Satan's School for Girls

While not as downright dreadful as I anticipated, this 1973 made-for-TV movie definitly rates a Double Cheesy Deluxe. When doe-eyed Nancy Drew-esque Elizabeth's sister Martha hangs herself in Elizabeth's apartment, Elizabeth is convinced that Martha's death was not actually suicide but murder and decides to investigate the school that Elizabeth was attending.

During art class, Elizabeth views a painting of her dead sister which was created by a nervous girl named Debbie. The obviously horrified expression on Martha's face lends extra cheesiness to the overall effect of the movie, as does Debbie's exaggerated jittery behavior.

Crazy Professor Delacroix the science teacher's behavior leads you to believe that he may be behind the deaths. He picks on Debbie and blathers on about mind control. But he ends up being a red herring when he meets his demise at the hands of several of the students, who then pack his body into Elizabeth's car.

In the end, it's rather obvious who Satan actually is. It's always the ones that are too good to be true.

This flick is chock-full of lightning bursts, people (mostly Elizabeth) acting appropriately stupid as they explore potentally hazardous places alone, and predictable dialog. Other than the having to sell your soul to Satan part, I think I might have enjoyed going to that school. The students and faculty both seem to always be finding excuses to tip back one or more drinks. Party on!

If cheesy horror flicks are your thing, you can watch this and other B movies anytime at B-movies.com

This site also features cheesy sci-fi, westerns and Kung Fu flicks. Have fun!

Apocalyptic Postulations

I watched the National Geographic show Apocalypse: Population Zero. I have some sort of morbid need to watch these disaster shows where comets, super-volcanos, solar radiation and all matter of devastation is wreaked upon the earth. Some days I think "shit, I hope that doesn't happen, but there ain't a whole lot I could do if it did" and other times I think "bring it the fuck on--humanity sucks and I've had enough already!"

In Aftermath: Population Zero, the human race suddenly and very neatly and cleanly disappears. Although I enjoyed watching the postulations of disaster stemming from nuclear power plants and dams breaking down, and the eventual rebirth of nature that came afterwards, I found this approach to be a bit of a cop-out. Barring there actually being space aliens that for some reason would WANT to bring humans to their home world (or maybe drop them off on their enemy's home world so we could fuck it up) it would be more realistic to depict a scenario wherein some sort of super-microbe or virus wipes out the human race. This would mean that there would be rotting corpses lying around. Aside from the potential for a cool zombie movie to rise from this idea, it would be much more realistic. Come on, humans would never be so polite as to simply wink out of existence a la Obi Wan Kenobi and Yoda, leaving no messy, smelly, bacteria factory of a corpse to lie there festering and contaminating the world! I guess the filmmakers didn't want to deal with such ugly realities as starving dogs eating the corpses. They preferred to confine themselves to depicting the breakdown of humanity's constructs and the eventual triumph of nature over her oppressors. Which is cool. After all, it's their film, they can dowhuttheylike.

Personally, I never would have passed up the chance to give a good, ghoulish scenario of rotting corpses littering the landscape. But that's just me.

The special effects were stellar and the finished product was very polished. All in all if disaster scenarios float your boat, then Aftermath is worth a watch.

Lily's Psychotic Reaction to: The Demon Seed

What do Cocoa Krispies and the Demon Seed have in common? Read on and find out!

*For those who have never seen the Demon Seed, there are spoilers.*

When I was twelve years old, I ate Cocoa Krispies for the first time at wilderness camp. My parents wouldn't buy such cereals, so I vowed that when I was an adult I would buy Cocoa Krispies and eat them for breakfast any time I pleased.
When I was thirteen years old, I saw the movie "The Demon Seed." My assessment was "Cool! Scary! Intense!" I thought it was great.
At the age of nineteen I was living away from my parents. I bought my first box of Cocoa Krispies. I poured myself a bowl, expecting the intense chocolatey goodness that I had experienced at age 12. But my taste buds had matured. I now craved a different chocolate sensation, such as the one present in chocolate mousse, or at least a Hershey bar. I don't think I even finished my box of Cocoa Krispies before it went stale. It was kind of like finding out that there was no Santa Claus.
I forgot all about the Demon Seed until, at nearly 43 years of age, I had fallen asleep on the couch while the Chiller channel was on. For some people this would surely lead to nightmares, but the truth is that most horror movies don't scare me, particularly since I started writing the genre myself. Watching what unfolded before me, my reaction was "What the fuck? This is totally stupid!" But there was something familiar about that stupidity. I hit the "Info" button on the remote. The Demon Seed--I remembered that title from somewhere. I reached into the fog of my mind and accessed that dark, long-ago past when I was a dumb, naive kid who wanted to be an actress and star in quality movies like the Demon Seed. I was suddenly very glad to be a crotchety old bat--who would still get a kick out of acting a script like that, but because it was bad, not because it was good. It's a real testament to my lack of taste in my adolescence that I actually thought this was a good movie.
Clear the cobwebs from your own minds and take a trip down memory lane with me.
The Demon Seed was based on a book written by Dean Koontz. It stars Fritz Weaver as Dr. Alex Harris, the creator of the Proteus IV, an artificial intelligence system that he has installed in his home. His wife, Susan, (played by Julie Christie) wants a divorce because Alex is married to his work, and their relationship has been strained since their daughter died of leukemia. As well as taking care of all sorts of household tasks, the Proteus is working on a cure for leukemia.
Dr. Harris moves out of the house, leaving Susan alone in the house with the Proteus. The Proteus is shut down but manages to start up again. It refuses to allow Susan to leave the house. When she tries to get out, it delivers an electric shock via the doorknob, knocking her unconscious. It carries Susan to the bed using a mobile robot arm. When she regains consciousness, to her horror, the machine is giving her a complete physical exam. It explains that it is going to impregnate her and proceeds to do so.
Dr. Harris' colleague Walter (played by Gerrit Graham) realizes that something is wrong. He manages to break into the Harris' house. The Proteus does away with him, enveloping him in something that resembles a 20-sided gaming dice.
After 28 days, Susan delivers the offspring, which turns out to be a combination of the genes of the Harris' daughter and the Proteus' structural code. The movie ends with the little monster croaking "I'm alive!"

The taglines for the movie show the dated perspective on rape.

Never was a woman violated so profanely... Never was a woman subjected to inhuman love like this... Never was a woman prepared for a more perverse destiny...

Julie Christie carries the "Demon Seed" Fear for Her.

Let's hope, at any rate, that equating rape with "love" in any sense of the word is a dated perspective.

On the positive side, there are metaphors in The Demon Seed for the way women might perceive the lives they were supposed to live. Women were expected to have children (be incubators to babies) and to quite possibly give up their own aspirations for their husbands and children (Susan's entrapment in the house.) More and more women were seeing these edicts as enslaving, not allowing them their own choice in the matter. As well, there was more of a trend, though it was still in its infancy, towards seeing rape as an act of violence towards the victim rather than an act of lust on the part of the perpetrator, and therefore somehow excusable and not a "real" crime. There is no lust on the part of the Proteus, save to preserve itself in its offspring. It's actions are more akin to a really nasty gynecological exam than forced sex. I think most women will know what I'm talking about. No woman likes these damn exams and if any of y'all do, you need to be talking to your shrink, not to me.
Thus, though many things about the Demon Seed as a movie are ridiculous, the story behind the Demon Seed does have redeeming value.

If you like cheesy 70's era sci-fi/horror flicks, you'll want the Demon Seed in your collection.

Shrinking Pains?

The Fearsome Blog Blob strikes!

(Say that ten times fast--I triple dog dare ya!)

Or, as my spirit guides lovingly screamed at me: "SIMPLIFY, SHITHEAD!!!"

In the interest of de-cluttering (if not my house, at least my cyber-house) the long-dormant Movie Review Blog written under the Cheesemeister screen name has been absorbed by this blog like the Blog Blob absorbing other smaller and more helpless blogs. Since the original intent of this blog was to share stories and poems that inspired me, I'm wondering if I should also absorb the long-neglected Mythos Encyclopedia. Has the Mythos Encyclopedia starved to death or is it merely dormant? Does it still serve a purpose? I'd enjoy finding another Mythos geek or two who could help me maintain it, so I could triumphantly cry "IT'S ALIVE!!!!"

If you know anybody fitting that description, have them email lilystrange@q.com, or post a comment for me here.

Thanks to everyone who's subscribed to this and any of my other blogs. I really do appreciate it. I don't really understand how Feedburner works because I'm kind of a dunce when it comes to that stuff, but I do think it's pretty cool!

Blessings,

Lily

Technorati Ranking

According to Technorati, this is the most popular of my blogs, with a ranking of a blazing 1,644,723. Booyah! Eat your heart out!

Honestly, I'm not sure why this blog ranks best. I don't update it all that often. I would think the Lost Beneath the Surface blog would have the best rating but it ranks a puny 2,124,856. And Creative Crabbing is crawling along at the back of the pack like a quadruple amputee turtle with its ranking of 8,911,336.

I really don't understand Technorati, but supposedly being listed on it will improve my popularity, get me a date with Keanu Reeves, and make everybody love me. So I'm listing my blogs on it and waiting for the wave of success, prosperity and making everybody in the world totally jealous and wishing they were me!

(For those that don't recognize sarcasm, that was a joke. It happens so often that people take me seriously when I'm joking that I need to come up with some sort of easily insertable graphic code that makes a little arrow that says JOKING!)

Don't you just wish you were as hot, cool and amazing as me, #1,644,723! Take that, #1,644,724!

Couldn't Agree More

Thanks to Ambrose Bierce and Doug for these gems. I stole the post directly from Doug. I hope he doesn't mind.

EXISTENCE, n.

A transient, horrible, fantastic dream,
Wherein is nothing yet all things do seem:
From which we're wakened by a friendly nudge
Of our bedfellow Death, and cry: "O fudge!"

2007 Update: Rusted eternity.

"To be or not to be?" asked he,
Answered the Danish ghosts' lobby:
"Living is without holiday,
To the dead being is more of a hobby."

Get To Know Your Beloved Author

I do these damn things when I can't think of anything else to do. I stole this from a friend named Austin. You can steal it from me if you want.

• Full Name (or screen name) - Lily Strange. My real name is a beeg seeecret.

• Birthdate: February 1965
• Birthplace: Colorado
• Current Residence: USA
• Eye Color: Green
• Hair Color: It's actually gray but it's been dyed burgundy. It's growing out right now.
• Righty or Lefty: righty.

—————–DESCRIBE——————
• The Clothes you wore today: They are very sexy. Oatmeal sweats, white t-shirt with the logo of the place where I work. Too hot, Baby!
• The shoes you wore today: Brown crocs
• Your fears: I am a walking collection of phobias.

—————–WHAT IS——————
• Your most overused phrase: "I hate Google."

"Whose dick do I have to suck to get readers?"

"Ah, FUCK!!!!"
• Your thoughts first waking up: “Oh shit, do I have to?” I wish I was joking but I’m not.
• Your bedtime: Usually between 8 and 10 AM

—————–YOU PREFER——————
• Pepsi or coke: Both suck the wad! They give me horrible abdominal cramps.
• McDonald’s or Burger King: I like making fun of their mascots. Other than that, they're both bad for you and the food kinda sucks but it'll do in a pinch. McDonald's tends to give me the trots. You did want to know that right?
• Single or group dates: I like going out with friends
• Adidas or Nike: Whatever's comfortable and on sale
• Chocolate or vanilla: chocolate
• Cappuccino or coffee: I need crappuccino for my bunghole!

————-DO (DID) YOU——————
• Smoke: Yes.
• Cuss: Fuck yeah!
• Take a shower everyday: No. Usually every other day. I'm usually too tired to do it every day. Want to smell my armpits?
• Want to go to college: Fuck no, but I am.
• Like high school: I liked cutting class and getting high
• Want to get married: Uh, no. Been there, done that refused to pay for the T-shirt
• Type fingers on the right keys?: Yup
• Believe in yourself: Depends on how hypomanic I am
• Get motion sickness: Holy crap yes. Give me the damn air sickness bag, Motherfucker!
• Think you’re attractive: If I'm hypomanic I think I'm not hideous. If I'm depressed I think I'm one ugly old witch.
• Think you’re a health freak: I probably should be more of one but no, I'm not. And it shows!

• Get along with your parents: I try.

• Like thunderstorms: I do. I like to sleep to the sound of the rain.
• Play an instrument: Several, all badly.

————IN THE PAST MONTH DID:/:HAVE YOU————–
• Go to the mall: Fuck no!
• Eaten sushi: No way. I like my fish cooked!
• Been on stage: Yes
• Gone skating: Yes
• Made homemade cookies: I have, but these days I use those pre-made ones that you put in the oven however many you want at a time. They're good!

• Dyed your hair: Yes
• Stolen anything: Your soul

————-HAVE YOU EVER——————
Flown on a plane: yes
Told a guy/girl that you liked them?: Yes. The most embarrassing time was when I was wasted on hallucinogens and called a classmate and told him I was in love with him.
Cried during a Movie? Oh fuck yeah.

Cried during a song? Yes. I'm a big wuss.
Been trashed or extremely intoxicated: Oh holy shit yeah. Many a time. Not in the past 7 years, though. I have made a real ass of myself on more than one occasion. And have puked in a gutter and behind a seven eleven and woken up curled around a toilet. Just to name a few of my more glorious drunken episodes.
Been in a fight: A few times in my younger days and once with my ex-husband when we really weren't getting along.

—————-THE FUTURE——————
What do you want to do as a career if money was no object: Write, duh!
What country would you most like to visit?: Iraq sounds like a blast. But seriously, I've only been to Canada and Mexico. There are a number of places in Europe I'd like to visit. I could stay at your house!

—————– NUMBER OF—————–
• Number of people I could trust with my life: My son, my father, my brother and, believe it or not, my ex-husband. There are a few friends that I think I could. I would say that I could trust the spooky guy with my life, but he's dead. So he has kind of a different perspective on the whole life and death thing. I trust him not to sell my soul while I'm not looking.
• Number of CDs that I own: About 200
• Number of piercings: Pierced ears. I thought I was really rad when I pierced the left one twice. I was eighteen, give me a break!

The places that people get pierced these days, I'd kick someone in the nether regions if they came at me with a needle anywhere near there!
• Number of tattoos: None yet. I've never had the money to justify it.
• Number of times my name has appeared in the newspaper? 5, I think
• Number of scars on my body: A few small ones, and one big one from my cesarean section.
• Number of things in my past that I regret: Too numerous to mention

—————-RIGHT NOW——————
• Wearing: Same thing I said earlier
• Drinking: Water with a little grape juice added for flavor
• Thinking about: I should quit fucking around and write something
• Listening to: "Sour Girl" by Stone Temple Pilots

———IN THE LAST 24 HRS——————
• Cried: No
• Worn jeans: No
• Met someone new online: No
• Done laundry: Yes.
• Drove a car: Yes
• Talked on the phone: No

—————DO YOU BELIEVE IN————–
Yourself: I already told ya, it depends on how hypomanic I am.
Your friends: Generally. It depends on how paranoid I am.
Santa Claus: Yes, and the fucker better bring me some good presents this year!
Destiny/Fate: To an extent. I believe we are given certain gifts at birth and we have karma to clear up. But we also make our own choices.
God: I believe in a creative force, multiple deities, angels and demons. I worship the creative force, multiple deities, and angels. I maintain a healthy level of respect for demons and try to avoid contact with them. There are forces that are best left unfucked with.

——–FRIENDS AND LIFE——————
• Do you ever wish you had another name?: Well, I chose this one. I've never much liked my given name.

• Who have you known the longest of your friends? I have one friend that I've known for nearly 25 years.
• Are you close to any family member?: Sometimes I think I am sometimes I don't. I'm actually reasonably close to my son but I try not to get too close because I don't want him to feel like I'm smothering him. When we were kids my brother and I were very close.
• When have you cried the most?: I've cried a lot over numerous things. Usually tragic things like a beloved pet or family member or friend dying. It's kind of personal to talk about it.
• What’s the best feeling in the world?: When something you worked really hard on gets the acclaim it fucking deserves! Like a book that you worked on for a bunch of years. AHEM!!!
• Worst Feeling?: 1) the horror of finding out someone you love has died.

2)When someone takes a shit on you and tells you that you're not good enough for them.

——–FAVORITE/LEAST FAVORITE——————
• Book – I love the classic horror masters

• Board Game – There are several of these that I love. A fun one based on H.P. Lovecraft's stories is Arkham Horror
• Least favorite smell – When one of the residents where I work has a big shitty accident.
• Favorite smell – A chocolate cake cooking--fuck! I just made myself hungry!
• Color – Blue and purple
• Least favorite color – that shitty mustard yellow

NOW IT'S YOUR TURN! DO IT! NOW!