My favorite season is here. Fall into fall. Did anyone celebrate the solstice? Planning the trip to the pumpkin patch? Here is a photo of one visit to a most excellent pumpkin patch outside Portland, Oregon, complete with two terrifying corn mazes. One for daylight, and the other for night time horror screams. Yes, I went during the day, and got lost in the maze for over an hour.
The Great Pumpkin is coming. I know he’ll make it this time. Last night, I watched (witched) The Devil’s Advocate again to get in the mood. Al Pacino was cast well as The Devil. The other members of the cast, Keanu Reeves and Charlize Theron, were also perfect. I loved spotting Connie Nielsen as one of the other lawyers in the firm. I didn’t recognize her the first time I viewed the film, and she would soon star in Gladiator. The rest of the month leading up to Halloween will be filled with every spooky movie I love: Burnt Offerings, House of the Devil, Prometheus, Fallen, the original Cat People (see list of cat films below), 28 Days Later, the original Psycho, and Rosemary’s Baby, The Exorcist, Devil, Dead Birds, and, of course, the original Halloween, to name just a few.
I told Eartha Kitt’n to act out a scene from The Ring and she gave me her best distorted photo-image face. She’s one scary cat.
In the spirit of monstrous cats from films I asked Eartha Kitt’n to do her best Norma Desmond imitation. She’s ready for her close-up. (She also doesn’t remember any cats in Sunset Boulevard – not even on the film crew)
Eartha Kitt’n as Zombie Cat. This one gives me chills and Eartha Kitt’n won’t stop making this face now just to laugh when I jump off the couch.
Eatha Kitt’n’s favorite cat is Church (aka Winston Churchill) from Pet Sematary. This is her impression of Church the moment before the instant before the truck runs him over, of course.
Forget Puss in Boots, try these other movies, some with rather tame felines, and others with monstrous cats:
1. Cat People: both versions even though the 1942 film by Jacques Tourneau cannot be beat. The Nastassja Kinski version has both David Bowie and killer Giorgio Morodor music.
2. Alien & Aliens – Jones or Jonesy was part of the reason Ripley survives. Jonesy stared into the face of an alien and lived to tell the tale, something that partly comes true for Ripley when she duplicates this scene in Alien 3.
3. The Ghost and the Darkness – Two man-eating lions for your frightful pleasure.
4. The deja vu cat in The Matrix.
5. Hocus Pocus – A boy is transformed into a black cat named Thackery Binx.
6. The Fifth Element — Okay, another one that’s reaching since Bruce Willis’ cat Sweetie hardly inhabited the role and worked for mice.
7. Austin Powers had Mr. Bigglesworth — a truly nice chap off screen.
8. Cinderella – Lucifer was Cinderella’s stepmother’s really wretched cat, but still fun to watch to this day, and a great Halloween movie treat for kids.
9. The Harry Potter films feature Hermione Granger’s cat Crookshanks.
10. Sleepwalkers — Meet a cat named Clovis
BONUS CAT: Who can forget Butch, the tabby who menaced The Incredible Shrinking Man? This classic sci-fi and horror flick has moments of fright, and was written by one of my favorite authors of all time, Richard Matheson, who tackled the screenplay from his own novel.
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Mwahahaha! I loved this post! Awesomeness!(this is an earlier comment from the first version of this post)
Thank for the comment! Eartha Kitt’n still wants a bigger star box than Ajax the Gray, who has stage fright and ran when I took the camera out. Ajax now says he wants to be a writer, and I’m about to have a long iCat session.
Love it, Justin! Eartha kitten is adorable…in spite of the scary pics too! Halloween was quiet and tame here…only a handful of trick or treaters…Happy All Saints Day today!Hugs, Lori Myron and Alex (this is an earlier comment from the first version of this post)
Thank you Lori, Myron and Alex…I have the best stay-at-home Halloweens. No one gets past the gate so no one has to try to escape 😉
You have such an imagination, Justin! Such fun.
Love those cat pix too!
eden
When these cats play . . . sometimes interesting events take place. The whole month leading up to Halloween is one of my favorite times of the year. Scary movies, popcorn, and furry critters who help keep the monsters at bay. How do you celebrate eden? Do you still dress up in costume?
The cat in Ghost with Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze.
That’s another great memory . . . cats can see ghosts, right? Very cool. One of my favorite movies too.
LOL, the only cats I recognise from your list are from Harry Potter and Austin Powers! Not sure what that says about me. Eartha does look kinda scary, although I have to say I think Benjamin Buckbit could give her a run for her money in one of his feistier moments!
Eartha said she was becoming clawcast as this icy gorgeous lioness, and wanted me to bring out her other sides, give in to her love of other monstrous felines on film. Who am I to deny her? Just the person in charge of feeding . . . Eartha Kitt’n’s personal chef. Every cat should have one.
Awesome job Justin. Halloween is my Birthday. Love Halloween and decorate for it. I watch spooky but I like to read spooky more than watch it. Birds scared the out of me. I love Hocus Pocus and the Halloween movies. Happy October:-D
That’s the coolest day to be born of the entire year, Kim. So cool. All the candy and a spooky cake? Awesome. If Birds scared you I don’t recommend Dead Birds to you (shivers) since it’s a bit freakish scary but has a strong storyline and cast.
I love Hocus Pocus even still, and I truly enjoyed The Devil’s Advocate (numerous times).
They are two movies worth a second look this October season, Amberr. And the new 666 Central Park show is being touted as The Firm meets The Devil’s Advocate. Best of days to you.
Thoroughly loved this post Justin! Great “close ups”! Thanks for giving me some ideas of what movies I haven’t seen in a while but need another viewing!
Thank you, Barb D, but now Zippy and Kipling are so suspicious of Ajax The Gray and his sister, Eartha Kitt’n’s, intentions . . . they already are tempting Zippy and Kipling with the fallen apples from the orchard trees. I shooed them away and said, “Cut it out . . . apple seeds have cyanide!” They just slinked away. Zippy and Kipling want equal time for their own List of best scary dog movies . . . Cujo and To Kill A Mockingbird will be on that list for sure.
Those would make great #caturday pics on G+ 😛 Such a face!
I like how the distorted photos came into use for Halloween. Such a ham. Who knew Eartha Kitt’n was part piglet? Must check out caturday now. Thank you Dee.
I’ve got to spend Halloween with some of these cats.
I fear each Halloween in Eartha Kitt’n’s powerful presence . . . especially after a round of Earth Kitt Karaoke 😉
Love the photos! Awesome movie choices, love hocus pocus
thanks, Kim . . . Eartha Kitt’n is The Supreme in our home . . . Zippy lives to serve!