Halloween Music: Now, That’s What I Call Halloween!

And now for something a little different. Are you a Halloween newbie? Are you just starting your cadaverous collection of spooky songs and horrifying hits? Does the daunting task of making your own playlist fill you with… dread?If the answer to these questions is, “yes”, then we have a great way to prime the pump. Of course, I’m speaking of 2015’s glorious release: NOW, That’s What I Call Halloween!, from the fun fiends behind the NOW, That’s What I Call Music series by Universal and Sony (often referrred to as NOW).

NOW, That’s What I Call Halloween! (or as it will be hither referred to as NTWICH! in order to appease my carpal tunnel) is NOW’s first foray into fright. Yes, they brought us such classics as NOW, That’s What I Call Country!, NOW, That’s What I Call Motown!, NOW, That’s What I Call Music Volume 61!, NOW, That’s What I Call Mum!, and the immortal NOW, That’s What I Call Christmas! In spite of all these instant classics, they had yet to provide a Halloween compilation, until… wait for it…. NOW.

Anyway, I think it was worth the wait, as this is an excellent primer into the world of All Hallow’s atmospheric songs. I think you’ll agree that the track list is pretty impressive, so let’s go over it, shall we?

Halloween Theme (Main Title) by John Carpenter

Dragula by Rob Zombie

Carmina burana: O Fortuna by Leonard Slatkin

Tubular Bells (Theme from ‘The Exorcist’) by Mike Oldfield

(Don’t Fear) The Reaper (Single Version) by Blue Oyster Cult

Devil Inside by Inxs

Bad Things by Jace Everett

Werewolves of London by Warren Zevon

Ghost Town by The Specials

Dead Man’s Party by Oingo Boingo

Monster Mash by Bobby Boris Pickett & the Crypt-Kickers

This Is Halloween by the Citizens of Halloween

Season of the Witch by Donovan

I Put a Spell On You by Nina Simone

Beetlejuice: Main Title / End Title by Danny Elfman

Ghostbusters by RUN-DMC

A Nightmare On My Street by DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince

Somebody’s Watching Me (Single Version) by Rockwell

Now, that’s what I call a Halloween playlist! We’ve got the creme de la creme of Samhain themes, the immortal Halloween Main Title. We have Werewolves of London, now with more fur. We have the crashing chains of The Monster Mash, more cowbell with Don’t Fear the Reaper, and Rob Zombie’s ode to yesterday’s article about The Munsters; Dragula.

While these staples are absolutely fantastic, it’s the off-the-wall oddities that I’m really excited about. Why go for the boring old original Ghostbusters by Mr. Charles, Jr, when you can blast the Run-DMC, remix?  Plus you have Bad Things, which just might be the dirtiest Halloween song that will appear on this blog. Seriously, that song is full of filthy intent and smutty subtext.

We will be going through all of these songs eventually, but in the meantime, you owe it to yourself to pick up NTWICH! and start plowing through the tunes. You can find it here: NOW, That’s What I Call Halloween!

NOW, I can’t finish an article without providing a video, or two. Wanna see a commercial for the disc? Of course you do. Here it is.

  

And HERE is a link to a youtube playlist so you can sample all of the songs before you get the album. 

Lastly, I am going to post a direct video of my favorite track, the grandaddy of them all, and absolutely essential for any night of trick or treating. What’s your favorite? Sound off below.

Halloween Music: The Munsters

Today we are going to have some fun with The Munsters. That’s right, The Munsters Theme Song is essential ghoulish goodness on any Halloween playlist. 

Now, you might think this is relatively simple. After all, how many versions of this song can there be? Well, surprisingly there are a ton of versions. But let’s start off simple, shall we? Here, is the original theme song to The Munsters:

So that’s the season 1 opener. Pretty simple, huh? It’s got the original tune we all know and love, but its a bit faster than I remember the tempo being.

Did you know there were words to this theme? Go figure, huh? Here they are:

These are the lyrics:

When you are walking down the street at night
And behind you theres no one in view,
But you hear mysterious feet at night,
Then The Munsters are following you!

If you should meet this strange family
Just forget what some people have said,
The Munsters may shake your hand clammily
But they're not necessarily dead.

Behind their house you musn't be afraid
To see a figure digging with a spade!
Perhaps someone didn't quite make the grade
with The Munsters, with The Munsters.

If when you're sleeping you dream a lot,
Ghoulish nightmares parade through your head,
And then you wake up and scream a lot,
Oh, The Munsters are under your bed!

At midnight if creatures should prowl about,
And if vampires and vultures swoop down,
And werewolves and feinds shreik and howl about,
Oh, The Munsters are out on the town!

One night I dared peak through their window screen,
My hair turned white at such a crazy scene!
Because every evening its Halloween
At The Munsters', at The Munsters'!

They weren’t originally part of the song, but were added later as part of the album: At Home With The Munsters, which was released in 1964.


Here is the first side of the album from our friends at Youtube:

The Munsters Theme song has become such a quntessential part of the Halloween listening experience, that it has been covered by multiple groups. Here are just a few of the versions you can find:

From Rob Zombie’s Halloween masterpiece (which will definitely be appearing on this site again).


 You can’t go wrong with Brain Seltzer.


This live version has kind of a cool, surfer rock vibe.

Fall Out Boy even sampled it for their song, Uma Thurman.

Yeah… I don’t like it. I guess I’m more of a purist. At any rate, I used to watch this show as a kid, and I really have a nostalgic love for this theme. Put it together with The Adams Family Theme, and you’ll have an ultrasonic 60’s ear orgasm!

I’ll leave you with this “behind the scenes” photo. Yep, the living room of The Munsters’ house used to be pink. It’s what showed up the best in black and white. Go figure. 

Oreo Cake

So, one of my favorite summer time desserts was when my mom would make Oreo Cake.

Now, the name is a bit of a misnomer, for while it does have plenty of Oreos, it is not a cake, other than in the same way a cheesecake is a cake.

Nevertheless, it tastes like being a kid, so I don’t care if it is a cake, pie, frozen confection, or ice cream. All I care about is putting a delicious spoonful in my mouth.

“But wait, Deigh,” you might be saying. “You can just get the same experience with Cookies N Cream ice cream!”

“Au contraire, mon frère,”* is what I respond.

It is nothing like cookies and cream ice cream… other than the fact that it has cookies and iced cream and…

Dang it, it does kind of sound like cookies and cream ice cream, but trust me, it is sooo much better.

To make this delicious delicacy of decadent delight, you need top quality ingredients.

Now, as soon as I say, “Oreos”, some of you are gonna say, “Why not Hydrox or Kroger Store brand sandwich cookies?”

My response to this is: Shut your face. In no universe does Hydrox taste like Oreos. Stop fooling yourself. I know they are cheaper, but so is London Broil, and only psychopaths prefer that over fillet.

Spring for the fillet.

You’ll be glad you did.

So, you only need three ingredients for this amazing concoction.

1.) A package of Oreos. Just a regular package of plain Oreos will do just fine.

2.) A half pint of vanilla ice cream. Generic is fine. Breyer’s is better. Blue Bell is amazing. If you really want to go nuts, make some of your own home made ice cream. That recipe can be found here: https://nostalgicdaydream.wordpress.com/2012/07/05/3-amazing-recipes-from-my-youth-4/

3.) A regular container of Cool Whip. Once again, brand matters. Just say, “no’, to generic Cool Whip and don’t even think about using the junk in the can…

Oh, and you also need as good mixer. I am using a KitchenAid because I am a snob. And now you are laughing at me because you can plainly see I bought Kroger brand vanilla ice cream.

Hey, what can I say? I’m a snob on a budget?

Besides, I did spring for the Deluxe…

So, now you take your Oreos and you put them in a gallon-sized freezer bag.

Then you take a rolling pin and beat the tar out of them. I mean, really pulverize them. Turn them into chunky powder.

Now, you do want a few big chunks so that you will have some crunch in your cream.

Then you put your crushed Oreos into your mixing bowl.

In the meantime, make sure your ice cream is good and soft…

And your Cool Whip is not frozen.

Then add both those bad boys to your mixer.

Then just mix the tar out of it. Make sure it is good and incorporated.

Once it is all mixed together, find yourself a nice glass casserole dish. Size doesn’t matter, but the thicker it is, the longer it takes to harden…

Then you just freeze your “cake” for about 3 hours, and wallah! You have a delicious summer dessert that will have your taste buds flippin’ and your hips a wigglin’ with a happy dance of gastronomic ecstacy!

Once you are finished, you can even lick the bowl because all the ingredients are edible!

Here’s the thing, you don’t even have to like Oreos in order to love this dessert. In fact, my kids hate Oreos, even the lovely Orange Halloween ones. I’m not even really sure these are my kids, but I digress…

But they love this stuff. I have to make a double batch because it disappears so fast, and let me tell you, brother or sister, this stuff ain’t cheap.

But, it is worth it. It is the taste of summer sun and hide and seek and lazy days and neighborhood pools and Saturday morning cartoons and I love it.

I hope you do, too…

* I’m pretty sure that mon frère is French for: My Righteous Dudes and Dudettes, but I could be mistaken.

Halloween Songs: Jack the Ripper

Hello Kiddies,

Today we bring you one of my favorites for your autumnal playlists. It’s the 1963 classic horror tune, Jack the Ripper, as recorded by Screaming Lord Sutch.

This song has everything you need for a Halloween night. It starts with eerie footsteps, a blood-curdling scream, and the “Danger Ahead” theme from Dragnet. Then it goes into a fairly rocking rift that talks about the “man who walks the streets of London late at night”. Not only are the lyrics spooky, but the tune has a fun, rockin’ quality to it that livens up your favorite foliage drive or haunted party.

Now this was not the first rendition of this song. It was originally recorded in 1961 by Clarence and Charles Stacy. Here is their version:

It is more stripped down, and less produced than Sutch’s. It also feels a lot calmer and more toned down than Sutch’s cover, which in my opinion in the quintessential presentation of this song.

Screaming Lord Sutch is a name you will see over and over again, on our playlist. He made a living out of recording horror tunes to make up for the fact that his voice was “lacking”. You might call him one of the first shock rockers. He had a pretty great live show, that was theatrical and atmospheric. Later, he tried to be involved in British politics, only to lose more than 40 elections. But seriously, how can you not love a guy who started the “Official Monster Raving Loony Party”? He was a great satirist, a flamboyant and theatrical politician, and his music is filled with manic-good cheer.

You can find Sutch’s version of Jack the Ripper both on Amazon and iTunes, as well as Spotify and any of your other favorite music streamers. It has also been found on a number of Halloween collaborations, including the now defunct: GOODNIGHT WHATEVER YOU ARE compilations.

But Halloween music lovers seem to all agree that Sutch’s cover takes the song to a new level. Below the embed, you’ll find the lyrics:

The Ripper, Jack The Ripper

There’s a man who walks the streets of London late at night

The Ripper, Jack The Ripper

With a little black bag that’s oh-so tight

The Ripper, Jack The Ripper

He’s got a big black cloak hangin’ down his back

The Ripper, Jack The Ripper

Well, that’s a one big cat I just a hate to fight

The Ripper, Jack The Ripper

When he walks down the streets

To every girl he meets, he says, is your name Mary Blood?

The Ripper, Jack The Ripper

The Ripper, Jack The Ripper

When she walks down the streets, he’s never far behind

The Ripper, Jack The Ripper

With his little black bag and his one tracked mind

The Ripper, Jack The Ripper

Well, he nearly catches up when the lights go down

The Ripper, Jack The Ripper

‘Cause that’s the time he starts his dirty, uh, chop-around

The Ripper, Jack The Ripper

When he walks down the streets

To every girl he meets, he says, is your name Mary Blood?

The Ripper, Jack The Ripper

The Ripper, Jack The Ripper

Scotland Yard’ll never catch him, ’cause he’s a much too clever

He’s much too clever

Mm, but if they do, man, they’ll get: The Ripper – yeah!

The Ripper, Jack The Ripper

The Ripper, Jack The Ripper

Well, the streets of London kinda never safe

The Ripper, Jack The Ripper

Whenever Jack The Ripper ever shows his face

The Ripper, Jack The Ripper

So, you pretty little girlies, take a-my advice

The Ripper, Jack The Ripper

And don’t walk the streets of London late at night

The Ripper, Jack The Ripper

When he walks down the streets

To every girl he meets, he says, is your name Mary Blood?

The Ripper, Jack The Ripper

The Ripper, Jack The Ripper

As a bonus, here is Jack White’s cover. Enjoy!

What’s your favorite version of this song? Do you have a song or snack or movie we should cover? Sound off below, in the comments.

My New Story Comes Out October 2

Hello, boils and ghouls! Recently, one of my little stories was picked up for a Halloween anthology. Corbeau Media’s book, The Stranger, comes out on October 2.

 

This book has 12 all new stories and is sure to make your spine tingle and your toes curl. The official synopsis reads as follows:

Get in the Halloween spirit with twelve new horror novellas from the twisted minds of our favorite authors. With demons, serial killers, cursed objects, fallen angels, and Death himself, there’s a spooky treat for every taste in this delicious mix. Dig in and see what The Stranger has in store for you.

Denise A. Agnew: Peeper. A peeping Tom discovers there’s something more evil than him roaming the neighborhood.

Joan Blackheart: The Factory. When a traveler takes a temp job at a factory in Wales, nothing is scarier than the daily grind.

L. Bowen: Not Yet. G has never mattered before now. But after being pushed too close to the edge, she gets a taste of what it really means to be alive.

Courtney Butler: Mona. In a world abandoned by God, humanity imprisons a fallen angel.

Jessica Cale: Bear River. Death stalks a Minnesota nursing home…until a night nurse stalks him back.

D.L. Duncan: Tough Cookie. Halloween baking gets scarier with a set of cursed cookie cutters.

Sarah Elliot: The Collector. Karma comes for the cruel when the Collector is marked for collection.

Arthur M. Harper: Oceanus. Psychological experiments on a submarine. What could possibly go wrong?

Jennifer Johnson: The Deck. A woman at a crossroads must fight for her life when a man arrives with a special deck of tarot cards.

Rosanna Leo: The Cemetery Guardian. A grieving woman meets a tall, dark stranger at the Toronto Necropolis.

Quenby Olson: With My Own Eyes. A spiritualist comes face to face with a demon in Victorian England.

Justin Thoby: The Last Son. A knight rides down the apocalypse in a violent hellscape of zombies and false idols.

 

You can preorder the book HERE.

You can also check out my Amazon author page and find my other books HERE.

Pleasant dreams…

Fall Begins…In July?

I know it’s early. Hey, I hear ya! It’s not even the 4th of July yet, man. No, that’s tomorrow. Typically I don’t get into a fall mood until after the 5th. But this year, the weather has been fall-like, so I’ve been like, screw it. If I want to be in a Halloween/fall mood in July, so be it. So I went to Hobby Lobby and this is what I found, and I could be more unashamedly happy…

 

Happy fall, ya’ll!

Into The Void…

So, I’ve written a book or three. I’m in the midst of attempting to figure out what I’m gonna do with them. So, I thought I might chronicle some of the process here. It is an interesting quandary – what do I do, once I finish my book?

Writing a novel is a daunting, lonely process. You sit, solitary in a room or out on your back deck or at Starbucks. You have a laptop or desktop or iPad and you type. Sometimes the words come easily. Sometimes you sweat. Your neighbors and friends get really tired of hearing about your plots and characters, but normally are polite. Mostly, though, you are alone.

It seems that even when you have a book finished, it is roughly the same. You are by yourself unless you are Stephen King or J.K. Rowling (in case you didn’t know, I am neither). So I’m posting a question to you.

Now that I have a project or three, do I self-publish, or try and get an agent?

Drinking Out Of Buddha

Holy crap! The family and I went out to one of those “Japanese” cook-at-your-table places for dinner. I’ve been trying to cut back on the ol’ soda, so I was only going to order water to drink. That is, until I saw the mugs.

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Are you kidding me? A phallical Buddha drinking mug? There’s no way I couldn’t indulge! Look at his arms. He’s ready for anything. He’s saying, “have your way.”

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Look at the smile on his face. I’ve never seen anyone so jovial to have a hollow tube penetrating their abdomen. He’s just inviting you to suck him dry. The angle in which you behold changes the overall meaning of your beverage vessel.

The best part is, you get to keep the friggin’ mug! Oh, yeah, baby. This sucker’s going on my mantle. I want to share this gift with every single person that comes by our place. I can’t wait to mix up my own juice, pull out a straw, and watch my company’s face light up in unadulterated glee.
Holy crap!

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Halloween The Movie At Halloween Horror Nights!!!

That’s right, Boils and Ghouls, your favorite boogeyman is back! Michael Myers will be making an appearance at HHN in Orlando, this year. Myers originally appeared in 2009 at HHN Hollywood, in a house called: The Life and Crimes of Michael Myers, which covered most iconic scenes from the original films, and even a nod or two to Halloween 3.

Fans of the series have been waiting for this appearance of their favorite killer, in their favorite Halloween event on the East Coast, and now they have it!

The original film, which was made on a shoestring budget of $350,000 in 1978, went on to gross over $70 million at the box office. It was one of the first films to employ a Steadicam system, and was known for creating audience “empathy” with the killer by giving a first-person POV to the opening murder. It also defined classic Halloween trappings and customs for a generation, by creating a brooding, atmospheric tone which captured the spirit of the holiday.

The film is beautifully shot by Dean Cundey who would go on to shoot Romancing The Stone, the Back to the Future trilogy, and Jurassic Park, and is directed by Master of Terror, John Carpenter, who gave us Escape From New York and The Thing.

But the most iconic reach of the movie is not the amazing featureless mask that was created out of a Don Post Captain Kirk. It is the music. To kids that grew up in the 80’s, that music is Halloween. It is as iconic as the Star Wars or Jaws theme, and just as influential.

http://www.4shared.com/music/ZzvwYKUece/Halloween_theme_song_1_.html

The idea that this pulsing, off-beat theme is going to pump through Universal Studios Florida is enough to make my heart palpate with giddy, galloping skips. This is one of my favorite all-time films, and I am so excited, I might not be able to contain myself. I hadn’t planned on going to Orlando, this fall, but I have been scouring travel websites, all damn day!

Here is a small taste of what the original 2009 Hollywood house was like. If this is any indication, we are in for one heck of a treat.