10 Things I'm Loving This February

Hello darlings! I hope you are having a spectacular February! Valentine's Day is behind us (did you see my goth love songs playlist, spooky love decor ideas, creepy cards, and ghoulish gift guide posts?) and hopefully you've all been celebrating Black History Month and Women in Horror Month! As for me, I've been watching a new horror documentary, listening to gloomy tunes, reading a thrilling book, eating delicious vegan sweets, and more. As I've been doing on a monthly basis with these "ten things" posts, I'm sharing with you 10 items I'm loving this month, which encourages me to be grateful for the little (and big) things while also passing along cool things for you to check out. See the 10 Things I'm Loving This February below:

Haunted Mansion Documentary "Foolish Mortals" Available Now

The limited edition DVD of Foolish Mortals, a documentary by Creepy Kingdom focusing on the fan culture surrounding the Haunted Mansion, is available now for pre-order! Plus you can save $5 by using my discount code thespookyvegan when you order HERE!

Check out the teaser below:

Watch Now on Netflix: Haunters - The Art of the Scare (2017)

I know we are all missing Halloween, so I was delighted to find Haunters - The Art of the Scare, which is a documentary about Halloween haunts and haunt owners, streaming on Netflix! It comes at a time when I really needed a Halloween pick-me-up, and this documentary provided exactly that.

Synopsis: Haunters is a heart-warming and heart-stopping documentary about people who sacrifice everything to create the most popular and polarizing haunted houses for Halloween - from boo-scare mazes to a controversial new subculture of extreme terror experiences.

Watch Now on Netflix: Murder Maps (2015)

Murder Maps is a docu-drama television series that takes us back to the Victorian era and beyond to the most shocking and surprising murder cases in history you might not have heard about. Host Nicholas Day guides us through historical crimes, their perpetrators and victims, as well as the then burgeoning field of forensics and how new techniques helped police solve these often gruesome crimes.

I was intrigued by the premise of this show, and it didn't disappoint! It mixes historical reenactments of the crimes with discussions from historians, criminologists, and scientists. Plus, many of the crimes they covered were news to me, and I am a junkie for historical murderers, so woo hoo!

Watch Now on Netflix: PlantPure Nation (2015)

PlantPure Nation just hit Netflix streaming, and it is a revolutionary look at the unsustainable U.S. healthcare system and the one simple solution that has been buried time and time again by the U.S. government and big agribusiness. The documentary examines the research behind how a whole foods, plant-based diet could reverse/cure many diseases (and why no one is telling the general public about this), our bonkers healthcare system, how our nutritional system is ruled by the influence of corporations (i.e. money and greed) and not by what is right or best for the people, the plight of food deserts in lower-income communities, and the changes we can make to revolutionize all this and take back our health.

Watch Now on Netflix: Killer Legends

I watch a lot of Netflix and am always looking for new things to watch, so I thought I would start this new section called "Watch Now on Netflix" to recommend titles I've recently enjoyed! All titles are streaming on Netflix at the time of posting, but you can also find them on other streaming services, on DVD or on Blu-ray (links below will lead to titles' Amazon pages).

The other night I watched Killer Legends, a documentary that follows Joshua Zeman (who brought us the chilling documentary Cropsey which I also highly recommend) and Rachel Mills as they explore four urban legends and their shocking true-life origins. They find that the truth is sometimes far more horrifying than fiction.

Bring Cowspiracy Documentary to Orange County

Written by Sarah E. Jahier

I heard the best news last night! The documentary Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret, is scheduled to screen in Huntington Beach, CA on Thursday, September 4th, 2014! However, there is a minimum amount of pre-sale tickets that must be sold before the screening of this fine documentary can happen, so please buy your tickets now!

Film Review: Vegucated (2010)

I have been wanting to check out the documentary Vegucated for quite some time and lucky for me I was able to catch it streaming on Netflix! Vegucated is a documentary by writer/director/editor/narrator Marisa Miller Wolfson about three people from NYC with varied backgrounds who decide to try the vegan lifestyle for six weeks. You can check out the official synopsis written by Marisa Miller Wolfson below:

Vegucated is a guerrilla-style documentary that follows three meat- and cheese-loving New Yorkers who agree to adopt a vegan diet for six weeks and learn what it's all about. They have no idea that so much more than steak is at stake and that the planet's fate may fall on their plates. Lured by tales of weight lost and health regained, they begin to uncover hidden sides of animal agriculture that make them wonder whether solutions offered in films like Food, Inc. go far enough. Before long, they find themselves risking everything to expose an industry they supported just weeks before. But can their convictions carry them through when times get tough? What about on family vacations fraught with skeptical step-dads, carnivorous cousins, and breakfast buffets? Part sociological experiment and part adventure comedy, Vegucated showcases the rapid and at times comedic evolution of three people who are trying their darnedest to change in a culture that seems dead set against it. 

The reason this documentary intrigued me was that it followed three regular meat-eating, dairy-swilling Americans that were pretty set in their ways and diets. It not only showed their amazing journey to truth, but it also shows how ignorant most people are about where their food comes from, the negative effect meat/dairy/egg consumption has on our bodies and the environment, how awful conditions are for farmed animals and the revelation that we don't need animal products in this day and age. I remember in my pre-vegan days when I was oblivious to the negative implications of my Standard American Diet (it is abbreviated to SAD for a reason) and only found out the horrible truth after proactively doing research myself.

The same happens to the three volunteers in the film...all three of them did not have any idea about the cruel factory farming practices that are standard for all animals raised for slaughter. The participants also learned about the detrimental effects factory farming of animals has on the environment as well as the positive effects a plant-based diet has on our health. Though more and more people are finally discovering the truth about SAD diets and adopting more plant-based diets, it still shocks me that most people are oblivious to the many problems of SAD diets. It's crazy how the meat and dairy industries have fed the public outright lies for so long!

The three volunteers started on their journey with a visit to Dr. Joel Fuhrman where their blood work, cholesterol and vital signs were checked. He also explained how a plant-based diet fulfills your body's nutritional needs better than a SAD diet. They were then introduced to vegan cuisine and went grocery shopping for vegan and "accidentally vegan" products. They were educated on factory farming (though no "hardcore" footage is seen, the images used in the film still made me cry), visited an animal sanctuary and a smaller farm and even attended a vegetarian conference where they learned more about a plant-based diet and listened to speakers like T. Colin Campbell (professor emeritus of nutritional biochemistry at Cornell University and co-author of The China Study) and Howard Lyman (ex-cattle rancher, director of the book and documentary Mad Cowboy and the book No More Bull).

Though they quickly took to veganism with ease, they also had to deal with hardships like cravings for animal products, eating vegan on vacation, family and friends that didn't understand their decision to go vegan as well as having to explain why eating/using animal products is not ethical or sustainable. I really felt for them while they went through these challenges, because those are all things that vegans do go through! For me, I really empathized with the college-aged girl named Tesla whose family and friends didn't understand her switch to veganism. I still have friends and family who just cannot fathom why I choose to eat compassionately and their inability to see my point of view gets me frustrated! I thought Tesla handled her family and friends really well and did a great job explaining veganism. I loved that she stuck to her guns even when a visiting cousin spouted off "what if..." scenarios to Tesla! No honey, hunting is not ethical either.

I loved seeing the process of the three volunteers and how just some simple education could get them to change their world view! I really think that if people would just listen and let themselves be educated about veganism that many would go vegan cold-turkey (like I did after learning about the horrible cruelties of factory farming). At the end of the study, all participant expressed their desire to continue living compassionately and it seems that most stuck to at least being "mostly" vegan. Huzzah!

I liked the different aspect of the documentary and how it focused on three regular people who accepted the "challenge" of going vegan. In the end, I think Vegucated proves how easy and how important it is for anyone and everyone to adopt a plant-based diet rather than a SAD diet.

Highly recommended for both vegans, the veg-curious and anyone that gives a sh*t about their health, compassion towards animals, the environment, the future of the earth and so on!

For more info, visit www.GetVegucated.com.

31 Days of Halloween: Every Other Day is Halloween (2010) Documentary

In C.W. Prather’s documentary Every Other Day is Halloween, viewers are taken on a nostalgic and whimsical trip back in time to the golden age of television horror hosts, a time when local TV’s witching hour was ruled by ghouls and boils introducing old black and white movies for a generation of delighted fans. Prather focuses on one of the most well-known and longest running horror hosts, Count Gore De Vol, played by Dick Dyszel, as we are given a glimpse into his wacky world.

Though Count Gore De Vol is a very recognizable horror host and still makes regular appearances at conventions and hosts his own online horror show, I wasn’t that familiar with the character’s creator, Dick Dyszel. This documentary does a wonderful job at connecting the audience to the kind man behind the well-known cape! From his beginnings as playing Bozo the Clown and Captain 20 for local kid’s shows on Channel 20 in Washington D.C., we see Dyszel’s growth and desire to do something for the adults – hence Count Gore De Vol’s first show in 1973!

We are shown lots of vintage footage of Dyszel as his different characters, with the focus of course on the Count. We also see interviews with people Dyszel’s show, Creature Feature, influenced, including writers like Steve Niles (30 Days of Night), filmmakers such as Jeff Krulik (Heavy Metal Parking Lot), Scream Queens Leanna Chamish (Stakes) and Eleanor Herman (Night Beast) as well as a new generation of horror hosts including John Dimes (“Dr. Sarcofiguy”) and Jerry Moore II (“Karlos Borloff”). There are also lots of nostalgic recollections from regular old horror fans who watched his show when they were kids as well as from the man himself, Dick Dyszel. In one touching segment Dyszel recalls having Forrest J. Ackerman on the show and we are treated to rare footage of the interview.

Much of the footage shown in this documentary is rare or has never been seen before, adding to the deeply nostalgic feel of the documentary. Though I was too young to recall Count Gore De Vol’s long-running TV show Creature Feature, I still deeply appreciate the era of horror hosts and especially pioneers such as Dick Dyszel. When horror hosts seemed a thing of the past in the early ‘90s, Dyszel resurrected Count Gore De Vol and decided to host his show on the Internet (and this was back when people were still on dial-up). He is considered the first ever Internet horror host!

Nowadays, we are seeing a resurgence of horror hosts, many who claim Dyszel and his Count Gore De Vol character were huge influences on them. Many of these modern horror hosts are interviewed, including Penny Dreadful, The Bone Jangler, Karlos Borloff and more! It’s amazing to see what a gigantic impact horror hosts like Dyszel made on today’s performers and it’s pretty heartwarming to see such a great guy like Dyszel still getting adoration from fans!

Hard-working horror hosts like Dyszel basically reared a generation of horror fans and influenced a whole new breed of horror hosts to go on and inspire another generation of horror fans. Since many horror fans have horror hosts to thank for introducing them to the genre, it’s quite a treat to watch this documentary and get a behind-the-scenes peek at Dick Dyszel’s long (and still going strong) career as Count Gore De Vol!

If you are looking for a superb documentary that takes you down memory lane, check out Every Other Day is Halloween. It’s a fascinating and fun look at horror host Dick Dyszel’s life and will make you nostalgic for the golden years of horror hosts as well as make you excited for the horror hosts in years to come!

Buy it on Amazon!

(Ed. note: This was originally posted on Fatally Yours May 19th, 2010.)

31 Days of Halloween: The Happy Haunting of America (2007) Documentary

Halloween is my favorite holiday, one that gets me giddier than I already am and truly brings out the kid in me (I think the extra sugar rush helps, too). Candy corn, caramel apples, some hot cider and a few spooky movies are all I need this time of year. Another staple of the season for me is a Halloween Haunt. Wherever you live, big city or small, you’re bound to have a local haunted house, cornfield, hayride, maze or amusement park. It just wouldn’t be Halloween without a trip to once of these haunts!

Which is why I was so delighted to receive Halloween…The Happy Haunting of America, a 2-disc DVD that celebrates everything Halloween-y!! It features tours of some of the best haunts in the United States, as well as interviews with horror celebrities like Doug Bradley (Pinhead from Hellraiser), Angus Scrimm (The Tall Man in the Phantasm films), Tony Todd (Candyman), Robert Englund (most famous for playing Freddy Krueger in Nightmare on Elm Street), Don Coscarelli (director of Phantasm, Bubba Ho-Tep), Christa Campbell (2001 Maniacs, Death by Engagement, Hallow’s Point), John Gulager (director of Feast), special FX maestro Tom Savini, shock rocker Alice Cooper and so on.

The documentary is hosted by Daniel Roebuck and Bob Burns, no strangers to the horror and sci-fi businesses. Both are hardcore Halloween fans, and take a very fun approach to the spooky season! The original documentary that was released ten years ago is covered on disc one, complete with a Dr. Shocker intro that pays homage to the midnight movie monster and mad doctor TV hosts of yesteryear. The documentary has been remastered, and on disc two one can find a bonus 10th anniversary version, complete with ten new haunts and a tour of The Magic Castle in Hollywood.

My favorite parts of the documentary were the interviews with horror icons where they shared childhood Halloween stories. Hearing about their favorite costumes, how they trick ‘r’ treated and what the holiday meant to them was just plain FUN! I also enjoyed the segment on Don Post Studios and the other mask makers that were featured. The story of how long they’ve been around and how they got started was fascinating!

I found the weakest part of the film to be the presentation of the haunts. There was a quick intro for each, but instead of telling us more about each individual haunt, there is just music over the scenes. I really wish filmmakers Chuck Williams and Daniel Roebuck had decided to go more in-depth with each haunt. Just watching scenes of spooky characters and places set only to music got really repetitive after a while, no matter how cool each haunt looked.

Except for a few shoddy production values, that was my only complaint and I wholeheartedly enjoyed this documentary and all its extra features. Those that adore Halloween will definitely dig this DVD, but even the more casual viewer will fall into the Halloween spirit with the help from The Happy Haunting of America!

Buy it on Amazon!

(Ed. note: My review originally appeared on my horror site Fatally Yours on October 18th, 2007)

Tonight's Viewing: Mario Bava - Maestro of the Macabre

Mario Bava: Maestro of the Macabre

A documentary on one of my favorite filmmakers!

Available for your viewing pleasure on Amazon!

Tonight's Viewing: American Scary (2006)

American Scary (2006)

Tonight I'm exhausted after a very fun, all-day BBQ (of course on one of the hottest days of the year here in SoCal), so tonight I'm just chilling out and recovering. I wanted something light that was somewhat Halloween-related, so I choose the wonderful horror host documentary American Scary for tonight's viewing! 

Review to follow...

Film Review: Never Sleep Again - The Elm Street Legacy (2010)

I LOOOOOOVE this artwork!!!

I finally got my grubby little hands on the new Nightmare on Elm Street documentary and this past holiday weekend was the perfect opportunity to watch the four-hour film uninterrupted. As soon as I popped it in I knew I was in for a treat because the opening credits are done in amazing stop-motion animation, replicating memorable scenes from the series. This stop-motion technique is used throughout the film to introduce each segment, which are broken down chronologically by film. The doc starts with the first Nightmare on Elm Street, helmed by Wes Craven, and then goes through each and every one of the series’ films, including the ill-fated television show all the way through to Freddy vs. Jason. For each film all the appropriate players, from directors, producers, actors, writers, special FX artists, etc., discuss their involvement in the films.

Continue reading my review on Fatally Yours!