Holidays are all about traditions both
big and small. Something I've been able to count on fairly reliably
for the past few years has been our local library book sale. Since it
strikes in early October I make a point of searching for old horror
novels to spice up the month. Like anything else that's supplied
entirely by donation there's a chance of getting a lame crop and
sadly this year is probably the weakest offering ever. It wasn't a
total letdown though, there were still a few nice finds plus there
was an entirely different item that absolutely made my day.
Let's kick things off with the books
though. First up is Those who Hunt the Night by Barbara
Hambly. This was the first title I decided to pick up at the sale as
it seemed like a unique blend of vampires and Sherlock Holmes style
mystery. The plot apparently revolves around a couple who are forced
into investigating a series of murders within London's vampire
community. Even of the book turns out to be a flop, looking at the
authors wikipedia proved entertaining enough as she has a bizarre
career of work consisting of original stories, licensed fair, and
some episodes of animated series like She-Ra &
Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors.
The God Project is an old John
Saul terror tale about children dying and/or disappearing as part of
some larger scheme. Over the years of going to this sale I've
picked up multiple Saul novels though I've yet to read any of
them. Usually the excuse is that the to-read pile is full of so much
good stuff, he get's pushed to the bottom, this year there's actually
a chance of me giving this a shot.
You know the kind of purchase where
you simply say “why not?” That attitude is exactly what inspired
me to buy the next two books. Haunted has such a limited plot
explanation on the dust jacket that it at least has the chance to
surprise me. All they give you is that there's a haunted summer home
and the owners invite some paranormal investigator to check it out
for himself, spookiness occurs. Likewise Headhunter sounds
like it should be some extra bloody serial killer fare. Generally
that's not my bag but if anything I'm giving it a shot solely on the
quality of that cover.
Neanderthal is very much a wild
card entry. From the look of it the whole thing is a Michael
Chrichton style adventure, only one of the less classy ones like
Congo. This sort of
best-selling blockbuster style novel was very much in fashion in the
mid-nineties and I always carried a little bit of a torch for them.
Back then it wasn't odd to see books like The Relic or
the aforementioned monkey tale turned into major movies and though I
wasn't a reader back then, I had a fine diet of those movies. The
hope is that this one can take me back to that time when authors
competed for the next great Hollywood paycheck.
Over in the kiddie section I picked up
some perfect article material. Standing
out in the open among a smattering of outdated young adult titles was
the second entry in the Star Wars: Galaxy of Fear series.
A late in the game entry to the kids horror phenomenon of the
nineties, Galaxy of Fear ran
I think for a dozen entries or so. From what I know the series
follows two orphaned siblings who travel the galaxy with their uncle
encountering both supernatural menaces along with some classic
villains. I guess in one of them, Darth Vader has to fight his
evil....errr, more evil clone. If I get enough time to read this
weekend, expect a full review soon.
The media section was very sparse this
year. Usually I'm able to pick up a couple new additions for my VHS
collection but there were none to be found. On the upside I was lucky
enough to get my mitts on a Reb Brown flick I've never seen before.
If you need any indication of the kind of movie this is just read
that tag line, “They jumped out of the frying pan and into the
firing line.” Amazing stuff.
Like I said earlier it was slim
picking this year, there was nowhere near the amount of horror titles
and even less decent normal stuff to read. I wasn't the only one with
a smaller pile this time either, usually between myself and the few
family members who come along we pick up at least one paper bag of
unbelievable weight. This time we took extra people and didn't even
match the usual haul.
All in all this would have been a
bigger letdown if I hadn't come across a golden idol at Goodwill just
hours before. Behold the very embodiment of Halloween.
This tacky masterpiece comes from
pacific rim imports, and yes, everyone who came in contact with this
had to mention the damn movie. I can easily cast aside conversations
about lackluster kaiju flicks for such pure majesty. It's like
someone juiced Halloween night itself and formed the pulp into a work
of art. It only gets better when plugged in. There are three colored
bulbs inside and they change at a rapid rate just shy of a strobe
light. This beauty is the very embodiment of that one singular all
encompassing decoration usually found in the apartment of every old
lady. I mean you couldn't ask for much more than what this has to
offer. It's big enough to be noticeable, small enough to be easily
stored, serves as lighting, and features a devil, ghost, witch,
pumpkin, cat, skull super combination not unlike a demonic Voltron!
More than anything my new decoration
will serve as a mood booster right next to my bed. Anytime I start to
loose that warm seasonal feeling I can just stare at this while
wrapped in a warm blanket and meditate on the simple pleasures of
this season. That's always important to take in that this point in
the year. Sure some of our traditions may disappoint but what really
counts during these final months of the year are those slight
alterations to the daily grind. I've updated this site so many times,
often with a theme of showing off whatever oddities I've found in the
world but only in October do I write this all down by the alternating
lights of a ceramic devil. That's the sort of silly touch that
elevates a normal night into something special.
That's all for now folks. Gotta wrap
up a few small projects before a weekend full of work. Hope you all
have the opportunity to do something more fun than guarding a
condemned factory. Be a pip and leave a comment, what horror flicks
are you watching this weekend? What's your favorite snack this
season? Think of it as your good deed for the day by giving me some
slim margin of human contact during my toils. Yall stay spooky.
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