I don’t know if it is the continuing post-Halloween doldrums or if I am fighting a cold, but I have been absolutely exhausted lately. I know that it’s not the ‘rona since I test after every appearance, just to be on the safe side. It may also have something to do with the amount of time that I have been spending outside of the house lately. In addition to the two shows that I had last weekend, I also had a dentist appointment and got my allergy shots (which might answer the question as to why I am so tired today). Each of these forays into the wild came with additional stops, the usual errand running. That’s a lot of being outside of the house and dealing with people.

All of which is to say that I may speed run through today’s post so I can go take a nap.

Listening To: I just started Stephen King’s Never Flinch. As you may remember, I put the audiobook on hold at the library, then when my turn finally came around I discovered that I had accidentally reserved the ebook instead. I’m actually looking forward to doing some housework so I have a chance to listen to it.

Currently Reading: Sleazoid Express: A Mind Twisting Tour Through the Grindhouse Cinema of Times Square! by Bill Landis and Michelle Clifford. I am continuing my dive into the Deuce with this one which focuses on each theater and the type of films which were shown there. This title focuses more on the cinematic history of 42nd Street. I am also reading The Rack: Stories Inspired by Vintage Horror Paperbacks edited by Tom Deady. As a bookseller who worked in the g(l)ory days of the foil and skeleton paperbacks, this one is pretty nostalgia inducing.

Current Obsession: Classic monsters. I recently watched GDT’s Frankenstein and Abraham’s Boys: A Dracula Tale. Look for the reviews on upcoming episodes of Dead On Movie Reviews.

We had a great weekend at the Freighthouse and Ann Arbor Library. Thank you to everyone who came out and visited with us at either show. We’ve got one more event lined before Thanksgiving. This Saturday evening (15 November), we will be at the Sloan Museum of Discovery for the Book Fair for Grown Ups. This is an 18+ event with a cash bar. The show runs 6pm - 9pm and is your chance to pick up some new books from the vendors, hang out and read, and/or walk around the Sloan after hours. Ticket information can be found here.

We will have a short break from in person events until December when we will have two in a row. Look for more details soon.

We are still in the process of hammering out next year’s appearance schedule. If there is a horror or book related event near you that you would like to see us at, drop us a line!

As I mentioned above, I watched Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein this week. I highly recommend you do the same. The film is absolutely gorgeous, just breathtaking. Word of waning: if you have any unresolved trauma due to feelings of parental abandonment, this might hit hard for you.

I should note that I have yet to see anything of GDT’s that I didn’t like. There are a number of things that I haven’t seen, however. I didn’t care for the book The Strain and therefore never watched it. On the other hand, some of my favorite movies (The Orphanage — NOT The Orphan which sucks—, The Devil’s Backbone, Pan’s Labyrinth, Hellboy) have either been directed or produced by him.

If you want to get super depressed, check out this list of unrealized projects that were associated with GDT at one point or another. I still hold out hope for an adaptation of At the Mountain of Madness. It makes one want to live in the Sandman Slim universe just so one can visit Max Overdrive and rent these movies from a universe where they were made.

I grew up with the Universal monsters on UHF television. Like del Toro, my favorite was always the Gilman. But I still felt for the creature Frankenstein created. The cinematic Dr. Frankenstein is an asshole who deserved so much worse than he got. As a kid, I always felt a closeness with the Monster as well as the Gilman and the Wolfman. Honestly, I kind of felt like they would make a great kaffeeklatsch. I wasn’t scared of them, I felt bad for them.

Except for that one time that Frankenstein’s monster followed me up the stairs.

I don’t know how I knew who it was that was behind me, but I did. It was the Karloff version, neck bolts and all, and for some reason he was coming up behind me, arms outstretched to grab me. I walked straight ahead (because when you look back…). I was playing it really cool until the ear shattering creak of the loose board. Then I dove into my bed hard enough to move it three feet until it crashed up against the wall. I spent that night under the covers with my flashlight, because, you know, that makes you safe.

Looking back, it was probably my own foot which caused the board to creak and my reaction was just the product of my own out of control imagination.

Probably.