SCARY MOVIES 4 - The Ones Where We Rooted for the Monster! + A GIVEAWAY

These movies fall into two distinct categories. Either we felt the script was so bad or the characters so dumb that we wanted the creature to pleeease eat them all and put us out of our misery --- or we found ourselves sympathizing with the bad guy and wanting him to escape, win, or find love!
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MAUREEN – “Bram Stoker's Dracula. To me, It's a love story.” ~ Maureen Bonatch, maureenbonatch.com
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ANGELA – “As a horror movie fangirl, I would be remiss if I didn't throw things back to the classic Universal Monsters here. "Frankenstein" and "The Bride of Frankenstein" are brilliant works of art that make viewers ask, "Who really is the monster - us or him?" I would say we are. Boris Karloff is perfect in the role, and there are some iconic scenes from both movies most people recognize for a reason.

"By the end of the movie, I'm cheering for Frankenstein's monster to escape the angry pitchfork-carrying townspeople because, doggone it, he's not really the bad guy!" ~ Angela Campbell, www.angelacampbellonline.com
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LINDA - "GODZILLA!" ~ Linda Mooney, lindamooney.com
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JODY - "King Kong, of course! He’s everyone’s hero! I did watch King Kong - Skull Island with my kids since it had Loki, I mean Tom Hiddleston, in it, and they 'stan' Loki, and we all rooted for King Kong together." ~ Jody Wallace, jodywallace.com
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NICOLE - "For me, this would be Cabin in the Woods. Because Bradley Whitford's character was trying to save in the world even as what he was doing meant very bad things for the main characters. And I found the way he cheered for his personal favourite monster (the seashell) rather endearing. Maybe it's because I liked him so much as Josh on The West Wing... ~ Nicole Luiken, nicoleluiken.com 
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PG - "Creature From the Black Lagoon. Another of the movies I used to watch with my grandmother late at night. The monster was clearly the hero, as far as I was concerned. The poor thing." ~ PG Forte, pgforte.com
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Dani - "I think the best movie monsters make us feel empathy for them. Every version of King Kong ever made breaks my heart. I was so glad when the Skull Island movie finally allowed the great ape to survive and live free! 

"My family will tell you that I'm a lot less soft-hearted when it comes to the human characters in some horror movies. When you see this many things going horribly, dangerously wrong in your new house (eg. "The Amityville Horror" and "Poltergeist"), why would you STAY THERE? Worse, why make your KIDS stay there?

"Of course, if characters made only sensible decisions, it would be really tough to create a full-length movie, LOL." ~ Dani Harper, daniharper.com
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CINDY - "This to me is any horror film where the characters a) split up or b) run back into the damn house. As the old Eddie Murphy sketch lampooning Amityville Horror said, "Nice house. Too bad we can't stay." And OMG, Death Becomes Her. Stupid, stupid, stupid!" ~ Cindy Spencer Pape, www.cindyspencerpape.com
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SHAWNA - "There was a version of Dracula--I think it was the one that came out in 1979, because when I saw it it was on network television and I want to say it was maybe four or five years later. I was probably in my early teens, just starting to develop a strong appreciation for the opposite sex. 

"The Dracula in the movie was darkly romantic and seductive, and his Lucy seemed rather more willing than not. I remember rooting for them to escape together. That movie might well be responsible for my predilection for well-dressed, dark, and dangerous (at least in my fantasy life!" ~ Shawna Reppert, www.shawna-reppert.com
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UPDATE - The contest is over and we have winners! 

1. BEVERLY wins an ebook from Jody Wallace - Catalyst: Cat Ship (Obsidian Rim Book 8) 

2. LOUISE wins her choice of one ebook from Dani Harper

3. GLENDA wins a deluxe canvas tote bag from Dani Harper

4. SHERRY wins her choice of one ebook from Linda Mooney

5. MARTHA wins her choice of one Audiobook from Linda Mooney

6. ANNE wins the grand prize, a $35 Amazon Gift eCard from all the authors at HERE BE MAGIC

We have the contact information for everyone and winners will receive emails within a couple of days.

THANK YOU to everyone who stopped by our Scary Movie blogs. We had a lot of fun putting them together!

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SCARY MOVIES 3 - The Ones We Wish We Hadn't Seen! + A GIVEAWAY

Some are dumb. Some are frightening. And some are disturbing enough to leave a mark...

DANI - "So much for being an adult --- I slept with the light on for three nights in a row after watching "28 DAYS LATER" in 2003!" 
~ Dani Harper, daniharper.com
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ANGELA – “I love horror movies, so this is hard for me -- I even get enjoyment out of the bad ones! I mentioned last week that John Carpenter's “HALLOWEEN” (1978) is one of my all-time favorite movies and that I have only been able to watch the Rob Zombie remakes once, so I am picking the Rob Zombie "HALLOWEEN" and "HALLOWEEN 2" as movies I wish I had never seen. 

"They tried too hard to take the mystery out of why Michael Myers was a psycho, and plus, they really honed in a "white trash" stereotype that was no fun to watch. I know those versions have their fans, but I think half of the fear that came from the original film was the not knowing why Michael Myers ran around killing people. Know what I mean?" 
~ Angela Campbell, www.angelacampbellonline.com
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LINDA - "Oh, there are several. At the head of the list is “THE HUMAN CENTIPEDE”, followed closely by “THE EXORCIST”." 
~ Linda Mooney, lindamooney.com
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JODY - "I could have lived without seeing "I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE" as well as "FACES OF DEATH" (more hijinks at my fancy neighbor’s house who had cable TV!) "FACES OF DEATH" wasn’t a movie, per se, so much as a collection of blood and death real-life videos in the 80s before YouTube existed. "I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE", of course, is more horrific violence against women, and I don’t care if she gets even, I just don’t ever need to SEE that." 
~ Jody Wallace, jodywallace.com
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MAUREEN – “NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET. I live on Elm Street- Enough said. I slept with the light on for at least a week after this. Also "PARANORMAL ACTIVITY". I watched until the end to make sure that it was a movie and not real, lol!” 
~ Maureen Bonatch, maureenbonatch.com
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PG - "Oh, there's no contest. I didn't even actually see this one, but Clockwork Orange is my go-to for movies (and books) that are too disturbing to sit through." 
~ PG Forte, pgforte.com
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SHAWNA - "I didn't even have to see the movie. . .the trailer was enough. It came out when I was about 10. I think it was called Silent Screams. There was something about a thing--demon, ghost, I have no idea--coming out of a mirror at night if you looked into it, or got too close. As you can tell, I'm a bit fuzzy on the details after all these years. Still, to this day I never look directly into a dark mirror if I can help it." ~ Shawna Reppert, www.shawna-reppert.com
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CINDY - "Anything involving snakes. It's a ridiculous phobia for someone who studied herpetology in grad school, but the friend sitting next to me for Raiders of the Lost Ark went home with bruises on his arm. Even the trailers for Snakes on a Plane were too much." ~ Cindy Spencer Paper, www.cindyspencerpape.com
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UPDATE - The contest is over and we have winners! 

1. BEVERLY wins an ebook from Jody Wallace - Catalyst: Cat Ship (Obsidian Rim Book 8) 

2. LOUISE wins her choice of one ebook from Dani Harper

3. GLENDA wins a deluxe canvas tote bag from Dani Harper

4. SHERRY wins her choice of one ebook from Linda Mooney

5. MARTHA wins her choice of one Audiobook from Linda Mooney

6. ANNE wins the grand prize, a $35 Amazon Gift eCard from all the authors at HERE BE MAGIC

We have the contact information for everyone and winners will receive emails within a couple of days.

THANK YOU to everyone who stopped by our Scary Movie blogs. We had a lot of fun putting them together!

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SCARY MOVIES 2 - The Ones We Love to Watch Again and Again! + A GIVEAWAY

We might have seen them a dozen times or more. We might even own our own copy. But when these flicks appear on the TV, resistance is futile...
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JODY - "The only scary movie I’ve watched more than once is TREMORS and I will watch Kevin Bacon in all of his 6 graboid degrees any time that movie is on! It’s one of my favorite movies of all time, especially the acting role Reba McIntyre, yes that Reba, has in the movie. I haven’t shown my kids yet because they do NOT like scary movies, but now I’m feeling the urge for a re-watch." 
~ Jody Wallace, jodywallace.com
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LINDA - "Is it wrong to love a zombie Christmas movie? My fave is “Anna and the Apocalypse”. And it’s a musical!" 
~ Linda Mooney, lindamooney.com
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DANI - "When my kids were teenagers, Halloween was a whole season at our house! Punctuated by every Simpsons Treehouse of Horror episode ever made, there was a looong list of movies to be watched, including famous franchises like Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th. 

"But I have some personal favorites of my own that I never get tired of. One of my top favs is CONSTANTINE featuring Keanu Reeves as the demon hunter, John Constantine." 
~ Dani Harper, daniharper.com
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ANGELA - "John Carpenter's “Halloween” (1978) is one of my all-time favorite movies, so of course, I have to watch it every October (although I watch it other times of the year too if I'm in the mood). I even binge the sequels, including the ones that are terrible, although I have only been able to watch the Rob Zombie remakes once. Same with the 2018 film. I just did not like those. The original, though, is one my entire family used to watch every Halloween (yeah, we were weird). 

"For me, it’s part nostalgia to watch it, but also, it still manages to give me the creeps a little bit. And Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode is the perfect Final Girl role model -- you know, in case you ever come face to face with a maniac serial killer." 
~ Angela Campbell, www.angelacampbellonline.com
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PG - "I'm not sure this counts as a "scary" movie, but it's weird, bloody and violent and yet I've watched it several times--although not anytime recently. Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia is just...strange. It's almost comedic. I'm not sure if it's a genuinely bad movie, or if it's "badness" is a work of genius." 
~ PG Forte, pgforte.com
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MAUREEN – “I can't pass up The Shining, Constantine or The Silence of the Lambs and other oldies-but-goodies if I see that they're on.” 
~ Maureen Bonatch, maureenbonatch.com
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SHAWNA - "I rarely have time to re-watch movies, but I've seen Crimson Peak three times and plan to watch it again this Halloween. Not only does it boast Tom Hiddleston in period clothing (though this would be reason enough) but it is a beautiful example of the gothic horror genre, with just the slightest hint of steampunk." ~ Shawna Reppert, www.shawna-reppert.com

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CINDY - "I'm actually not a big fan of horror, though I love suspense and paranormal. My favorite has to be Rocky Horror Picture Show just for the sheer cult classicism of it all. Oh--and I almost forgot Nightmare before Christmas." ~ Cindy Spencer Paper, www.cindyspencerpape.com 
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UPDATE - The contest is over and we have winners! 

1. BEVERLY wins an ebook from Jody Wallace - Catalyst: Cat Ship (Obsidian Rim Book 8) 

2. LOUISE wins her choice of one ebook from Dani Harper

3. GLENDA wins a deluxe canvas tote bag from Dani Harper

4. SHERRY wins her choice of one ebook from Linda Mooney

5. MARTHA wins her choice of one Audiobook from Linda Mooney

6. ANNE wins the grand prize, a $35 Amazon Gift eCard from all the authors at HERE BE MAGIC

We have the contact information for everyone and winners will receive emails within a couple of days.

THANK YOU to everyone who stopped by our Scary Movie blogs. We had a lot of fun putting them together!

.........................

HALLOWEEN - THE SCARIEST CANDY

I LOVE HALLOWEEN ... and I can't help but get a little nostalgic at this time of year. Today I'm revisiting a post I wrote several years ago. Hope you enjoy it! 

The trick-or-treaters will be out in force in a couple of weeks, and the only defense against the invasion is to lay in a generous supply of Halloween treats. To defend against the danger of eating the candy ourselves, however, my hubs and I start off the month of October with a two-fold plan:

1. Wait until the day before Halloween so we have less time to be tempted by the treats.

2. Do. Not. Buy. Any candy that contains chocolate, so we won’t hear it calling our names in the middle of the night.

By the time the 31st approaches, however, I'll suffer an attack of remorse. I remember what it was like to be a kid, and how we stood on the sidewalk in a huddle comparing our treat bags --- I always wanted to be one of those houses that gave out "The Good Stuff". 

Meanwhile, my husband's  reminiscences are much more practical and immediate: he remembers how much he likes Reese's Peanut Butter Cups! Regardless of our earlier plans to the contrary, one of us always ends up buying chocolate and lots of it. The kids might get some too…

Despite our personal addiction, chocolate isn’t the only enjoyable Halloween treat. I've polled enough people to know there are lots of other favorites out there. 

But there are also candies that are the stuff of little kids' nightmares... 

For instance, my grandparents seemed to have an affinity for some truly awful "treats" -- licorice diamonds that smelled like bleach, humbugs that lived up to their name, and peppermints that burned your tongue until you cried. My parents indulged their own strange tastes in the form of wax lips and wax cigars, rubbery gumdrops that were fruit-flavored in name only, shiny purple gum that smelled like soap, and candy cigarettes that looked and tasted like chalk. 

And for the trick-or-treaters of my generation, there's ONE candy that looms over all...

UNIVERSALLY HATED?

When I was a kid, my treat bag felt like a sack of pebbles by the end of the night. That’s because a third of it was made up by petrified molasses kisses. Oh sure -- the OUTSIDE of a kiss certainly looked cute, with its brightly colored Halloween wrapping. But if you somehow managed to get inside (the paper was inevitably fused to the contents), it looked like a terrible mistake had been made. 

The exact color of wet cardboard, there was no coating to buffer this "treat" and no filling to look forward to. Just the taste of pureed tongue depressors with a little scorched sugar mixed in. In fact, I’m fairly sure a secret deal had been struck between candy manufacturers and the pulp and paper industry in 1914 when these things were allegedly invented somewhere in New England.

Why these things were called “kisses” I can’t imagine. A kiss is something gentle, soft and pleasant. A molasses kiss usually had the consistency of hardened Gorilla Glue to begin with and only toughened with age. And speaking of age, I’m sure that some of the kisses I collected were old enough to be carbon-dated. If the trick-or-treaters didn’t take it all, I personally knew neighbors and relatives who used to keep the candy for the NEXT YEAR. And the next... and the next... (Believe me, I wish I was kidding). 

This candy would have made an excellent emergency storage item: It lived forever and it would take an emergency to make you desperate enough to try to eat the stuff. It might be more useful as kindling in a crisis.

However hard a molasses kiss was, at least you didn't have to worry about breaking a tooth on it. You were far more likely to pull out an intact molar by the roots. This was because after half an hour of working the candy around in your mouth, you were lulled into thinking it would never soften up--and that's when the candy would abruptly cement itself around your teeth like some sort of sedimentary mouthguard. You could box or play football in perfect safety, but it might be days before you could pry your jaws apart.

People talk about how things were built to last in the good old days – cars, appliances, furniture, etc. Believe me, some of those Halloween kisses outlived Buicks. In fact, there are likely thousands of the fossilized things still lurking in china cabinets, upper kitchen cupboards, dusty candy dishes on mantels and boxes in the attic all over the country. Lying in wait like the undead, just waiting to be reanimated...

A few years ago, I ran across a forgotten cookie jar in the back of a cupboard when we were cleaning out a relative's house. The sight of the happy little Halloween wrappers gave me a wonderful burst of nostalgia – then a quick shake of the ceramic container broke the spell. The contents sounded like #3 gravel in a jar... 

Acting quickly, I dumped the kisses into a bag, ran outside and threw them into the burn pile like a hobbit throwing a ring into the fires of Mordor.

“Hey, is that candy?” called a cousin.

"That's exactly what it wants you to think,” I said, watching to make sure the flames eventually consumed every last one. “I’m saving us.”

He just shrugged. “You gals take dieting way too seriously.”

You bet I do. In fact, I’m going to go buy some nice, safe fun-size chocolate bars right now!

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YOUR TURN! 

I'd love to hear from you! Here are some ideas for comments:

• What were your favorite Halloween treats as a kid? 
• What candy do you like now? (Translation: What do you steal from your kids' treat bags?)
• What do you like to give out on Halloween night? 
• Did the infamous molasses kiss play a role in your childhood trick or treating? 
• Is there anyone out there who actually likes them? (There MUST be - this candy is still made!)

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JUST IN TIME FOR HALLOWEEN

A reluctant hero. An unwilling heroine. 

And a pack of wolfen Changelings in a dark paranormal tale that brushes the edges of horror...

FIRST BITE is on sale for the month of October on Kindle:  just $1.99

Geneva “Neva” Ross doesn’t want to die. But now that she’s been turned into a werewolf against her will, she’ll do anything to protect her family and friends even if that means taking her own life.

Too bad Travis Williamson saw her jump. A lone Changeling with a dark past, he feels compelled to use his powers to save her. The last thing he expects is to feel a connection to the strong-willed woman. And when Neva is hospitalized, Travis risks everything to kidnap her, knowing the approaching full moon will put everyone in jeopardy.

Bickering constantly to hide their growing attraction, Travis and Neva run from the authorities and from Neva’s sinister sire, Meredith de la Ronde. Meredith is determined that Neva will join her murderous wolf pack. Or die.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BI4W7G2