Benighted by J. B. Priestly

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Teaser poster for Frankenstein (2025).

And the finale…

Step the Twenty-Third: Attend the Toronto International Film Festival showing of Guillermo del Toro’s utterly fantastic Frankenstein (2025).

Hammer Horror icons Martine Beswick, Valerie Leon, and Caroline Munro at a Q&A (2025).

Theatrical poster for Blood from the Mummy’s Tomb (1971).

Step the Twenty-First: Attend a Q&A with Hammer Horror icons Caroline Munro, Martine Beswick, and Valerie Leon.

Step the Twenty-Second: Attend a theatre showing of Blood from the Mummy’s Tomb (1971).
On

Lobby cards for Frankenstein Created Woman (1968), Land of the Minotaur (1976), and Madhouse (1974).

Theatrical poster for Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde (1971).

Step the Nineteenth: Purchase a few original Peter Cushing lobby cards.

Step the Twentieth: Attend a theatre showing of Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde (1971).

Us with actress Martine Beswick (2025).

Autographed picture of Martine Beswick (with Ralph Bates) from Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde (1971).

Step the Eighteenth: Meet Hammer Horror icon Martine Beswick.

Us with actress Caroline Munro (2025).

Autographed photo of Caroline Munro from The Golden Voyage of Sinbad. (1973).

Us with actress Valerie Leon (2025).

Autographed photo of Valerie Leon from Blood from the Mummy’s Tomb (1971).

Step the Seventeenth: Meet Hammer Horror icons Caroline Munro and Valerie Leon.

My daughter with director Guillermo del Toro at the Criterion Closet in Toronto (2025).

Step the Sixteenth: Make a friend at the Criterion Closet.

Us in the long line for the Criterion Closet (2025).

Us at the Criterion Closet (2025).

My Polaroid taken in the Criterion Closet (2025).

Our acquisitions from the Criterion Closet: Fiend Without a Face (1958), Monsters and Madmen (includes Boris Karloff films Corridors of Blood (1958) and The Haunted Strangler (1958)), Diabolique (1955), House / Hausu (1977), The Blob (1958), The Devil’s Backbone (2001), and Godzilla vs. Biolante (1989).

Step the Fifteenth: Pick out a bunch of horror movies from the Criterion Closet.

BluRays of House II (1987), Them Blood of Fu Manchu (1968), The Castle of Fu Manchu (1969), The Cat and the Canary (1927), Empire of the Ants (1977), and Deathdream (1974).

The Mario Bava Collection from Shout Factory.

The Mario Bava Collection from Shout Factory showing all the included films.

Step the Fourteenth: Grab a bunch of horror BluRays including the huge Mario Bava Collection.

Action figures of Peter Cushing as Dr. Van Helsing, Christopher Lee as Dracula, Herbert Lom as The Phantom of the Opera, Christopher Lee as The Mummy, and a different Christopher Lee as Dracula.

Me with actor George Buza (2025).

Step the Twelfth: Add to your collection of Hammer Horror action figures.

Step the Thirteenth: Meet George Buza from A Christmas Horror Story (2015) and The Brain (1988).

Theatrical poster for Hausa/ House (1977).

Theatrical poster for Near Dark (1987).

Step the Tenth: Catch a showing of Hausa (1977) in the theatre.

Step the Eleventh: Catch a showing of a 35mm print of Near Dark (1987) in the theatre.

T-shirts with movie posters for The Screaming Skull (1958), The Maze (1953), Devil Girl from Mars (1954), and Target Earth (1954).

T-shirts with movie posters for The Body Snatcher (1945) and Them (1954).

Step the Ninth: Order a mess of horror movie poster t-shirts.

Theatrical poster for Highway 61 (1991).

Don McKellar and Bruce McDonald at a Highway 61 Q&A (2025).

Us with Highway 61 star Don McKellar (2025).

Step the Seventh: Catch a showing of Highway 61 (1991) in the theatre. (Ok, it’s not horror. But it’s awesome and has Satan as a character.)

Step the Eighth: Meet Bruce McDonald, director of Pontypool and Highway 61 and star of Highway 61, Don McKellar.

Theatrical poster for Suspiria (1977).

Italian theatrical poster for The Monster of the Opera (1964).

Theatrical poster for Dead Ringers (1988).

Step the Fifth: Watch Suspiria (1977) and The Monster of the Opera (1964) on BluRay.

Step the Sixth: Catch a showing of a 35mm print of Dead Ringers (1988) in the theatre.

Theatrical poster for Pontypool (2008).

Director Bruce McDonald.

Step the Third: Catch a showing of Pontypool (2008) in the theatre.

Step the Fourth: Attend Q&A with Pontypool director Bruce McDonald hosted by Guillermo del Toro.

Lobby card for Rabid (1977).

Headshot of director David Cronenberg.

How to have a glorious horror-movie-themed couple of months with your eldest daughter (a lesson in far too many steps):

Step the First: Catch a showing of a 35mm print of Rabid (1977) in the theatre.

Step the Second: Attend Q&A with Rabid director David Cronenberg hosted by Guillermo del Toro.

@authorcmforest.bsky.social Saw a picture of you at dReadCon. Hope it was a good show for you. My eldest and I really tried to make it, but, between taking my youngest to dance rehearsals in North York and the eldest attending TIFF, it just wasn’t going to happen.

A fortune from a fortune cookie that reads, “You will always live in interesting times.”

I was just cursed by a fortune cookie!

Theatrical poster for Dead Talents Society (2024).

Some of the cast of Dead Talents Society (2024).

Gingle Wang in Dead Talent Society (2024).

My daughter saw the horror/comedy Dead Talents Society at its North American premiere and thought it was great. Now that it is on Netflix, she shared it with me. She’s right. It’s a lot of fun.

I’m sure I don’t know what you’re talking about. 😉

And thank goodness for that. How dull would it be if we all shared identical opinions? Regarding Dr. Caligari, I completely accept that Barry is entitled to his incorrect judgment. 😏🤣

Yup. The most obscure robot I could think of. 😁

I don’t think I’ve seen Space Mutiny but she looked very familiar. 🤔

Unusual, I grant you. Enjoyable, is another matter. 😏

Drop some ROBOTS

So you ignored my advice and watched Dr. Caligari. Given that you enjoyed it, I guess ignoring me was the right decision. 🤔

Careful. Four and five could be construed as only one item.

The Xerox Research Centre in Mississauga, Ontario.

The Brain (1988)

The movie The Brain (1988) was shot here. Scenes were filmed in the high school around the corner and the former Xerox Research Centre near my daughter’s dance studio was home of the Brain.

a man getting out of a car with a sign that says the blues brothers Alt: Having gotten them out of many a dire situation the Bluesmobile dies upon reaching Jake and Elwood’s final destination.

But how long before that is played out? 🤔