Dino Drac’s Daily Halloween Thing!
Saturday, September 17th:
Among today’s to-dos were cleaning, grocery shopping and – my favorite – sleeping. I’d let sleep become too rare of a thing lately, and it was starting to catch up with me, so I just woke up from what felt like a seventy year nap. You know the kind. A sudden sleep so deep that you wake up having no idea if it’s day, night, today or tomorrow. Feels gooooood.
ANYWAY, my gift to you on this fine evening is the complete score to Spookies. While the film may be famously wonky, its score is objectively amazing. A dark, synthy masterpiece that keeps it simple but completely nails the ‘80s horror movie vibe.
You don’t need to have seen the film to love this soundtrack, but FWIW, it does help if you know which song matches up with the lady who turns into a giant spider.
Hope y’all are having a great Saturday. If you’ve got nothing else to do, go take part in the latest Dino Drac Halloween Physical Challenge, from yesterday’s entry.
A buncha folks took me up on last Friday’s physical challenge, so I thought I’d add another for this weekend. Don’t worry, it’s easy.
PHYSICAL CHALLENGE: Order yourself something spoooooky. Doesn’t matter if it’s from Amazon, eBay or a site I’ve never heard of, so long as it has some small tie to the season. And since a lot of folks are watching their wallets this year, let’s put a $20 cap on this challenge.
This isn’t just about what you’ll end up with, but also the joy of seeking it out, and that awesome sense of anticipation while you wait for it to arrive.
I went with the Neon Ghost Light shown above, which was $19 with free shipping. It’s kinda frivolous, but that’s the point, and it’s not like I won’t put a NEON GHOST to good use. It’s supposed to arrive on Saturday, so I have exactly one day to find the perfect spot for him.
If you decide to play along, let everyone know what you ended up buying, in the comments! You have until Sunday night!
Thursday, September 15th:
Here’s one of my coolest Monster Cereal collectibles — a box of Count Chocula “Double Fudge Pops” from 1994!
Everything from the colors to the fonts to that NutraSweet mention just *screams* 1990s. Since this is from an era when Count Chocula was easier to take for granted, most of you have never even heard of these, much less tasted them.
IIRC, I paid $40 for this. I know that sounds like a lot for an empty ice cream box, but there seriously must be less than five of these boxes still in existence. I feel very fortunate to own one.
(Incidentally, I sometimes purchase those “no sugar added” Fudgsicle Fudge Pops, which are pretty similar and share the exact same calorie count. If you wanna play pretend, just grab those!)
Wednesday, September 14th:
Just realized that this guy has never been on the site, and, well, I want him here! Say hi to my cousin, Doritos Dracula.
Picked this piece up a few months ago. I’d been eyeing it on eBay for almost a year, waiting for one in better condition to pop up. Ultimately, I decided that the wear-and-tear only added to its charm. This vampire’s seen some shit.
It’s a 1990s promo standee starring Vlad and his coffin full of Doritos. (Dracula sure loved to shill Doritos during the ‘90s.) I’m not getting off this couch to find a ruler, but I’d say it’s about fifteen inches tall.
I’m so glad I bought this. You never know how those weird eBay buys will hit when they actually arrive. Sometimes you discover that you were just bitten by the FOMO bug, but in this case, I’m amazed that I waited so long. Dracula and Doritos, together? What was I thinking?
Funny thing is, I didn’t buy this as a “Halloween” collectible. It’s just my overall aesthetic. Still, if this thing has a season, it’s this one, so I should probably move Doritos Dracula from that tiny shelf in my office to the big fancy glass one in my living room. Let him be a star for a few months. He deserves it.
Tuesday, September 13th:
I’ve brought it up before, but since a clean copy recently hit YouTube, I thought I’d make another pitch for y’all to watch The Sandkings.
Released in 1995, this was the first episode of The Outer Limits. (Meaning the reboot version, obviously.) Don’t get too hung up on that part, because it feels much more like a standalone TV movie.
The episode was based on the same-named novel from George R. R. Martin, but only loosely. Imagine a horror movie about Sea Monkeys, and you’re in the area.
You’ve got this scientist guy who swipes Martian soil from a lab and ends up raising the little bug-like creatures that hatch within it. These aliens are highly intelligent and extremely hungry, and the scientist guy never considers the dangers of housing piranha-like Martian bugs in his backyard.
I watched this back in ‘95, and it’s been stuck in my brain ever since. (So much so that I ended up buying both the novel and the novel’s comic adaptation.) It’s too slow to work as a Friday night party movie, but it’s perfect for a lazy afternoon – especially if you like a big dash of sci-fi with your scares.
Monday, September 12th:
I went out for some retail therapy yesterday afternoon. Tbh, I’d been waiting all week for it. Getting that video done by Friday took serious buckling down, and then on Saturday I had other obligations. I needed a Halloween hunt!
So here’s your hot tip: TJ Maxx f’n RULES this year. They might have the best assortment of Halloween junk from any of the chains I’ve visited. If you’ve been skipping TJ Maxx on the assumption that they’ll only have ceramic pumpkins and spooky soap dishes, stop it!
Among other things, I grabbed the doll shown above. Can’t say no to a ghost vampire, especially when it looks like a marshmallow. He’s slightly weighted down, and acts more like a statue that just happens to be soft. I love this guy!
Best of all, everything there is pretty affordable. I’ve been a bit indulgent with the Halloween tchotchkes this year, as I’ve realized that they’re really all-year decorations for me. I don’t want to waste these special months when every department store incorporates skeletons and goblins into their stock. You shouldn’t, either. Consider this permission to be stupid with your money.
Sunday, September 11th:
I got one done yesterday, but the other Halloween challenge from Friday’s entry was to watch something spooky that I’d never seen before.
Mission accomplished! I went with an episode of Tales from the Darkside that I’d heard plenty about but never actually bothered to watch. From the third season, the ep is called Black Widows, and first aired in 1988.
I can’t call it one of the show’s truly great episodes, but it’s still a prime example of why I love Tales from the Darkside. Even when it’s cheesy, it’s still kind of creepy. Even when it’s rough around the edges, it’s still pretty fascinating.
I won’t play coy. Black Widows is about a family of women who are all secretly giant spiders. Before you get too excited, I should note that the budget for this episode was roughly 60 dollars. Manage your expectations.
I found the ep hiding on Dailymotion, but lord knows how long it’ll last. It’s worth a look, even if only to see how weird Tales from the Darkside could get!
