On Hallowe'en, after the front lights were doused to signal to any remaining trick-or-treaters that we'd closed up shop, I asked my mother & my father if they were interested in watching either of a pair of classic Universal horror pictures I'd recorded via Turner Classic Movies, Bride of Frankenstein & The Mummy, both starring the uncanny Karloff. I thought this was thematically appropriate Hallowe'en fare. My father preferred to watch his usual Thursday night programs, Covert Affairs & Elementary, while my mother preferred her usual Thursday primetime shows, Grey's Anatomy & Scandal. Yep, our house was simply brimming with the Hallowe'en spirit.

I watched The Mummy last night & found it to be disappointing, decidedly inferior to other iconic Universal horror pictures like Frankenstein & Dracula.

The Rebel Black Dot Hallowe'en Songs of the Day
Brian Carpenter's Ghost Train Orchestra, "Voodoo" from Hothouse Stomp: The Music of 1920s Chicago and Harlem (T.L.A.M.)

Commentary: There is something decidedly otherworldly about some of the sounds in the background of "Voodoo."

Freitag, 1 November
John Williams, "Double Trouble" via iTunes (T.L.A.M.)

Commentary: "Double Trouble" is a delightful piece of fluff from one of the Harry Potter films, the one with Gary Oldman, …the Prisoner of Azkaban. That's the third one, I think. I've seen the entire Harry Potter film series, but have not experienced the slightest desire to read the books. The film series is O.K., but nothing spectacular. I fail to understand why the books & films inspire such enthusiasm & devotion, but there's no accounting for taste. "Double Trouble's" lyrics borrow liberally from the Weird Sisters in the Bard's Macbeth.

"Double, double, toil and trouble,
Fire burn and cauldron bubble,
Double, double, toil and trouble,
Something wicked this way comes…"