Harvesting the best of fall in a blog
Today, November 23, is Boris Karloff's birthday. Boris Karloff, you may know, appeared in dozens of classic horror films, as well as providing the narration for the original Grinch in Dr. Seuss' The Grinch Who Stole Christmas. Boris Karloff is famous for starring in Universal Picture's Frankenstein (1931) and The Bride of Frankenstein (1935) as... Continue Reading →
Yes, today is the day we celebrate those blood-sucking, garlic-hatting, undead, fiends. There are many good vampire stories and books, but Mark of the Vampire (1935) is not one of them. Of course, Bela Lugosi is wonderful in the few scenes in which he appears. But the movie plot is not wonderful and Lionel Barrymore... Continue Reading →
Happy Birthday, Bela Lugosi! He is one of my favorite actors and Dracula (1931) is one of my all-time favorite movies. Dracula was a tremednous success for Universal Pictures and helped launch the film studio's horror movie enterprise. The vampire was a complete change from the usual romantic characters I was playing, but it was... Continue Reading →
Yes, today is officially Haunted House Day. I have some ideas for you... Make this paper haunted house craft with the kids. The template makes it easy. Here's a Haunted House ambience video to read, work, study or relax by...I use ambience videos to drift off to sleep but you might not want to use... Continue Reading →
Cassandra Peterson was born today. You may know her as Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, corny-joke-cracking hostess to Elvira's Movie Macabre, ressurecting some of the wonderfully worst horror B films. Also known as the Queen of Halloween, Elvira has been one of my heroes since the early 80s when she first appeared on television. Like... Continue Reading →
In honor of Mary Shelley's birthday, today has been designated as National Frankenstein Day. Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein in 1818 when she was only 18 years old. Lord Byron suggested she, he and Percy Bysshe Shelley compete to see who could write the most frightening story and of course, she won! Although we commonly think... Continue Reading →
Do you love black cats? Well, today is your day, then! Today is the U.S. recognition day for these beautiful felines. It is also a day shelters use to encourage adoption of black cats. How did black cats become associated with Halloween? Of course, cats are nocturnal, can see in the dark and black cats... Continue Reading →
Halloween comes but once a year. But Halloween spirit is everlasting! Since today is National Planner Day, I wanted to share some spooky recognition days you might like to add to your monthly planner. Do you know of any more? August 13 - Friday the 13th (2021) 14 - National Monster Day 17 - National... Continue Reading →
Black cats are an enduring symbol associated with Halloween. And why wouldn't they be? They're nocturnal, difficult to see at night and a little easy to spook -- just like we are on Halloween! Today, we love the fun image of the Halloween cat. But that wasn't always the case. Our Halloween traditions began as... Continue Reading →
Autumn in Virginia 