Wonder Woman and Aquaman on the shelving, so, now we know they sell something other than Archie comics.

Arkham

The DC universe gets another shoutout when Harvey has his reading. The school he supposedly gets into is the Arkham Colony of the Arts, a nod to the asylum for Batman’s many villains.

Howard

Interestingly, also during Harvey’s reading, his roommate Howard is a familiar face for Riverdale fans. The same actor plays Dr. Curdle Jr. on Riverdale. Now, we don’t know if Curdle’s first name is Howard or not, but it would be a nice nod to the double appearance of Ben Button on the show last season and on Riverdale. I’m curious if Greendale is like and alternate reality for the Riverdale universe at this point.

Chapter 16: Blackwood

Ray Wise

He plays the Antipope here. Ray Wise loves to play devilish characters. He’s frequently a bad guy. In fact, he already played the devil for the show Reaper. Who else was on Reaper? Aunt Hilda herself, Lucy Davis.

Chapter 17: The Missionaries

Sabrina On Her Bike

The music that plays and Salem accompanying her definitely reminded me of the Wicked Witch of the West in the Wizard of Oz, no?

Jerethiel

If anybody was paying attention to “Jerry” before the reveal that these witch hunters were angels, they would have noticed the name on his nametag. That suffix is a dead giveaway for his angelic roots. Also, cute that these angels are inspired by the Mormon religion, though I’m sure the Mormons don’t appreciate being depicted as the bad guys.

“God will forgive your original sin…”

This line confuses me since “original sin” was supposed to be eating from the tree of knowledge. Essentially, free will is original sin. But it doesn’t actually seem like that’s what the witch hunters are references, but rather just the sinful behavior of the witches in general. It’s an odd phrasing, so I threw it in here.

Sabrina The Savior

Not only does Sabrina get the crown of thorns, but she also gets pierced in the side, and holds a crucifixion pose to get things done. The imagery is clear.

Chapter 18: The Miracles Of Sabrina Spellman

(Side note: I love that Harvey made the Dark Phoenix comparison here. Anyone who has ever seen anything related to X-Men would have likely had the same thought. Sabrina not appreciating that Harvey compares her to a comic book when their entire lives are out of a comic book is also really amusing.)

Methuselah

His name is a reference to the longest living man in the Bible. But he’s played by the incomparable William B. Davis AKA the Smoking Man from the X-Files.

Chapter 19: The Mandrake

Sweetwater River

The ritual Sabrina is supposed to partake in involves making a golem and drowning your double at Sweetwater River. Sweetwater is the river that separates Greendale from Riverdale. It’s also where Jason Blossom was lost and Cheryl Blossom almost died - a set of twins, or doubles as it were. Nice symmetry.

The Ghost

The sheet thrown over Lilith’s new Adam before he tries to kill Sabrina is an homage to one of Michael Myers’ kills in Halloween.

Mandrake-Sabrina’s Scream

Okay, my first thought here was that it was a nod to the idea of mandrake roots looking like babies and how they were used in the Harry Potter series. (The Mandrake scream being fatal once mature.) But it also works as a nod to the screeching in Invasions of the Body Snatchers. We’ll call it a double egg.

Chapter 20 The Mephisto Waltz

The Episode Title

It’s taken from Mephisto, or Mephistopheles, a high ranking demon in German folklore. It’s also the name of a demon in Marvel comics, but that’s probably not related. It’s also the name for the devil in Faust, which makes another person with a name for the devil (Nick Scratch) becoming the literal embodiment of the devil rather poetic here.

“Ashes, ashes, he falls down dead…”

I like that the sisters decide to kill Blackwood using a spell to the tune of “Ring Around The Roses,” which was actually a song about a plague. Were they trying to give him a plague? Fitting.

“Not today, Satan.”

Glad to see modern pop culture makes its way into Greendale outside of horror movies and comic books.

The Archies

Sabrina still has her thermos for the fictional Archie comics band in her room. I’m sure there are tons of Easter eggs in her room if we could actually see everything. Just like Harvey still having Archie artwork on his walls.

Masquerade

The song is from Phantom of the Opera, in case anyone watching the show doesn’t love musical theater as much as the rest of us.

That’s it! That’s all I’ve got, though I’m sure I’ve missed some since I’m not as well versed in horror and probably didn’t catch all of the movie references.

[trashforprincipalhoney]

Finished CAOS. SPOILERS FOR ALL EPISODES AHEAD. 

While there were some episodes and moments I really loved.. it was mostly just fine. AND THAT’S OKAY. Sometimes shows need some time until they get really good. 

Thought the best part of the show was the monster/case-of-the-week stuff from episode 5 to episode 9. A lot of the attempts at grander mythology or world-building or mysteries didn’t work for me. Like none of these Grand Plans of LITERAL SATAN or demons or hundred year old witches feels especially Grand or even clever? 

Favourite characters: Prudence, Harvey and Ambrose.

Sabrina, I liked a lot. Went into it with the reviews about Kiernan’s performance on my mind, and yeah sometimes with the trademark RAS dialogue it sounds bad and some of the yelling bits were iffy, but Kiernan really pulls it out the bag in the quiet emotional moments. But the character.... WITCH YOU DONE FUCKED UP! #TommyKinkle #Wehardlyknewye #Gonebutnotforgotten #ThehotterKinkle,noshadetoHarvey,he’sstillhot

I loved the vibe Zelda was giving off at the start, but then it got a bit much (especially with the flagellation), but then it circled back at the end. I love (1) babynapping QUEEN!

Feel bad saying because I love Lucy Davis and I’m rooting for her but Hilda was giving me nothing?! But her werewolf (?) boyfriend should make things interesting.

Nicholas Scratch... I eyeroll every time he comes on screen. Smarm city. Y are u so obsessed with Sabrina ya creep?

That Luke guy Ambrose is hooking up with: I DO NOT TRUST HIM! Also he is under the influence, so I cannot in good conscience ship he and Ambrose. What is it with RAS and his thing for making every m/m ship problematic? If it’s not going into a relationship to spy for a gang or cheating or being pushy with sex/low key trying to out someone it’s love potions! 

The other two Weird Sisters can choke on Cain soil for all I care.

Loved Susie, but I must’ve dosed off for a while because where the fuck did that ancestor ghost come from?! Also didn’t like how everyone in the mortal gang ended up having some connection to magic... this isn’t The Flash, everyone shouldn’t be getting powers! Roz was cool but didn’t really have much to do?

Mrs. Wardwell was another disappointment. Michelle Gomez was trying her darnedest to make it happen but I never felt that ICONIQUE villain je ne sais quoi.

The “orgy” scene... lmao, weak, Sense8 retains the crown.

Biggest disappointment was episode 9 where I felt they were on the brink of going full Afterlife With Archie zombie apocalypse but then held back.. DO IT YOU COWARDS! 

Favourite moments:

THE EXORCISM! Gave me chills.

When Prudence went to Baxter High, comedy GOLD!

The entire fifth episode.

Them blowing the music budget in the first few episodes so I didn’t have to hear Tubular Bells during the exorcism episode. You know they’d have played it if they could afford it!

Dug lots of the Sabrina/Harvey stuff, the most emotional I got was during the long scene at the Kinkle family table where the truth comes out.

IN CONCLUSION: Liked it. A lot of the stuff in the finale had me interested to see what happens next. The warlocks vs. witches stuff, Hilda’s bf being a creature, the mortals dealing with no Sabrina. Also stuff that hasn’t been answered like what really happened to the Spellmans.

Give me the Harvey/Ambrose/Prudence OT3 of my dreams next season and I’ll stan for life.

Also the Netflix way of consuming media is soulless and just gives me a headache. Much prefer the “everyone sit round at an appointed time each week for 1 episode” model, even with the hiatuses and breaks that make us all hate it.

[buzzdixonwriter]

Inefficient As Hell

It only took 49 years, but I finally saw Haunts Of The Very Rich, a 1972 ABC-TV MoW (movie of the week).

For those unfamiliar with the term, a MoW was a 75 minute made for TV movie in a 90 minute time slot.  ABC made more than 250 of these over a 6 year period, modern day versions of the programmers and B-movies of the 1930s and 40s.  

Many MoWs served as pilots for later series (The Six Million Dollar Man, Kolchak:  The Night Stalker, etc.), a few were attempts at serious drama (Brian’s Song, That Certain Summer, etc.), a couple were surprisingly good (Duel, Trilogy Of Terror, etc.)…

…and most were like Haunts Of The Very Rich.

It’s pretty much a quintessential example, showing all the strengths and weaknesses of the form:  Sensationalistic story, stellar (at least by TV standards) cast, plus enough time and budget to be more technically proficient and aesthetically pleasing than a typical TV episode are the plus side of the equation; cliché’, hackneyed, predictable, turgid, and astonishingly offensive for racial sensitivities of the era.

If the title didn’t tip you already, the first two minutes hammer the point home:  They’re DEAD!!!  And they’re going to HELL!!!

Okay, dynamite TV cast for the era:   Lloyd Bridges, Cloris Leachman, Edward Asner, Anne Francis, Robert Reed, Donna Mills, Tony Bill, and Moses Gunn all turn in performances ranging from good to very good indeed.

Paul Wendkos director, a respected journeyman director who never made it to the A-list but worked consistently in film and TV across a wide range of genres.  He demonstrated an unsuspected flair for the supernatural in his best known theatrical film, The Mephisto Waltz, and manages to bring that same sensibility to Haunts…

Script?  Eh, don’t ask…  William Wood’s teleplay (story by T.K. Brown III, which I suspect is a pseudonym) is a ripoff of the 1923 play Outward Bound already filmed twice as Outward Bound and Between Two Worlds, but to modern audiences it looks like a Twilight Zone mash-up of Gilligan’s / Fantasy Island.

Seven very rich people (upper middle class bourgeoise, if you ask me) find themselves on a mysterious jetliner taking them to Seacrist, a tropical vacation destination, run by Mr. Seacrist (Gunn) in an all-white outfit than anticipates Mr. Roarke’s wardrobe by a good five years. 

I strongly suspect all the wealthy characters initially represented the seven deadly sins (pride, greed, wrath, envy, lust, gluttony and sloth) but by the time ABC got through mucking with it those distinctions were lost.

Not that it matters.  The seven stooges arrive and run through their various melodramas.  Seacrist resort is cut off from the outside world by a hurricane.  The native help abandons the resort, Mr. Seacrist goes off to find help, the rest of the cast mopes around as resources and tempers grown thin, and it finally dawns on them that they’re DEAD!!!  And they’re in HELL!!!

Folks, ///National Lampoon/// did that as a one panel cartoon called “Presbyterian Hell.”  EC’s Tales From The Crypt would have batted this one out in 6 pages.  As a half hour Twilight Zone it would feel padded (it might have worked as a short segment on Night Gallery).

Despite Wendkos and the cast doing their (dare I say it?  I dare…) damnedest to make the material work, but that script is a killer and not in the good sense.

Case in point #1: Mr. Seacrist is of African descent (Gunn provides him with an erudite, quasi-British colonial accent suggesting a Caribbean background), the staff -- “They understand English but I’ve instructed them not to speak it” (yeah, so the producers don’t have to pay for speaking parts) -- are either Native Americans or of African descent.

The stooges actually comment how surprised they are that Mr. Seacrist is running the show because native staff is one thing, but isn’t there usually a white guy in charge of everything?

Say wha -- ?!?!?  This was 1972, people might still be thinking that b.s. but only Archie Bunker would be saying it out loud.

Case in point #2:   Timothy Leary, Bishop Pike, and Carlos Castaneda’s The Teachings of Don Juan were pretty well known to the American public in 1972, and so Robert Reed’s reverend was given a big anti-drug scene.  I suspect the heavy handed anti-drug message was added not only to blunt (no pun intended) his character’s earlier mention of peyote but also to undercut the pretty chilling “there is no afterlife” context of the original scene.  (Despite this, it’s still the most best thing in Haunts… and Reed shows some fine acting chops here).

Case in point #3:  Lloyd Bridges is a married serial adulterer with a clinging wife he can’t stand who briefly enjoys a romantic fling with the equally married Cloris Leachmen (though if they’re dead, their wedding vows are now null and void).  Bridges’ wife can’t live without him and kills herself, showing up at the end to make his hell complete.

It’s hilarious when it happens to Harcourt Fenton Mudd in Star Trek, it’s horrific for all the wrong reasons here.

Why should she be eternally punished for his being an asshole?

Which leads us to the observation poised in the title of this post:  If this be hell, it’s a damned inefficient one.

Seacrist the vacation / damnation destination is actually the Villa Vizcaya in Florida and I must admit it’s a great location, a huge sprawling estate that gives off the same familiar-yet-somewhat-odd vibe as Portmeirion, Wales did for The Prisoner.

But in the context of the story, why go to all that effort to torment just seven people?  

Ever see Johnny Got His Gun?  The wounded WWI vet in that is blind / deaf / mute / limbless / unable to eat or taste anything (his genitals are still attached and functioning; rendering him the polar opposite of Jake Barnes in Ernest Hemingway’s ///The Sun Also Rises///) is trapped forever in an eternal sensationless hell.  Why go to the trouble of this elaborate stage show that lasts less than a week when these poor bastards are going to be stuck there for hundreds of thousands of millions of billions of trillions of years? Just shove ‘em in airtight boxes and stack ‘em away in a hot room.

The only thing that would make sense about Seacrist would be if it’s not Hell but Purgatory, and the stooges’ suffering will eventually guide them through to eternal bliss.

I suspect that’s what Mr. Seacrist started as; an allusion to “see Christ” but the network suits apparently freaked out over that and made him just a run of the mill sinister host.

 . . .

BTW, I caught Haunts… on the Creature Features channel on YouTube.  Vincent, Tangella and Mr. Livingston picked up the torch (or should I say cigar?) from the late John Stanley and are churning out episode after entertaining episode.  I find they strike the right balance of humor and informative interviews and the show is delightful.  Check ‘em out.

 © Buzz Dixon 

[aresaphrodites]

Riverdale PLEASE!!!!!

The classic ;) thank you, nonnie!

Send me a show/fandom and ill answer -

Top 5 favourite characters: Jughead, Cheryl, Betty, FP Jones, AliceOther characters you like: Kevin, Joaquin, FredLeast favourite characters: Archie’s annoying to me right now.Otps: Bughead, Archeryl Notps: B*rchie Favourite friendships: Uhhhh…. Cheryl/Ronnie. Jughead/Betty. Favourite family: FP and Jughead. The Cooper’s. Favourite episodes: The last two episodes.Favourite season/book/movie: I mean we only have one season so… the comics are badass though. Afterlife with Archie, the Jughead series, the new Archie series, and Jughead the Hunger.Favourite quotes: “It’s called necrophilia, Reggie. Can you spell it?”Best musical moment: Archie and Ronnie singing Kids in America. Josie and the pussycats singing Candy Girl.Moment that made you fangirl/boy the hardest: BUGHEAD’S FIRST KISS AND THE KITCHEN SCENE. JUGHEAD PUTTING ON THE JACKET.When it really disappointed you: When everyone had issues with Jughead? Fuck out of here with that.Saddest moment: Watching Jason’s death. Most well done character death: Umm… Clifford Blossom’s? Idk. Bye bitchFavourite guest star: Can we classify Trevor as a guest star?Favourite cast member: Cole Character you wish was still alive: Jason :( One thing you hope really happens: BUGHEAD ENDGAME. FP IS FREED.Most shocking twist: Clifford killing Jason.When did you start watching/reading?: As soon as it came out. Best animal/creature: Hotdog and Vegas. Favourite location: Pop’s. :-)Trope you wish they would stop using: The whole “my best gay” shit needs to stop already, it’s annoying af. One thing this show/book/film does better than others: Teen investigators. I like the whole mystery vibe it has going on. Funniest moments: Alice throwing a brick through the Register’s window and calling Hal a bastard.Couple you would like to see: Archeryl. Or Cheryl with someone who is going to love and support her.Actor/Actress you want to join the cast: Uhhh, idk really. I don’t care.Favourite outfit: Betty’s wardrobe is so cute to me. Her homecoming (was it homecoming?) dress was adorable. I love the River Vixen’s costumes too.Favourite item: Jughead’s beanie.Do you own anything related to this show/book/film?: Yepppp. What house/team/group/friendship group/family/race etc would you be in?: I’d probably be one of Cheryl’s little minions if we’re being completely serious right now. Most boring plotline: Grundy. Shit made no sense whatsoever. Most laughably bad moment: Anytime Archie says anything ever.Best flashback/flashfoward if any: Ummm… have we had any? Besides Jason’s death? I guess the scenes with Polly and Jason’s relationship.Most layered character: Jughead Jones.Most one dimensional character: Archie Andrews. Hermione Lodge.Scariest moment: When I thought my man FP was going to be wrongly done!!Grossest moment: Probably seeing Jason all botched Best looking male: FP JonesBest looking female: Cheryl Blossom Who you’re crushing on (if any): Jughead Favourite cast moment: Ya’ll know my ass is here for Sprousehart moments. Any Lil/Cole moments are golden to me.Favourite transportation: None so far. Someone give Juggie a motorcycle already.Most beautiful scene (scenery/shot wise): The scene with Cheryl falling into the ice. The background and everything was just gorgeous.Unanswered question/continuity issue/plot error that bugs you: What was the point of Grundy??? Like seriously. Can someone answer me this????Best promo: All of it honestly. At what point did you fall in love with this show/book: Before I even started watching. 

[jugandbettsdetectiveagency]

I just came as my sweet angelic self and suggested some fun and unique titles for fics. I don't see the problem 😇😇😇

I can see Jughead taking a whole rotisserie chicken into a cinema, not gonna lie. And moldy pineapples, stale chips and damp basements give me a very Afterlife with Archie vibe. 

Zombie!Bughead au where he gets bitten while they’re watching a horror movie at the drive in, chicken and all, and then there’s like a whole Frankenstein vibe where he hides himself away in the Cooper’s basement shamefully, listening through pipes and catching glimpses as Betty mourns his death. 

And then he follows her through life, always in the shadows, always letting her stay just out of reach, never wanting to interfere. Because he’s a monster now, and what girl could ever love a monster?

THERE! Are you happy????