Welcome to the Hellmouth: The 20th Anniversary of Buffy

Exactly 20 years ago, I was 14 years old and halfway through my freshman year of high school. It wasn’t a great time for me. Junior high had been pretty terrible, and I didn’t recognize at the time that much of it had to do with my first severe bout of depression. I also had a lot of social anxiety and difficulty figuring out how to behave around others, which came off to others as being overly sensitive, shy, awkward, cold, and sometimes, a jerk. That isn’t to say I didn’t have friends, but I felt very lonely most of the time. My home life was filled with a lot of movies, music, video games, and of course, television.

Book & Brew: Bloodsuckers

During September my library is featuring a display I put together where I pair up books with beers based on a theme. We're using it to help advertise an event we're having in October on home brewing called You Can Brew It! I had a lot of fun coming up with the pairings and lists, and I'm sharing a handful of them each week here on the blog.

Out from his coffin, Drac's voice did ring-- seems he was troubled by being left out of the Book & Brew. Luckily I had a couple of good choices lined up to keep the old bloodsucker happy.

(See the end of the entry for thumbnails and links to the brewmarks!)

10th Anniversary of Buffy TVS's "Chosen"

Usually when we say "I remember where I was when..." it's a reference to a historically important event. I could never compare something like an episode of a television show to an event like that, but I can't deny that I have strong, vivid, emotional memories of media that has touched me on a deep level. Many of those memories are about Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Women in Horror Comics: Nancy A. Collins

This feature is part of my Women in Horror Comics series in honor of Women in Horror Month. For more info on WiHM visit www.womeninhorrormonth.com

This week’s Women in Horror Comics feature, author Nancy A. Collins, has not only written for a variety of horror comics, she is also a horror novelist best known for her Sonja Blue vampire series. The first book in the series, SUNGLASSES AFTER DARK, won a Bram Stoker award for Best First Novel. Unlike some other paranormal fiction, Nancy’s vampires are as they should be: vicious killers.

Women in Horror Comics: Jenny Frison

This feature is part of my Women in Horror Comics series in honor of Women in Horror Month. For more info on WiHM visit www.womeninhorrormonth.com

The Women in Horror Comics series continues with local Chicago area cover artist Jenny Frison as my feature this week. Jenny has done a lot of wonderful covers, working with publishers like Dark Horse, Image, IDW and DC. It was honestly difficult to narrow down my choice of which artwork to show you as an example because it's all so good, but let me first tell you a bit about one of my favorite horror comics that Jenny has worked on.

A Recap and Look Forward

This has been one hell of a week for Women in Horror Month! If you haven’t been following all of the events and blog posts and links and everything over on Facebook or Twitter, then your head probably isn’t spinning as much as mine is.

Film review: The Revenant

I had heard some good things about THE REVENANT, enough to pursue a copy to watch myself. I love good horror-comedies when I can find them, like SHAUN OF THE DEAD, SLITHER, ZOMBIELAND and my most recent favorite TUCKER AND DALE VS. EVIL. I can't say that REVENANT knocks any of those four out of their prime positions in that sub-genre for me, but it's original, different and does have some truly funny moments that make it worth checking out.

The Last Man Among the Walking Dead

I had a recent moment of synchronicity in which I was working my way through a couple more hardcover collections of THE WALKING DEAD comics, and then had a hankering for an old black and white horror and/or sci-fi film. In retrospect I shouldn't be surprised, and to say that the comics, the craving and the movie that I chose weren't linked is an exaggeration. But I hadn't connected them in a conscious way, at least not until I discovered that THE LAST MAN ON EARTH was available to stream on Netflix. (Update 8/9/21: It is no longer available on Netflix. See end notes for other streaming options.)

Vampire Slayer Update

Remember when I said I was going to drink the hell out of this Imperial Stout?

Totally did. That's the very bottle I bought. 

And... that's my tablecloth. It has skulls on it.

It's delicious (the beer, not the tablecloth) and every bit of 

"Mmmm... itsss good" that I hoped it would be.

I'll have some new entries coming up soon, you know how this holiday mess goes. 

A new weapon against the undead...

I had never heard of Clown Shoes up until last week, while having lunch at a restaurant near work. I was prepared to go with a bottle of Bell's Two-Hearted Ale because it's a current favorite, but I like trying new beers so I took a chance on their draft of Clown Shoes Tramp Stamp, which is a Belgian IPA. I felt pretty safe with that, I like IPA's, but I was pleasantly surprised by how good it was. Since I can't help but start researching things (how I ever got along without a web-enabled smart phone is a mystery) I looked up the brewery on RateBeer's app and my jaw dropped:

They have a beer. Called "Vampire Slayer". And I have not drunk it yet.

Truth be told, my palate isn't quite sophisticated enough for imperial stouts. Yet. It's a little intimidating, but I have to try this beer. I'm making it my mission to track it down soon. Merry Christmas to me, indeed. 

I'm sorry to say I won't be reviewing it, but I don't think I have much talent for reviewing beers. I'm much more in the "Mmmm.... itsss goood" camp when it comes to that. But if you want to see some reviews, I'd recommend RateBeer's Vampire Slayer page. Plus, if you click on "Locate Sellers" on the right hand side you can find someplace to purchase it from. Dear Binny's in Arlington Heights, we have a date with destiny approaching. Hearts, me.

Clown Shoes Beer from Ipswich, Massachusetts

Try RateBeer or Beer Advocate for your boozy researching needs

Or Untappd to feel your boozing is accomplishing something. I'm there (rachelsstorm)!

Horror Marathon: Snow Edition

Chicagoland gets its share of wintery weather, and then some. The icy winds, the lake effect snow, the inevitable Hoth jokes. The cold doesn't get to me, but I despise ice and snow unless I'm housebound. This year we've had an extremely mild winter so far which I am delighted about. But what I do love is the effect all that cold, wet, frozen stuff has in a horror movie. As part of my December vacation I decided to have a marathon of snowy terror in lieu of the real thing.