2018 Halloween Decorations

I'm obsessed with Halloween, so of course my decorations have been out for a few weeks already. I can't do a big Halloween display like I used to do (Halloween Display 2015) because I live in a studio apartment now instead of a house, but here's what I've done so far...and I'm sure I'll be adding to it since Halloween is still a few weeks away. 👻🎃💀

Save Lucifer!

If you read this blog on a regular basis, you probably know that I write plays about the devil, so it should be no surprise that Lucifer is one of my favorite shows. Last week Fox decided to cancel several amazing shows, and unfortunately Lucifer was one of them...but the Lucifans aren't going to let their show go without a fight. Last night's season finale was incredible, and we can't let it end there. If you'd like to help us in this fight, please sign this petition to show your support:

https://www.change.org/p/lucifans-tv-save-lucifer-fox-cancelled-it-lets-get-the-cw-hulu-or-netflix-to-save-it/

Another way to help is to talk about the show on social media, using the hashtags #SaveLucifer and #PickUpLucifer, and tweet @Netflix, @Hulu, and other streaming services or networks to let them know how much people love the show. Also, you can watch Lucifer on Amazon Prime or Hulu to show them how popular the show is and that they would benefit from saving it from cancellation. We're not ready for Lucifer to end, so let's save our show!

Movie Spotlight: Hell and Back

Hell and Back is a 2015 stop-motion movie starring Nick Swardson, Mila Kunis, Bob Odenkirk, T.J. Miller, Rob Riggle, Susan Sarandon, Danny McBride, Maria Bamford, Kerri Kinney-Silver, H. Jon Benjamin, David Koechner, Brian Posehn, J.B. Smoove, and Paul F. Tompkins. (Wow, there are a lot of good people in this movie!) When best friends Remy (Nick Swardson), Augie (T.J. Miller), and Curt (Rob Riggle) break a blood oath, Curt is sucked into Hell, and Remy and Augie must do everything in their power to save him.

Since I've written quite a few plays about Satan, Hell and Back was right up my alley...and with this cast, there was no way I wouldn't like this movie. Bob Odenkirk was an awesome devil, and now I really want him to play Satan in one of my plays someday. The rest of the cast was great too, and I liked the movie's version of Hell. I also really liked the running gag with Paul F. Tompkins' Annoyed Lost Soul being inconvenienced by Hell's tame punishments, like the Taco Bell-Pizza Hut not serving pizza. Hell and Back is a fun movie (that looks so cool because of the stop-motion animation) with horny trees, a pole-dancing angel (who the devil is in love with), and a great cast, and I'm really glad I got to see it. : )

My rating: 8/10

Movie Spotlight: The House of the Devil

The House of the Devil is a 2009 movie starring Jocelin Donahue, Greta Gerwig, Tom Noonan, Mary Woronov, Dee Wallace, A.J. Bowen, and Danielle Noe.  College student Samantha (Jocelin Donahue) takes a job as a babysitter for the Ullman family, who live in a creepy mansion in the middle of nowhere (no good can come of this).  When she arrives at the house, Mr. Ullman (Tom Noonan), who is way too excited about that night's lunar eclipse, tells Samantha that he doesn't actually have any children and that he really needs her to take care of his sick mother-in-law (Danielle Noe).  When Samantha later realizes the family's real reason for luring her to the house, she really wishes she hadn't taken the job.

I thought I would really like The House of the Devil since I write plays about Satan and tend to like movies that are related to the devil, but this one was really slow, and I was bored during most of it. The acting was pretty good though, and that's often not the case with horror movies.

My rating: 6/10

Movie Spotlight: Devil Seed

Devil Seed is a 2012 movie starring Michelle Argyris, Shantelle Canzanese, Vanessa Broze, Kevin Jake Walker, Wayne Conroy, and Michael G. Wilmot.  College student Alex (Michelle Argyris) movies in with her friends (well, Jessica is a friend, but Bree is secretly sleeping with Alex's boyfriend, so maybe "bitch" is a better description for her) after a spending the summer caring for her sick grandmother.  One night Alex and Jessica (Shantelle Canzanese) go to a psychic on the way home from a bar, and things get weird.  The next day, Alex doesn't remember going to a psychic, and soon strange things start happening around her (the TV turning on by itself, doors opening on their own, sex with demons).

Devil's Seed was better than I expected, and I liked it more than most of the other random paranormal movies I've found on Netflix.  There was a lot of tension in the movie, aided by super-creepy music, and the acting was better than the acting in many of the horror movies I've watched.  I also liked the ending, and if they make a sequel, I'll definitely watch it.

My rating: 6.5/10