Musty TV's Maniacal Movie Countdown - Day 31

First off, ABC held off on airing It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown until tonight, so be sure to watch that at 8PM.

As for other creepy TV on this, the climax of the Halloween Countdown, your best best is, once again, Turner Classic Movies. They've got a whole day filled with Hammer horror and Vincent Price. Check out the complete schedule here!

Finally, I was sad to see Night of the Living Dead isn't airing on any channel tonight--at least no channel I have--because I think of that movie as my go-to Halloween flick--even more than Halloween is!--which makes it, basically, the It's a Wonderful Life of Halloween movies. At least for me.

But luckily, the full movie is available many places to watch online, including on YouTube, so as my final Halloween treat I present it here, to you, in HD no less!

Enjoy, have a great Halloween, and thanks for stopping by. See you next year!

Musty TV's Maniacal Movie Countdown - Day 30

Tod Browning's 1932 film Freaks. Love it or hate it, you have to admit, it's not a movie that could ever, EVER be made these days. For some, that's probably a good thing. For me, well, I'm just happy the movie exists, because it's amazing.

Watch it at 9PM on TCM.

Gooble gobble!

Musty TV's Maniacal Movie Countdown - Day 29

The next two days offer us circus and carnival-themed horror--as if those things aren't plain terrifying on their own.

Joan Crawford is a circus ringleader in 1967's Berserk. When performers start dying, ticket sales start to rise, because that's totally how these things work. But who's behind the mayhem? And is that someone....BERSERK?!

Find out at 1PM on Comcast channel 186.

Musty TV's Maniacal Movie Countdown - Day 27

Today's pick is the mother of all evil children movies, The Bad Seed, which is on TCM at 11AM.

Rhoda's a monster, but I have to admit, I'm pretty possessive when it comes to my shoes too. What's so evil about that?

Musty TV's Maniacal Movie Countdown - Day 26

First off, we have The Bride of Frankenstein at 5PM on TCM, because you can't let Halloween go by without watching Bride of Frankensten!



And of course I can't include a clip of the above scene without also including this:




Also tonight is the amazing Psychomania at 11PM on TCM. It's about a Brit motorcycle gang leader who comes back from the dead, and then convinces a bunch of other gang members to commit suicide so they can become immortal too. Dig the wah-wah guitar-filled trailer!

Musty TV's Maniacal Movie Countdown - Day 25

Tonight, you can basically just turn it to Turner Classic Movies, and leave it there all night. Here's the line-up (PST):

5PM - A Bucket of Blood ("Come on! Be a nose!")

6:15PM - Dementia 13 (Francis Ford's Coppola's "first" movie.)

7:45PM - What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? ("But you are, Blanche! You are in that chair!")

10:15PM - Sisters (One of Brian De Palma's less annoying movies.)

12AM - Spider Baby (not to be confused with Father Dougal's Spiderbaby)

Also possibly worth noting is the premiere of the new series "Dracula" at 10PM on NBC. It's not like there's a dearth or programming featuring vampires, but this one stars Jonathan Rhys Meyers, and I hear some people dig that dude, so there you go.

Musty TV's Maniacal Movie Countdown - Day 24

It's Vincent Price night on TCM, and there are lots of movies to choose from.

But I'm picking the William Castle classic, The Tingler, because I have a million dollar idea for a Tingler app! OK, it's not a million dollar idea. Maybe a 50 cent idea. Basically, it's an app that start whenever you start watching The Tingler.  Then you sit on your phone, and wait for it to vibrate during the scary parts of the movie, thus replicating the amazing "Percepto" gimmick of the original release!

I'm a genius!

 Until someone actually makes it, I guess we'll just have to sit on our phones and have someone call us when the scary parts happen. Watch tonight at 11:15PM on TCM!

Musty TV's Maniacal Movie Countdown - Day 23

The Crimson Cult, AKA Curse of the Crimson Altar, stars Christopher Lee, Boris Karloff, and Barbara Steele (in green-but-sometimes-also-blue body makeup). It's loosely based on an H.P. Lovecraft story called "The Dreams of the Witch House." Very loosely.

Wild 60's parties! Witches! Antiquing! It's all here in glorious Technicolor. Watch it late tonight at 12:45AM on the MGM Movie Channel HD.

Musty TV's Maniacal Movie Countdown - Day 22

Today's pick is on late, late tonight, just after midnight at 12:30AM, and again at 4AM, on  that weird Antennae TV channel on 187. It's Zombies of Mora Tau, from 1957.

Sunken treasure guarded by undead sailors! Who walk under water! Via an effect that's basically a smeared lens!

Perfection.

Musty TV's Maniacal Movie Countdown - Day 21

Eye of the Devil, from 1967, is probably best known for including one the few screen appearances by doomed actress Sharon Tate. She plays a witch. It also stars Deborah Kerr, David Niven, David Hemmings, and Donald Pleasance, and is about a vineyard owner who will do just about anything to improve his crops.



Watch it at 3:15PM on TCM.

Musty TV's Maniacal Movie Countdown - Day 20

OK. You want to see something REALLY freaky? Then you need to watch this silent 1922 film from Sweden called Haxan: Witchcraft Through the Ages.

There's something about the silent film aspect that makes it so much creepier than more modern fare. I mean, this clip alone--which doesn't even have music!--will probably give me nightmares tonight.



Watch it at 9pm on TCM.

Musty TV's Maniacal Movie Countdown - Day 19

What is Incubus, you ask? Why, it's the only movie to filmed entirely in the language of Esperanto. And it stars William Shatner. And it was shot by Oscar-winning cinematographer Conrad Hall. And it was lost for many years before a copy was discovered in some vault in France. And it's about succubi sisters.

In other words, it's what you'll be watching tonight at 11:15PM on TCM.

Musty TV's Maniacal Movie Countdown - Day 18

I've probably included this movie every year since I started partaking in the Halloween Countdown, but how could I not? It's I Walked With a Zombie! Perhaps the best adaptation of Jane Eyre ever filmed!



Watch it at 11:15PM on TCM.

Immediately following it at 12:30AM is another Val Lewton classic, The Leopard Man, which, while probably not as great as some of his other horror classics, has one awesome scene that has stuck with me for years after first seeing it...

Musty TV's Maniacal Movie Countdown - Day 17

The 2006 Korean monster movie The Host is a lot of fun, not because it does anything new (it's basically a Godzilla movie with a smaller monster) but because it has some really unexpectedly hilarious moments. I'm thinking, in particular, of this one. (Yes. A grieving family can be hilarious.)



It's on at 12:45PM on some cable channel called AXS TV, which, apparently, Ryan Seacrest has some ownership in. WTF? So I can not guarantee that the movie won't be edited for television, or even that it won't be dubbed. But it IS available on DVD, and Netflix instant, so you can always check it out that way instead.

Musty TV's Maniacal Movie Countdown - Day 16

The Toy Story gang is back for a new Halloween special called "Toy Story of Terror," and I, for one, am pleased as punch. We need more (good) Halloween specials!



Watch it at 8PM on ABC.

Musty TV's Maniacal Movie Countdown - Day 15

I think the biggest legacy the 2002 horror comedy Eight Legged Freaks has left behind is its frequent inclusion in lists about grammatically incorrect movie titles.

So, yes, the movie is about freaks with eight legs--in this case, giant spiders--and not eight freaks who also happen to legs.

It's on AMC at 2:30PM.

Musty TV's Maniacal Movie Countdown - Day 14

 The Last Man on Earth is the first movie to be based on the Richard Matheson book I Am Legend, about a post-apocalyptic world filled with vampires, and one dude fighting to stay alive. In this case, said dude is played by Vincent Price. It's probably the best version, although The Omega Man, the Charlton Heston one, is maybe a bit more fun, simply because its painful attempts to be groovy and "with it, man," are laughable now.

(The Will Smith one doesn't warrant comment.)

 Watch it at 11:15PM on MGM's HD movie channel.

Musty TV's Maniacal Movie Countdown - Day 13

"The Walking Dead" is back at 9PM on AMC. Last season ended with the conquering of the Governor, although NOT the death of him, which is a shame because I was really hoping I would never have to hear the World's Worst Southern Accent ever again in my life.

At least turn him into a zombie so he can't talk anymore.

Musty TV's Maniacal Movie Countdown - Day 12

I can't entirely be sure, as I haven't actually seen it, but judging from the looks of the trailer, Cult of the Cobra looks a lot like Cat People, except in this one, instead of turning into a cat, the cursed femme fatale turns into a cobra. And we're talking a normal-sized cobra, not a person-sized cobra. Which doesn't seem THAT hard to conquer, but maybe it's tougher if you're a guy with your pants down.

Watch it at 10PM on Digital KOFY, channel 196.

Musty TV's Maniacal Movie Countdown - Day 11

While technically not a horror movie, it is freaky, and does feature possible alien activity.

It also provides an excellent examination into the cosmic unconsciousness and the possibility that the Mayans invented television. It's Repo Man, and it's on at 8:20PM on Retroplex.

Musty TV's Maniacal Movie Countdown - Day 10

Zodiac isn't a perfect movie, but it is a movie I can watch over and over again and never grow tired of. That probably has a lot to do with a) the presence of Mark Ruffalo, and b) the fact that it takes place in 1970s San Francisco, and is a remarkably accurate portrayal of the city at that time.

It has also forever turned Donovan's song "Hurdy Gurdy Man" into a creepier song than it already was to begin with.



Watch it at 4PM on IFC.

Musty TV's Maniacal Movie Countdown - Day 9

The new season of "American Horror" story premieres tonight at 10PM on FX. This one, called "American Horror Story: Coven," is set in modern day New Orleans, and is centered on witches descended from the days of the Salem witch trials.

Jessica Lange stars once again, and really, she's the only reason I keep watching this show. There's only so much rape and torture of women I can watch on a weekly basis before it starts to wear me down and make me sad and angry. Hopefully the female centric cast (which includes Angela Bassett, Kathy Bates, and, again, Sarah Paulson) this season means they'll move away from that a bit. I've got my fingers crossed.

Musty TV's Maniacal Movie Countdown - Day 8

I first saw Videodrome, appropriately enough, on video in 1983. It was definitely too weird for my teenage tastes back then, (not that I didn't have weird tastes; this was just a little TOO out there), and I don't think I saw it again until I was in my twenties.

It's still not one of my favorite Cronenberg flicks, but it definitely has its moments. Such as this one.



Watch the whole grisly mess at 9PM on Retroplex.

Musty TV's Maniacal Movie Countdown - Day 7

I wish "Drag Me to Hell" was on some channel other than Syfy today (at noon), but alas, that's where it is. For first time viewings, I'd recommend some other resource, so you can see Sam Raimi's returns to horror form in all its uncut, widescreen, gory glory. But for those who've already seen it, I guess it's a chance to be reminded about how awesome it is, and then go out and rent it, or download it, or whatever the kids are doing these days.

Musty TV's Maniacal Movie Countdown - Day 6

On Friday, I saw a new production of the musical based on "Carrie," (review to come). Coincidentally, it was also closing night of "Dolores Claiborne" at the San Francisco Opera. Which lead me to thinking: When are we going to get "Misery: The Musical"? And would it be a musical, or an opera? And, when it's sung in English, what's the difference between an opera and a musical any way?

In the meantime, please to enjoy the original "Misery" today at 4PM on Logo, or right here, right now.

Musty TV's Maniacal Movie Countdown - Day 5

Back in the day, when getting movies into theaters wasn't quite so expensive a process, movies could made based purely on a, say, a hit song (see any number of rock n' roll movie from the 50's and early 60's), or just a catchy title. Hence the existence of tonight's double bill: Billy the Kid vs Dracula at 11PM, and Jesse James Meets Frankenstein's Daughter at 12:15AM, both on TCM.

Needless to say, most of the cleverness in these movies ends with the titles...

Musty TV's Maniacal Movie Countdown - Day 4

You can't get through Halloweentime without at least one viewing of the super-creepy, extra-awesome cult movie Carnival of Souls, and TCM is giving you your first of, hopefully, several viewing opportunities tonight at 5PM.

Carnival of Souls is amazing in so many ways. You can read about many of those reasons on its Wikipedia page, (along with some whopping spoilers, so beware), but I think one of the main things I love is lead actress Candace Hillgoss. She's spooky, unconventionally beautiful, and the character she place is kind of unrepentantly independent. To say any more would give too much away.

If you don't have TCM, there are plenty of places to watch the whole movie online, including right here!

Musty TV's Maniacal Movie Countdown - Day 3

Here's a mediocre, big budget, star-studded 1970s horror movie that, shockingly, HASN'T been remade yet. I'm sure that will change eventually.

Audrey Rose is basically one of many post-The Exorcist movies centered on the occult and children, in this case, the supposed re-incarnation of a girl who died as a child in a fire. Her creepy dad (Anthony Hopkins, natch) shows up at a couple's house, convinced their teenage daughter is his dead child re-incarnate. Seances and trances ensue. It's pretty boring, and I remember it mainly because I read the book it was based on, and it had a cover featuring a girl, in flames, dressed the way Courtney Love would dress 20 years later. Audrey Rose: proto Riot Grrrrrl!

Watch the movie at 9:05PM on the MGM Movie Channel HD.

Musty TV's Maniacal Movie Countdown - Day 2

Today's movie is Stephen King's Desperation, not because it's any good, (well, for TV movies, it's OK), but because it's one of those examples of titles where when you stick the author's name in it, it becomes a sentence, and in this case, kind of an unfortunate one.

It's on at 10AM and 6:35PM on Movieplex.

Musty TV's Maniacal Movie Countdown - Day 1

And thus it begins!

The Amityville Horror is a pretty crappy movie, based on a slightly less crappy book, which in turn was loosely based on a supposedly true story about a haunted house. The people who investigated that haunting were also the inspiration for this year's The Conjuring, which I'm pissed I never got around to seeing while it was out in theaters. But, it will be on DVD October 22nd, just in time for Halloween!

I have distinct memories of reading The Amityville Horror when I was about 11 years old, and I read it as I walked home after school. (Yep. Readin' and walkin'!) Memories of seeing the movie for the first time are less clear, but it was probably on cable, and I probably watched it about five times, because there was nothing else on.

You can watch it today at 9:45PM on Retroplex.

It's Halloween! Almost!

Starting tomorrow, I will once again be joining in on the blog-based Countdown to Halloween, even though no one ever blogs any more, and this here blog has been as good as dead for the past year.

But Halloween is coming, and that's a fitting time to bring something back from the dead, isn't it? And I've been a part of this countdown since...good god, can it really be? Since 2007?!?

As in years past, I will be posting daily about some Halloween-appropriate movie, special, or TV show that will be airing that day/night. That means you'll have (at least!) 31 things worth checking out on TV by the end of the month. But if you ain't got no time for that, you can at least check out an appropriate trailer or clip right here throughout October.

Tune in tomorrow at 9AM for the first entry!

It's Alive!

Yes, I'm still alive!

No, I'm not shutting this blog down, even though it's been living up to the "musty" part of its title since the beginning of the year.

I can't promise a lot of posts this summer, but I WILL be doing my annual Countdown to Halloween come October, so at least there's the promise of that!

And I do hope to get some things up here every now and then...

It's just that Facebook, as much as a nightmare that place can be sometimes, is basically the default place for me posting things I just gotta say or share. It's easy, and I know at least SOME people will read it. (And with the death of Google Reader, I ponder how many people really will keep up with these old timey blogs and RSS feeds in the future.)

I'm also still working at my job, and since thinking and writing about television is now what I do for a living, eight hours a day, coming home to write about TV has lost some of its appeal...

Still with all that said, this blog is, for now, not going anywhere. And neither am I.

Except to Palm Springs in just under two weeks for my annual thawing out, poolside. And that's something to celebrate, isn't it Lucy?

December Round-Up - 2012

Yes. Another post of lies. But at least this is a little closer to what the real date actually is!

Movies Seen: Six, with one in a theater. That one was Django Unchained, and even though it was a press screening, I didn't get to review it because time just got away from me. (Shocker.) So my capsule review is, Django Unchained is a terrific 90 minute movie. Unfortunately, it's actually three hours long.

Books Read: Four, with that damned The Passage finally out of the way! Click through to read my brief reviews:

Sex and the Single Girl by Helen Gurley Brown

People Who Eat Darkness by Richard Lloyd Parry

The Accidental Feminist: How Elizabeth Taylor Raised Our Consciousness and We Were Too Distracted by Her Beauty to Notice by M.G. Lord

Furious Love: Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, and the Marriage of the Century by Sam Kashner and Nancy Schoenberger

(Yes, watching the horrible TV movie Liz & Dick set me off on a bit of an Elizabeth Taylor binge. She was much more interesting than I'd ever been lead to believe!)

Live Shows Seen: Two! The Nutcracker at the San Francisco Ballet, which is always super fun. The last part of act one gets me every time, what with what looks like a literal ton of fake snow that falls on stage. Love it!

The second was a New Year's Eve show, and it resulted in one of the funner New Year's Eve's I've had in a while: Nick Waterhouse at Bimbo's.  I got to wear a Lurex gown, everyone there was dressed up sharp, and we had a table with a great view of the stage. It was an all-around fun and non-stressful NYE, which is really all I want from the night.

Fancy Dinners Out: Three! Dinner at Bix, my fave. Truffle deviled eggs, omagahhhh. House of Prime Rib, wherein I had, yes, prime rib. Pro-tip: If you like your prime rib medium rare, order it rare there. Their medium rare is not. And lunch at the Rotunda at Neiman Marcus. I had a lobster BLT which was probably one of the best sandwiches I've ever had.

Shoes Bought: I know I bought some myself, but I'm drawing a blank right now on what they were. I did get two pairs of rain shoes for Christmas though, this green pair, and this black pair. Of course, it's only rained once since I got them. Doh! I find rain boots impossible to walk in, so these are a great alternative. And cute, too!

The Year in Pictures - 2012

Picture the Day - 2012, a set on Flickr.

For the second year in a row, I took a picture every day of the year, and posted them to Flickr.

It ends up being a nice literal year-at-a-glance, and has become a tradition I am continuing with 2013.

Take a look! 2012 included two trips to Disneyland, two trips to Palm Springs, a new full-time job, and my getting a new roommate. Quite the year! I wish I could get a poster featuring all the thumbnails!