Happy Halloween!

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I know PumpkinRot had this beautiful photo on his blog recently too, but I felt it really captured the entire mood and atmosphere of Halloween. Anyway, I must apologize for doing so little blog posts in the past few days, including tonight. Obviously I was very busy but I promise to post some pics from our Halloween party and our fun decor. I also apologize for not doing enough posts for my Halloween Movie Countdown. I only posted about, what, seven movies?Next year, I will definitely be on top of my game... hopefully.

The Ultimate Lab!

Love this pic from Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

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Dancin'

I know I posted about dancing skeletons last year... but they're so cute!

Halloween Movie Countdown: "Arsenic and Old Lace"

I realize I am ridiculously behind on my Halloween Movie Countdown, but I figure that it just leaves me with more films to post about within the year and during the next Halloween season. I watched this classic film last night, (it's become a tradition to watch it every October) and I knew I just had to do a post about it. A perfect Halloween tale, Arsenic and Old Lace was originally a play that ran for three years on Broadway before being made into a film by the great Frank Capra.

What makes this movie a perfect classic for Halloween, (besides the fact that it takes placed on Halloween), is that it's full of several spooky surprises.

Mortimer Brewster comes home to his aunts to tell them that he's been married. When he arrives, he soon discovers a grim little secret that the aunts have kept under wraps.

To make things even more terrifying, Mortimer's brother decides to pay his aunts a visit the very same day, only his brother Jonathan has plans of his own. Because he's running from the law, his companion, a plastic surgeon (played by Peter Loore) has reconstructed Johnny's face, if that doesn't tell you how creepy Johnny is.

The film is full of spooky and eerie moments as well as silly slapstick humor that balances the creepiness and fun of Halloween.

Besides the great writing and directing, the acting really sucks you into the story. Cary Grant, Peter Lorre, and Raymond Massey (who plays Jonathan) all deliver brilliant performances.

Arsenic and Old Lace is full of charm and atmosphere, classic mix-ups, great comedic timing, and spooky moments along the way.

Here's a clip from the movie from YouTube:

A picture of the cast posing in the graveyard.

Treats: Chocolate Spot Cookies!

Made these delicious cookies for my friends last Friday. Got the recipe from Martha Stewart (of course) but instead of using orange and yellow M&M's, I used Reese's Pieces... trust me, it's amazing.

Martha's Recipe

More Old School

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My Pretty...

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Quite Spooktastic...

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+180

I have added about 180 more pictures to my Flickr Faves!

Check them out here.

Halloween Movie Countdown: "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari"

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is said to be the first Horror film ever made, dating back to 1920. Besides this interesting fact, it's full of beautiful and spooky German expressionistic elements in its design and cinematography.

It's also been said that this film introduced the idea of a 'twist' ending... pretty revolutionary for early cinema.

When it comes to German expressionism, it's all about shadows, shapes... and the dark side. Pretty much any film that uses the techniques of German expressionism is a film involving suspense and horror.

The style of this film is purely dark with a fantasy-like look that creates an atmosphere all its own. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari has got the ultimate look and story that truly makes it the first of its kind.

Here's the full movie from YouTube:

Random Trivia: In 2005, the film was remade with new actors (of course) but not a new set... they decided to superimpose the actors onto the original backgrounds and sets from the original film. All the filming was therefore done on a green screen. Take a look at how they made the 2005 version in these two clips from the DVD... Part One & Part Two.

And PS, guess who plays Cesare, the somnambulist who can predict the future... Doug Jones, the same talented actor who Billy Butcherson in Hocus Pocus!

Thirteen

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Keeping it Old School

Love these classic Halloween looks...

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10/10/10

Stevechasmer uploads a great vintage Halloween photograph everyday as a countdown to Halloween. Here are the first ten days.

Urban Outfitters' Halloween Spirit

Urban Outfitters

Halloween Movie Countdown: "The Others"

If you're looking for a thriller that is suspenseful, beautiful, eerie, and has a shocking surprise ending, The Others is just the right flick.

Nicole Kidman, Fionnula Flanagan and both children in the film (Alakina Mann and James Bently) give some truly great performances in a story that is intriguing the entire time.

Something I really enjoy about this movie is that it is made so well. The story itself is brilliant, but the technical aspects of the film are stunning. The lighting is spooky and beautiful and director Alejandro Amenadar makes some smart choices with the camera.

The art direction is also perfect for such a creepy film. Just seeing an old spooky house (that does not use electricity), a hidden graveyard, and rooms that are rich in elegance, but also rich in 'the unknown' makes this an ultimate classic for Halloween.

The Others is a classic haunting/ghost story with quite the twist, great atmosphere, and some very good acting as well. We ended up watching this on Halloween two years ago, many of my party guests had not seen it before... they were in for quite a surprise...

Here's the trailer: