Recommended Halloween Movies 2012

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

 
❣ Halloween ❣
I love the fall season with the leaves changing colors, carved pumpkins and the cool brisk feel of the day. The Halloween candy isn't half bad either!
The scary movies are also a perk during this time of year. But we have all seen the usual villians...Michael Myers, Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees over and over, Halloween after Halloween. Don't get me wrong...these are MUST SEE scary movies...but to be completely honest, it's becoming a little tiresome.  
So I put together a list of scary movies that are a little more untraditional but will still get you in that spooky Halloween mood!
 
 
SLEEPY HOLLOW
Ichabod Crane is sent to Sleepy Hollow to investigate the decapitations of three people with the culprit being the legendary apparition, the Headless Horseman.
Johnny Depp, Christina Ricci, Miranda Richardson
Directed by Tim Burton
(If you are a Harry Potter fan like me, you are bound to see some familiar faces/heads)
 
 
GHOSTBUSTERS
Three unemployed parapsychology professors set up shop as a unique ghost removal service.
Dan Aykroyd
Bill Murray
Harold Ramis
Sigourney Weaver
Directed by Ivan Reitman


WHAT LIES BENEATH
The wife of a university research scientist believes that her lakeside Vermont home is haunted by a ghost - or that she's losing her mind.
Harrison Ford, Michelle, Pfeiffer
Directed by Robert Zemeckis
 
 
A female figure in silhouette stands before an enormous statue of a humanoid head. Text at the middle of the poster reveals the tagline "The Search For Our Beginning Could Lead To Our End". Text at the bottom of the poster reveals the title, production credits and rating.
PROMETHEUS
A team of explorers discover a clue to the origins of mankind on Earth, leading them on a journey to the darkest corners of the universe. There, they must fight a terrifying battle to save the future of the human race.
Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron, Guy Pearce
Directed by Ridley Scott
(Follow this film with the Alien trilogy...)
 
 
THE MUMMY
An American serving in the French Foreign Legion on an archaeological dig at the ancient city of Hamunaptra accidentally awakens a Mummy.
Brendan Fraser
Rachel Weisz
Directed by Stephen Sommers
 
 
Movie poster shows a woman in the ocean swimming to the right. Below her is a large shark, and only its head and open mouth with teeth can be seen. Within the image is the film's title and above it in a surrounding black background is the phrase "The terrifying motion picture from the terrifying No. 1 best seller." The bottom of the image details the starring actors and lists credits and the MPAA rating.
JAWS
When a gigantic great white shark begins to menace the small island community of Amity, a police chief, a marine scientist and grizzled fisherman set out to stop it.
Roy Scheider
Richard Dreyfuss
Robert Shaw
Direct by Steven Spielberg
 
 
 
THE SHINING
A family heads to an isolated hotel for the winter where an evil and spiritual presence influences the father into violence, while his psychic son sees horrific forebodings from the past and of the future.
Jack Nicholson
Shelley Duvall
Directed by Stanley Kubrick
 
 
RED DRAGON
A retired FBI agent with psychological gifts is assigned to help track down "The Tooth Fairy", a mysterious serial killer; aiding him is imprisoned criminal genius Hannibal "The Cannibal" Lecter.
Anthony Hopkins
Edward Norton
Ralph Fiennes
Directed by Brett Ratner
 
 
THE LOST BOYS
After moving to a new town, two brothers are convinced that the area is frequented by vampires.
Jason Patric
Corey Haim
Keifer Sutherland
Directed by Joel Schumacher
 
 
SILENT HILL
A woman goes in search for her daughter, within the confines of a strange, desolate town called Silent Hill.
Radha Mitchell
Sean Bean
Directed by Christophe Gans
 
 
EDWARD SCISSORHANDS
An uncommonly gentle young man, who happens to have scissors for hands, falls in love with a beautiful teenage girl.
Johnny Depp
Winona Ryder
Directed by Tim Burton
(May also be considered for the Christmas Holiday)
 
 
LET ME IN
A bullied young boy befriends a young female vampire who lives in secrecy with her guardian.
Kodi Smit-McPhee
Chloë Grace Moretz
Directed by Matt Reeves
 
 
SIGNS
A family living on a farm finds mysterious crop circles in their fields which suggests something more frightening is to come.
Mel Gibson
Joaquin Phoenix
Rory Culkin
Directed by M. Night Shyamalan
 
 
GHOST
After being killed during a botched mugging, a man's love for his partner enables him to remain on earth as a ghost.
Patrick Swayze
Demi Moore
Directed by Jerry Zucker
 
 
PRACTICAL MAGIC
Sally and Gillian Owens have always known they were different. Raised by their aunts after their parents' death, the sisters grew up in a household that was anything but typical-their aunts fed them chocolate cake for breakfast and taught them the uses of practical magic. But the invocation of the Owens' sorcery also carries a price-some call it a curse: the men they fall in love with are doomed to an untimely death. Now, adult women with very different personalities, the quiet Sally and the fiery Gillian must use all of their powers to fight the family curse and a swarm of supernatural forces that threatens the lives of all the Owens women.
Sandra Bullock
Nicole Kidman
Directed by Griffin Dunne
 
 
ROSEMARYS BABY
A young couple move into a new apartment, only to be surrounded by peculiar neighbors and occurrences. When the wife becomes mysteriously pregnant, paranoia over the safety of her unborn child begins controlling her life.
Mia Farrow
John Cassavetes
Directed by Roman Polanski
 
 
THE PEOPLE UNDER THE STAIRS
Fool, an African-American teen, breaks into the home of the wealthy landlords who evicted his family from a ghetto tenement. A fortune in gold coins is rumored to exist inside, but Fool discovers that the mansion is a chamber of horrors presided over by a pair of incestuous, serial killer siblings. The twisted couple has also tried to raise a succession of kidnapped boys. Each botched effort is handled the same way - the victim's eyes, ears and tongues are removed, and he's sent to live in the sealed-off basement, where a colony of similarly deformed "brothers" resides. Fool is able to avoid the evil lovers as he moves through the house's maze of hidden passageways. He discovers that the occupants have a daughter, who has survived their abuse, so he rescues her and they attempt to free the "people under the stairs."
Brandon Quintin Adams
A.J. Langer
Directed by Wes Craven
 
 
MONSTER HOUSE
Three teens discover that their neighbor's house is really a living, breathing, scary monster.
Steve Buscemi
Directed by Gil Kenan
 
 
THE OTHERS
A woman who lives in a darkened old house with her two photosensitive children becomes convinced that her family home is haunted.
Nicole Kidman
Directed by Alejandro Amenábar
 
 
HOCUS POCUS
After 300 years, three sister witches are resurrected in Salem Massachusetts on Halloween night, and it is up to two teenagers, a young girl, and an immortal cat to put an end to the witches reign of terror once and for all.
Bette Midler
Kathy Najimi
Sarah Jessica Parker
Directed by Kenny Ortega
 
 
THE SKELETON KEY
A hospice nurse working at a spooky New Orleans plantation home finds herself entangled in a mystery involving the house's dark past.
Peter Sarsgaard
Kate Hudson
Directed by Iain Softly
 
 
Poster for Zombieland with subtitle "Nut up or shut up". The four actors appear as a group all holding different weapons.
ZOMBIELAND
A shy student trying to reach his family in Ohio, and a gun-toting tough guy trying to find the Last Twinkie and a pair of sisters trying to get to an amusement park join forces to travel across a zombie-filled America.
Jesse Eisenberg
Emma Stone
Woody Harrelson
Directed by Ruben Fleischer
 
 
POLTERGEIST
A young family's home is haunted by a host of ghosts. The ghosts appear friendly, moving objects around the house for the amusement of everyone. Eventually the events turn sinister and their youngest child disappears and is held captive by the evil ghosts.
JoBeth Williams
Craig T. Nelson
Heather O'Rourke
Directed by Tobe Hooper
(#1 on my list of scary movies)
 
 
GREMLINS
A boy inadvertantly breaks three important rules concerning his new pet and unleashes a horde of malevolently mischievous monsters on a small town.
Zach Gallagan
Phoebe Cates
Directed by Joe Dante
(May also be considered for the Christmas Holiday)

 
THE FRIGHTENERS
Frank Bannister has genuine psychic powers, but he doesn't use them to help people. Rather, he generates cases for his supernatural private-eye firm by harassing a group of hapless ghosts into staging hauntings and poltergeists in the homes of likely marks. Bannister's world turns on its head when he starts noticing real hauntings around town - ghostly assassinations that seem to be tied to the execution 20 years earlier of a brutal serial killer. Lucy Lunskey, the wife of one unlucky victim, teams up with Bannister to get to the bottom of the killings and find out what shut-in Patricia Bradley and her witchy mother have to do with the sinister killing spree.
Michael J. Fox
Dee Wallace Stone
John Astin
Directed by Peter Jackson
 
 
ORPHAN
A husband and wife who recently lost their baby adopt a 9-year-old girl who is not nearly as innocent as she claims to be.
Peter Sarsgaard
Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra

 
 
BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER
 A flighty teenage girl learns that she is her generation's destined battler of vampires.
Kristy Swanson
Donald Sutherland
Luke Perry
Directed by Fran Rubel Kuzui
 
 
STIR OF ECHOES
After being hypnotized by his sister in law, a man begins seeing haunting visions of a girl's ghost and a mystery begins to unfold around her.
Kevin Bacon
Directed by David Koepp
 
 
AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN PARIS
An American man unwittingly gets involved with werewolves who have developed a serum allowing them to transform at will.
Tom Everett Scott
Julie Delpy
Directed by Anthony Waller
 
 

If you are finding it difficult to stray from the tradional horror films, at least upgrade to the new versions...
 
 
HALLOWEEN
After being committed for 17 years, Michael Myers, now a grown man and still very dangerous, escapes from the mental institution (where he was committed as a 10 year old) and he immediately returns to Haddonfield, where he wants to find his baby sister, Laurie. Anyone who crosses his path is in mortal danger.
Scout Taylor-Compton
Malcolm McDowell
Directed by Rob Zombie
 
 
 A film poster with the title "Friday the 13th" appearing in red letters just below "From the producers of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre". Above the title stands Derek Mears dressed in full Jason Voorhees make-up and a machete in his right hand. Fog and a moon-lit wilderness appear in the background. The production credits appear in small font at the bottom of the poster.
 FRIDAY THE 13TH
A group of young adults discover a boarded up Camp Crystal Lake, where they soon encounter Jason Voorhees and his deadly intentions.
Jared Padalecki
Amanda Righetti
Directed by Marcus Nispel
 
 
THE STEPFATHER
Michael returns home from military school to find his mother happily in love and living with her new boyfriend. As the two men get to know each other, he becomes more and more suspicious of the man who is always there with a helpful hand.
Penn Badgley
Dylan Walsh
Directed by Nelson McCormick

 


Christmas Gift Ideas

Sunday, October 28, 2012

Creative, homemade gifts for everyone on your
Christmas list!
Today's Fabulous Finds featured a "Game Night in a Bag" gift complete with printables!

 
Dice available at Dollar Tree ($1 Each!)
Tip Junkie came up with 28 Homemade Ornament tutorials. Keep them or give them away!
Homemade Christmas Ornaments to Make

Harbour Breeze Home came up with a "Movie Night in a Bag" gift. A cute little bag full of movie night goodies.
gift bags ps
Family Bites came up with the coolest gift ever! A DIY Ice Cream Sundae Kit :) She even lists a recipe for homemade chocolate sauce!
DSC_0108
DCWV Diary has a great idea for a "thank you" gift, but I thought this would also work for Christmas. Lemon Buddies (recipe on blog) stuffed into a clear bag and simply topped with scrapbook paper!
Speaking of recipes for Christmas...check this one out by Cookies & Cups! A holiday mix complete with Santa hats!



Conntainers available at Dollar Tree ($1 Each!)



Looking for a cool gift for friends? How about making them some BACON-SALT? Who wouldn't want this?! Printable gift tags and recipe included on the Formal Fringe blog! The jars are also available on Amazon (12 for 15.50).

2012 Fall Tv Lineup

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

I have never been one to watch TV shows while they are actually airing on television. I think I caught a few Friends episodes, but never watched the show until I bought the series and watched the whole 10 years together. Same with Buffy the Vampire Slayer and various other shows. There were a few exceptions of course (LOST, Gossip Girl, The OC). TV shows that I enjoy are usually few and far between. This year happens to be pretty different. Don't get me wrong, I have my usual favorites like The Big Bang Theory and King of the Hill that are viewed on a daily basis. But this year's fall lineup is seriously awesome and I cannot wait for the series DVD to come out! I'm watching it live! I had to sign up for a TV Guide Watchlist just to keep track!
Here is my current weekly lineup:
Mon Oct 8 7:00 PM
Tue Oct 9 7:00 PM
Tue Oct 9 7:00 PM
7:30 PM
8:00 PM
8:30 PM


Wed Oct 10 9:00 & 10:00 PM

Set in 1964, American Horror Story: Asylum takes us into a Church-run haven for the criminally insane, ruled with an iron fist by Sister Jude (Jessica Lange), a nun with a troubled past. Inside this locked down facility, danger lurks around every corner. From Nazis and serial killers, to mutants and aliens, no one is safe inside these walls. Starring Jessica Lange as “Sister Jude”, Sarah Paulson as “Lana Winters”, James Cromwell as “Dr. Arthur Arden,” Evan Peters as “Kit Walker,” Lily Rabe as “Sister Mary Eunice,” Lizzie Brocheré as “Grace,” Zachary Quinto as “Dr. Oliver Thredson,” and Joseph Fiennes as “Monsignor Timothy Howard.” Guest stars for the miniseries will include Frances Conroy, Chloe Sevigny, Adam Levine and Mark Consuelos

Wed Oct 10 9:00 PM
As country-music superstar Rayna Jaymes, Boston-born Connie Britton takes the y'all she perfected as Tami Taylor on Friday Night Lights and sets it to music on ABC's highly anticipated Nashville, premiering tonight. Set in the change-on-a-dime music industry, the series charts the fates of veteran Rayna and It Girl Juliette Barnes (Hayden Panettiere) as they compete for downloads and dollars. For Rayna, those two things will prove ever more elusive in the next few episodes, as secrets from her personal life begin to threaten her career — and her bandleader ex, Deacon (Charles Esten), grows closer to catty rival Juliette.
Thu Oct 11 7:00 PM
Created by writer/producers Chuck Lorre (of Two and a Half Men) and Bill Prady (of Gilmore Girls) comes The Big Bang Theory, a sitcom that shows what happens when hyperintelligent roommates/physicists Sheldon and Leonard meet Penny, a beautiful woman moving in next door--and realize they know next to nothing about life outside of the lab. Rounding out the crew are the smarmy Wolowitz, who thinks he's as sexy as he is brainy, and Koothrappali, who suffers from an inability to speak in the presence of a woman. The show distinguishes itself by being unafraid to toss scientific references and technobabble into an otherwise standard sitcom, even employing a physicist to keep things accurate. In doing so, it allows Sheldon and Leonard to do for science what Frasier's Crane brothers did for fine dining, art, and opera. Theme Song: "The History of Everything" by Barenaked Ladies.
Buzz Aldrin is set to make a cameo on the Halloween-themed episode that airs on Thursday, Oct. 25, CBS announced Tuesday.
Thu Oct 11 7:00 PM
The fourth season begins with Elena waking up after her car accident and realizing she died with vampire blood in her system. Now, she must go through the horrible transition to become a vampire or die. Meanwhile, Bonnie tries to change Elena's fate and pays a terrible price for it.               
Thu Oct 11 8:00 PM
A homicide detective teams with a man who takes on incredible but uncontrollable strength when enraged. In the series opener, the two meet for what they discover isn't the first time.
Fri Oct 12 8:00 PM
The guys investigate strange goings-on at Indiana's Black Moon Manor.
Sun Oct 14 7:00 PM
ma and Mary Margaret get help searching for a gateway back to Storybrooke; and Henry advises Jefferson to reunite with Paige. Meanwhile, in the fairy-tale world, King George poisons Snow White as she prepares to meet Prince Charming's mother.


 Sun Oct 14 8:00 PM
Publicity surrounds the Graysons once again. Meanwhile, Emily continues to be plagued by her past.
Sunday is my new favorite day!
Sun Oct 14 9:01 PM

Gavin begins to groom Henry for a possible career change. Meanwhile, a journalist discovers that whatever she writes becomes the truth; and Olivia shares a painful secret with Jane about her daughter's death.
ABC's supernatural drama 666 Park Avenue drew 5.1 million viewers and a 1.7 in the adults 18-to-49 demographic Sunday, shedding two million viewers and five-tenths from its soft premiere last week. ABC had a down night overall, as Once Upon a Time (11 million, 3.3) and Revenge (8.3 million, 2.6) also dipped several tenths. (How is this possible? Even I am watching it!)
So there you have it. That's a lot of TV....too bad I don't have DVR :(