Greetings and salutations, Strangelings! Welcome back to Misty Oracle Grove. I hope this week has gone well for you. For those who have never been here, I am your host, Merrick Mysteria. I’m an interdimensional being of the Shadow Realm who manifests in the flesh to take you on a journey back in time in cult movie history.
Enter my enigmatic abode and follow me to my Sinemastalgia Room, where we explore the history of what I call Sinema Obscura, cult films that puzzled mainstream audiences but resonated with a group of devoted fans. I hope you like my Sinemastalgia Room. It’s a bit different than the rest of the manor. I do enjoy a bright pop of color against the darkness. Now, let’s sit and perhaps enjoy some tea or any other strange concoction you may prefer or perhaps a light snack. Let’s gaze into my kaleidoscopic masterpiece that serves as the portal to Eccentrica, the land beyond banality.
April 29:
The Hunger (1983)
David Bowie, Susan Sarandon, and Catherine Deneuve star in this unique take on vampires. Dr. Sarah Roberts (Sarandon) is a doctor who researches sleep and aging and crosses paths with a vampire couple, John and Miriam Blaylock (Deneuve and Bowie). The Hunger marks Tony Scott’s (Top Gun, Beverly Hills Cop II) directorial debut. The film was loosely based on Whitley Strieber’s 1981 novel of the same name. Critics gave mixed reviews.
May 1:
Creepshow 2 (1987)
George A. Romero, who directed the original film, wrote the screenplay for this horror/comedy anthology. Lois Chiles, George Kennedy, Dorothy Lamour, and Tom Savini star in three segments. This film marks Lamour’s final film before she passed away in 1996. The film earned $3,584,077 on its opening weekend and $14 million during its entire run in theaters.
May 3:
The Craft (1996)
This cult classic is about a teenage coven of witches stars Robin Tunney, Fairuza Balk, Neve Campbell, and Rachel True. Upon its release, it received mixed reviews from critics but was a box office hit. Produced on a $15 million budget, The Craft conjured up $6.7 million on its opening weekend and $55.6 million worldwide. Critics who gave it a thumbs-up, praised the performances, direction, and feminist message. The film was criticized for its writing and being too too many horror cliches.
The Craft earned nominations for Best Horror Film and Best Supporting Actress for Balk. Tunney and Balk won an MTV Movie Award for Best Fight. A sequel to the film, The Craft: Legacy wasn’t released until 2020.
May 4:
Tales From The Darkside: The Movie (1990)
Timmy (Matthew Lawrence) is being held captive by a witch, Betty (Debbie Harry) who wants to eat him. To stall for time, Timmy tells Betty three horror tales. The film is a spin-off of a 1980s anthology television series of the same name. The cast features Steve Buscemi, Julianne Moore, and Christian Slater. Besides Debbie Harry, the iconic lead singer of Blondie, the cast also includes David Johansen aka Buster Poindexter, and former lead singer of the 1970s rock band, The New York Dolls. Tales from the Darkside: The Movie achieved third place on its opening weekend and raked in a total of $16,324,573 in the U.S.
Strange But True
Everyone loves ice pops in summer. Supermarket freezers carry them all year round. As an interdimensional being, life in the flesh feels claustrophobic and in summer, stifling. I do love my frozen treats in summer. Here’s something to think of the next time you reach for an ice pop on a sizzling hot day: they were invented completely by accident. On a cold night in 1905, 11-year-old Frank Epperson left soda powder and water in a cup with a wooden stirrer in it. Once he discovered the frozen mixture, he began selling it. Epperson sold his Epsicle in his neighborhood and branched out to a local amusement park and eventually patented the recipe. His kids renamed the frozen treat Popsicle after “their pop’s concoction.”
Another interesting and amusing treat is PEZ candy. The ultra-sweet, tiny candies we now know from their fun little character-shaped dispensers were originally mints sold in tins. Created in Austria in 1927, the name comes from the German word for peppermint (Pffefferminz). They were also first created as an aid to help smokers kick their habit. Before there was the patch, there was PEZ.
Speaking of Germany, did you know that there are more castles in Germany than McDonald’s locations in the United States? There are approximately 25,000 castles in Germany and 13,000 McDonald’s locations in America.
Did you ever see lightning in the sky during a storm and wonder if it will strike the Earth? I just found out that lightning strikes the Earth, on average, about 100 times per second.
Sources: Movie blurbs culled from the pages of Wikipedia and Strange But True facts from the following articles:
50 Weird and Crazy Facts That Most People Don't Know
75 Weird Facts That Are Wild, Wacky, And Fun (buzzfeed.com)