Another year in the books, as they say. Was it a good year? Well, I’m still around and you’re reading this so that means you are too, which shows that is definitely a positive thing, right? I think we got a little closer to normality in 2022, but I think there is still a little more to go. Always room to improve, right? And while we’re not going into 2024 just yet, the above banner would pretty much sum up my thoughts on the world right now. But we still have a little time, and I would like to think and hope that we could make the positive change we need. It really comes down to just by doing something as simple as being kind to each other, and passing it along as if it was Covid, and hope that it is just as contagious.

Speaking of Covid, we finally got it in June of 2022. While my wife just seemed to have a running nose, what I had felt like a normal sinus infection. Barely a fever, but a lot of coughing and congestion. But on a positive note, the time I was home from work, I took full advantage of and watched a ton of movies while I was down and out. Since I couldn’t really sleep that much because when I would lay down, I would start coughing, I spent most of my time in my recycler in front of my TV. Knocked off 41 titles that month, so that was another positive . . . besides the Covid test.

I had the opportunity to write another retrospective for HorrorHound magazine, this time for the 100-year anniversary of F.W. Murnau’s Nosferatu that came out just at the end of the year. Jason Edmiston did the artwork for it, which he knocked it out of the park once again. He also is the one that did the cover when I did the retro on The Invisible Man. I did a lot of reading and research on that Nosferatu, hoping to bring a little information to the fans that they might not have known about this incredible picture. I will say that spending the time reading about this incredible film, seeing it more than a couple of times, including once in the theater, it amazes me how entrancing this piece of cinema still is! It really is something to behold as well as realize they did this 100 years ago!

And while on the subject of reading, I am embarrassed to say that this year was just terrible for me when it came to reading. Normally I average at least 1 book a month, but this year, I am about halfway through finishing my 4th for the year! Yes, very sad. That is definitely one of the things that I intend to change and spend more time with my nose in a book. Plus, since I’ve picked up so many great titles this last year, as well as plenty more in my Amazon Want List, I can’t be letting these gather dust!

My co-hosts Aaron AuBuchon, Damien, and I managed to crank out another 25 episodes this year of our podcast, Discover the Horror, that is now just a little over a year old. I can’t thank all our listeners enough for the support and feedback that you’re showing. It does show us that what we are doing is connecting with an audience out there and also succeeding in our goal to help fans Discover some damn Horror! We’ve already got a lot of great episodes planned for this year, so here’s to another year of us rambling on about the genre that we love so much!

After two years of presenting an online Turkey Day format, we are back to holding them in person again. We started off in May with a limited seating to keep the total numbers down, but we’re back in full force by November. Thanks again for those that did watch during those online days, but again, nothing saying you can’t start your own Turkey Day Marathons! But also, a special thanks to my friends and fellow cinephiles that have continued to take these incredible journeys with me, through some of the “best” in movie mishaps over the years. 2023 marks the 20th anniversary of my little Turkey Day event and I’m honored and thrilled that you guys are a part of it.

While I didn’t make out to the Music Box as much as I wanted to this year, especially with all the great events they have been hosting, I did make it out to a few. Getting to see The Brain (1988) on the big screen was just epic. But then getting to have Joe Bob Briggs and Darcy the Mail Girl there for a meet and greet and to introduce the film made it even better. About a month later, we were back there to see a screening of Night of the Demon, probably one of the best Bigfoot movies out there. From first seeing this on VHS back in the day, the thought of ever getting to see it on a huge screen would only be a dream. But thanks to Severin Films and the Music Box, dreams can come true.

This year saw the release of the Ray Dennis Steckler Box set put out by Severin Films, and just like the ones they did for Al Adamson and Andy Milligan, it is amazing. I love the fact that they are taking great in not only the restoration of the films, making most of them look better than they ever have, but also treating the subjects with a lot of respect. The kind of information you can learn with these sets really lets you look at the filmmakers with your eyes and mind a little bit more open than maybe before.

Plus, getting to meet and hang out with Carolyn Brandt at the October Cinema Wasteland show, and sitting across from Dracula himself, Zandor Vorkov at dinner was a pretty surreal and very memorable experience.

Continuing that effort, US Indicator announced they were putting out the Magic, Myth & Mutilation: The Micro-Budget Cinema of Michael J. Murphy, 1967-2015, which includes 10 discs with 26 feature films on it! To be honest, I’m not sure if I knew who Murphy was before this year but I had come across his film Bloodstream earlier in the year and had a lot of fun with it. In fact, we screened it for Turkey Day in May. Then to have a whole box set get announced, with that many titles was just unbelievable. Can’t wait to dig into that one.

So, a huge thanks to those out there behind these sets, from Arrow Video, to Severin, and the rest, you really are helping some of these names not only survive but creating a new generation of fans.

I do have to say that one of the best escapades that I went on, as well as dragging a few friends along, was making the 5-hour journey to Merrill, Wisconsin for the opening day of the Bill Rebane Exhibit at the Merrill Historical Society. The amount of work that curator Brandon Johnson went through for this was just amazing, not to mention getting to see the frame of the “eating spider” from Rebane’s most famous film, The Giant Spider Invasion (1975). Everyone in the place was super friendly, and it was great to see all the stuff on display, from poster art to video tape releases. And we got to have a little chat with Mr. Rebane himself.

Again, some might shake their head at some of the little excursions that I plan out, but it is really about making memories with friends, as well as showing some respect for these filmmakers that we hold in high regard, or some regard as the case may be!

Usually in October, my good friend Aaron Christensen and myself usually do a little one-night lecture at the Sulzer Regional Library in Chicago. But for some reason, we decided to take it a bit further and offer up FOUR lectures, one on a different sub-genre each Tuesday in October. And the library thought it was a great idea! So, Terror Tuesdays became a thing. We decided to tackle different sub-genres like Vampires, Zombies, Giant Monsters, and Ghosts & Haunted Places. While we didn’t get a huge turnout each week, the ones that did come out seemed to really enjoy what we were presenting.

Sure, going through each of these topics and making Power Point presentations for them damn near killed us, but I think everyone enjoyed what we put together, and dare I say, we looked pretty damn professional! But the most important thing is that we had a lot of fun doing it, which in discussing the horror genre, how could I NOT have fun!?!?

Thanks to everyone that did come out and who knows . . . maybe we’ll see the return of Terror Tuesdays next year.

That’s it for our highlights of 2022, or at least those that I remember! The one thing that really stands out from this year, probably the one thing that a lot of us just take for granted, is our relationships with our friends and family. It is because of those people that I have as much fun throughout the year as I do. And I wouldn’t have it any other way. So, for those of you out there, whether you’re a longtime friend, or one that I just was chatting with at one of the conventions, thank you for your part in my life. I can’t wait to continue that into 2023. Be safe, and more importantly, be kind.