RenoVous

 The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has quite a collection of creepy creatures and strange science. There's even some Scary Stories as told by scientists, of times when they were conducting research. Six Shorts Mummies have long been a subject of Halloween costume and decor, even a horror movie or two.  What could be worse than a long-dead body shambling towards you? One that's turning to black ooze. The Chinchorro mummies are the oldest intentionally mummified human remains, and they're from the Atacama Desert in Chile. With climate change, the humidity is rising, and opportunistic microbes are taking advantage, which deteriorates the mummies' skin. About 100 mummies are housed at the Universidad de Tarapaca Museum, but others are still preserved in their original Arica region burial sites, and they cannot be protected with humidifiers and climate control.

  I was able to finish The Pit and the Pendulum  and I've started The Fall of the House of Usher . I'm no longer entirely sure I have actually read this, I believe I was just vaguely familiar with the tale. I added a fourth to read, but I'm not sure I'll make it. Ligeia  is one I've never even heard of. *** In other Halloween spirit, we did our pumpkins last night.  I have to show off the face my nephew drew. Boo!

 My first and forever favorite. I've been into horror movies since I was too young.  I started pulling from my mom's collection and found this, which confirmed my penchant.  I watched it often, along with The Haunting and The Changeling. When I was in elementary school there was an 89¢ Video rental and we found some goodies.  One I remember in particular is: When it comes to slasher films, I've seen nearly all of them, but I prefer the weirdness of Texas Chainsaw Massacre .  There's more to it than just a maniac killing teenagers. I watch it almost every year for my birthday, which is also Texas Chainsaw Day.  ^_^ In newer horror, I found Hereditary  surprisingly good.  Not in the sense that I expected it to be bad, but it had moments I did not expect, and the entire theater was shook. Revenge  is another one I quite liked. Even though women in horror are subjected to violence, they also persevere, and that taught me a strength at a young age...

  My sister is joining me again, this time for some spooky season Poe. We're going with: The Cask of Amontillado The Fall of the House of Usher The Pit and the Pendulum The first I've never read, the second a long time ago, and the third....I'm not entirely sure. The Girl Who Played With Fire  certainly had some elements of horror.  The real life sex trafficking kind, failures of government systems to protect its citizens.... Will you read-along, or do you have something else for the holiday?

 Some local artists put together a Haunted Mini Golf! My friend's fireplace. And the pumpkins we made at my sister's house. Of course, I also have to mention Nevada Day.  ^_^ Open Thread as I'll be off tomorrow!!

 On this day in 1938, Orson Welles terrified the public with his dramatization of The War of the Worlds. It was Sunday evening, prime time in the golden age of radio, and millions of Americans were listening in.  But many missed the introduction. Welles employed sophisticated sound effects as well as top notch actors - it's really no wonder people mistook the tale as an actual report.  As "Martian cylinders" landed in Chicago and St. Louis, real life panic was setting in. Welles was just 23 at the time, and the broadcast helped him land a Hollywood contract. Happy Halloween Eve!

  Ghosts have haunted humanity wherever they have settled across the planet.  Every age and every culture has its own type of ghosts and ghost stories. Emeritus Professor Chris French believes there is an evolutionary element to these beliefs. For most of our evolutionary history, there were real threats from predators and from enemies.  As our brains are hardwired to be on the lookout for potential threats, it has produced certain cognitive biases.  One of these, according to French, is "believing that when something happens in the world around us, it happens because something or someone with intentions towards us made it happen." So unrelated events and random natural phenomena can be confused with the supernatural.  It's the same bias that may have led people in the past to blame failing crops on the wrath of God or witchcraft. Further, there are two important psychological factors that contribute to someone having a ghostly experience.  Context and prio...

  Remember when I mentioned turnip Jack o' lanterns? Creepy, right? And I'm reminded of some masks throughout horror.  Such as from Texas Chainsaw Massacre. The Rise of Leslie Vernon Hush As much as I love the Scream  movie mask, MTV's show had this: And then there's the dollface masks which hit the "Uncanny Valley" aesthetic. Tourist Trap Alice, Sweet Alice The Strangers Or yeah, a bag. The Town That Dreaded Sundown Do you have a favorite??

  Lily Collins Allison Williams Michelle Yeoh Janelle Monae Logan Browning From Halloweekend: Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos Keke Palmer Rosalia Victoria Justice Paris Hilton

  From the local Ferrari Farms. Tonight is, in fact, our pumpkin date, but I haven't decided if I want to carve or paint.  I both love and hate cleaning out the pulp and seeds. If I go for it, the leftovers can be good for the  pups . All the animals love 'em! Pumpkins are native to North America and are one of the oldest domesticated plants. Carving vegetables, usually turnips, for Jack-o'-lanterns is an old tradition from Samhain. In the US, it was done more for harvest season before it became a Halloween symbol.

  For the second year in a row, we caught the shadow-acting performance of the  Bawdy Caste  at the Reno Aces stadium. The night celebrates the movie, of course, our shared love of a cult classic that some of these people have seen a LOT.  I love seeing the old man in fishnets shouting out every bit of audience participation dialogue that there is. It is also a celebration of LGBTQ+ gender fluidity.  Many people identify with the theme of acceptance, it's okay to be different, deviant even.  Live yourself. "Don't dream it, be it." The soundtrack is a hit too.

  First up! Best Costumes! Janelle Monae Kerry Washington Girls of Riverdale. Latto Heidi Klum is currently in process for a later reveal. I've been watching 101 Scariest Movie Moments on Shudder, and here comes a spoiler: #1 #2 So good. As you know, we've also been reading ghost stories for the month. I haven't quite finished "The Horla" but I should today. A definite theme throughout these stories has been madness, which does often go hand in hand with ghosts.  There's always doubt in oneself, the questioning of others.... Share music, scenes, photos, tricks or treats!!

  I mean, imagine running into these guys! Rotten Red Gapers, to be exact.  They pump water into their bodies to appear larger, but it also reminds me of a horror movie scene. Like the line, "Tentacles from the Deep." And "Depths Unknown." The Kraken! Look, I'll even creep myself out. NOAA

  Man-Size in Marble  by Edith Nesbit A not so spooky but fine enough ghost story.  Poor Laura. The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman This one though, I'm not sure it really is a ghost story, but it was haunting.  I felt my anxiety rise as she lost her mind - how expertly written that was.  I had a sense of Lovecraft as I was reading, the insanity of "The Rats in the Walls."  So I thought it was interesting to find he had commented on the story, saying it "rises to a classic level in subtly delineating the madness." Previously there was mention of feminism in both of these stories, and they do both portray a woman who is treated as fragile and unable to handle themselves, with husbands who must tend to them.  Although I have a much more negative opinion of John in the second story.  I was seriously thinking he was gaslighting her. I went ahead with the next story, The Cigarette Case  by Oliver Onions.  Another fine ghost story...