Thirty-One Days O’Horror: Now That’s What I Call Halloween (2015)

“Dig Through The Ditches And Burn Through The Witches….”

I decided to throw in a quick review of 2015’s Now That’s What I Call Halloween. I’ve been wanting a decent Halloween album for a little while now and whenever I saw this one, I decided to give it a go. To be quite honest, it’s hit or miss.

Released by Universal and Sony Music, you’d think that this album would be loaded with some great Halloween themed tunes, especially considering Universal’s horror legacy. Instead, we get a hodgepodge of great tunes mixed in with a few questionable ones.

I understand that getting the rights to some of the more ideal tracks for this compilation might have been difficult and/or expensive, but I wish that Universal and Sony would have put a little more effort into this release.

Here’s the track listing:

  1. Halloween Theme: John Carpenter
  2. Dragula: Rob Zombie
  3. O Fortuna: St. Louis Symphony Orchestra & Chorus
  4. Tubular Bells (Theme from The Exorcist): Mike Oldfield
  5. (Don’t Fear) The Reaper: Blue Oyster Cult
  6. Devil Inside: INXS
  7. Bad Things (Theme From True Blood): Jace Everett
  8. Werewolves of London: Warren Zevon
  9. Ghost Town: The Specials
  10. Dead Man’s Party: Oingo Boingo
  11. Monster Mash: Bobby “Boris” Pickett and the Crypt-Kickers
  12. This Is Halloween: The Citizens of Halloween
  13. Season of the Witch: Donovan
  14. I Put A Spell On You: Nina Simone
  15. Beetlejuice Main Title/End Title: Danny Elfman
  16. Ghostbusters: Run DMC
  17. A Nightmare On My Street: DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince
  18. Somebody’s Watching Me: Rockwell

There are a few obvious tracks on the album that sound great such as This Is Halloween and music from the films Halloween, Beetlejuice, and The Exorcist. Then there are a few tracks that fit in perfectly with the Halloween theme like Dragula, Ghost Town, Nightmare On My Street, and Dead Man’s Party, all of which are excellent tunes in their own right. In fact, some of the best tracks on the album are pop and rock tunes from the 1980’s and 1990’s.

Unfortunately there are a few songs that, while they sound perfectly fine, are a little out of place. INXS’ Devil Inside is an awesome song, but just because it has the word “Devil” in it doesn’t mean that it’s a Halloween track. The same goes for songs like O Fortuna which, despite being used in a few horror movies over the years, is more associated with comedies these days.

My favorite tracks include Bad Things (True Blood theme) by Jace Everett and Werewolves of London by Warren Zevon. Donovan’s Season of the Witch has never been a favorite of mine, but it does fit in with the album’s theme. My biggest gripe is with the inclusion of Run DMC’s Ghostbusters. While I have no personal issue with the song, I seriously wonder why this track was chosen over the much more popular Ghostbusters theme song by Ray Parker, Jr.

Almost the entire album is listenable, but a few questionable additions and one major missed track (the Ray Parker, Jr. version of Ghostbusters) throw off the rhythm of the entire album. Apparently another Now Halloween album was released in 2018 and features sixty tracks including many of those featured on this album. That might be a better choice in the long run.

I hope that you enjoyed this look at Now That’s What I Call Halloween. What are some of your favorite Halloween tracks? Let me know in the comments. Thanks for checking out this post!

Thirty-One Days O’Horror: The Twilight Zone Tower Of Terror (Disney Theme Parks)

“You’ve Just Crossed Over….”

Narrated by Rod Serling, Disney World’s The Twilight Zone Tower Of Terror is one of the most popular rides in the Orlando park. An accelerated drop dark ride, the Tower is the second tallest structure in all of Walt Disney World and features a 130′ drop that is randomly adjusted by the controller to give riders a unique experience.

The ride takes place at the fictional Hollywood Tower Hotel where a terrible accident occurred in 1939. The tower is struck by lightning causing five people to mysteriously disappear and apparently die. Their ghosts supposedly haunt the now damaged hotel which has fallen into disrepair.

The line queue for the ride is scattered with all sorts of memorabilia from The Twilight Zone and cobweb-covered rooms. The narration video features manipulated footage of Serling voiced by Mark Silverman. Both Silverman and the rooms that riders walk through do a wonderful job of building an eerie and suspenseful feeling.

Riders are then placed into a “maintenance elevator” and are lifted up. While lifting, more scenes are shown to riders as the elevator doors open at seemingly random intervals. The final scene shown transports riders into the fifth dimension and the drops begin. The drops are random, but one of them opens up to show the riders a beautiful (and short) view of the entire park. It’s both beautiful and terrifying at the same time.

The Twilight Zone Tower Of Terror is a really fun ride. The set up makes it very creepy and the anticipation of the first drop and each following drop gives riders and their hearts some breathtaking moments. Other versions of the ride have opened in other Disney theme parks, but the Walt Disney World version seems to be the most beloved and popular of the bunch. A television film was also released based loosely on the ride featuring Steve Guttenberg and a young Kirsten Dunst. I haven’t seen that film yet, but I’d like to catch it one day. It’s only available on DVD as far as I know.

If you’ve taken a ride on the maintenance elevator at the Hollywood Tower Hotel, let me know what you thought about it in the comments, especially if you’ve ridden one of the versions of the ride that isn’t at Walt Disney World. If you’ve seen the movie, let me know what you think about that as well.

As always, thanks for reading my post. More towering terror awaits tomorrow!

Thirty-One Days O’Horror: A Disney Halloween (1981)

“A warm sunset can turn into a chilling twilight”

In 1981, CBS’ Walt Disney Presents presented A Disney Halloween. The original version was hosted by the Magic Mirror from Snow White and The Seven Dwarves. There have been numerous version over the years. In one version, Disney CEO Michael Eisner welcoming viewers and introducing Mickey and Minnie Mouse in their Halloween costumes. It also features Goofy in his costume….as Michael Eisner. From there, the special goes into a number of segments and skits focusing on some of Disney’s scarier moments.

The episode is divided into two segments. The first segment features cartoon shorts and segments lifted from numerous Disney productions including The Sword In The Stone and Fantasia.

The second segment is hosted by the Magic Mirror from Snow White. The mirror introduces segments featuring some of Disney’s popular villains including Captain Hook, Maleficent, and Cruella De Vil.

The show ends with two Disney shorts that I’ve covered in posts earlier this month: Lonesome Ghosts and Trick Or Treat. The episode is bookended by a colorized version of The Skeleton Dance that is interlaced with images from different films and shots from Disney them parks.

The special has been released a few times over the years on television and has been repackaged and reused for other specials such as Disney’s Halloween Treat. Unfortunately it isn’t available yet on Disney+, but you can find it in its various forms (and of varying video quality) on YouTube.

Did you see this special in any of its forms while growing up? Let me know in the comments. Also, thank you for checking out my post. Tomorrow I’ll be taking a look at one of Disney’s famous scary theme park rides!

Thirty-One Days O’Horror: The Scream Team (2002)

“There are some advantages to being dead.”

While most Disney Channel films are enjoyable, especially for their target audience, they rarely rise above the level of Hallmark Channel films. They are generally well done films, but they all tell the same basic story and viewers almost always know the ending well before it actually arrives on the screen. That being said, 2002’s The Scream Team is a delightful treat. It’s cast is well above average and includes a comedy legend, an In Living Color veteran, and an actress who always shines in her roles. It also includes a youngster who will go on to bigger and better things.

The legend is none other than Monty Python‘s Eric Idle. The veteran is Tommy Davidson, whose physical comedy and multiple characters made him a fan favorite on In Living Color. The shining actress is Kathy Najimy, who Disney fans know as Mary Sanderson, the child-smelling witch sister in Hocus Pocus. The youngster? None other than Kat Dennings, who would go on to star in 2 Broke Girls, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Thor, and many more films and television shows.

In the film, Dennings portrays Claire Carlyle, who teams up with her little brother, Ian (Mark Rendall), to help their recently deceased grandfather (Gary Reineke) cross over into the afterlife. Unfortunately for the duo, their grandfather’s soul has been captured by Zachariah Kull (Kim Coates), a local legend whose ghost is stealing the souls of the deceased who aren’t ready to cross over to the afterlife due to unfinished business. Kull is out for revenge on the town of Steeple Falls for burning him at the stake over two hundred years prior to the film. Accused of murdering his own wife, Kull is collecting souls in order to build up enough power to get his revenge.

Ian and Claire enlist the help of the “Soul Patrol” to help them rescue their grandfather and all of the other souls that Kull has collected. The “Soul Patrol” consists of Jumper (Davidson), Mariah (Najimy) and Coffin Ed (Idle), who help the deceased cross over. Sometimes they have to wrangle up lost souls and Jumper and Coffin Ed are sent out to catch the wandering spirits.

Kull proves to be a powerful foe for the Soul Patrol. As their battle goes along, Claire uncovers the truth about Kull and the greedy intentions of a local man named Warner (Nigel Bennett) who is profiting off of Kull’s legend. Can the Soul Patrol stop Kull? Will the truth ever be revealed about the death of Kull’s wife? You’ll have to check out The Scream Team in order to find out!

Despite some sketchy CGI, this film is surprisingly good. The cast is solid, especially Idle, Najimy, and Davidson. Kim Coates was a superb choice to portray the vengeful Hull, but his performance is hindered by the bad CGI. Dennings and Rendall do great jobs as well. The film does have a somewhat slow start, but things pick up after the first ten minutes or so.

Of all of the Disney Channel horror films that I’ve watched, this one is definitely one of my favorites. It’s funny, has a great story, and has just enough scares to satisfy a family wanting a film that’s a little bit spooky and a little bit funny. I recommend giving it a look.

As always, thanks for reading my post. More ghouls and ghosts are on the way tomorrow!

Thirty-One Days O’Horror: Crestwood House Monster Series (1977-1987)

Those wonderful orange and black books!

If you grew up in the late 1970’s or 1980’s and had even the slightest interest in monsters or horror, you probably came across at least one or two of the Crestwood House Monster books. For a kid like myself, these orange and black covered books were the stuff of dreams and nightmares. My school’s library had many of these books on the shelf, and I was sure to read all of them.

These books introduced me to many of the classic monsters that I grew to love over the years. Their focus was primarily on the legendary Universal Monsters, but they also covered a few other monsters such as Godzilla and the Blob.

I have vivid memories of reading these books as a child. The cover of the Wolf Man book has been imprinted in my brain ever since I first saw it. It’s a photo of Henry Hull as the werewolf in Werewolf of London (1935) and not the better known Lon Chaney, Jr. from The Wolf Man (1941), but the picture impacted me due to the “realness” of it all. You can see the creases in Hull’s mouth and his eyes are extremely harsh. It’s a brilliant image.

The series was released between 1977 and 1987. From the research that I’ve done, there were apparently fifteen books released during that time frame. Written by Ian Thorne (a pseudonym for science fiction writer Julian May), the first twelve books in the series gave a surprisingly in depth look at the cinematic history of each of the monsters covered. The final three books were written by William R. Sanford and Carl R. Green and did an excellent job of presenting some pretty amazing information about the monsters and their histories in film as well.

The books were also full of brilliant photographs. They included shots lifted directly from the films, promotional stills, behind-the-scenes photographs, and even “making of” shots including the above posed photo of of Milicent Patrick, who designed the Gill-Man. Patrick’s contributions to The Creature From The Black Lagoon weren’t fully recognized until after her passing. I actually reviewed a book on the subject by Mallory O’Meara entitled The Lady From The Black Lagoon and you can check that out here. You can order your own copy here as well. I highly recommend it!

Did you read any of these books while growing up? Were they your first introduction to any classic monsters? Let me know in the comments. Also, if you are interested, I found a PDF version of the Godzilla book available at archive.org. Click here to read the book absolutely free!

Thanks for reading my post. I hope that you enjoyed this trip down memory lane. I hope to one day find a copy of one of these books and purchase it for myself. There are some available on the web for purchase, but most of them are out of my price range. Until then, I’ll have to settle on reading web versions of the books that I find.

Thirty-One Days O’Horror: The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949)

Basil and Bing take us for a ride

Packaging two literary tales that have absolutely nothing in common might seem like a difficult task, but in 1949, Disney did just that. The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad is based on two literary classics. The Mr. Toad segment is based upon The Wind in the Willows, a classic children’s book written by Kenneth Grahame. The Ichabod segment is based on the beloved short story The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving.

Academy Award nominated Basil Rathbone narrated the Toad segment, which focused on Mr. Toad and his many poor life choices. From bankruptcy to being wrongfully imprisoned in the Tower of London, the story moves along at a great pace and is actually very fun to watch.

While Mr. Toad is definitely worth checking out, this post will focus on the second story centered on Ichabod Crane. Narrated by the legendary Bing Crosby, who also sings a number of original songs in the short, the Ichabod segment has legitimately scary sequences that work for all ages.

In the tale, Ichabod Crane takes the position of schoolmaster in Sleepy Hollow, New York. He immediately becomes popular among the town’s local women despite his awkward looks. He dines with the townsfolk and charms women left and right. As the segment continues, Ichabod attracts the attention of the lovely Katrina van Tassel. He also attracts unwanted attention from Brom Bones, the local brute who is in love with Katrina. The story comes to a head whenever Brom discovers that Ichabod is extremely superstitious. He tells the story of the Headless Horseman, a local legend, in order to trigger fear in Ichabod at a party at the van Tassel home.

From there, Ichabod has an encounter with the sinister Horseman. The animation style and the look of the Horseman makes him one of Disney’s most legitimate scary villains in my opinion. While Ichabod provides plenty of laughs during the chase scene, the Horseman counters with some brilliantly scary moments.

I won’t tell you how the story ends, but I will tell you to make an effort to check out this film. Both stories are extremely well done, but the Sleepy Hollow segment is my favorite. It’s available on home media as a stand-alone film and in multiple compilations. The two segments have also been available separately as additions on other discs. The film in its entirety is currently available on Disney+ as well.

This film is one of my favorite Disney releases. I own the first DVD release of it and watch it every year around Halloween. I hope that you’ve enjoyed this quick glimpse at it and, as always, thank you for reading my post. We’re beyond the halfway point to Halloween, and I plan on mixing things up a bit more as I continue on to the spookiest night of the year!

Thirty-One Days O’Horror: So Random! Halloween Special

Sonny With A Chance (2010)

Already well on her way to stardom, Demi Lovato starred in the Disney Channel series Sonny With A Chance. One unique aspect of the show (which actually spawned its own series) was that Demi’s character, Sonny Munroe, appeared on a show within the show called So Random!. That “show” was a sketch comedy series that featured an outstanding cast of young comedic actors that I’ll get to in a minute.

In Sonny‘s second season, a So Random! Halloween special was shown with Shaquille O’Neal as the special guest host and music from Lovato (as Sonny) Brandon Mychal Smith (as Nico), and Allstar Weekend.

The episode features sketches that include the Check-It-Out Girls, The Monster Under My Bed, Halloween Party Do’s and Don’t’s, and a comedic song, Making Babies Cry. Between skits, the cast is shown backstage in a couple of humorous moments featuring Shaquille O’Neal dealing with the anxiety of performing in front of a crowd and being helped by Chad Dylan Cooper (Sterling Knight).

Of all of the Disney Channel shows that I watched with my daughter while she was growing up, Sonny was one of my favorites. So Random! became its own series and it was enjoyable as well. Both shows had the same key cast members with the exception of Lovato, who moved on for health reasons before the third season of Sonny, which became the first and only season of So Random!, went into production.

This particular episode is light, funny, and not scary at all. The comedy is solid, especially for a children’s show, and is anchored by the solid performances of Lovato, Tiffany Thornton, Doug Brochu, Brandon Mychal Smith, and Allisyn Ashley Arm. Knight’s brief appearance as Chad is funny and O’Neal does a great job poking fun at himself and performing in the skits.

If you have younger children and want to give them something to laugh at without scaring them at all, check out this episode of Sonny With A Chance. It’s available on home media and on Disney+ at the moment.

Thanks for reading my post. I’ll have another for you tomorrow!

Thirty-One Days O’Horror: Focus On The Hocus Part III!

Bette Midler

Mary Sanderson smelled out the children and Sarah Sanderson drew them in with her song, but it was Winifred Sanderson that orchestrated and executed all of the wicked plans of the Sanderson sisters in Disney’s Hocus Pocus. Bette Midler was the most famous and established actor in the film and carried the movie for its entirety. That being said, without the talents of Kathy Najimy and Sarah Jessica Parker, the film would probably not have become the cult classic that it is today.

Midler has won multiple Grammy awards, Emmy awards, Golden Globes, and one Tony award. She is a multi-platinum selling recording artist with numerous hit singles and has starred in a number of successful films in a career that began in the 1960’s.

Midler’s career really took off in the early seventies when, after building up a solid following locally in New York City, she released her first album, The Divine Miss M. The album was well-received and spawned numerous hits. Midler won the Grammy for Best New Artist for 1973. Midler released more albums and in 1979 starred in The Rose. She was nominated for an Academy award for her performance in the film.

Midler continued to both sing and act throughout the 1980’s, including performances in Disney’s Oliver And Company (1988) and films such as Ruthless People (1986) and Down And Out In Beverly Hills (1986). She released one studio album, No Frills, in 1983.

During the 1980’s and throughout her career, Midler recorded numerous songs on film soundtracks, almost always resulting in at least one charting single for her from each album. The biggest single of her career was Wind Beneath My Wings from the film Beaches (1988) in which she also had a starring role.

Since the 80’s, Midler has continued to have success. She continues to act and sing and has appeared in multiple films including The Women (2008), Get Shorty (1995), and What Women Want (2000). She lent her voice to the animated The Addams Family released in 2019 as well. In 2000, she had her own short-lived sitcom, Bette, and has appeared in guest-starring roles in numerous television shows over the decades. She often appears as a parody of herself in guest appearances. One of her most memorable performances (in my opinion) was on a 1995 episode of Seinfeld entitled The Understudy. Kramer becomes Bette’s caretaker at the hospital after George injures her during a charity softball game. Her understudy takes on Midler’s starring role in the stage play “Rochelle Rochelle” (which has its own twisted life in Seinfeld). The incident parallels and parodies the real life drama between Olympic ice skaters Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding.

I could list more of Midler’s accomplishments, but in all honesty, I don’t have enough time or energy to do so. I haven’t even mentioned her brilliant stage career or her charity work. Just know this: Bette Midler has seen and done just about everything. She’s been an award winning actor on both stage and screen, lived the life of a rock star, and given back to both society and her adoring fans. She’s done it all with a smile as well. She might have been the wickedest Sanderson sister, but she seems to be a genuinely good person in the real world.

Thanks for checking out my post. This completes my three part Focus On The Hocus segment of Thirty-One Days O’Horror. I’ll be going back to my regularly scheduled spooky posts tomorrow!

Thirty-One Days O’Horror: Focus On The Hocus Part II!

Sarah Jessica Parker

The second Sanderson sister that I’ll be looking at in my short Focus on the Hocus series is Sarah Jessica Parker who portrayed the ditzy Sarah Sanderson. Parker was already a well established star by the time that she appeared in Hocus Pocus. Her career blossomed in the late 1970’s when she won a small role on Broadway in Annie. She eventually took on the lead role in the play.

From there, Parker’s career continued to solidify and her star began to rise. She starred in the short-lived but much loved 1980’s sitcom Square Pegs and then gained roles in films such as Footloose (1984), Ed Wood (1993), L.A. Story (1991), and the popular comedy Honeymoon In Vegas (1992). After appearing in Hocus Pocus, Parker continued her run in popular films including Mars Attacks! by Tim Burton.

In 1998, Parker took on the role of her career as she portrayed Carrie Bradshaw in HBO’s Sex And The City (1998-2004). Based partly on the book of the same name by Candace Bushnell, the series became a massive hit for HBO and catapulted Parker and her co-stars, Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis, and Cynthia Nixon, into stardom. The series was so popular that it produced two feature films and was nominated for over fifty Emmy awards, winning seven. It was also nominated for over twenty Golden Globe awards, winning eight.

Parker continued to act after her run on Sex And The City but never really achieved the same level of popularity. She began focusing on her production company, a fashion line, and other ventures including wine and an online book club. Parker also returned to Broadway.

Considered to be the “airhead” of the bunch, Parker’s Sarah Sanderson was often disregarded by her sisters but proved to be much more intelligent than even she really knew. She was also the “attractive” sister who drew the attention of male characters in the film. She used her singing voice to attract children to their doom.

Well, there you have it, a quick look into the career of Sarah Jessica Parker. Thanks for reading my post. There’s only one other Sanderson sister to discuss and I’ll get to her tomorrow!

Thirty-One Days O’Horror: Focus On The Hocus Part I!

Kathy Najimy

Best known to horror fans (and probably most fans in general) as the child-smelling Mary Sanderson in Disney’s Hocus Pocus, Katy Najimy is a multi-talented actress and comedian whose career has spanned over three decades. Teaming up with fellow comedian Mo Gaffney, Najimy first gained attention with The Kathy And Mo Show, a feminist play.

Najimy’s career really took off when she landed the role of Sister Mary Patrick in 1992’s Sister Act alongside Whoopi Goldberg and Maggie Smith and its 1993 sequel. In that same year, she would take on the role of Mary Sanderson in Hocus Pocus with Bette Midler and Sarah Jessica Parker. The trio terrorized the town of Salem, Massachusetts as they sought out the souls of children only to be thwarted by a young boy, his sister, a cursed cat, and the girl that he has a crush on in the town.

Najimy would continue to see success on both television and the big screen with roles in Veronica’s Closet, Chicago Hope, Rat Race, VEEP, and Hope Floats, among others. She is also a successful stage actress having performed in multiple productions on Broadway.

Najimy has also proven to be an exceptional voice actress as well. She has given her voice to characters on numerous animated films and television shows over the years including multiple Disney productions. Her biggest voice role to date is portraying Peggy Hill on the popular Fox series King of the Hill. She voiced the character for all of the show’s thirteen seasons.

As previously mentioned, Najimy has performed in a number of Disney animated productions. She has also appeared in numerous live-action productions for the company as well. Some of those roles (live-action and animated) are in productions such as The Scream Team (2002), Hercules (1998 TV series), Descendants (2015), Tinker Bell (2008), and The Rocketeer (2019). She is also rumored to be hopping on a broom once more as Mary Sanderson in the upcoming Hocus Pocus 2.

Najimy was my favorite Sanderson sister and she’s also one of my favorite actresses in general. While she doesn’t seem to gain as much attention as her famous co-stars in Hocus Pocus, she’s definitely no slouch when it comes to her career.

Thanks for checking out my post. Which witch will I focus on in tomorrow’s post? You’ll have to check in at noon in order to find out!