R.I.P. CARY-HIROYUKI TAGAWA

As Mortal Kombat's shape-shifting, soul-sucking sorcerer Shang Tsung, you held widespread command, and for that, fans shall always respect you.

However, as a consummate character actor, you couldn't help but make the rounds in a barrage of other engaging excursions and pop-cultural events: Planet of the Apes 2001, License to Kill, The Phantom 1996, Elektra, Big Trouble in Little China, Tekken, Tekken 2: Kazuya's Revenge, Man with the Iron Fists 2, Showdown in Little Tokyo, Teen Titans: Trouble in Tokyo, Showdown in Manila, The Perfect Weapon, Nemesis, Sky Sharks, The Tomb (aka Edgar Allan Poe's Tomb of Ligeia), Not of This World, The Last Emperor, 47 Ronin, Provocateur, Memoirs of a Geisha, The Slanted Screen, White Tiger, Black Cobra, Duel of Legends, Picture Bride, Hachi: A Dog's Tale, Soldier Boyz, Blizhiniy Boy: The Fighter, American Me, American Dragons, Bridge of Dragons, Raven: Return of the Black Dragon, Lost Warrior: Left Behind, By the Will of Genghis Kahn, Natural Causes, Balls of Fury, The Dangerous, Danger Zone, Day of Reckoning, Johnny Tsunami, Kubo and the Two Strings, Skin Trade, Top of the World, Snow Falling on Cedars, Beyond the Game, Thunder in Paradise 3, Pearl Harbor, Mission of the Shark: The Saga of the U.S.S. Indianapolis, L.A. Takedown, Looking in the Mirror, Junction, NetForce, Faith of My Fathers, Girl Games, Little Boy and Diamond Cartel. 

Your television and streaming spots are also notable, which include Star Trek: The Next Generation, Superboy, Heroes, Alien Nation, Man in the High Castle, Lost in Space (the Netflix revival), Poltergeist: The Legacy, Stargate SG-1, Babylon 5, Grimm, Blue Eye Samurai, Raven, Renegade, Seven Days, MacGyver, Moonlighting, Mission: Impossible (ABC's 1989, sequel series), Hawaii, Baywatch, Nash Bridges (covering 12 episodes), Hardball, Revenge, Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child, Vengeance Unlimited, Sabrina the Teenage Witch (1990s run), The Librarians, Hotel, Knots Landing, Walker Texas Ranger, Jake and the Fatman, Peaceable Kingdom, Cybill, Teen Wolf, Duck Tales and CBS' recent Hawaii 5-0. 

However, if I had to choose a favorite of your portrayals, it would be a tossup between two: one being your role as the irascible Eddie Sakamura in Rising Sun and the second being the stealthy Zylyn in the short-lived but spirited Space Rangers. 

Nevertheless, no matter the role, you were one of those gents who covered it all, and as such, you were easy for some to take for granted. Even so, for those with an astute eye for talent, you were nothing less than expressive royalty, Mr. Tagawa: a man who added so many fine facets to so many of our favorite sojourns. 

HOUSEL/AIRSHIP 27 STOCKING STUFFERS

With the holiday/Christmas season upon us, I wish to toot my own horn and remind folks of three Airship 27 offerings I contributed to (each illustrated in the good, ol' pulp tradition). I do believe they'll make swell gifts for friends and family.

There's my latest, The Persona, Vol 3: Silver Skin, wherein my New Pulp hero, Michael Mansford, aka the Persona, and his betrothed, Stacey Standish, crash in the Amazon and encounter a silver-skinned specter who hopes to transform Earth to his insidious liking.

On the short-story side, The Phantom Detective, Vol 3 contains my yarn, "The Phantom of the Garage," which pits the titular, masked vigilante, Richard Curtis Van Sloan, against a disfigured kingpin, who's putting the squeeze on Sloan's WWI buddy, Jerry Lannigan. (This swell volume also contains top-notch tales by Carson Demmans, Michael Black and Fred Adams Jr.) 

Last but not least, there's an "oldie but goodie," which has seen a pleasing resurgence in recent months: my novella, The Hyde Seed. In this one, a former boxer, Pepe Rodriguez, must battle a cerebral demon that takes on a life of its own. The Hyde Seed smacks of The Twilight Zone's "The Big Tall Wish" and "Steel," as well Rocky, The Set-Up, Body and Soul and The Champ. 

All three volumes can be purchased through Amazon, with quick deliveries assured; so stuff a little Airship 27 in your stockings this holiday season and rejoice, my friends ... rejoice! The New Pulp phenomenon is stronger than ever!

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Michael+Housel&i=stripbooks&crid=45WSA0TQJBDR&sprefix=michael+housel%2Cstripbooks%2C150&ref=nb_sb_noss_1

& (for Persona #3)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1969285044?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title

HAPPY PSYCHO DAY 2025 (12/11)

THE SHINING 1980 IN IMAX, DECEMBER 12

"Here's Johnny!"

On December 12, 2025, IMAX re-releases Stanley Kubrick's epic adaptation of Stephen King's The Shining. 

King didn't dig Kubrick's approach (and his disdain for such has never wavered), but for those who get it (and trust me, many do), the director's vision (derived from his script with Diane Johnson) is the definitive, cinematic Shining, and nothing else (remake, sequel or sneaky wannabe) will do. 

For one, the cast is phenomenal--no, make that, downright iconic--with Jack Nicholson (in what many consider his finest performance) as the anguished Jack Torres, Shelley Duvall (in her most identified role) as Wendy Torres, Danny Lloyd as Danny Torres, Scatman Crothers as Dick Hallorann, Philip Stone as Delbert Grady, Joe Turkel as Bartender Joe, Barry Nelson as Stuart Ullman and as those eerie twins who dare to lure Danny, Lisa and Louise Burns. The ensemble percolates a claustrophobic ambiance that draws one from beginning to end, fortifying its visual and visceral terror. 

And as far as the latter goes, the movie's vast, scenic scope (thanks in no small part to cinematographer John Alcott) is Kubrick at his saturating best. Indeed, to see The Shining again on the big screen, in particular via the IMAX experience, will be nothing short of historic. 

The Shining 1980 is one to seize and relish; so be sure to check theater times and locations to schedule your fated return to the enduring and ominous Overlook Hotel.

MR. LOBO'S CINEMA INSOMNIA'S SCREAMWALKERS (THIS TIME FOR SURE)

As many are aware, Mr. Lobo's Screamwalkers re-edit (of the "live," Cinema Insomnia, Halloween show) was postponed from its intended, November airing, but is now ready for its big premiere this Saturday night (12/6) on Twitch & OSI74/Roku. The presentation commences at 10 pm with a joyous pre-show. Below is a chunk of the previous, Bizarrechats post, featuring a brief overview of the movie to keep one in check: 

Sean Q. King's Screamwalkers is a fun, chilling feature, which introduces a feline variant of Scream's Ghostface, along with a marvelous, gnarly mummy, dispatching a Ten Little Indians setup that leads a group of college kids down a path of Grand Guignol carnage. The movie's monstrous manifestation is all part of a ritualistic, Egyptian, fertility mystery, which exudes a fun, old-school context, enlivened by terrific effects, stylish sets, a robust score by Howard Chirlin and Creepshow-ish cinematography by maestro King.  

For this streamlined, Cinema Insomnia re-edit of the Halloween 2025 show, credit goes not only to good ol' Mr. Lobo, but producer/director Aaron M. Lane, Sally the Zombie Cheerleader, Miss Wendy, Storm the Cat, Tim Caldwell of OSI 74's Somethin' Swave' Theatre and Mr. King, all of whom ensure that Screamwalkers holds a prestigious place in "misunderstood," horror-film history.  

Be sure to relive all the weird, festive wonderment in its repackaged form. In other words, be there or be square!

Also, the Blu-ray, special edition can be purchased at

https://osi74.square.site/s/search?q=screamwalkers

CLASSIC MONSTERS: SCROOGE (A CHRISTMAS CAROL) 1951: FOR PREORDER

As a special treat to garnish the holiday season, Classic Monsters of the Movies is accepting preorders for one of its most anticipated, "ultimate guides": Scrooge (A Christmas Carol) 1951. (Sales commence at 7pm GMT, Friday 12/5.) 

Scrooge 1951 is considered by many to be the definite, film adaptation of Charles Dickens ghostly (and uplifting) classic, directed by Brian Desmond Hurst, with a spot-on cast, featuring the great Alistair Sim in the titular role. It's one of those rare, ethereal gems that can be watched and enjoyed at any time of the year, and this special edition will no doubt hold the same attraction. 

Classic Monsters scribes, Nige Burton & Jamie Jones, have done wonders revealing a plethora of details on so many classics, one can only image the level of attention they'll now grant this beloved, Yuletide staple.  

Don't miss out! Preorder today!

https://www.classic-monsters.com/shop/

I SAW FIVE NIGHTS A FREDDY'S 2 (FNaF2)

Director Emma Tammi's Five Nights at Freddy's 2 (aka FNaF2), based on the five-phase, video franchise, continues the 2023 original's animatronic madness with the soul-trapped, robot monsters returning (and new ones joining), emblemized by the lumbering Freddy Fazbear (voiced by Kellen Goff), though for this chapter's longer  haul, led by Chica (voiced by Megan Fox) and the lanky harlequin, Marionette. By insidious default, this means that Matthew (Scream/Twin Peaks/Scooby-Doo) Lillard falls to a supporting, "spiritual" role as child murderer, William Afton, just to ensure the marginal creepiness is never just marginal. (Afton is significant, after all, for having planted his victims' youthful bodies, and consequently, their souls, inside their formidable shells.)

For this follow-up, the Freddy's Pizzeria franchise has been relegated to frivolous, urban legend, but Mike, played by Josh Hutcherson, and Vanessa (Afton's beleaguered daughter), played by Elizabeth Lail, know better. When Mike's sister, Abby, played by Piper Rubio, returns to her mischievous, nocturnal friends at their prototype hub, that's when things get dicey, leaving the couple to intervene before the garish characters make her a permanent part of their vengeful, doom patrol. 

Based on this summary, one might presume Freddy's 2 is more standard than not, and to some extent, one might be right (in other words, Freddy's 2 is no Bride of Frankenstein, Dawn of the Dead 1979, Army of Darkness or 28 Years Later), but it needn't aspire to be more than it is, for its content succeeds in spurring a string of scares. (Perhaps, the weight of its sinister success stems from its Westworld 1973 setup, and even more than the first Freddy's, the sequel makes excellent use of its marauding menaces, enough that even an android Yul Brynner would bestow an approving nod.) 

The cast is beneficial, too, in particular Hutcherson and Lail, who present enough identifiable stress to pull one in, which in turn gives the other personas (whether organic or synthetic) a better means to bounce off them. Lillard stands out, as well, offering sporadic instigation: an effective, ethereal contrast to the corporeal guises that comprise the automaton army. (Quirky kudos also go to Wayne Knight as a cantankerous, robotics teacher and Freddy Carter as a Renfield-ish watchman with a profound secret.)

Tammi's direction doesn't miss a beat, either, as she makes this one more vehement than the first. Scott Cawthon's script deserves comparable credit, with the sequel's pacing moving seamlessly from his prior effort, though enabled by heightened peril and a path for more. (Freddy's 3 is as good as sold, as long as the current chapter's box-office receipts justify it.) 

It would have been preferable, I suppose, if Freddy's 2 had been released around Halloween, but then the Christmas-movie season has never been devoid of horror pictures. Freddy's 2 holds an honorable place in that offbeat, Yuletide tradition, being creepy yet joyful in its twisted-toy premise to satisfy those wanting a little, killer edge this holiday season.