Holiday Snacks and Thanksgiving Horror

Gobble, Gobble, everyone. I return from a small hiatus to bring you festive Thanksgiving tidings. Frankly yours truly has been all over the place as of late with some major success involving my pending return to classes alongside days of just being a slug. Of course I couldn't let the creamy center of the holiday season pass without spreading a little cheer on here. After all, there's plenty of little oddities to be thankful for whether it be the newest fattening chemical concoction on the shelves or the surprise beginning of what is sure to become a new tradition in this household.

We'll begin our tour of holiday goodies with the latest in cheery drinks as this year finds multiple soda/cola brands adding a festive spin to their offerings. Likely the biggest release of them must be Cinnamon Coke. Upon first news of this release I automatically recoiled in horror with memories of the horrific swill that was Pepsi Fire. If you suffer from the same worries let me put you at ease with the good news that Cinnamon Coke is actually pretty tasty, not an absolute knockout, but good enough to spice up your celebrations.

The key difference between this Coke versus the previous Pepsi attempt is the approach each company took towards the flavor. Where Pepsi Fire sought to emulate hot cinnamon candy, Coke decided to go with the classic winter warmer method as if a cinnamon stick had been placed in your glass. This means the flavor is much more balanced and tolerable though there's still a bit of artificial taste to it that may bother some folks. I'd wager it's worth a try for most anyone however as even with my slight reservations I've really enjoyed my time sipping this stuff down, and my nephew is over the moon for it. The packaging isn't all that seasonal, save for the brands self-imposed connection to Christmas, but if you're one of the coke at Christmas families then the little cinnamon sticks on the side will spice up your display ever so slightly. It seems like the sort of item that only few will really love but nobody will outright hate which is practically a holiday miracle in itself and deserving of a hopeful re-release in years to come. Plus I'd imagine it must be wonderful when paired with rum.

Mtn. Dew decided to reissue their previous Christmas brew by bringing Merry Mash-Up back to shelves. If I didn't know any better I'd swear this stuff was laced with some kind of elf produced amnesia dust. Not only could I barely recall the drink upon seeing it in stores but even now, after gleefully consuming a fair share, I can't really remember enough to describe the experience. It's some sort of Christmas punch attempt and it is tasty yet for whatever reason it slips the mind in a way uncharacteristic of most Dews. Thankfully the color and packaging a bold enough to help to maintain the illusion that this is some magical holiday cocktail. So yea... it's bright, cheery, and will make you feel revved up like Rudolph on Christmas Eve. Just don't expect it to stay with you the same way as something like Pitch Black.

Not one to be left out in the cold, Sprite has introduced Winter Spiced Cranberry as their new seasonal treat which actually puts them in competition with more of the ginger-ale brands that their lemon/lime peers. Gonna admit right off the bat I needed to experiment with this one to make it truly worthwhile. Which isn't to say this is a bad soda... just underwhelming. The packaging is a far cry better than Cinnamon Coke thanks to snowflakes and berries along with a nice green and red color combo that makes this look perfect for any holiday gathering. The problem comes when you open the can. The smell isn't that far off from regular Sprite with just a hint of additional elements. The flavor however comes across as very weak, almost like fountain pop with too much seltzer. It's not gross but the promise of spiced cranberry doesn't come to fruition with it being more of a light dankness added to traditional sprite. Granted this may make for a more appealing soda for those who like extra subtle flavors but I can't imagine this one finding a major foothold.

Something occurred a few nights after my first can of this new Sprite. All by its lonesome this wasn't what I craved from a holiday drink but then the notion took hold that this new formulation was intended to be used in a classic party dish. Quickly enough I busted out a tub of rainbow sherbet, tossed a few scoops into a big glass, and let pour with the soda. Success! A cheap and easy take on classic punch. Sure a proper version would involve frozen condensed juice mix and all that jazz but all that aside it's clear that Winter Spice Cranberry Sprite is at its best when used for sugary mixed-drinks. If you aim to have some foamy punch this year than I'd definitely commandeered this new Sprite for your mix, just not so much as a solo drink.

Understandably you're going to want something to eat with all these fluids and I'm happy to say there's a bit more variety than the usual winter flavors (gingerbread, peppermint, etc) this year. Case in point is the strange sounding Roasted Turkey Pringles. Presumably the same flavor found in the Friendsgiving Fest kit, that was available online for all of an hour, this variety is made to taste like a properly herb and spice coated roast turkey though the end result is a bit different than expected. Instead of tasting like the juicy turkey meat with hints of spices woven into it, the flavor is more like the roasted skin with all the herby goodness front and center and just a touch of meatiness backing it all up. While I enjoyed that taste there is one issue we must address which is the smell. These straight-up stink and I'm not even sure what it is that makes the can smell so bad but the problem dissipates along with the quantity of chips meaning your last dive into the can will be relatively lovely whereas the first serving has an almost b.o. quality without the sulfur aspect.

The candy aisle also has different flavors on offer this season thanks to the likes of new Sweet Cinnamon Kit-Kats. After the disappointment of the brands take on Pumpkin Spice, which tasted more than a bit like scented candles, I was naturally weary of how these might fare. All suspicions proved to be pointless cause man oh man are these ever delicious. Individually wrapped in festive packaging that will undoubtedly look lovely as a stocking stuffer these offer just enough lite cinnamon twinge to the normal Kit-Kat formula to be different without dipping into weird novelty territory. In fact the final result has a bit of a hot cocoa vibe allowing for perfect winter comfort food. So far this is my top pick of seasonal goodies for the year so I highly advise grabbing a bag or two should you find yourself at Target where these are currently exclusive.

One new food item in my life that technically has nothing to do with the holidays popped into my life in rather unexpected fashion. My father received some “thank you for your service” package having to do with high-school volunteers around Veteran's Day. Thing was done up like a care package with all kinds of weird stuff, including a decent hand lotion that I managed to obscond with. What's important for our discussion however was the package of Cheddar Cheese Bacon Combos. Somehow these originally came out early this year as a Walgreens exclusive and flew completely under my radar. Since dad isn't huge on stunt food he permitted me to indulge in these with the results being, well... not that great. Keep in mind I am not a fan of Pretzel Combos, it's cracker or tortilla for this guy, so that drags these down a few points already. That being said the bacon and cheese combo wasn't strong enough to be all that thrilling though it was still balanced enough to be decently tasty. They're not bad, not good, not all that interesting or unique, but I did eat the whole bag over a few nights so it's not like this is a total failure, just basic unremarkable snacking material.

Frequent visitors to this site know how important horror movies are at the CosmicSparky compound which counts all the more when celebrating Halloween and Christmas. Thanksgiving on the other hand has a downright anemic selection of terror tales to choose from. This past Saturday revolved around a binge of Turkey Day horror ranging from those that only pay slight homage to the holiday, The Boneyard, The Boogeyman, alongside more aptly themed but absolutely awful entries like Thankskilling. There was one film among the lot that was so trashy, so violent, and so utterly bonkers as to quickly worm its way into my heart ensuring a place alongside other low-class holiday treats like Silent Night, Deadly Night. The little cinematic miracle in question is Blood Rage.

thanks to I-Mockery for this wondrous gif. 

Filmed in 1983 and finally released in 1987, Blood Rage goes under a couple other titles like the dramatic Nightmare at Shadow Woods or the more generic Slasher. The story concerns twin brothers, one of which is murderous and was able to pin an early crime on his in-shock brother. A decade later on Thanksgiving night the innocent one escapes from mental facility prompting the other to go on a killing spree in order to take care of folks he doesn't care for such as his mothers new fiance. That's about as deep as things go with the rest of the film providing entertainment with gory kills, strange behavior, nudity, ludicrous dialogue, and a pumpkin pie based temper tantrum. For lovers of trashy cinema and lover of so bad it's good cinema this is a rare treat and I'm a little embarrassed it took so long for me to finally watch it. If you're planning to watch a Turkey this Thursday this is available to stream on prime. My point is Blood Rage is the dumb Thanksgiving slasherflick I always wanted which makes me a very thankful pilgrim this year.

And with that it's back to holiday preparation. This house is actually going to have guests on Thursday meaning there's plenty of cleaning to be done and dishes to be planned. Should time allow I might even get started on the Christmas lights. For now I wish you all a fine and dandy Thanksgiving. With luck you'll hear from me again before December since I've still got a truckload of sentai episodes to review.

A Tribute to Cinematic Turkeys

Back in the early years of this decade I had started to make strides towards improving my household Thanksgiving traditions. This push on my part was to counteract the slow slide in quality the holiday had been on since the late 1990s. Over time I created all manner of practices like indulging in booze gift sets, cooking a debilitating batch of mac and cheese, and treating the family to cinematic turkeys. Can't recall the exact start of that last tradition though I can trace it back to at least 2013. With this Thanksgiving marking the last for the decade I decided to use every Thursday to go back and revisit some golden turds. And in preparation I have constructed a tower of terrible, or turkey totem if you will, to guide future viewing habits. So today I thought it best to share some tips and highlight some of the finest bad movies ever filmed so that any of you out there could start your own take on this tradition on solid footing.

It's the damnedest thing but it seems like every other day I remember another title that belongs on this shelf. While taking these photos it occurred that Ninja III was missing and the Andy Sidaris collection is still downstairs. Then there are such deep questions one asks such as why the hell do I not own Cool as Ice? Part of that forgetfulness comes from how much this small collection has grown over the years. Searching out these titles comes with a price however as for every Miami Connection there's at least a dozen Creatures From the Abyss to make you question your life choices. Still; much like a deep-sea diver I return to these dark depths again and again in search of treasure because the rewards are so worth it.

On the top level are some key offerings from two of the greatest bad movie stars known to man, Reb Brown and Lou Ferrigno who stand guard over this years double-feature. The plan to disrupt my holiday digestion this time around includes the cheap action flick, Hollywood Cop along with a terrifically terrible looking dance film with the unfortunate title Dancin' It's On! Both of these have been on my radar for years now and it felt like the closing of a decade was the perfect opportunity to tie up loose ends. Plus the double-feature model offers safety should one film prove underwhelming. As for the featured oldies, let's tackle them one shelf at a time.

The right side of this level belongs to Reb Brown with two of his finest stinkers. Howling 2: Your Sister is a Werewolf (aka Stirba, Werewolf Bitch) is perfect four a rowdy crowd who live for boobs and blood. Honestly the movie has a few spots that are a bit annoying but it always returns to the charm of Reb and Christopher Lee and has some bizarre editing to keep it all it all lively. Barely having anything to do with the original film, this follows the brother of Dee Wallace's character from part one as he teams with an old monster hunter and a spunky reporter only to travel to eastern Europe and battle the queen of werewolves. Along the way we're treated to new wave club scenes and confusing werewolf porn.

Reb Brown also stars in a more crowd-pleasing effort called Yor, The Hunter From the Future. And yes that title is a spoiler in itself as this is a futuristic caveman flick cut down from an Italian mini-series. While it's only occasionally laugh-out-loud funny the overall atmosphere is so utterly silly as to leave the audience with a constant smile. Throw in the occasional highlights like dinosaur hang-gliding and action-figure stuntmen and the whole experience is pure bad movie bliss. I still remember the discovery of this one as I was trying to sleep only for it come on TV and keep me glued to the screen till the wee hours of the morning.

The left side swerves into Ferrigno territory starting with Hercules which, my god, it's just everything right in this world. No matter what you like to laugh at be it lousy special-effects, poor acting, sloppy dubbing, nonsensical storytelling, ludicrous costumes, it's all here in a psychedelic sci-fi/fantasy mash-up of the classic Hercules legend. On the flip side the musical score from Pino Donaggio is actually pretty awesome. This is another outstanding pick for damn near any crowd but don't expect that same level of fun from the sequel, Adventures of Hercules, as it suffers from long dull stretches.

Finally we have one of the hidden gems of my horde featuring both actors in their prime, Cage. In it the two star as Vietnam war buddies who live together ever since Ferrigno was rendered mentally handicapped due to being shot in the head while protecting Reb. The pair live together until two down on their luck gangsters kidnap Lou and, I shit you not, trick him into fighting in underground cage matches. From a sappy opening to a crazy ending with so many wondrous scenes in-between this is a true treat. Personal favorite sequence is when Reb goes after a local gang armed with a shotgun and his patterned rage scream.

Level 2 belongs to manly deeds which means action and sports films along with a free-spirit life on the road sort of flick.

Beginning on the left we have Hulk Hogan's WWF produced wrestling classic, No Holds Barred with the hulkamaniac staring as Rip. Rip is at the top of his game when a crude new television executive, who loves calling him “jock-ass”, starts to mess with his life culminating in a rivalry with a crazed wrestling monster named Zeus. The general feel of this one is that of a hyperactive movie for children that just so happens to be too sleazy for the intended audience which is what makes it such a prime turkey. One moment Rip is encouraging kids to stay in school and then he's literally scaring the shit out of people.

Samurai Cop is a true gem for any bad movie buff. In it a cop who is an expert in the world of Japanese crime is brought into a California police force to help them battle the yakuza whose biggest badass is played by Robert Z'Dar. From production quality and acting, to piss poor action and cheap wigs, every moment of this film is something baffling to behold. Plus it never ceases to amaze that this Japanese expert can't speak a word of the language to save his life.

George Romaro's Knightriders is objectively probably the best film on this whole display though that honor doesn't save it from being a gonzo turkey. The story concerns the leader of a traveling motorcycle jousting troop (Ed Harris) who must contend with a challenge to his leadership from a fellow jouster (Tom Savini) who wants to commercialize their act. Tangled up in this battle of wills are a magic Indian, corrupt southern cops, and even Stephen & Tabitha King. It's so terribly earnest while being ridiculous and goes on for two-and-a-half hours. I'd recommend this one for the hardcore crowd who crave something deeper but still want that edge of stupidity.

Deadly Prey is yet another titan of celluloid garbage in the great tradition of action classics like Rambo or Commando. Ted Prior stars as a Vietnam vet who's captured by a former commander and hunted for sport, all of which is just an excuse for a steady stream of sloppy action sequences. This is just pure distilled fun with a massive body-count that will entertain even the most stoic of viewers.

Level 3 is home to epics. Not so much in size or scale so much as the overwhelming results of viewing them. These are the sort of bad movies that either leave you feeling battered & bruised or totally energized.

Never Too Young to Die isn't what one would traditionally call fun entertainment. If anything the film is pure excrement scarped from the inside of a truck-stop toilet. The core outline is about college gymnast Lance Stargrove, played by John Stamos, who must avenge the death of his father who turns out to be a secret agent. The one responsible for this family tragedy is Velvet Von Ragnar, a hermaphroditic underground shock rocker terrorist, played by KISS member Gene Simmons, who leads an army of whacked out Road Warrior rejects. This attempt at a young and hip James Bond is profoundly trashy and more than a little socially backwards making it a potentially poor choice for viewing with your more woke friends. The laughs in this film aren't really all that frequent but it's the sheer dumpster fire absurdity of the whole thing that washes over you and either sends you into giggles or drives you mad. The best possible outcome is getting the giggles from watching someone else go mad.

Birdemic as a franchise is something of a miracle. The first film easily ranks alongside the likes of The Room for that perfect combination of utter incompetence and pure enthusiasm. A romantic thriller about birds attacking mankind as revenge for environmental issues offers the worst special-effects and technical merits around. When combined with a terrible script and dizzying performances from every member of the cast this becomes something quite special. Under normal circumstances the sequel would fail to live up to the original cocktail yet somehow the director manages to overshoot the mark at recreating his sucess so far that he loops back around and actually succeeds through failure.

Miami Connection may in fact be the greatest bad movie of all time. Let's just consider the plotline for a moment. A group of tae-kwan-do practicing orphan friends/bandmates in college run afoul of several threats like a competing band and a gang lead by one of their girlfriends brothers which all lead back to a drug-dealing gang of ninja and one friends search for his absent father. Did I manage to make any sense out of that? There are musical numbers, beach hangout montages, and scores of dead ninja. The dialogue is rubbish, the tunes are silly, the acting unbelievable, it's all pure gold. If you could only ever watch one turkey, this is a damn fine choice.

Easily the biggest name feature in this tribute, Showgirls doesn't fail to live up to its reputation. It's like the Rocky series mixed with the bible and blended with pure trash to produce a utterly captivating bad movie milkshake. I've only view it a single time but that experience was so memorable and enduring that Showgirls might be one of my favorite films ever made. No expense was spared in creating this perfect gleaming turd and I urge anyone with an interest to add it to their collection.

The bottom floor is home to goofy genre fare along with a growing pile of titles that are slowly remembered over time. Speaking of which; I forgot Black Belt Jones and Troll 2!

Night Train to Terror embodies the saying of when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. When producers had several unfinished or unreasonable horror flicks laying around they decided to film a couple new scenes and turn everything into a horror anthology framed by god, the devil, and a bunch of dancers looking for their big break. It's exactly as good you'd expect from a film made entirely of leftovers.

Roar is nearly a snuff film that just so happened to be made with the best intentions in mind. With the concept of making a movie to showcase how big wild cats aren't really dangerous, Tippi Hedren and her family get mauled on camera for close to two-hours. If you ever wanted family viewing with real life head injuries this is the turkey for you.

Despite the expansion of bad movie fandom Starcrash seems be frequently forgotten. It's a crying shame quite honestly as this is another one of those well-balanced crowd-pleasers that offers something for everyone to laugh at. Directed by the same wonderful nut as Ferrigno's Hercules, Starcrash is a brightly colored Star Wars knockoff that bounces from one wild set-piece to another. There are cavemen, amazon warriors, cowboy robots, and David Hasslehoff, it's all here! Revisited this one the other night and it won over everyone in the room.

I've covered Flesheater in the past and as you can see in the photo there's fine stash of flicks like Breakin 2, American Ninja, and many other to choose from but there is a hidden treasure on this shelf. Behind Starcrash is a four-film collection featuring one of the unsung achievements of poor filmmaking. I'm talking about Norman Mailer's crime drama, and unintentional comedy classic, Tough Guys Don't Dance. I won't even bother to describe the story but merely offer the promise that those with the bravery to watch, and endure the slow opening half-hour, will be rewarded with something magically delicious.

And there is my brief guide to the world of shit cinema along with my tribute to this fine holiday tradition. I will continue to hunt down these movies for years to come, and may have found a new one tonight with the discovery of Karate Christmas Miracle. I'd love to hear about other outstanding bad film experiences from all of you out there and I hope you've found something during this article to fuel your next social gathering.

Ryusoulger Episodes 23-27

For everything there is a season and for my lazy butt that means every November brings forth a mad dash to catch up with Super Sentai content, save for that year when I chose to ignore the awfulness of Kyuranger. After months of Halloween goodness I was gearing up for a couple rounds of recaps before realizing it's already the 12 of this month, how is that possible? So without further ado let us march along and discuss how Ryusoulger has been faring before I get sidelined by holiday sodas.

Story:

Sadly my first venture into this batch of episodes was victim of one of the most dreaded phenomenon in television. Yea, it was time for a clip show though much like last year the writers almost managed to make this one count for something. The theme for all the flashbacks were the various dino souls the heroes use as nifty tools in their adventures, oddly enough these things can actually fizzle out after so many uses. The group meets to trade when they find a soul that grants wishes that the villains, disguised as Canelo's sister, run off with. Evil is defeated and the soul that has its own wish for peace is hidden away so no one will fight over the power it can bestow.

After that we're given another one-off adventure with Canelo trying to impress a girls martial artist father in order to win her hand in marriage, or so he thinks. It's a fairly basic outing though the monster, a karate master with pastry skills, is fairly neat. Also of note is the training sequence where Canelo tries to master a new move to overcome the monster. This whole section of the show reminded me of Ultraman Leo only without the ludicrous abuse of our lead.

For episode 25 things switch towards Melto and Ui and you all know I consider her to be the best representation for the series message of connection and friendship as she struggles with such notions. Stranger still is how this one serves as an explanation for the ending-credits dance sequence. Suppose I should explain.

Ui has roped her friends into creating a dance video for her channel and the project isn't going very well as Melto just can't get the moves right. He snaps at Ui, refusing to continue the project and inquiring why she isn't in the video herself. It's not long after that a viral video staring Kreon begins to steal peoples souls, including Ui and Canelo's Sister, Oto. The team must figure out how to defeat a monster that hides in the internet, but also doesn't harm its host as the removal of negative thoughts and current life situation leaves the man feeling wonderful. This one might have been lost if not for some unexpected actions on Kreon's part (more on that later) but in the end everyone is able to help with Ui's video, otherwise known as the ending credits.

With a few small-scale stories concluded the show moves into a new arc by introducing another Ryusoul tribe member named Nada. He was actually in training to be the red ranger years ago before his master decided on Koh to inherit those powers. Nada just wants to help out however he can which is important given the return of Gachireus (who faked his death), Gaisorg, and a new monster that can remove kindness for human hearts, which makes for a fine revelation about Koh.

Episodes 26 and 27 are a rough two-parter with how they share the same monster along with introducing Nada to the group. Each installment is distinctly different however with the first revolving around Koh's darker nature while the latter involves reuniting a father/son pair of Dino Knights. Both are solid stories with some excellent character development and the new guy offers a fun personality for the other heroes to work with. Speaking of which...

Heroes:

More than anyone the original trio gets the biggest share of growth during this batch of episodes. In the case of Koh we learn during the clipshow that he is actually capable of hearing the voices of dino souls. Whether or not this will serves as an important detail later on is up in the air but it still merits a mention. Of more potential importance is what happens when Koh gets blasted by the critter that takes kindness away from people. Not only does this turn him into a psychotic badass but the audience learns this is his default mode from childhood. It wasn't until Asuna came to their village that he began to watch over her and mellow out. Later he admits he learned kindness from watching Melto help Asuna with her swordwork and that he was able to overcome his current problem by focusing on the group of friends he has now.

Melto has also improved recently first blowing up at and then mending fences with Ui, spending far more time with Oto, and becoming more resilient in battle. Seeing how the boys looked after Asuna growing up makes her current role as the strongman of the group more meaningful as she now has the power to look out for them.

Lastly we've got Nada who obviously has a deep dark secret, one I already know from future episodes. As of right now he's a very entertaining addition to the cast with the actor being both funny and charming. Given his background as a warrior who was deemed unworthy of being a Ryusoulger he could fill the mostly absent role of a mentor to the group, especially since the village elder hasn't been seen in about twenty episodes.

Villains:

The return of Gachireus means my struggle to remember the spelling of his name is back in full-force. It also means his former tenure on the show feels like less of a red-herring. Still can't quite figure if this guy is worthwhile or not. He's more interesting than Tankjoh and his arguments with Wyzul can be fun bur I'm sorta hopping he gets swapped out for a more unique baddie.

Kreon is proving to be more interesting than previous content let on. During the viral video adventure we learned quite a bit about this little snot slinger. Not only does he enjoy creating things like videos for fun, before Wyzul hijacks them for evil, but he actually made friends with a human and worried about their fate as a host to a Minosaur. Beyond that he deleted the video that allowed the creature to spread despite it meaning defeat for his side. Since the show has slowed the shuffle of villains down significantly it's less likely this little guy will be an endgame threat so much as a goofy mascot or possibly sob story.

Action:

While there were no absolute standout action scenes during these installments the overall quality of fight scenes is holding up quite well. Of note are the instances when the stunt team mixes wirework into tracking shots. Also have to give some major points to the suit actors for green and gold. In an already excellent stunt-crew these two manage to pull off some of the most impressive and fluid maneuvers in each battle.

Overall:

So these weren't the brightest moments of the series so far given the presence of clipshows, cutesy kid robots (don't ask) and and lighthearted karate romance. Deeper revelations about our characters and their relationships are helping to push the series theme plus the actors keep getting better with each installment. With a new character in place and hints of new villains there's a lot of potential for the upcoming slate of episodes. I still have a lot to catch up on and once I do you expect these recaps to become less vague, getting my Sentai legs back after all. This show is at it's best when it focuses on the inner lives of the heroes and the lengths to which the villains will go to spread havoc so my fingers are crossed that the story is moving back in that direction for the foreseeable future.

That's all for tonight, Santai fans. I've got appointments to set-up and stuff to watch from the corporate overlords at the house of mouse. I shall return with further Ryusoulger antics soon, give or take a break to discuss festive food and horrible films for Thanksgiving. As is so often asked by these tokusatsu shows, please look forward to it.

Halloween Aftermath 2019, Medievil, and Voodew.

At this moment I'm laying in bed at an hour far past any reasonable bedtime, a phenomenon likely due to teeter-totter of physical labor and deep sleep that is my early November. For as much as I'd wanted to slip in one more update during October it simply wasn't a possibility within the ensuing whirlwind of activity. And much as some of you may want me to move onto some different topics there are still a few Halloween related items that simply must be touched on. If you'd be so kind as to allow an old man his ramblings I'd like to cover some Halloween aftermath.

As always the conclusion of October brought plenty of joy mixed with the proper amount of melancholy. It was a massive season for me with it feeling like an eternity ago when I was posting about the likes of Maple Creme Oreo, The New Kids, and Tallow Glee. Even the antics of The Addams Family menu at IHOP seem like a relic from another era. That's the mark of a good season though, when you're still sad to see it go but so close to being sick of it that the clean-up is almost guaranteed to be refreshing. Just like every year this one wasn't without its share of flaws or missed adventures, never went on an adventure to a big haunted house for example, opting instead for the local courthouse showing. Some of those incomplete tasks were handled in the beginning of November such as finally getting to play a couple rounds of Ghosts.

During the build-up to the 31^st I'd been indulging in some of those token items that help to make autumn better than the other seasons. Had plenty of cider and donuts, chugged a fair-share of pumpkin ale, and went for a nighttime walk in the woods. Well... in the park is more accurate but the activity of strolling through the near pitch-black pathways while leaves rustle all around you makes for such a marvelous cheap thrill.

One item I'd been looking forward to this year, and almost feared I'd have to skip given shoddy finances, is the remake of old PS1 favorite, Medievil. Way back when the original came out I instantly fell in love with it to the point that it became a customary inclusion of October activities for the following six or seven years. You can understand then the interest in this remake which has gained some very silly press coverage. Knowing that the development team was remaining faithful to the original design meant I fully expected some negative reviews claiming it to be outdated. What I didn't expect was the number of folks saying the game is too hard. One reviewer even compared it to the Dark Souls franchise. Never played that series but the comparison is making me think modern gamers really can't play for shit. Medievil's difficulty has always been unbalanced with a couple of choke points but it's far from hardcore.

Regarding the merits of the remake itself the development team managed to bring back much of what made the original so lovely with enough alterations to keep things interesting. It's all small stuff mind you, slight changes to boss battles, some control differences, and the occasional timing change for platforms and puzzles. Most of it is very welcomed with only a few differences leading to distress. Personally I missed the original contact sounds and reactions found in the pools of the ancient dead. Likewise I struggled with the new placements for the guard and jump buttons for the first few hours. Still the overall effect was as intended with waves of nostalgic bliss as I tore through the old playground of Gallowmere slashing through hordes of monsters. Best of all the game lasted into this month and acted as an ointment for the post holiday blues.

Another topic I'd pushed back throughout the season was Mtn Dew Voodew. This mystery-flavor offering from the folks at Dew started to show up in August but for whatever reason was a real pain to get for some of us. In my case I could only consistently find it as the local Family Dollar, and only in bottled form. Never once did I find the twelve pack of cans no matter how many stores I checked out. Let this serves as the round of applause for dollar stores as one of the true pillars of Halloween. As to that mystery-flavor; most say it's Skittles, a minority claims orange-cream, after drinking a few bottles I can see the value in both arguments. No doubt there's a Skittles vibe in here but I can also taste a smooth orange component in there as well. It's neither the best nor worst Dew but an excellent seasonal treat all the same. I'd love to see the Voodew concept continue with further years bringing new mysteries, so long as the company remembers to bring back Pitch-Black as well.

Halloween night proper proved to be quite memorable largely due to some nutty weather. All the preparation went well and I had plenty of helpers on hand to entertain the crowds but wet, snowy, windy weather cut the usual turnout down by a good chunk. Now I've gotta get a bunch of leftover candy to different charities. Even with the reduced activity there were still plenty of folks taking pictures with my fellow monsters, admiring the decorations, and a neighbor even informed us that the house makes her happy. When you're feeling betrayed by the greater forces at work it's a real boost to see folks enjoying the result of all this work. Plus the imagery of the night was unforgettable with snow slowly piling on our shoulders under a blue-tinted sky contrasted against the blazing orange of pumpkin light.

So how was this season? Well, it was unique to say the least. There were plenty of aspects that played out smoothly and provided tons of fun. On the flip-side there were a number of weird challenges mainly on the retail front with store either pushing their items too slowly or too quickly with weird pricing and poor stock. Plus it seemed like some people couldn't be bothered to think about all the glorious aspects of the season. Can't really blame them with it being the end of a decade. Even I catch myself looking to 2020 for all the potential promise it brings with it. In the here and now though it was a season that demanded a little more fight and gumption than usual and that's what made it unique, right down to the snowy finish.

After a night of candy and horror films came the massive clean-up job as I spent four days dismantling and packing away hundreds of decorations. In the process I battled countless spiders and nearly broke a against a sewing machine. There was a brief moment of serenity to be found when taking down the hanging ghouls from the tress. One particular pumpkin man waved in the wind just right against the evening sky in a way that felt as if the season was saying a farewell. Something about that moment made the end of Halloween feel alright, as if a friend were leaving with promises to return soon.

With all the ghosts and goblin packed away, and the reward for my surviving being some new Thanksgiving and Christmas gear, we can move on with proper November business. There are cinematic turkeys to discuss, Super Sentai to catch up with, and plenty of early Christmas shenanigans to indulge in. As always I want to thank all you fine readers for putting up with months of Halloween obsession, and hope you'll share some stories of your holiday. We've got tons to talk about in these last two months of the year so expect to see plenty of posts here in the coming weeks.