Last October I wrote about why I love What Lies Beneath (2000), a film that’s long been an annual Halloween season watch for me. It’s beyond perfect for this time of year, especially with its autumn-in-New-England setting. Offering an exquisite lead turn by Michelle Pfeiffer, as a woman on edge trying to unravel a mystery … Continue reading The Soothing Autumnal Chill of What Lies Beneath
Category: movies
Marvelous Michelle
Me: “I’m so over Marvel movies.“ *trailer drops for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumnania* Michelle Pfeiffer: “Oh, yeah?” Me: “How soon can I buy tickets?” Marvel movies lost me quite a while ago. They have intermittent moments of entertainment, but overall I’be found them mostly forgettable since Avengers: Endgame (2019). Then this new trailer happened … Continue reading Marvelous Michelle
Houston, We Have a New Font
It’s two and a half years since I launched The Starfire Lounge and for all of that time the extravagantly serifed Cherry Wash has served as the title font. Just like everything else in the basic site design, I didn’t put much thought into the font, just picking one of the first I saw from … Continue reading Houston, We Have a New Font
The Art of the Ad: Take Home Elvira with Thriller Video
Last time in this space I discussed the popular 1980s Coors and Coors Light ads featuring our favorite horror hostess with the mostess Elvira, Mistress of the Dark. Well, it’s Halloween season and Elvira (Cassandra Peterson) wasn’t just a brew-pitching barmaid, no siree, so I’m bringing her back for another round. Elvira has been the … Continue reading The Art of the Ad: Take Home Elvira with Thriller Video
The Horror Movie Poster Art of Enzo Sciotti
Italian artist Enzo Sciotti, who passed away in April 2021, always comes to mind during the scary season for me. His horror movie poster artwork, so lurid and lush, was filled with women in peril, knife-wielding maniacs, and grotesque creatures of the night. During his peak period in the 1970s through the 1980s, Sciotti illustrated … Continue reading The Horror Movie Poster Art of Enzo Sciotti
“Everything I want is in this room”: Happy Anniversary, Frankie and Johnny
I’ve loved an awful lot of movies in my life, but none more than Frankie and Johnny, which opened thirty-one years ago today, October 10, 1991. The superlatives for this movie are endless. A career-best performance from Michelle Pfeiffer as Frankie, a 30-something New York City diner waitress who’s been hurt badly in the past … Continue reading “Everything I want is in this room”: Happy Anniversary, Frankie and Johnny
They Want to Suck Your Blood
October is all about chilly, cozy autumn vibes and binging all things horror. I relish these 31 days spent gorging on scary novels, short stories, movies, art, podcasts, television, comics, you name it and I’m feasting on all the horror right now. Speaking of feasting—what a segue—vampires are one of the stars of October, no … Continue reading They Want to Suck Your Blood






