Hypnagogic State

Pediophobes- and pedophobes- may want to avoid viewing Alma, an animated trip into the doll shop from hell (redundant?).  Gorgeous animation filled with bright colors and peppy music cover the nagging feeling that something isn’t going to end well for the tiny heroine. Sure, the ending is a bit Twilight Zone. But multiple views make certain aspects (boy on bike, hellmouth window) extra creepy.

(Via Drawn!)

Dream Warriors is my favorite film from the Nightmare of Elm Street series. It was the first horror movie I ever saw and it traumatized and defined me simultaneously. I had terrible nightmares as a child, including quite a few hypnagogic episodes so vivid I was paralyzed. But I stocked up on horror movies as a form of immersion therapy and eventually came to love the genre.

The theme song for Dream Warriors was composed by the heavy metal band Dokken. The video looks like it was made with a heavy metal band called Dokken. That’s a compliment and insult simultaneously.

This 1960s commercial for Ronson Comet lighters features horror legend Boris Karloff.  Karloff ranks behind only Vincent Price in the list of cinematic figures I would like to have met. His cinematic legacy is matched by an enduring reputation as a gentleman, bibliophile, and generous spirit. Karloff died in 1969 at the age of 81 from emphysema complications.

(h/t: Igloo of the Uncanny)

In honor of the action figure of David I posted earlier, here is a montage of footage from The Lost Boys set to “Cry Little Sister”, the memorable song used heavily on the film’s soundtrack.

Syfy’s “Tin Man“ was fairly awful and “Alice“ comes from the same creator. I’m probably not the target audience for either theme since I find the world of Oz to be overrated and the world of the White Rabbit to have been beaten into dead horse mode. But this cast includes Kathy Bates, Tim Curry, and Matt Frewer. I am therefore obligated to watch.

Mass: We Pray- a Wii style video game that promises the Mass experience at home- has been popping up on gaming blogs for the past day. The general consensus is that it is fake. I was on the fence about real vs. prank until I watched the video:

There are rare occasions when it is hard to tell whether someone is being genuinely (and overly) enthusiastic or deeply sarcastic. This isn’t one of those occasions. It’s a joke.

(h/t Mental Floss)

Sad news for those of us who watched MTV in the late ’80s: Ken Ober, host of the game show “Remote Control”, has passed away at the age of 52.

I was six when this show began to air in 1987 so my memories of it are vague but pleasant. Watching some footage from its first episode made me all “get off my lawn, you damn kids” nostalgic for when MTV had both music videos and quality non-music video content.

I really need to catch up on The Guild. I haven’t even started watching the third season yet. But I tend to binge on shows, waiting for a lazy day when I can watch whole seasons in a row. I feel a Guild binge coming on.

If you’ve been living in a cave (or are a non-geek), The Guild is a web series about a WoW-style guild and their interactions with each other and the outside world. It is hilarious, endearing, goofy, and nerd-sexy all in a shiny package.

Felicia Day (of Dr. Horrible and late-Buffy fame) created the series and also serves as producer, writer, and star. She’s incredibly sweet and gracious. No, I haven’t met her. But when I made a post about the show on my very low level blog last year, she left a comment of thanks. She’s a good apple.

The Guild released a music video earlier this year called “Do You Want to Date My Avatar” (lyrics by Day and music by Jed Whedon, brother of Joss). I get this song stuck in my head constantly and will find myself humming/lightly singing it in inappropriate places. Like in line at the bank. The elderly man in front of me seemed particularly impressed when I got to the “tank and spank” part.

I am elbow deep in editing at the moment but Adam handily passed along a link to this video, which shows snippets of Tobias Stretch’s animations set to the music of Richard Einhorn.  For more on Tobias Stretch, visit his website.