Since it is close to Halloween, my thoughts of late have turned toward memories of previous Halloween celebrations. There’s a lot of good times, so maybe I’ll post something later about certain memories. But in today’s post, I wanted to talk specifically about how I became so fascinated with vampires.

My earliest memory relating to the blood-suckers was when I was very little. Not sure exactly, but I was probably around five or six. My dad also loves Halloween (it’s probably where I got it from!), and would dress up as Dracula every year. He did this neat party trick with fangs. I remember talking to my dad, staring into his face, and he responded normally. Then I glanced away for less than a second, and when I looked back at my dad, he had this mad gleam in his eye. Then he smiled and revealed fangs that had not been there before, and lunged forward to “nibble” on me. It was really more like tickling me, but you get the idea. Apparently, he could talk while hiding the fangs in the roof of his mouth. Whenever someone glanced away, he’d push the fangs into place and scare the crap out of them. However, it didn’t scare me and my brother. In fact we loved it and would ask him to do it over and over again. I even remember thinking that my dad really was a vampire and didn’t understand why my friends thought that they were scary!

So, with my dad’s cultural influence, I was exposed to the idea of vampires at a young age and watched plenty of vampire movies growing up.

The time that I actually became obsessed over vampires was in the fifth grade. That was the year that I began to read voraciously. I found a young adult author that I liked, named Christopher Pike. After reading most of his books, I discovered that he had written a vampire series, called The Last Vampire. And boy, let me tell you, I was totally obsessed with vampires after that. I pretended that I was a vampire. After all, I had pale skin, rather long incisors, and my hair and nails grew pretty quickly. (I know that doesn’t exactly scream vampire – but when I was a kid, it was enough of a stretch. :))

Of course, I then broadened my vampire literature and read everything I could about the mythical creatures. I absorbed everything, from the classical Dracula to the Ann Rice books. From all of my “research”, I created my own version of vampires and what they were capable of. I imagined how they were created in the first place and what the culture was like.

I’m happy to tell you that I no longer obsess over vampires like I did as a child. I still enjoy reading about them and other paranormal creatures, but I’m a lot more calm about it. I no longer try to pretend like I could be one of them. Instead, I create characters who actually are vampires.

I know I’m not the only one out there who had an obsession growing up. There are plenty of people who obsess over witches and fairies and werewolves. So what’s your poison? What type of character excited you the most when you were a child? It doesn’t have to be something paranormal. Maybe you were obsessed with ballerinas or Jackie Chan. I’d love to hear about it in the comments!

You may remember when I posted about how much I love Friday the 13th a few months ago. Well, Halloween totally trumps Friday the 13th! And since it’s officially October, I’m getting very excited for my favorite holiday (don’t worry – I love Christmas, too. But I consider Christmas to be in its own category. Therefore, logic dictates that Halloween is the best.;)).

Interestingly enough, my husband didn’t like Halloween at all when we were first married. When I told him what an enthusiast I was, he was half convinced that I was some crazy, satanic devil worshiper. This was actually a good experience, as it taught me how to make this holiday fun for people who don’t like to get scared. I was also able to turn my husband to the dark side a little (a task I continue to work on) and he’s warmed up to Halloween over the years.

So the purpose of my blog today? To motivate you all to get into the Halloween spirit! It can be so much fun at this time of year. The weather is changing, you can put up some very creative decorations, enjoy reading some creepy stories. So many things! My brain is about to explode with all the fun things I get to do this month. But I’ll just leave you with a few ideas. Something for each age group and scary preference. Fair enough?

Let’s start with family oriented activities. Something I like to start at the beginning of October is Boo Your Neighbor. You can Google it and find printouts that explain everything to your neighbors when you deliver the goodies. What you do is make a plate of Halloween goodies for a couple of different neighbors and leave them at their front step. When they receive them, they put up a picture you provide with the plate, telling others that they’ve already been Booed. Then, they make copies and take a plate of goodies to two more neighbors. Kids especially get into this activity, but it’s something everyone on the block can enjoy.

Something else a little more on the tame side would be to go to a corn maze. Some of them are “haunted”, but it’s on a very low scale and nothing you would get frightened over.

Of course, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the haunted houses. These are on a higher scare level. They are a bit pricey, but so much fun! I’m always amazed at how inventive those guys get. What a fun way to make a living. On this same note, most amusement parks do a haunted theme and are a lot of fun to attend at this time of year.

If you’re on a budget, you can always check out a scary book from the library. You could go for a classic, like Dracula or Something Wicked This Way Comes, or you could branch out to the newer books. If you don’t normally read this type of genre, I would recommend authors like Tami Hoag, Kim Harrison, or Patricia Briggs. They have scary elements, but their books are more about intense plots and character dynamics. My publisher is actually having a short story writing contest this month. If you’d like to read something Halloween-ish but don’t have the time for a full novel, you can click here to read the short stories, then vote for your favorite. My story is called Death by Proxy. You should read it and tell me what you think.

As for movies, well, let’s just say I could write an entire blog on movie recommendations alone. But any classic Hitchcock will do. The original movie, Nosferatu is one of my favorite vampire movies. They even made a movie about the making of this one, called Shadow of the Vampire, because the main actor was such a creepy vampire.

I’ll leave off with only those few suggestions. But really, there’s so much more! I might write another blog about the fun kinds of things you can do for a Halloween party. If not, look on Pintrest. It’s Halloween-party-heaven!

Water…it’s such a common commodity yet we couldn’t live without it. Perhaps because of its vital nature, there have been many films made about water, or featuring water, as the central theme. Whether a romance or a drama, pictures with water as a central character are fairly common and most of them critically acclaimed. Here is a recap of a few of the most popular cinema features of recent years; you may want to add one or more to your list of must-watch films.

Water (2005)

This picture takes place in the 1940s in the cultural capital of India, Varanasi. The action follows a group of impoverished widows who are all living in the same ashram. One of the widows, who is only seven years old, rails against the social restrictions of women in her situation and over time falls in love with a man who is from the highest Indian caste as well as a follower of Gandhi. The water is a river that represents freedom from their oppression. This Canadian film won 13 awards including the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film 2007.

Like Water For Chocolate (1992)

This Mexican film relates the romance between main characters Tita and Pedro, who are in love with each other but forbidden to marry. Set in the last century, it depicts the strict social mores of the time. The film’s title refers to a Mexican expression that relates the inferiority of something because a hot chocolate drink can be made with milk and thus taste rich, or water, which dilutes the flavour. It can also refer to the passion between two lovers. In this picture, based on a debut novel by Laura Esquivel, it probably references both meanings. It earned 11 awards from the Mexican Academy of Motion Pictures.

Water For Elephants (2011)

A travelling circus is the setting for this romantic drama. It takes place during America’s Great Depression and follows a veterinary student as he gains employment with the circus to heal the show’s star performing horse. He also enters a dangerous love triangle involving the cruel circus owner’s wife. The film’s title refers to the protagonist’s duties in caring for the elephant who takes the place of the horse as the show’s star. Although it received mixed reviews, this picture won three major awards.

Lady in the Water (2006)

This mystery/thriller was written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan. It focuses on the superintendent of a complex of flats who rescues a young woman from the swimming pool. Later he discovers that she isn’t what she seems and he must rescue her again from creatures determined to keep her in the “Blue World” of stories from whence she came. Critics loathed the movie and it was actually voted as the Worst Film of 2006.

These films featuring water in the titles and plot lines are just a handful of those you may wish to watch if you are intrigued by water. Whether you prefer a mystery, a romance, or a drama, you will find plenty of pictures based on water in addition to the ones outlined here. Why not rent a handful this weekend and enjoy your own water cinema marathon?

Damien Higgins writes for Eden Springs, the UK’s No. 1 bottled water cooler supplier. Eden Springs office coolers provide a refreshing drink at work.

Have you ever wondered about the Hollywood terms in the credits at the end of your favorite TV show or film? Well, here are the people behind the scenes that you will likely see in every role of the credits.

Network:

These are the people who will be signing off on everything for the show, regardless of where in the country they are at. These are the guys that are paying for everything so even the production company will answer to them. With the network generally comes Standard & Practices along with lawyers. They’re there to check and make sure there’s nothing they can get sued over.

Executive Producer:

Often considered very confusing, this credit is sometimes the creator, sometimes not. There are even occasions an actor gets the credit as part of their signing. In addition they can be production company owners or network execs.

Co-Executive Producer:

Also dubbed the show’s creator and even considered an important member of the team from the production company. Credits are negotiated all the time and this is one of those that can be. Occasionally this is also given to someone who might be considered a Supervising Producer.

Line Producer:

These guys are generally at the head of insuring the show runs and stays in budget. They are usually set up to check time cards and negotiate what everyone’s salary is.

Supervising Producer:

This is a title normally reserved for those in charge of running the show daily and through all of the production stages. These will include pre, actual production and post. Occasionally they are called Co-Executive producer though not always vice versa. These are the guys in charge of production overall and delegation of control.

Senior Story Producer:

This is one of those titles that is often negotiated even for those not in a supervising position. In the best situations this position is in charge of a host of story producers to make sure that the story has consistent tone and structure. Without someone in this role either the Co-Executive Producer or the Executive Producer will take over these duties.

Story Producer:

Depending on the project this job can vary quite a bit. Generally speaking the job is made up of compressing any source material and creating outlines for the story to create a great and consistent story. Depending on the organization this position can come in anytime during production.

Field Producer:

Consider these your production front line. They will either work alone or occasionally with Story Producers as part of a larger team. More seasoned producers create a close working environment where the Field Producer acts as a connector that tempers out talent and story. Sometimes this position is termed the Producers.

Associate Producer/Co-Producer:

These are often considered the lowest ranking position. They the people taking care of the specific tasks from those further up in the hierarchy.

Assistant Story Editor/ Story Assist:

This position can be considered the organizer. They will help to insure the story can function and search for the right elements that will help to get the story told. They work closely with Transcribers and Loggers.

Loggers/Transcribers:

These are the people in charge of summarizing and reviewing to make the story easier to tell. It’s an important job working with transcriptions of interview content and can really make a difference in the time needed for production.

Serge Kozak writes advice and industry focused information on film production at edictive.com/blog.

Horror Movies have been a tradition since Alfred Hitcock first released “The Birds”. Since then, their popularity has grown to new levels and many sub genres have developed. While the classic suspense movies are quite popular, other niche’s have a wide following.

Slasher Films

Overview of Genre: This Genre focuses on trying to make the viewer jump out of their seats in suspense of the unknown or whats to come. On the premise cringing on the next scene, the beauty of slasher films almost comes relief when the event occurs because it was expected or unexpected. Mostly this genre consists of a female actress as the main star and usually the sole survivor.

Three Popular Movies:

1. Nightmare on Elm street – This is one of my favorites cause it incorporates suspense with one of man’s fears, his subconscious and uncontrollable dream state. Implicating you are the most vulnerable when you normally feel the most safe, when you are sleeping.
2. Halloween – Is a classic slasher psycho path and adheres to all slasher basics to a tee. Knife wielding psycho path goes on rampage with an agenda to kill the innocent till he reaches his ultimate goal of killing the female star.
3. Psycho – The ultimate classic in black and white. Hitchcock’s masterpiece and probably the inspiration to almost any slasher movies writing. Some will argue that this is the greatest of all time and can never be touched.

Blood and Gore

Overview of Genre: This Genre focuses on trying to make the most bloodiest scenes known to man and shock by pure presence of blood with an awe factor. This genre aims to be the more gross than any category of horror with the wow factor.

Three Popular Movies:

1. Dead Alive – Peter Jackson’s entry into gore was a brilliant masterpiece filled with gore from animals and humans alike.
2. Hell raiser 2 -with all good horror movies sequels will come generally and this one did not disappoint. Topping the first which was a classic by out goring it so to speak.
3. The Evil Dead – With friend being trapped in a cabin with flesh eating beings after them this one is not as gory as the first two but was so captivating with its plot.

The Classic Monster Horror Films

Overview of Genre: This Genre the major monsters and their cult followings. Although there are too many cults to talk about I’ll just do my favorite in each category and only name my favorite 3.

Three Popular Movies:

1. Zombies – Dawn of the Dead- the original Romero masterpiece is still the holy grail of zombie movies.
2. Vampires – Bram Stoker’s Dracula– this was the best Dracula movie hands down though their have been good challenges with popularity of the twilight sags and interview with a vampire.
3. Werewolf’s – The Howling- This was a close call just barely edging out An American Werewolf in London.

Conclusion: Which Genre is the Best?

In my opinion, I think Zombie films are the best. I like all genre’s as I am a horror fan,but my heart lies with zombies. They are the most real of them all and generally incorporate monster, gore and the suspense of slash. The choreography that goes with filming a good zombie movie must drive the director insane. Also the following alone with how many movies there are and the sheer popularity and the shift into mainstream TV with The Walking Dead series has pushed zombies as the horror genre to beat for years to come.

This article was written by Peter van Deusen – Peter is the CEO and President of Zombie Attire, a leading website provider of Zombie Clothing and Horror Gear.