Let's Talk About Horror Fiction and Film

[RJDiogenes]

Well, it looks like Svengoolie is on This TV, which my cable company actually carries. I might actually be able to watch this weekend.

And my graphics tablet has shipped (though my laptop hasn't).

[Pingfah]

RJDiogenes wrote:

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He's great. He's got an effortless, quirky style and a gentle, yet macabre, sense of humor. Like a few people I've met online (including yourself), he deserves to be doing his thing professionally.

Thanks RJ, that's very nice of you to say so.

This Horror Host thing is something I wish we had more of over here, there's a general lack of late-night horror on free to view TV, especially the Universal Monster type of stuff.

I have a few boxsets of stuff, but it's not the same as just coming across a great old movie late at night.

[Spaceman Spiff]

Thanks for the kind words, guys. I mostly do cartoons these days; they're what I have the most fun drawing. One of these days I'll actually get around to putting a comic strip on the Web or something. I mostly do it for fun or to improve.

As for the lines looking like brush strokes, that's thanks to the excellent brush mechanics of Manga Studio. It's the only drawing software I've seen devoted strictly to comics. But because the brushes work so well, I'll use it for basic illustration stuff. I do all of the sketching and linework in that, then color it in Photoshop. (You can color just fine in Manga Studio, I'm just more familiar with doing it in PS.)

That's how I did this one last Friday the 13th. It was my first attempt using that method. I see the errors now, like the holes on his mask in the last panel and the lack of paint on the ground, but hey, I learned a lot while doing it. I might redraw it at some point with a less clunky punchline. "That's NOT how you make spaghetti," etc.)

Good luck with the tablet, RJ. It takes a little time to get used to looking up at the screen while drawing, instead of your hand. After a few hours of practice, it gets a lot easier.

I hope you do finally get Svengoolie on This TV. I have no doubt you'll enjoy it. I think this is the schedule for April:

04/07: Sssssssssss
04/14: Dracula
04/21: Dracula's Daughter
04/28: This Island Earth

It's great that he gets to stay clear of the usual public domain stuff.

[RJDiogenes]

Pingfah wrote:

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Thanks RJ, that's very nice of you to say so.

You're welcome. I still have at least one of your MP3s around.

This Horror Host thing is something I wish we had more of over here, there's a general lack of late-night horror on free to view TV, especially the Universal Monster type of stuff.

A few of them are online. I'll dig up some links for you.

Spaceman Spiff wrote:

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Thanks for the kind words, guys. I mostly do cartoons these days; they're what I have the most fun drawing. One of these days I'll actually get around to putting a comic strip on the Web or something. I mostly do it for fun or to improve.

Yeah, do your webcomic. Or something for the Nook and Kindle. Or an old-fashioned paperback.

As for the lines looking like brush strokes, that's thanks to the excellent brush mechanics of Manga Studio. It's the only drawing software I've seen devoted strictly to comics. But because the brushes work so well, I'll use it for basic illustration stuff. I do all of the sketching and linework in that, then color it in Photoshop. (You can color just fine in Manga Studio, I'm just more familiar with doing it in PS.)

Hmm. I'll have to look at that site in depth. They also have some animation stuff. They apparently own Poser now, and Poser looks a lot more advanced than the last version I bought.

That's how I did this one last Friday the 13th. It was my first attempt using that method. I see the errors now, like the holes on his mask in the last panel and the lack of paint on the ground, but hey, I learned a lot while doing it. I might redraw it at some point with a less clunky punchline. "That's NOT how you make spaghetti," etc.)

"This is why we can't have nice things."

Good luck with the tablet, RJ. It takes a little time to get used to looking up at the screen while drawing, instead of your hand. After a few hours of practice, it gets a lot easier.

I'm going to have to wait for my new laptop to come. There's software that needs to be installed and the drive is broken on this computer.

I hope you do finally get Svengoolie on This TV. I have no doubt you'll enjoy it.

Now I'm not sure. The Wiki page implied that he would be on This-TV, but I don't see him on the schedule. Of course, he may be on a different night and time. I'll have to look further....

[RJDiogenes]

Well, I've got a link to one online Horror Host. I'll continue to search.

And here is a nice database of existing Horror Hosts. Penny Dreadful's Shilling Shockers, by the way, is produced near where I live, down in East Bridgewater. My Mother works for the cable company where the show is done, but she hasn't had a chance to work with Penny yet.

[RJDiogenes]

And I forgot to mention, yesterday while checking out This TV I taped Attack Of The Puppet People and Dr Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine, which I hope to be able to watch over the weekend.

[Starbreaker]

I got a couple of recommendations from the Horror Etc. podcast on what to watch tonight. One of the guys is always raving about Session 9 and The Changeling. I think Session 9 is absolutely terrible so far. It's something about David Caruso and an insane asylum and it's not making a lot of sense, really.

[RJDiogenes]

I don't think I've heard of either one of those.

[Pingfah]

RJDiogenes wrote:

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Well, I've got a link to one online Horror Host. I'll continue to search.

Hey thanks RJ. I quite liked the guy, if you haven't checked out his double feature then I suggest you do, it was really quite good. The first movie is a 15 minute version of Christine played for laughs and made for $500. It's really pretty good, some genuinely funny moments, and amateur but quite well made.

I'd take his claims that it is better than the original with a pinch of salt, but well worth 15 minutes of your time. I'm going to save the second one for later as it looks good too.

I've got Session 9 on DVD, it was a blind buy for £3, it was vaguely unsettling, and also confusing at times, but with a decent payoff. Watch it, but try not to pay for it...

[RJDiogenes]

I like that guy, too. I used to watch him on a pretty regular basis a couple of years ago. I should remember to check in with him when I get a chance.

So it looks like no Svengoolie on Real TV, but they do have some pretty good stuff. They show the original Outer Limits (not Horror, but it does have monsters ). I've got the series on DVD, but it's nice to know that somebody is sowing it.

[Spaceman Spiff]

Not to get too far off-topic, but I just saw this tutorial for getting started with a tablet. The whole site is great, but that post's an excellent starting point.

Speaking of Horror, Etc., do you guys listen to any other horror podcasts? I've listened to a few different ones, but I'm looking for one I'll really like.

[Shanndee]

Starbreaker wrote:

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I got a couple of recommendations from the Horror Etc. podcast on what to watch tonight. One of the guys is always raving about Session 9 and The Changeling. I think Session 9 is absolutely terrible so far. It's something about David Caruso and an insane asylum and it's not making a lot of sense, really.

Ugh, Session 9 was horrible. I saw the Changeling (the one with George C. Scott) 20 odd years ago with 2 friends. We watched it on a black and white TV in the middle of the afternoon...and we were creeped out for weeks. I saw it again a few years ago and was disappointed to find it slow and not at all scary...but I think I have become very desensitized to horror over the years!

[Mr. Adventure]

When my local Blockbuster went belly up I spent a couple of bones and on a whim picked up Fragile with Calista Flockhart. I thought it was pretty decent for a haunted hospital type movie. It has a lot of atmosphere and there seems to have been more effort expended than many films of this ilk.

[RJDiogenes]

Spaceman Spiff wrote:

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Not to get too far off-topic, but I just saw this tutorial for getting started with a tablet. The whole site is great, but that post's an excellent starting point.

Thanks. That looks very helpful. I haven't had a chance to practice much, since it took a while to get the laptop set up to my satisfaction.

Speaking of Horror, Etc., do you guys listen to any other horror podcasts? I've listened to a few different ones, but I'm looking for one I'll really like.

Actually, I don't know of any. The only podcasts I've listened to are Chris Mihm's and that's probably not the type of thing you're looking for.

[Spaceman Spiff]

Just a heads-up, there's a pretty good mini-marathon of 1930s horror on TCM Wednesday. It starts with Frankenstein at 3am (PDT). Lots of good stuff, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Freaks, Murders In the Rue Morgue, Island of Lost Souls, ending with Laughton's version of The Hunchback of Notre Dame.