Three More Halloween Top Tens (Countdown to Halloween 2)

Our countdown to Halloween continues, with just 10 Days Left!  

As with last week’s post, I’m giving you quantity rather than quality here.  You get three top ten lists, but very little fluff text.  Hope you enjoy it anyway. 

Ten Christmas Films It’s OK to Watch at Halloween;

or, Ten Halloween Films Set at Christmas

(In No Particular Order)

Note: I have intentionally excluded some films that are set at Christmas but not so much that I remember they are set at Christmas (notably Jaws: The Revenge and Psycho – which would have been the worst and best movies on the list had I included them). 

      1.      Black Christmas (1974 version is preferred to the 2006 version)

      2.      Child’s Play

      3.      Santa Claus Conquers the Martians

      4.      Gremlins

      5.      Jack Frost (the 1997 horror film, not the 1998 family comedy)

      6.      Silent Night, Deadly Night

      7.      Tales from the Crypt (…And All Through the House – First movie segment or TV series episode 1.01)

      8.      The Nightmare Before Christmas

      9.      Wind Chill

      10.  Any Super-Hero movie set at Christmas (ex: Batman Returns, Iron Man 3)

While we are on the topic of movies, I had a request for a follow up to last week’s Top Ten Halloween Family Movies.  So, for the open-minded youngsters out there, may I present:

Top Ten Classic Halloween Family Movies

10.       House of Frankenstein

9.         King Kong (1933 version) or better still its sequel Son of Kong

8.         War of the Worlds (1953 version)

7.         Godzilla vs. Megalon

6.         13 Ghosts (1960 version)

5.         Dinosaurus!

4.         Jason and the Argonauts (1963 version)

3.         King Kong Vs. Godzilla

2.         Seven Faces of Dr. Lao

1.         Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein

Top Ten Works of Short Fiction to Read for Halloween

10.       Sherlock Holmes “The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire” by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

9.         “The Crystal Egg” by H.G. Wells (sort of a prequel to The War of the Worlds)

8.         “The Vampyre” by John Polidori

7.         “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” by Ambrose Bierce (For something a bit more traditionally horror also by Bierce try “The Damned Thing”)

6.         “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” by Samuel Taylor Coleridge

5.         “The Monkey’s Paw” by W.W. Jacobs

4.         The Mist by Stephen King

3.         “The Statement of Randolph Carter” by H.P. Lovecraft (For something a bit longer – but still short – also by Lovecraft try “The Call of Cthulhu” or “Herbert West: Re-Animator”)

2.         “The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe

1.         The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving

Until next time, 

Nerd is the New Cool, signing off.

Countdown to Christmas

It's that time again...Christmas...

Aw... I can see it now... the tree, the decorations (if we ever make it to pull them out of storage).  Snowflakes falling outside (except I live in Oklahoma where it doesn't snow at Christmastime). A fire burning in the hearth (I hope, it's our first winter in the new apartment which does have a fireplace, so lets hope it works!).

The crazy Black Friday shopping (we went out this morning and it wasn't actually that bad, Best Buy was definitely the worst of the places we went - Game Exchange, Hastings, PetCo, Big Lots, Atwood's being the others), the cooking (mmm....Roast Beast), the presents.

But the best part of this time of year is Christmas music.  I love it, whether it's the light fun stuff like Have a Holly Jolly Christmas or heavier fare like The River (I'm especially fond of Robert Downy Jr.'s Ally McBeal rendition).

For more traditional songs, I like Silent Night and O Tannenbaum the best.  I was always fond of Little Drummer Boy while growing up.  I am also a fan of most of the old standards: Rudolf, Frosty, Winter Wonderland, and the like, but my favorite I'll Be Home for Christmas.  I'm not usually too held up by who sings any of these songs, but some are better than others.

Anyway, here is my Top 10 Favorite Christmas Songs:

10. Santa's Beard by The Beach Boys
9.   Belleau Wood by Garth Brooks
8.   Silver Bells - Bing Crosby
7.   Santa Baby by Madonna (I also really like the Ally McBeal version)
6.   We Wish You a Merry Christmas by John Denver and the Muppets
5.   The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late) by Dave Seville and the Chipmunks
4.   I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas by Gayla Peevey
3.   The Gift (The Nightingale Song/A Poor Orphan Girl Named Maria) by Aselin Debison
2.   Christmas Is Coming by John Denver and the Muppets
1.   Snoopy's Christmas (Christmas Bells) by The Royal Guardsmen

As you can see, I'm not going into a whole lot of detail on this one, just letting the songs stand for themselves.    I recommend going out and finding them for a good listen if you are into this kind of thing.

There have been a number of great Christmas albums both compilations and studio albums.  Now has a number of great Christmas collections out and the A Very Special Christmas series is also good.

But as for the Greatest Christmas Albums of All Time here are my Top 5:

5.  Christmas Portrait by The Carpenters
4.  Merry Christmas by Mariah Carey
3.  Christmas Through Your Eyes by Gloria Estefan
2.  The Beach Boys Christmas Album
1.  A Christmas Together by John Denver and the Muppets

So, there's my list.  And now I wanna know your's.  What is your favorite Christmas song (traditional or modern) or album?  What is your favorite part of the holidays?

Leave a comment below or hit me up on my twitter @NerdIsNewCool

In the meantime, Happy Holidays

Nerd Is the New Cool, signing off.