Elvira on The Arsenio Hall Show!
Ooh, tonight’s video is great. I’d love to credit the person who suggested it, but that person requested no credit! 😯
October 31st, 1990. The Arsenio Hall Show. Special guest: ELVIRA.
Doesn’t get more perfect than that.
As I’ve mentioned in prior After Dark entries, I once had a big soft spot for The Arsenio Hall Show. To this day, it’s one of the few late night talk shows that I’ve ever been able to stomach. (In general, they’re just not my thing.)
Arsenio’s charm was a big part of it, but the fact that he had such a string of “novelty” guests also helped. (Randy Savage? Jason Voorhees? COME ON!)
Enjoy!
Freddy’s Nightmares Pilot Episode!
If you missed the sad news, director Tobe Hooper passed away on Sunday. Famous for helming The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and Poltergeist, Tobe also had one of the coolest-sounding names I’ve ever heard.
If you’re looking for something to watch in tribute, may I recommend 1986’s Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2? It isn’t for everyone and it certainly isn’t for people who are just getting their feet wet with horror, but what an amazing and unique movie that was.
Or you could just watch this instead:
This sweet pick was sent in by reader Ray G.
His summary says it best:
“In honor of the late, great Tobe Hooper, here’s the criminally underseen Freddy’s Nightmares pilot episode that Tobe Hooper directed. It arguably handled Krueger’s origin better than any of the movies.”
Freddy’s Nightmares has gained a reputation for being an impossibly goofy show that lived in its own bubble, but looking over the various episode synopses, I’m stunned by how often Freddy was actually a firm plot point and not just playing Crypt Keeper. This should be good!
Disney’s Haunted Mansion: The Beginning!
Tonight’s video was suggested by SomeoneElse, and it’s a must-see if you’re a combined Halloween/Disney fanatic:
From 1970, it’s a mini-doc on the then-new Haunted Mansion ride. This was part of the Disneyland Showtime special, which ran as an episode of The Wonderful World of Disney.
Lots of great behind-the-scenes footage in here. (And keep an eye out for a super young Kurt Russell!)
If you feel like falling further down the rabbit hole, the Haunted Mansion’s Wikipedia entry is like ten miles long.
PS: Dino Drac’s main page will be updated Monday through Friday with all-new spooky stuff!
The Salem Witch Trials!
First off, thanks for helping the Halloween Countdown make a big splash on its debut night. (Big enough to crash the server, actually!)
Second, I’ve been digging through everyone’s video suggestions for After Dark, and man, you guys sent in so much great stuff. Here’s another one:
It’s a History Channel documentary on the Salem witch trials, sent in by vhslvy. She remembers it getting a lot of play during more than one Halloween season, and now that I think about it, I do too.
After visiting Salem several times, I picked up a low-key obsession with the witch trials. The eeriness doesn’t stem from any supernatural doings, of course, but rather the clear-cut example of mass hysteria and the unfathomably cruel punishments of plainly innocent people.
This isn’t exactly a “party video,” but it sure is fascinating.
By the way, if you’ve never visited Salem and it’s at all a possibility for you, seize the opportunity. Absolutely amazing town, and even with all of the increased sensationalistic hubbub during September and October, you never get the sense that you’re in a “theme park.”
There are definitely things to see and do there, but for us it was always about the ambiance. It’s the city version of a pumpkin candle. Hell, one time we spent a weekend there during a brutal thunderstorm that just about killed the town dead, and we still had a blast.
So let’s take a note from that and add a survey:
What’s the most “Halloweenified” place you’ve ever visited?
Spill it, in the comments.
