With the return of pumpkin-flavored coffee to the market (Starbucks' PSL! Dunkin's Pumpkin mocha!) and the very beginning of leaf death (at least where I live), Miss Scarlett's mind has begun to turn to fall. It's my very favorite season, and not just because that when my birthday is! Falling leaves, trees and bushes ablaze in reds, oranges, and golds, ripe apples, pumpkins, and root veggies, and the return of cool/less humid weather.... Yes, please!
My favorite month has to be October. I love spooky stuff (but not the truly horrific or gory), and Halloween is my favorite holiday; I love any excuse to dress up and eat sweets! Over the last few years, I've conceived the idea of having a month-long "spooky" movie and TV marathon to celebrate. Lots of Halloween-themed events these days have branded themselves "Shocktober," which I think is a great portmanteau and therefore have unofficially adopted as the name of my marathon. I had semi-successful practice runs last year and the year before, thanks to greater control over household food shopping and the rise in viewable content on Youtube, Netflix, and Hulu. I compiled a queue of material to watch, stockpiled snacks, and had a grand old time..excepting a few days where I skipped it because I simply had no time.
Well, I'll be doing the same thing this year. I'm not exaggerating when I say that I greatly look forward to fall, and October specifically, all year. But I will be cutting down on the amount of snacks--or at least, watch some movies while on the treadmill!
(Jump break for excessive nattering. This whole post is justified for publishing on the blog since movie/TV-watching counts as a hobby, yes?)
I've bit the bullet and finally splurged on something I've had my eye on since last year: The Universal Monsters "Classic Collection" on Blu-ray. I received a Blu-ray player last year, and have been consistently impressed with the picture quality, which convinced me to drop a little extra money on the Blu-ray version as opposed to the DVD set. (I'm hoping that Universal continues and offers something similar to their DVD-only "Legacy sets" which offered the classic monster movies plus their wonderfully tacky and cheesy sequels. This collection has the seven "main" movies, plus The Bride of Frankenstein.) I must say that I'm not overly thrilled with the packaging--the movies are contained within cardboard sleeves--but Blu-rays are tough and don't scratch as easily as DVDs, so I'm sure they will be fine.
I'm excited since I love the classic Universal monster movies; they are spooky and creepy but without gratuitous violence and gore. I'm fairly squeamish when it comes to those topics--with just a few exceptions--so these have been perfect for me. I'm planning on saving at least the Big Three (Frankenstein, Dracula, and The Wolf Man) for Halloween itself, plus most likely The Bride of Frankenstein. I believe that I have that day off, so I'm going to stock up on treats and have a monster movie marathon that day!
I'm not just watching classic monster movies this month, though. I'm planning on tossing a wide variety of movies into the mix. Everything from the Disney Channel movies I watched as a kid (Hocus Pocus, anyone?) to Elvira's Movie Macabre, to the wonderful Roger Corman adaptations of Edgar Allen Poe's works...starring Vincent Price, of course. And perhaps some anime tossed in, as well. I have no shortage of spooky anime (Hellsing, Another, etc.) on Hulu to watch, and my copy of the Bayonetta movie will be arriving that month. I'm still working on a list of both media to watch and snacks to prepare...although I admit that I've begun a small stockpile of goodies already!
I have a whole Amazon list full of movies I'd love to own, mostly for my little "Shocktoberfest," but they'll just have to wait for later. Blu-ray movie compilations are shockingly expensive! I have my eye on two of the Vincent Price compilations (the ones from Shout Factory), which are at least $60-odd a piece. My poor wallet, it's weeping in agony...Plus, I have a sinking feeling that in another few years I'll be trading in the Universal Classic Collection that I just picked up. Universal just released a huge, 30-film compilation of their classic monster movies, but as DVD only. One can only assume that a Blu-ray version will follow (and at a much higher price, too.)
I think I've just about run out of things to natter about (for now, at least), so I'll probably get to work drafting up a list for the Shocktober movie marathon. Hopefully, I'll have it finalized in a few days, but it seems like every time I go to the grocery store, there's a new fall-themed treat on the shelves. So the snack list at least might not be finalized for a bit.
Miss Scarlett, signing out! (And going to find a snack.)
