Midnight Syndicate ~ What Lurks in the Bloodlines?

I'm back with another Midnight Syndicate album review. Yes, already! They've been busy. This new album is titled Bloodlines and it is an enjoyable listen, especially for those of us who are into that eerie haunted mansion vibe. Bloodlines was introduced as a mini-album, although you are getting nine songs and near a half hour of music here. So it didn't seem all that mini to me.

So as you can guess from the album title, some of the song titles, and the line on the back of the CD pamphlet, "Another chilling chapter in the Haverghast Legacy", this album is part of a family and haunted house story. In fact, it is a prequel. I'll paste a part of the album press release here, to explain further:

Midnight Syndicate has just released a mini-album entitled Bloodlines. Their 14th studio album, Bloodlines is a prequel to the duo’s best-selling, haunted mansion-themed, The 13th Hour. The new release draws listeners deeper into the world of the Haverghast family, a sinister clan whose dark secrets were first introduced on the 2001 asylum-themed album, Gates of Delirium.

 

“The events that occur in Bloodlines happen before The 13th Hour, although how long before is left up to the listener,” said Edward Douglas. Gavin Goszka added, “The selections on this album expand the story of the Haverghast family. We wanted this album to flow as seamlessly as possible into The 13th Hour, while still maintaining its own distinct stylistic identity.”

As usual, it was easy to visualize each part of the story, and even some of the characters while listening to this. I'll take you through each track as I have in the past and give you my interpretation. 

So starting off with track number one...

1. "Bloodlines" We start off with some dramatic piano playing, occasional church bells, and a spectral ghostly choir singing. This is foreboding music, but at the same time I can imagine people dancing. I might be influenced by the dress on the CD cover, but this one makes me think of a ghost bride theme. There are definitely some haunted church vibes going on.

2. "Servitor" Here we have more bells, the feel of marching or stalking the halls. A male voice chants in a way that reminds me of those monk chants, but more sinister. I feel like there's some threatening character stalking the halls of an old house, searching for someone. 

3. "Ancestral Decree" This one has a very heavy, menacing stomping vibe, which I think Midnight Syndicate does very well! If the last track was silent stalking and searching, this one is a heavier chase. There's a little whispering in the background and creepy voices where you're not quite sure what you're hearing. I was on edge with this one.

4. "I Won't Tell" Well, this is the creepiest title by far! A music box plays with some chilling effects in the background. I actually think this track is really pretty and delicate sounding. I'm thinking of the CD cover again while listening to this (The part with the dolls). It sounds like a haunted little girl's room or nursery. 

5. "Assembly" This is, dare I say, a fun one. The fun lasts for 35 seconds, but still. :) It sounds like a party (one would assume a ghost party because of the album this is on). There's what sounds like some light harpsichord playing, laughing, and talking.

6. "Wedding March" Phantom of the Opera level organ playing starts us off, then there's the most ominous version of Wedding March I've ever heard, and in minor keys. This ties in with the first track for me, because we're back in the church. This is seriously unnerving for me. Do these people want to get married? Yikes. There's a falling/reeling feeling at the end. For me, this track was the most uncomfortable to listen to! 

7. "Grand Waltz" I liked this track from the start. It has that Disney's Haunted Mansion vibe! It sounds like its title. If you've been on the Haunted Mansion ride, just imagine that part at the end when the ghosts are dancing. Then you have this. So of course I really liked "Grand Waltz". I was even dancing around to it. This one will be an enjoyable track in the background of this year's Halloween.

8. "A Light in the Attic" And we're back to the creep fest! Starting with the title. This track sounds dangerous. It has a good beat, though. It's like you're having a dangerous night at a Goth Club and then you're being chased through a tunnel. But I guess given the title you're being chased around an attic. The track ends with a clap of thunder and the sounds of rain. 

9. "Sands of Time" This one starts with a rush of wind, followed by some haunting, melancholy music. Then there is a little light piano playing. I've probably said this in the past, but Midnight Syndicate does a great job of creating the image of a piano being played by itself. Like, if you hear a piano being played, you go into a room expecting to see someone playing it, and then there's no one there. The ghostly chorus is back and I'm thinking how this album was threaded together nicely. I mean as far as some recurring elements that tie it all together. 

I really liked Bloodlines! I know this album will make great background music. And I don't mean just for Halloween! I enjoyed it in a general listening to music way. I am left wondering about the family this album is based around. It sounds like there might be some sinister secrets in "the bloodlines" but it also sounds like they might have had some good dance parties. :) 

If you'd like to listen to Bloodlines yourself, here's a Youtube playlist of it:

Midnight Syndicate ~ Bloodlines Playlist

P.S. ~ As you probably gathered, the images in this post were from the Bloodlines CD booklet. The type behind the booklet pages is from the short story "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. 

A ghost, a blob, and other assorted characters

Over the past few days, I watched two fun old movies, both for the first time. As it happened, they were both black-and-white, kind of sci-fi spooky movies, that were made in the late 50s, with a mainly teenage cast. At least, the actors were supposed to be teenagers. The first was The Blob, which was the Svengoolie showing last Saturday. The second was Ghost of Dragstrip Hollow.

I'm guessing that many of you have seen The Blob. I hadn't before the other night. Strangely enough I thought I'd seen it, because I'd seen so many clips of the movie over the years. I was certainly aware of the thing that looked like a growing glob of jelly/jello and how it slinked around.

This movie was surprisingly good! I thought the actors were pretty believable. The Blob stars Steve McQueen, who looked like an older teenager because he was 28 at the time of filming! His little "teenage" girlfriend in the movie (Aneta Corsaut) was 25. An interesting piece of trivia about her is that she went on to be Andy's girlfriend/wife Helen Crump on The Andy Griffith show.

Speaking of the Andy Griffith connection... Svengoolie put together a funny little song comparing The Blob to The Andy Griffith Show:

A link to the video: Andy Griffith's theme for "The Blob"!

I'll try and not give much away about The Blob, because maybe some of you haven't seen it and would like to. So without spelling out the plot, I'll say that this movie has something to say about people coming together to solve a problem. Those who kept calm and kept an open mind about different solutions to solving the blob problem, did well. The frantic, paranoid, and close-minded characters had more challenges. It's interesting how even the most crusty characters could manage to work with the more likable main characters, when there was a common enemy. I think that's pretty realistic!

Now, onto the Ghost of Dragstrip Hollow. I'm as certain that most of you haven't seen this as I am that you have seen The Blob! I actually looked this movie up on YouTube after seeing the poster art on Pinterest:

I thought the poster was so cute that I had to see the movie! I'm really glad I did, because it was a lot of fun. This is one of those Rockabilly teen movies with hot cars and (according to a few mens' comments on YouTube) some hot chicks. Well, one girl in particular:

Some of you might agree that she could almost be a young Vampira, with a different look of course. I say that because she's tall and thin with high cheekbones and a certain confidence. This actress is Sanita Pelkey. She was hilarious and had some of the best lines in the movie. But my favorite character was Aunt Anastasia Abernathy:

Basically, the movie revolves around a group of kids who like to work on cars. A girl named Lois stands out as being incredibly cool and independent. She's the rare female who's working on cars like the boys, and also likes to race them. I'm guessing Lois would have been pretty rare in 1959.

Lois has an understanding mother and an insanely uptight (to the point of being funny) father. She also has an Aunt Anastasia, who she's riding in a car with above. Basically, Lois' father would like her to stop racing cars, dating boys, and probably age in reverse! He decides she shouldn't drive at all while Aunt Anastasia visits.

This leads to all kinds of hilarity as Lois has a party and then sleepover at her family's home, since she can't go out. At that point, Lois' father would probably have loved it if she'd driven away!

If you're wondering where the supernatural element comes in here, there isn't much of one. Aunt Anastasia has a haunted house, which she allows the kids to use as a meeting place/party central. A few haunted high jinx occur. Mostly, this movie is just cool teenagers with more old slang than you can shake a stick at. I mostly understood what they were saying. You'll get the idea. It's fun and cheesy. And like a lot of movies from this time, there's some music involved. I think this could actually have been a musical if a few more songs had been added.

So, if you'd like to just relax your brain and have a fun time, give Ghost of Dragstrip Hollow a watch! And if you haven't gotten around to seeing The Blob yet, definitely watch that too.

A link to Ghost of Dragstrip Hollow: Click Here

I couldn't find the entire Blob movie online, but I have the next best thing! Or maybe an even better thing? I happen to love this song. Be warned, though... This song will not leave your head for some time.

Click Here to allow that Blob earworm into your mind!

(I'm inserting those "Click Here" links because I know those who get my blog in email form can't see the videos.)

Can you believe Burt Bacharach was involved in writing this song?

If you listen to it while watching this gif, you can almost imagine the blob dancing along to the music! I'm doing that right now, actually. 😁 He's managing to keep the beat.

P.S. ~ I've been meaning to pass along a hilarious man's YouTube channel to you guys. The hilarious man is named Heywood Banks. He sings catchy songs and he's a real mood-lifter. I looked Heywood up online because I saw his photo in the paper. I thought the expression he was making in that photo was so funny that he was bound to be entertaining. I didn't even realize that he wrote songs until I looked him up! A link to his YouTube channel:

Click Here to Visit Heywood

My thoughts on Burnt Offerings

I just finished reading the book Burnt Offerings today and am up for discussing it! I know I said in the last blog post that this one would be about Cedarburg, but I'm doing some research about the town and its buildings first. This time I will be adding a little history to my photos.

So, onto Burnt Offerings. How about that cover? It's intriguing, right?

My Burnt Offerings adventure began when I watched the movie version of it a month or so ago. I saw it being advertised on the Comet channel as a movie coming up. Do you guys get Comet? It's a channel that plays old B-movies and Sci-Fi stuff mostly. It's good for a laugh and the occasional scare. If you'd like to get a glimpse into the kind of channel I'm talking about here:

Comet TV schedule 

So, Comet did a somewhat funny ad for the movie version of Burnt Offerings and I was intrigued. I always like a good haunted house story. But Comet being Comet, they only said the movie would be playing some time that month without giving an exact date and time. So I ended up renting it from the library.

The first thing I noticed before watching Burnt Offerings was that an older Burgess Meredith and Bette Davis were in it! I went in to the movie expecting to enjoy watching them and they did not disappoint. They were both perfect in their roles. But beyond that, I had some issues with the stiff acting in this movie. Actually, I had issues with the movie in general. I don't want to give too much away, but I don't think I will by saying that Burnt Offerings was disjointed in parts and not believable to me. I don't expect to believe in every event in a supernatural thriller, but I need to believe in the characters. If I don't think a person would act like what I'm watching, or if I can't connect with the characters,  it's hard for me to get into the movie as it goes along. I cared about Bette Davis' character (Aunt Elizabeth) but that's about it.

Watch out Bette!

OK, really quickly and with no spoilers... A couple (Marian and Ben) their son David and Ben's Aunt Elizabeth are staying for a few months of the summer in what is basically a run down mansion. They were looking for a place to get away, so when they read an ad for this place, which is of course way, way, way out in the middle of nowhere, their interest was piqued.

When they go to check out this big house, they meet an eccentric couple of siblings, who they'll be renting it from. One of these siblings is played by Burgess Meredith, who is hamming up his four minutes in this film big time. It was a highlight.

These two siblings offer Marian and Ben the house for the summer at an unbelievable rate. However, Ben assumes there must be a catch! The catch is, Marian and Ben must look after Mrs. Allardyce, the siblings' mother.

They are told that they must bring Mrs. Allardyce meals of food on a tray and leave it outside her bedroom door three times per day, every day they are there. The siblings tell the couple that they probably won't see Mrs. Allardyce. They say she is a frail 85 year old and just keeps to herself. OK, here is my major complaint (of many) with this movie. Why, oh why, would this couple not ask to meet Mrs. Allardyce before accepting this offer? They're willing to sign on to spend a summer taking care of a giant house and an old lady they haven't met?

Yeah, that's the house.

Well, Marian and Ben take the offer and move in for the summer. Keeping this spoiler free, let's just say things do not go well. There is a supernatural bent to this, and taking care of "Mrs. Allardyce" is the bad idea it sounds like. I'll also say that I'm 50/50 on the end of the movie. There is one moment at the end that is super for a ghost story and gives me the creeps as I think of it now. But then there is a lot of gratuitous gore, that just leaves you asking "Why?"

I listened to the commentary on this DVD, mainly to give someone a chance to explain why they went the way they did with that ending. The commentary was done by the director, the producer, and Karen Black who played Marian. Karen Black was a nice sounding woman with some stories she remembered from filming this. Here's one that stood out: there's a moment when Oliver Reed, the man who plays her husband Ben in this, keeps turning her away from the camera. It happened again and again, so only the back of her head showed, while he faced the camera. She decided that he wanted to be the only one getting camera time! So, eventually Karen Black asked him to stop so the audience could see her as well and his response was to say nothing and angrily stomp off for some time. And here, I thought their fighting in this movie was an act!

Are we having fun yet?

One thing made clear over and over on the commentary was how the director, Dan Curtis and Karen Black thought the Burnt Offerings book was the most boring thing ever and that this movie was a vast improvement on it. They said they couldn't remember a bit of the book, except for the ending which leaves you wondering what even happened. Well, considering how much I disliked a good part of the end of their movie, I decided to give the book a go. I figured "It can't be worse!" Well, guess what? The book was a ton better! I actually found myself being angry at those on the DVD commentary because of the wrong idea they gave. We're all free to have a different opinion on a book, but why would Dan Curtis want to produce and direct a movie based on a book that he found so forgettable? And why would some dialogue in the book and movie match word for word, if he spaced the whole thing? I actually felt lied to by a DVD commentary, which is pretty strange.

Burnt Offerings the book, by Robert Marasco, was so much more detailed and sensical. I understood the characters and their motives. Events were explained and wrapped up in ways that weren't even attempted in the movie. I liked the characters more and cared about what would happen to them. And far from boring, it was the kind of book that kept me up late at night, quickly turning the pages. Oh, and the end was completely clear! Much more clear than the end of the movie! You even get an explanation for the title in the book. I can only think the people on that DVD commentary were on some kind of ego trip, saying their movie was so superior. After finishing the book today, I wanted to get a time machine so I could go back and somehow get involved with the movie production and make the movie more true to form!

So, meh on the movie, but I recommend reading the book! But just so you know, this isn't a cheer-fest. This story is dark, but it makes you think. It makes you think about materialism and the priority money/things are for some people. In that way, it was a good follow-up to reading Jaws for me. Another book from the 70s that is about materialism and money being some people's main goal, even above their family and friends. Come to think of it, in both stories, some people die because of one person's greed.

An interesting piece of trivia is that Stephen King loves this book. Burnt Offerings was published in 1973 and The Shining was published in 1977. That's something to keep in mind when you notice how much these two stories have in common! (I'm talking about the book version of the Shining more than the movie.) I think Stephen King was pretty heavily inspired! Actually, I just looked that up and read that he was admittedly inspired. The Shining is much scarier to me, though.

So, have any of you read or watched Burnt Offerings? Or maybe both? I'd like to discuss the differences between the two with you guys. Some people say Burnt Offerings was the scariest movie they'd ever seen. I was only scared by that one moment I liked at the end, but the book had me on the edge of my seat. I'd call it a supernatural thriller more than a horror novel, though.

Speaking of the book, I took a few photos inside of it, to take you guys on a trip down memory lane. Well, this first one will probably take you down memory lane. Looks like after 1990, the librarian was scanning the books instead of stamping them. Either that, or no one has checked this out since 1990! I'm trying to remember when they stopped stamping them. You know, I kind of miss the date stamp. It seemed official somehow. 😉

This second photo goes with an older set of memories. Look at all these suggestions for what you could find at the library!

Phonograph Records! I wonder what kind of Government Documents they're talking about. And Sheet Music! I think you can still order that through the library, actually.

As I said before, I'll be working on that Cedarburg post. I picked up a few books about that town and have been enjoying looking at pics of it from the Civil War times! It's mind-blowing to look at photos of buildings from the 1800s that look the same today. To think, I've stood where a horse and buggy can be seen in some of these photos. So, I'll be researching and writing and hope to be sharing that one soon!

My four recent Halloween crafts

Have you guys been working on any Halloween craft projects lately? I've been pretty busy cutting, spraying, and gluing the past few weeks. This first project was a quick one, but I love the effect. I bought a pack of 8 little rubber snakes from Dollar Tree and spray-painted them gold. That simple, and I love them!

These squiggly little gold snakes will make nice table scatters on the black tablecloth for the party. I could also imagine that they'd make a neat addition to a Cleopatra or Medusa costume.

Dollar Tree is selling their classic foam pumpkins again, but this year a helpful change has been made to them. See that crease on the side of the pumpkin? The pumpkin is made from two foam halves put together. The mold used to fit together in a way where the line ran horizontally around the middle of the pumpkin. If you were trying to craft with these in the past, you'll know what I mean because it was an issue!

Now with the line going down the side instead, there's nothing to interfere with the design on the front of the pumpkin. So, good job Dollar Tree!

These little pumpkins are carvable. So I drew a face with a pencil and then cut it out with a craft knife. You know one of those knives where you can knock out the blade and there are a bunch of blades behind it? I just looked that up "utility knives" with retractable or snap-off blades. They're super cheap. In fact they're three for $1.00 at Dollar Tree! Can't beat that.

So the knife worked great. I had to score over my design a few times, but since the pumpkin was hollow, the pieces popped right out. I cut that hole in the bottom so I could place this over a candle.

I wanted to go for a vintage vibe, like those old paper mache pumpkins. So I drew some eyes and a smile on paper and taped those inside the cut-out parts. It was a little challenging getting them in there, but I managed.

Lit up, this doesn't look all that different from a real pumpkin! Especially, if I took out the paper inserts. Even the parts of foam that were roughly cut look like pumpkin goop.

I plan to put this little jack-o-lantern on the porch for The Witch Party.

I was really excited to work on this next project! This little wood house was a birthday gift. There's a small light inside that is very bright and changes colors rapidly.

Using some old photos I'd collected of Victorian houses for reference, I painted the little house.

I added a little fence and some pumpkins outside the front door.

Here's the house sitting in a dimly lit room, with its lights on.

This little house gives quite the light show. Here with the lights out, I'll show you most of the colors the lights change to. Any favorites? It becomes kind of a sinister looking house if you use your imagination. I'm reminded of that spoof The Simpsons did years back of The Amityville Horror. Remember the end, when all those colored lights are shooting out of the house?

The last project I worked on was a new hat band for my witch hat. I wanted to do something really bright and fun this time. This year, what's inspired me most in the stores is the Day of the Dead stuff. So I was thinking about the Catrinas you see with the floral headbands.

Each of these bunches of flowers came from Dollar Tree. As it turned out, I only needed five of them. They're super big! I hot glued the flowers to a piece of ribbon and tied it around the hat.

I had the perfect hat model.

The back:

A close-up of the ribbon:

A fun surprise for me was that this ribbon glows in the dark, all the white parts anyway. I realized this when I carried the hat into a dark room and got to see some glowing skeletons.

Something neat about having leftover flowers is that I got to use them in a Halloween floral arrangement. I'll get pics of that arrangement when I have it out for The Witch Party.

Also, I wanted to be sure to share the new Halloween stamps available at the post office! At least I hope they're still available for all of you. I'm not sure how fast they'll move.

I was really excited about these, in part because these are the first purely Halloween stamps we've ever had! The closest we'd come to Halloween stamps were those classic movie monster stamps in the 90s. So yay! These looked great on the Witch Party invite envelopes.

Speaking of The Witch Party, that's coming up this Saturday! So I'll have pictures to share soon.

And I'd also like to do the Halloween Blog Party again this year! So, if you'd like to be a part of that, just send me of a costumed photo of yourself from any time in your life. You can email it here: justineshalloween@gmail.com or to the regular email where you write me. I plan to put up the party post on the weekend before Halloween.