What's That? SCREAM Is Celebrating Its 20th Anniversary?!

Wow! Can you believe that today is the day, when the Slasher Horror film SCREAM released in movie theaters 20 years ago?! Where has the time gone? In 1996, I was only 14 years old.

During that same time, Beavis And Butt-Head Do America released and I went to see that movie with my uncle. 

Yes, you read that correctly. Both SCREAM and Beavis And Butt-Head Do America are celebrating their 20th anniversaries today.

Because you must be AT LEAST  17 years old, in order to go see an R-rated movie, I never watched SCREAM on the big screen. 

Yes, I know. Adolescents under 17 years old would sneak into R-rated movies if they did NOT  have a parent or an adult to take them to go see those movies.

However, that was never the case for me. By the time I was 14 years old, I normally rented R-rated movies with my mother at local video stores. In order for SCREAM to get an R-rating, a few scenes actually had to be deleted.

In the 2011 documentary, SCREAM: The Inside Story, the cast and crew mentioned, that some scenes were removed from SCREAM.

Do you remember those scenes of Drew Barrymore playing the character, Casey?

Ghostface sadistically grilled her over the telephone about Classic Slasher films and their moral villains. The filmmakers had to delete this scene of Casey's boyfriend being gutted on the patio.

1) SCREAM [Deleted Scene]: Casey's Boyfriend Steve Is Gutted (1996)

Because the scene of Drew Barrymore's character, Casey being hung from a tree was "too graphic" 20 years ago, the filmmakers also had to edit this next scene. In order to watch the following scene, click on the video link below, which will take you to the scene on YouTube.

2) SCREAM [Deleted Scene]: Casey Hanging From The Tree (1996)

Guess what? There are 3 MORE scenes that were removed from the 1996 Slasher Horror, SCREAM.

3) SCREAM [Deleted Scene]: Tatum's Death By Garage Door (1996)

4) SCREAM [Deleted Scene]: Kenny The Camera Man Gets His Throat Slit (1996)

5) SCREAM [Deleted Scene]: Stuart's Hand Drips A Puddle Of Blood After He & Billy Stab Each Other (1996)

Now that you have watched the preceding deleted scenes from SCREAM, it is only fitting to revisit these past blogs from 2014.

While being on social media yesterday, I re-shared my previous blog review about retro Christmas Slashers dating as far back as 1972.

Most people are unaware that Christmas Slashers helped originate the Slasher Horror sub-genre. Without Christmas Slashers, John Carpenter's Halloween would've never existed today. If you read my Christmas Slashers review, I explain about this topic in particular.

Since we are on the topic of SCREAM, the franchise still appears to be a very popular franchise 20 years later. 

In fact, I was quite surprised that MTV chose to remake this 20-year-old Slasher Horror movie into a TV series. You may be wondering:

What do you think about MTV remaking SCREAM into a prime time show?

Truthfully, it was highly unneccesary for a network, which was originally dedicated to airing MUSIC VIDEOS to be jumping on the bandwagon of remaking films. 

Even though I never bothered watching the TV series for SCREAM, it's quite evident that Hollywood filmmakers and screenwriters are desperately in need of MUCH newer and a lot more ORIGINAL content.

It appears that most filmmakers today are too hung up on their nostalgia. This Slasher did NOT  need to have its own TV series in this era. It would've made sense if SCREAM had its own show, during the time when the film was popular in the late 1990's.

Today, MTV and the creators of SCREAM's TV series are desperately reaching for an audience. 

The trilogy had its time, YEARS AGO and should stay in the past without Hollywood filmmakers ruining its legacy for money.

Now, let's take a murderous trip down memory lane by watching the documentary, SCREAM: The Inside Story. 

The uncensored version of this documentary, which I originally shared in the following blog, was removed from YouTube. Ugh! So annoying.

Therefore, I was forced to update my blog with a censored version of it. So, bear with me. Anyway, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of SCREAM, here is SCREAM: The Inside Story.

SCREAM: The Inside Story (2014)

Gruß vom Krampus!

How's it going lurkers? Gruß vom Krampus! 

In case you did not already know or in case you forgot, today is Krampus Day. Krampus is Saint Nicholas' evil sidekick, who shows up every December 5th to punish "naughty children."

Growing up, I never learned anything about this evil goat demon from teachers or my family. 

Some classmates did not necessarily know anything about Saint Nicholas Day being on December 6th, which I always found to be very odd. They not only knew NOTHING about Saint Nicholas Day, but also knew nothing about Krampus Day. NEITHER were discussed in any of my K-12 schools. 

I suppose our teachers did NOT  want to traumatize us impressionable children. Otherwise, they probably never heard of Krampus either.

I recently learned about Krampus 3 years ago from watching Grimm on NBC. Speaking of Grimm, I will really miss watching this show after its series finale, in the spring. As comical as the writing is, viewers have been exposed to some international folklores and Germanic terms to describe various creatures known as "wesen."

The series also gave me a reason to start watching primetime shows on Fridays again, over these last 5-6 years. I would've tried sharing that Krampus episode from Grimm today, but no thanks to Hulu, only viewers subscribed to their site can watch online streams now.

Since that is the case, I have decided to share footage of a Krampus Parade instead. Last month in Schladming, Styria (a former small mining town in the northwest of Austria), a Krampus Parade was held. It is normally called Krampuslauf  meaning "Krampus Run."

Over 1200 Krampus celebrants dressed as the beast in black rags and masks drag chains behind themselves. 

Every so often, these celebrants hurl their chains and switches towards children. This is along with them swinging cowbells, which is to warn people that Krampus is coming.

In Scandinavian countries and other parts of Europe, Krampuskarten or "Krampus Cards" are given for Krampus Day.

Saying "Gruß vom Krampus" means "Greetings from the Krampus" in German.

The depiction of Krampus has evolved over time, since the 1800's. Older versions of Krampus cards depict this goat demon as more evil and frightening. In more modern times, he is depicted as more child friendly, if not a womanizer.

If you would like to learn more about Krampus, feel free to check out my previous blogs about him at the following:

Song Saturday: Krampus + More About Saint Nick's Evil Sidekick (2014)

Song Saturday: Midnight Syndicate's Night Of The Krampus (2015)

To celerate the holiday, here is footage of the Krampuslauf in Schladming, Styria from last month's Krampus Parade.

Krampuslauf ["Krampus Run"] In Schladming, Styria, Austria (2016)

Song Saturday: The Late Great Scott Weiland 1 Year later

How's it going lurkers? On the left is a touching photograph of the late Stone Temple Pilots/Velvet Revolver's frontman, Scott Weiland. In this picture, he's shown embracing his mother, Sharon Williams. It is touching yet simultaneously heartbreaking.

Here it is 1 year later. Honestly, I expected for Scott to have died 20 years ago. There was constant news coverage about Weiland being in/out of rehab, throughout the years. At the same time, it was still a tragic surprise to learn of Scott's death on social media, last year.

Throughout my childhood, adolescence, and early adulthood, I listened to a variety of music genres, sub-genres, groups, and singers. Stone Temple Pilots was a major part of my youth, during the 1990's.

As a music lover, I still have MOST of Stone Temple Pilots' albums; I have their first 4 albums to be more specific. Don't get me wrong, it's not like I didn't grieve over Kurt Cobain and Layne Staley's deaths.

When Kurt died, I was just going into middle school. When Layne Died, I was on my way to my 2nd and 3rd colleges followed by hosting my OWN radio show. Scott Weiland lived longer than Nirvana's Kurt Cobain and Alice In Chains' Layne Staley combined. He missed his milestone of turning 50 and died from a drug overdose, last December 3rd at 48 years old.

Early Wednesday morning, I took a quick peak at the official Stone Temple Pilots page on Facebook. I was curious to know if STP had finally decided on another replacement vocalist. Once I clicked on the band's page, I saw a picture of Scott Weiland wearing a black suit and a red hat.

On the band's most recent Facebook status (October 27, 2016), it says, "Happy Birthday Scott. We miss you." 

Below his picture, a fan posted, "The day I heard he passed away... part of my youth went with him. Happy Birthday Scott. RIP." I cannot help sharing this exact sentiment.

After learning, that Scott Weiland died last December 4th, a considerable amount of my youth died with him, too. I grew up listening to Stone Temple Pilots. I was in 4th and 5th grade, when the band started getting airplay. Normally, I would get a Stone Temple Pilots album for my birthday. That was if I did NOT  already buy an album of theirs between 12 to 18 years old.

In fact, I remember when the band released their 2nd album, Purple close to my 12th birthday. June 7, 1994. Wow! It's like my life just flashed before my eyes. Damn, do I feel OLD. In 1994, that was when Stone Temple Pilots reached their pinnacle as a band.

I also remember owning a Stone Temple Pilots poster, during the '90s and 2000. I managed to find an online picture of what my old poster looked like from my youth.

Vintage Stone Temple Pilots Poster Circa 1993

 

Too bad I had to throw it away. This exact poster ripped 16 years ago. I believe the main reason why I took Weiland's death harder than the others was because I was able to sympathize and empathize with him.  

Scott Weiland was a talented entertainer, who endured rape in high school, was forced to mourn a baby that a significant other ABORTED years before STP's fame, the death of his brother, and other tragedies throughout his life.

He was a talented performer with severe substance abuse problems. Even though Scott was highly flawed, I can't help feeling his pain because I am an empath.

Since the time I was 12 years old, I could actually feel his pain through the songs he wrote for Stone Temple Pilots. Now that Scott Weiland's dead, I feel his pain a lot more, whenever I listen to "Atlanta" and "Kitchenware & Candybars."

Their music videos were in heavy rotation on MTV AND VH-1. Speaking of both those music networks, they act like Stone Temple Pilots NEVER existed, which is a slap in the face to us veteran viewers and fans.

Last night, MTV Classic aired Classic Albums: Nirvana – Nevermind. The network really should've aired Stone Temple Pilots and Velvet Revolver, in tribute to Scott Weiland.

As grateful as some of us really should be, since all the music video networks such as MTV, MTV2, Fuse TV, and VH-1 have gone to Hell in a hand basket thanks to Viacom, MTV Classic is a piss poor representation of what MTV was during the 1980's and '90s.

Also, as much as I loved Nirvana and grieved over Kurt Cobain, during my youth, Nirvana was NOT  the ONLY Grunge band to exist. I am still reeling over the fact, that MTV and the media in general continuously toss Scott Weiland's death to the side.

Most act as if Stone Temple Pilots never existed. When the media is NOT  blacklisting Scott Weiland and STP as a whole, they will demonize Scott as if he was the only entertainer in history to EVER be a drug addict and alcoholic.

Loudwire: Filter's Richard Patrick Discusses Scott Weiland's Death (2016)

Can Richard Patrick from Filter be anymore self-righteous and condescending? I just love how he has so much to say about Scott.

No disrespect to my fellow Nirvana fans, but I feel that Scott Weiland was a MUCH BETTER singer and songwriter than Kurt Cobain. STP's Scott Weiland and Alice In Chains' Layne Staley were both phenomenal frontmen for Grunge Rock bands. 

All the while, Kurt Cobain continues to be a highly overrated dead Grunge vocalist. Stone Temple Pilots' Scott Weiland and Alice In Chains' Layne Staley had vocals, which made Nirvana's Kurt Cobain sound off-key with his incoherent babbling. 

In the beginning, Dave Mustaine from Megadeth even witnessed Scott's vocal range and kooky talent during concert performances.

Loudwire: Megadeth's Dave Mustaine Recalls Advice He Gave Scott Weiland (2015)

 

Because it is Song Saturday and the 1-year anniversary of Scott Weiland's death, I wanted to share a few videos.

Also, there are rare live performances he did with The Doors and Stone Temple Pilots. Before watching these videos, I want to share Sarah Michelle Gellar's condolences to Scott, his family, friends, fans, and bandmates.

Entertainment Tonight: Sarah Michelle Gellar Pays Tribute to Scott Weiland After His Death (2015)

1) Stone Temple Pilots "Lounge Fly" Purple (1994); Live At Toronto (1993) 

2) Stone Temple Pilots "Dancing Days" [Led Zeppelin Cover] Encomium: A Tribute to Led Zeppelin (1995); Las Vegas Secret Show (1999)

3) The Doors [Featuring Scott Weiland] "Break On Through"/"Five to One" VH1 Storytellers (2000)

If you would like to learn more, here are links to other musicians sending their condolences and additional Song Saturday blogs about Scott Weiland.

Rockers React: Scott Weiland Dead at 48 (2015)

Song Saturday: Scott Weiland VS. Chester Bennington? You Decide! (2014)

Song Saturday: Scott Weiland Christmas Block (2015)

RIP, SCOTT WEILAND!!!

Revisiting The Gremlins Franchise & Mogwais In Chinese Folklores

How's it going lurkers? How did you enjoy your Thanksgiving? My Thanksgiving wasn't horrible. However, my mother and I DID manage to dodge a really nasty car accident, last Wednesday.

Hopefully, everyone's Thanksgiving Day went well with family and friends. 

Now that Thanksgiving is over, we must prepare for Krampus Day, Saint Nicholas Day, Winter Solstice, Hanukkah, and Christmas Day.

I am sure that some of you will be celebrating this "festive" season with Christmas films whether they are the stereotypical Lonely Romance Comedies, or something creepy like Christmas Slashers. You may even want to go the Horror Comedy route with Gremlins, for example.

After all, Gremlins is technically a Christmas Horror Comedy film. The original movie is set during the time of Christmas. I published a blog years ago about the Gremlins audiobooks. In addition to my blog about the Gremlins audiobooks, I published another blog last June about the disturbing dream I had about killing Gremlins. Then, I briefly explained about mogwai in Chinese folklores.

So, to delve into more detail about these FUGLY monsters, the term "mo" derives from the Sanskrit "Mara," meaning "evil beings," which shares a cognate with the Persian "Magi" from which the English word "magic" derives. This is according to tribe.net.

Mara in BOTH Buddhism and Hinduism determines the fates of death and desire, that tether people to an unending cycle of reincarnation and suffering. He is the source of wickedness and purposely leads people to sin, misdeeds, and self-destruction. 

"Gui," on the other hand, does not necessarily mean "evil" or "demonic spirits." Gui simply means "deceased spirits" or "souls of the dead." 

In modern Chinese, gui has evolved into normally referring to the spirits/ghosts of unrelated family members seeking their revenge on mortals, who have caused them anguish, when they were still alive. 

It is common for mortals to rectify their sins by sacrificing money to gui by burning (usually fake) paper banknotes so that gui can have funds to use in their afterlife.

Also, Tribe.net states that the modern popular use of mogui as "demonic" and gui as "devils" are somewhat outcomes of Western influences.

Satan in The Book of Job is translated as "diabolos" in Greek and "mogui" in the Chinese Biblical texts. Therefore, Satan is "Mogui" in Chinese. 

Whenever you have the chance to re-watch Gremlins, you will have a slightly better understanding about mogwai in Chinese folklores.

As I briefly explained in my Killing Gremlins blog (which you can click on and read below), the water or rain to be more exact, is for reproduction during the mating seasons.

Mogwai in Gremlins are depicted as asexual creatures with the ability to morph into dangerous monsters. 

The scientists in Gremlins 2: The New Batch believed, that Gremlins are either mischievous and mean-spirited reptiles, or simply viruses.

You learn something new everyday!

Because Gremlins is a Christmas Horror Comedy movie and because today's blog is about mogwai in Chinese folklores, let's revisit the Gremlins audiobooks and my dream about killing them for another Throwback Thursday.

Who Remembers The Gremlins Audiobooks From Hardee's? (2013)

Have You Ever Killed Gremlins In Your Dreams? (2015)

Song Saturday: Michael Jackson's Thriller

You all knew this was coming, right? If not, you really should've.

How's it going lurkers? Is it just me or am I the only adult, who is jealous of kids for Halloween this year? I don't know about everyone else but my portion of Wisconsin will be warm, this weekend.

If you don't live in Florida, California, or another state(s) with sunny and warm weather, October's usually cold. Trick-or-treating at the end of the month always sucked in that aspect because the weather was usually cold.

Growing up, it was a somewhat difficult flaunting our Halloween costumes mostly because we would be trick-or-treating in freezing cold weather. Normally we had to carry our coats and jackets with us, if not wear them OVER our costumes. If we didn't carry them with us, there was a great chance we'd be sucking on cough drops because we were developing colds within a matter of hours.

This Halloween in my hometown, it will be in the 50's and 60's. It may even reach 70 degrees on the day of Halloween! Consider children to be lucky this year. Yes, I know adults celebrate Halloween, too.

As for yours truly, my family and I haven't celebrated Halloween in YEARS. My neighborhood consists of mostly retirees and senior citizens. Also, my street is mostly a ghost town. At the same time, it is 1 of the busiest main streets for drivers, which makes it noisy for us to sleep.

Meanwhile, today is the last Song Saturday of this month. If you were here last Saturday, you already know that you are getting another dose of Michael Jackson.

Michael Jackson's "Thriller" can be found on his Thriller album. Before ever reaching 20 years, both the song and music video were already considered classics. In order to be considered "classic," a song must normally be at least 20 years old. I believe it is safe to say that almost everyone young AND old, and from all different walks of life STILL love "Thriller," 34 years later.

Generally speaking, had the music video for the song "Thriller" never been filmed, there wouldn't have been any singer or groups from various genres and sub-genres turning their music videos into short films. Just think about it.

How many in The Music Industry have turned their music videos into short films?

After "Thriller" was turned into a music video/short film, other mainstream musicians in the industry jumped on the bandwagon. Whether you love Michael Jackson or hate him, the man was not only a trend setter, but also had leadership skills.

I have NOT even had the chance to read all the accolades, that Michael Jackson earned and received over these last 3 decades or so.

In 2006, Guinness World Records listed the music video for "Thriller" as the "most successful music video." 

Then, 3 years later (2009), the Library Of Congress inducted the music video into the National Film Registry.

Supposedly, "Thriller" was the 1st music video to EVER be inducted into the National Film Registry for being "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant."

That right there should speak VOLUMES. Also, let's not forget that it is automatically a given that EVERY Halloween, someone somewhere around the world is celebrating the holiday with "Thriller."

During Halloween Season, Party City always advertises their stores using Michael Jackson's song.

Party City's Halloween Commercial Covering Michael Jackson's "Thriller" (2009)

That baby dressed in the devil costume looks so adorable. Anyway, here is Michael Jackson's "Thriller" for today's Song Saturday.

Michael Jackson "Thriller" Thriller (1982)

Cartoon Sunday: Ub Iwerks' The Skeleton Dance

How's it going lurkers? Are you ready for Halloween? Halloween is everyday for Goths and Horror fans. We like putting in the extra amount of effort by showing our spooky pride, when it is THE actual day. Some are trick-or-treating early in certain towns, this year.

The last time I went trick-or-treating was in October 1996. I was 14 at the time and I dressed as The Grim Reaper. 

Just to think, I published a blog showing the similarities between Shinigami and The Grim Reaper, 3 days ago. Don't you just love the timing of these blogs?

Hopefully, some of you enjoyed yesterday's Song Saturday blog. I automatically expected for certain groups of people to be "triggered" and have serious problems with it because I addressed some highly controversial, uncomfortable, and sensitive issues. This is especially when it comes to Michael Jackson.

On a lighter note, you may recall last Cartoon Sunday, that I published a blog about Ub Iwerks' Skeleton Frolics. In that same blog, I compared Skeleton Frolics to The Skeleton Dance. 

In a way, I think I'm starting to like The Skeleton Dance from 1929 better than Skeleton Frolics from 1937. When you take a look at the previous Cartoon Sunday blog, you will see that I posted pictures showing both of Ub Iwerks' animation from The Skeleton Dance and Skeleton Frolics. 

Skeleton Frolics has more of a cutesy and colorful appearance whereas The Skeleton Dance is a little more creepy-looking. I feel the abstract illustrations give The Skeleton Dance more of a creepy tone.

Last night, I started thinking about cartoon specials for Halloween growing up in 1980's. The only special that comes to mind is It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. 

Most specials were for Christmas. It seems like there were more cartoon specials for Halloween before and after I was born than when I was growing up.

Considering how much fun I had growing up, during the 1980's and '90s, it is odd that there weren't nearly as many specials for Halloween as there are now. It may be due to the fact, that our country was more conservative, during the time I was born and growing up. 

Regardless, I feel somewhat cheated and a little disappointed, when it comes to Halloween Specials.

Maybe had ABC aired their old Disney shorts from DECADES ago for Halloween, more of us 20 and 30-somethings and possibly younger would've probably known about The Skeleton Dance and many other animated shorts.

I believe people from my generation did NOT  have the opportunity to see these shorts because the animation was creepy-looking. With sites like YouTube, we have a better chance of being exposed to these classic animated shorts and appreciating them now as adults. Anyway, here is Ub Iwerks' The Skeleton Dance for today's Cartoon Sunday.

Ub Iwerks' The Skeleton Dance (1929)

Am I the only 1, who thinks The Skeleton Dance is creepier than Skeleton Frolics? Let me know what you think.

Song Saturday: Michael Jackson's Ghosts

How's it going lurkers? I would really appreciate, if all my subscribers read the previous blog about Shinigami in Japanese folklores. I explain in great detail about their history, the similarities and differences between Shinigami and The Grim Reaper, etc.

On another note, I mentioned last weekend that today and next Saturday will feature music videos by a notorious yet beloved Pop icon. 

Over these last 2 years, I have been reluctant to share any songs or music videos by this icon because of the slanderous remarks and allegations held against him, since 1993.

Last month, Corey Feldman was a special guest on The Dr. Oz Show. 

Corey explained about his life as a child actor, the substance and sexual abuse which he endured as a teenager, his bond with Michael Jackson, etc. What I learned about them both was quite interesting.

Corey Feldman mentioned, that he was introduced to drugs at age 13 by his father's assistant. That same assistant was his rapist. From 13 to 17 years old, Corey abused drugs. 

By the time he became of age, he quit. However, the mainstream news rags continuously printed lies about Feldman, smearing him as an actor. The same especially applies for Michael Jackson.

While talking on The Dr. Oz Show, Corey explained about his rough time in Hollywood as a teenager. He had difficulty contacting Michael Jackson, during his rough times. Since Corey was still young, he did not quite understand that Michael was in a high demand because of Michael's fame.

After con artists (including his own crooked, self-serving sister, LaToya Jackson) accused Michael of pedophilia, everyone had turned against him. These accusations caused him to become really paranoid. Michael had distanced himself from everyone including family and friends like Corey Feldman.

Considering Corey and Michael's past together as friends, Michael Jackson NEVER molested Corey. 

All the while, people in the media and other random nobodies are still accusing Michael Jackson of being a pedophile.

Once mainstream news announced Michael Jackson's death 7 years ago, self-righteous, Baby Boomer white women, lonely housewives, Elvis Presley ZEALOTS, critics, cynics, and trolls wreaked havoc online over Michael's death.

On Soapnet's forum, anybody who was a Michael Jackson fan and/or someone trying to be the voice of reason got trolled with rape threats, death threats, derogatory and misogynistic slurs, etc. 

I am NOT  saying this to sound like a Michael Jackson "worshiper." I have witnessed as well as experienced these vicious attacks on Soapnet and on other sites.

Slander and sexual abuse really hit close to home for some of us. They especially hit close to home for me.

Whenever someone is a social outcast or is perceived as being highly influential, he/she is BOUND to be seen as a threat to others AND can be treated as prey.

People fail to realize that other people are indifferent to almost everything, including the truth today. Because they never had to deal with others trying to maliciously ruin their lives, they don't care. Until something similar happens to them, THEN they will care and want the whole world to care as well.

Originally, I did not intend for today's blog to be a long college lecture or a speech BUT... cancel culture and the relentless smear campaigns are 2 growing epidemics that need to be addressed.

All it takes is for that 1 threatened person to unload the most malicious lies about his/her perceived threat to ruin his/her reputation and lives. When I say, "lives" I mean the condemned person's life as well as his/her family's lives.

With that being said, these next 2 Song Saturday blogs will feature Michael Jackson's music videos. 

Today's video is extremely rare and is probably the longest music video, that Michael Jackson has ever done.

Stephen King helped Michael Jackson write "Ghosts" and the late Stan Winston directed it in 1996.

"Ghosts" was filmed 20 years ago, but was unaired on major music channels like MTV. The King Of Pop was blacklisted after the 2nd set of child molestation allegations were held against him. 

Shortly after MJ's passing, some of his slanderers had come forward and ADMITTED to slandering him.

There is more to come next Saturday. The best way to watch this music video is to watch it on YouTube. That way, you can maximize the screen. Anyway, here is Michael Jackson's "Ghosts" for today's Song Saturday.

Michael Jackson "Ghosts" HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I (1996)

What Are Shinigami In Japanese Folklores?

How's it going lurkers? What a busy and extremely overwhelming week this has been!

 

This is another long overdue topic that I have been meaning to discuss dating all the way back to the middle of May.

 

You may recall that I was extremely busy during that time, especially when I was in the middle of family emergencies, scheduling my interview with Sean Yseult from White Zombie, having to plan my birthday with friends in June, etc.

Now, I finally have the chance to explain about this particular being(s) in Japanese folklore (Better late than never, right?). It is about Shinigami in Japanese folklore.

In Japanese, Shinigami [死神] is translated as "death god." "Shini" [死] means die and "kami" and "gami" can also mean god [神]. It really all depends on which Kanji is used because "kami" means paper [紙], hair [髪], and god [神] in Japanese.

These death gods are the Japanese equivalent of both angels and The Grim Reaper combined. More specifically, they are a little different from The Grim Reaper. 

The Grim Reaper originated in England, during the 14th Century.

Everyone has seen this personification of death as a skeleton wearing a black-hooded cloak, while holding a large scythe. People fear The Grim Reaper because they know, that he is coming to take their lives. Some will fight him for their lives, if they don't fret over death.

Meanwhile, Shinigami are meant to escort souls into the afterlife, which is a natural component to the life cycle. Religions such as Taoism, Buddhism, and Shintoism are more focused on the life cycle. Unlike The Grim Reaper, Shinigami are not meant to necessarily be feared.

In fact, it was not until the 18th and 19th Centuries (better known as The Edo Period), that these death gods became a part of the Japanese folklore. This is according to Ancient-Origins. 

By the time of The Edo Period, Japan already became more exposed to Christianity. 

Buddhism, Shintoism, and Taoism are Japan's central religions. The last time I did research 10 years ago, only 1% of Japan was Christian. This same percentage still holds true in 2016.

Because the Japanese had interacted with more Westerners and because they became more exposed to Christianity and Western cultures, Japan borrowed and adapted our Grim Reaper into being gods of death in their own culture and various religions.

I would like to emphasize that Japanese people have not been conditioned to fear death the way we do.

There is only 1 Grim Reaper in our cultures, which must be feared whereas there are at least several pairs of death gods and they work in teams. 

Also, Shinigami do NOT  have control over when someone is suppose to die. They ensure the right time of a person's death as opposed to taking someone's life, unlike The Grim Reaper.

I reiterate that Japanese people are more accepting of death compared to the rest of us because they believe more in the life cycle.

However, Shinigami have been depicted differently over the centuries in both Classic Japanese Literature and in today's Anime and Manga.

In 1841, the Japanese artist Takehara Shunsen published a picture book titled Ehon Hyaku Monogatari ("Picture Book of a Hundred Stories"). In that same picture book was a story titled "Shinigami."

Takehara Shunsen's "Shinigami" Ehon Hyaku Monogatari (1841)

Ehon Hyaku Monogatari was meant to be a followup to Toriyama Sekien's Gazu Hyakki Yakō series. Shunsen's picture book was very similar to the Supernatural bestiary, that Sekien published. Those bestiaries consisted of illustrations of yokai.

Yokai are Japanese demons, monsters, ghosts, and spirits.

Nearly a decade later during The Edo Period, Miyoshi Shōzan wrote an essay titled "Shōzan Chomon Kishū." 

In the essay, Shōzan explained a story about a prostitute being possessed by a Shinigami, who invited a man to commit double suicide.

All the while, I have watched at least several Anime depicting Shinigami differently, throughout these last 10 years. Shinigami can mostly be seen in Shonen Anime.

I have watched them in Shonen, Shojo, Shonen Ai, and Seinen Anime such as Bleach, Death Note, Full Moon o Sagashite, the Naruto franchise, Soul Eater, Black Butler, and Descendants Of Darkness. These are only naming a few.

There are others, which depict Shinigami differently. At least 5 of these Anime have been aired on Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Chiller TV, and Syfy within the last 10 years.

I have yet to see Full Moon o Sagashite or "Searching for the Full Moon" on any cable or satellite channel. 

Considering that Full Moon o Sagashite is a Shojo Anime, the chances of Cartoon Network or Adult Swim airing it is highly unlikely.  

Both Cartoon Network and Adult Swim are run by closet misogynists and continue to alienate their audience in general.

Forcing Cartoon Network to air cartoons for girls again and firing Stuart Snyder partially solved the viewers' problems. (The discussion of Cartoon Network and Adult Swim's misogyny will have to be saved for another blog.)

I believe Descendants Of Darkness was aired on Syfy and Chiller TV mostly because NBC Universal's networks were NOT afraid to take a risk of airing a Shonen Ai Horror Supernatural Anime.

Shonen Ai means "boy's love" in Japanese.

In other words, Descendants Of Darkness consists of gay male characters as Shinigami in the series. 

If you ever make the time to watch Yami no Matsuei or "Descendants Of Darkness," I recommend watching it in Japanese because the English Dub sounds cartoonishly generic.

As I was saying, I watched a little of Full Moon online years ago. Maybe someday I will have a chance to sit and watch the entire series.

Some Shinigami are depicted positively in Anime. Some Shinigami are depicted negatively. Then, there are some depicting Shinigami positively and negatively.

If you haven't noticed, there is a gif of a Shinigami in monster form, at the top of this blog. It is a gif of Ryuk from the Shonen Supernatural Murder Mystery Thriller Anime, Death Note. 

I would've shared more images of the various depictions of Shinigami, but the images would've been huge. Although, I DID manage to find a YouTube video that somebody uploaded. 

The video is a quick list of The Best Shinigami Anime Of All Time. In the following video, you will be able to see all the depictions of Shinigami in different Anime:

The Best Shinigami Anime Of All Time (2015)

Some of these have already been featured in my Cartoon Sunday blogs over the last 2 years. I have linked some of my previous Cartoon Sunday blogs in this blog. 

 

Hopefully, you learned something today about Shinigami in Japanese folklores.

Cartoon Sunday: Ub Iwerks' Skeleton Frolics

How's it going lurkers? Adult Swim's Toonami block finally premiered the English dub of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Phantom Blood, last night. I swear, that Dio character is EVIL.

Dio Brando reminds me of a certain troll I know personally from another website. I only watched episode 1 of Phantom Blood, a few months ago. 

While watching Season 1: Episode 1, it felt more like I was watching a Soap Opera because it had Soap Opera Drama in it.

After watching the Toonami promo on Adult Swim these last several weeks, I was quite surprised by the amount of action that was shown for this series.

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Phantom Blood Promo On Toonami (2016)

Normally, I marathon or "binge watch" Anime online but my time is spent now on many other activities both on and offline. 

Judging by the Toonami promo, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure looks like it is a combination of Dragon Ball Z (except much better) and Bleach.

Since we are already on the topics of Shonen Jump Action Anime and Adult Swim's Toonami, I forgot to mention last week, that Blue Exorcist will be getting another season!

Blue Exorcist: Kyoto Impure King Arc Anime Reveals January Premiere, More Cast

Hopefully, this next season will focus more on the character, Renzo Shima becoming a double agent.

Considering that we are already on the topic of animation with darker themes to them, I am finally sharing this particular animated short by Ub Iwerks. 

Originally, I meant to share this last October, but I was really sick. Last October, I was lucky to have even published any blogs much less work on my Halloween Music Playlist Thread for Adult Swim's seasonal sub-forum, Adult Scare.

As I was saying, I managed to find a darker animated short by Ub Iwerks. 

Iwerks had a history of working for both Walt Disney and Columbia Pictures' cartoon division. To be more specific, he produced and directed The Skeleton Dance in 1929, during his time at Walt Disney.

After Ub Iwerks supposedly had a "falling out" with Walt Disney, Iwerks launched his own studio called The Iwerks Studio in 1930. 

The Iwerks Studio was shortly lived and had shut down, during the 1936.

BTW: This all happened during the same time as The Great Depression.

In 1937, Iwerks drew Skeleton Frolics. During that time, he began working for Color Rhapsodies at Columbia Pictures. Skeleton Frolics is very similar to Disney's The Skeleton Dance.

Skeleton Frolics is in color with obviously some minor alterations whereas The Skeleton Dance was animated completely in black and white.

Ub Iwerks' [Walt Disney] Silly Symphony: "The Skeleton Dance" (1929)

Ub Iwerks' [Columbia Pictures] Color Rhapsodies: "Skeleton Frolics" (1937)

It was not until 1938, that Ub Iwerks became the director for several of Columbia Pictures' Color Rhapsodies shorts.

Iwerks' history in entertainment is quite extensive, especially when it comes to darker content. In fact, not only was Ub Iwerks an animator, but he also became an expert in special visual effects.

For example, Iwerks worked on the special effects for Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds in 1963. (It is amazing what you can learn.) 

Rather than giving you a long history lesson about Ub Iwerks, here is Skeleton Frolics for Cartoon Sunday.

Ub Iwerks' Skeleton Frolics (1937)

What's That? Grimm's Final Season Premieres, Next Year!

How's it going lurkers? Thank Grimm it's Friday! 

Normally, NBC's Grimm premieres new seasons every October and the premieres are usually close to Halloween. However, this won't be the case for this October.

While I was on Google Plus in late August (August 29, 2016 to be more precise), the news broke out, that Grimm will not be premiering its FINAL SEASON until January 6, 2017. 

Next year, the show's final season will have ONLY  13 episodes. If you are a fan, who has been consistently watching Grimm for these last 5 years like me, this is very disappointing.

Action, Thriller, Police Procedural, Supernatural, and Occult genre shows such as Hawaii Five-0, Nikita, The Secret Circle, and Sleepy Hollow have all (at some time) competed against Grimm at least once, over these last 5 years. 

The preceding 4 primetime shows were (and some still are) shows I normally watch, throughout the year. Usually, I had to choose which shows I would watch on TV and which I would stream online. 

When all those shows ran against Grimm, I made Grimm top priority to watch each time. 

This especially applied to those times, when Grimm was bounced to Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday nights. This has almost always been a Friday night show on NBC.

That's why NBC always says, "Thank Grimm it's Friday!"

I can't believe that Grimm has actually lasted for more than 1 year. Some of the primetime shows I already mentioned have come and gone. 

About 10 years ago, I noticed that most primetime shows, which contained ANY Occult or Supernatural themes were automatically canceled.

Primetime shows such as Eastwick and The Secret Circle, for 2 examples were usually primetime shows with witches in them.

Maybe I am only 1 viewer, who feels this way, but I suspect a conspiracy or at least a so-called "War On Witches," regarding witches having TV airtime. 

Surprisingly, Grimm has NOT  been canceled for having witches and warlocks as characters.

They are referred to as "Hexenbiests" and "Zauberbiests" on the show.

Some online critics love to nitpick and psychoanalyze Grimm to death because of the comical names and Germanic, if not scientific terms that each creature was given. 

As comical as they are, I really appreciate the fact that the writers for Grimm base each episode on German and international folklores, mythological creatures, and Grimm's Fairy Tales.

At the beginning of each episode, there is a quote from a fairy tale or folklore, which has significance to that specific episode. 

Whenever I see those quotes, I try guessing which folklore or fairy tale will be the subject for that episode of Grimm.

Most of the creatures or "Wesen" have Germanic names.

Germanic Names & Terms Commonly Used On Grimm:

Wesen- Germanic term, which is used to describe creatures that are visible to Grimms.

Grimm- Someone, who possesses special abilities to see Wesen (or creatures) in their true forms. They are also viewed as being grim reapers. 

Protagonist, Nick Burkhardt and Theresa Rubel (a.k.a. "Trubel") are both Grimms.

Woge- The act of changing from human to creature form done by impulse. Normally, Wesen woge whenever they feel threatened by something or someone.

Blutbad- A werewolf-like Wesen. The term Blutbad literally means "blood bath."

Hexenbiest- A witch-like Wesen. Hexenbiest literally translates to "witch beast"

Zauberbiest- A warlock-like Wesen similar to the Hexenbiest. Zauberbiest translates to "warlock" or "wizard beast."

Fuchsbau- A fox-like Wesen. Fuchsbau can mean "fox hole" or "burrow."

I could be here explaining forever about these different Germanic terms for Wesen. Those are only naming a few. If you want to learn more about the different types of Wesen, you should go here.

I am still reeling over the fact, that Grimm is ending literally next year. Hopefully, the show will have LESS or no political propaganda like Season 5. 

The writers were really exploiting this 2016 election to their advantage, which I found repulsive.

Grimm was NOT an extremely political show. Focusing on police and the different races (which are actually the Wesen) is political enough. I want to see this final season return to focusing more on the horror, folklores, and fairy tales.

More than anything, I hope that Adalind and Juliette/"Eve" (Hexenbiests) would just die and that Nick and Trubel (Grimms) become a couple. 

Watching Nick with Adalind and Juliette always got on my nerves. Those 2 Hexenbiests are sickening characters, that should've been killed seasons ago. Some of us can dream, can't we?

With that being said, let's cross our fingers and hope that the series finale of Grimm doesn't end horribly.

Cartoon Sunday: Shigeru Okada's Saka Men

How's it going lurkers? From last night throughout earlier this morning, I have spent HOURS online hunting around for more entertaining animation to share with you.

Originally, I meant to share this Japanese Stop-Motion Horror Short on It's Not All Gumdrops & Unicorns months ago. I'm starting to think that some of the content I meant to share over this spring and summer is more fitting for October.

Today we have Shigeru Okada's short, "Saka Men." Okada is a Japanese writer, director, and animator. 

His Stop-Motion Horror Short that I am sharing today focuses on the Shimenawa in the Japanese religion, Shintoism.

It has been ~ 10-12 years, since I last conducted research on Shintoism for Asian Studies. I mostly focused on the Sun Goddess, Amaterasu. As I was saying, the Shimenawa is a special plaited rope, which is tied around trees.

Shimenawa Rope:

Shimenawa is normally tied around trees in Japan, in order to ward off evil spirits.

In this Stop-Motion Horror Short, after a man gets into a knife fight with a monk on the mountain, he cuts the Shimenawa Rope to wrap around his arm. 

His wife tries to warn him NOT  to cut the Shimenawa but he chooses to be defiant. Because he disobeyed his wife, all hell breaks loose. You will have to see for yourself.

To warn you in advance, "Saka Men" is in Japanese. You can watch this short in English subtitles. 

In order to really get the feel of "Saka Men," I highly suggest clicking on the video below and watching it directly on YouTube. That way, you can maximize your screen. Anyway, here is Shigeru Okada's "Saka Men" for today's Cartoon Sunday.

Shigeru Okada "Saka Men" (2014)

About The Horrors Of Womanhood

How's it going lurkers? As I checked my Google Plus news feed on Monday, I discovered that Susan Leighton was nominated for the Liebster's Award.  

On Monday, she published a blog about her nomination. In that same blog, Susan chose to pay it forward.

Paying It Forward (2016)

Learning that she put me up as a candidate for the Liebster's Award is quite an honor. I really appreciate it, Susan. Thank you!

I find it really interesting, that Susan gave me the title of Webmaster. I never really considered myself a Webmaster. The more you really think about it, I am the webmaster of my website.

Normally, I consider myself a Writer/Blogger/Content Creator/Website Owner. Nobody manages It's Not All Gumdrops & Unicorns other than yours truly.

Managing a blog dominated website is NOT  the same as simply publishing a blog on a blogging platform.  

Using a free website builder (Webs), I built It's Not All Gumdrops & Unicorns from scratch. In addition, I built 1 extra page specifically for excerpts of my Short Horror/Thriller Stories.

While talking to Susan Leighton last night on Google Plus, she told me that she read my Horror page. "Across The Street" and "The Horrors Of Womanhood" seemed to have caught her attention. I'm really happy that Susan managed to catch the dark humor in the excerpt I published from "The Horrors Of Womanhood."

"The Horrors Of Womanhood" is somewhat of a misogynistic, Short Horror Story with some elements of Dark Humor. Dr. Wiener (narrator) is like an antagonistic protagonist. He has a grisly backstory of his womanizing step-mother abusing him.

Dr. Wiener caught his step-mother cheating on his father with HER mistress in bed growing up and was physically abused for it. 

Yes, this description somewhat sounds like something from a Jerry Springer episode. However, "The Horrors Of Womanhood" is dark, horrific, and disturbing.

I will even go as far as saying, that "The Horrors Of Womanhood" has the ability to overlap into Crime and Psychological Thriller. WHY? Because the narrator is a misogynistic gynecologist and HAPPENS to be a SERIAL killer!

During the earliest stages of writing this story, I imagined my protagonist/narrator's personality to be a combination of Al Bundy's from Married With Children and Patrick Bateman from American Psycho. 

You ALL know how creeped out I get watching Christian Bale in American Psycho. Patrick Bateman makes my skin crawl. I believe Christian Bale played the role of Patrick Bateman a LITTLE too well.

Because it has been a while, since I last read my own short story, I simply can't remember if Dr. Wiener threw his nurse (Gigi) or another patient of his through a window. Yes, "The Horrors Of Womanhood" is THAT grisly.

It is already traumatizing and painful enough getting shanked by the gynecologist. Now, just imagine having a misogynistic male gynecologist, who takes sadistic thrill in torturing women because of his mommy issues.

I will end today's horrific synopsis for "The Horrors Of Womanhood," right here. Hopefully, no children and helicopter parents have been reading this blog.