Tonight I started to watch a movie called "King Of The Underworld", starring Humphrey Bogart, but about ten minutes in I realized I'd seen it before, probably about a year ago. That's happened to me a couple of other times. Because I see so many movies, and consequently because I am always searching for movies I haven't seen, every now and then I put one on hold without recognizing the title : "Oh, it's got Humphrey Bogart? Better reserve it". And this time, when I started to watch, I began to recognize familiar scenes right after the opening credits. I still gave it ten minutes, just to be sure, and then I pulled the plug. It was unfortunately too late to start another movie, as the other ones I picked up from the Libe had running times too long to finish in the remainder of my evening break.
So, I did the only sensible thing - I opened my newly purchased box set of "Tales From The Darkside : The Complete Series", and I watched the first two episodes. I mentioned, maybe yesterday, that my friends and I loved "Darkside", which was created by George Romero of "Night Of The Living Dead" fame and ran on commercial television from 1984 to 1988. The quality of the episodes was not on the level of "The Twilight Zone", but they were still fun, and spooky in a "makeup and set decoration" way, and the writing was fairly inventive. It was a fun series, meant to recreate the "Creepshow" vibe that Romero brought to the big screen in 1982.
A cool thing happened just as the first episode began. Now, keep in mind that I had not seen this show in over 30 years, but as it started, I recognized the eerie theme music from the second it began playing. Like "Twilight Zone", the theme consists of just a few notes, but what was weird was that, from the moment I heard them, it was like I was watching the show back in the day, like I knew the theme by heart because I heard it every week. Accompanying the theme is the show's opening narration, which is classic, and is enunciated in a Paul Frees-ian voiceover that hints at knowledge of Something Beyond.
"Man lives in the sunlit world of what he believes to be reality. But, there is - unseen by most - an underworld, a place that is just as real but not as brightly lit. A dark side".
It was a classic opener for a horror anthology show, because it suggested a glimpse of any imaginable nightmare within the realm of the proposed "Dark Side".
As for the dvd presentation itself, the picture quality is a little below standard. The episodes have not been remastered and are taken from the original videotapes, so some background details are a little fuzzy. It's still very watchable, however, especially if you have seen far worse : the picture quality on "Tales Of Tomorrow" is abysmal, but even that doesn't get in the way of enjoying the show, which is fantastic. So I can put up with the subpar clarity on "Tales From The Darkside".
What I love most about the show is that it takes me back to the 1980s, such a great time in my life and a decade that was all about having a good time. We had big hair, we wore colorful clothes and Crayon shoes (remember those?), we listened to Van Halen, we watched spooky horror shows that gave us goosebumps, and it was all a blast. The 80s were The Fun Decade. ////
Well, it's me again and it's the next afternoon. I got my Opeth ticket this morning, for their show next March at the Hollywood Palladium. Their new album, "In Cauda Venenum" is a freakin' masterpiece. Even on first listen I was blown away by how good it is. You should check it out if you like progressive music. I have begun a new book, "The Institute" by Stephen King, and as always with SK, I can't put it down. It is about "special" kids - telepaths and telekinetics - who are kidnapped from their parents by government agents and taken away to a place called "the institute" that is hidden away in a forest. There, they are tested and used for their psychic abilities.
I am also finishing up "The Rendlesham Enigma", which has completely blown me off the map. Regarding what author and main Rendlesham witness Jim Penniston dealt with in the aftermath of his experience -which took place in December 1980 - there are parallels to what happened to me in September 1989. Penniston was subjected to sodium amytal hypnosis and had his memory partially wiped (mine was wiped entirely). He was also aggressively interrogated by AFOSI (Air Force Office of Special Investigations) and told not to talk about what he saw. He was also ordered to sign a non-disclosure statement by "other" agents who never identified themselves.
Sound familiar?
Well anyway, I am learning a lot from this book, and if you were part of the 1989 experience, I urge you in the strongest possible terms to read "The Rendlesham Enigma". Finally, I believe I will be writing very soon about my kidnapping experience at the hands of Jared Rappaport. It's an ugly story, and I know I already told it when I wrote my book back in 2006-7, but in reading Jim Penniston's account of the Rendlesham Forest Incident I have been extremely impressed with the attention to every exact detail in his account, almost as if he and his co-author Gary Osborn have conducted a forensic examination of the experience. This is what I want to do with the Rappaport Incident, to go over it moment-by-moment and write down every last detail that I can remember, and also to offer comments based on analysis of those details. I may not start this writing immediately, but it will be soon.
That's all for now. Have an awesome rest of the day, see you tonight at the usual time! :):)
Tons of love. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
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