SEASON'S GREIVINGS!!

I just wanted to wish everyone a Very Merry Christmas, a very Happy Holiday season and safe and Happy New Year!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY VAMPIRA!

Born Maila Elizabeth Syrjäniemi (later changing her name to Maila Nurmi), on December 11th, 1922, Vampira went on to become one of the most famous and most recognizable horror hosts in the history of television. Maila also ventured into film, most prominently featured in Ed Wood Jr.'s Plan 9 From Outer Space. Vampira's signature look, often imitated, especially by the scream queen herself Elvira, was actally borrowed from Charles Addams' famous cartoon The Addams Family's main matriarch Morticia Addams. Vampira went on to become a major horror icon, even becoming the subject of many songs, the most famous being Vampira by horrorpunk legends The Misfits.
Read all about Vampira's career on her Wikipedia page. Happy Birthday to the original Queen of Halloween!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RICK BAKER!

I would like to wish a very Happy Birthday to Academy Award winning make-up artist extraordinaire Rick Baker, born December 8, 1950. Inspired by legendary Hollywood make-up artist Jack Pierce, Rick's first major professional make-up work was assisting the famous Dick Smith with the make-up work on The Exorcist. From there, Rick quickly established himself as one of the best horror and special effects make-up artists in the film industry. In 1981, Rick received an Academy Award for his work on An American Werewolf In London, the first ever Award given in this category. In fact, the category for Best Make-up Effects was actually created because of Rick's work on An American Werewolf In London. Read all about Rick's amazing career on his Wikipedia page. Happy Birthday to one of Hollywood's greatest monster makers, Rick Baker!

MONSTER SPOOKSHOW RADIO #19, "CRYPTMAS" SPECIAL!

Season's Beatings and Ghoultide Greetings,

and welcome to the 2009 "Cryptmas" installment of

MONSTER SPOOKSHOW RADIO!

The holiday season is finally upon us, so make sure you've been naughty, or else!
Sandy Claws is on his way, so make sure you're prepared!

This months' festive, festering rockers are:

CHRISTMAS NIGHT OF ZOMBIES - MxPx
SHOT MY BABY FOR CHRISTMAS - The Vaudevilles
MONSTER'S HOLIDAY - Bobby "Boris" Pickett
GOD REST YE MERRY GRIM GRINNING GHOSTS - from Haunted Mansion Holiday
YOU'RE A MEAN ONE, MR. GRINCH - The Van Orsdels
PSYCHO - The Western Caravan
DEAD BY XMAS - Hanoi Rocks
I KILLED SANTA CLAUS - Creeping Cruds
MAKING CHRISTMAS - Danny Elfman
CHRISTMAS AT GROUND ZERO - Weird Al Yankovic
IT'S A MONSTER HOLIDAY - Buck Owens
12 DAYS OF CRYPTMAS - The Cryptkeeper
NEW YEARS EVE IN A HAUNTED HOUSE - Raymond Scott
HAPPY GHOULTIDE - Roy Odis
IF I DON'T GET TO GO TO A CHRISTMAS PARTY - Frankenstein's Monster
THE SOUNDS OF CHRISTMAS - Len Maxwell
AUD LANG SYNE - The Lothars
WE WISH YOU A SCAAARY CHRISTMAS - Count Scary
DON'T OPEN TIL DOOMSDAY - The Misfits


Just click the image above to get the latest installment of
MONSTER SPOOKSHOW RADIO!

Enjoy......Happy Holidays and Happy Haunting!

George Van Orsdel

HAPPY THANKSGIVING YOU TURKEYS!

I just want to wish all of you folks a very Happy Thanksgiving. I know I personally have tons to be thankful for this year...I have been blessed with a beautiful son, Zachary Price (he'll be 3 months old on December 2nd), a wonderful wife and a new home since July, so it's been a great year for me. Here's hoping your Thanksgiving treats you well and stuffs your bellies!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY FORREST J. ACKERMAN!

When I was a little boy, I remember going to the newsstand with my dad. There, among the typical magazines was tucked away a magazine, whose cover I could barely see, but I plucked it off the newsstand, and lo and behold my life would change forever, it was Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine, the creation of the ultimate fanboy, Forrest J. Ackerman! Forrest J. Ackerman, also known as Mr. Science Fiction, 4SJ, Uncle Forry, Dr. Ackula, the Ackermonster, among many others, was born November 24th, 1916, and went on to create possibly the most influential and often copied monster magazine the world has even known. I was the ultimate Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine fan (still owning a nice collection of back issues), and in turn becoming a fan of Uncle Forry himself. I eventually grew to admire Forrest for his passion for monster and sci-fi movies. In fact, Forrest is actually credited as coining the phrase "sci-fi". Forrest J. Ackerman and Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine went on to be one of the single most influential sources to many a filmmaker, including, but not limited to, Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, John Landis, Rick Baker, among many others. Forrest sadly passed away last December 8th, but he will forever live in the hearts of monster movie fans. Read all about Forrest's life on his Wikipedia page. Happy Birthday Forrest, you will forever be loved and missed!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BORIS KARLOFF!

Born William Henry Pratt, on November 23rd, 1887, Boris Karloff went on to become the most famous and recognized actors in the horror genre, earning the title "King of Monsters". Although he has performed in over 80 films before starring in the movie that made him a star, Frankenstein (1931), Boris Karloff went on to become a massive success, not only in films, but radio, stage and eventually on television. Boris went on to play such fantastic characters as the Frankenstein monster, The Mummy, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and many many more. I credit Boris Karloff on a personal level as being the reason I got into horror to begin with. As a small child I watched Frankenstein and it forever changed me into the horror fanatic I am today. Boris had a magnificent career, which has had a lasting influence on many actors and filmmakers.I was fortunate enough to have the pleasure of interviewing the daughter of Boris Karloff, Sara Karloff (pictured above with Boris) at Spooky Empire's Ultimate Horror Weekend last October. She shared some wonderful personal stories about her dad, and it was definitely a great experience for me, being such a huge fan of her father. Below are some pictures from our meeting. To read more about Boris' incredible life and career, check out his Wikipedia page. Happy Birthday Boris!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CLAUDE RAINS!

Born William Claude Rains on November 10th, 1889, we first saw (or should I say didn't see) Claude in his first starring role as The Invisible Man, directed by James Whale. Claude started his acting career on the London stage, but soon made the transition to film. After The Invisible Man, Claude started building up quite a hefty resumé of film, starring in such classics as The Adventures of Robin Hood, with Errol Flynn, Casablanca, co-starring Humphrey Bogart, and in Alfred Hitchcock's Notorious. Claude also established himself in the horror genre, starting of course with The Invisible Man, then starring as another classic monster, The Phantom Of The Opera. We also know Claude as Larry Talbot's concerned father in Universal Studio's classic The Wolf Man. Read more about Claude's amazing career on his Wikipedia page.
Happy Birthday Claude!

MONSTER SPOOKSHOW RADIO No. 18

Hell-o Ghosties and Ghoulies,
and welcome to the 18th installment of

MONSTER SPOOKSHOW RADIO!

November is upon us, and the end of another year is slowly creeping up.
This month's Monster Spookshow Radio serves you up a nice menu that is sure
to be a tasty treat!

This month's devilish delicacies are:

PLASTIC MONSTERS - Mad Sin
MY UNDEAD BRIDE - The Matadors
HAUNTED FINK - The Finks
IT'S A MUMMY - The Chimps
WALKING DEAD - The Independents
THE VOODOOD MAN - The Del-Vikings
SPOOKY MOVIES - Roy Clark
GRAVEROBBERS FROM OUTER SPACE - PsychoCharger
PET SEMETERY - The Ramones
SAVE IT FOR THE VAMPIRES - King Dapper Combo
RIBOFLAVIN FLAVORED - 45 Grave
MAN-MADE MONSTER - Plan 9
MR. GHOST GOES TO TOWN - 5 Jones Boys
MONSTER MASH - Vincent Price
THEME FROM SPIDER-BABY - Lon Chaney Jr.
SURFIN' HEARSE - Jan and Dean
I WAS A TEENAGE WEREWOLF - Creeping Cruds

Just click the image above to get the latest installment of
MONSTER SPOOKSHOW RADIO!

Enjoy......and Happy Haunting!

George Van Orsdel

Dia De Los Muertos (Day Of The Dead)

Happy Dia De Los Muertos! For those of you not familiar with the celebration, Dia De Los Muertos (also known as Day of the Dead and All Souls Day),is a holiday celebrated in Mexico which focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died. The celebration occurs on November 1st, and November 2nd in connection with the Catholic holiday of All Saints' Day which occurs on November 1st and All Souls' Day which occurs on November 2nd. Traditions include building private altars honoring the deceased, using sugar skulls, marigolds, and the favorite foods and beverages of the departed, and visiting graves with these as gifts.
I've always wanted to visit Mexico and participate in the festivities. To read more about Dia De Los Muertos, check out the Wikipedia page.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Well, it's finally here, the day we've all been waiting for...HALLOWEEN! I am extremely excited, since this is my first Halloween in my new home, and with some recently acquired Halloween decorations, courtesy of Walgreens' clearance, I have made my house the spookiest on my block! I'm going to start the day with some traditional Halloween shows, It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, The Halloween Tree, and others, then patiently wait for the trick or treaters to arrive...then once the kiddies all go to bed, it'll be time to drag out the big scares, with Night Of The Living Dead, John Carpenter's Halloween, Trick 'R Treat, and as many as my tired old body will allow me to stay up to watch!
I hope you all have a wonderfullly spooktacular Halloween, be safe and don't eat too much candy...and don't forget to crank up my Monster Spookshow Radio Halloween Spooktular!!

Happy Haunting!
George Van Orsdel

Countdown, Day 30, 1 more day til Halloween: The Old dark House (1932)

The Old Dark House, starring the King of Monsters, Boris Karloff, Charles Laughton, Ernest Thesiger and Gloria Stuart, was released in 1932 by Universal Studios, shortly after the release of the classic Frankenstein. James Whale once again shows his talent for mixing the spooky with the laughs as he did so brilliantly in The Bride of Frankenstein. The Old Dark House centers around a group of travelers, while seeking shelter from a storm, are admitted to a gloomy, foreboding mansion belonging to the extremely strange Femm family. Trying to make the best of it, the guests must deal with their sepulchral host, Horace Femm (wonderfully played by Ernest Thesiger), who claims to be on the run from the police, and his religious, obsessive, malevolent sister, Rebecca (Eva Moore). Things get worse as the brutish mute butler, Morgan (played by Boris Karloff, in a role similar to the Frankenstein monster), gets drunk, runs amok, threatens Margaret Waverton (The Imvisible Man's Gloria Stuart) and releases the long pent-up brother, Saul, a psychotic fantasist and pyromaniac who gleefully tries to destroy the residence by setting it on fire.
This movie set the standard for the "old dark house" type of films, such as William Castle's House On Haunted Hill. Below I am posting a link to The Old Dark House on YouTube (embedding is disabled unfortunately), but you can see all 10 parts on YouTube. Watch it, it's definitely an underrated classic! just click the image below and enjoy some spooky fun!

Countdown, Day 29, 2 more days til Halloween: Idle Hands (1999)

Idle Hands, starring Devon Sawa, Jessica Alba and Seth Green, centers around the main character, Seventeen year old slacker Anton Tobias, who wakes up one Halloween morning to discover that both of his parents have been turned into two headless Halloween decorations. After speaking to his equally irresponsible friends, Mick and Pnub, he discovers that his right hand has a blood-thirsty mind of its own and is hell-bent on wreaking havoc whether he likes it or not. Anton's "hand" goes on a murder spree that climaxes at his high school's Halloween dance. Idle Hands is a great horror/comedy, featuring some great kills, some decent laughs and some cool music. If you haven't seen it, check it out!

Countdown, Day 28, 3 days left til Halloween: Night Of The Demons (1988)

"Angela is having a party, Jason and Freddy are too scared to come. But You'll have a hell of a time." This little gem was made in 1988, and starred scream queen Linnea Quigley and Amelia Kinkade as Angela. Spooky Angela decides to host a Halloween party at an old funeral parlor. Things quickly start getting dull after the power goes out so Angela suggests séance, which unwittingly unleashes a demon and all hell breaks loose! This 80s cheesefest is actually a fun film to watch, and of course takes place in Halloween night! Night Of The Demons actually spawned 2 sequels and recent remake. Be careful when you conduct your séances on Halloween night, you might get what you wish for!

Countdown, Day 27, 4 more days til Halloween: The Misfits - Halloween 7"

The Misfits released Halloween in 1981 on the band's own Plan 9 Records, but little did they know the song would go on to be a Halloween punk rock classic. Here is a cool little fan-made video for The Misfits' song Halloween. I thought it was pretty cool, so I decided to share,...enjoy!

Countdown, Day 26: More Vintage Halloween Pin-ups

Here are some more vintage Halloween pin-ups for you!

Countdown, day 25: The Vault Of Horror (1973)

The Vault Of Horror was the follow-up film to Amicus Films' Tales From The Crypt, and again, Amicus found source material from EC Comics' The Vault Of Horror comic books. The success of the Tales From The Crypt film motivated Amicus to quickly release this follow-up film. And again, the stories were taken directly from the comic books themselves. The Vault Of Horror wasn't as great as Tales From The Crypt, but it was still a very good film, great talents involved and the always wonderful Amicus feel. Watch it for yourself and tell me what you think!

Countdown, Day 24: Tales From The Crypt (1972)

Since we're on the topic of anthology films, here is another classic, Tales From The Crypt, released in 1972, this film is based on the classic EC comics, featuring stories ripped straight from the pages of the Tales From The Crypt comic books themselves. Starring one of my favorite horror actors Peter Cushing and Ralph Richardson, Tales From The Crypt was one of many "anthology" films released by British film company Amicus Films. If you haven't treated yourself to this film, or any of the Amicus films for that matter, then you are doing yourself a great disservice.

Countdown, Day 23: Creepshow

From the twisted minds of George Romero and Stephen King comes Creepshow, a tribute to the old EC comics Tales From The Crypt comic books. Here we have a classic example of an anthology film: 5 different stories, with a wrap-around story to tie them all in. This is one of my favorite Halloween time films to watch, it's got horror, humor and the feel of a good old fashioned horror comic book! Creepshow is a fun film to watch, with a decent cast and great stories!

Countdown, Day 22: SPOOKS and WOT A NIGHT cartoons

Here we have 2 different spooky cartoons, both made during the 1930's. The first cartoon, Spooks, features Flip the Frog, a character drawn and created by Ub Iwerks, who worked on the Disney classic "Skeleton Dance" as well as "Skeleton Frolic" (both featured in my Halloween countdown). In Spooks, Flip finds himself caught in a storm and decides to seek shelter in a creepy old house. There he comes across a seemingly friendly skeleton host who invites him to dinner, unaware that his host has more sinister plans for poor 'ol Flip.



Next we have Wot A Night, filmed in 1931, featuring Tom and Jerry (not the cat and mouse, but 2 characters created by the Van Beuren Studios, many years before MGM did their cat and mouse cartoons). Tom and Jerry are 2 taxi drivers who pick up a couple of odd, bearded men and give them a ride to a creepy old castle. There, our heroes find themselves surrounded by spooks and musical skeletons.



These cartoons are both great finds and perfect examples of how spooky themes were so prevalent even back in the 1930s. You have to remember some of the greatest classic monster films came from the 1930s, Dracula, Frankenstein, King Kong as well as many others. I hope you enjoy the cartoons!

Countdown, Day 21: Night Of The Living Dead

The movie that started it all...flesh-eating zombies! Yes, zombies have been featured in motion pictures for many years, going back to the 1930s with films such as "White Zombie", but George Romero's classic Night Of The Living Dead started a genre that to this day is continuously imitated and duplicated. And although this film may have been inspired by other films, there had been no other film like it. It definitely broke ground for decades of zombies films to come, it also launched a very successful franchise for George Romero, which include the films Dawn Of The Dead, Day Of The Dead and Land Of The Dead. I had the pleasure of interviewing some of the folks involved in the film 2 weeks ago at Spooky Empire's Ultimate Horror Weekend. I Spoke with Bill Hinzman (cemetery zombie), Russell Streiner (Johnny), George Kasana (the sheriff) and John Russo (screenplay writer), and it was great hearing some of the behind-the-scenes stories they had to share. Night Of The Living Dead is definitely a film you should watch late at night, with a big bowl of popcorn and the lights turned off....if you're brave enough!

Countdown, Day 20: HAPPY BIRTHDAY BELA LUGOSI!

There have been many actors who have taken on the role of Count Dracula, but there will always be one name synonymous with the infamous Count, and that is Bela Lugosi.
Béla Ferenc Dezső Blaskó was born October 20th, 1882, in Lugos, just outside the western border or Transylvania (how appropriate!), in what is now Romania. Bela started acting at a young age, in theater, playing many types of diverse roles, from Shakespeare to playing Jesus Christ.
Bela eventually made the transition to film, where he acted in many films, building up a massive resume' before eventually landing the role of Dracula. Bela went on to become one of the most famous names in horror. Read all about Bela's fascinating life on his Wikipedia page. Happy birthday to the original Prince of Darkness!

Countdown, Day 19: Fat Albert's Halloween special

When I was a kid, way back before the days of DVDs or even VHS tapes, we'd have to wait for certain times of the year to catch our favorite movies and shows. We'd have to wait for Christmas to watch the Grinch, and we'd have to wait for Halloween to watch "It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown", among many other Halloween favorites. One of my favorites was the Fat Albert Halloween Special. I grew up watching the Fat Albert cartoon series, and when they made a Halloween special, well, I was incredibly excited. I dunno, I just really liked it. It was definitely a silly cartoon, with some spooky moments, and as usual, a moral to the story in true Fat Albert fashion. If you've never watched it, give it a view and tell me what you think!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PETER BOYLE!

Many of you knew him as Ray's cantankerous father on Everybody loves Raymond, but most of us know him as the classic "Fronkensteen" monster in Mel Brook's hilarious Young Frankenstein. Peter Lawrence Boyle, Jr. was born on October 18, 1935, and despite being mostly known as the monster in Young Frankenstein and Ray's father on Everybody Loves Raymond, Peter Boyle had a very long and successful career in film and television. Read all about Peter Boyle's life and career on his Wikipedia page. Happy Birthday Peter!

Countdown, Day 18: The Ghost and Mr. Chicken

One of my favorite films to watch around Halloween time is The Ghost and Mr. Chicken. Ever since I was a kid I've always loved Don Knotts, and this film is my favorite of his. The story centers around Luther Heggs, a jerky, quirky typesetter for the town paper who aspires to move up from his basement office to be a full-fledged reporter. The story follows the Old Simmons House, which is known as a "murder house" around town due to the murder/suicide of Mr. and Mrs. Simmons 20 years earlier. Rumor has it that you can hear the ghost of Mr. Simmons playing the organ at midnight. To boost newspaper sales, Luther is assigned to spend the night in the house on the night of the 20th anniversary of the murders. All is well until midnight, when Luther sees the old organ begin to play by itself and hilarity ensues. His story makes him the town hero until Nicholas Simmons, nephew of the deceased couple, sues Luther for libel. In the courtroom, Luther is made to look the fool, but the judge orders the courtroom to the Simmons House at midnight to allow Luther to prove his story. Nothing happens, of course, but after everyone except Luther leaves, the old organ begins to play again....what happens next will solve the mystery of the old Simmons house! The Ghost and Mr. Chicken definitely a fun movie to watch.

Countdown, Day 17: Halloween III: Season Of The Witch

2 weeks ago I had the pleasure of hosting some of the Q&A panels at Spooky Empire's Ultimate Horror Weekend convention in Orlando, Florida. Among the people I interviewed were the cast members of Halloween II. My wife had never really seen the Halloween series, so the interview inspired her to watch them over the past several days. Which brings to mind Halloween III: Season Of The Witch. Now, this of course is the only entry in the Halloween series that does not feature Michael Myers. Instead the film focuses on a large Halloween mask-making company, Silver Shamrock, that has plans to kill millions of American children with deadly masks. An apparent murder-suicide in a hospital emergency room leads to an investigation by the on-call doctor, which reveals a plot by an insane toymaker to kill as many people as possible during Halloween through an ancient Celtic ritual involving a stolen boulder from Stonehenge and Halloween masks.This film is definitely a weird one, but that doesn't mean it's all that bad. In fact, as a stand-alone film, separate from the rest of the series, it's actually not too bad of a film. I definitely enjoy Halloween III: Season Of The Witch , with it's theme of Halloween, the masks, the Silver Shamrock commercials..."15 days til Halloween, Silver Shamrock!"

Don't forget Monster Spookshow Radio!

With the countdown to Halloween, and all the recent posts I've been making, I don't want anyone to forget the reason my blog exists...Monster Spookshow Radio! And don't forget, the Halloween Spooktacular edition is available, so make sure you don't miss it! It'll make a great soundtrack for your Halloween festivities!