American Horror Story 13 S13 E7, E8, E9, E10

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“The Baddest Witch of Them All”

“Hell No”

“The Devil Is in the Details”

“The Prodigal Son”

I caught back up with American Horror Story’s 13th season after missing a few weeks. I watched episodes 7-10 of the big crossover season.

These four episodes featured the witches from AHS: Coven heavily, specifically in the first two of these four episodes. We also get back to Ben, and we learn what his deal is and why he has that tattoo 616 on his back.

I did love seeing the Nightstalker, Dahmer and Zodiac make appearances only to get their asses handed to them.

I have to say that the first six episodes of this season were fun, but I was not very invested in them. I think a big reason was that there were a lot of Easter eggs with characters showing up from seasons that I did not watch or did not remember. For every Twisty or Rubber Man, there were two or three characters that I did not know.

However, with the focus on the Coven witches, even though that was not my most favorite season, I was able to focus in on what the story was going to be, and these last four episodes had me bought in.

We find out the truth behind Mr. Nas and his purpose. A bet between God and Satan? How very Chris DeBurgh of the show. Constance discovering the shocking truth behind her own parentage, which was a big time cock block as well.

Then, the end of episode ten, with Ben, who just learned of his own position as son of Satan and Satan’s potential right hand man on earth, heads to Miss Robichaux’s Academy to confront the Coven who is beginning their search for him.

These episodes felt very much more concise, more planned and we more than just a bunch of member-berries. These have me much more excited for American Horror Story than I was before, as it was clear that the last AHS episode I watched was Oct. 4. It won’t be two weeks until I watch episode 11, for sure.

Daily Read- Hour of the Wolf #1

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Hour of the Wolf #1

Mad Cave

Written by Mark London

Art by Danilo Beyruth

Cover art by Andrei Bressan & Adriano Lucas

I picked up the original four issues of this Mad Cave series, released in 2024, off eBay because the company was releasing the fifth issue and continuing the run. I was curious about the book, and because of that, I decided to do a Daily Read of the first five issues.

I have not done a Daily Read since I read the first book of the Starhenge series, and this one works very well as the next one. I have Camelot 3000 #1-12 that might be the next series I do, but with the busy time of October, we will have to see if the schedule permits that.

But the schedule will allow me to do this since there are only five issues at this moment.

I did not know what to expect, but I was engaged immediately with the bizarre painting and the manner in which the painting came to life.

I found myself intrigued as well by the main protagonist, Owen Blackwood, who was an agent of Wolvenheart. The agents of Wolvenheart are time travelers and they have one hour to complete their mission, always during the time frame of 3-4 AM.

I loved the concept laid out with the first issue and I am excited to see where it goes from here. Apparently, this is a part of a universe called Underworld, which I do not know much about. After a little research, it seemed to include the books Revolution 9 and Exit City, neither of which I know anything about.

Issue #2 comes tomorrow.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)

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October 18

#10 out of 13

I have seen several versions of Invasion of the Body Snatchers before, but I had never seen the original 1956 version, so I found it on Amazon Prime and added it to the list of the October 13.

You could tell this was a classic because it was just a wonderful film.

The film was an allegory for the world at the time, with the Joe McCarthy Communist “Red Scare” Hearings creating a paranoia about who may not be what they seem. This is obviously a commentary about that dark period in American history with the pod people being substituted for the Commies.

According to IMDB, “A small-town doctor slowly comes to realize that the population of his community is being perfectly duplicated and replaced by an alien entity.“

Kevin McCarthy and Dana Wynter were our lead protagonists in this epic thriller with an amazing amount of tension and sinister suspense. The movie moves at a brisk pace and has a true creepy nature to it. The black and white worked great to keep the mood filled with anxiety.

Starting off with McCarthy as Dr. Miles J. Bennell in what seemed like an asylum flipping out was a strong beginning and a great hook for the film.

This is an iconic movie with a top notch performance from Kevin McCarthy and Dana Wynter. You can’t help but root for them, even though you know that they were not together at the hospital like we saw at the beginning. I was hoping for a hopeful ending, and, while that may not be exactly what we got, it was a proper end to the film.

Crystal Lake S1 E2

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“Some of Us are Meant to Wear Masks”

The second episode of the series has some interesting moments, especially with Linda Cardellini.

Pam Voorhees went to The Experience, a self-help group led by Wilhelm (Nathan Darrow). I really thought that Wilhelm, the guru who ran the program, was going to be the next victim on the list of Pam, after she murdered those agents last week (although it was in self-defense). Wilhelm was a really a-hole and I kind of wanted to see him killed. However, someone else caught up to Wilhelm before Pam could and left him a bloody (albeit alive) mess.

Something scary is going down at Camp Crystal Lake as the counselors were having a party, only to be disrupted by rain. Before the rain, Grace had shown up to the party, trying to look older. She was dismissed by Claudette. Grace told Claudette that she saw her having sex with Barry at the time of Jason’s drowning, but Claudette tossed that threat aside. Grace threw away her cloggers and they wound up being chucked at Barry’s car at the end of the episode when they see some giant monster in the woods.

Not sure how I felt about this episode. I have not been a huge fan of Friday the 13th but the first episode was interesting enough to make me want to continue. I hope the next episodes will pick up the pace or I might have to forget about watching more of Crystal Lake.

The Last Man on Earth (1964)

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October 18

#9 out of 13

The next film in the October 13 is a 60’s film featuring the iconic Vincent Price as the Last Man on Earth.

Dr. Robert Morgan (Vincent Price) was a survivor of a plague that crossed the world. The plague turned the victims into a vampire/zombie-type hybrid that came out at night. Morgan would go out in the day and try to kill and burn however many vampires he could.

Vincent Price was as wonderful as he always was. The overall production of the film was not as strong as it could have been. It had some weaker sound design and the vampires were not the best looking threats we have ever had. I have a feeling that came from a low budget.

I do like how it was filmed in black & white. It makes the film feel more like one of the past movies in the genre.

Sunday Morning Sidewalk #91

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DTF St. Louis

“Amphezyne”

There seems to be three prevailing theories in my head about DTF St. Louis.

One: Carol killed Floyd by upping the dose of amphezyne, a deadly combination with the blood thinners Floyd was taking.

Two: Floyd accidentally overdosed himself with the amphezyne.

Three: Floyd could not be a better person, even if he is a little kinky.

Looking at three first, we got even more examples of Floyd being just the best guy ever. He saved the blind teenager from falling into the pool. He spotted him out the window while he was watching Carol and Clark in the motel room.

Oh, when we thought last week that Floyd had “caught” them, it turned out that he had approached them and asked to watch.

Looking at number one, Carol sure looks suspicious. She lied to the police about the bike. She acted like she had no clue about the life insurance. She asked what would happen if Floyd took too much amphezyne. She sure is acting guilty.

I do not believe that Carol killed him, but there is definitely something going on with her. She does not seem like a grieving widow.

Theory two: Could Floyd have done something to himself? Suicide in some manner? Has something happened between what we have seen and the death to make him hopeless? Clark told his lawyer that he stopped telling the police the story because the rest would hurt Floyd. What did that mean?

There are only two more episodes remaining, with the final coming on November 1st.

Daily Countdown: TV & Movie Deaths #89

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#89

Matty, Teddy, Phil & Susie (It: Welcome to Derry)

TV or Movie: It: Welcome to Derry

Actors: Miles Ekhardt, Mikkel Karin-Fidler, Jack Molloy Legault, and Matilda Legnault

Time of Death: October 26, 2025; S1 E1 “The Pilot”

Cause of Death: Pennywise

The HBO Max TV show prequel to the movie franchise, It, came out and was a major hit. However, it kicked off its first episode by introducing us to some awesome kid characters that Pennywise then promptly killed off in the final moments of the episode. It was brutal. It was a shock. It set the tone for the series moving forward. I know some people reacted poorly to the first episode slaughter because they liked these kids so much, but I understand the reasoning behind it, and the show certainly was able to recover from the moment.

Boston Legal S2 E11, E12, E13

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“The Cancer Man Can”

“Helping Hands”

“Too Much Information”

Boston Legal has always had some wonderful guest stars over the years who played some extremely memorable characters. The three episodes of season two had several examples of some of the best.

Catherine Piper- played by Betty White. She had been on previous episodes as well as on The Practice. She starts robbing convenience stores to get Alan’s attention.

Jerry Espenson- played by Christian Clemenson, who would eventually become a series regular… at this point was just an eccentric lawyer who would not take his hands off his thighs. He also held a knife to Shirley’s neck when he found out that he was not making partner.

Daniel Post- played by Michael J. Fox, who was a young CEO who had terminal cancer, but becomes involved with Denise. Daniel was very spoiled and used his money to try and take advantage of a special cancer trial.

Bev Bridge- played by Joanna Cassidy, had sex with Denny the night they met… the the coat check room. Denny and Bev planned to marry, and the firm worried about the influence she would have over Denny. She does fire the sandwich guy.

This is not just guest stars, but these roles are being played by big name stars. They all would appear in several episodes, if not many more.

These episodes start to show that Alan Shore is more than just a lawyer with questionable ethics. They are showing Alan as a man who is willing to fight for what he believes and for his clients. He might still do what it takes (like bribe a witness with a new car), but I might go as far as to say that Alan is beginning to become the heart and soul of Crane, Poole & Schmidt. He’s always been a good man deep down, but much of these episodes show him being a good man outwardly.

Muppet Show S3 E3, E4, E5

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Guest Star: Roy Clark

Guest Star: Gilda Radner

Guest Star: Pearl Bailey

These three episodes in the third season of the Muppet Show are starting to show how the talent level is going up. These three stars, Roy Clark, Gilda Radner and Pearl Bailey, were sensational performers and they are able to do so much.

Roy Clark is so talented with his ability to play multiple instruments. In the one song, he played the fiddle, the guitar, the banjo and the mandolin. Impressive as always. He sang one of my favorites, Yesterday When I Was Young too.

Gilda Radner showed off both her singing skills and her comedy chops as some Muppet Labs super adhesive glue got out and wound up having everyone stuck to each other. Radner was chewing the scenery, almost literally.

Pearl Bailey has a remarkable voice and they took advantage of it with several numbers.

These episodes had several editions of the standbys, Pigs in Space, Muppet Labs and At the Dance.

It still amazes me when this kids show pulls out stuff like the “jousting scene from Camelot.” It never missed to elevate the acts intended to not only entertain, but to educate.

Whalefall

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The new thriller with a credibility-stretching premise came out this weekend. Whalefall sees our main character getting swallowed by a sperm whale.

According to IMDB, “Follows a scuba diver who, while looking for his father’s remains, is swallowed by an 80-foot, 60-ton sperm whale and has just one hour to get out before his oxygen runs out.”

Austin Abrams starred as Jay Gardiner, the kid who winds up inside the whale. Josh Brolin played his father, Mitt Gardiner. I think that Austin Abrams does a great job, and he is having a big year after starring in the new Resident Evil film. I think he is a star in the making.

Now, the whale in the room is this… you absolutely need to suspend your disbelief in order to accept this premise. The idea that someone could be swallowed by a whale and attempt to survive is just ridiculous and implausible. If you can get past that, the scenes where Abrams is swallowed by the whale (thanks a lot squid) and trying to survive inside the whale are compelling, stressful and engaging as hell. I was fully tense the entire time Jay was inside the whale.

The film used flashbacks to give more details to the relationship between Jay and Mitt. Most of these flashbacks were okay, even if the ones that they showed were kind of heavy-handed. All of the flashbacks played a role in the situation Jay was in. The flashbacks were nowhere near as captivating as the scenes inside the whale. Josh Brolin was fine, if not good, as Mitt, but the character itself was fairly stereotypical.

The first two acts of Whalefall were tremendous and created such a suspenseful tone that it was feeling as if it was going to be one of the best movies of the year. Sadly, the third act was nowhere near as strong and, while still not keeping me from enjoying the film overall, it did bring my opinion of the film down. No spoilers of course, but I just did not think the ending reached the high levels of the first two acts.

The effects inside the whale were absolutely spectacular. They created such a feeling of claustrophobia and tension that the scenes were hard to watch at times. I was always waiting for the next thing to drop to cause trouble for Jay. The sound mix was perhaps Oscar level as the sounds inside the whale and the lead up to Jay being inside was just amazing.

One area that was a problem was the fact that Jay had to keep a mouthpiece in his mouth the whole time he was in the whale because of the toxic air in the whale’s stomach, and that led to Austin Abrams having to mumble a lot of the lines he had. It was difficult to understand what he was saying through much of the movie. So much so that perhaps they should have given an ADR for Abrams so he could be heard. It may have been used to give some realism to a series of scenes that had little to no realism about them. Maybe they could have placed words on the screen so the audience could know what Jay was saying.

I enjoyed this movie for most of the runtime, though it did slip from my initial thoughts of it challenging for the top 10 of the year to a point where it is a movie that I would recommend and liked, but not loved.

3.8 stars

Street Fighter (2026)

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I did not think that the trailer to this new version of the video game, Street Fighter, was very good. In fact, I thought it looked bad. However, I knew that WWE Superstars Cody Rhodes and Joe ‘Roman Reigns’ Anoai appeared as characters, and so, even with Cody displaying the ridiculous hairdo of Guile, I wanted to see the film.

After watching the new Street Fighter, I confirm that the trailer was an accurate description of the film. This really did suck.

According to IMDB, “Street Fighters Ryu and Ken reunite when Chun-Li recruits them for the World Warrior Tournament. As they face a hidden conspiracy, they must confront each other and their past-or face destruction.“

Ken was played by DC Movie Black Adam’s Atom Smasher himself, Noah Centineo and Ryo was played by GI Joe’s Stormshadow, Andrew Koji. I am sorry to say that neither of these actors were good in this movie. Ken was especially difficult to watch because the character was meant to be stupid. He sure was that, so maybe Centineo does a better job of it than I expected.

Oddly enough, I thought Cody Rhodes was the most entertaining aspect of this movie, as Guile and his incompetent, smart-aleck quips. I even got use to the ridiculous hairdo. Unfortunately, Roman did not get much of a character in the film. But he did look great. I acknowledge that.

The story of Street Fighter is so dumb that it takes away from anything positive that the film may have. I found it boring for a good chunk of the film and I could not close my mind off enough to enjoy it. Things happened off screen that seemed to be important to the overall film.

I do like David Dastmalchian, who is always a great choice for a villain, even if M. Bison is a one-note villain. Jason Momoa was in this too, but I spent most of his time on screen trying to figure out if that was Roman Reigns playing the role.

The film looked decent. I liked the color and the design of most of the film. The music was filled with needledrops that were really on the nose.

The ending was left open for a sequel that, I can imagine, that if you were enjoying the movie, you would have been upset at the lack of a satisfying conclusion. I had long since given up on enjoying the movie so the crappy ending did not bother me any more.

The film was too long. It was too dumb. It was not a fun kind of dumb. It was more the stupid kind of dumb. This could have had a role as a satire/parody, but it was supposed to be too serious.

I did like the animated sections they used to fill in the exposition. They should have done more with that. Any time they went back to the live action, this movie suffered.

This was much worse that the Mortal Kombat film from earlier this year. Thank goodness for Cody Rhodes.

1.5 stars

Daily Countdown: TV & Movie Deaths #90

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#90

Robin Ward (The Boys)

TV or Movie: The Boys

Actor: Jess Salgueiro

Time of Death: July 26, 2019; “The Name of the Game” S1 E1

Cause of Death: Ran through by A-Train

Maybe you do not know the name. I had to look it up. However, if you are a fan of the television program, The Boys, you know to what I am referring. The death of Robin Ward, Hughie’s first girlfriend, by having A-Train run through her, was as shocking of a moment as you will find on TV and still is one of the most unbelievable moments on a show full of unbelievable moments. This set the tone for what the series would become and what could be possible.

Crystal Lake S1 E1

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“Camp Crystal”

Peacock’s latest show, Crystal Lake, is a prequel to the Friday the 13th series, that seemed to focus on Jason Voorhees’s mother, Pam. Pam is played by Linda Cardellini, and there appeared to have something more than just a mother grieving her son who drowned.

There is a piece of this story that is mysterious. The arrival of the “agents” took this series and made it a turn that I was not expecting. It was bloody and brutal and a lot of fun.

There is something that Pam is hiding from us, and I wonder how this is going to proceed.

The series dropped all eight episodes at once, but I am not planning on binging this. I would like to keep working on watching the show as it was an intriguing first episode. I only knew it was out because of the Reel Rejects on YouTube, which was doing a watch along on the first four episodes (which told me it was dropped at once). Peacock has had some fun shows during its time, but this was probably their biggest IPs of all of them. Plus, I do really love Linda Cardellini, so there are some pluses for this show.

Die, Monster, Die! (1965)

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October 16

#8 out of 13

Boris Karloff is one of the greatest icons of the early horror genre, playing the iconic version of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. This movie was an adaptation of a H.P. Lovecraft story called “The Colour Out of Space.” I had seen a film based on that story a few years back, but this felt very different than that one that starred Nic Cage.

According to IMDB, “A meteorite’s radiation creates giant plants in a scientist’s greenhouse. When it affects his wife, the wheelchair-bound man attempts to destroy it, leading to catastrophe.”

This was an interesting film with some good atmosphere. I liked the performance of Boris Karloff, and also his co-stars Nick Adams and Suzan Farmer. The three of them did most of the heavy lifting in this movie.

The story itself was not a standout for me. I felt like there were several things that were either left out or were brushed over. When Nick Adams’s character arrived in the town of Arkham, the city’s population wanted nothing to do with him when they found out where he was heading. I am not sure this story element was ever really dealt with in any substantial basis.

There was good tone and mood on the show, and I did think it was a decent film. It just did not wow me as much as I thought it could have.

Daily Countdown: TV & Movie Deaths #91

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#91

Floyd Smernitch (DTF St. Louis)

TV or Movie: DTF St. Louis (Netflix mini-series)

Actor: David Harbour

Time of Death: March 1, 2026; Episode 1 “Cornhole“

Cause of Death: Overdose on pills leading to heart attack

As I am researching the information for this post, I am being very cautious, because I have not yet finished DTF St. Louis, which I am watching for the Sunday Morning Sidewalk. I am, at this time, only through four episodes, but I have seen enough to place Floyd Smernitch on my list of deaths. Floyd is one of the best characters I have seen on a TV show for awhile and he is played with such humanity by David Harbour, who won an Emmy for the role. As Jason Bateman, who played Floyd’s friend Clark, said, Floyd was “wonderful.”