It's Halloween, and everyone is entitles to one good scare. For us in The Basement, that scare came Friday night when we interviewed the ghost of deceased movie producer, director and actor William Castle!

For those that missed our first ever live chat with the dead, there is the podcast to your right that you can listen to at your leisure. Given that the interview was carried out via live chat in a Facebook discussion page, we've included a link to it here. Feel free to give it a read and catch parts of the interview that didn't make it onto the show. And thanks again to psychic Mike S, who mediated the interview for us. You rock!

How could we not broadcast every question and answer? Well, being a movie review show, we did have to talk movies. And Shawn and I just had to share our thoughts on the best underrated horror movies of all time. Being the generous radio hosts that we are, we've included our lists and brief thoughts on each film for you below!

And a big shout out once again to our resident ghost, the late great Mr. Castle! Thanks for making Halloween 2010 a great one for us Basement Dwellers!

The 10 Most Underrated Horror Films

According to Shawn:

Eight Legged Freaks - One of the greatest giant spider movies ever made. Having arachnophobia, this movie is an eye squinter for me when I watch it. Toxic waste spill mutates the spiders at a side-of-the-road spider zoo. The zookeeper is quickly devoured and the spiders take refuge in the town's old gold mines. They grow, and eat people. Awesome!

The Devil's Backbone- Ghosts, war, bombs, and lots of scares.  I remember being a bit squeamish watching it. Thanks for the nightmares, Guillermo Del Toro.

Sasquatch: The Legend of Bigfoot - I was a kid when I watched this TV movie.  I remember it freaked me out. We do live in Bigfoot country after all.  Plausible? Call Mythbusters.

Dead Alive (Brain Dead)- Terrible beginning. Terrible ending.  The bits in between are gold.  Rare monkey is found, bites lady. Cue zombie apocalypse. Features a priest who kicks ass for God. How cool is that?

Freaks – An old, weird movie.  Watched it once when I was young and it's stuck with me ever since. Maybe because they used real genetically unfortunate persons.  May not be the scariest movie on earth, but disturbing.

An American Werewolf In London – I was 10 years old when I watched this.  The werewolf itself wasn't the scariest part. It was the dead victims that impacted me and still stick with me today. Really. I see one of them now!

John Carpenter's The Thing - Again, I was 10 years old when I watched this.  That must have been a defining year for me and movies.  Thanks to George's dad too, who let me watch it.  It was evening, I lived one short block away.  He says "Hey Shawn, have a good walk home and watch out for THE THING!  It could be anybody". Thanks. Words I've lived by.  That molded me.

Pontypool - Awesome one-location, limited-cast apocalyptic film.  Truly makes you use your imagination, gets you thinking, and is pretty damn scary.  Highly underrated!

and No. 1 . . . Dog Soldiers – Werewolves versus soldiers.  Soldiers kick ass. The werewolves are the best ever put on film. I don't care what Mike S. thinks! Violent, gory and believable. Scary even. It's what we in The Basement look for in a horror movie!

According to Jason:

All the Boys Love Mandy Lane - A group of high-schoolers invite Mandy Lane, a good girl who became quite hot over the summer, to a weekend party on a secluded ranch. While the festivities rage on, the number of revelers begins to drop quite mysteriously. Quirky and well done despite its low budget. Got Amber Heard noticed, and for good reason!

The Woman in Black - When a friendless old widow dies in the seaside town of Crythin, a young solicitor is sent by his firm to settle the estate. Pure terror ensues for the solicitor and the audience. Guaranteed to keep you up at night.

Session 9 - Tensions rise within an asbestos cleaning crew as they work in an abandoned mental hospital with a horrific past that seems to be coming back. Limited violence, no jump scares but unsettling none-the-less.

The Orphanage - A woman brings her family back to her childhood home, where she opens an orphanage for handicapped children. Before long, her son starts to communicate with an invisible new friend. From producer Guillermo Del Toro, and scary as hell. The kid in the sack mask still gives me nightmares.

Pontypool - A psychological thriller in which a deadly virus infects a small Ontario town via the spoken word. What Shawn said.

The Poughkeepsie Tapes - When hundreds of videotapes showing torture, murder and dismemberment are found in an abandoned house, they reveal a serial killer's decade-long reign of terror and become the most disturbing collection of evidence homicide detectives have ever seen. Two words describe this film: fucked up! And not for everyone.

Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon - The next great psycho horror slasher has given a documentary crew exclusive access to his life as he plans his reign of terror over the sleepy town of Glen Echo, all the while deconstructing the conventions and archetypes of the horror genre for them. A must see. Why haven't you seen it yet? Get out there and SEE IT!

Dog Soldiers - A routine military exercise turns into a nightmare in the Scotland wilderness as a group of soldiers find themselves under siege by a pack of werewolves. Again, what Shawn said.

Trick r Treat – Actually a better film than my No. 1 choice, but much more well know and therefor it does not rank as No. 1. Four interwoven stories that occur on Halloween: An everyday high school principal has a secret life as a serial killer; a college virgin might have just met the one guy for her; a group of teenagers pull a mean prank; a woman who loathes the night has to contend with her holiday-obsessed husband. One to put in the Blu-Ray player every October.

and No. 1 . . . Splinter - Trapped in an isolated gas station by a voracious Splinter parasite that transforms its still living victims into deadly hosts, a young couple and an escaped convict must find a way to work together to survive this primal terror. Brutal, disturbing and a masterpiece despite the low budget. Great characters who react in rational and believable way to the nightmare they face. I love this movie!

From Beyond the Grave: A Discussion With William Castle!

Tonight is a Basement first! With the help of psychic and frequent contributor Mike S., and the marvels of modern Facebook technology, Shawn and I are going to conduct a live online and onair interview with the spirit of famous Hollywood film director, producer and actor William Castle! 

We've opened a discussion on our Facebook page and, shortly after 10 p.m., our conversation from beyond the grave will begin! Remember, Castle is a ghost, so he's only regained the ability to type, not to speak. Mike S. will speak for him!


Those who want to listen can tune in live at 92.5FM CFBX Kamloops or www.thex.ca. If you want to watch the discussion unfold, or even have a question to ask, stop by our Facebook page.

Castle may be best known for his gimmicks. For example, The Tingler (1959) was about a docile creature that lives in the spinal cord, is activated by fright, and can only be destroyed by screaming. In the film's finale, one of the creatures removed from the spine of a mute woman is let loose in a movie theatre. Some seats in theatres showing the Tingler were equipped with larger versions of hand-held joy buzzers that were attached to the underside of the seats. When the Tingler in the film attacked the audience, the buzzers were activated as a voice encouraged the real audience to scream for their lives.

We've also got music by Rob Zombie and Sick Puppies, plus featured discussions on the best underrated horror films of all time. Stick with us!

And remember, if all of this makes your skin crawl, it's Halloween: everyone is entitled to one good scare!

Below is Castle introducing his film The Tingler.

This is a long post, you may want to go pee first, I'll wait

I'm using you, yes I am, You cute little red dutch oven. 

Remember when I bought her? 

I found a recipe for pork chops in a dutch oven a while back but I can't remember where, so feel free to take the credit.

Also, I'm wearing my yellow apron so you know I'm in serious cooking mode.  Yes, I stand around all day in this corner of my kitchen in my apron with a stupid look on my face.

Slice up a whole large yellow onion.  I put it on my favorite turquoise plate for your viewing pleasure.

Pour the olive oil in your dutch oven and then drop 1/2 of the onion in.  Sprinkle the onions with paprika, pepper and then the herb rub.  I do know that the original author of this recipe bought her rub in a jar but I made my own.

Arrange the pork chops on top of the onions.  Sprinkle the chops with more herb rub.  Place the rest of the onions on top of the pork chops.

Now....this is where I'm going to ask you to NOT freak out.  Ready?  Put bacon slices on top of the onions.  Yes, I said bacon!  Do you not remember who I'm married to?  Bacon is a staple, must be served at least three times a week.

  Sprinkle the top with black pepper and paprika.  Bake covered in the dutch oven at 300 degrees for about 1 hour and 25 minutes for thick chops and 1 hour for thin chops.

Dutch Oven Pork Chops

4 pork chops

Olive oil

1 large yellow onion sliced in rings

 Herb rub to taste*

Coarsely ground pepper to taste

Paprika

4 hickory smoked bacon slices

Cover bottom of dutch oven with olive oil, about 1/4 cup. Place 1/2 of onion slices over oil.

Sprinkle onions with paprika, herb rub and pepper.

Arrange pork chops on top of this. Sprinkle chops with more of the herb rub.

Place the rest of the onion rings over seasoned chops. Place bacon slices over onions and sprinkle top generously with paprika and pepper.

Bake covered in a 300 degree oven for about 1 hour and 25 minutes for thick chops and 1 hour for thin ones.

*To make the herb rub I just use equal parts, parsley, garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, sage and basil.

Moving right along:

Right now, I'm reading this.

So far, I'm enjoying it.

Moving further along:

We're going camping this weekend.

That means, you guessed it, MORE BACON!

I've been making this recipe I found on Mommy's Kitchen for a while now.  I'm not allowed to go camping with our friends unless I bring it.

It's so yummy.  Crisp, sweet and Spicy.  I make it ahead of time at home, wrap in foil and then throw on the grill to heat it up when we get there.  It's also good cold.  Best snack ever!

Pig Candy aka Brown Sugar Bacon

1/4 cup light brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon cayenne (optional)

1/2 pound thick-cut bacon, 8 slices

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Mix brown sugar, cayenne, and black pepper together in a Ziplock bag. Add bacon and shake. Line a baking sheet with a wire rack and lay bacon on the rack. Pat any remaining spice mixture on the bacon. Put the baking sheet on the top rack of the oven and bake until crisp, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven to a serving dish and let cool slightly before serving.

*Note: If using thick cut peppered bacon, omit the pepper in this recipe.

Keep going, just a little further.

This is a little bit creepy.  You know how they have those lights at the dermatologist's office where it shows all the damage the sun has done on your face?  Did you know that if you edit your pictures and use the "adjust exposure" and completely decrease your highlights it does the same thing?

This picture is over-exposed but you get the "picture".  See how I did that?  Picture.  Ha Ha

Now here I am with the highlights totally decreased

Can you see all my age spots?  Crazy!

Last thing, I promise.

I'll be gone this weekend and won't be blogging so everyone have a safe, Happy Halloween!

That pic looks like me before all that dad-blamed sun damage.

Holly

xxx-ooo

Girl With the Dragon Tattoo front-runner for Alien prequel

Noomi Rapace is the front-runner for the Alien prequel. That's the news.

Meetings between Ridley Scott, who directed the original film more than 30 years ago, and a number of potential leads have concluded and the lean Rapace is so far his favourite, so says Deadline.

Other actresses that reportedly took meetings with Scott were Carey Mulligan, Abbie Cornish, Natalie Portman, and Olivia Wilde of the upcoming Tron Legacy. Deadline also states the studio is heavily involved in this particular casting and Rapace's English, or lack thereof, may be the only problem.

As far as I am concerned, Rapace is a great choice.  Her Lisbeth Salender was a major ball breaker. Get her to work on the accent and let's roll. Actually, who cares about the accent. She's a worthy successor to Ripley, even though the film takes place before Sigourney Weaver and company came along.

All I've got to do now is a give two shits about another Alien moving being made.

These Things I Know....

These Things I Know….

Jesus Christ is the Son of God.

 Meatloaf cannot be served without mashed potatoes.

When something is bothering me and my husband asks, “What’s wrong?” I will say “Nothing.”.

My husband appreciates a home cooked meal more than a steak dinner at a restaurant.

A 35 lb bag of dog food produces 52 lbs of dog poop.

I will embarrass myself at least once this week.

I am a much better dancer after a few drinks.

When the temperature in Phoenix is over 110 degrees, I will take it personally.

Spaghetti is the one food that I won’t stop eating until it’s gone, no matter how full I am.

A small compliment can change a grumpy cashier’s attitude.

Eating an entire bag of Peanut M&M’S will give me gas.

Truck drivers are not paid enough for what they do.

Coffee cannot be too strong.

One of my cats will miss the litter box today.

I am blessed beyond measure.

Holly

xxx-ooo

The Dark Knight Retur . . . er Rises!

Christopher Nolan has revealed the name of the third film in his Batman trilogy. In July 2012, we’ll be lining up for The Dark Knight Rises. 

Good title, and it takes advantage of the The Dark Knights' popularity at the box office. Smart move, Nolan.

The co-writer/director went on to dispell the rumour that The Riddler would be the villain this time around, but he hasn't said who the main adversary will be either. It will be tough to beat Ledger's Joker.

Nolan also announced today that he’s convinced Warner Bros. to keep telling his story in 2D, and to continue down the path of hi-def IMAX sequences. He'll get no argument from us in The Basement on the subject either.

Gotta Boo...how about you?

Good Morning!

I didn't have any leftover pizza or cold pasta to eat for breakfast today. Next best thing.

Two scoops of raisins and a smoothie.

Need to fuel up for a big day.

House Cleaning

Work

Grocery

Pay Bills

Bank

Print flyers for pawn shops (long story)

And drop these off.

Aren't they cute?  Do you want to know what's in them?  Is the suspense killing you??  Ok, there's nothing in them yet.  But, I've got people to Boo today!

Kate over at Centsationalgirl had these printables to give to friends, so I'm joining in and boo'ing today.

I've got to run to the goodie store to fill these cute little boxes up and then I'm off to BOO!

Holly

xxx-ooo

Wanna see some footage from Tron Legacy? Then check out this Daft Punk video

You won't regret it. Trust me.

It was a tough call for news today. If I had all the time in the world I would flood you, Basement Dweller, with all kinds of tidbits of geekdom.Seeing as the day job keeps me busy, you get just one.

It was a toss up between the cool footage/OK music below and word that Lucas may convert the Indiana Jones films into 3D (three extra dollars) for an upcoming release. Seeing as the Lucas news makes me want to punch someone in the nuts, you get the Tron footage, which is pretty slick.

"Electrify the girls and boys if you'd be so kind," Michael Sheen tells Daft Punk, who have a cameo in the film. The track they play is titled Derezzed. The footage is all from the movie, which looks spectacular.

December seems a long way off. Maybe I'll watch the video again.

Randomosity

Randomosity #1

My Stepmother, Sally, is so cute!  She reads my blog and tries to get my Dad to read it too.  She saw this picture on one of my posts.

I had been blathering on about my new Wrapmaster but it was the little red spice rack in the background that caught her attention.   Last night, Sally sent me an email saying that she had bought the same spice rack years ago.  It was a Griffith's spice rack.  She had bought it because at the time her last name was Griffith.  I checked into it and  YES, it was a Griffith's!  I immediately started searching Google images for labels and look what I found!

Labels!!!!  They were perfect!  We were meant to be.  What the heck was Mace?  Fenugreek?

Here's my spice rack before:

I printed out the labels on some card stock.  Then I started cutting them out.  I DID NOT major in scissors in Kindergarten. ( did you know that Kindergarten is spelled with a T not a D?  Thanks spell check)   It took me forever.  Cutting straight is sooooo hard.

Then I got to work with my Mod Podge.

After adhering the labels to the jars and letting them dry, I applied a thin coat over the jars so they would be easy to clean.

Here's what they should have looked like all along.

Thanks Sally!   I love you!

(Kelly, Sally, Dad, and Me)

Randomosity #2

Remember yesterday when I said I had a personal question?  Here it is.  What should I do with my hair?  I could really use some comments here gals.  This is what my hair looks like right after I blow dry it.

And this:

You're jealous right?

I don't have thin hair but it's not thick either but I do have a lot of it.  This is what it looks like when I finish styling it.

I know, not much better.  It looks like I'm always walking around with this on my head.

I need a new style, something easy.  Something that looks really nice on a bowling ball shaped head.  Please help me out here. 

Thanks for your support!

Holly

xxx-ooo 

Orcs, anyone?

They failed to chase down Frodo in The Lord of the Rings and have had their numbers decimated on World of Warcraft, so it only makes sense the green-skinned bastards would want some revenge. Hence the new low budget horror-comedy-action flick Orcs.

In the film, directed by Andrew Black, a band of the fantasy beasties are terrorizing a national park and the only ones who can stop them are a couple of bungling park rangers. Much mayhem and face eating ensues, so we're told.

The film stars Adam Johnson, Maclain Nelson and Renny Richmond. It's due out . . . we're not entirely sure, but there's a preview below for your viewing pleasure.

Get Kristen Stewart's Look with Goddiva

I was sent this link via e-mail and thought some of you may appreciate me sharing this information with you. For those of you looking to copy or replicate Kristen’s style for less have a look at this post.

Steal her style with this Irregular Striped Panel Dress (£32)

 

Lace Shift Dress (£10) Suede Effect Shoes(£25) to channel ‘Old Hollywood’ Kristen-style

 

 Contrast Body Con Dress (£14)

 

Tulip Dress (£42) AM to PM Red Soled Peep Toe Stilettos (£25)

 

Corsage Mini Dress (£36) AM to PM Red Soled Peep Toe Stilettos (£25)

 

Corsage Bar Rafaeli Dress (£40)

Thank you to Goddiva for sending me this information for you folks. All pictures are copyright to their original owners.

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