Stoker And Its Gorgeous Movie Poster

I'm very excited for Park Chan-wook's new movie Stoker, to be released in the States come February. This stunning movie poster was just released, and I thought I'd share it. I love it with all of my heart. I have a thing for beautifully detailed, interesting, unique movie posters.

Stoker stars Nicole Kidman, Mia Wasikowska, and Matthew Goode and (looks like) a dark family melodrama of sorts, but knowing Park Chan-wook's other work, I bet there's something very disturbing or horrific at play as well. We shall see!

Salem Open Market THIS Weekend!!!

I'm so excited for the Salem Open Market this weekend! Why am I awake at 11:50, the night before a craft fair??? Because I'm too excited to sleep.

And so, here are the essential details for the market:

What: Salem Open Market
Where: Derby Square (along Front Street), Salem, MA
When: Saturday, October 27th + Sunday, October 28th (11-6)

I'll be the one with bright pink tent and neon pink Jack-O-Lantern. And mini orange Jack-O-Lantern. And hair teased to the hilt. And modern-yet-vintage cat eye sunglasses. If it's sunny. Fingers crossed that it will be sunny!

Happy (weekend before) Halloween!!!

Salem Open Market THIS Weekend!!!

I'm heading into heavy sewing mode this week getting ready for the Salem Open Market this weekend. I'm crazy excited to be selling my Fussy Gussy handmade goods at this market, and oh so close to Halloween! I'll likely be writing more on the market later in the week, but for now, here are the essential details.

What: Salem Open Market
Where: Derby Square, Salem, MA
When: Saturday, October 27th + Sunday, October 28th (11-6)

I'll be the one with bright pink tent and neon pink Jack-O-Lantern.

Sam and Dean, Meet Mulder and Scully

This past Spring I did something that I should have done a long time ago. Something that was a ton of fun and kept me totally entertained for months. I watched The X-Files from start to finish.

This was quite an undertaking, but I loved it so much and may do it again this Winter. While watching, I kept a list of actors who I recognized from my favorite show of all shows Supernatural (which will be returning for its 8th season on October 3rd!) I'd planned on sharing this list in the Spring, but decided to save it to include as part of my countdown to Supernatural series of posts.

And so here you have it! Note that the actor's name is listed first, followed by their Supernatural character name and finally, their X-Files character name.

Jim Beaver: Bobby/Coroner

Mitch Pileggi: Samuel/Skinner

Steven Williams: Rufus/Mr. X 

Mark Sheppard: Crowley/Bob the Caretaker

A.J. Buckley: Ed Zeddmore/The Dude

Katharine Isabelle: Ava/Lisa Baiocchi

Chad Lindberg: Ash/Bobby Rich

Nicki Aycox: Meg Masters/Chastity Raines

Mark Pelligrino: Lucifer/Derwood Spinks

Titus Welliver: War/Doug Spinney

James Otis: Famine/Arien Sacks

Fredric Lehne: Azazel/Young Arthur Dales

Mark Rolston: Alastair/Bud LaPierre & Richard Odin

William B. Davis: Folklore Professor/Smoking Man

Nicholas Lea: Elliot Ness/Alex Krycek

If there's anyone I've left out please feel free to share in the comments section below. Enjoy!

Weekly Song List: Wednesday, August 22nd

Since I'm clearly preoccupied with my childhood  experiences of the gothic and the romantic (see my posts for the past week or so), I thought I'd dedicate this week's song list to just that. Songs that are gothic and romantic, and filled with some sort of darkness or magic. Songs that would have fit perfectly with my somewhat macabre childhood sensibilities.

1. Glass. Bat For Lashes: My favorite favorite Bat For Lashes song. From her album Two Suns. This songs makes me think of The Neverending Story. Which reminds me, I should watch that too as part of my mini movie marathon. Totally exhilarating song. It has such momentum and atmosphere.

2. 1816, The Year Without a Summer. Rasputina: This song is about the "Little Ice Age" which is apparently when Mary Shelley wrote or started to write Frankenstein. This event is also documented in the movie Rowing With the Wind (which is part of my mini movie marathon). Great song. Rasputina are one of my all time favorites. Love them.

3. The Wolf. Fever Ray: From the soundtrack for the movie Red Riding Hood. Awesome song. There's something very tribal about it. In the movie, it plays during a sort of celebration that involves darkness, dancing, and lots of fire.

4. Heavy In Your Arms. Florence + The Machine: From the Twilight Saga: Eclipse movie soundtrack. When did these soundtracks get to be so awesome!?! This is actually my favorite Florence song. Gorgeous. Love the heavy sound, and the dramatic build.

5. Love Is Blindness. Jack White: Cover of the U2 song. Featured on the 20th anniversary full album cover of Achtung Baby. I've already written about song on this very blog. I love it in so many ways. I love the loudness of it at times and the space within it. I love Jack's voice. It's also one of my favorite U2 songs.

6. When Doves Cry. Prince & The Revolution: I thought I'd include a song that I was actually listening to in the 80s. I was really into Prince when I was 8 or 9. And this song held so much mystery for me. It seemed very intense and about things that I could not relate to, but were intrigued by. I remember being in my bedroom, dancing to this song in pink leather pumps that were two sizes too big for me.

7. Jackie. Sinéad O'Connor: From her album The Lion and The Cobra. Gorgeous song about a lady waiting (for eternity) for her Jackie to return from the sea. Haunting. Beautiful. Eerie. Perfectly ghostly. Perfectly romantic.

Photo: Rasputina

The Bride, Once Bitten, Labyrinth, And More!!!

My copy of The Bride arrived today. I'm so excited to watch it. I think I may have a sort of mini movie marathon this week and watch The Bride, Rowing With the Wind, Labyrinth, and Once Bitten.

These particular movies all came out between 1985 and 1988, and they all have a certain supernatural or fantasy element. All have a definite gothic atmosphere. And with the exception of Rowing With the Wind (which I don't believe I've seen all the way through), all of these movies had a huge impact on me as a kid. These stories seemed terribly romantic, very "grown-up", and very, very dark.

It seems crazy to me to think that I may have seen The Bride when I was only 7 years old. What!?! I remember my sister (as clear as day) talking about this movie, and how it was a big deal since Sting was in it. The poster totally intrigued me and I was completely fascinated by the story. It wasn't until years later, in high school, that I read Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. I think it may be time to read that one again. After I finish Rebecca, that is.

Photo: promotional still from The Bride

Classic Tale Of Romantic Suspense

I'm re-reading Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca (the "classic tale of romantic suspense") and I'm loving every minute of it. Having read it years ago, and having watched the movie a zillion times, the story and characters are basically etched into my brain and imagination. In the past I've had a hard time seeing the story with any sort of new perspective or insight.

But recently I watched the movie for the first time in years, alone. And for whatever reason (perhaps my mood, perhaps some experience in my own life), I saw the movie in a whole new light. Characters seemed more tangible. More real. And I really related to the main character (who is nameless, other than being the new Mrs. de Winter), and empathized with her. I also saw Maxim very differently. It's hard to get past Laurence Olivier's mind melting good looks, but once you do it becomes clear just how deeply troubled his character is.

Rebecca remains my favorite movie. And as I said before, I'm loving every minute of the book. I highly recommend Rebecca to anyone who loves a good tale of romance and mystery, mixed with a great gothic sensibility and all around fantastic story telling.

Love This Movie Poster For The Bride

So awesome.

Bride of Frankenstein + Sting

Upon completing Monday's post about the beautiful Bride of Franksenstein Doll inspired by the 1935 movie (of the same name), I was reminded of a movie that I saw in the theater when it came out in 1985. That movie is The Bride and it stars Sting and Jennifer Beals (of Flashdance fame). 

I immediately went onto Netflix to see if it was available for streaming. Alas, no. I then went to my library's online catalog. Not there either. So I bought it! And I can't wait for it's arrival in 3-5 business days so that I watch it, along with a few of my other favorite 1980s supernatural and/or fantasy themed movies. Like Once Bitten and Labyrinth. I'm so excited!

I'd also like to note that Sting looks a bit like Michael Fassbender in this photo. His eyes are a bit further apart than Fassbender's, but there's an intensity to both men's handsomeness. And that's my two cents.

Bride Of Frankenstein Doll On Etsy

Every so often I happen upon an Etsy shop or artist that totally floors me. Uneek Doll Designs is one of these shops. I find Debbie's clothespin dolls inspiring and beautiful. I love the subtle detail and intricacy of the dolls, the handmade one-of-a-kind quality, and the expression in the faces. They amaze me!

Debbie's dolls are (for the most part) inspired by real people: famous authors, poets, musicians, artists, actors and actresses, historical figures, you name it. Anyone from June Carter Cash to Bette Davis, Alfred Hitchcock to Abraham Lincoln.

She even has a Sasquatch doll. Awesome!

I especially love this Bride of Frankenstein doll inspired by the 1935 film of the same name, starring Boris Karloff and Elsa Lanchester (who plays the dual role of Mary Shelley and the Bride). I think she's absolutely divine.

To check out Debbie's complete collection of clothespin dolls, visit Uneek Doll Designs on Etsy.

Hope you have a great week!

Hitchcock's Rebecca Never Ceases To Amaze Me

I watched Alfred Hitchcock's Rebecca last night for the zillionth time. As the title suggests this movie never, ever ceases to amaze me. Joan Fontaine is the epitome of "perfectly lovely", and Lawrence Olivier is ridiculously handsome, gentlemanly, and charming.

And then there's Mrs. Danvers. One of the great movie villains.

Being one of my all time favorites (if not my one-and-only all time favorite), I'm certainly biased.

But in my opinion if you enjoy: gothic things, mysteries in general, black and white movies, movies that take place in creepy mansions, movies that take place on the coast of Cornwall, movies with awesome villains, movies with awesome female villains, Lawrence Olivier, Joan Fontaine, psychological thrillers, ghosts, (and so on) you've simply got to watch Rebecca. 

Nancy Drew On Etsy

I love this Nancy Drew themed treasury on Etsy! There are so many adorable goodies featured, from cool pendants to upcycled pocket books and notecards. I love the set of Nancy Drew notecards pictured above, and handmade by Nouveau Nancy on Etsy.

My Mystery of the Tolling Bell pocket mirror was also featured. Very exciting!

Thank you Retrospect  for putting your girl detective skills to super crafty use, and for putting this charming, perfectly vintage treasury together!

Lingering Questions About Murder House

With American Horror Story well over and done, I've had plenty of time to sort out my many lingering questions that were either not answered at all, or not adequately answered during the first season, and therefore will never be answered since it's been revealed that every season of AHS will have a whole new cast, house, plot, and so on. In fact, we now know that the second season will take place on the East Coast, and will involve a "horror institution". What that means exactly, I'm not sure. But I digress.

And so, here we go with my list of lingering questions (most of them are about Tate, of course):

1. Why exactly was Tate so angry and full of rage? We know that Constance wasn't a good Mom. She was most likely neglectful, abusive (verbally and possibly physically), and an all around selfish, superficial, manipulative woman. But was there a certain sinister event that made Tate the monster that he is, or was it the house?

2. Why didn't Tate go all the way with Violet on Halloween night? Violet was totally game. And what did he mean when he said that he'd never done it with a girl before? This still irks me.

3. What was on Tate's thumb ring, exactly? I still feel like there was some sort of power to the ring that was never addressed.

3 (a). Speaking of Tate's thumb ring, I LOVE this Etsy treasury of snake thumb rings that was inspired by my fixation on the topic. Thank you Balthasar for creating this gem of a treasury! I'm sure there will be plenty of Etsy treasury fodder next season, too.

4. In the episode "Birth", why did Billie Dean Howard have such a strong reaction against Tate? Was it for all of the obvious reasons (murderer, monster, etc.) or was there some sort of spirit world past relationship between Billie and Tate?

5. Can ghosts make telephone calls? Violet seems to be the only ghost who is able to contact a living person without seeing them face to face (I'm thinking of Constance in "Birth"). Somehow Violet asks Constance to come over to discuss getting rid of ghosts, but she does so without leaving Murder House. I guess telephone is the only option here. Since ghosts are basically energy, I wonder how this works?

6. Why was Tate so angry and full of rage when he killed the exterminator in the basement? He seemed crazed during that scene. He said all sorts of things about repenting for sins and taking innocent lives. Was he projecting his own feelings of guilt onto the exterminator?

7. If Addie died in the street, how did she learn about Tate and all of his wrong-doings? In the episode "Piggy, Piggy" Billie Dean Howard tells Constance that Addie is glad she didn't die on the Murder House lawn because she's afraid of Tate "now that she knows the truth." Do ghosts have neighbors, like living people? Or do you just magically know everything about every spirit once you cross over?

7 (a). And on this note, did Tate ever find out that Addie was dead?

8. Who was the hedge clipper guy from the opening credit supposed to be? Ryan Murphy said that by the end of the season we'd understand every single thing in the opening credits, but I'm at a loss about those hedge clippers.

And that's that (for now). I may very likely be tempted to post further lingering questions as the arise. And stay tuned for casting updates and other juicy tidbits about season two!

Dracula Just Needs Somebody To Love

A still from the 1931 movie Dracula starring Bela Lugosi. You can see Dracula's "brides" below on Jack White's bass drum.

I remember being so captivated by Dracula (the man/vampire) when I saw the movie for the first time. I couldn't have been more than 7 or 8 years old. I clearly recall telling my Mom that I really liked Dracula and felt sorry for him because he seemed so lonely. Like he just needed some good friends or something. I definitely didn't understand the drinking blood aspect to the story, or the immortality. I think it's time for me to rewatch this movie.

The Dead Weather + Brides of Dracula

I love this photo of The Dead Weather playing live at the Third Man Records pop-up store in LA in 2009. I especially love Jack White's "Brides of Dracula" bass drum. Excellent.

Oh, the Horror! And the Horror Again!

I had quite an eventful Sunday, though it had absolutely nothing to do with football or the New England Patriots, and had a lot to do with horror movies.

A friend and I went to not one but two horror movies yesterday. We ventured to one neck of the woods to the extravagant, overly huge cineplex to see The Woman in Black, then ventured to a whole other neck of the woods to what I refer to as a "golden age" cinema, which was a great deal smaller than the cineplex (and with about a gazillion times the charm) to see The Innkeepers.

Both movies had strengths and things that I loved. The Woman in Black was basically perfect to me except that the story, though terribly sad and creepy, never really hooked me. I had this same feeling when I read the book years ago. In fact, the one plot point that really struck me from the book was changed in the movie.

But, as I said, other than this, the movie was really great. The grey, misty, wet atmosphere of the book was brought to the screen brilliantly. There's even a scene in the bog which is pretty sticky. I loved the way in which Eel Marsh House was envisioned. Lots of dark, richly painted walls (think deep, royal purples and blues and crimson reds). Tons of candles. The cast was fantastic. And to be honest, I kind of expected to be thinking about a certain boy wizard the whole time, and only once did he enter my mind. Daniel Radcliffe is without glasses in this role, and his bright blue eyes are very hard to miss. I thought to myself "did Harry Potter, the character from the books, have blue eyes?" And that was that. No more thoughts on the subject. I would definitely recommend The Woman in Black to anyone who loves a good ghost story set in the English countryside at or around the turn of the century. The 19th century, that is.

Ti West's The Innkeepers was entirely different than what I'd expected, though I should have had some idea having seen House of the Devil, also written and directed by West. The story is pretty straight forward. Supposedly haunted inn called the Yankee Pedlar is closing for good, and the staff has been scaled down to two: Claire and Luke. I'd say the movie is far more about these two than any ghosts, and not just because one of them in is every scene. Claire is really adorable and kind of a spazz (to use my friend's very apt description). She screams a lot, but in a comedic, Muppet-ish kind of way. Luke seems bored out his gourd and kind of grumpy, but clearly crushing on Claire. I really liked these two.

As for the horror element, it's there, though subtly. I was definitely startled a few times, seriously spooked once. On the whole, I found the movie funny and relatable, and more sad and tragic than scary.

All in all, it was a pretty intense (and fun!) Sunday. Next on the movie front: Kill List.

Evan Peters E! News Interview

I read a pretty great interview with Evan Peters today that was done about a week after the American Horror Story finale aired. As we all know by now, the show is set up to change completely each season. New characters, new location, new house, new ghosts. But, Ryan Murphy has said that some of the cast might return next season, though in entirely new roles, which could be interesting.

In the interview, Peters is asked how he would feel about coming back next season. This is what he had to say: "I think it would be really awesome to get back...If I don't come back, then that's great too. I had an awesome time and I learned a lot. I'm pretty emotionally exhausted, so I'm cool to move on and go do a comedy or something like that. I'm happy either way."

On his character Tate, and the general darkness that came with the character: "At first it was really fun and then it sort of became...I mean it's still fun to get into it, but it just became harder and harder. It's not real, so there's only so much time you can spend going to that place before it starts to take its toll...I was constantly battling that from the beginning and I was just like, ‘Okay, this is cool, it's just a season. Just got a couple more episodes. And then I'll just listen to a lot of Christmas music!' "

I love that Christmas music is Evan Peters' antidote to the darkness that is Tate Langdon.

It's Christmas At Murder House!

American Horror Story and the 12 episode long tale of Murder House and the Harmon family is over. And not over for now. Over for good. Or at least that's what Ryan Murphy tells us. For one, I believe him and look forward to meeting a whole new family in a whole new house next season.

Speaking of things that Ryan Murphy tells us. I remembering reading an interview with Murphy in which he stated that by the end of this season we (the viewers) would understand each and every spooky thing in the opening credits. I think I understand about 3/4 of the spooky things. I still don't know about that guy with the hedge clippers, or the body in the attic (at least, it looks like the attic). You know, the one draped in a clear frosted tarp? Do you know who that's supposed to be? Beau (we were told) was supposed to have looked like he died in his sleep, peacefully, so he would likely not have been in an upright position with a tarp over his body. And what about that child skeleton hanging in the mirror? Who's that supposed to be???

I'm going to write a post with all of my unanswered questions soon, so for now here are my thoughts on the final episode of American Horror Story aptly titled "Afterbirth".

This episode of was a mixed bag for me. I loved the tension of the first few minutes. I thought "maybe it's all been a figment of Ben's imagination?", but then we see the Harmon family moving into Murder House and the rest is history. I found Ben's death scene completely devastating and heartbreaking. So, so sad and violent in a dark, upsetting way.

But once that new family showed up, I sort of lost interest. And then they were gone, and I was relieved. I'm happy for the Harmon family, that they've been reunited in the afterlife and all. They have their baby boy and named Moira the godmother. They even celebrated Christmas. Love it!

And so, here's a list of the things that I loved about "Afterbirth":

1. The tension of the first 10-15 minutes. Ben discovering that Tate was Constance's son. The baby in the mirror closet.

2. Ben's death scene. As I said before, it completely broke my heart and genuinely upset me, but I thought it was very well done.

3. Tate's "confession" to Ben about missing their talks, and how much Ben was helping him. And Ben's response.: "You're not a person, you're a monster...a psychopath, Tate...and the worst kind. You're charismatic and compelling, and a pathological liar." Totally.

4. Tate's attempted murder of the new kid. He couldn't do it!?! He even asked the kid to look away, or something. Maybe he really is a changed person. Or a changed ghost person. Or better yet, a changed man-boy-ghost.

4.a. I really enjoyed Tate's hair during the season, but I hope that Evan Peters goes back to his usual medium brown hair color. I re-watched a bit of Kick-Ass recently and I really like the brown hair.

5. Violet and Tate's final kiss. Of course, we know that Violet was trying to save the new kid's life (which she did), but it was also very sweet and sad, especially Tate's choked sobs after the kiss, once Violet had gone. Poor Tate. Doomed to be alone forever. Maybe he'll go dark side again and join forces with Hayden.

6. Christmas at Murder House! I love that this episode was not only the finale, but also a Christmas episode of sorts. The tree was very pretty. Simply and sparkly.

And that's that! It was a really fun ride. I've loved writing about it, and keeping notebooks with timelines and what not.

Thank you Ryan Murphy for creating such an interesting and refreshing tribute to the horror genre, the age old story of the haunted house, and the poor family that buys it for half of what it's worth in an attempt at starting fresh after some unspeakable tragedy. Great season! Great show!

American Horror Story: Birth

It's officially been one month since the final episode of American Horror Story and I think that I'm finally ready to write about it. I've watched it twice now and while I think the first 15 or so minutes were tense, awesome, and devastating, I still have so many questions that will never be answered.

But I'm going to address these questions in a separate post, because there's too many and I want to devote one whole post to the single greatest episode of American Horror Story, season one. The penultimate episode, aptly titled "Birth".

I absolutely, whole-heartedly loved this episode. I think that Alfonso Gomez-Rejon is fantastic. He directed my other favorite episode of the season "Home Invasion", and there's something very special about his eye and the way in which the characters come to life in his episodes.

I loved the opening flashback sequence of young Tate and Nora, and then all-grown-up Tate and Nora. "Life's too short for so much sorrow."

I loved Billie Dean Howard's monologue about spirits and energy and regret. So what if her Croatoan ritual didn't work. The Winchesters could've told her that.

I loved Tate's come-on-turned-beat-down at the hands of a very angry Patrick. I feel like Evan Peters was channeling Adam Brody a smidge in this scene. That perfect sarcasm and boyish-ness. Only a smidge, though. I adore Adam Brody, by the way.

And I loved Violet. That final scene broke my heart. "I used to think that you were like me, you were attracted to the darkness. But Tate, you are the darkness." Such high drama and sadness. I felt so sad for both of them by the end, Violet telling Tate she loves him but can't forgive him. And Tate, tear soaked and weepy "You're all I want, you're all I have!"

Poor Tate. Poor Violet.

Poor Ben. And poor, poor Vivien. But as we see in the finale, things turn out pretty much okay for the Harmon family.

Further Speculation On Tate's Thumb Ring

As you may already know, I'm dying to know what's up with Tate's thumb ring. It seems like an interesting and odd detail, and I wonder if it holds some great secret to understanding Tate's character and/or motivations. And so, I've made it a goal to find out more.

I managed to get a semi-better image of it when re-watching the pilot (for the umpteenth time!) and it looks less to me (now) like a snake and skull, and more like a snake eating some other creature or animal. Makes sense? Maybe??? It's so hard to tell, though. It really could be anything.

I've read that this week's episode called "Smoldering Children" will give us some major insight into Tate and Constance. And also Larry. I'm so, so excited.

I really enjoy Larry. My favorite quote of Larry's so far: "I'm very interested in that fire place."

Last Thursday I wrote "If I can manage to make it to next Wednesday without writing yet another post about Tate Langdon and/or Even Peters, it will be a miracle." A girl can't help herself, I suppose.