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10/31/2006: Happy Halloween From The Darkside!

Happy Halloween! This year’s Halloween Countdown ends, oddly, with a review of my favorite episode of Tales From The Darkside. Such a great show, and it gave me just the kind of last-minute spirit zapping I needed. I know most people did their big costume/haunting things this past weekend, but tomorrow is Halloween Propa. Do your best to enjoy it, however you can.

I really didn’t want the season to slip by without getting to write about these, because they’re great. Let me sum it up quick: Cars, in horror shells, fun times. Don’t think that’ll due, so, expansion: Remember those Matchbox Christmas Coal Cars I wrote about ten years ago? Same idea here. Regardless of whether your costume-wearing widdle-wons have been naughty or nice, they, and I and you will all revel in the glories of horror-shelled mystery Matchbox cars. Each plastic case splits open to reveal a toy car that is sadly not at all Halloweeny, but it’s the cases that count, and these are great cases. Not sure which I like better, but it doesn’t matter much; they’re both mine.

They’re coming to take me away, ha ha.

Posted by Matt. E-mail me!

Discussion Thread: 118 comments

Happy Halloween everybody!

Ghosted by Phil G. @ 10/31/2006 1:07 AM EST

Yes, HH! PS, I have some leftovers (well, a lot of leftovers) that I didn’t get to write about this year. Will post some of the goodies on the blog tomorrow night.

Ghosted by Matt @ 10/31/2006 1:12 AM EST

I am not at all ready for the ‘Ween season to be over. At least I will be able to pick up candy corn for cheap come Wednesday.

Ghosted by Somethin' Funny @ 10/31/2006 1:21 AM EST

Still 40 minutes to Halloween here. Have a good day, everyone! Or should I say, have a ghastly day? I don’t know. I celebrated by Reading “The Raven” and “The Cask of Amontillado” Good reading.

Ghosted by Cameron T. @ 10/31/2006 1:23 AM EST

I will be celebrating the spooky day with a big bowl of Reese’s, the Great Pumpkin Special and Garfield’s Halloween courtesy of DVD, and half of a Cyberman costume I was too busy to finish.

Other than that, HAPPY HALLOWE’EN (that apostrophe’s important, y’hear?) EVERYBODY! BOO!

Ghosted by Roadblock @ 10/31/2006 1:23 AM EST

Happy Halloween!

But, I have work in another five hours, so it looks like this is going to be another uneventful Halloween for me. What really sucks is that I missed a HUGE Halloween party over the weekend, because I had to work. Work sucks, kiddies.

Anyway, I would like to give a big “Thank You” to Matt and my fellow X-E’rs. Without you guys, I wouldn’t have been able to get some enjoyment out of the holiday. Thank you one and all!

Ghosted by Kathodos @ 10/31/2006 1:38 AM EST

Boy that one brought back memories! The one that scared the piss out of me was called “The Closet” I believe, had a creepy little critter in it that gave me nightmares for months!

Ghosted by Bizzar @ 10/31/2006 1:39 AM EST

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!
This year’s countdown has been awesome! Every one of the entries was freakin’ great! Thanks again Matt for sharing so much cool stuff with us readers.

Ghosted by Justin @ 10/31/2006 1:55 AM EST

Yeah, alright, so “party” means talking to the employee stuck manning the door. Nice work, GameStop. I mean I enjoyed it and all. Got to talk shit about FF with the only other guy there until everyone showed up about a quarter til.

Well I’m firing it up. Who’s with me?

Ghosted by K- @ 10/31/2006 1:56 AM EST

Should have been the Mr. Hackel episode. Much more… Halloweeny.

Ghosted by Jinx Mesmer @ 10/31/2006 2:04 AM EST

Matt, these are for you… The ugliest costumes I’ve ever seen. haha!

Personally, I like Franken Berry the best.

I am SO ready for Halloween. I spent all evening making Monster Mix for my co-workers and planning my costume whilst watching Hellraiser. Can’t get much better than that!

Happy Halloween, everybody!

Ghosted by broomstickjockey @ 10/31/2006 2:15 AM EST

Happy Halloween Everyone,
Well, I guess after class tomorrow I’m gonna get all zombied-up and just walk the streets in my neighborhood moaning and shuffling around until someone beats my head in with a baseball bat. Or until my girlfriend gets back from class.

Ghosted by Tommy @ 10/31/2006 2:16 AM EST

Great Post… I loved that show, and yeah it freaked me out.. Just that opening alone, and I always seemed to catch the show, when I stayed home sick…

Happy Halloween…

5 star post

Ghosted by Squidboy @ 10/31/2006 2:27 AM EST

thank you for sharing those two pictures, broomstick jockey, I like the franken berry one better as well. I wonder what the boo berry one would look like.

I saw that episode of TOTD on youtube a month or so ago when everyone was talking about it on the SNT. Cheesy but good. Even though like I explained before, I don’t think the whole plot is believeable enough. Maybe in a cartoon but not with real actors. I mean, you just crank the hot tub all the way and you make a stew out of the girl and the veggies??? And was it like they were marinating her with the alcohol? I mean with their funky logic and all…yes I am one of those people that think too damn much sue me.

Thank you Matt. Thank you for my third Halloween with x-entertainment. If I get things going here (ie getting a job, preventing getting evicted etc.) I promise, I’ll get you something that I feel you would really enjoy off of your amazon.com wishlist you posted last christmas. I see you got a ton of stuff but I would like to contribute. “hugs everybody that isn’t too gross looking”

hahah that reminds me of the movie wayne’s world where there was that headbanger rocker guy that was like “i love you man” to everybody and everybody got all awkward. I have seen that movie too many times to count. I think that was my first cool movie I owned. One with dirty language, not a disney kids type of movie. Anyway…Happy Halloween

Ghosted by Goob @ 10/31/2006 2:38 AM EST

Happy Halloween to all, and to all a good fright. I drove around until midnight alternating between being really pumped that it was Halloween and really sad that “Electronic Jazzy Island Santa” now has more shelf space at Walgreens than “Marcus the Carcus.” Anyway, awesome countdown, Matt. My only wish is that you had a Halloween contest this year. So I re-offer up my old entry from a couple Halloween’s back: http://www.x-entertainment.com/updates/pics/halloweenart/19.jpg
On to redder and greener pastures now, eh?

Ghosted by Eddie Lightning Frog @ 10/31/2006 2:46 AM EST

Happy Halloween everyone. We had Beggar’s Night tonite and had 116 trick-or-treaters. That’s about our average, even on a cold night like tonite.

I also saw this on Youtube awhile ago. It was predictable, but fun. But my favorite Darkside episode actually The Odds with Danny Aiello. Case of the Stubborns was fun too. Glad Sci-Fi is rerunning them now.

The guy who put the Darkside episodes on Youtube also has episodes of forgotten anthology “Monsters” on there also. It’s by the same people who did Darkside after that was cancelled. Although that one was more humorous than Darkside was.

Also found a couple episodes of “Friday the 13th, the Series” there. I LOVED that show.

Ghosted by JLAJRC @ 10/31/2006 2:48 AM EST

Happy Halloween all!
I’m so sad to see the countdown end. It definitely was a bright spot in what has been one of the more traumatic autumns.

Alas, I live in NYC and have to miss the parade in the village again this year because of work. Last year I was working at a GameStop party similar to what K- mentioned (only this was an oddly timed ‘lets stay open 2 hours later on the 31st so people can get Star Wars Battlefront 2 earlier event’, not even a useful midnight release). This year I’m stuck at a bar in costume.
Shameless plug to any Manhattan dwellers who might be on here: Sly Fox bar on Second Ave and 9th.

Ghosted by Gadget @ 10/31/2006 2:49 AM EST

Happy Halloween, dammit!

The woman and I carved a two-sided pumpkin tonight while watching Hellraiser. We blew our collective “Halloween load” this past weekend in the city, with adjoining rooms with some friends and a lot of liquid latex, with a bottle or seven of booze. No costume contests won on our side, but how can gore compete with girls throwing together lingerie and a cat-ear hairband and calling it a costume? It cannot, sadly.

I saw five Rainbow Brites last night. The next to best one won the gold. Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley won over my friend and his girl for best Couple. They deserved it though.

Ghosted by ColonelCatsup @ 10/31/2006 3:02 AM EST

The EB I work at didn’t do the midnight opening so I dodged a bullet. Frankly, I don’t much care for Final Fantasy.

This might be the last year I actually participate in Halloween on Halloween Day; my friends and I are going as some assorted DC Universe characters, and I’m The Question. I have pictures of my costume in my link if you’re curious.

Ghosted by Timmy @ 10/31/2006 3:03 AM EST

Just saw an episode of this for the first time (the one starring a teensy tiny Seth Green) and the opening theme was definitely the most frightening part. I never came across this show back in the day, but that theme would have been enough to keep me scared off.
GEORGE WENDT STARRING AS A MURDERING PSYCHO IN THIS WEEK’S MASTERS OF HORROR! Be there or be square.
It’s been a great 2006 Halloween season. You can say it lost steam, but every entry’s been top notch. Happy Halloween, everyone!

Ghosted by squee4242 @ 10/31/2006 3:06 AM EST

I too was terrified shitless at a young age by cheesy 80s Twilite Zone rip offs. Mine was an episode of the Midnight Cafe which featured some people dressed as giant space chickens. It wasn’t intended to be scary, it just kinda turned out hauntingly, scarringly, creepy (kinda like the Duracell Battery Family). Anywho, I only saw it once, but I think they have a cameo waiting in line at MIB headquarters in MIB 2. Anyone care to verify my sighting?

Ghosted by Ponsonby_Britt @ 10/31/2006 3:29 AM EST

Just used IMDB and it was actually called the Nightmare Cafe and was from 92 not the 80s, sorry.

Ghosted by Ponsonby_Britt @ 10/31/2006 3:35 AM EST

Ack, I had the exact same case with the exact same episode of TftDS!! And I had just somewhat recently been able to find it and some other episodes too, and yeah it’s pretty weird seeing it 15 years later and remembering it nearly frame by frame. SPOOKyness.

Ghosted by Zharicant @ 10/31/2006 4:24 AM EST

So what are we supposed to buy you Matt?

Ghosted by Erik Majorwitz @ 10/31/2006 4:35 AM EST

Speaking of both GameStop midnight release parties AND scary story anthologies in the same blog, my FFXII Collector’s Edition is waiting for me there, but the thought of being surrounded by FF cosplayers in the middle of the night is much more frightening than having an old granny drug and cook you.

Ghosted by Mars @ 10/31/2006 4:48 AM EST

The Tales from the Darkside episode that was burned into my brain was the “Black Widow” family who were eating Bible & encyclopedia salesmen. The story centered around their daughter who had no idea what was going on and was in the process of getting married to some hapless schmoe. On their wedding night, she transformed into a giant spider and eats him. The web is made out of clothesline with all sorts of cloths attached with clothepins. I loved that show.

Ghosted by Cerebulon @ 10/31/2006 5:23 AM EST

One minute your worrying if you are celebrating Halloween too early the next minute your dissapointed it’s all over.

Ghosted by Goob @ 10/31/2006 6:02 AM EST

Enjoy this, our last day n’ night dedicated to devils, death and doom.
Jingle bells on elves, sugarplums on thumbs and carols sung till lips are numb do loom!

Ghosted by PerfectPrice @ 10/31/2006 6:56 AM EST

Happy Halloween, you chaps. Over here it’s been and gone, and I rather pathetically didn’t even notice. One TV station made a bit of effort over the weekend, going so far as to prepare a lineup they dubbed ‘Splatterday’. It turned out to be Fear Factor, Sleepy Hollow, and Halloween Resurrection, but it’s the thought that counts, right?

I heart the Creepy Car boxart. That skeleton’s pissing himself at the sheer novelty value of a car ‘inside’ a pumpkin.

Ghosted by onslaught86 @ 10/31/2006 7:31 AM EST

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
It’s kind of sad to see another Halloween Countdown all over (it was great, of course). Have a good one everybody (and its still too early to be thinking of Christmas but it is sneaking right up on us…)

Ghosted by Jon @ 10/31/2006 8:20 AM EST

did anyone notice the credits with George Romero? Talk about an early work of brilliancE!

Ghosted by gracie @ 10/31/2006 8:54 AM EST

Happy Halloween!
Thanks for the countdown Matt.

Ghosted by Ralph @ 10/31/2006 9:02 AM EST

Hooray freaky old cannibal people.

All this talk about FFXII is making me a little bitter. Because Neverwinter Nights II is being released today, but since the magic smoke came out of my 3D card several weeks ago and I am stricken by college-induced poverty, I can’t play it. And this time around, the story was written by the same guy who wrote Planescape: Torment. So it’s as though my favorite writer just came out with a new book, only he won’t let me read it until I pay him three hundred bucks. That bastard.

Oh, well. Perhaps it’s fate. Not having a computer capable of playing modern games might just be the edge I need to break the 40,000 word barrier next month. November is National Novel Writers Month, kids, so fire up those typewriters and give the world some new stories. Until then, happy Halloween.

Ghosted by Jedoc @ 10/31/2006 10:22 AM EST

Hi Matt,

I haven’t been here in eons, but I was thinking of you today since I know how much you lurve Halloween. And I wanted to stop by and wish you a very happy, gory, candy-filled one. God, I wish I had time for this site these days! But I’m always thinking of you this time of year and I wanted you to know.

Take care,
The Nicole for Whom You Saved Christmas

Ghosted by Nicole @ 10/31/2006 10:40 AM EST

As if it hasnt been said enough, HAPPY HALLOWEEN! I love this holiday, it just brings out old fun memories as a kid, and really has a certain energy in the air, doesnt matter how old I get. Big thanks for keeping up the countdown, it always gives me a good laugh when I come into work, and thats something I really need to make the day go by. That and Im an 80s kid so I know what its all about Whats your costume this year?? Im going as Boxy Brown from ATHF. XD

Ghosted by Romus @ 10/31/2006 10:50 AM EST

So I actually did play it last night. Then I got 2 hours of sleep before my 8am class. Good times. It plays almost like XI, which is cool, cause I really liked XI during my 3 month online stint with it. The cities feel bigger and beautiful though (or at least the first one, anyway). I just had a blast running around that city. You can’t invert the camera control, so I’m still adjusting. It’ll be alright.

On a related note, the special edition guide has random covers for all the playable characters. I didn’t even think about praying/hoping/making human sacrafices at the time, but I got Penelo anyway!!! I already love her. That shouldn’t be surprising given my Rikku and Selphie fandom. Anyway, enough about XII.

Happy Halloween, everyone!!!!!

Ghosted by K- @ 10/31/2006 10:52 AM EST

Matt, I just wanted you to know how much I’ve enjoyed your site for years, although I’ve never commented. I’m sitting here at work, the only damned person in a costume among hundreds, reading the final entry on the countdown and feeling much better!

I know it’s been hard for you to find time for the site lately, and I want you to know for every person that tells you how much they love it, there are thousands of us out there reading and enjoying that never say a word. And if you don’t post something every day, it just makes the days you do post even better gems. Don’t feel badly because the Jones soda bottle is half empty. We’re all glad it’s half full.

Thanks for another great countdown, and Happy Halloween!

Ghosted by Lara @ 10/31/2006 10:58 AM EST

Kudos to Matt and his Hallowe’en haven known as XE. I’ve spread the love many times before, and I am gonna do it again- Thank you Matt for all that you do. Your site is the best on the net, and is so, so appreciated. Make sure it keeps making YOU happy too- don’t let it be a chore and don’t listen to the morons who give you a hard time. You fill my heart with the good stuff of the holidays.

Today I was driving around listening to my local radio station, and they have been playing audio clips of “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!” all morning. Excellent.

Ghosted by Muppet Baby @ 10/31/2006 10:59 AM EST

I’ve never posted before either, like Lara, but I’ve been on the site religiously for the past two months, and plan on keeping it part of my daily routine well into the future. Matt, I’ve seen the sites doing the same stuff as you and there’s a reason I only read yours.

I remember being haunted for years by an episode of Monsters called Holly’s House. It was about a creepy freakin’ doll that hosted a kids show. If I remember correctly, the part that really got me was when the doll cuts out the heart of “Mr. Mailman” with a pair of scissors and stashes him in a closet on the set. That and the commercial for Ghoulies messed me up for years…

Ghosted by Jason @ 10/31/2006 12:03 PM EST

Happy Halloween

As much as I’ve been ready for Halloween to come and go by now so I can’t start getting into Christmas, it feels awesome that it is Halloween.

Great Countdown Matt

thank you, now please, have a fun sized Snickers, eat some Pop Rocks, and turn on a horror movie, you deserve it

Ghosted by Fox @ 10/31/2006 12:16 PM EST

I absolutely love this site and I’m always sad when the Halloween season and Halloween countdown comes to an end.

I wanted to ask a few people about Trick or Treat. I have noticed Trick or Treat starts around 5:30PM in my area (Ohio) in the last few years.

I remember when I was a kid, Trick or Treat would start after 7:00 PM in the DARK. That’s what Trick or Treat is all about…getting scared and going in the DARK. Now it is still light out when kids are going out and it makes me sad that they will not have the same spooky experience as I had as a kid.

Are other areas where you all live still doing Trick or Treat later in the evenings? I’d love to know.

Take care and thanks again for another great Halloween year Matt.

Ghosted by Todd @ 10/31/2006 12:30 PM EST

Did anyone watch How I Met Your Mother last night? It was the slutty pumpkin episode, a total rip (or is it omage?) of The great Pumpkin. Of course, once again, noone I was with had ever seen The great Pumpkin Charlie Brown so had no clue and I had to explain it (again). *sigh* the younger generation just isnt watching charlie brown anymore from what I gather (im like three or four years older than my friends – a bigger gap than Id like to admit)…

Anyhoo noo parties for me but I am surfing the web while wearing bunny ears (!) and will watch the Winnie the Pooh Halloween movie with my daughter later. So that should be fun… and will most likely break out Castlevania: SOTN as is the Halloween tradition.

My FFXII is scheduled to arrive Friday.. so it will be like a mini Christmas then. Hooray!!

Ghosted by kittygirl @ 10/31/2006 1:44 PM EST

Happy Flippin’ Halloween everyone!
Thanks for the article on Tales From The Darkside. I love watching that show because it always stars some middle of the road star from the eighties. Like that the kid who played Evil in “Fright Night” or Christian Slayter when he was a 13.

Ghosted by Billy @ 10/31/2006 2:07 PM EST

SOTN: Second best Castlevania. For me anyway, Simon’s Quest will always rule the roost (Hey, what ever happened to Nighttrekker 0_o ?).

In fact, that’s my answer to the earlier survey about what costumes have you always wanted to pull off. I remember pouring over Oriental Trader magazines to find stuff that was close enough to the 5 pieces of Drac.

All I needed was the ribcage of one of those very solid skeletons you hang in trees. Perfect shield, and I just never bought one.

Also, before I die I wanna be Constantine. I was so close last year. I have EVERYTHING (including Robitussen DM) but the inkjet temp. tattoo paper. I forgot to order it. I’ll get it eventually, cause I have what has to be the only jpeg of the Perfect Red King on the internet. Who knew the Sulfur of the Philosophers was so scarce.

What a horrible night to have a curse

Ghosted by K- @ 10/31/2006 2:15 PM EST

And thus, it is upon us again. Time to apply outer shells of cloth, latex, greasepaint, plastic, cardboard, and tinfoil. Time for Jack O’Lanterns, peanut butter kisses, and counting slutty costumes. Here in Anadarko, Oklahoma, the fun starts at 5:00, which means, as usual, I have to pop out of work early to make sure the homeplace is set up all proper-like. The new H*R Hallowe’en cartoon is up, I got Great Pumpkin on tape, Night of the Living Dead on DVD, Manheim Steamroller on CD, a song in my heart, and the Devil in my pants. And I haven’t reached critical mass yet! Ohboyohboyohboyohboy!!! I’m going to take kids out for a bit tonight, with Army Sister’s youngest boy (11 years) in the Pizza Fred costume. Always dress up when you take the kids out, sometimes you get candy just for making the effort. Wheeeee!

Ghosted by It's the Barking Pumpkin, Kingy Klash! @ 10/31/2006 2:16 PM EST

CEREBULUM: If you were freaked out by that episode, you should check out the “Monsters” episode “A Bond of Silk.” I am still terriefied by that one 16 years later. It’s on Youtube.

Ghosted by JLAJRC @ 10/31/2006 2:27 PM EST

Mark Borchardt and Mike Schank of American Movie fame are hosting Night Of The Living Dead tonight! Live from Wisconsin! 8:00 p.m. Eastern on G4 yesssssss

Ghosted by Jawesome @ 10/31/2006 2:38 PM EST

Right now, Elvira is hosting the ‘E True Hollywood Story’ of Scream Queens- it’s pretty good, actually. They just finished up Sissy Spacek and Jamie Lee Curtis, and next up is Mrs. Vorhees.

Yeah, kids are trick or treating WAY too early lately. We used to make mom wait until it was DARK outside, to make it all the more fun. My mom would park at one end of the street, we would do the entire road, and she would pick us up at the other end. Sometimes, we were pretty freaked out and quite glad to see mom’s car!

Ghosted by Muppet Baby @ 10/31/2006 2:56 PM EST

Just want to echo everyone else’s sentiments here. Happy Halloween! Thanks for the fun ride, Matt. Another awesome Halloween Countdown. Can’t wait till next year!

Ghosted by Chris Martin @ 10/31/2006 3:14 PM EST

Happy ‘Ween all!

Ghosted by Mara @ 10/31/2006 3:41 PM EST

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