Dino Drac’s Halloween Bonus Thingy, #1!

A few weeks ago, I floated the idea of doing extra “mini posts” during the Halloween Countdown, where those who were interested could chill, chat in the comments, and basically have an extra space to “be Halloweeny.”

So, let’s give that a shot! I’m not sure how often I’ll be doing these, or even if I’ll do a second one. Really depends on how many folks seem to get some use out them!

The scene: You’re home alone, and it’s super late at night. You head downstairs to the ostensible “den,” which is really just a place to pile unwanted electronics and dirty clothes. On the bright side, that old couch is hella comfortable, and you’re armed with a bag of Cool Ranch Doritos. Yes!

Ignoring the decorative bric-a-brac — the kind of tacky garbage you’d never display upstairs — you begin to flip through the channels. The television set down here appears roughly the same age as you. Miraculously, it still works. Some channels do, at least.

You want a scary movie, but specifically one that requires little attention. It’s the middle of the night and you’re halfway asleep. This is no time for exhilaration.

Eventually, you stumble upon something called Nightmare Castle. That’ll work!

Nightmare Castle was released in 1965, and it sure looks it. Occasionally glancing up from your rapidly dying phone, you determine that the plot has something to do with the “regeneration of blood.” Whatever that means.

Who cares, really? It’s dark and it’s spooky and it’s full of ambient audio pops. You can barely hear it over the crunch of the Doritos. It’s the perfect movie for right now.

Enjoy!

IN THE COMMENTS: Feel free to discuss anything Halloween or horror related, but let’s also add a SURVEY. What are some scary movies that you love to watch when it’s super late at night? You know, those movies that work more as background noise than entertainment — whether because of their tone, or just because you’ve already seen them so many times.

(My vote? Friday the 13th Part 2. It’s my favorite in the series, but now well past 300 viewings, I barely even look up at the TV. It serves the same purpose as those battery-operated doodads that play waterfall sound effects.)