But first, this time... The Competition… which I find I am hosting again. Now, is this a new competition? Or is this week two of the competition in my last post? Questions, questions!
However, after my last post, I also wondered …dare I venture forth? Not one entry to win a copy of my book… :(
Come on, guys, it’s not that bad! Honest. And just to show there are no hard feelings, the competition will remain open… and I will give away two copies, one each to the two best answers. So, come on, and give it a go! Follow the link!The comp is at the bottom of my last post.
What next? Ah... The schedule! That’s what!"
Favourite scary movies? I wish it had been Four Ten! Or at least Four One – April 1st would have suited me better.
[caption id="attachment_3588" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Abandon hope..."]
[/caption]I do recall, as a child, watching black and white talkies from the Hammer House of Horrors and other studios. I think I even recall mentioning the Pit and the Pendulum in an earlier post (but having been born with a mild case of something like Alzheimer’s, my memory has always been hazy).
Other titles seemed to revolve around the actors Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee – which just goes to show, I must have watched a few such films in my youth. I cannot remember many actors’ names at all! But, try as I might, I cannot say I have remained a fan of the genre or, indeed, continued to watch any scary movies of any age. (The one exception being, I suppose, Sean of the Dead – and only because someone told me it was funny!)
What gets me is that I find – letting my imagination run away with me – that there is enough in real life that is a good base for “scary”… “suspense”… “thrills”… or whatever.
[caption id="attachment_3589" align="alignleft" width="112" caption="Interesting... tee hee!"]
[/caption][caption id="attachment_3590" align="alignright" width="150" caption="More interesting... I have an idea!"]
[/caption]I do, though, have a confession. The conflation between real life and scary movies happened early for me… at the age of (ahem, clears throat… and mumbles incomprehensible sound). After the Pit and the Pendulum, I had a brilliant idea. I tied my younger brother to a soapbox cart in the cellar of our house (when no one else was there). He lay prone, motionless (relatively speaking) under the wooden beams of the floor above. I then proceeded to construct a pendulum from an axe and rope… (and before you call in social services, I was well trained in knots – being a Sea Scout).
I set the axe swinging and…"
Well, my brother is still around – I hasten to add. And he doesn’t seem too afflicted by the experience! Furthermore, following his Close Protection training with the Military Police and more recent Canadian Special Forces Training, I am unlikely ever to attempt such a stunt again!
I suppose, since recreating such a famous scary movie scene in the bowels of my mother’s house, cinematography has never really offered the same sense of reality. But that is my excuse. Now I just find it more challenging to create suspense on a less-is-more basis.
And I guess my brother might be thinking...
…it’s a good job we didn’t have computer games to play with in those days.”
So, who else out here in reader/writer land thinks that there is enough “scary” to be found in "reality"?
LMAOROTF ... *wipes tears out of my eyes...
ReplyDeleteNow that you have manage to set me off in a fit of giggles that woke up the dog and the cats, I can't remember what I was going to respond to... I just keep envisioning that whole scenario, and I bust into another fit of laughter...
Your son doesn't have any younger siblings, does he? You might have to stay on your toes! (like father, like son? *grin)
'Tis true. There is enough scary going on all around us. At the movies, in the movies, in the supermarket. That story is tops, and glad your brother doesn't have to walk in a double stroller.
ReplyDeleteLittle brothers are useful for all sorts of things. I tried to get mine to go into the clothes dryer, even attempting to bribe him with candy. That he is here today is testament that he wasn't afraid to say no. Our dog, Barney, was the next likely candidate, and my mother saved his life by running out to the porch and stopping the machine. I got the spanking I deserved. Barney wobbled out to the rear yard and thereafter had some sort of urinary issue, but was relatively okay.
I was probably one of those kids that made people who decided never to have any, suddenly grateful for their choice. None of mine got that streak. You think my grandkids will get even?
Just dodging the mommies in their big ass SUV's as you walk across the street in my small town is enough reality scary for me!!! Then their in the stores with their out of control kids, further terrifying everyone within two isles of them. Real life is scary, take it from a retired cop. Really scary.
ReplyDeleteIt's a joy to bring laughter to someone! Thank's, George.
ReplyDeleteMy young son has three older siblings - and I keep them all under a watchfull eye whenever they are together! :)
They do say revenge is a dish best served cold (or even frozen!) You could keep a watch on your grandkids - just in case!
ReplyDeleteIn my case the family dog, Bruce, just would not come into my lair! My bedroom was the only room he wouldn't step into - not even on invitation. It was as if he sensed some evil, some malevolance lurking under the bed... or was it me? ;)
Oh! I'll take it alright - retired cop or not! :)
ReplyDeleteThank's for stopping by, Lee. I appreciate it. Those SUVs are a problem in my village, too. And as for out of control kids... we have a few of those as well (and no village sheriff - retired or otherwise!)
You sound like you channeled Vincent Price in your youth, David.
ReplyDeleteYes, real life can be stranger and more terrifying than fiction. Especially if some older kids were to take those out of control kids into their basements with ropes and axes (providing their Sea Cadets or Sea Scouts, that is).
Bruce was probably a smart dog who wanted to live to be 10. He might not have been sure you and your brother would.
ReplyDeleteI also put my brother, his little girlfriend Leah, and Leah's mom's (dyed) apricot poodle, Bijou, in Bijou's doghouse, closed the door and rolled it across the rear yard. Leah's mom was a model and used the dog in photo shoots, but I knew there was something very unnatural about dying a dog's fur apricot. Thought I would test her metal a bit, and was surprised how she survived. I knew my brother would.
My mother always blamed me on the divorce that happened. Bijou and her family moved away about 6 months ago, and I had to look for something else to terrorize.
Indeed, Greg, Indeed! :)
ReplyDelete