Doc and me in Dorea's house. (Photo: Maureen Morici)
My grandmother can’t keep a secret, specifically my mother’s secrets. When I was 12, she spoiled the surprise trip to Disney World that my parents had planned to take my sister and me on. When I was 21, she broke the news that our two family dogs (may they rest in peace) ate our pet bird (may he rest in peace) when I was in kindergarten. Admittedly, even as a 5-year-old, I suspected that Doc had died under hushed circumstances, and now, at least, I know that my suspicions were right. Guess you could say that I have a sixth sense (more on that in the next paragraph).
But perhaps the biggest secret that has slipped through my grandma’s well-lipsticked lips was one that drastically shaped my identity: I had a ghost friend when I was 3, back when my family was renting a house that happened to be directly across the street from a cemetery in New Orleans. Reader, this meant that six years, two-thirds of my life at the time — I knew my fractions — had gone by without mention of the fact that I had my very own Casper. I had no memory of this, of course, but the betrayal I had felt in that moment at 9 years old, from the very woman who touts “no secrets in this family,” was like none I’ve felt since.
Once those beans were spilled at that fateful lunch, my mom looked like — well, she looked like she had just seen a ghost. Unlike the killer-dog secret which garnered nervous laughter upon revelation, this secret made my mom give Gammy the look I had thought was only reserved for when my sister and I were in deep, deep trouble, the kind of trouble where we went to our room without having to be told. This secret was unspeakable, and she said as much: “I’m not talking about it.”
To this day, I cannot get this woman to tell me all the dirty, ghostly details, and I try. Trust me, I try. In between begging for answers and “Jesus Christ, Abigail, ask me again and see what happens,” I’ve gathered a few tidbits. My mom would see me talking to nothing, though I claimed to be talking with my friend. I called her Dorea. She was around my age. She had a brother. She came to New Orleans on a ship. I told my mom Dorea wore “pantaloons” under her dress — a word far outside my 3-year-old vocabulary. I said she looked “strange” — the only word in my vocabulary that I could muster to describe whoever, or whatever, I was seeing.
Regardless, it was enough to freak my mom out. She won’t drive past that house anymore. The family that lived there after us died in a plane crash. I’m sure there’s no relation; she’s not so sure.
Despite my mother’s clear aversion to the topic, after I found out about Dorea, I felt like a badass. I was (am) a shy kid, but apparently my shyness didn’t stop me from speaking with the dead. Dare I say, I felt like the Virgin Mary, the ultimate lady in my Catholic schoolgirl frame of reference — hand-selected for something greater than what the skeptics in this world could handle. I longed to find a way to wedge Dorea into my story, to make her more than just a one-line anecdote that my grandmother casually mentions in a conversation at a random Tuesday lunch.
I’d try to force a memory of that time, to picture what Dorea looked like, what our conversations could’ve been, but all I can remember from that house was the green carpeted staircase that I took a tumble down in front of the young handyman (the embarrassment!) and the PBS Kids logo that floated on the TV screen when my mom told me that our dog Hobbes (who we had before the bird-killing ones) had gone off to heaven, and that no, the vet didn’t kill him, no matter how convinced I was. (I guess my sixth sense wasn’t fully formed then … or maybe it was. Now, that’s a haunting thought.) Oh, if only I could remember Dorea instead.
But I don’t.
So now Dorea really is simply an anecdote with just enough embellishment to fill this short space in the Flyer, but not enough to write the next Nancy Drew-esque book that 9-year-old me had planned to get out of the whole “Dorea thing.” (Dorea would’ve been the perfect Bess to my Nancy, I was convinced.) Every now and then, I’ll hop onto Google and go down hours-long rabbit holes of census records, looking for some kind of answer, but I’m as clueless as ever.
There’s a part of me that thinks I should just let the idea of her go and be grateful that I had a friend when Hobbes died or when my mom was dealing with my grouchy, recently born little sister. I was never alone or lonely in that house. I wonder, though, if Dorea is.
I’m going back to New Orleans for the weekend, which just so happens to be Halloween, when the veil between this world and the next is thinnest. Maybe I’ll drive by that house. In theory, I’m old enough to go by myself, but my mom has volunteered Gammy to go with me. Maybe I’ll see Dorea, or maybe I’ll just get another secret out of my grandma. Either way, I’ll be in good company.
Zoo Boo The Upside Down has taken over the zoo this Halloween, so grab your boo crew, costumes, and trick-or-treat bags to make sure you score some hallowed sweets. Memphis Zoo, select nights through October 31, 6-9:30 p.m., $13-$18
Halloween Campfire Storytelling: Marshmallows and Mayhem Families will be treated to folktales and fables while roasting marshmallows with local radio personality Mother Wit and Park Ranger Jessica Gossett. All stories will come from the diversity of people who make up the face of America and Tennessee. Marshmallows and roasting sticks will be provided. T.O. Fuller State Park, Friday, October 28, 6-8 p.m., $5-$10
Magic Carpet: Mighty Souls Monster Mash Little ones will be transported through the wonder of their imaginations as they learn all about the fascinating instruments and styles that give this Memphis mainstay its signature soulful sound. Buckman Arts Center at St. Mary’s School, Saturday, October 29, 10 a.m., paywhat you can with donations accepted
Halloween Hike Get an active start to your Halloween celebrations by taking a not-so-spooky walk through the Memphis Botanic Garden. Special treat and activity stations along the way will feature Alice in Wonderland activities and crafts, pumpkin story time, bat crafts, a bone dig, and much more! Plus there’ll have family-friendly food trucks on-site for a picnic lunch. Memphis Botanic Garden, Saturday, October 29, 11 a.m.-3 p.m., $10-$15
(Credit: Memphis Brooks Museum of Art)
Día de los Muertos Parade & Festival 2022 Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, along with the Cazateatro Bilingual Theatre Group, invites you and your family to honor your ancestors and celebrate the cycle of life and death. The parade will begin at 11:30 a.m. in the Tower Courtyard at Overton Square with floats and performers making their way to the Brooks. The festival at the Brooks will offer art-making activities, face painting, music, costumed performers, dance performances, and more! Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, Saturday, October 29, 11:30 a.m., free
Halloween Family Story Time The bewitching hour is here at last. Join the library for stories and songs. Attendees will receive trick-or-treat goodies and a Halloween take-home craft. Costumes are encouraged. Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library, Saturday, October 29, 1-2 p.m., free
Fun Fall Bash This fun day will have games, activities, Halloween prizes, face painting, food, a costume contest, candy, and trick-or-treating. Kroc Center, Saturday, October 29, 1-3 p.m., free
Trunk or Treat at The Edge Triangle Bring your family and friends for an afternoon of fun, with costumes, food trucks, photobooth, music, and a screening of It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. Edge Triangle, Saturday, October 29, 2-5 p.m., free
Pumpkin Carving Contest Join the Lodge for a good ol’ fashioned pumpkin carving competition with prizes. Your ticket price will get you one pumpkin and a kit you can use to carve the pumpkin. Halloween favorites, appropriate for all ages, will be screening throughout the contest. Black Lodge, Sunday, October 30, noon-6 p.m., $25
👿 Eat, Drink, and Be Scary Adults 👿
(Photo: Sabina Music Rich on Unsplash)
Fright at the Brewery Join Wiseacre Brewing Company on Broad Avenue for a Halloween fundraiser benefiting United Housing’s many housing-focused programs in Memphis. There’ll be a costume contest, live entertainment provided by the one and only DJ Stan Bell, a wine pull, and so much more. Wiseacre Brewing Company, Thursday, October 27, 5-9 p.m., $25
Dystopia Nights: Halloween Party Join the Lodge for a night of music and dancing, complete with a costume contest! DJs Evonech and St. Faust will bring you music ranging from classic goth club hits to current artists in goth, darkwave, industrial, and dark electro! Black Lodge, Friday, October 28, 10 p.m.-3 a.m., $12, 18+
Women and Witches in Beer: Halloween Candy Pairing Did you know that the original beer brewers were women or that for the vast majority of history women ran the beer world? Did you also know that Halloween candy and beer are actually a delicious combo? Well, this is the class to find out as you embark on a tour of Wiseacre’s Downtown HQ to learn about beer history, women in beer, and where witches come into play. The class will also include a special Halloween candy/beer pairing. Wiseacre HQ, Saturday, October 29, 1 p.m., 3 p.m., 5 p.m., $25
Fright Night Take a trip to Midtown for Memphis’ newest Halloween Party! This spectacular soiree will have unlimited cocktails all night, a $500 grand prize costume contest, and two DJs in two different rooms, so you can pick your vibe for the night. Arrive early for light bites from 7-9 p.m. Collage Dance Collective, Saturday, October 29, 7-11 p.m., $20-$40
21st Annual Black Lodge Halloween Masquerade Ball Join the Lodge for a night of mirth and mischief, of costumes and chaos, as a devilish mix of music, drinks, dancing, and debauchery is unleashed. Featuring hoop and flow dancers, fire performers, sideshow performances, and more. Black Lodge, Saturday, October 29, 7:30 p.m.-3 a.m., $25, 18+
Loflin Graveyard Party with your ghouls and jam to DJ Bassventura in the Haunted Coach House. Compete in an adult costume contest at 9 p.m. with singles, couples, and group cash prizes for winners. Loflin Yard, Saturday, October 29, 9 p.m.-midnight, no cover
Black October Just in time for spooky season, TONE is bringing back its infamous Black October Halloween party for all the girls, goblins, and everything in between. Taking you through the night are DJs Breezye, Nico, Qemist, and Space Age. There will also be a BOOty shaking contest, so secure the wigs and bring ya knees! Orange Mound Tower, Monday, October 31, 9 p.m., $15-$20
👻 Eerie-sistible Performances 👻
(Credit Carla McDonald)
Arsenic and Old Lace Mortimer Brewster is a drama critic who must deal with his crazy family as he debates whether to marry the woman next door whom he loves. Two spinster aunts “lace” their wine to poison lonely old men and engage the help of one brother (who thinks he is Teddy Roosevelt) and digs locks for the Panama Canal in the basement. And then there is the murderous other brother who has altered his appearance to conceal his identity. How will it all end? See for yourself! Performances run Thursdays-Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. Theatre Memphis, performances run through October 30, $25
Spillit Slam: Spooky Join Spillit for an evening of your stories about the time when things got spooky. Spillit is live storytelling told in front of an audience. This is a Slam event. Come prepared to share a story. If your name is picked, you have seven minutes to tell a tale of all true personal narratives (well, mostly true). After 10 stories the audience will judge and a Slam winner will be picked for the evening. Black Lodge, Wednesday, October 26, 7-10 p.m., $10
Phantom Phavorites: A Halloween Concert Revel in the music! St. Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral is decorated for Halloween with ghouls and spirits. The Phantom Phavorites concert features vocal selections from Webber’s Phantom of the Opera, the Toccata and Fugue in D minor, Funeral March of a Marionette, Danse Macabre, and many other spooky selections. St. Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral, Friday, October 28, 7 p.m., free
Dracula Ballet Memphis launches the season with the suspenseful and gripping thriller, Dracula. Reimagined by Artistic Director Steven McMahon, this version of the chilling classic will be sure to tantalize and mesmerize in equal measure. Recommended for audiences 12 years and older. Performances run Friday at 7:30 p.m., Saturday at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. Orpheum Theatre, Friday-Sunday, October 28-30, $28-$78
(Credit: New Moon Theatre Company)
Evil Dead: The Musical This hilarious show takes all the elements of the cult classic films The Evil Dead, Evil Dead 2, and Army of Darkness and combines them into one of the craziest theatrical experiences of all time, complete with a Splash Zone, where guests will get (fake) blood on them from the stage’s ongoings. Performances run Thursdays at 7:30 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., and Sundays at 2 p.m. Theatre Works, Friday, October 28- November 13, $25-$35
What’s Scarier Than Halloween? Poetry Slam Poets will be tasked in round one to share an original poem surrounding the theme “What’s Scarier Than Halloween?” in which they must pay tribute to a celebrity who has passed. The audience is tasked to come rocking a celebrity look of their choosing. The celebrity can be living or no longer with us. Butterific Bakery, Saturday, October 29, 7 p.m., $20
Scheidt at the Shell: Frankenstein in Concert The University of Memphis Wind Ensemble will play the 1931 classic movie score as the film plays on giant screens. So grab your picnic baskets, chairs, and spookiest costumes, and join in on the fun. Come early for the costume contest, Monster Mash dance party, and instrument petting zoo. Overton Park Shell, Sunday, October 30, 5:30-8 p.m., free
🎃 Fa-boo-lous Films 🎃
Halloween Forever: A Michael Myers Triple Feature Get your holiday fright fix and join Lodge for a triple feature of one of the greatest horror series of all time — with Halloween (1978) at 9:30 p.m., Halloween (2018) at 11 p.m., and Halloween Kills (2021) at 12:30 a.m. Black Lodge, Wednesday, October 26, 9:30 p.m., free, 18+
Overton Square Movie Series: Edward Scissorhands Bring a blanket or chair for a screening of this fantasy romance film directed by Tim Burton. Overton Square, Thursday, October 27, 7 p.m., free
The Snake Girl and the Silver-Haired Witch When a girl named Sayuri is reunited with her family after years in an orphanage, she’s plagued with phantasmagorical visions involving a fanged demon, wild monsters, and murder by snakes. This theremin-fueled gothic nightmare is easily the most traumatizing movie ever aimed at a kids audience. Rated PG-13. Crosstown Theater, Thursday, October 27, 7 p.m., $5
S**TFEST Halloween Marathon: Best Worst Horror Movies Ever The Lodge has an especially painful triple feature for Halloween: The Gingerbread Man (5:30 p.m.), Troll 2 (6:30 p.m.), and Shock Em Dead (8 p.m.). This is no silent screening. Razzing, riffing, and drunken yelling at the screen is highly encouraged! Black Lodge, Friday, October 28, 5:30 p.m., free
Fright-tober A kid-friendly matinee screening of Hocus Pocus at 2:30 p.m., followed by a slightly spookier screening of Return of the Living Dead at 6:30 p.m. Register in advance. Crosstown Theater, Saturday, October 29, free
Cemetery Cinema Double Feature: Soul of the City & Hocus Pocus Cemetery Cinema is back with a special double feature showing of Elmwood Cemetery’s original film, The Soul of the City: Memphis Music, and Hocus Pocus. Films are projected onto the roof of the historic 1852 cottage, a National Register Landmark since 1978. Lawn chairs and coolers are welcome. Children aged 9 and up will be permitted. Elmwood Cemetery, Friday, October 28, 6-8 p.m., $18
Tours meet at the Broom Closet before embarking. (Photo: Abigail Morici)
“I was the creepy girl in school,” Tanya Vandesteeg says. “I guess I still am, but we moved a lot when I was a child. And to make friends with everybody in my new school, I would always ask them things like, ‘Oh, what’s the local legend in your town?’ I was always really wanting to debunk it.”
Despite this desire to debunk, Vandesteeg has never doubted the existence of the paranormal. “I was really into it. I would see portals in my room when I was a small child — like these really spinning weird things. And I would hear voices and have visions.”
Once at college, her paranormal proclivities led her to ghost hunting, a hobby that she continued as she moved from place to place until she landed here in Memphis, where she joined her first “official paranormal group.” That’s also where she met fellow paranormal investigator Stephen Guenther. “We decided to break off that group and form our own group,” Vandesteeg says.
Since then, the Historical Haunts team has performed and continues to perform a number of paranormal investigations, and eventually the two founders branched out into offering haunted tours, where guests can learn about Memphis’ ghostly history and try their own hand at ghost hunting. And, yes, there will be paranormal activity on these tours, Vandesteeg assures.“We don’t fake anything.”
In fact, whether you see a ghost or not depends on your intentions and energy. “If you’re all closed off and negative about it you’re not going to be vibrating on the same level as the spirits,” she says. “We always say if you’re loving and caring and grateful, you’re going to vibrate on that level.” With that in mind, the group does not tolerate provoking spirits.
Historical Haunts Ghost Tours’ various tours — including the Haunted Memphis Bus Tour, Haunted Pub Crawl, and Walking Ghost Hunt — run weekly. For more information or to buy tickets, visit historicalhauntsmemphis.com.
“I can’t believe someone actually had the gall to steal my entire candy bowl I left out for trick-or-treaters, even with my Ring camera being right there,” Evan Savage wrote on Nextdoor. “Be wary of the tricksters, the ghouls are out tonight :/”
Posted to Nextdoor by Shea Gabrielleschi
Same thing happened to Shea Gabrielleschi’s candy bowl.
Pilfered the Packages
Posted to Nextdoor by Katherine Ryan
Similarly, Katherine Ryan posted Ring-camera footage of a porch pirate pilfering packages.
How they Saw It
Tennessee House Republicans (@tnhousegop) tweeted Saturday, “The General Assembly has outlawed Covid-19 mandates in Tennessee. Last night, we chose FREEDOM over MANDATES. It’s a great day to be a Tennessean.”
I can’t wait to write a fun-filled and informational column in these pages about the perfect New Year’s beer. It’s not that I’m a fan of the holiday (I’m not — it’s amateur night), but that foolishness will signal the end of this damn year. Now I understand that Halloween is being downgraded to “Well, we’d better not. You know, for the kids.” Meanwhile, we all wait for the alert-level for Thanksgiving to rise to: “It will make you sicker than the candied yams.” All of which raises the question: What the hell season are we even in?
It’s not like you can tell by the weather around here. And, by the way, your fall wardrobe may very well be hiding some nasty surprises about exactly how much you’ve fleshed out during the late unpleasantness. It’s the middle of October and we’re all still walking around like beach bums. Or I am, at any rate. May I suggest that we all get in the proper fall spirit with a proper fall beer? And for a proper fall beer, you don’t have to go much further than High Cotton’s Chocolate Rye Porter.
Richard Murff
High Cotton Chocolate Rye Porter
On the front end, I should say that while I like rye in bread, and love it in whiskey, I’ve never been very impressed with it in beer; it always tastes like someone put pepper in my drink. Not enough to ruin it, just enough to verily annoy me. It just doesn’t work for me in an IPA. In a porter, however, rye has a cozy home. High Cotton’s take on a chocolate porter has just enough of that rye to create a neat spice finish to an otherwise classic porter, with hints of chocolate and coffee going on.
With an ABV of 5 percent, this porter will make you warm where you need it, but won’t try to pole-axe you while you aren’t looking. If nothing else, this is a beer that feels like fall, even if you haven’t covered your knees since April. And yet, since we’re certainly going to hit 80 degrees again, you haven’t made too much of a commitment.
For some historical color on the porter style, you should know it’s a traditional beer for the working class in England, where it’s fall 10 months out of the year. But not even the English can live on porter alone, so what do you eat with it? I’d steer clear of anything light and summery, as it would just be overwhelmed. What I’d like to have a glass with is some wild game, even some fowl if you’re throwing everything on the grill these days. A glass will also play well with sausages, good stews of roasted root vegetables, and braised meat. You hear about a lot of people pairing porters with barbecue, but I’m not so sure. With this chocolate rye porter, it seems like that would be an awful lot going on, but you do you.
In sum, it’s a roasty, hearty brew that is still medium-bodied, not heavy. For those of you looking for what we used to call a breakfast beer, you’re looking for a bigger “stout” — which for the modern drinker has come to mean a beer with roughly the same color and a wee bit more heft. Historically speaking, the styles are very intertwined. Even the name “stout” is a shortened version of “stout porter.”
If you are looking for a solid local version of the latter, crack open one of Wiseacre’s You Gotta Get Up to Get Down. Which is made with local coffee, so you can actually drink for breakfast if you are still Zooming your way through what you’re still calling a career. Of course, if you’re still carrying on like that seven months into this hellscape, then knowing the seasons isn’t your problem. You likely don’t even know what time it is.
Are you a nerdy librarian by day, sexy schoolgirl by night? Corporate executive during the work week, but a weekend Hell’s Angel? Here’s the perfect holiday photo opportunity for you. Bring the family in for a sweet autumn photo, then get your nobody-understands-me emo gear together to memorialize your first Halloween pandemic experience.
How great is it? According to local creative Falon Karcher, “I think this is just a super-cool idea. It just shows that when the going gets tough, theater people build their way through it. This does my heart good and I can’t wait to be back on that stage.”
Facebook/Theatre Memphis
Season 3 of What We Do in the Shadows looks lit.
What Karcher and others are talking about is the work of Theatre Memphis resident and scenic designer Jack Netzel-Yates, who has created a Fall Harvest theme (great for families) and the Haunted Victorian (great for costumes) to create your next frame-worthy portrait. These photos will also look snazzy on the annual holiday cards that you’ll be sending in the next few months. Costumes are encouraged, and the whole gang can be in the shot, as this is a pet-friendly event. Whether you choose to come in costume or in classic autumnal attire, you’re sure to capture a delightful memory with this specialty Halloween photo shoot.
Harry Koniditsiotis jokes that he may be “the gothest motherfucker in town.” This is his time of year. The proprietor of 5 and Dime Recording knows how to create a spooky sound. The proof is in the blood pudding with his band Switchblade Kid, who tap the vein of classic death rockers like The Jesus and Mary Chain and Bauhaus. For his latest song “The Young Don’t Cry,” Koniditsiotis says the discovery of a forgotten film reel led to the creation of a supernatural music video. “My friend Parker Hays goes to estate sales and usually gives me all the 8mm stuff he can’t sell. It’s always old home movies and various film releases. I joke to him that one day I’m going to find stag films or something scandalous in the lot. This time I did find something interesting on an unmarked 3.5 min reel — Hammer Films’ ‘The Vampire of Marrakesh.’”
Hammer was the British film company who produced a string of classic horror films from 1955-1975. Productions like The Curse of Frankenstein and The Mummy, with their spooky, atmospheric production design and straight-faced camp portrayals of monsters and maidens, made stars out of Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing. ‘The Vampire of Marrakesh’is a rare short film that was produced as part of a serial called Tom Terriss the Vagabond Adventurer — Quest of the Perfect Woman. “Basically, the plot is, a douche British guy travels to exotic lands to scam on chicks,” says Koniditsiotis.
The serial predates the founding of Hammer in 1935, but the fledgling company is believed to have purchased the rights to the film from a defunct production company and released as a stand-alone short. “Memphis film scholar Matt Martin of Black Lodge believes the film has never been released on VHS or DVD,” says Koniditsiotis. “Oddly enough, ‘The Vampire of Marrakesh’ does have an IMDB review: ‘Incredibly awful film is something that I’d highly recommend to those who love bad movies. So incredibly awful it’s worth watching.’”
If that’s not a ringing endorsement, I don’t know what is. Koniditsiotis edited the surviving scenes from the 8mm reel together to create a suitably seasonal video for “The Young Don’t Cry.” Switchblade Kid will be hosting a Halloween Death Rock Party at 5 & Dime Studio on October 31st. It will be socially distanced to emphasize the gothic alienation and existential horror of the pandemic holiday. Take a look at the video — if you dare!
Music Video Monday: Switchblade Kid
If you would like to see your music video featured on Music Video Monday, email cmccoy@memphisflyer.com.
In a year when so much has gone away, there’s one thing you can count on: Horror movies at the drive-in! The Time Warp Drive-In, brought to you by Black Lodge, Guerilla Monster Films, Holtermonster Designs, Piano Man Pictures, and Malco Theatres, had its origins in a Halloween program, and October remains the screening series’ most popular edition. This year’s theme is zombies. Who doesn’t like zombies? Maybe people have a little burnout after a decade of The Walking Dead and its spinoffs, but we’re not talking to them right now. We’re talking to the fans of shuffling doom, of which there are hoardes.
The first film on the docket originated about the same time as The Walking Dead. 2009’s Zombieland is the best kind of horror comedy: one that pokes fun at the genre while also delivering genuinely good action scenes. The cast is absolutely stacked: Jesse Eisenberg, appearing the year before he defined Mark Zuckerberg in The Social Network; Academy Award-winner Emma Stone, in her breakthrough role; future tabloid superstar Amber Heard; and a pair of absolute legends in Woody Harrelson and Bill Murray. The self-aware gorefest has held up over the years, if for no other reason than its timeless advice to not skip your cardio workout.
They’re Back From The Grave and Ready to Party! Zombies Take the Time Warp Drive-In
1985 was a great year for zombie pictures, as the Warps’ next two selections attest. Re-Animator was a pioneer in the horror-comedy subgenre. Loosely based on an H.P. Lovecraft story, Re-Animator was the gory debut of filmmaker Stuart Gordon, who would go on to a two-decade career, including writing Honey I Shrunk The Kids. This film, though, is decidedly not family friendly.
They’re Back From The Grave and Ready to Party! Zombies Take the Time Warp Drive-In (2)
The third film, also from 1985, is a collaboration between a pair of horror legends. Dan O’Bannon got his start on John Carpenter’s debut Dark Star, and wrote a screenplay that would eventually become Alien. His directorial debut is The Return of the Living Dead, based on a concept by Night of the Living Dead co-creator John Russo. Made at the height of the west coast hardcore punk movement, the soundtrack features music by T.S.O.L, Roky Erickson, 45 Grave, The Damned, and The Cramps. It’s most significant contribution to zombie-dom is the introduction of the concept that zombies love to eat brains. For my money, Return of the Living Dead has the best tagline ever: “They’re back from the grave, and ready to party!”
They’re Back From The Grave and Ready to Party! Zombies Take the Time Warp Drive-In (3)
And finally, the film that started the modern zombie genre: Night of the Living Dead is one of the most significant indie films ever made. It inspired generations of plucky filmmakers to pursue their dreams, no matter how messed up those dreams may be. George Romero was making industrial training films in Pittsburgh when he got a motley crew together to create an all-time classic. Ironically, many of the crew on Night of the Living Dead went on to help create Mister Rogers Neighborhood. Star Duane Jones, a theater actor who would later become the executive director of the Black Theatre Alliance, was cast because he was just the best guy to come in the door on audition day. But his portrayal of Ben, an unflappable Black protagonist in a day when the screen was dominated by White actors, is now hailed as a major milestone. In the Black Lives Matter era, the ending, which sees Ben surviving the zombie onslaught only to be killed by police, takes on new meaning. Don’t miss your opportunity to see this timeless classic as it was intended to be seen: at the drive-in.
They’re Back From The Grave and Ready to Party! Zombies Take the Time Warp Drive-In (4)
Showtime starts at sundown at the Malco Summer Drive-In.
Citizens of the MEMernet have been sharing photos of the hilarious Halloween decorations at this Central Gardens home.
The scene is an IRL political cartoon. In it, Donald Trump is spider-webbed to a tree surrounded by coronavirus particles. Imaginary polling data shows the homeowner is a front-runner to win Halloween.
Dog whistle?
Memphis Reddit users talked through the seemingly odd price of a propane tank at a West Memphis Tru Value hardware store last week.
The store had the tanks listed at $14.88. Some believed the price referenced the 14/88 white supremacy symbol. The “Fourteen Words” slogan seeks to secure a future for “our people” and “white children.” The “88” is a veiled reference to “H,” the eighth letter of the alphabet, which together is “Heil Hitler.”
Memphis Reddit users thought the price was too arbitrary to be anything other than a dog whistle and that tank prices are usually higher than that.
Sexy treats
Over on the Where Black Memphis Eats Facebook group, someone requested this dessert but with chocolate-covered strawberries.
Trick-or-treating — even trunk-or-treating — is not recommended this year and large Halloween parties are not allowed in Shelby County to help stop the spread of COVID-19.
Leaders with the Shelby County Health Department (SCHD) issued their guidance on Halloween 2020 and COVID-19 on Tuesday. The guidance is based on information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on how to take part in Halloween celebrations in ways that reduce the spread of the virus.
Here are the SCHD’s 2020 guidelines:
Not Permitted
• Halloween events or parties that encourage the gathering of large numbers of people are not permitted even if they are conducted outdoors.
• Carnivals, festivals, parades and haunted houses are not permitted.
Not Recommended
• Door-to-door trick or treating is not recommended for any age group because it can be very difficult to maintain proper social distancing on porches and at front doors and because sharing food is risky.
• “Trunk or treating” where children go from car to car instead of door to door to receive treats is also not recommended because it is difficult to maintain proper social distancing.
Permitted and Recommended
• Online parties/contests (i.e. costume or pumpkin carving)
• Drive-by events, including events where individual participants remain in their vehicles.
• Halloween movie nights at drive-in theaters that meet the requirements of the current health directive.
• Decorating homes and yards with Halloween-themed decorations.
• Outdoor activities are safer than indoor activities.
Personal Protection Measures
• If you are sick or have been in contact with someone who is sick with COVID-19, stay home and away from others and seek testing.
• Correctly wear a cloth facial covering to prevent disease spread. Wear a cloth mask with two or more layers over the nose and mouth and secure it under the chin.
• Avoid confined spaces – Actively avoid indoor spaces that don’t allow for easy distancing of at least six feet between yourself and others.
• Avoid close contact – Stay at least six feet away from all other people who are not part of your own household, especially when talking, eating and drinking.
Richard Murff 
Facebook/Theatre Memphis 
