Monstrous Mondays: The Classics of the Horror Film

 Today's Monstrous Monday is a special treat for me. I scored what I consider to be one of the pivotable books of my childhood and one that led to my love of horror movies and my love of monsters in D&D and other RPGs.  William K. Everson's The Classics of the Horror Film.

My dad had a bunch of these classic film books by William K. Everson. They were all black with some gold lettering on the spine. They covered silent movies, westerns, there was one on "The Bad Guys" and think one on the movies about WWII. But this is the one I read over and over and over again.

I was not much more than 4 or 5 and I already knew who Bela Lugosi, Lon Chaney, and Boris Karloff were. I remember making mental lists of movies I wanted to see from this book. It is, among some other influences that lead to love horror movies and vampire movies in particular.

When I got older, and our access (well, everyone's access) to older movies went beyond the occasional re-run on Saturday afternoon classic movies or the Friday or Saturday night Creature Features, my dad and I would watch these movies. We talked about the differences between American, British, European and Japanese horror movies. How the Universal Classics differed from the Hammer Horror era, and how the Exorcist and later Jaws changed everything.

Flipping through this book now is like flipping through a high school yearbook. I am seeing picture of old, almost forgotten friends. 

Elsa Lancaster left a deep mark on my psyche from 1975 on.

Mary Pickford, an unlikely "Final Girl*," but was enough to make me remember her and use bits of her movies in my D&D games. 

Ok she is not a real "Final Girl" here, but if this movie was remade today she would be.

My dad and I used to rave about this scene in Dracula above. Not just how impressive it was to film and the set to build, but how it conveys Dracula's command over the scene. 

I always liked that photo of Pamela Franklin in "The Legend of Hell House." You know some scary shit is going on here, even if there is nothing in the photo that is scary on its own. Just her eyes and her bare feet just barely touching the ground. You get the feeling that she is safe, as long as she just doesn't get up and walk away. BTW, she is still alive today.

My fascination with horror movies, giant monster movies, monsters in general, and to no small degree, these posts for Monstrous Mondays, all come from this book.

I already added it to my Appendix O I am planning on using it for my October Horror Movie Marathon.

#RPGaDAY2024 Sensational Session

 Wow. Ok, how do I even choose this one?? I have known so many over the years.

One weekend, almost ten years ago (just about a week or so shy) we lost power for a few days. We decided that since we had no lights to read by, no power or internet, we would play some D&D.

It was fantastic.

I remember the kids wanting us to play by candles everytime after that.  It was so memorable that even today when we loose power (something that seems less frequent now), everyone is like "lets play some D&D!"

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I am participating in Dave Chapman's #RPGaDAY2024 for August. 

Dracula, The Hunters' Journals: 18 August Mina Murry's Journal (Cont.)

Mina keeps a watch on Lucy, and now Lucy's mother too.

18 August.—I am happy to-day, and write sitting on the seat in the churchyard. Lucy is ever so much better. Last night she slept well all night, and did not disturb me once. The roses seem coming back already to her cheeks, though she is still sadly pale and wan-looking. If she were in any way anæmic I could understand it, but she is not. She is in gay spirits and full of life and cheerfulness. All the morbid reticence seems to have passed from her, and she has just reminded me, as if I needed any reminding, of that night, and that it was here, on this very seat, I found her asleep. As she told me she tapped playfully with the heel of her boot on the stone slab and said:—

“My poor little feet didn’t make much noise then! I daresay poor old Mr. Swales would have told me that it was because I didn’t want to wake up Geordie.” As she was in such a communicative humour, I asked her if she had dreamed at all that night. Before she answered, that sweet, puckered look came into her forehead, which Arthur—I call him Arthur from her habit—says he loves; and, indeed, I don’t wonder that he does. Then she went on in a half-dreaming kind of way, as if trying to recall it to herself:—

“I didn’t quite dream; but it all seemed to be real. I only wanted to be here in this spot—I don’t know why, for I was afraid of something—I don’t know what. I remember, though I suppose I was asleep, passing through the streets and over the bridge. A fish leaped as I went by, and I leaned over to look at it, and I heard a lot of dogs howling—the whole town seemed as if it must be full of dogs all howling at once—as I went up the steps. Then I had a vague memory of something long and dark with red eyes, just as we saw in the sunset, and something very sweet and very bitter all around me at once; and then I seemed sinking into deep green water, and there was a singing in my ears, as I have heard there is to drowning men; and then everything seemed passing away from me; my soul seemed to go out from my body and float about the air. I seem to remember that once the West Lighthouse was right under me, and then there was a sort of agonising feeling, as if I were in an earthquake, and I came back and found you shaking my body. I saw you do it before I felt you.”

Then she began to laugh. It seemed a little uncanny to me, and I listened to her breathlessly. I did not quite like it, and thought it better not to keep her mind on the subject, so we drifted on to other subjects, and Lucy was like her old self again. When we got home the fresh breeze had braced her up, and her pale cheeks were really more rosy. Her mother rejoiced when she saw her, and we all spent a very happy evening together.

Notes: Moon Phase: Waning Crescent

Lucy is doing better because Dracula is down in London taking care of his various boxes of Earth. 

Lucy also relates what she has been experiencing in the last few days. 

#RPGaDAY2024 Memorable Moment of Play

 Memorable Moment of Play? Wow, there are so many.

Teaching my kids to play. Recalling when ever my oldest at a very young age would shout "Double damage!" anytime he rolled a natural 20.

I am a lot grayer but also a LOT thinner now.

There was this time I ran Ghosts of Albion for an ENEorld Games day a few years back that was great.

We all really had a great time, and I loved how well the adventure came together and how much fun everyone seemed to have had. 

I also have some great memories of various Cons I have played at over the years.  The time the guy playing Lord Byron, an Occult Poet in Ghosts of Albion, composed an epic poem on the spot. He really made the adventure come alive for everyone.

Or the time my son's character plunged the Sun Sword into the Forge of Moradin to re-ignite the Sun,  the time I got to play Piper in a Charmed game.  All great moments. 

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I am participating in Dave Chapman's #RPGaDAY2024 for August. 

Dracula, The Hunters' Journals: 17 August Mina Murry's Journal (Cont.) & Letter

Mina keeps a watch on Lucy, and now Lucy's mother too.

17 August.—No diary for two whole days. I have not had the heart to write. Some sort of shadowy pall seems to be coming over our happiness. No news from Jonathan, and Lucy seems to be growing weaker, whilst her mother’s hours are numbering to a close. I do not understand Lucy’s fading away as she is doing. She eats well and sleeps well, and enjoys the fresh air; but all the time the roses in her cheeks are fading, and she gets weaker and more languid day by day; at night I hear her gasping as if for air. I keep the key of our door always fastened to my wrist at night, but she gets up and walks about the room, and sits at the open window. Last night I found her leaning out when I woke up, and when I tried to wake her I could not; she was in a faint. When I managed to restore her she was as weak as water, and cried silently between long, painful struggles for breath. When I asked her how she came to be at the window she shook her head and turned away. I trust her feeling ill may not be from that unlucky prick of the safety-pin. I looked at her throat just now as she lay asleep, and the tiny wounds seem not to have healed. They are still open, and, if anything, larger than before, and the edges of them are faintly white. They are like little white dots with red centres. Unless they heal within a day or two, I shall insist on the doctor seeing about them.

Letter, Samuel F. Billington & Son, Solicitors, Whitby, to Messrs. Carter, Paterson & Co., London.

“17 August.

“Dear Sirs,—

“Herewith please receive invoice of goods sent by Great Northern Railway. Same are to be delivered at Carfax, near Purfleet, immediately on receipt at goods station King’s Cross. The house is at present empty, but enclosed please find keys, all of which are labelled.

“You will please deposit the boxes, fifty in number, which form the consignment, in the partially ruined building forming part of the house and marked ‘A’ on rough diagram enclosed. Your agent will easily recognise the locality, as it is the ancient chapel of the mansion. The goods leave by the train at 9:30 to-night, and will be due at King’s Cross at 4:30 to-morrow afternoon. As our client wishes the delivery made as soon as possible, we shall be obliged by your having teams ready at King’s Cross at the time named and forthwith conveying the goods to destination. In order to obviate any delays possible through any routine requirements as to payment in your departments, we enclose cheque herewith for ten pounds (£10), receipt of which please acknowledge. Should the charge be less than this amount, you can return balance; if greater, we shall at once send cheque for difference on hearing from you. You are to leave the keys on coming away in the main hall of the house, where the proprietor may get them on his entering the house by means of his duplicate key.

“Pray do not take us as exceeding the bounds of business courtesy in pressing you in all ways to use the utmost expedition.

“We are, dear Sirs,
“Faithfully yours,
“Samuel F. Billington & Son.”

Notes: Moon Phase: Waning Crescent

Lucy and her mother continue to fade. 

Meanwhile Dracula's boxes of earth have arrived and are now being shipped all over.

A quick note, £10 value in 1892 is worth £1,592.29 or about $2000.00 today. Dracula is sparing no expense and wants this done quickly.

Plenty of stories, including the first two books of Fred Saberhagen's Dracula series, speculate that there were more boxes of Earth in London. Stoker, though, does a good job of placing them and our band of hunters finding them.

#RPGaDAY2024 An engaging RPG community

 There are a few I really enjoy.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/OSRRPG/

The OSR RPG group on Facebook is a great group to find OSR players and developers who are not freaked out by what new games are doing. Plus, this is a nice counterpoint to the "all OSR players are sexist/racist Grognards living in the past."

https://www.facebook.com/groups/puertoricoroleplayers/
https://x.com/PuertoRicoRP
https://tinyurl.com/prroleplayer

Puerto Rico Role Players on Facebook has been a great group. All games are discussed and it has given me a chance to practice my Spanish. And they are very forgiving of my "Pre-School" level Spanish grammar.

Others that are also quite good.

I'd Rather Be Killing Monsters for general RPGs, Movies, TV, and other Geek-related topics. 

RPG Blog Hub for everything happening on RPG Blogs.

Love RPGs for RPG-related topics. 

Victorian Gamers Association for all sorts of Victorian-era RPGs.

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I am participating in Dave Chapman's #RPGaDAY2024 for August. 

#RPGaDAY2024 Quick to Learn

 Not sure how Quick to Learn is different from Easiest, but I will pick one I had to teach to others. One of the quickest to learn has to be NIGHT SHIFT. 

Maybe I am biased because I am one of the co-authors, but NIGHT SHIFT's O.G.R.E.S. (the game system) makes it easy to learn.

Combat? Roll a d20, add and subtract the modifiers on your sheets; try to hit a "20."

Skills? Roll a d%.

Unsure? Roll a d6.

That's pretty much it. The rolls fall to the background as we say and you can focus on what you like, playing your character or running the game. That easy.

I got my family up and running in minutes and they loved it. I have people at cons play it going from zero knowledge to full on fans in no time.

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I am participating in Dave Chapman's #RPGaDAY2024 for August.