2023 was a time of change for Ken’s Alternate Universe. I monetized the blog to generate a little bit of income (Thirty-four cents in seven months, I’m on fire!) and was on track to have the most posts ever in a year. Then I hit a brick wall. From changes at work to health issues with family, 2023 began to nosedive in October. I’m hoping that I’ll find my blogging stride again in 2024.
My most viewed post overall was my review of the Wednesday series that I originally posted in November of 2022. My most viewed post from 2023 was my Flash action figure review from March. The top five countries that visited my blog were the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Czechia, and Mexico. This was also my biggest year for likes, as I bagged 153 of them.
The above photo was my most viewed photo of the year. Other top photos are included in the gallery below. Y’all apparently really like KISS and Weird Science!
With the changes at my job, my posts will probably be more sporadic. That may or may not be a good thing depending on how much all of you enjoy reading my posts. I will try my best to post at least once a week. I also plan to continue with my Thirty-One Days O’Horror series this year. I’ll just have to do a bit more planning to make it happen.
Thanks to each and everyone of you that read, liked, or shared my posts. Thanks to all of you that have attended my panels over the last year as well. I hope that I get to see more of you in 2024!
Being a kid in rural Louisiana with hardly any friends to play with in the 1980s meant that my only exposure to Dungeons & Dragons was the classic cartoon that ran for three season from 1983 to 1985. I loved the series. I didn’t even know at the time that it was based upon an actual game. I just knew that there was a group of six kids aged ten to fifteen who were trapped in a fantasy world where they fought dragons, evil wizards, and other cool things and I wanted to be just like them. Late last year, Hasbro released the first wave of their Dungeons & Dragons Cartoon Classics action figures and I patiently waited for the line to go on clearance before finally indulging my need to embrace my youth once again.
I have all of the figures in the first wave except for the dual pack that features Venger and Dungeon Master. I plan on scooping that set up real soon. I’m lacking both Eric and Presto from the second wave. I’ll get my hands on them as well in the near future. It was extremely easy to pick up Hank, Diana, and Bobby and Uni. Those figures have dropped dramatically in price in recent weeks, and I picked them all up at a reasonable price. The only figure that I paid full price for so far was Sheila, and that was only because I couldn’t find her in the wild anywhere. Therefore, I’m going to review the Sheila figure first.
Sheila was always one of my favorite characters in the series. She was one of my early animated crushes as well. The figure looks very good overall, with paint apps that are clean with no noticeable smudges. The articulation is…..okay. The figure is very stiff and I am wary to pose her too much as I might risk breaking one of her joints. The articulation in her shoulders is limited by her cloak and her hips are hindered by her skirt despite having slits on the side to move her legs outward.
The figure comes with a six-sided die and two cloaks. Like other figures in this line, her accessories are pretty limited. That said, the characters in the cartoon didn’t have many accessories, either, so I’m okay with the minimal accessories in both waves of these figures. Sheila has one cloak with the hood down that is in full color. Her second cloak is in two parts, a hood that snaps onto her head and the cloak itself. The cloak has translucent features to mimic Sheila going invisible like she did in the cartoon whenever she lifted the hood over her head. It’s a neat looking accessory and I actually prefer it on her as opposed to the other cloak.
I received my box damaged, which was both a blessing and a curse. It’s a blessing because it convinced me to toss the box instead of keeping it. It’s a curse because the artwork is beautiful and when lined up with all of the other boxes in the set, it creates a group photo featuring all of the heroes and Venger. I really don’t have space to keep the boxes, however, so tossing it was my best option.
I have to apologize for my photos. I’m at home on break for Christmas and I don’t have my normal gear with me. Once I get back to my office where I have my light box set up, I may take more photos of Sheila and include them in a later post.
I really do like the Sheila action figure. She looks great in a standing pose on my shelf. I don’t recommend picking her up for your kids, as I believe that her joints won’t survive for very long. Overall, though, she’s a beautiful figure that definitely belongs in your collection.
Thanks for checking out my post. Let me know which of the following figures you’d like me to review next in the comments section: Bobby and Uni, Diana, or Hank.
Swooping into the holiday season with little more than a puff of magical smoke, 2023’s Genie has been available on the Peacock streaming service since the end of November. Sadly, there hasn’t been much talk about this light family comedy starring Melissa McCarthy and Paapa Essiedu. It seems to have been pushed to the back of the Christmas movie line, unable to make a large enough impact to enter conversations that feature classic films like It’s A Wonderful Life and more recent fare such as Elf.
Genie is a remake of Richard Curtis’ Bernard and the Genie, a made-for-TV British film from 1991. Much like that film, this movie feels like a made-for-TV movie. Unlike it, this film is backed by the budget power of Universal Studios. This film could have easily found its way to the Hallmark Channel with a cast loaded with 90s soap opera stars or a female lead culled from ABC’s old TGIF Friday sitcom lineup. Instead we get Melissa McCarthy giving a standard McCarthy “fish out of water” acting routine as Flora, a genie, coupled with the straight man character of Bernard, portrayed by Paapa Essiedu. The duo work extremely well together and this keeps the movie from falling into full Hallmark Channel mode.
In the movie, Essiedu plays a father who has lost his family and his job and tries to regain his wife and daughter with the help of a sweet but very goofy genie. Along for the ride in supporting roles are Luis Guzman, Alan Cumming, Ego Nwodim, Denee Benton, and Jordyn McIntosh. Marc Maron also appears as Lenny, the doorman at Bernard’s apartment complex, who also provides a little bit of a romantic angle for McCarthy’s Flora. As Bernard wishes his way back into his family’s life, he causes problems for himself. Flora acclimates to modern society, develops a massive crush on Tom Cruise, and causes even more trouble for Bernard with every wish that she grants.
This is a very light family comedy with only a few strong words. In fact, little Eve, Bernard’s daughter, has two of the strongest words in the film. Other than those two moments, however, Genie is pretty safe for all of the family to watch.
Genie isn’t a bad film. Just don’t expect too much and you and your family will have a new film to add to your Christmas viewing rotation.
Thanks for checking out my review. See you again real soon!
Kiernan Shipka (Mad Men, Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina) heads up the time traveling whodunit Totally Killer. The 2023 slasher/sci-fi/dark comedy/mystery has a lot going on in it with two plots running parallel in the present and way back in 1987. In the film, Shipka plays Jamie Hughes, a sixteen year old girl who gets transported back to 1987 while being chased by the Sweet Sixteen Killer who has apparently returned to finish the job that he started in that year.
Jamie’s mother, Pam (Julie Bowen), is murdered in the present by the Sweet Sixteen Killer, who stabs his victims sixteen times. When Jamie realizes that she has been transported back in time, she attempts to not only save her mother by stopping the slasher in the past, but three other young girls who were murdered in 1987 as well. What she discovers is that her mother is part of the Mollies, a schoolgirl clique that dresses as different versions of Molly Ringwald. They also happen to be some of the biggest bullies in school. Disguising herself as Colette, a Canadian exchange student, Jamie teams up with her best friend’s mother in the past in order to discover the identity of the killer, attempt to save the other girls, and ultimately make it back to 2023.
Back in 2023, Jamie’s best friend, Amelia (Kelsey Creston), is trying to recreate the time machine that she built in honor of her mother’s failed attempts to do the same and hopes to go back in time to bring Jamie home. She, along with annoying podcaster Chris Dubusage, begin discovering clues in photos and news reports left by Jamie in the past. As Amelia puts it all together, though, the Sweet Sixteen Killer strikes again and travels back in time to stop Jamie and everyone else. Does the Sweet Sixteen Killer succeed? Does Jamie save her family? Find out in Totally Killer.
The film is…..okay. It’s not terrible at all but feels like it’s just a step or two away from being really good. The Sweet Sixteen Killer in the present is instantly obvious and the Sweet Sixteen Killer in the past isn’t that surprising when finally revealed. Director Nahnatchka Khan does a pretty good job of keeping the parallel plots reasonably easy to follow, but the bounces between past and present make it difficult to remember which teen represents which adult and vice versa. I also got tired of hearing Jamie complain about the 80s and its shortcomings viewed through her eyes. It was funny the first couple of times, but the joke quickly got old.
I will point out that most of the cast did a great job. Olivia Holt as young Pam was brilliant as was Liana Liberato, Stephi Chin-Salvo, and Anna Diaz, who portrayed the rest of the Mollies. The real standout for me was Troy Leigh-Anne Johnson as young Lauren (Amelia’s mother). I also enjoyed the performances of Jeremy Monn-Djasgnar (young Randy), Julie Bowen, and the always reliable Lochlyn Munro (adult Blake, Jamie’s father). I also loved Randall Park as the dim-witted 1987 Sheriff Lim. Kiernan Shipka did a good job overall, but her character was weighed down by less-than-stellar writing.
The film wasn’t scary at all. It had quite a few funny moments, though, especially involving Jamie discovering truths about her parents and other future adults in the past. The movie dialed in the vibe of the 1980s perfectly as well. The science fiction elements were Nickelodeon level at best, but worked for the film’s plot. As previously stated, the killer in the future was easy to peg. The 1987 version of the killer, however, was hard to uncover based primarily on the fact that the story was so all over the place that it was difficult at times to keep up with the characters. Ultimately this turned out to be an average slasher with too many additional and unnecessary elements. I enjoyed it, but not enough to want to see a second or third movie.
Thanks for checking out my review. The film is currently available on Amazon Prime and is free to watch for members. See you again real soon!
Much like The Phantom, Dick Tracy, and a number of other popular older comic and comic strip properties in the 1990s, Hal Foster’s legendary comic strip Prince Valiant (1937) received the cinematic treatment in the hopes of cashing in on the success of films such as 1989’s Batman. While most of those films managed to obtain at least mild success or, at a minimum, a cult following, 1997’s Prince Valiant barely even registered on filmgoers’ radars. Valiant had already been adapted for the big screen once before in a 1954 film which also failed to bring in an audience despite the comic strip being highly successful. The 1997 film performed even worse than that movie.
What’s really sad about the 1997 film is that it’s actually a pretty good movie. It gives us a somewhat altered origin story for Valiant and swaps out his Singing Sword for Excalibur. Merlin is dead in the film as well. He is very much alive in the comic strip. In the film, Valiant stands in for an injured Sir Gawain to escort Princess Ilene to her home kingdom while the rest of King Arthur’s knights prepare to battle the Scots. Unknown to Arthur, however, is the fact that Thule raiders tricked him into believing that the Scottish stole his beloved Excalibur. The legendary sword is now in the hands of the evil Morgan le Fay and wannabe Thule King Sligon. They plan to capture Sir Gawain in order to activate Excalibur’s powers, mistakenly believing that he has noble blood. The Thule Vikings attack Valiant and believe that they have killed him. They also capture Gawain and take Ilene prisoner. Valiant manages to survive and learns that he is of noble blood. From there, he and a band of allies set out to save Ilene and Gawain, retrieve Excalibur, and bring peace to the land of Thule. Watch the film to find out what happens!
The film’s cast reads like a who’s who of fantasy, sword and sorcery, and science fiction. Stephen Moyer (True Blood) makes his starring debut as Prince Valiant. Katherine Heigl (Roswell, Bride Of Chucky) portrays Princess Ilene. Edward Fox (1991’s Robin Hood) appears as King Arthur. Anthony Hickox (Waxwork, Warlock: The Armageddon) co-stars as Sir Gawain. Joanna Lumley (The New Avengers, Ella Enchanted) stars as Morgan le Fay. The cast is rounded out by genre stalwarts Udo Kier, Ron Perlman, Warwick Davis, Thomas Kretschmann, and Gavan O’Herlihy. Basically, if you’ve seen any fantasy or science fiction film from the 1960s to the late 1990s, you’ve seen a few of these stars already. All of them give excellent performances.
The film is extremely fun. It’s far from perfect but I really enjoyed watching it. The special effects are dated but the musical score is brilliant. I also love how scene cuts feature artwork from the original comic strip and artwork featuring the actors from the film. I also love the fact that Prince Valiant looks just like Prince Valiant from the comic strip. It’s a shame that this film is best known not for how fun it is, but that the European cut of the movie features Katherine Heigl’s nude backside in one scene. If you watch the American cut of the film, that scene is edited out and the rest of the movie is fairly family friendly.
If you enjoy movies like Willow, Krull, and Dragonheart, you’ll enjoy Prince Valiant. I hope that you’ve enjoyed reading my post. Thanks for reading it!
I headed out to the Texas Renaissance Festival for what I believe was my fifteenth year on October 14th. To be entirely honest, there have been too many bottles of mead between my first visit and my most recent one to recall just how many times I’ve gone to this festival. I only had one day to spend at the festival this year, so I made the most of it.
It looks like a lightsaber, but Elijah is swallowing a sword. My phone captured a cool effect on the blade.
I started things off with a visit to the Brigadoon Brewery where I purchased a Black Plague beer. I then took my seat for the first show that I see every year: The Clan Tynker Family Circus. As always, Clan Tynker brought joy to my heart as I forgot my worries for just a little bit while being entertained by them. I snagged a bunch of stickers at the end of the show and then made my way to the Magic Garden where I chilled out for awhile. Then I went to the Pirate Museum where they added new exhibits and attractions.
Next, I made my way to the Agora to dine on a gyro, drink some mead, and watch the wonderful dancers of Global Dance Theatre. The lovely dancers showed everybody their jupkas and the band was amazing as always. Next to Clan Tynker, Global Dance Theatre is one of my favorite shows.
I spent the rest of the afternoon drinking a little bit too much, eating a little bit too much, and generally having a good time. I caught a few other shows and visited a number of vendors as well. It was another fine weekend at the Texas Renaissance Festival and I cannot wait to go back next year!
If you’ve never been to the Texas Renaissance Festival, I highly recommend it. As I already mentioned, I’ve been going to this event for at least fifteen or so years and have loved it every time. It really is a great place to visit to get a break from the real world. This was my first year to dress in garb for the festival, and I plan on doing so again next year. If you attend the festival, I recommend that you dress up as well.
Thanks for checking out my post! See you again real soon!
Since all of my time last month was dedicated to Thirty-One Days O’Horror, I didn’t get to tell you wonderful folks about some other events that I attended in October. Today I will play a bit of “catch-up” on one of the events and later on I’ll address another amazing event that I attended. Today’s focus is on Nerd Con, which took place in Mont Belvieu, TX on October 21st.
Nerd Con was a one-day, absolutely free event to attend that, in all honesty, offered a lot more than many pop culture conventions that do charge admission offers fans. There were artists, writers, voice actors, and two actors that starred in some of my favorite 80s and 90s shows and films. There were also panels, fan groups, collectibles, and tons of other things to check out at the event.
I met two of my favorite actors in the world at Nerd Con. Keith Coogan (Don’t Tell Mom The Babysitter’s Dead, Adventures In Babysitting, The Fox And The Hound, Cheetah) was an amazing dude, taking silly pictures with fans and amping up the nostalgia big time! Marc Price (Skippy from Family Ties, Trick Or Treat, The Rescue) was also an amazing guy. We talked about Mt. Rainier, Bigfoot, and, of course, Family Ties. I also had a great time chatting with John Morris, Andy from the Toy Story films. All three of these guests and everyone else that I talked with were excellent.
The venue where Nerd Con was held was also wonderful. The Eagle Pointe Recreation Complex featured ample parking, beautiful scenery, and some excellent food as well. Oh, and since I was in that part of Texas (and literally fifteen minutes away), I had to go to Buc-ee’s in Baytown! I even got to meet the beaver himself!
All in all, this was a great event that I intend on adding to my regular schedule. Be sure to visit their website and if possible, attend the event next year! I’ll definitely be there!
Thanks for checking out my post. I’ll have another this weekend!
Thirty-One Days O’Horror has gone down many dark alleys over the years. From a look at all of the classic Universal Monsters to classic Disney horror films and attractions to a bevy of beautiful Final Girls and this year’s sadistic slashers, I try to keep things a bit fresh each year. Well, next year will be no different as I’ll be taking a look at thirty-one vampires! 2024’s Thirty-One Days O’Horror theme is going to be Halloween Bites!
Thirty-one vampires in thirty-one days. Can it be done???? Absolutely! While I’ll be taking a closer look at a few specific vampires and vampire films, I’ll also be looking at vampire franchises and, yep, I’m going there, the Twilight phenomena! That’s right, folks, I’m going to take a look at the franchise that many hardcore vampire fans fear in real life!
You can expect to see a few key vampire films like the classic Bela Lugosi Dracula, Interview With The Vampire, Blade, and The Lost Boys, but you’ll also get to check out a few lesser known toothy treats like Subspecies and Stakeland, and the blaxploitation masterpiece, Blacula! You won’t wanna miss it!
Do you have any specific vampire films that you’d like me to cover???? I’m currently compiling my list for 2024, so shoot me a message or comment below with some of your favorite vampire films and I might include them in my list.
I hope that you enjoyed Revenge Of The Slashers. Halloween Bites promises to be just as much fun! Thanks for reading my posts and please be sure to comment your vampire requests below!
Happy Halloween! You’ve made it to the final day of Thirty-One Days O’Horror! My month long celebration of my favorite slashers comes to a close with none other than Michael Myers! He wasn’t the first slasher, isn’t the most lethal, but he’s the granddaddy of ’em all! There was no way that I would omit Michael from this list and I absolutely had to celebrate him on his favorite day of the year, October 31st!
Since Michael is such an iconic character, he’s going to get the bullet point treatment. Let’s break down this master of mayhem!
Michael Myers was created by John Carpenter.
Michael has appeared in twelve of the thirteen Halloween films. He was not technically in Halloween III: Season Of The Witch (1982).
Despite not officially appearing in Halloween III, Michael does show up on a television that a character is watching the original Halloween film on at one point in the film.
Michael has been portrayed by nine different actors on the big screen, sometimes by more than one in the same film.
The first person to don the mask of Michael Myers was Nick Castle, who would return to the role as “breathing sounds” in Halloween II (1981), Halloween (2018), Halloween Kills (2021, also wore the suit along with James Jude Courtney), and Halloween Ends (2022).
Despite inconsistent film profits, reboots, and changed timelines, the film series is the most profitable horror film series in the United States.
Michael Myers edges out Jason Voorhees by ten kills, 161 to 151, for most murders amongst slashers. Only Pinhead, who arguably isn’t a slasher, bests Myers.
The men behind the mask:
Nick Castle
Dick Warlock
Tony Moran
George P. Wilbur
Don Shanks
Chris Durand
Brad Loree
Tyler Mane
James Jude Courtney
Tyler Mane was the first actor to portray Michael Myers in consecutive films.
James Jude Courtney has portrayed Michael Myers in full costume more than any other actor with three appearances in the role.
Like Ghostface and Sidney Prescott, Michael Myers is forever connected to Laurie Strode, his younger sister, whom he pursues and hopes to murder to finish off all of his family.
Laurie Strode has been portrayed by Jamie Lee Curtis (1978-2022) and Scout Taylor-Compton (2007-2009)
Michael’s weapon of choice is a kitchen knife, but he has used many other items to kill his victims.
Michael wears a mask, an altered Captain Kirk mask purchased at the last minute prior to the shooting of the first film, and a basic set of coveralls.
Michael Myers has appeared in numerous video games, books, comics, and even in cameo appearances on various television shows.
There have been numerous action figures and other collectibles featuring Michael Myers.
Michael Myers is listed as The Shape in the credits of many of the franchise’s films.
Michael Myers’ first kill is his sister, Judith. Judith has been portrayed by Sandy Johnson (1978) and Hanna Hall (2007).
Dr. Samuel Loomis is the psychiatrist featured in the Halloween franchise who is attempting to stop Michael Myers’ killing spree. He has been portrayed by Donald Pleasance (1978-1995) and Malcolm McDowell (2007-2009).
Adult Michael Myers never utters a word on screen.
Well, that’s Michael Myers in a nutshell. I’m sure that I missed a few things here and there and if I did, let me know in the comments. Myers is one of my favorite slashers of all time. I’m hoping that we’ll be getting another Halloween film in the near future.
So there you go. I hope that you’ve enjoyed this month long celebration of the greatest slashers of all time (and a few that you might not know). I really hope that you’ve enjoyed this wild ride as much as I’ve enjoyed creating it. Thanks for celebrating Halloween with me and thanks for reading my posts!
Ghostface needs no introduction. If you’ve been on this planet since 1996, there’s no doubt in my mind that you have seen at least one Scream film. When the original Scream movie hit the big screen, it turned the slasher genre on its head, directly referencing other films in the genre, establishing the “rules” of slasher films, and playing with those rules for the entirety of the film and for most of its sequels. Arguably the savior of the slasher genre, Scream breathed new life into a genre that was dead at the time of its release.
Ghostface is in the photo. Both of him!
Considering that Ghostface is ranked right up there with the big three of Michael Myers, Freddy Kreuger, and Jason Voorhees, he (and she) will get the bullet point treatment. Here we go:
Ghostface has been portrayed by twelve actors across six films.
In almost every film, Ghostface is revealed to be not one, but two killers.
Scream 3 was the first film to not feature two killers. There was only one Ghostface in the film despite the script initially calling for two slashers.
Scream 6 features three Ghostfaces and two copycat Ghostfaces who are murdered by the real deal.
Ghostface uses a voice changer to taunt his victims over the phone. The voice changer voice is provided by Roger Jackson in all six of the films.
Ghostface’s primary target in the first four Scream films is Sidney Prescott. Sidney is portrayed by Neve Campbell in all four of the films.
In the fifth film, Scream (2022), Ghostface returns to Woodsboro to attack one of the original Ghostface killers’ daughter, Sam (Melissa Barrera) and her half-sister, Tara (Jenna Ortega). This brings Sidney (once again portrayed by Campbell) back home to fight Ghostface one more time.
Sam Carpenter is Billy Loomis’ daughter.
In the sixth film, Sidney is mentioned in passing but Sam Carpenter and Tara (Jenna Ortega) become the main protagonists and primary targets of Ghostface.
Each Ghostface from all of the films so far:
Scream: Billy Loomis (Skeet Ulrich) and Stu Macher (Matthew Lillard)
Scream 2: Mickey Altieri (Timothy Olyphant) and Debbie Salt (Laurie Metcalf), who is actually Billy’s mother
Scream 3: Roman Bridger (Scott Foley), Sidney’s half-brother
Scream 4: Jill Roberts (Emma Roberts), Sidney’s cousin, and Charlie Walker (Rory Culkin)
Scream 6: Wayne Bailey (Dermot Mulroney), Quinn Bailey (Liana Liberato), and Ethan Landry (Jack Champion), the father and siblings of Richie Kirsch from the previous film
Ghostface’s signature weapon is a Buck 120 knife.
Ghostface’s signature move is holding the knife in front of himself and wiping it clean.
Each Ghostface has a unique motive for killing.
Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox) and Dewey Riley (David Arquette) are secondary targets of Ghostface in the film series. Only Gale Weathers has appeared in all of the films in the franchise.
Other significant characters that appeared in more than one Scream film include Randy Meeks (Jamie Kennedy), Cotton Weary (Liev Schreiber), Judy Hicks (Marley Shelton), Martha Meeks (Heather Matarazzo), and Kirby Reed (Hayden Panettiere).
Seventeen stunt actors have portrayed Ghostface while under the mask. Lee Waddell was the first onscreen Ghostface.
The Ghostface costume’s mask varies slightly across each film.
The film-within-a-film, Stab, gets progressively worse across the Scream franchise. It also features Ghostface.
Ghostface was created by Kevin Williamson. Williamson is also known for Dawson’s Creek, I Know What You Did Last Summer, and The Vampire Diaries.
A very forgettable television series entitled Scream was released that was inspired by the film series.
Ghostface can be found on t-shirts, mugs, posters, as an action figure, in video games, and is referenced throughout pop culture.
Yours truly with the original Ghostface, Lee Waddell.
Ghostface’s popularity shows no signs of slowing down. A seventh Scream film is in development and the costume and its Stab variations are consistently in the top costume sales each Halloween. Are you a fan of Ghostface? Let me know in the comments.
Ghostface in Paramount Pictures and Spyglass Media Group’s “Scream.”
Thanks for checking out today’s Revenge Of The Slashers post! Tomorrow is the FINAL DAY of Thirty-One Days O’Horror for 2023! Can you guess who our final slasher might be?????
Ken's Alternate Universe! 