How “The Walston’s” ushered in a new era of Folk Horror
Horror
I Was The Guest On This Week’s Episode of the VHUS Podcast
I was very happy to join host Dirk Marshall to discuss my favorite movies from 1976 though 1982
Everything Sounds Better in Edgar Allan Poe’s Basement
A short while back I paid a visit to the Edgar Allan Poe house here in lovely Philadelphia. This visit was prompted by my nephew, Jeff, whom you might know from the cover of the Dead Milkmen’s “If I Had A Gun” Single.
Jeff is nearly forty now, so just let that sink in.
Anyhoooo, while I was there I made sure to record an impulse in in EAP’s basement and…
What’s an impulse?
I’m so glad you asked! An impulse is usually a short percussive sound (I.e. A handclap or a snare hit) that is then imported into a convolution reverb tool such as FL Studio’s “Fruity Convolver“
You then apply this reverb to an instrument or vocal and the convolution reverb applies the properties of the space you recorded the impulse in to the sound and viola! You’re jamming in Poe’s basement. Or you’re jamming with your viola in Poe’s basement. I get confused, so maybe this will help clear things up.
Below is the impulse I recorded in Poe’s basement:
Poe_Basement.wav
Here is a set of drums playing a beat dry – no reverb has been added:
Drums_Dry.mp3
Now, here’s the same set of drums as if they were being played in Poe’s basement:
Drums_Poe_Basement.mp3
I’ll be sure to add the Poe’s Basement impulse to the Free Sounds section of this site along with any other impulses I have in my convolution library – including my own basement.
in the meantime, you can grab the EAP Basement Impulse from the link above.
You’re welcome, America.
Phun Philly Phact: My friend MC Lars, an enthusiastic Poe fan, once tried to jump the fence surrounding the Poe house before Dean Clean and I pulled back to safety,
31 Days of Halloween! Day Twenty-Nine: The Nightmare (2015)
By now I hope you trust my taste in Horror films enough to believe me when I tell you that one of the most disturbing Horror films that you will ever see is, in fact, a documentary.
Much love to Rodney Ascher (the other Rodney A.) for crafting a flick that actually sent chills down my spine. What starts off as a study of sleep paralysis shifts gear when the participants begin to discuss “The Hat Man”.
Good luck getting to sleep.
31 Days of Halloween! Day Twenty-Eight: Twin Peaks: The Return. Episode 8 (2017)
Gotda light?
We touched upon Atomic Age Horror yesterday, so I wanted to take a minute to tip my hat to one of the scariest things I’ve watched in the last decade: episode 8 of “Twin Peaks: The Return”. What this episode lacks in dialogue (it goes for nearly a half hour without a single word being spoken) it more than makes up for in disturbing imagery.
This is the water, and this is the well. Drink full, and descend. The horse is the white of the eyes, and dark within.
31 Days of Halloween! Day Twenty-Seven: The Vast of Night (2019)
When most people think of Atomic Age Horror they tend to think of giant ants, giant spiders, and giant lizards.
Although it’s set in the 1950s, “The Vast of Night” is not a homage to the cheesy films of that era. Oh no; this is something REALLY different. This is something REALLY smart. And this is something REALLY creepy.
31 Days of Halloween! Day Twenty-Six: Bay of Blood (AKA “Twitch of the Death Nerve”) (1971)
There’s always room for Giallo
This movie is so seriously messed up that several of the kills in “Twitch of the death Nerve” have been recreated in other movies. And by “other movies” I don’t mean “Disney Princess movies”, although that would be kind of sweet.
31 Days of Halloween! Day Twenty-Five: Ghost Stories (2017)
“The brain sees what it wants to see.”
It’s day twenty-five of 31 Days of Halloween and you look like you’re ready for a really good ghost story. In fact, you look like you NEED a good ghost story. Well, you’re in luck because “Ghost Stories” contains three tales of the unnatural. Also, it features Bilbo Baggins, himself: Martin Freeman.
This is a wonderfully smart-but-not-snooty Horror movie which, unlike The Hobbit Trilogy, stands up well upon repeated watching.
31 Days of Halloween! Day Twenty-Four: The Belko Experiment (2016)
In two hours we want thirty of you dead. If thirty of you are not dead, we will end sixty of your lives ourselves. Five, four, three, two, one. Begin.
Sometimes, during your month of Horror movie watching, you just need a thriller as a sort of palate cleanser.
If you were to combine “Office Space” with “Battle Royale” you would get a film akin to 2016’s “The Belko Experiment”. I think I may have recommended this minor masterpiece, which was penned by James Gunn, in the past. If I did, apologies, but I’m recommending it again.
31 Days of Halloween! Day Twenty-Three: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (1949)
You can do more with Margaret or Helena. Or Anne or Angelina
– Lyrics from the song “Katrina”
That didn’t age well, did it?
We should all be thankful that Bing Crosby (of Crosby, Pills, Hash, and Drugs) took a little time off from beating his son Gary in order record the songs and narration for this Disney Classic.
All snark aside, “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” is a great way to introduce your kids to the joys of Spooky Season.