Thrills...Chills...and...Zzzzzzzzz

So this being Oct. 1st, I kicked off my annual tradition of the 31 Days of Halloween!

Yes, most TV stations will do this too, but make NO mistake, I was the first one to start this tradition years ago! (Ok, maybe not so much in practice, but in theory! ;) )

Tonight's the night when I'll usually begin trying to watch a horror movie or read a scary novel each night until Halloween arrives. Each year I plan to do it, but something goes awry and I'm most often playing catch up as the holiday rapidly approaches...

But tonight, I had it all set! I was going to watch John Carpenter's underrated Prince Of Darkness and turn in early (as I have been up late and early each day looking after my friend's dogs).

Of course, as it happens, I went looking for it only to discover that I didn't have it amongst my many films...now I know that I did at one point, but, like at least a dozen of my other movies, it appears to have vanished...

So...I ended up watching something that, oddly enough, was probably my biggest inspiration for wanting to be a writer...this was something so cheesy that I recall eagerly looking forward to seeing each week!

Friday the 13th!

The series!

Many of you probably are squinting your eyes right now, desperately trying to recall what the hell I'm talking about.

"They never made a series about Jason and his antics at Camp Crystal Lake!"

And...you'd be right...

But they did make a series about cousins (one male, one female) who inherit a store filled with cursed antiques that they must track down one by one until these devilish knick knacks no longer taint the pure world in which we live!

Cursed antiques? You sold me!

Ok...I never said I longed to be Shakespearean in my prose. It was just a semi interesting show with a goofy premise that was somewhat influential...so sue me!

I viewed the very first episode (which debuted in 1987) and it was...well, let's just say that some things from youth are better remembered in your imagination because when seen again later from a different perspective...they're never quite as good!

That's not to say that I'm not going to watch all 26 episodes of the first season this month! ;)

Then, for a double dip in the realm of scares, I watched Ghost Hunters!

For some reason I always liked this show and I don't know why. It's a rarity when they actually find something that resembles a haunting. Phrases like "Well, it could be..." or "This might be..." are often used to sum up the proceedings. Though, it does seem like they're "finding" more things in the last few episodes I've caught. Maybe NBC (who owns Sci-Fi) is getting on their case to garner better ratings. "Look, I don't care if one of you gets ripped apart by cannibalistic demons. Make something happen or your asses will be knee deep in septic tanks for the rest of your lives!"

(At this point, it helps if you know the two leads are plumbers by day...though if you didn't know that, it would conjure up some interesting images of where NBC might have sent old stars whose shows eventually failed. That's why Gil Gerard and Simon MacCorkindale are still lamenting that Buck Rogers and Manimal didn't fare better in prime time--they're toiling away in the sewers early every morning because they owe the network.)

But, the scariest thing all night was...

The Chantix ad I happened to catch.

Chantix is yet another drug "suggested" to us by the medical industry to help people stop smoking. According to the ad, you may (i.e most likely) experience mood swings, exhibit unusual behavior and have suicidal thoughts and tendencies when taking the drug.

So the best move is to stop taking it then, right?

No. Because you may experience the same things after you stop!

HUH?!?

Just give me a cigarette damn it! I only have murderous tendencies with or without those! (Hey, at least I'm not harming myself!) That's important because being raised Catholic, they tell you that you'll end up in limbo (aka purgatory) if you commit suicide. So if in a nicotine enraged fit, I happen to take lives, I know for sure that I'll end up in hell. When it comes to the afterlife, I'm not half assing it by any means!

The only thing that sounded remotely appealing about this "medication" was that you might also be tormented by unusually strange and vivid dreams!

This being the 31 Days of Halloween, I can definitely see some positives in that!

Time to sleep...perchance to dream!