Goth Girls' Detective Club

The Rentaghost cast When I was young Rentaghost was my absolute favourite show ever Once, when I was about seven, in an attempt to integrate me, my mother suggested I join the Brownies; the idea was met with scorn and derision largely because the Brownies swarmed (I’m assuming that’s what Brownies do) on a Rentaghost night, and they sucked, and dressed like tiny poos, and they sucked. It turned out later that I just wasn’t a naturally inclined participator in group activities. Needless to say I didn’t have a lot of friends as youngster, but then there are also no childhood pictures of me dressed like a chubby, redheaded turd at a jamboree somewhere, so take that, Brownies, who’s big and clever now?! Rentaghost was a British children's television comedy programme broadcast on the BBC between 1976 and 1984 and revolved around a company, 'Rentaghost', which hired out ghosts for a variety of potentially hilarious jobs and purposes. The first series of Rentaghost saw th...

Johnny Smith (Christopher Walken) The Dead Zone (1983) Things are looking good for school teacher Johnny Smith (Christopher Walken) he’s got a good job, he’s in love with his work colleague Sarah Bracknell (Brooke Adams) and better than that she loves him too, everything’s dandy until he is involved in a serious car accident and he ends up in a coma. Bloody typical, all’s going well for you, you meet the woman of your dreams, life’s good and then you’re hit by a truck and end up comatose. On the up side, during his bloody long and unwarranted timeout, Johnny is placed under the care of neurologist Dr. Sam Weizak (Herbert Lom) and when he finally wakes he thinks, all things considered, he’s’ come out of it pretty darn well, all his limbs are present and correct, nothing’s broken, brain functions seem good and he’s still got his preternaturally pretty Christopher Walken looks, everything’s coming up Johnny. Unfortunately this all takes a sharp incline towards rubbish when he discove...

Somewhat surprisingly, it transpires that Yorkshire is a red hot hub supernatural activity, according to The Telegraph : "The report indentifies Yorkshire as the centre of ghostly goings-on demonic activity with 74 reports of demons, including Uncabus and Succubus (male and female demons that make sexual attacks on sleeping victims), instances of demonic possession and sightings of hell hounds, water demons and demons with repulsive forms such as ghouls and werewolves." (My very own Yorkshirian oddity .) Another score for the North East of England, I think. The only other league tables we top tend to be teen pregnancies statistics, so good work on this, Yorkshire.

Mike over at From Midnight, With Love has asked his readers to join his merry band of Midnight Warriors . He has asked us to contribute to FMWL by responding to questions of his choice and maybe posting a little blog entry in conjunction. Now, I love a gang, and if it’s Mike’s gang and it’s called Midnight Warriors how can you not want to be in, you get a blog badge and everything (see right), a MW outfit would be good too, I love a costume (just a suggestion there, Mike, you might want to think about it). Mike’s inaugural question is: “You've been given the opportunity to host a midnight showing of any genre/cult film you want, and are sure to have a great crowd of like-minded fans who will join in. What's the one movie you're going to pick, and why?” Awesome question, Mike. But a tough question. One film when I love so many? How’s a girl to choose? I hummed and hawed for ages over this. I could have picked any one of hundreds fantastic films that everyone loves ...

John Morlar (Richard Burton) The Medusa Touch (1978) French detective, Brunel (Lino Ventura), is participating in an exchange programme in London when he is charged with investigating the murder of obnoxious novelist John Morlar (God only knows what’s going on in France for some unsuspecting Brit copper, probably some paperwork and sightseeing. Can’t help but think someone got the rubbish end of the stick here somewhere along this line). While conducting an initial investigation of the crime scene, somewhat surprisingly for all concerned, it becomes apparent that Morlar is still alive; despite the horrific injuries he has incurred and wisely he is rushed to hospital. Brunel then sets about to investigate the not murder of Morlar primarily by attempting to reconstruct his life with the aid of journals and the man’s psychiatrist, Dr. Zonfeld (Lee Remick). These prove to be incredibly rich resources and soon we see the life of the mysterious Morlar taking shape through the versati...

Zombies in Wonderland Can't decide if this is awesome or not. Looks cute, but doubt it'll replace House of  the Dead: Overkill as my favourite thing to do on the Wii. Yeah, take that Wii Fit, I won't kowtow to your passive aggressive bully tactics, you're just like my auntie Mary, and I don't return her phonecalls either. Ha! I rule!!! Like a stroppy 13 year old.

I have huge and unashamed soft spot for Ron Perlman (or Ron Pearlyman as he's affectionately known in the Jinxiverse). I love him. I'm always pleased to see him. I'd watch him in anything. Today is his 60th birthday.  Let us enjoy some pictures of the Pearlyman to celebrate.

Carrie White (Sissy Spacek) Carrie (1976) Poor Carrie White never stood a chance; adolescence, burgeoning metaphorical telekinetic powers, a raving psychotic, religious fanatic mother and a school full of unmitigated gits. Carrie demonstrates clearly why teenagers suck and why school days, far from being the happiest days of your life, are in fact more often than not merely a gamut of self revulsion, humiliation and shame. Or so I’m told, my school days were relatively bland and non-descript except for a brief period of excitement whereby I impersonated a prefect for a month. And we didn’t have proms in Britain in those days so I never had to worry about not being able to get a date, which was entirely more healthy, if you ask me. Carrie White is the quintessential underdog; emotionally crippled by her mother, mercilessly terrorised by her peers and completely unprepared to negotiate the harsh realities of her own existence. But, she ultimately becomes one the scariest and most ...

I appear to have contracted some rare and hideous disease and fear I may not be long for this world. Actually, I have a bit of a cold, but I get sick like a stereotypical boy so for the foreseeable future I shall be lying on my couch groaning and proclaiming myself too weak to make my own tea, turn the tv over, mop my own fevered brow etc. and generally making my very patient husband's life a misery. If I make it through I'll be back soon. Pray for me.

Madame Arcati (Margaret Rutherford) Blithe Spirit (1945) Madame Aracati, played by incomparable Margaret Rutherford, is undoubtedly my favourite movie psychic. I’ve always had a deep admiration for Rutherford herself as she was unquestionably a highly talented comedy performer, but more than that I always appreciated the sense of the peculiar and eccentric she always embodied that combined with the unapologetic and extraordinary uniqueness of her physicality set her apart in my young mind and made me glad to be unusual too. Blithe Spirit revolves around a successful writer Charles Condomine (Rex Harrison), who wishes to research the occult for his next novel and so arranges for an eccentric medium, Madame Arcati, to conduct a séance at his home. Faced with Madame Arcati’s spiritual theatrics and comedically clichéd rituals, Charles, his second wife Ruth (Constance Cummings) and guests the Bradmans (Hugh Wakefield, Joyce) Carey: endeavor, with varying degrees of success, to supp...