HAPPY BIRTHDAY EERIE, INDIANA!

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On this day in 1991, the pilot episode of Eerie, Indiana aired for the first time on NBC. Happy birthday to a show that was all too short-lived, but fondly remembered even after so many years!

In honour of this, your prompt for today is:

ANNIVERSARY

Feedback Friday!

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It's Friday, Eerie fans, and it's a great time to look back on all the sweet fanworks you've created over the years. Why not revisit some sweet artwork, admire someone's crafting efforts or leave an appreciative comment on an uploaded video?

Photo Five Challenge

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This is what happens when Things, Inc and the Eerie Dairy combine to make ice-cream...

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ETA: apparently it's some shitty diet ice-cream as well so double-fuck this nonsense.

Hindustan Times lists five films to watch after Stephen King's IT:

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What made Stephen King’s It adaptation so good is that more than a horror movie, it was a real drama. Here are 5 other movies (and 1 show) for you to watch next if you loved hanging with the Losers.

You can really tell how different generations of brilliant artists Steven Spielberg, Stephen King, JJ Abrams, Jeff Nicholds - have inspired another, in a cycle that will probably never end.

Every week, we will curate a collection of titles - movies, TV, general miscellanea - for you to watch (and in some cases, read, or listen to), in a series we call Weekend Binge. The selection will be based on a theme which binds the picks - which could be extremely blunt in certain instances, or confusingly abstract in some. No rules apply, other than the end goal being getting some great entertainment to watch.

While the idea is to base the theme on the week’s major events - it could be the release of a new movie, or show - we could also use this opportunity to comment on our world in general, and turn to art to wrap our heads around some of the more difficult stories of the past seven days.

The new Stephen King adaptation, It, aside from being a fine Stephen King adaptation - among the best, even - has that unique power that can transport audiences to a different time, back when things were... simpler. The time when kids didn’t let homework get in the way of more important things - like fighting aliens, discovering hidden treasure, and finding first love. It’s the ‘80s, when film’s were concerned more with characters and their stories than loud noises and fart jokes.

We must thank It for taking us back to this wonderful age in moviemaking, when directors like Steven Spielberg, Joe Dante and John Carpenter were creating a whole generation of geeks. So let’s not stop now. Let’s watch more. In the spirit of the kids in these movies, let’s explore more. Here are five movies (and one very good TV show) that you can watch after It.

Super 8

It’s no secret that JJ Abrams is a bit of a devotee of Spielberg’s and King’s. Many accused Super 8 (which is produced by Spielberg), his story of a group of kids who must investigate the strange happenings in their small town - yes, it sounds familiar, doesn’t it - of being too reverential. But it’s more than just empty homage. There’s death, there’s fierce friendship, and there’s a monster. And it’s beautiful.

The Monster Squad

In a sort of meta move, The Monster Squad asks the question: What if a group of movie nerds run into the monsters they’ve idolised their entire lives. The answer: Exactly what you’d expect. They handle the heck out of it.

Attack the Block

While this genre - ‘80s kids battling supernatural entities in a romantic, lens flare heavy world scored to REO Speedwagon - is a quintessentially American one, Joe Cornish’s Attack the Block transports the action to London - and to the present day. A council estate populated by shady drug dealers, broken families, and class warfare, to be precise. And in the middle of all this drama, an alien invasion happens.

The Goonies

Like the Losers in It, the Goonies are a bunch of misfit kids who find themselves attracting adventure almost as if they’re Enid Blyton characters. Spielberg’s imprint is deep and lasting - he wrote the story - and there’s that unique sense of romanticism and camaraderie that we associate with these movies, as the Goonies embark on an epic treasure hunt.

Midnight Special

There’s a clear connective tissue between the films and TV on this list. You can really tell how different generations of brilliant artists have inspired another, in a cycle that will probably never end. Finn Wolfhard stars both in It, and Stranger Things, which we’ll talk about next. Jeff Nichols’ Midnight Special, meanwhile, owes a great debt to the films of John Carpenter - especially Starman - and It owes a debt to Midnight Special for having found its lead actor, Jaeden Leiberher.

Stranger Things

The ultimate goal must be to binge It, Super 8, and Stranger Things over one weekend. Not only are these movies (and show) remarkably similar to each other - it’s almost as if they’ve been fused together by some sort of Loser Club-inspired bond made in blood - they preach ideas that every misfit geek can relate to: Be good, stay loyal, fight the bullies, vanquish your demons, and, when you get time, watch great movies.

BioGamerGirl intrview with Dee Wallace (the Howling, Just Add Magic)

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Dee Wallace is an American actress known for her roles in such films as E.T., Cujo, The Howling, and The Hills Have Eyes. Dee will be appearing as a guest at this year’s Scarefest in Lexington, KY. We caught up with Dee and asked her about her current projects, favorite films and more. Read on.

BGG: Dee, thank you for taking the time to talk with us. Can you tell us a little bit about what projects you are working on at the moment?

Dee Wallace: I have just finished shooting my final episode of Just Add Magic, the Amazon Prime show I have been on for three years. I have been doing tons of press for Red Christmas, a film I shot in Australia that will be out this year. I also am gearing up to promote Death House which will premiere in January in theatres. I will be shooting a great character piece in the upcoming film Ouija House in a week.

BGG: You will be at Scarefest this month--what are you looking forward to most at the show?

Dee Wallace: Seeing and spending time with my fans! I ALWAYS hear new stories, see new posters, and get new hugs! I have a lot of great new merchandise, too!

BGG: You have over 229 acting credits on your IMDB. How did you first get into acting and what do you like best about it?

Dee Wallace: OMG! I started when I was very young in Kansas City. My mother was quite an amazing actress and my first teacher. She started me with "elocution" lessons and dance and performing for groups around town at a very early age. I think what I like best about acting is the freedom to find all those hidden places within me that lead to some of the amazing characters I have gotten to play. And I LOVE the variety. There are always new, exciting beginnings in my biz!

BGG: Some of the movies I remember you from most were E.T., Cujo and Critters. How did you get involved with the E.T. film and did you think it would become the classic film it is today?

Dee Wallace: Actually, I auditioned for Spielberg's "Used Cars." I guess he saw what he wanted in the mother for E.T. and held me for that. Thank you Mr. Spielberg! I knew this was one very special script. And when I saw the rough cut, I knew we had something that would touch the world. But as Blake Edwards said when I did 10: "Honey, if we knew what made a hit, we'd have a lot more of 'em!"

BGG: What was your favorite movie to work on and why?

Dee Wallace: Probably The Howling. I was engaged to Chris and it was just a big family affair. I adored Dan Blatt and Joe Dante. It just doesn't get much better than that!

BGG: Thank you for your time. Is there anything else you would like to add?

Dee Wallace: I'd like to invite everyone to visit my web site at Iamdeewallace.com. Check out the healing work I do! Join me for my live call-in radio show on Sunday mornings!

New zombie series coming to AMC

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We’ve known since late July that Greg Nicotero will be producing a horror series for AMC. Shock Theater will be an anthology show, with a different cast and crew to excite audiences weekly. But today we learned something new: Shock Theater will also have elements of comedy.

Nicotero—best known as the co-executive producer, make-up effects supervisor, and frequent director of The Walking Dead—told EW that Shock Theater’s spiritual successor isn’t Dawn of the Dead but...Shaun of the Dead?

“I think Shaun of the Dead is probably the closest in tone that I can ever think about for Shock Theatre because it was funny and thrilling, and you love the characters, and it was scary, and had great moments in it, and was all-around completely entertaining.”

This is great news for people who find that screams are best tempered with laughs. Z Nation and Ash vs. The Evil Dead are current entries to this field, but as Twilight Zone episode “Twenty-Two” will tell you, there’s always room for one more.

Nicotero also name-checks another favorite for fans of horror comedy, American Werewolf in London. He looks to American Werewolf for inspiration because:

"I want the characters to be real and I want them to be funny and I want them to be relatable. And a lot of horror movies, you know, it’s not quite the same emotion than if you start with something where you have characters that have some humor to them because it’s always a great balance between the humor and the horror, and that’s something that we’re looking forward to doing."

Nicotero didn’t say when AMC will be airing the upcoming show. However, we can expect it some time in 2018. Until then, we have the hijinks of Bruce Campbell in Ash vs. The Evil Dead to keep us laughing and screaming.

BloodyDisgusting give us this week's Netflix pick: Dead Set

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With The Walking Dead and Z Nation on television and a World War Z sequel on the way, it might seem like a bad time to recommend yet another piece of zombie entertainment. However, in the case of Dead Set, it’s worth risking a journey into the world of the living dead one more time.

A five-part mini-series made for British television, the run time of all the parts clocks in at just under two and a half hours. The length is perfect for the story, which revolves around an outbreak of the undead happening right outside the Big Brother house. That’s right, the series uses the actual UK Big Brother locale and show as a backdrop for the narrative, and it feeds into the series’ social satire.

And the creative team! Yann Demange, known recently for his stellar directing work on the series Top Boy and the award-winning ’71, brings a grittily realistic take to the script by Charlie Brooker. If you recognize Brooker’s name, it’s because he is the creator of Black Mirror, the brilliant sci-fi anthology series also currently available on Netflix.

Riz Ahmed appeared in Dead Set before his career took off in Nightcrawler, The Night Of, and Rogue One. Lead actress Jaime Winstone is a force to be reckoned with in the series, and she is no stranger to horror, having appeared in Donkey Punch and Elfie Hopkins: Cannibal Hunter.

With a smart take on the often overused zombie subgenre, a cast and crew who went on to equally impressive later work, and a zombie disemboweling scene so graphic and darkly comical it has to be seen to be believed, Dead Set is two and a half hours of your time well spent.

FreeForm's 13NightsofHalloween line-up announced

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Halloween lovers around the nation tune in each October to watch FreeForm's "#13 Nights Of Halloween." The 13-night event is beloved by many, as the network plays fan favorite, and family friendly, Halloween #Movies each night during the 13 days. This week, FreeForm has officially announced the 2017 schedule, which includes movies like "Sleepy Hollow," "Men In Black," "Monster's Inc.," and everyone's favorite, "#Hocus Pocus."

FreeForm's "13 Nights Of Halloween" 2017 will begin airing on Thursday, October 19, and last until Halloween. The movies will play mostly in the evenings, with extra showings on the weekends.

This year, the network will even taking a page out of TBS' book, (The network airs 24-hours of "A Christmas Story," on Christmas Day.) and playing an all-day marathon of "Hocus Pocus" on Halloween day. As many fans know, "Hocus Pocus" is the backbone of "13 Nights Of Halloween," and will keep viewers tuning in the entire month of October.

"Hocus Pocus" stars Bette Midler, Kathy Najimi, Sarah Jessica Parker, Omri Katz, Thora Birch, and others. The movie centers around three witches, the Sanderson Sisters, (Middler, NaJimi, and Parker) who are hanged for witchcraft in Salem, Massachusetts. 100 years later, a new kid in town named Max Dennison, (Omri Katz) lights the sisters' spooky Black Flame Candle and brings them back from the dead on accident. It is then up to him, his sister Dani, (Thora Birch), and the girl he's crushing on to save Halloween and stop the sisters from carrying out their plan to steal the soles of children to keep them alive and young.

"13 Nights Of Halloween" will kick off on October 19 with "Addams Family Values" at 6:45 and then the fan favorite "Hocus Pocus" at 8:50 p.m. The next day, October 20, "Hocus Pocus will air at 6:20 p.m. followed by "Sleepy Hollow" at 8:30. On Saturday, October 21, "Sleepy Hollow" will air again at 4:40 p.m. followed by "The Addams Family" at 7:10 and "Addams Family Values" at 9:15 p.m.

Sunday, October 22 will bring more "Addams Family Values" at 7:05 p.m., followed by "Hocus Pocus" again at 9:15, and "Alice in Wonderland" at 11:25. The next day will begin a Tim Burton marathon, which could include any of the directors films such as "Beetlejuice," "The Corpse Bride," or "The Nightmare Before Christmas." On Tuesday, October 24 the Sanderson sisters are back in action at 8:50, after another showing of the "Addams Family Values." On the 25th, The Sanderson sisters will make another appearance at 6:35 followed by "Men In Black" at 8:45.

October 26th will bring another showing of "Men In Black" at 6:05 p.m., followed by Johnny Depp's "Dark Shadows" at 8:20. The next day both "Addams Family" movies will air back-to-back, and on Saturday, October 28, "Hocus Pocus" will air before "Monster's Inc." and "Monster's University."

Sunday, October 29, will be a Disney-Pixar day with another showing of both "Monster's Inc." movies followed by the fan favorite "Toy Story of Terror." The day before Halloween brings the Addams' back as well as the Sanderson sisters, before Halloween day, where "Hocus Pocus" will play on a loop for an all-day marathon event, closing out FreeForm's "13 Nights Of Halloween" for 2017.

Jose Rivera's Marisol comes to the Promethean Theatre Ensemble October 20 - November 26, 2017

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When even the angels in heaven are revolting against an unjust God, what does author Jose Rivera expect a Puerto Rican girl in the Bronx to do?

See Jason Marsden get spooked by the Sanderson Sisters

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Disney voice actor, Jason Marsden, stopped by Magic Kingdom Park during Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party last week to pose for a picture with the spooky Sanderson Sisters.

You may recognize Jason’s voice as the cat Thackery Binx in Disney’s “Hocus Pocus,” as well as Max, Goofy’s son, in “A Goofy Movie” and Mungo from Disney’s “Tarzan.”

Pfft, they don't even mention Tino from the Weekenders. WHATEVER.

FLICKREEL.COM: 5 Shows that deserved more Emmy recognition

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If there’s a downside to living in a golden age of television, it’s that not every show can make it into the Emmy race. Still, there were several shows this past year that easily should’ve been frontrunners in various categories, but for some reason accumulated little to no recognition. Since the Creative Arts Emmy ceremonies were this past weekend and the Primetime Emmys are this upcoming Sunday, now seems as good a time as any to look over five shows that deserved a lot more love from the Television Academy.

4. A Series of Unfortunate Events

This masterful adaptation of Lemony Snicket’s darkly humorous books was perhaps the year’s most inventive comedy series. Yet, Barry Sonnenfeld’s stunning direction and Neil Patrick Harris’ pitch perfect performance as the villainous Count Olaf went overlooked. Given the show’s incredible production values, you’d think that A Series of Unfortunate Events would’ve at least cleaned up in the tech categories. While James Newton Howard’s fanciful musical score got a deserved nomination, the show’s gothic production design, costumes, makeup, and visual effects all went unnoticed. How unfortunate.

3. Gortimer Gibbon’s Life on Normal Street

Whenever I bring up Gortimer Gibbon’s Life on Normal Street, people always ask the same question: “What’s that?” Seeing how the show flew under the radar, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Emmy voters never recognized this hidden gem. That being said, creator David Anaxagoras truly delivered a tour de force of children’s programing, mixing elements of Eerie, Indiana, The Adventures of Pete & Pete, and the immortal works of Roald Dahl. Behind all the whimsical setups and quirky humor, this was a surprisingly deep coming-of-age story, dealing with divorce, death, and growing up without ever talking down to kids. It might be too late to give Gortimer Gibbon’s Life on Normal Street an Emmy, but you can still check it out on Amazon Video.

Recommended: mother!, what was that all about?

Quill and Quire reviews Lumberjanes: Unicorn Power

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In 2013, comic publisher Boom! Studios started an imprint called Boom! Box – a space for experimental, creator-driven work by writers and artists from outside the mainstream industry. Their second title, Lumberjanes (2014), was a supernatural take on the Girl Guides that was meant to run for eight issues. It recently hit issue No. 40. It’s won multiple Eisner and GLAAD Media Awards; a live-action movie is in the works; and the next run of comics will be penned by Roxane Gay. Lumberjanes is a full-blown franchise and, thankfully, not ending any time soon.

To add to the pile of awesomeness, Amulet Books has made Lumberjanes into a series of middle-grade novels, by Toronto-born artist and writer Mariko Tamaki (This One Summer, Saving Montgomery Sole). The first instalment, like its comic predecessors, is smart, adventurous, confident, and deeply feminist. It’s doubtful the series will end after the planned four books.

Unicorn Power! is set at Miss Qiunzella Thiskwin Penniquiqul Thistle Crumpet’s Camp for Hardcore Lady Types. We follow the five scouts of the Roanoke cabin – Jo, April, Molly, Mal, and Ripley – over the course of three days. While all the characters get moments to shine, the story is mainly focused on April. She is an overachiever with her sights set on earning the Extraordinary Explorers badge. But April unwittingly leads the troop into imminent danger that involves farting unicorns and surfer-dude cloud people. It’s The Baby-Sitters Club meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer set in Adventure Time’s Land of Ooo.

Lumberjanes’ fans (a.k.a. Lumber Jumbies) will be excited about the deeper character exploration and backstory the novel provides, but a reader doesn’t have to be familiar with the comics to fully appreciate the novel’s greatness. Unicorn Power!’s charms are self-evident, as the book bounces with relentless cheering, dancing, gasping, running, and falling. Endearingly, names of famous women (Ursula K. Le Guin, Yayoi Kusama, Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner) are used as adjectives and interjections. Although the characters are flawed and have their fair share of problems, the tone is always optimistic. In fact, the only depressing thing about Lumberjanes is how unusual it feels – assertive adventure books starring girls are woefully rare.

Interview with Lisa Loring (Wednesday in the Addams Family TV series starring John Astin)

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They say Wednesday’s child is full of woe, but for the original Goth girl, Lisa Loring, life these days is far sunnier.

The actress was just six years old when she was cast as the youngest member of The Addams Family, meaning she pretty much grew up as part of the creepiest, kookiest family on TV.

And it was a bond that lasted a lifetime.

“The Addams Family really was like a second family to me,” said Loring, adding she was especially close to John Astin and Carolyn Jones, who played parents Gomez and Morticia on the show. “John has actually been my acting mentor for a very long time.”

Once, back in the early ‘80s, Jones sent for Loring to visit her on the Hollywood set of the short-lived drama Capital.

“She wanted me to come visit, and she had hired a photographer,” Loring recalled. “We were doing soaps at the same time. That was about eight months before she died — she hadn’t told anyone she was sick.”

Loring said she believed her tight bond with Astin and Jones was partly because neither had any daughters of their own.

“John had five boys, and Carolyn never had any children at all,” she explained. “A lot of the real family dynamic we had in the show was because of John. I don’t see him too often these days because he lives in Baltimore . . . but over the years we’ve stayed in touch. He was like having a second father.”

That warmth was just one reason Loring believes The Addams Family really stood out to audiences, even when put in direct competition with The Munsters.

The other was the quality of the comedy.

“One was more witty, with intelligent humour, and one was more slap stick-ish,” she said with a laugh. “Back when I was a teenager, I once said The Addams Family was more like the Marx Brothers, while the Munsters were The Three Stooges.”

It was a sentiment that got a lot of attention back in the day, though no one actually believed Loring had come up with the comparison.

“I absolutely got no credit for that, everyone asked me where I had heard it,” she said. “It got even more strange when John told me our executive producer and head writer Nat Perrin came to Hollywood to write for the Marx Brothers. That’s why it was so witty, and so funny, and so clever.”

These days, Loring continues to meet fans through appearances on the convention circuit — something she’s been a part of since the ‘90s. Her first Canadian appearance, however, will be at London Comic Con, Oct. 13-15.

“It’s all turned into such a big industry, but now there are so many different generations. Sometimes it’s even grandparents bringing their grandchildren,” she said. “I never really know what to expect. I’ve even met little girls named after the character, and all kinds of interesting things have happened that seem very surreal to me because I was so, so young when I did the show. It’s amazing to know it had such a big impact.”

Often, questions range from what was it like to be Wednesday to does she really like spiders that much. But once in a while, Loring maintains fans can still surprise her.

“I’ll never forget the first time a group of teenagers came up to me to ask me if I knew I was the original Goth girl — that was really surreal to me,” she said. “I’m not into the creepy stuff, and I don’t watch horror movies or anything like that. Never had I even thought it of it because, personally, I’m all lace and pearls.”

Z Nation films in WA with the help of extended film tax incentive

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SPOKANE, Wash. — Washington state recently passed a 10 year extension for film tax incentives, granting films and TV shows created within state borders financial help under certain circumstances.

TV shows like Z Nation. The zombie apocalypse's cast and crew once again have taken over Spokane.

Z Nation is just one of the many parts of Washington state’s film industry. The industry is said to bring millions of dollars to the state each year, create jobs and give an economic boost to local businesses.

The recent legislation extended the Motion Picture Competitiveness Program until 2027 and has allowed the industry to continue to grow.

Z Nation creators, cast and crew are in town shooting season four of the hit Syfy channel show. Show creators said they are here for a concise list of reasons.

“We came for the incentive and stayed for the location and the crew,” Executive Producer Karl Schaefer said.

Schaefer is the man behind all the TV magic for Z Nation. He said there is no way the show would be able to film in the Evergreen State without help from the state legislature.

The state's ten year extension for film tax incentives grants film and TV producers financial help from the state if they shoot in Washington and employ its residents.

So, Z Nation creators set out to employ Washington residents. One of them is local state representative from District 3, Marcus Riccelli.

“I'm taking this real seriously. I mean this is a fun opportunity but also I don't want to look like the only person who doesn't know what they’re doing,” Riccelli said.

Riccelli was one of the sponsors of the bill pushing for film tax incentives.

“This means jobs and economic development,” the State representative said.

Producers of the zombie show agree, the state of Washington has a lot to offer in creating their TV show.

“You can play anywhere. It can be urban, it can be rural, it can be industrial,” Jody Binstock, Z Nation Co-Producer, said.

Several places around Spokane have served as the backdrop to Z Nation landscapes. However, filmmakers said it is not just the diverse landscapes that are inviting, it is also the people.

"Part of what makes the show so funny and weird are the people making it funny and weird," Schaefer said.

There are around 90 cast and crew regularly working on Z Nation and a majority of them are from the state of Washington.

"It allows people to be employed for a very very long time, and it not only affects them, it affects their kids, their parents, and their grocery, and their mechanic and the spider web goes very very long,” Binstock said.

In the end it's really about giving people the opportunity to work. Two of the shows characters, Sleezy and Sketchy, are played by actors Doug Dawson and Mark Carr. Dawson is from Spokane and Carr is from Seattle.

"It's great. I am actually from Spokane so when our episode rolls around each season I'm working right from home, I'm staying in my own bed getting professional work so it's fantastic,” Dawson said.

"You know the film incentive is a massive boost for the economy around here and for people who like us who have sort devoted our lives to this art form,” Carr said.

The massive economy boost will continue as filming for season four of Z Nation is set to wrap up at the end of September.

Patheos.com: Revisiting “Close Encounters,” 40 Years Later

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(Warning: This review contains spoilers and assumes that the reader has seen “Close Encounters.”)

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I bet Marilyn and Edgar still haven't seen it all the way through though.

Eerie, Indiana rewatch 2017: episode one, Foreverware

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Rock out your fifties hairstyles, make sure your lids are sealed tight, and enjoy vacuum-fresh food, because the 2015 Eerie Indiana rewatch kicks off tonight with the pilot episode that made half of us afraid of packed lunches... ladies and gentlemen, fire up your DVD players, and let's watch: Foreverware!