Garfield's Halloween Adventure (1985)

If you're a child of the 1980s, you probably have fond memories of this Halloween special that originally aired October 30th, 1985 on CBS. The half-hour show was a staple of my annual Halloween viewing habits for years, and I vividly remember this being the topic of conversation during school the day after it debuted. What I appreciated about it then is what I still appreciate about it now: it tried to be scary, and it was. So often with kid's fare, the creators pull their punches at the last minute, but Garfield's Halloween Adventure doesn't really let the viewer off the hook. The ghosts of long dead pirates are real.

Alice Cooper: Welcome To My Nightmare Special Edition DVD Review

Let's dig deep into the new special edition DVD release of Alice Cooper's "Welcome To My Nightmare" concert film from 1976. This disc also features the 1975 ABC TV special "Alice Cooper: The Nightmare" for the FIRST TIME EVER ON DVD! Is this worth picking up, or should you pass? Check out the video to find out.

Mickey and Goofy in "Ghoul Friend"

I'm such a fan of these Disney animated shorts, and this one is perfect for Halloween. 

Horror Remakes and a Tale of Two Fogs

I just sat down and re-watched the 2005 remake of John Carpenter's 1980 classic The Fog. I had seen it when it was new, which I guess makes sense, since I was in my mid-twenties back in 2005 and pretty much the entire cast was also of a similar age at the time. You could even argue that the movie was tailor made for me: it stars Tom Welling, whom I really enjoyed on Smallville, Maggie Grace, who I watched on Lost, and Selma Blair, who was--and still is--reason enough to watch any movie. So by starring actors I was interested in and who were also close to my own age, The Fog felt current. And yet that movie failed to make much of an impression on me in 2005, so much so that my memory of it since then has been that's it's okay, but really just "meh."

But in the years since I saw the remake, I did see (and subsequently fell in love with) John Carpenter's original. Furthermore, John Carpenter has gone from a director whose films I knew and thought I appreciated to a filmmaker that I now consider to be a modern master. Yes, his filmography has missteps, I know. Still, you add up his hits and you'll see that his track record speaks for itself. Anyway, this isn't about John Carpenter, this is about the remake of The Fog and the undying trend by Hollywood of remaking movies, almost always badly.

The Paul Lynde Halloween Special (1976)

This is not my video, but I'm putting it here because it fits right in with what Cereal At Midnight is all about. This Halloween special aired on October 29, 1976 on the ABC network. You really have to see it to believe it. Starring the flamboyant comedian and actor Paul Lynde, who I still can't quite believe was embraced by middle-America, this special mirrors his acerbic-yet-silly tone. It also featuring appearances by Margaret Hamilton (the Wicked Witch of the West from The Wizard of Oz), Tim Conway, Roz "Pinky Tuscadero" Kelly, Florence Henderson, Billy Barty, Betty White, Donny and Marie Osmond, and the rock band KISS. The seventies were nothing if not insane, and this is the proof.

Count Chocula's Revenge (Eating Expired Count Chocula Monster Cereal)

Witness the dangers of expired breakfast foods! Beware, o cereal connoisseur, the pitfalls of greed and gluttony! Woe to the mortal that suffers the revenge of Count Chocula!!!

Huge Yard Sale CASSETTE TAPE Find! Instant Collection!

Check out this massive collection of cassette tapes from a recent yard sale find! Also, a discussion about physical media and the relationship we have with our stuff.

Rolling Stones From the Vault: Sticky Fingers Live at the Fonda Theatre 2015

 As a fan of The Rolling Stones, I'm a little embarrassed to admit that this is the first one of their "From the Vault" releases that I've purchased, though I believe this is the seventh one they've put out. Part of what's been keeping me away is that there are simply too many choices. Consider this release, which can be bought on a DVD/3-LP set, a Blu-ray/CD combo, a DVD/CD combo, and a standalone Blu-ray. Too many options means I can't decide which one of those I want the most. They all have their pros and cons. In the end, I chose the Blu-ray/CD combo, so that's the source for this review. I'll mostly be talking about the Blu-ray of the concert itself, because the music on the CD is the same.

Sticky Fingers is widely regarded as one of the band's absolute best, coming three-quarters of the way through their absolute artistic and creative power. There are four albums that prove the Rolling Stones to be the greatest rock and roll band ever: Beggar's Banquet, Let it Bleed, Sticky Fingers, and Exile on Main Street. Arguably, Sticky Fingers represents the band right before the burden of reinvention, drug abuse, and mega-success took too great a toll and found them adrift for the latter part of the seventies.

Stranger Things Target Exclusive DVD/Blu-ray VHS Unboxing and Retailer RANT (Netflix)

Let's crack open the brand new DVD/Blu-ray set of Stranger Things Season One, a Target retailer exclusive. But first, Heath vents his frustration with a rant about how things like this are often mishandled in the stores themselves. Uninformed employees and limited stock combine to make for a retail nightmare.

How Star Wars: The Last Jedi Trailer Echoes The Empire Strikes Back

The big trailer for Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi has arrived, and it seems to echo the story beats of The Empire Strikes Back perfectly. What does this mean? Will The Last Jedi be a reheated version of everyone's favorite Star Wars movie?! We break it all down and give our thoughts!

Essential Marvel Horror! Ghost Rider, Dracula, and Zombies!

Take a walk on the dark side of Marvel Comics with a look at some of their "Marvel Essential" horror collections. From Tomb of Dracula and Tales of the Zombie to Ghost Rider and Moon Knight, which introduced characters like Blade and Mephisto.

Michael Jackson - Scream (2017)

Just in time for Halloween, the folks at Legacy Recordings (a subsidiary of Sony) have issued a new compilation featuring some of Michael Jackson's most hard-hitting, aggressive, and spooky tunes. Sure, a lot of these songs are part of MJ's greatest hits catalog and have been featured in other compilations before, but this single-disc collection is comprised (almost) entirely of songs fueled by Jackson's love of Halloween and scary movies. This is ESSENTIAL listening for the month of October.

Cult of Chucky (2017)

Chucky, the killer doll who first terrorized our nightmares in 1988, returns yet again in an inventive and gory sequel.