So, I Watched Psycho Party Planner (2020, Dir. by Jake Helgren)


Kayla Anderson (Lindsey McKeon) wants to give her daughter, Kerry (Cathryn Dylan), a sweet 16 party that she’ll never forget.  She hires a party planner but unfortunately, Lindy Shores (Katrina Begin) is a psycho party planner!  Lindy only gets the job because she murdered the party planner that Kayla really wanted to hire and then she starts trying to corrupt Kerry.  Lindy is who she says she is.  This party is going to be murder!

You know what’s really psycho?  Throwing a big 16th birthday party when you’ve still got an 18th birthday party, a high school graduation party, a college graduation party, an engagement party, a wedding reception, and a divorce party to plan for.  Save your money!  My 16th birthday, I got a cake with one candle and I had to beg my sisters to at least let me have the part with my name on it.  And I was happy to have it!  I didn’t a planner to know how to party.

I liked Psycho Party Planner because the daughter looked like she was 30 but she was still only celebrating her 16th birthday.  It’s good to start denying your age early.  Even though the Psycho Lindy turned out to have a lot of bad things up her sleeve, Kerry still got to have a party.  It didn’t look like a great party to me but it was planned by a psycho party planner so I guess it was as good as it could be.  The high school drill team performed and they were terrible.  They’re not going to get to State with those moves.  “If you can’t handle a birthday party, how are you going to handle the pressure of keeping everyone’s spirits up when our guys are losing to Lake Highlands?” as my old cheerleading coach used to say.

Psycho Party Planner was dumb but fun in a “What did I just watch?” way.  Who would have guessed planning a party could be so dangerous?  I’m going to plan all of my future parties myself so if they turn out to be psycho parties, I’ll know exactly who to blame!

Moments #30: Casper The God


I wanted to share one last picture from my mom’s doll collection before Halloween.  I can’t remember when or where she got this Casper doll but I know that I always felt happy whenever I saw him.

It was always wondered who wrote “CASPER THE GOD” on him and also why they decided he was a god instead of a ghost.  Maybe his original outfit got lost and they labeled him so they wouldn’t forget who he was.  But how can you forget Casper?

Happy Halloween, Casper.  I’m glad that we were able to give you a home.

Previous Moments:

  1. My Dolphin by Case Wright
  2. His Name Was Zac by Lisa Marie Bowman
  3. The Neighborhood, This Morning by Erin Nicole
  4. The Neighborhood, This Afternoon by Erin Nicole
  5. Walking In The Rain by Erin Nicole
  6. The Abandoned RV by Erin Nicole
  7. A Visit To The Cemetery by Erin Nicole
  8. The Woman In The Hallway by Lisa Marie Bowman
  9. Visiting Another Cemetery by Erin Nicole
  10. The Alley Series by Erin Nicole
  11. Exploring The Red House by Erin Nicole
  12. The Halloween That Nearly Wasn’t by Erin Nicole
  13. Watchers and Followers by Erin Nicole
  14. Visitors by Erin Nicole
  15. Fighting by Case Wright
  16. Walking In The Fog by Erin Nicole
  17. A Spider Does What It Can by Erin Nicole
  18. Downtown Richardson, In The Rain by Erin Nicole
  19. Me, our kids, and ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD! by Bradley Crain
  20. The Statues of SMU by Erin Nicole
  21. Exploring the Back Yard Of An Abandoned House by Erin Nicole
  22. The Ugly Old Swing by Erin Nicole
  23. The Fourth of July In My Town by Erin Nicole
  24. A 4th of July Tradition: Blurry Firework Pictures! by Erin Nicole
  25. That Doll by Erin Nicole
  26. Invasion of the Dolls by Erin Nicole
  27. The Dollhouse by Erin Nicole
  28. Jake and Max by Erin Nicole
  29. The Morning of October 26th by Erin Nicole

Where Have All The Halloween Specials Gone?


Is it just me or was there a stunning lack of Halloween specials this year?  This is the first time in 12 years that Toy Story of Terror wasn’t aired on television.  And, of course, It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown has been an Apple TV exclusive for a while now.

It’s hard to explain why it bothers me so much.  Maybe I just don’t like change.  I know that all of the old Halloween specials that I enjoyed when I was younger can still be found streaming online.  I can watch them anytime that I want.  That’s not the point.  When I was growing up, there was something really special about gathering in front of the television with my family to watch those specials, even though I had seen all of them before.  They were an event.  They were something to look forward to.  The waiting and the knowing that everyone across the country would all be watching at the same time was part of what made them so special.  Now that you can just watch them whenever you want, it doesn’t feel as special.  There’s no anticipation.  There’s no thrill of the moment when it finally starts.  Worst of all, there’s no communal experience.  I could watch It’s The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown in November if I wanted to.  I can watch A Charlie Brown Christmas Special in July.

I never thought I’d be sad over something like Toy Story of Terror not airing on television.  (This year, we watched it on Disney+.)  I am, though.  The world has become a little less fun and we no longer have something that used to bring the people together as a community.  I feel bad for a generation that’s never going to know the excitement of having to wait to see or get something instead of getting instant and empty gratification.  I worry that people don’t care as much about holidays and traditions anymore.  That’s a shame.

At least I’ll always have my holiday memories.

These Skeletons Are Ready For Halloween!


Skulls and bones were a mainstay on the covers of pulp and especially horror related magazines.  For this Halloween, take a trip back into the bony past with a few skeletal covers from the pulp era!

by Rudolph Belarski

by Rafael De Soto

by Robert Stanley

by Robert Gibson Jones

I’m Praying For A Halloween Miracle


I don’t know about you but, after Game 5 of the World Series, I am praying to the Great Pumpkin for a Halloween miracle.

The Blue Jays are one game away from winning the World Series.  Game 6 will be played tomorrow, on Halloween night.  I want to spend my Halloween handing out candy and dancing the monster mash.  (It’s a graveyard smash.)  I do not want to spend it watching my least favorite baseball team win the World Series.  The Blue Jays deserve a lot of credit for how they’ve played this season but, until they fully exorcise the spirit of Jose Bautista and his bat flip from the team, I cannot support them.

I know people don’t like the Dodgers.  I don’t care.  They’re the only thing keeping the Blue Jays from winning the World Series.

Tomorrow’s game is pivotal.  If the Dodgers win, Game 7 will be played on November 1st and, if the Blue Jays do take the Series, at least it won’t happen on a holiday.  If the Blue Jays win Game 6, it’s all over.

I’m going to be make sure this household is the most sincere in the neighborhood so that the Great Pumpkin will give me what I want.