Horror News/Things I've Been Enjoying Lately

 I never blog just to like...Talk about things. I mean. I do, obviously, but it's always a dedicated post, you know? It's never just random things I feel like talking about. So I figured I would do that now because there are a few things I wanted to discuss.

First of all, on September 13th, it was announced that BEETLEJUICE IS COMING BACK TO BROADWAY! (Not to the Winter Garden, though.) I'm SO excited. Beetlejuice is my favorite Broadway show, I saw it 4 times before it closed and I was supposed to see it a 5th time, but then Covid happened and the show closed and it wasn't supposed to come back, but it IS and that news made me so happy. Live theatre is one of those things that brings me so much joy and I've missed it a lot. The past couple years have been hard, for everyone, and to have some good news about a show that means so much to me really lifted my spirits (no pun intended). I can't wait to see if any of the original cast is coming back, I loved all of them, but especially Kerry Butler. So I hope she comes back.

Purple Kiss released "Zombie" this month and I love it. For the most part, my K-pop days died with 2NE1, Infinite and SNSD, but every now and then I'll listen to newer groups and I really like Purple Kiss' music. "Zombie" is a really fun song and the MV is great, too.

I have another Halloween decor post coming, but Michaels' customer service is not okay and they flat out refused, multiple times, to help me locate a package that they said shipped over a week ago, but for 8 days was never received by Lasership, so...That finally got here today, but at this point, I might as well just wait to post it until after I go to Sleepy Hollow, in case I buy anything while I'm there. 

Old news, but news I'm excited for anyway. Fatal Frame 5 is being released for the PS5 in October. I loved it when I played it on the Wii U (and that's probably still going to be the best way to experience it because of the way it utilizes the gamepad), Fatal Frame is my favorite horror series. So I'm looking forward to that. And hopeful that it means we'll get another Fatal Frame release in the future (maybe in VR or AR??). I'm also really happy that Nintendo no longer has exclusive rights to the franchise. Fatal Frame 4 was never released here (you could import it and mod your Wii, which is what I did, but still, it sucks that it never got a NA release) and I kind of feel like Nintendo didn't care enough about the series.

Alan Wake is being remastered as well. I always wanted to play that game, but Xbox was never really my thing and I never had a PC that could handle the game, so it's cool that I'll be able to play it on the PS5 next month.

The Dark Pictures: House of Ashes is also being released next month...I'm a little less excited about that. I loved Until Dawn, it's one of my favorite PS4 games and I really thought I would like the Dark Pictures Anthology, but I kind of hate how (SPOILERS) nothing you think is happening is actually happening in those games. I could get past Man of Medan because I thought it would be a one time thing, but when they did the same thing with Little Hope, I was kind of annoyed. So I don't have high hopes for House of Ashes, but I'll still play it.

I've been playing Vampyr lately. I really enjoyed it at first, it reminds me a lot of The Sinking City. But, as with all video games that have a ton of dialogue and are longer than 15 hours, I'm starting to reach a point where I just want it to end. And I'm only halfway through the game. I also feel like I've hit a wall. There are harder enemies roaming the streets now and I'm extremely underleveled because I haven't been killing the NPCs. I'm not sure if I'll end up finishing the game.

Netflix announced Midnight Mass, from the creator of The Haunting of Hill House. I really enjoyed Hill House and Bly Manor, so I'm sure this show will be just as great and well written. It will be available to stream on September 24th. Netflix also just released Nightbooks and Squid Game. I don't think the latter is technically horror, but it looks interesting.

Lastly, I watched Malignant with Jack. I think the picture sums up our feelings perfectly.

Beetlejuice The Musical - A Show About Death

Yesterday, I went to see Beetlejuice on Broadway. Full Disclosure: I didn't like the movie and I didn't expect to like the musical because of that. I only bought tickets for it because I was going to be in the city anyway (to see A Musical About Star Wars with my boyfriend) and I've been dying to see Kerry Butler in something, anything, for years. That being said...

I. LOVED. IT. This was the most fun I've ever had at a Broadway musical (and I've been to Legally Blonde three times, as well as Rock of Ages) and you could tell the rest of the audience felt the same way. I think that added a lot to it, too. It was the cast's perfect comedic timing and the audience's laughter that made the entire experience so enjoyable. Beetlejuice is absurd and ridiculous and out of control, and I mean that in the best possible way. It 110% deserves all 8 of its Tony Award nominations, as well as a few others it didn't receive (like Sophia Anne Caruso for Best Leading Actress in a Musical, it's a crime that she didn't receive a nomination for her performance). This is in my top 3 Broadway shows of all time, and that's a big claim to make because I've seen and enjoyed a lot of them. I would go back to see Beetlejuice over and over again.

I obviously went to see Kerry Butler and she was beautiful and so talented and so committed to her role. But the entire cast was wonderful. Alex Brightman made Beetlejuice likable and he was incredibly funny. John said he's very "genie-esque" (Aladdin - Broadway), and I fully agree, he's like a dark, twisted version of him. He's adorable, too! I'm really glad they didn't make him repulsive like Beetlejuice was in the film. (I know, I know, he's supposed to be repulsive, but I didn't like the movie, remember?) And Sophia Anne Caruso? When she opened her mouth and started singing, I couldn't believe it. As soon as her first song was over, I looked at John and said, "She's really good." That's such an understatement, she's so far beyond good, I don't even have a word for it. They were all so perfect, the entire cast is amazingly talented.

And they're not the only ones. The crew, the orchestra, the lighting and set designers, the costume designers, the writers...They put together such an awesome, fun, weird musical. The sets and lighting are spectacular. And the puppets! I loved the sand worm, I think that was one of my favorite things about the entire production, as well as the skeleton costumes. I don't have one bad thing to say about this show, and that's so rare, I almost never give rave reviews about anything, I can always find something I don't like, or something that could be improved. But Beetlejuice is perfect exactly as it is.

I recommend this show for anyone, except small children (kids under the age of 4 can't get in anyway) because there are a lot of sexual jokes and some cursing and you may not want them to hear that. But it's funny and weird and even cute and surprisingly heartwarming. I can't wait for the cast album to be released on June 28th, as well as the souvenir book (I collect them from each show I go to, they said it should be out within a couple months). I hope Beetlejuice will have a long, successful run at the Winter Garden Theatre and I hope I'm able to see it again soon.