SeñorScary.com

Having only cursory knowledge about DEATH NOTE , I missed the outcry of the white washing of the Manga-inspired film. To me many Asian properties ( The Ring, The Grudge, The Eye ) have been reinterpreted, transplanting their Asian roots and resetting them in America with white actors. Cultural insensitivity aside, this particular story was much more beloved and carries a deeper resonance with Japanese audiences and beyond. And who can blame them. The story is a multi-layered and sensational exploration of right, wrong, God-complex, cults, and one malevolent trickster spirit. The Netflix original film directed by Adam Wingard (who also directed the notable films  You’re Next, The Guest, Blair Witch)  stands as it’s own creation, albeit on very wobbly legs. It leans much more towards the horror genre and was surprisingly gory. Unfortunately, there is entirely too much story for one movie and it becomes a burden trying to cram so much narrative into 1 hour and 40 minutes – like the ri

Who doesn't love a good scare? Photographer Misty Keasler spent a long time in the country's darkest haunted attractions and chronicled her adventures in a new book called HAUNT . This beautifully produced 212-page full-color book arrives at booksellers on September 1 from Archon Projects and is available for pre-order today . I interviewed Ms. Keasler about how this book came to be, her artistic process, and what things scared her. My Scary Blog: What drew you to the topic of haunted attractions? Why document this? Misty Keasler: Haunted houses weren't a part of my youth but I married someone who went to one every year from the time he was young and absolutely loved them. Once we started dating he'd drag me to one every year and we started taking friends. I loved going with him - he screamed louder than anyone else and was so scared he'd refuse to go first. I was never really impressed with the places until we went to Thrillvania in Terrell, Texas. Verdin Man

The crap heap that was Spike TV’s adaption of The Mist has ended and now I am free. Like many diehard Stephen King fans, I tuned in week after week hoping that something – anything – would happen that would redeem this series or at least steer it back the master work of dread and mystery. King’s story unveiled monstrous possibilities of what a rip in our dimension would be like as other worlds seeped into ours. It also showed that the worst monsters are greedy, crazy humans. The TV show sidestepped most of this in favor of soapy storylines (he’s not your father!) and big ideas with no real substance (rape, homophobia, religion, police, parents, nature are, like, all super BAD and stuff!). Then they sort of played up the secret government conspiracy angle, dropped it for most of the season, picking it up in the last hour with no reveal. Interesting ideas of a “black spring” and Mrs. Raven’s communion with nature were also dropped in the last hour (Frances Conroy deserves much bette

RIP to Tobe Hooper, the man who made us fear chainsaws, and skin masks, and Texas. He always knew what scared us.

Another Yankee Candle Halloween Preview Sale come and gone. The stores always make it a fun experience although I'm finding their Boney Bunch line, now celebrating it's 10 Year Scare-iversary, a little less interesting every year. Usually sold out within a couple hours, most of the line is still available with only one decidedly sinister piece (Head Chef) nearing "low stock". Perhaps its time to take this successful line in more sinister Halloween direction rather than their increasingly cutesy road? Their other offerings including their continued raven and steampunk lines offering much more interesting things. If you are shopping online use their promo code "FBLIVE" for free shipping. Here are some of my favorites:

Yankee Candle fans will want to stalk stores (and site) tomorrow, August 26 at 10am for their annual Halloween preview sale. Their new fall candles sound interesting but some are curiously undecipherable in terms of their scents: Moonbeams on Pumpkins, Autumn Dusk, Dazzling Red Maple, Sugared Pumpkin Swirl, Haunted Hollow. What do moonbeams smell like? Lavender, vanilla, musk, bergamot, jasmine, orange, cinnamon and nutmeg. My nose might need a time-out. Incidentally, I have like a zillion Boney Bunch figures to unload, so if you're interested, let me know.

Darren Aronofsky, the director of Black Swan and Requiem for a Dream , is back with what looks like a full-on horror film. The terrific cast includes Jennifer Lawrence, Javier Bardem, Ed Harris and – YES – Michelle Pfeiffer. It's called mother!  and opens on September 15. Take a look at the tension-filled trailer: https://youtu.be/XpICoc65uh0

The Home Depot stepped into the Halloween arena last year with a fantastic selection of Halloween decor. Who can forget last year's full-size skeleton horse? They have once again out done themselves for 2017. Giant dinosaurs! Giant spiders and bugs! Dragons!  Okay – some of these are rightfully debatable inflatables BUT they seem to be moving in the right direction. With some good lighting (not what's inside them) and dressing you might have something very scary. Visit homedepot.com  and have these giant things shipped free to the store (for you to pick-up) and get free shipping on other orders of $45 or more. 8-foot T-Rex and Baby T-Rex 10-foot Preying Mantis 9-foot Posable Spider 11-foot Two Headed Dragon 16-foot Colossal Serpent Rat Chewing Zombie Head Spider Phone Screamy Fortune Teller Tombstone?!

Fright Like a Girl. I absolutely LOVE today's tee at TeeVillain.com – available only for 24 hrs (8/10/17 EST).

MyScaryHalloween.com has relaunched for the season – now 113% more mobile friendly – BUT I'm still exorcising all the buggy little demons. It was rebuilt from scratch on a new platform, reorganized for easier navigation, and with a new hosting provider since the last one jacked up my prices 400% (after being with them for 9 years, jerks). Take a look around and contact me if you spot anything... unusual.

I made it out to Midsummer Scream 2017 in Long Beach, CA this past weekend and it was a fantastic Halloween festival! Here are some of my highlights. Two panel discussions stood out:  "Beyond the 5th Dimension: Creating the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror" with the original creators of the Disneyworld ride and the voice of Rod Sterling, Mark Silverman. The Winchester Mystery House presentation on Sunday afternoon gave all attendees free tickets to their new Explore More Tour , a newly commissioned print (which I can't display yet), and info on the upcoming movie which opens February 23, 2018. Unfortunately, CBS Films didn't have any footage to show us but revealed a good overview about the story, the cast, and some behind the scenes filming at the actual site – spirits be damned. Celebrity sightings included Cassandra Peterson who unfortunately did not don her signature Elvira costume but was stunning just the same. The line to get an autograph stretched alm