Advent-ure Dice: Day 18

  Day 18

Kitty d4.

October Horror Movie Challenge: Messiah of Evil (1974)

 I have wanted to see this one for some time, based on the movie poster alone. It was not exactly the movie I thought it was going to be, but glad I finally caught it. The poster claims "From the makers of American Graffiti," and that is true. The Husband-and-wife team Huyck and Katz (writers-producers-directors) did write "American Graffiti" and then would go on to direct and write "Howard the Duck," and write for Indiana "Jones and the Temple of Doom."

Messiah of Evil (1974)

This movie follows some old tropes. Old, even by the time of this movie and certainly one we have seen a lot. A woman, this time Arletty played by Marianna Hill, is searching for her artist father who has ended all communication with her. Told in flashback to her psychiatrist she talks about how she arrives in the coastal town of Point Dume, formerly "New Bethlehem," to find him.  She finds instead an odd man Thom (Michael Greer), and his two young groupies Toni (Joy Bang) and Laura (Anitra Ford). They are also interested in Arletty's father.

We learn, through various means, that the town is cursed and that during the Blood Moon the people will change and begin to eat raw flesh. This is told to us a few times to make sure we remember it. Even dear old dad comes back from the dead to tell us.

Anyway, town's people start dying, Arletty reads some of her father's notes talking about how he is changing, and she notices she is changing the same way.  The groupies get picked off and eaten by the townsfolk and soon they come after Arletty and Thom.

In the end, Arletty is in the mental institution, but you get the idea that she is already dead.

The movie is all mood with some standard 70s-era zombies for blood and gore (and not a lot of that). It is not great, but not terrible either. We have seen the "Woman searches for lost family and only finds dead people" trope many times here. Hell, this isn't even the first one this month. But maybe there is something to that. Instead of a castle in Europe, it is an artist colony in California. 

I think this film had high aspirations and a limited budget for achieving them. 

Featured Monster: Ghouls

The movie is unclear on what sorts of undead the town's folk are. But the connection to "new religion" and Donnor Party made in the tales of the Blood Moon lead me to conclude they are ghouls. Granted not the grave robbing undead, but something a little more intelligent than a zombie and less powerful than a vampire. 

Now. It would be foolish of me to think this movie had any influence on the Monster Manual at all. But that doesn't mean we can look at ghouls a new way because of this movie.

The film's dream-like, or more to the point, nightmare-like quality makes it a good model for a Ravenloft adventure. Especially if you imagine Point Dume as part of Ravenloft.

The whole trope (woman seeks out weird family) really is a model for Ravenloft. Adding in the walking dead just seals the deal.

October Horror Movie Challenge 2024
Viewed: 24
First Time Views: 13

Dracula, The Hunters' Journals: 17 October; Jonathan Harker’s Journal (cont)

Our hunters make a plan.

Jonathan Harker’s Journal (cont).

17 October.—Everything is pretty well fixed now, I think, to welcome the Count on his return from his tour. Godalming told the shippers that he fancied that the box sent aboard might contain something stolen from a friend of his, and got a half consent that he might open it at his own risk. The owner gave him a paper telling the Captain to give him every facility in doing whatever he chose on board the ship, and also a similar authorisation to his agent at Varna. We have seen the agent, who was much impressed with Godalming’s kindly manner to him, and we are all satisfied that whatever he can do to aid our wishes will be done. We have already arranged what to do in case we get the box open. If the Count is there, Van Helsing and Seward will cut off his head at once and drive a stake through his heart. Morris and Godalming and I shall prevent interference, even if we have to use the arms which we shall have ready. The Professor says that if we can so treat the Count’s body, it will soon after fall into dust. In such case there would be no evidence against us, in case any suspicion of murder were aroused. But even if it were not, we should stand or fall by our act, and perhaps some day this very script may be evidence to come between some of us and a rope. For myself, I should take the chance only too thankfully if it were to come. We mean to leave no stone unturned to carry out our intent. We have arranged with certain officials that the instant the Czarina Catherine is seen, we are to be informed by a special messenger.

Notes: Moon Phase: Waning Crescent

More of Lord Godalming flexing his lordly muscle here. Been helpful to have that. We also get an idea on how they plant to kill Dracula.

Review: Ravenloft Domains of Dread (2e)

 I am skipping over the otherwise great Ravenloft Campaign Setting, Revised for the last core book of the Ravenloft AD&D 2e line for a few reasons.

First and foremost, I don't have a copy of the Ravenloft Campaign Setting, Revised boxed set anymore. I had the box, but it was lost somewhere along the way. I have the PDFs, but that really isn't the same, is it. Also, the Revised set is just that, Revised. It came out in 1994, only a couple of years after the original boxed set. It takes some details from the Core set and Forbidden Lore plus other material current at the time and gives us a new boxed set complete with more Tarroka cards.

All of this would then be surpased with the publication of Ravenloft Domains of Dread.

Ravenloft Domains of Dread (2e)

1997. By William W. Connors, Andria Hayday, Steve Miller, and Bruce Nesmith. Art by  Paul Carrick, Henry Higgenbotham, Scott Johnson, Robert Lazzaretti, David G. Martin, Val Mayerik, Mark A. Nelson, Arnie Swekel, and Peter White. 288 pages.

We are nearing the dawn of several eras. The end of the 90s, the end of the 20th century, and the end of TSR. Wizards of the Coast had just recently purchased TSR and saved it and D&D from bankruptcy oblivion. The changes were subtle at first, but one of the first clues was the shift in trade-drees and art for the Ravenloft books. Domains of Dread was a new hardcover, the first, for Ravenloft. I am not sure when the hardcover novels (and I think it was just "I, Strahd") were published.

For this review, I am considering my PDF and Print on Demand versions from DriveThruRPG and my memories of my original hardcover.

This is a good-sized book of the sort that was popular in the waning days of TSR. Notable about this one is the copyright page which includes the address for Wizards of the Coast, located in Renton, WA and not Lake Geneva, WI, and the use of the website www.tsrinc.com. You can still buy that if you like.

This book covers the same ground as the two previous core Ravenloft sets and updates them to reflect the recent events in the lands. 

I am happy to report that this one does indeed have 13 chapters and extra appendices to cover all the matieral. For example Darkon was gone and The Necropolis was in it's place

There are subtle as well as overt changes here. Some Domains are gone, others sent off to be Islands of Terror, and all due to the Grand Conjunction. Now I have mentioned this in terms of some of the adventures I have covered this month. If you buy this version, as opposed to say Realms of Terror, it is going to assume that the meta-plot of the Grand Conjunction has already happened. Does that mean you can't run say, Feast of Goblyns or Ship of Horror? No, but they are not going to work the exact same way.

I think this was one of my big disappointments with this book.  By 1997 I had began to not play much AD&D at all. So a lot of the Grand Conjunction and later plots were still new to me when they were old news to everyone else. While this was certainly the shape of all AD&D settings at the time it did make entry, or re-entry a lot harder.

That all being said if you are new to AD&D Ravenloft OR you don't care about the meta-plots then this is a great place to start. Everything is revised and brought upto date with all the other Ravenloft rules published. It is the book I recommended to my oldest when he wanted to read more about Ravenloft in AD&D.

Of most use here to all Ravenloft players and DMs are the appendicies which cover various character creation rules. This helps with creating Ravenloft-native characters. Ability scores, races, and classes all get an individual appendix. New races and classes are also covered. Among the new classes are Avengers, new rules for Elementalists, Arcanists, and Anchorites. There is even a new "Gypsy" class as well as Psionicist.

There is also a fairly robust index.

About the PoD version

The PoD version is actually rather nice. It compares well to the original hardcover version to be honest.

Advent-ure Dice: Day 17

  Day 17

dark purple d10

October Horror Movie Challenge: King Kong (1976)

 King Kong, the original from 1933, holds a very special place in my heart. I watched it with my dad when I was very young and it was the start of a love affair with "monster movies" that lives on to this day. I have seen it honestly hundreds of times. Anytime it was on and my dad and I were near a TV we would watch it. 1976's remake, the first also holds a special place for me, but not for all the same reasons. It was, even in my young mind then, supposed to be "my" King Kong, the one I was watch and think back on when I was older. Did it do that? Well...not really. I am watching it tonight for the first time in many years, decades even.

King Kong (1976)

This first remake features many stars who were not quite big, well, at least not yet: Jeff Bridges, Charles Grodin, René Auberjonois, Jack O'Halloran, Ed Lauter, and a newcomer, Jessica Lange. This remake takes an environmental angle with an expedition by an oil company, Petrox; they suspect there is an island in the middle of an uncharted sea, and that island is filled with oil.

The rest. Well, it pretty much follows the original movie and movies after that. 

There are a few unique things about this movie. First, WOW, Jessica Lange was really young here. Her acting is not great, but it is much better than I remembered.  Though they do spend a lot of time on her in the early part of the film. Granted, she is the only woman in the film. 

Seeing the Twin Towers again in a movie is really odd. 

The film was produced by the legendary Dino De Laurentiis for Paramount, which got them into some issues with the original Kong studio Universal. 

Rick Baker, the special effects genius of the 1980s, had an uncredited role in the Kong suit. 

Rewatching the movie now, so many years later, I judged this one unfairly. Jessica Lange, too. In some ways, it is better than the 2005 Peter Jackson remake.

It has been so long that I forgot a lot of details. Lets be honest, though, there are three remakes, I have seen this one a lot.

Featured Monster: Giant Creatures, Dinosaurs

There is no doubt that the original King Kong had a huge effect on the monsters found in D&D. Module X1 The Isle of Dread, is practically Dave Cook and Tom Moldvay's love letter to King Kong.

The notion of a lost island filled with monsters is such a compelling one that D&D did it again with WG6 Isle of the Ape. It might be well-trodded ground, but it still works.

October Horror Movie Challenge 2024
Viewed: 23
First Time Views: 12

Dracula, The Hunters' Journals: 16 October; Jonathan Harker’s Journal (cont)

Mina reports there is nothing new to report.

Jonathan Harker’s Journal (cont).

16 October.—Mina’s report still the same: lapping waves and rushing water, darkness and favouring winds. We are evidently in good time, and when we hear of the Czarina Catherine we shall be ready. As she must pass the Dardanelles we are sure to have some report.

Notes: Moon Phase: Waning Crescent

No news is good news? Likely not, but Jonathan is oddly hopeful here.