"If you don't believe, you'd better get superstitious."
Have you started planning yet for Halloween 2016? Only 250 days left to goooooo!
I think I'll watch Hocus Pocus tonight and celebrate with the Sanderson Sisters!
Who else is excited?!
Wednesday, February 24, 2016
Tuesday, February 23, 2016
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.
Monday, February 22, 2016
Happy Birthday, Edward Gorey
[image source]
Today, February 22nd, marks what would have been Edward Gorey's 91st birthday. He was born in 1925 and died April 15, 2000. His numerous pieces of work were usually pen and ink illustrations, often with morbid Victorian/Edwardian themes. He had a very peculiar style, one that is instantly recognizable. His strange and unusual artwork is near and dear to many people's dark hearts, including my own.
Why not celebrate this wonderful artist by throwing around a skull, like the
Victorian ladies in his "Dull Afternoon" above?
Or bake up an impressive birthday cake for Mr. Gorey's ghost!
Happy birthday, Mr. Gorey, and thank you for your wonderful illustrations that will continue to delight many for generations to come.
Saturday, February 20, 2016
Film Review: The Witch (2016)
Note: I haven't done a full film review in quite some time, though I might do them on a more regular basis if I start to enjoy doing them again. I thought this film was worth writing about, and had to get my thoughts on it down somewhere. Anyways, I give you my thoughts on The Witch!
Why aren't there more horror films set during Colonial America? It was a time of upheaval and religious reformation, not to mention a period when colonists faced living on an entirely different continent, which sparked fears of the unknown and fueled superstitions, all the while early settlers endured unimaginable hardships in their fierce fight for survival. All these frightening experiences that colonists went through seem so ripe for horror movies, since many are about facing basic fears. It's really a pity we don't have more period piece horror films, because The Witch is an example of how well horror works in a historical context.
In 1630's New England a family is banished from a settlement and determinedly set out for the wilderness to start anew, alone. The family consists of father William (Ralph Ineson), mother Katherine (Kate Dickie), eldest daughter Thomasin (Anya Taylor-Joy), son Caleb (Harvey Scrimshaw), twins Mercy (Ellie Grainger) and Jonas (Lucas Dawson), and baby Samuel. Together they establish a small farm on the edge of a dense forest, but when baby Samuel is snatched by a supernatural evil lurking in the woods, despair and panic envelope the family. Soon, crops begin to fail, the other children are threatened, goat's milk turns to blood, and suspicions of witchcraft began to mount.
It is best to go into this film knowing as little as possible. I saw The Witch Thursday night, and besides seeing the trailers I tried to avoid seeing/reading much about it at all. I wanted my own experience, and didn't want to hold any expectations for the film going into it. So please, if you have yet to see this film consider stopping here and reading no further. I don't give any spoilers away below, but it really is best to have no preconceived notions before seeing The Witch. If you do want to read what I thought, continue reading...
Friday, February 19, 2016
Watch Now on Netflix: Hellions (2015)
As soon as I heard this movie was set on Halloween, I HAD to see it! There could never be too many horror movies set in or around Halloween! And evil, perhaps otherworldly, trick-or-treaters, too?! Ooooh I was soooooo in!
Thursday, February 18, 2016
Beauty Review: Pacifica Dreamy Youth Day and Night Face Cream
I am always on the lookout for an awesome vegan moisturizer, and since the weather has been warming up here in SoCal I decided to look for a new, lighter one that can be used day and night. Many people recommended Pacifica's Dreamy Youth Day and Night Face Cream, so I decided to give it a go!
I already love Pacifica's cruelty-free and vegan products, so I couldn't wait to try their Dreamy Youth moisturizer! This anti-aging moisturizer contains peptides, antioxidants, floral stem cells and natural extracts along with Pacifica's Fleuracell Complex with ingredients shown to improve the overall appearance of skin.
Wednesday, February 17, 2016
Watch Now on Netflix: Contracted Phase 2 (2015)
If you haven't seen the gross-out first installment, Contracted, do it now (it's on Netflix, too!)! It is a great indie film about a sexually transmitted disease a woman picks up that...changes her. I really enjoyed the first film in all its groddy body horror glory, and was excited to see Contracted Phase 2 hit Netflix.
Tuesday, February 16, 2016
Watch Now on Netflix: When Animals Dream (2014)
I had heard many things about the foreign horror/drama film from Denmark called When Animals Dream - some were good, some not so good. It was intrigued by it because it focused on female werewolf transformation, like Ginger Snaps (which I LOVE), so I knew I had to give it a go myself.
When 16-year-old Marie breaks out in strange rashes, her small-town neighbors panic and her family's terrifying secret can no longer be contained.
Monday, February 15, 2016
Book Review: The Occult Activity Book
The recent boom in adult coloring books (yes, I'm a fan!) has given rise to some intriguing books for those of us that aren't necessarily going to be interested in coloring flowers or pastoral scenes. There are coloring books for Halloween, classic horror, goths, and other creepy categories, but I have to say that the newly released Occult Activity Book trumps them all! It features not only fantastical drawings of macabre magics, historical figures, arcane rituals, and so forth, but also witchy word games. This is the perfect adult coloring book for those with darker tastes!
Friday, February 12, 2016
Vinegar Valentines, or Victorian Insult Cards
Feeling anti-Valentine's Day this year? Well, instead of sending lovey-dovey cards, you can send Vinegar Valentines and insult those you dislike this year! Vinegar Valentines were a popular Victorian tradition of sending offensive cards to your enemies or people you disliked or you thought had done wrong.
According to Wikipedia, these cards were first produced in America as early as the 1840s and really gained in popularity around the turn of the century, and continued to be produced until about the 1940s. In Britain, they were more commonly called "mock" or "mocking" Valentines, and they were even erroneously referred to as "penny dreadfuls" at one point.
They were mean-spirited, sarcastic, and cynical - each card was decorated with a caricature of a certain type of person accompanied by a cruel, insulting poem that usually rhymed. The cards attacked people's appearances, those that didn't conform to social norms of the time, those that acted above their social station, the rude, the lazy, feminists, the pompous, the flirtatious, bookworms, bosses, Civil War surgeons and secessionists, etc. These unflattering Vinegar Valentines were sent out, usually anonymously, around Valentine's Day to condemn the behavior of family members, acquaintances, neighbors, store-clerks, couples, and so on.
Check out some examples of these insulting Victorian Vinegar Valentines below:
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