Crossover and Non-Canon Day!

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It's the 28th of the month, and that means it's officially time to talk about all those non-Eerie fandoms that, despite taking place outside of Eerie city limits, still remind you of the centre of weirdness for the entire planet.

Tell us about the latest episode of Welcome to Nightvale, your ideas for a Gravity Falls crossover, or what Twin Peaks's Andy Brennan would think of Eerie's Officer Knight. Caught up on Lumberjanes or Paper Girls? Tell us about it. Still not caught up on Eureka, Haven or Sleepy Hollow? Ask us about it. Wondering how Mister Radford and Skip from the 'Burbs would get along if they met in ice-cream making school? Me too!

Musical Mondays

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It's Monday, the start of the working week. To counter-act the post-weekend blues, cheer yourself up with Radio Weird: Songs of Eerie. Whether you're checking out some of eviinsanemonkey's amazing filks, or taking up deifire's awesome recommendations for Eerie-centric listening, or creating a musical fanwork of your very own, share your thoughts, and your favourites, in the comments!

( Stabbity Steve: a Murder Ballad by Eviinsanemonkey )

( After Wolf Mountain: a Filk by Eviinsanemonkey )

( Pay Attention: a Filk by Eviinsanemonkey )

( Krampus: an Eerie Christmas Poem by Eviinsanemonkey )

( Moo! A World o' Stuff advertising jingle by Eviinsanemonkey )

( Bigfoot Stole My Mail: a Musical by Owen Neil )

( Eerie, Indiana fanvids by Roseveare )

( Weird Science (Don't Leave My Arms): an Eerie, Indiana Melanie/Devon/Marshall fanvid by Current Joys )

Check out this mom on Reddit raising her kid right:

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Looking for horror for my 3-year old.

She loves being scared. She's already watched every Henry Selick/Tim Burton option, plus The Witches, Dark Crystal, Labyrinth and so on. I don't really watch horror, so I'm at a loss. I'm looking for stuff that's light on gore and sex, though it's fine if the gore is very campy/silly. I give zero fucks about cursing. Thanks in advance!

Eerie Indiana would be a great addition to the list as well.

Thriller review on GoodReads

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(Although, ugh, you called your series "Guys Read"? Shut up.)

A body on the tracks

A teenage terrorist

A mysterious wish-granting machine

The world’s worst private detective

The second volume in the Guys Read Library of Great Reading is chock-full of mystery, intrigue, and nefarious activity. Featuring some of the best writers around, and compiled by certified guy Jon Scieszka, Guys Read: Thriller is a pulse-pounding collection of brand-new short stories, each one guaranteed to keep you riveted until the final page.

Thriller is the second in a Guys Read series of short-story collections for middle grade readers (preceded by Guys Read: Funny Business). Edited by Jon Scieszka (Guys Read, The Time Warp Trio), illustrated by Brett Helquist (Lemony Snicket's ASeries of Unfortunate Events), and written by popular writers of fiction for young readers (M.T. Anderson, Walter Dean Myers, and Margaret Peterson Haddix, to name a few), Thriller is filled with tales of “normal” kids who find themselves thrust into abnormal (even paranormal) situations.

Cleanly-told, swiftly-paced, and amusingly-illustrated, these gems are well-suited for boys age nine and up—especially boys who don’t otherwise make reading a top priority.

Many of the situations in the book remind me of Eerie, Indiana, a great Twilight-Zone-esque show from my childhood I have trouble believing is now 20 years old. Patrick Carman’s Ghost Vision Glasses has an especially Eerie vibe. It’s about Kyle, who loves collecting weird things and is convinced he’s hit the jackpot when he finds a stack of old comics at his parents’ new cabin. The old magazines are filled with ads for some of the weirdest stuff he’s ever seen, including a pair of ghost vision glasses. Aside from a few quasi-dei ex machinis plot improbabilities, the story has a nice arch with a satisfying conclusion (and a tantalizing tease at the possibility of further adventures for Kyle).

But some stories in the collection leave a little too much to be desired for my taste, especially Jarrett J. Krosoczka’s Pudding and James Patterson’s Boys Will be Boys. Both start with such promise and energy but fizzle in their abrupt, incomplete-feeling conclusions. Almost like the stories are excerpts from larger works crammed into this collection out of context. But I don’t know if that’s the case.

For the most part, though, the stories are light and fun and satisfying.

One notable departure in tone from the rest of the book is Walter Dean Myers’ Pirate. The pirates in this story are not inspired by a ride (or multi-billion dollar film franchise) by Disney, nor are they the stuff of a Robert Louis Stevenson novel. They’re contemporary pirates found off the coast of Somalia—the ones we hear about in the news every now and then, capturing vessels and holding hostages for ransom. It’s a weightier and more challenging story than the others found in this collection—but no less readable. And it’s certainly not out of place. It still thrills and chills, but in a different way than the P.I. or paranormal stories do. It’s narrated by the youngest (14) member of a group of pirates that captures a yacht for money. It’s gritty. Tense. Ideologically ambiguous. In other words, it’s a great story.

So guys, get reading! For fans of excitement, Guys Read: Thriller is a good place to start.

Recommended for ages 9+.

Broken Record screencaps on Instagram

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Pitbull Surfers logo in close-up

And... awkward Simon and Mars, upset metalhead Tod, close-up of the Pitbull Surfers record being played, and Phil McNulty listening while Simon, Mars, Tod, Mrs McNulty and Officer Derek look on.

Frightfest 2017: The Terror of Hallow’s Eve Review

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Old school eighties horror makes a return in Terror of Hallow’s Eve, a story of a bullied young man whom accidentally calls forth a monster on Halloween.thanks

Special effects wizard Todd Tucker steps behind the camera to tell this semi-autobiographical tale of a tormented teen whom gets vengeance on his bullies with the help of a mysterious creature. Set in 1981, The Terror of Hallow’s Eve follows loner Tim (Caleb Thomas) on one fateful Halloween night. Tim lives with his mother and has a reputation in the neighbourhood as being the weird kid. He’s deemed weird because of his obsession with the macabre; he spends his days sculpting monsters and designing scary special effects. Events come to a head on Halloween after Tim pops into the local shop to buy the latest copy of Fangoria magazine, and he is set upon by the local jock. After being badly beaten, Tim races home angry and upset. He locks himself in his workroom and begins sculpting, at which point he meets The Trickster (Doug Jones) whom offers to help take care of the bullies. The pair then turn the tables on Tim’s tormentors as they’re all in for their scariest Halloween yet…

The Terror of Hallow’s Eve begins with the ‘based on true events’ tag; given that the film involves a malicious demonic monster being called forth, that boast may sound a little strange. In reality the truth is contained within the opening third of the film. Director Todd Tucker was indeed the victim of a vicious and unprovoked attack as a youngster. With Terror he gets to finally get his own back on his attackers, whilst at the same time offering catharsis for victims everywhere. The autobiographical angle makes that portion of the film really strong, Tucker doesn’t embellish or sugar-coat what happens, it simply unfolds.

Set in the 80’s, Terror embraces everything that made horror films of that era great – practical effects, crazy creatures, and a John Carpenter soundtrack. The filmmakers managed to get permission from the great man himself so portions of the score will sound very familiar. The practical effects are stunning, you would expect nothing less from a man who has made a career in the industry, but there are some very intricate creations on display. The stand-out doesn’t appear until towards the end, but it’s a warped semi-homage to the Giger; it’s suitably grotesque and may cause nightmares.

What starts serious and upsetting morphs into something magical, twisted, and strangely fun. It’s reminiscent of Eerie Indiana and Gremlins, and there’s something about how the Trickster materialises that feels very Labyrinth; basically it’s a winner. An 80’s throwback to its core, The Terror of Hallow’s Eve taps into a strong vein of nostalgia. If you’re a fan of the good old days of this genre film, you’re going to love this one!

Eerie, Indiana cocktails?

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So, following this comment thread, I was wondering... what cocktails do you think they serve in Eerie? What's on the specials board at the Loyal Order of Corn? What's the Mayor throwing back after a hard day, or raising a glass of in celebration when he successfully feeds a teenage boy to a slavering wolfman? And in the alternate reality where Eerie was a juggernaut fandom with it's very own annual convention and a hotel bar decked out in yellows and greens and giant inter-dimensional TV sets, what's on the menu for thirsty fans looking for a pleasantly alcoholic beverage?