Trailer Friday

I have a feeling all of these trailers are coming out because they are attached to Watchmen, which I have to wait to see and it is KILLING me.

Extreme Awesomeness

Ok, this trailer rocks for many, many reasons. Number One: Gives you an idea of the plot, which looks good. Number Two: It is super intense. No wonder Christian Bale went ballastic on the poor lighting guy. Number Three: Post-apocalyptic future! My favorite! And Number Four: They had the good sense to use a Nine Inch Nails song! We are officially entering geek movie time, with the Watchmen out today, then this, and Wolverine and Star Trek! I think my inner geek just did a happy dance.

The Haunted Palace (1963)

What WAS the terrifying thing in the Pit that wanted women? It was one of the Elder Gods of course! Or an Elder God's second cousin. In any case, I just finished watching "The Haunted Palace," an AIP picture directed by Roger Corman. Now, the film is called "Edgar Allan Poe's The Haunted Palace" despite the fact that it is based on "The Case of Charles Dexter Ward" by HP Lovecraft. Apparently AIP was worried that no one knew who Lovecraft was, whereas everyone knew Poe. Plus, they had made a string of successful Poe adaptations so yadda, yadda, yadda. The only connection to Poe is a voice over of his poem near the very end.

My third favorite actor in history, Vincent Price, plays Charles Dexter Ward, a dandy who just inherited his great-great-grandfather's estate. Problem is, Pappy was the evil warlock Joseph Curwen, who was burned alive by the townspeople of Arkham for his wicked ways. Of course, he cursed the townspeople, as you do, and 150 years later the poor saps are still suffering from deformities and general bad luck.

You do not fuck with warlocks, especially warlocks who own a copy of THE NECRONOMICON and are trying to create a super race by mating human women with the beastie in the pit! Ward and his wife have no idea of his ancestor's history, and when they arrive they are greeted with fear and dire warnings to "Leave Now!" They don't, and soon Ward is possessed by the spirit of Grandpa and all hell breaks loose.

I have to admit I loved this picture! Price is fantastic, Lon Chaney Jr shows up as the evil butler (unfortunately much ravaged by the effects of alcohol abuse,) and the score kicks ass, even though it was not done by Les Baxter (he had to have been hanging around though because it is so jazzy cool.) Big thumbs up for "The Haunted Palace."

The Haunted Palace by Edgar Allan Poe

In the greenest of our valleys
By good angels tenanted,
Once a fair and stately palace-
Radiant palace-reared its head.
In the monarch Thought's dominion-
It stood there!
Never seraph spread a pinion
Over fabric half so fair!

Banners yellow, glorious, golden,
On its roof did float and flow,
(This-all this-was in the olden
Time long ago,)
And every gentle air that dallied,
In that sweet day,
Along the ramparts plumed and pallid,
A winged odor went away.

Wanderers in that happy valley,
Through two luminous windows, saw
Spirits moving musically,
To a lute's well-tuned law,
Round about a throne where, sitting
(Porphyrogene!)
In state his glory well-befitting,
The ruler of the realm was seen.

And all with pearl and ruby glowing
Was the fair palace door,
Through which came flowing, flowing, flowing,
And sparkling evermore,
A troop of Echoes, whose sweet duty
Was but to sing,
In voices of surpassing beauty,
The wit and wisdom of their king.

But evil things, in robes of sorrow,
Assailed the monarch's high estate.
(Ah, let us mourn!-for never morrow
Shall dawn upon him desolate!)
And round about his home the glory
That blushed and bloomed,
Is but a dim-remembered story
Of the old time entombed.

And travellers, now, within that valley,
Through the red-litten windows see
Vast forms, that move fantastically
To a discordant melody,
While, like a ghastly rapid river,
Through the pale door
A hideous throng rush out forever
And laugh-but smile no more.

THE END

New crap to watch on the Tele

This is our newest discovery, "Hole in the Wall," which we found while innocently waiting for the Simpsons to start. It is based on a Japanese game show (of course.) I don't really have to explain the game, do I?


God help us all. We are recording the whole series of course.

Web comic

I could spend hours reading this, but I have to pace myself. Its really not the most constructive way to spend my (non sick) day off. Check out "Lovecraft is Missing" at: http://lovecraftismissing.com/
In the world of real-life reading, I am racing to finish this 4th Vampire book so I can take a break and read about something else. Like ghosts! There are like 20 books in this Vampire series, and once you start, it is hard to stop, even though you are kinda hating yourself. I am going on a Vampire fast!

Ugly Cat

For some reason I couldn't hear the audio on this, but you really don't need to.