Dylan Charles's Blog, page 18

31 Days of Spoooktacular: A Dearth of Death

You might have noticed that there is a distinct lack of horror movie reviews so far through this whole mess. Lots of beer reviews and rambling thoughts and plans of what is to come. But there are no movie reviews.

Which is weird, for me. I’d have to say that one of my primary activities during this season is to watch lots of horror movies. I soak them in and they transport me to the place I need to be to properly enjoy Halloween. Zombies, vampires, werewolves, Jason and Freddy; this is what yo...

31 Days of Spoooktacular: Spoooky Beer Review: Wachusett’s Octoberfest Ale

I’m taking it upon myself to review as many Oktoberfests and Pumpkin Ales as I possibly can during the Halloween Season. All while listening to “Thriller”.

Next up: Wachusett’s Octoberfest Ale

Since I needed a break from pumpkin ales, I decided to go back to our old friend, the Oktoberfest Ale. It was while I was drinking this particular ale that I realized that I really don’t know what defines an Oktoberfest ale. What separates it from other ales? Age, mid-range alcohol content and an amber co...

31 Days of Spoooktacular: The Horror in the Tin

I really like the show Good Eats with Alton Brown. This is important if you’re to know about The Horror in The Tin and why I did what I did. I need you to understand that I was once very much like you and I was normal. I was so normal.

Anyway.

Alton, I can call him Alton because, in my head, we’re good friends, began to talk about these little fish called brislings and how good they are and how, yes, technically they’re sardines, but they’re still good and healthy and provide valuable nutrients...

31 Days of Spoooktacular: Fear Desensitized

I haven’t been scared by a fictional book or movie in year. I’ve been lightly creeped out. I’ve been unnerved. I’ve been put slightly on edge. But I haven’t been out and out scared.

I have to work to even reach that level of fear. I have to set the mood. I lower the lights and make sure I’m alone. I focus everything on the movie and try not to shift my attention to anything else.

If I don’t do any of that, if I wander away from the movie to make a snack, if Emily is home with me, if it’s just t...

31 Days of Spoooktacular: Portrait of a Slasher Movie

The slasher movie is, by far, one of the subgenres of horror that most sticks to a formula. And here is the formula:

Pre-Credits Kill+Character Introduction+Cat Scare*+Minor Character Killed Off+Pointless Drama/Comedic Scene+Secondary Character Killed+Hero(ine) and Killer Meet-Up+Hero(ine) Triumphs+One Last Scare=Slasher Movie

This is, for the most part, how every slasher movie plays out. You have the pre-credit sequence kill, which is either part of the back story or is set in modern day and s...

31 Days of Spoooktacular: Spoooky Beer Review: Weyerbacher’s Imperial Pumpkin Ale

I’m taking it upon myself to review as many Octoberfests and Pumpkin Ales as I possibly can during the Halloween Season. All while listening to “Thriller”.

Next up: Weyerbacher’s Imperial Pumpkin Ale

For whatever reason, I’m incapable of not drinking pumpkin ales. It’s becoming a struggle for me. I use the reviews as a cover, but, deep down, I would drink the pumpkin ales anyway. Do you know how many I’ve bought to review and then just made disappear before even managing to snap a blurry pictur...

31 Days of Spoooktacular: The Learning Curve (Part 2)

A few months ago I talked about reading older horror authors in order to see what had come before and learning from it. Just reading modern work is like reading the stuff that came before, but diluted, with six degrees of separation. You’ll see a little bit of Matheson and Lovecraft in a Stephen King novel, but it’s not the same thing as reading Matheson or Lovecraft.

The next author I chose was Robert E. Howard. Now, for the few of you who recognize his name, probably know that he created Con...

31 Days of Spoooktacular: The Halloween Spirit

For a few years between middle school and college, I’d have to say that my attitude toward Halloween could be considered…”normal”. Ok, maybe a little more than normal. I’d watch horror movies and try to get worked up, but, for the most part, Halloween was an anxiety filled night where I would have to deal with strangers constantly knocking on our door or ringing our doorbell begging for candy. Candy that I wanted.

But then I read about a website called X-Entertainment. It was a site that, for...

31 Days of Spoooktacular: The Anticipation

Halloween, a long time ago, stopped being about Halloween. I don’t go out and Trick ‘r’ Treat. I don’t wear costumes. I don’t have kids and take them Trick ‘r’ Treating. Generally, I hang out and watch a movie.

But all the days and weeks leading up have become a celebration of their own. I watch horror movies and drink beer with goblins on the front and talk about scary movies endlessly with my few friends who don’t run away when they see me coming between August and November. It’s about celeb...

31 Days of Spoooktacular: This is Thriller

I’m going to be honest right here and right up front. I didn’t “grow up” with Thriller. It’s only been in recent years that I’ve been such a huge fan of the song and the music video (the full version).

If ever there was a way to condense Halloween, and the spirit of the aforementioned, into 14 minutes, the Thriller music video would be the way to do it.

First of all, it’s directed by John Landis, the director of the best werewolf movie ever made. There is no argument to make. You can bring up G...