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!