I know the world, specifically the US, is a real shithole right now. There are a lot of people deeply affected by what is going on, from losing their jobs, insurance, and just basic human rights. I always wanted to keep the real world and all of that away from this site because I wanted this to be a place people could go to, to temporarily escape all the BS of reality. Not to dismiss or diminish the struggles everyone might be going through, if I could try and point out that in the midst of all this chaos and crisis, there are still some positives out there.

When you sit back and ponder about some of the positive things that happened in one’s lifetime, or even just witnessing something special, it shows me that not all is lost. And that I was pretty lucky to be alive at this time, no matter how trivial it might seem, especially to others. As Eric Idle put it so well in his Galaxy Song from Monty Python’s the Meaning of Life, “So remember, when you’re feeling very small and insecure, how amazingly unlikely is your birth.” I’m not trying to downplay the real tragedy that is happening all around us now, but this is the time, now more than ever, not to give up and to not lose the positiveness that is still out there.

Recently, Ozzy Osbourne gave his last performance, not only with Black Sabbath, but just in general. While some might not see the importance of what this man has done in his lifetime, as a longtime fan of Sabbath, as well as rock & roll and metal, his impact is undeniable, as well as just incredible. When I think back of my early days of just getting into Sabbath, and what their music showed me, both in lyrics and sound, was something so different than the types of music I had been listening to at that point. And then to watch them, and listen to their music, both Sabbath and Ozzy’s solo work, over the next five plus decades, I had to remind myself how damn special that it was to have been there through all of it and to be able to experience it. Their music still continues to bring back many positive memories of “the good old days” but also is still just as enjoyable listening to it now and I did back in the early ‘80s. Again, it makes me grateful that I was around to experience it and continue to do so.

For our Turkey Day event last year, one of the titles we screened was The Oily Maniac (1976), which is a lot of fun. I was shocked to find out that this was just one of a series of films featuring this Oily monster! A good friend reached out to me to not only informed me of this but offered to get me copies of the original entries that came out in the ’50s!!! So, after being a horror fan for most of the 60 years I’ve almost been on this planet, with the last couple of those decades always seeking out the strange and odd titles I’d never seen or heard of, to now discover that not only is there a small sub-sub-genre of films completely new to me, but having a friend that was going to send me copies of them! How freaking cool is that? So last week, I sat down with Sumpah Orang Minyak (1956) aka Curse of the Oily Man, watching it with no subtitles and no English dialogue, which I honestly have not had to do in quite some time, but still enjoyed the hell out of it! For that opportunity, I consider myself very grateful…to be able to do that, and to have friends that could help me do that.

The reason for this post is simple. Yes, there is a lot of negative crap going on right now and one that needs addressing. So, I’m not trying to say just give up, but while in the thick of it, don’t lose sight of the positivity that is still out there, and continuing to go on. There are still a lot of good going on, even if it is just a friendly neighbor giving you some extra vegetables from their garden. The more positive vibes we send out, the more it can spread.

As the old joke says, “Besides that, Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?” As dark as that is, it’s sort of a way of I try to remember something good in the midst of this dumpster fire we’re in now. It’s not easy. Trust me. But the alternative, I feel, is much worse.

Okay, enough of that…back to our regularly scheduled programs of horror!