31 Days Of Halloween - A Pipe And A Movie
ghostsofpompeii
Master
Some of my favorite things include Halloween, horror movies, and pipe smoking, so I thought I'd lump them all together for the next 31 days leading up to Halloween night, while also incorporating my newfound interest in photography to create a little something I'll call "31 Days Of Halloween - A Pipe And A Movie".
For the next 31 days I'll once again showcase my pipe collection in a series of photo shoots incorporating the horror movie I intend on watching that evening, matched with the pipe I'll be smoking. Might even mention the blend if I can plan that far ahead. I'll also include a brief capsule review of the movie along with a 1 through 5 bowl rating system for the movie. Get everyone into the spirit of the occasion.
Hope it inspires others to join in on the fun with a photo shoot of their own, or at least a few movie recommendations. No one said pipe smoking couldn't be fun. And of all the things I've been accused of throughout my life - being boring isn't one of them. So please join me for a pipe and a movie during the 31 Days Of Halloween.
Comments
Day One: Todays movie is the 1932 Universal Classic "The Mummy" staring Boris Karloff as the undead mummy Im-Ho-Tep and Zita Johann as Helen Grovenor, the reincarnation of his secret love Princess Ankh-es-en-amon. The cast also includes quite a few hold-overs from Universal's 1931 "Dracula" - namely Edward Van Sloan as Egyptologist Dr. Muller and David Manners as Frank Whemple (Helen's current love interest). This is the first in a series of Mummy movies made by Universal and universally considered the best. Although only on the screen for a short period of time as a living mummy before assimilating into society as the mysterious Egyptian Ardath Bey, Karloff's effective mummy make-up (designed by Jack Pierce) gives him an appropriate wasted away cadaverous appearance, unlike the later films in the series when Lon Chaney Jr. assumed the role, appearing as a bulky, over-fed mummy. The later films were filled with inconsistencies and an over-use of flashback footage from the original film to pad the already short running time of the films. The most noticeable difference (besides the Mummy sinking into a New England swamp at the conclusion of "The Mummy's Ghost" only to re-emerge in the Louisiana Bayou in the next film of the series "The Mummy's Curse") was film makers decision to use the exact same back story of the original film, but changed the title characters from Im-Ho-Tep to Kharis and Princess Ankh-es-en-amon to Princess Ananka. And the method of the mummy's reanimation no longer included reading words from the Scroll of Thoth but the introduction of the Tana leaves as a means of reanimating Kharis. "Three leaves to keep him alive - nine leaves to give him motivation". One thing the later films had over the original was the living Mummy had considerably more screen time. I would have preferred to see much more of Karloff as Im-Ho-Tep the living mummy, but this was a tragic tale of reincarnation and forbidden love transcending the ages. Ardath Bey not Im-Ho-Tep is the true protagonist of the film as he exerts his Svengali-like influence over Helen Grovenor, luring her to the museum where the remains of his long lost love lie on display, intent upon sacrificing Helen's mortal body in a ritual to resurrect Ankh-es-en-amon. The film builds to a thrilling conclusion - and as one might expect, Karloff's sinister performance is magnificent. "The Mummy" is a bona fide classic and I give it 5 Bowls out of 5 (perfect score).
The pipe I'll be enjoying while viewing "The Mummy" is my Butz-Choquin Shorty, which has recently become my go-to pipe and constant traveling companion. It smokes great, compact in size, fits nicely in my shirt pocket, and looks quite smart. Easy to imagine some hapless Archeologist on an expedition in a remote desert setting puffing on a Butz-Choquin Shorty while toiling away in a canvass tent, inadvertently uttering the wrong phrase from an ancient hieroglyphic that sets the wheels in motion to some terrifying curse. The blend I'll be smoking comes highly recommended from @motie2 ... Barbados Plantation.
Day Two: Today's movie is considered by many to be the Crown Jewel in the Universal Classic Monster series, "The Bride Of Frankenstein". It out shines the original in many ways beginning with the inclusion of an orchestral soundtrack - something that was missing from both Universal's "Dracula" and "Frankenstein". Just as Henry Frankenstein gave his creation life, so too did the Franz Waxman's score give the film ... life. His memorable film score added a much needed dimension to this gothic melodrama, setting the tone for each scene. For "Bride Of Frankenstein" director James Whale expanded upon the horrific elements of "Frankenstein" which terrified a generation, while injecting memorable moments of humor and pathos. The addition of colorful characters such as the sinister and somewhat whimsical Doctor Praetorius, with his miniature collection of bottled-up life forms, and the kinetic birdlike housekeeper played by the always amusing Una O'Connor, fluttering about like a squawking like a parrot, provided just enough comic relief to give the audiences a moment to catch their breath. For me the highlight of "Bride Of Frankenstein" is the scene between Frankenstein's monster and the blind hermit, played by O.P. Heggie, whereby the monster reveals himself to be a misunderstood creature to be pitied more so than feared. Unfortunately, Mel Brook's comedy "Young Frankenstein" parodied that scene so well it's impossible to watch Karloff and Heggie without thinking about the same scene played by Peter Boyle and Gene Hackman. I'm always waiting for the guffaws of a shattering cup as the pair share a toast, the ladle of hot soup poured in the monster's lap instead of his bowl, and lighting his thumb instead of the cigar. But the climax of the film and the actual creation of the bride is what we all paid our money to see. And James Whale delivers the goods, capturing the sequence of the reanimation in a spectacle of sparks and flames. Wheels turn, static electricity crackles, platforms rise, kites capture lightening feeding energy to a cosmic defuser, and a bride is reborn. Elsa Lancaster is brilliant in the few minutes she appears on screen. She glances around the room in quick jerking motions like a confused peacock or a frightened gazelle surrounded by lions. Another memorable make-up job from Jack Pierce, transforming Lancaster (who is also seen in the beginning of the film as Mary Shelley) into the elegant yet grotesque bride with the now iconic lightening bolt bee-hive hairdo. But as we all know by now - this is not a marriage made in Heaven and in the end the walls come crumbling down. Snuffing out any chance for wedded bliss. "The Bride Of Frankenstein" is a true classic and deserves 5 bowls out of 5 (another perfect score).
The pipe I'll be enjoying as I watch tonight's film is a recent estate acquisition I picked-up in an antique shop in Amish country for the paltry sum of $15.00. The price included the hand-made copper pipe stand featured in the picture. The pipe is a stylish 'Medico Sterling' of undetermined age. A beautiful pipe that unfortunately was haunted by a Latakia ghost. The smell of the old pipe tobacco permeated the bowl to the point I had to do much of my cleaning in the garage because the scent was over-powering. But after several hours of cleaning and sanitizing, the demon Latakia scent was exorcised. And the pipe now smokes like a dream. A bit of tooth chatter on the stem required the inclusion of a softy bit to prevent further damage. The blend I'll be smoking is Cornell & Diehl "Autumn Evening".
...but do things move a little at night sometimes?
Day Three: For almost four decades John Carpenter's 1978 holiday slasher flick "Halloween" has been the perennial favorite for viewers during their Annual Oktoberfest Movie Festivals. After all, the title itself suggests 'this' is the movie to watch on Halloween night. But then in 2007 Carpenter faced a potential contender for iconic Michael Myers in an innocuous little tike dressed in a pair of patchwork pajamas and a minimally decorated burlap sack over his head with crisscross stitching and a pair of button eyes. And who is this Halloween terror that dares to unseat Michael Myers from his throne as the King of Halloween? 'SAM' ... hardly a name to inspire terror. Though small in stature, Little Sam has brought grown men to their knees and far worse. This manic little demon can slice and dice you in the twinkling of an eye with the slash of his razor sharp jack-o-lantern lollipop.
The movie I'll be watching tonight is Director Michael Doughterty's "Trick 'r Treat", an entertaining horror anthology with equal parts terror and dark humor. This anthology film weaves five interconnecting stories with protagonist SAM as the connecting thread. We have a bickering couple returning home from a night of celebration only to discover Halloween traditions are meant to be honored; a high school principal who just happens to be a serial killer; a young college girl hoping to loose her virginity ... but not in the way you think; a group of youngsters who pull a mean-spirited prank on an unpopular classmate that goes horribly wrong - for them; and a grumpy old man with a checkered past who encounters the demonic spirit of Halloween in the guise of Little Sam himself.
"Trick 'r Treat" is solid Halloween entertainment, and Doughterty, who also directed the horrific 2015 Christmas tale "Krampus", is a master of combining dark humor with horror without turning the experience into a campy mess. This is easily another 5 out of 5 bowl rated movie (perfect score). And if you've never seen it before, once you do, it too will become a Halloween tradition.
The featured pipe is my 'Nording Signature Black Freehand'. Unfortunately it's a Christmas gift, so I won't be smoking it tonight. But it's a great looking pipe worthy of a photo shoot. The blend I will be smoking is Cornell & Diehl's Halloween inspired "MM3: Curse Of Monster Mixture - Devil Doll Edition". A blend with both a tin note and flavor of caramel covered apples. A perfect smoke for an autumn evening enjoying horror flicks, or sitting outdoors watching the leaves turn.
Duplicate Deleted
Day Four: After the financial success of "Dracula", "Frankenstein", and "Mummy" Universal Studios, like the ancient Alchemists of medieval folklore, had discovered the formula for turning celluloid terror into box office gold. So the next project on their agenda was an adaptation of H.G. Wells novel "The Invisible Man", adding another destined to be 'classic monster' to their growing stable of the macabre. Fresh from his last two films for Universal, "Frankenstein" and "The Old Dark House", the studio turned to James Whale to direct. Once again the eccentric director brought his unique style and sardonic wit to the project.
The 1933 film "The Invisible Man" made an international celebrity out of Claude Rains (as scientist Jack Griffin) even though the actor only appears briefly onscreen in the final moments of the film. His menacing voice and manic outbursts were more than enough to send shivers down the spine of viewers. Looking back on the film, though not a supernatural being like an undead vampire, werewolf, living mummy, or walking cadaver stitched together from assorted body parts, "The Invisible Man" was responsible for the highest body count in a single Universal Horror Film; more so than all the other monsters put together. His reign of terror included derailing a trainload of passengers with nearly 100 reported casualties. Of course with centuries under his belt I'm sure Dracula had far more victims through the ages. But in a film with a running time of 1 hour and 11 minutes "The Invisible Man" creates far more carnage then many viewers remember.
Also included in the cast were Gloria Stuart (who appeared many years later as Rose in James Cameron's film "Titanic") as Griffin's love interest Flora Cranley, William Harrigan as a Dr. Arthur Kemp a sniveling rival for Stuart's affection and all around weasel, and a pair of Universal regular character actors who always brightened up the screen with their presence - E.E. Clive as Constable Jaffers and the always entertaining Una O'Connor as the squawking barmaid/landlady.
The landmark special effects of John P Fulton still hold up well today as scientist Griffin unveils himself for the first time in a roomful of horrified spectators. Even though the modern viewer is hip to all the tricks of the trade and high definition TV makes those objects moving about on concealed wires clearly visible, the initial unmasking as he removes his goggles and artificial nose revealing empty sockets and a gaping hole where a nose should be are still quite unnerving. As is the entire sequence as he unwraps the bandages from his head and a seemingly decapitated suit of clothes dances about the room. The effects are just as effective as the digital Blue Screen technique employed today. Another perfect score - 5 bowls our of 5.
The featured pipe I'll be smoking tonight while watching "The Invisible Man" is my Chacom Manet Bent Brandy and in it the blend will be another Autumn favorite, Sutliff Pumpkin Spice.
Day Five: Before his death on June 15, 2008, Stan Winston was one of the most sought after special effects artists in the field. He was 'the' go-to guy when studios required a larger than life creature for a hot property. When nothing but the best in state-of-the-art effects were needed to pull off movie magic - Stan Winston was the man to see. When James Cameron needed a towering 16 foot ALIEN Queen as the centerpiece of his film ALIENS ... when Steven Spielberg needed fully articulate lifelike dinosaurs for his Jurassic Park series ... and when filming his big budget sci-fi action flick staring Arnold Schwarzenegger, director John McTiernan realized the title creature of his film "Predator" was laughable rubbish and needed someone to re-designed it from the bottom up before filming could continue - he along with Cameron, Spielberg and a host of other major Hollywood directors called on Stan Winston.
In 1988 Stan Winston was presented with his first opportunity to direct a feature film. After going through a series of title changes, it eventually settled on the somewhat misleading Halloween themed title, "Pumpkinhead". The film is based on a poem by Ed Justin, a portion of which can be heard early in the film by a group of young children teasing another ...
"Keep away from Pumpkinhead, unless you're tired of living. His enemies are mostly dead, He's mean and unforgiving"
A group of young college kids planning a week-end get-away at an old cabin make an impromptu stop at Ed Harley's country store, a rickety one room shack-like structure in the middle of nowhere. While several of the kids go into the store for supplies, two others wheel out their motor bikes for a little motor-cross racing. While in the store they meet Ed Harley (Lance Henriksen) and his young son and dog Gypsy. Ed Harley is forced to make an unscheduled delivery, leaving his son to temporarily mind the store. In an unfortunate set of circumstances the boy is accidentally run down and killed by one of two racing college kids. This sets into motion a dark tale of vengeance and retribution as Ed Harley enlists the aid of an ancient Bayou witch to conjure up a demonic spirit of vengeance - "Pumpkinhead".
"Pumpkinhead" is oozing with atmosphere as Winston brings the lifestyle and legends of the backwoods mountain folk to life. The film has the feel and look of an adult version of a Grimm Fairy Tale. The beautiful sets are awash with fog and atmospheric lighting. The attention to detail and set decoration in the shack of the old witch is striking, with tattered bits of sorcery scattered about like a museum of the macabre. And Winston's team did an amazing job creating the title creature "Pumpkinhead". He is the essence of pure evil.
Saddly Stan Winston only directed one other feature film, the poorly received 1999 "A Gnome Named Gnorm". But with "Pumpkinhead" Winston gave us a Halloween classic and another perennial favorite. Once again I give today's movie a perfect score of 5 bowls out of 5.
The featured pipe is another in the Nording Signature series, this one the Nording Signature Rustic. And like the Nording Signature Black featured a few days ago ... it's a Christmas gift, so I won't be smoking it either... just photographing it. I'll find a suitable replace for tonight's blend which will be an old reliable standard, Captain Black Royal.
Don't forget some of my favorite Abbott and Costello scary flicks......and some Three Stooges shorts, several of which were spooky. GREAT posts, where did you get all of the props and backgrounds, VERY creative. Now I can't wait to see what you do for Thanks giving and my favorite, Christmas.
I have to say you are one of the most creative people I have seen......absolute wonderful layout and composition. You my friend are talented.
@pwkarch Thanks for the compliment. This is a lot of fun for me, combining two things I really enjoy horror movies and pipes. It really wasn't until I started the Daily Briar Photoshoot a while back that I discovered how much fun photography can be. I wish I had a better camera capable of nice close-ups but mine isn't. When I get too close things get out of focus. What I have is a very old Sony DSC-W100 digital camera my son bought us as a Christmas present probably when digital cameras started getting more popular. The box says it has 8.1 Mega pixels which is probably pretty low by today's standards. Chances are most cell phones take better pictures. Problem is, I don't have a newer cell phone. The only one we have is an old flip phone we use for emergencies. Maybe for Christmas I'll buy a joint present of a camera for my wife and I because she enjoys snapping pictures as well.
As for my props, I'm a kid at heart and all of this stuff is part of my collection. I'm just now finding an actual purpose for them in my photo shoots.
One of many sights from last nights parade
Day Six: While the vast majority of John Carpenter fans hail his 1978 holiday slasher film "Halloween" as his best, I maintain the pinnacle of Carpenter's career was his 1982 "The Thing" - a remake of the Howard Hawks 50s' classic "The Thing From Another World". For Carpenter's adaptation he returned to the original source material - "Who Goes There?", a novella by John W. Campbell - and expanded upon the central theme ...paranoia. Carpenter's "The Thing" is a nail biting study in paranoia, deception, and isolation as a shape-shifting extraterrestrial infiltrates a remote Antarctic outpost in search of a host. Or better still, the complete take-over of the crew. Eventually spreading it's alien DNA across the planet like a deadly viral infection until all humanity is completely absorbed and eradicated.
The film was initially panned by critics as being overly grotesque. Roger Ebert called it "the barf bag movie of the summer". The majority of negative barbs were directed at young special effects artist Rob Bottin, who created the most ground-breaking practical 'in camera' physical effects ever attempted on screen. He made the impossible - possible right before your eyes. The majority of viewers looked away in disgust and came away with a negative opinion of the film. Bottin's gritty "in your face" body contorting transformations were as bloody and grotesque as critics warned, yet mesmerizing to those who appreciated the imagination and craftsmanship that went into creating the illusions. And making matters worse was the country was in the throngs of a love affair with an altogether different alien, Spielberg's "E.T. The Extraterrestrial". Carpenter's film didn't stand a chance of unseating or even peeling away viewers from Spielberg's family friendly box office champ.
In the ensuing years "The Thing" has gained a rabid cult following upon it's release to home video, and is now looked upon with much reverence by the very critics who initially panned the film, and appears near the top of ever "Best Horror or Sci-Fi Film" Polls alongside titles like "ALIEN" and Don Siegel's 1956 "Invasion Of The Body Snatchers". So with the passage of time and a resurgent appreciation of 80s' horror films, John Carpenter and "The Thing" have finally been vindicated. In scholastic circles the movie has become a film school case study in why people prefer practical physical effects over digital CGI.
The film stars Kurt Russell (who has been a favorite of John Carpenter and appeared in several of his films), Wilford Brimley, Richard Dysart, T K Carter, and Richard Mausur in an all-male cast ... another point of contention initially among critics of the film. With all my fawning over the film you already must know I'm awarding this a perfect score of 5 bowls out of 5.
The featured pipe is my Pear Root Dragon Claw Pipe. The bowl is deep enough for layering tobacco blends so tonight I'll be smoking a layered Neapolitan blend of Ole Shenandoah Fuzzy Schnapps (bottom), Panama Jack's Melon (center layer), and Cornel & Diehl's MM3: The Curse Of Mixture Monster - Devil Doll Edition (as my top layer). The blend combination is much better as a trio than when smoked individually. Followed by the blend you see in the picture - Cult Militia. Tonight will be a two bowl evening, as I plan to watch both Carpenter's remake and the original.
Man, you have such cool stuff!!!!
Day Seven: "Come into my parlor", said the spider to the fly. Day seven is my tip of the hat to both the spider and "The Fly". The Spider being my No Name Pear Wood Pipe featuring a furry little tarantula carved into the side, and "The Fly" is represented by David Cronenberg's 1986 remake of a 1958 classic. It's no coincidence today's flick follows John Carpenter's "The Thing". Both films are excellent remakes of a 50s' sci-fi classic, both feature graphic stomach churning special effects (Chris Walas received the Oscar for Outstanding Special Effects), both films were an intelligent reimagining of the original, and both feature stand-out performances from a talented ensemble cast. Jeff Goldblum's tour de force performance as the eccentric scientist Seth Brundle was an Oscar worthy performance, deserving at the minimum, a nomination in the Best Actor category.
"The Fly" (both the original and remake) are loose adaptations of George Langlaan's short story which first appeared in the June 1957 issue of Playboy magazine. Canadian filmmaker David Cronenberg's adaptation co-written with Charles Pouge, takes a much different approach to the unintentional consequence of bonding human DNA with that of a fly. Whereas in the original Andre Delambre, played by Al (David) Hedison, emerges from his telepod visibly altered with the oversized head and arm of a fly, as the housefly buzzed away with a miniature version of Delambre's head and arm attached to it's tiny body. Even as a child Cronenberg felt that concept was preposterous. Why should the head and arm change proportions to fit the size of the current host? It made no sense to him. So Cronenberg and Pogue broached the fantastic subject matter with the cold calculating eye of a theoretical scientist, applying our current knowledge of molecular science to the implausible notion of fusing the DNA of human and fly. The end result is a gradual mutation of the cells and an incremental transformation of man into insect. Goldblum initially exits the telepod seemingly unphased by the genetic bonding of fly and human, unlike his counterpart in the 1958 film whose transformation was immediate. Instead, throughout the course of the film Goldblum's grotesque transformation changes him from a cancerous decomposing human being to his final metamorphosis as a mutant insect.
Geena Davis delivers one of her best performances as science journalist Veronica Quaife, the eventual love interest and the chronologist of Brundle's experiments in teleportation. Rounding out the cast is John Getz's as Veronica's jilted x-lover and current magazine editor. He successfully balances sleaze and petty jealousy with a genuine caring for Davis' character to become something of a sympathetic villain and the unlikely White Knight who comes to the rescue. But not before succumbing to some horrific disfiguring injuries inflicted by the acid spewing Brundlefly. Once more I'm awarding this film a perfect 5 bowls out of 5. And highly recommend it as well as the sequel "The Fly II", both of which I'll be watching tonight while smoking my pear wood spider pipe and a bowl of "CAO BLACK".