Bonus Horror on TV: Halloween Is Grinch Night (dir by Gerard Baldwin)


So, we all know that the Grinch once tried to steal to Christmas and then his heart grew a few sizes but did you know that apparently, the Grinch also tried to steal Halloween?

Until a few years ago, I did not.  I was going through YouTube, searching for horror films that I could share here on the Shattered Lens, and guess what I came across?

A TV special from 1977 entitled Halloween is Grinch Night!

Unlike How The Grinch Stole Christmas, Halloween is Grinch Night apparently never became a holiday classic.  Perhaps that’s because Halloween is Grinch Night is not exactly the most heart-warming of holiday specials.  Whereas How The Grinch Stole Christmas tells us about how the Grinch learned the true meaning of Christmas, Halloween is Grinch Night gives us a Grinch who has no redeeming features.  There is no hope for this Grinch.  This Grinch will steal your soul and probably drink your blood.  This Grinch is pure Grinchy evil.

This is the Grinch of our nightmares.

Check out Halloween is Grinch Night below and hope the Grinch doesn’t capture you this Halloween….

Horror on TV: One Step Beyond 3.26 “Signal Received” (dir by John Newland)


Tonight’s episode tells the story of three sailors who hear an unexpected message on the radio.  Two of the sailors hear that their ship will soon sink.  The third sailor hears that he will live a long and fulfilling life.

One Step Beyond always claimed that all of its stories were “based on fact.”  This episode actually goes the extra mile by interviewing one of the real-life sailors about the message and about whether or not he believes in the supernatural.

This episode originally aired on April 4th, 1961.

Bonus Horror Song of the Day: Love Song For A Vampire by Annie Lennox


I kind of feel like I didn’t give enough love to the vampires this Horrorthon.  I’ll make up for it next year.

For now, though, allow me to offer up this Love Song For A Vampire, which was recorded by Annie Lennox for 1992’s Bram Stoker’s Dracula!

Horror Scenes That I Love: Christopher George Digs Up Catriona MacColl in City of the Living Dead


From 1980’s City of the Living Dead, directed by the amazing Lucio Fulci, comes today’s scene of the day.  In this scene, it turns out that Catriona MacColl was actually not quite dead when she was buried.  Can Christopher George dig her up without accidentally killing her in the process?

Watch to find out!

4 Shots From 4 Horror Films: Special David Cronenberg Edition


4 Shots From 4 Films is just what it says it is, 4 shots from 4 of our favorite films. As opposed to the reviews and recaps that we usually post, 4 Shots From 4 Films is all about letting the visuals do the talking.

Today’s director is the master of Canadian horror, the one and only David Cronenberg!

4 Shots from 4 David Cronenberg Films

The Dead Zone (1983, dir. by David Cronenberg, DP: Mark Irwin)

Videodrome (1983, dir by David Cronenberg, DP: Mark Irwin)

The Fly (1986, dir. by David Cronenberg, DP: Mark Irwin)

Dead Ringers (1988, dir by David Cronenberg, DP: Peter Suschitzky)

Monday Live Tweet Alert: Join us for Bloodrayne and Casper!


As some of our regular readers undoubtedly know, I am involved in hosting a few weekly live tweets on twitter and occasionally Mastodon.  I host #FridayNightFlix every Friday, I co-host #ScarySocial on Saturday, and I am one of the five hosts of Mastodon’s #MondayActionMovie!  Every week, we get together.  We watch a movie.  We snark our way through it.

Tonight, for #MondayActionMovie, the film will be Bloodrayne, selected and hosted by Sweet Emmy Cat!

Following #MondayActionMovie, Brad and Sierra will be hosting the #MondayMuggers live tweet.  We will be watching Casper!

It should make for a night of fun viewing and I invite all of you to join in.  If you want to join the live tweets, just hop onto Mastodon, pull up Bloodrayne on YouTube or Tubi, start the movie at 8 pm et, and use the #MondayActionMovie hashtag!  Then, at 10 pm et, switch over to Twitter and Prime, start Casper, and use the #MondayMuggers hashtag!  The live tweet community is a friendly group and welcoming of newcomers so don’t be shy.

Horror On The Lens: The Beast of Yucca Flats (dir by Coleman Francis)


Beastyuccaflats

Since Tor Johnson’s birthday was just 9 days ago, it only seems appropriate that today’s Horror on the Lens should be one that he starred in, 1961’s The Best Of Yucca Flats.

My friend, the writer and chef Tammy Dowden, claims that this is the worst movie ever made.

Well, technically, she may be right.  The Beast of Yucca Flats is a thoroughly inept film that makes next to no sense and has massive continuity errors.  It’s a film that also features the legendary Tor Johnson as a Russian scientist who gets mutated by radiation and becomes a monster, but not before taking off almost all of his clothes while walking through the desert.  For that matter, it’s also a film about a family that comes together though adversity — namely, being shot at by the police after the family patriarch is somehow mistaken for Tor Johnson.  And finally, it’s the story of how a dying monster can find comfort from a rabbit and that’s actually kind of a sweet message.

Here’s the thing — yes, The Beast of Yucca Flats is bad but you still owe it to yourself to watch it because you will literally never see anything else like it.  Plus, maybe you’ll be able to figure out what the whole point of the opening scene is.

Because I’ve watched this film a few times and I still have no idea!

Enjoy!

Horror Song of the Day: Ave Satani by Jerry Goldsmith


Today’s horror song of the day is the only hymn to Satan to have been nominated for an Oscar.  From 1976’s The Omen, here is Ave Satani.  Don’t sing along as much as you may be tempted too.  We’ve all seen Hellraiser.

Composed by Jerry Goldsmith, this version of this song was performed by the Tenerife Film Orchestra and Choir.