HAPPY HALLOWEEN 2026

 

HAPPY FRANKENSTEIN FRIDAY 2026 (10/30)

 

FILM MASTERS: BUCKET OF BLOOD & DEMENTIA 13, BLU-RAY DOUBLE FEATURE

Film Masters has released a powerhouse double feature  Blu-ray: Roger Corman/Charles B. Griffith's Bucket of Blood and Francis Ford Coppola/Jack Hill's Dementia 13 (aka The Haunted and the Hunted), which Corman produced. 

Bucket of Blood (1959) is the beatnik forerunner of Corman's Little Shop of Horrors, and it stars the dynamic Dick Miller in the demented lead, as amiable but murderous busboy/"sculptor," Walter Paisley, accompanied by Ed Nelson, Julian Burton, Jhean Burton, Barboura Morris, Judy Bamber and Anthony Carbone.

Dementia 13 (1963) showcases Coppola's blossoming knack for stirring an ominous ambiance, with a Psycho-inspired premise that features William Campbell, Luana Anders, Patrick McGee, Bart Patton, Mary Mitchel, Barbara Dowling and Eithne Dunne. 

I love both movies to death (ahem). I grew up with them, having watched them often on UHF and VHS. 

And trust me when I say, this remastered combo is breathtaking in all respects, each possessing a sharpness that eclipses all prior releases; plus, as the details below relay, each is packed with edifying extras: 

 Disc 1: Bucket of Blood

1) The movie (taken from a 35mm print) in both 1.85 and 1.33 aspect ratios

2) Full-film commentary by historian Tom Weaver

3) A Trailers from Hell episode 

4) A re-imagined, 2026 trailer with restored footage

5) Musical recording by novelty composer, Bill Anson, courtesy of Gary L. Prange Archives

💀

Disc 2: Dementia 13

1) HD print of the movie

2) Full-film commentary by pop-culture guru Heath Holland

3) A re-imagined, 2026 trailer with restored footage

4) A Jack Hill on Filmgroup featurette from Ballyhoo Motion Pictures

For those who appreciate and respect these labor-of-love classics, the Film Masters package is essential. For the curious, I encourage you to take the plunge. Once you experience these ghoulish gems, you'll find yourself revisiting them time and again! 

https://www.filmmasters.com/abucketofblood

THE UNION COUNTY PERFORMING ARTS CENTER: REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE (11/1), RAHWAY NJ

 

FAREWELL, WALTER KOENIG

You achieved a level of stellar-stardom that most could only dream, derived from your cherished portrayal of the USS Enterprise's diligent navigator, Pavel Chekov. 

Whether per the classic, Star Trek, television run, its theatrical movies, spinoff shows, fan films or video games, you--and your resolute, Russian persona--became an integral part of our lives. 

Your eminent status also filled other avenues and niches we came to enjoy, including such feature films as The Questar Tapes, Moontrap, Drawing Down the Moon, InAlienable, Diminuendo, Bone Eater, Nightmare Honeymoon, Blue Dream, Nobility, Mad Cowgirl, Raging Midlife, Sworn to Justice, Scream of the Bikini, Goodbye Raggedy Ann and the Star Trek spoof, Unbelievable!!!!!

On the small screen, you were even more ubiquitous, with guest spots on Babylon 5 (as the recurring PSI Corps Cop, Alfred Bester), The Starlost, The Lieutenant, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, Mr. Novak, The Virginian, The Great Adventure, Combat!, Medical Center, Ben Casey, Ironside, Mannix, Columbo, Jericho, I Spy, Bring 'Em Back Alive, Futurama, The Real Ghostbusters, Gidget and Son of the Beach. 

We held you near to our hearts, Mr. Koenig, because  you were one of us, and at the same time, more than us: a top-tier celebrity who still appeared an everyman, with all the foibles and woes one might expect. (My heart still aches for your son, Andrew, who left us far too soon.) Nevertheless, you marched on through both good and bad times, rising to the occasion whenever you could, always there with a kind word for your fans. 

Bless you, sir, for your talent and benevolence. Thank you for being our endearing friend. ❤

TERRIFIC TEAM-UP: JACK ARNOLD'S GILL-MAN MEETS TARANTULA

 

THE MERCURY THEATRE ON THE AIR: THE WAR OF THE WORLDS

In that I commenced the month with audio plays based on Planet of the Apes, Beneath the Planet of the Apes and Night of the Living Dead, it seemed only fitting to mark the later phases of such with one of the all-time greats: The Mercury Theatre On the Air's 1938 presentation of H.G. Wells' The War of the Worlds.

This radio version, which was directed by Orson Welles and adapted by Howard Koch, hits close to home for me, since most of its locations are in (or near) my back yard. As a boy, I would listen the recording every Halloween and imagine the Martian Fighting Machines heading down my street. In this respect, I always understood why the provocative presentation struck so many as an unfolding of real-time events.

If you've experienced the Mercery Theatre play, you know how absorbing it is, and if this is your first time delving in, well, you're in for a chilling treat.