BRIDE OF 31 DAYS OF HALLOWEEN! DAY 11: THE SUN GETS IN ON THE HALLOWEEN SPIRIT!

As we rapidly approach the midpoint of October, everyone's beginning to get into the Halloween spirit, including...the sun itself. NASA created the image with composite shots of the sun to create the jack o'lantern-esque appearance. While the sun is super-hot, this image is super-cool! Sorry, couldn't resist.
Click here to read more about the pics.

BRIDE OF 31 DAYS OF HALLOWEEN! DAY 10: TRULY AMAZING SMARTPHONE COSTUMES!

Last year, the SON OF 31 DAYS OF HALLOWEEN! brought you the story of former NASA engineer Mark Rober, who left NASA to go into the Halloween costume business. Rober's innovative designs utilized smart phone apps with animation and sound FX that brought a new level to realistic and terrifying Halloween costumes.

Rober has expanded his line of costumes and other accessories, featuring some of the most amazing Halloween gear you'll ever see. My favorite are the smart phone masks he's developed this year. Check out the video for demonstrations of his amazing work!

BRIDE OF 31 DAYS OF HALLOWEEN! DAY 8: DO YOU DARE TO LISTEN TO "THE GHOST SONG?"

David Byrne is perhaps best known as lead singer and one of the founding members of the New Wave band Talking Heads, famous for such 80s hits as "Burning Down The House" and "Once In A Lifetime." Byrne left Talking Heads to pursue a solo career, during which he has produced some truly amazing yet bizarre music.

One of Byrne's most unusual songs is entitled "Horses," which gained attention and new life after becoming part of a meme on the infamous Creeypasta and Reddit. "Horses" became known as "The Ghost Song," and was allegedly produced as a means of summoning ghosts by the musician and singer, who committed suicide a week after recording the song. The truth is that the song is simply one of David Byrne's unique creations and, as far as my Internet research has found, has nothing to do with ghosts. David Byrne is still very much alive, and YouTube features many of his performances.



Having said all that, "Horses" is still extremely bizarre and disturbing. Because this is BRIDE OF 31 DAYS OF HALLOWEEN!, I went with the "Ghost Song" video from YouTube, which features the unnerving art of illustrator Stephen Gammel. Gammel's work will be the focus of a later entry. Enjoy "The Ghost Song!"

BRIDE OF 31 DAYS OF HALLOWEEN! DAY 8: EBOLA ZOMBIES?!

The stories I write about for these 31 DAYS OF HALLOWEEN! series aren't usually truly scary, or scarier than anything having to do with Halloween. This time, however, real and fictional worlds have collided and merged to create something that was intended to be humorous and was then taken completely seriously by people who should have known better.

A satire site "reported" that three Ebola victims in Africa had risen from the dead. The story featured a photo of the most recent Ebola zombie and cited two recent news stories from African news sites about Ebola victims reanimating before being buried.



The truth is that both news stories are unsubstantiated, and the "Ebola zombie" is a doctored photo combining a still from the zombie movie (and crappy one at that) "World War Z" with a photo of a zombie sculpture.



While there haven't been any confirmed cases of reanimated Ebola victims, could such a thing even be possible? Perhaps the virus is mutating, and its victims are surviving instead of dying? Or maybe something far worse than any horror movie creation will result from a mutated Ebola virus? Despite hoaxes like these, Ebola remains a very real and very frightening new reality that the entire world must now face.

BRIDE OF 31 DAYS OF HALLOWEEN! DAY 7: HAUNTED SITES IN LAFAYETTE AND BEYOND!

I came across HauntedPlaces.org recently, which happened to have a page dedicated to the Lafayette area but which also includes Baton Rouge, New Orleans, and other areas in Louisiana beyond Acadiana. I'm familiar with a good number of the sites listed on the page and have investigated two of them, Marland's Bridge in Sunset and the Myrtles Plantation in St. Francisville.  I didn't encounter any ghostly activity in either visit, but I enjoyed making the trip to both places and learning more about the areas from locals.


I encourage you to consider making a visit to one of these sites. Haunted or otherwise, most of these locations are in beautiful areas of Louisiana you may not be familiar with and have a rich history. If you're lucky, you'll have an enjoyable day exploring and manage to have a supernatural encounter in the process.

BRIDE OF 31 DAYS OF HALLOWEEN! DAY 6: ROUGAROU FEST 2014 IN HOUMA!

I was pleasantly surprised to learn of the existence of Rougarou Fest, a festival centering on the rougarou, the southern Louisiana take on the werewolf folk legend. Here's the description from the Rougarou Fest site:

The Rougarou Fest is a family-friendly festival with a spooky flair that celebrates the rich folklore that exists along the bayous of Southeast Louisiana. It is also the primary fundraiser supporting the South Louisiana Wetlands Discovery Center, a nonprofit, tax exempt organization, that is revolutionizing how we think, teach and learn about Louisiana’s disappearing coast.

 The site gives a breakdown of the family-safe activities, such as games, food, and great music. It sounds like a great time and I love that a festival based on a monster legend exists. Check out the site by clicking the link above.

BRIDE OF 31 DAYS OF HALLOWEEN! DAY 5: TEN BEST HORROR FILMS ON NETFLIX STREAMING!

One of the necessary components to enjoying the Halloween season is great horror movies. You can search the ol' Interwebs and find a billion or so differing opinions on which movies are best or worst and why, including this list. I decided to limit such a lengthy discussion to titles available on Netflix Streaming. It's true that there's as much great stuff on the streaming services as there should be, but that doesn't mean there aren't any true gems to be found. The delivery service offers tons more horror classics that would make this list, so if you have the standard Netflix service, you will have a great selection to choose from. Here are my top ten horror films from the digital titles available this Halloween season. Enjoy!

Nosferatu

Nosferatu was originally intended to be an adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula way back in 1922. Directed by master German expressionist director F.W. Murnau, the film was changed to simply being a similar vampire story about a count named Orlock due to Stoker's widow refusing to allow the filmmakers' to have the rights to her late husband's story. Nosferatu is a silent masterpiece, due in large part to the performance of Max Schreck, who plays Count Orlock like the bizarre, inhuman, and ghastly monster Dracula is depicted as in Stoker's novel. Nosferatu remains one of my all-time favorite horror movies and I can't recommend it highly enough.

Night of the Living Dead

This the original zombie classic that launched a seemingly-boundless genre of films about the walking and carnivorous dead. I own multiple copies of this film on DVD, which is of a better picture quality, but the version Netflix offers on its streaming service will suffice. It's a shocking movie even in black and while, and the messages about racism and mob mentality are still effective today. Can't recommend this one highly enough.

The Legend of Hell House

Based loosely on the novel by the unmatched Richard Matheson, The Legend of Hell House is a creepy and haunting late-70s haunted house movie that will leave you unsettled after watching. The use of sound design and lighting is brilliant, and achieves a level of dread and fright not possible via CGI or jump scares today.









House On Haunted Hill

The first of two Vincent Price films on this list, House On Haunted Hill was poorly remade around the turn of the 21st century. The classic cannot be matched however; it's based on the celebrated Shirley Jackson novel, "The Haunting of Hill House." While it's special effects may seem dated to some, House On Haunted Hill features a great story, a creepy, Gothic atmosphere, and the powerful presence of Vincent Price. The fact that the film is in black and while amplifies the scares.

Shadow of the Vampire

Shadow of the Vampire is a fictionalized account of the behind-the-scenes saga of the making of Nosferatu. Max Schreck was so effective in his role as Orlock that many people suggested he was actually a vampire. This joke became the premise of Shadow of the Vampire. It's a dark yet humorous film starring John Malkovich and Willem Dafoe. While not terribly scary, the acting and the story makes this a fascinating film to watch during the Halloween season.

Blair Witch Project


True story: I went into The Blair Witch Project believing it was a true story. I was so frightened after watching this movie that I had a few stiff drinks before bed to make sure I'd sleep soundly through the night. The Blair Witch Project launched the reality TV craze and continues to spawn imitators with found-footage films to this day. There is zero gore or violence in this movie, but the story, acting, and the setting make this one of the most effective and haunting horror movies ever made. Just don't watch it before going on a camping trip.

The Fly


While the 1986 remake with Jeff Goldblum and Geena Davis is a modern horror classic, the original Vincent Price version retains its title as one of the greatest sci-fi horror films ever. The make-up used for the half-man, half-fly is extremely effective and still manages to be unsettling today. Solid acting and writing make this is a must-watch film for your Halloween season viewing.

Fright Night

Fright Night is one of the best vampire movies ever made, period. It's a great, fun story that also manages to offer truly scary SFX and make-up. Even its sequel turned out well, despite the lackluster remake a few years back. Fright Night is a classic 80s film and classic horror movie, perfect for a nostalgic movie night during October.

Cabin in the Woods




Cabin in the Woods is the most recent movie on this list, and while it seemed to pass most moviegoers by, it has an intriguing premise that I can't divulge without ruining the movie. It's co-written by Joss Whedon, the guy who directed that little Avengers movie a few years back. The plot is seemingly overused in horror movies: a group of 20-somethings go to a cabin in the woods for a weekend getaway. What happens when they get there is pretty standard at first, but once the truth is revealed, the movie takes you on a new ride you could never have seen coming.

Scream

Last but not least is one of my favorite horror movies ever and a film I firmly believe should never have received a sequel. The slasher concept was overdone by the time Scream was made, but Nightmare On Elm Street director Wes Craven put a new spin on it that instantly made it fresh and fun. The whodunnit quality is one of the reasons I love the movie, along with the acting, direction, and of course, that horrifying Ghostface mask. Netflix Streaming currently has 3 of the 4 Scream films available to watch, but I recommend just watching the original and pretending the others don't exist.