Halloween Highlights + Fail

Halloween Win:

1. Bates Motel Haunted Hayride, House, and Corn Maze - incredibly scary and incredibly good. We went on a warm Tuesday night, which I am sure made the lines bearable. I wanted to get through the house asap as people were jumping out at me (and touching me) at every turn. The maze started with an extremely disorienting trip through some sort of black spandex tube... that was certainly scary enough for me. The rest of the walk was leisurely and impressive in it's detail. The hayride was defiantly the highlight  with animatronic fire-breathing monsters, wonderfully designed horror scenes, and creepers grabbing you along the way.

2. TV Casualty @ Johnny Brenda's - I appreciate a cover band that truly embraces the artists they are mocking... or paying homage to depending on your point of view.  It's that purity, mostly provided by front-man and sexy Danzig extraordinaire Ted Leo, that makes Misfit's cover band TV Casualty so much better than just sitting at home and singing with your friends. This is their second Halloween show and I hope they keep-up the tradition.

3. Make-Your-Own-Mask Halloween Party - Maybe it's the pothead in me, but I LOVE holiday crafts. I also love a good theme party, so I am incredibly into the idea of having a party where a homemade mask is required for entry. The masks ranged from last-minute-and-it-shows to this-took-days-of-planning... but they all made for great conversation pieces and facebook tagging opportunities.

4. 31 Days of Horror - Ok... I didn't make it up to 31 on my blog countdown... it was a busy month for me jeez! BUT I did manage to watch maybe too many horror movies in the month of October ( I've been having nightmares about my neighbor being a serial killer). Of the new movies I watched, I would have to say "Two Sisters" and "Burnt Offerings" stood out as should-have-known-earlier gems. Though I Mystery Science Theatered "A Tale of Two Sisters" because of it's predictable storyline and cheap horror, I was impressed by the cinematography and the set/costume design. All in all, it would be a great one to play on mute at  your next Halloween party. "Burnt Offerings" was just amazing. Karen Black is actually possessed (not just looking that way for no reason). Oliver Reed is sexy, scary, and impossibly tan. Bette Davis is a wonderful example of what a great actress looks like in the hands of a mediocre director and Burgess Meredith has a part. One note: Please watch this movie in it's entirety.. the ending is definitely the payoff.

5. Dissection Lecture: Photographs of a Rite of Passage in American Medicine 1880 - 1930 @ The College of Physicians of Philadelphia aka Mutter Museum - Apparently, it's common practice for medical students to pose with the cadavers they use for study. Even before donating bodies was a common practice, students used the then-new technology of photography to immortalize their time with their first recently deceased study buddy. Some pictures were shocking, some were funny, but all were thought provoking. The lecture dealt with the interesting American legacy of self-portraits with the dead. Did I mention it was free and there was a huge buffet afterwards? I stole a 20oz Coke...Win!

Halloween Fail:

1. Andrew WK and Dos XX Most Interesting Free Party/Booze Shitshow @ World Cafe Live - Clue #1 that you should skip a party: it's at World Cafe Live Clue #2: It's free and it's on Halloween weekend Clue #3 There is a line around the block (no matter how fast it's moving)

2. Midnight Rocky Horror - Always get a ticket to any Halloween event in the city ahead of time. Remember, LOTS of college girls like to get their freak on around Halloween and apparently get their tips from Glee. Landsdale's Main St Theater is a total let down. It was more like a screening room at a community college.

3. 2010 Philadelphia Phillies - I love them, but they drive me crazy and often time take-up a lot of my prime Halloween time.

A look ahead to next year:

1. Must go to the Mutter Museum for their flashlight tour.
2. Must go to Newtown Theater in Newtown, PA for their midnight Rocky showing on Halloween.
3. Must go to see whatever silent horror film the International House is showing.