The House by the Cemetery (1981)

A New Yorker, Norman moves his wife and son, Bob into a creepy, run down New England mansion in order to continue his research into the 19th century surgeon Dr Freudstein who's experiments led to him losing his medical license and being banned from the medical profession for life.

Dr Freudstein in his later years.

...And now would be a good time to mention that the creepy run down New England mansion the family moves into is the former home of Doctor Freudstein. And that Norman is actually continuing the research of a colleague of his Dr. Peterson who committed suicide while researching Dr Freudstein experiments. And that there is a history of deaths and disappearances in this house. And that Bob has an "imaginary" friend who tells him to leave the house. And that the basement door is strangely sealed shut. And that Dr. Boyle discovers that Dr Freudstein was never actually buried in the cemetery records say he was...  needless to say, if you're familiar at all with the horror genre you should be able to pretty much piece the whole movie together from that. Still this is a really fun and creepy movie.

Bob will save his family from the evil thing in the basement.

This is movie number three in legendary Italian horror director, Lucio Fulci's unofficial Gates of Hell trilogy. Consisting of this movie as well as The City of the Living Dead (1980) and The Beyond (1980). They're not a trilogy in the sense that they share a common continuity, but they are a trilogy in the thematic sense, each of them revolve around a gateway to Hell (these aren't figurative gateways either). And all three of them are super creepy.

If you call yourself a horror fan at all, this one is a must see (as well as much of the rest of Fulci's work, but that's probably a subject for another article).

The House by the Cemetery (Imdb)

Tales From Overguilds, Part 5

Mid Spring 1053

We've got a lot of Peachicks.

Ha ha ha. Now I have a well-trained Draltha.  I have assigned it to a pasture as I don't want it to starve to death while I train it further. I sure hope that it eats grass in addition to it's normal diet of cavern fungus...

Then comes the Spring migrant wave, bumping my population up to 40. Among this wave is way more rangers than I need and the administrator Ast Momuzilon. He is a great organizer and arrived with his wife and pet bunny. Congratulations Mr. Momuzilon, you are my new manager.

40 Dwarves! How am I gonna manage that?

With my new population boom, I will need alot more living space. I have ordered my woodworkers to start constructing beds, and my miner to start construction on bedrooms.

42 Now! Aarrgghh!!!

As construction of the bedroom wing begins, I hear a report that metalcrafter Sigun Nakuthsazir has been taken by a strange mood and has claimed my recently completed forge. I wonder what Sigun plans on building...

Tales From Overguilds, Part One

Tales from Overguilds, Part 4

Late Winter, 1052

A vulture has been harassing my fisher dwarves and stealing their catches! On closer inspection, I find that my haulers have been leaving barrels full of fish down by the brook...

Although, that does give me the idea of attempting to trap a vulture with fish as bait. I have ordered the carpenter to construct some animal traps.

I have also building a workshop and trade level on an upper level of my fortress. A network of mine carts will connect my finished goods stockpile to the trade depot in the near future and eventually to the entire fortress. 

And I was right, we do have thieves- and it's kobolds, Jugubusrursnin the kobold thief if anyone is wondering. I have ordered my military to kill Miss Jugubusrursnin... But she got away. Perhaps it's time to train some War animals an chain them up by the doors. All I've got other than livestock is a giant toad and a draltha, but you gotta start somewhere. 

Actually, after looking up draltha on the wiki, it looks like I won't be training war animals at all, but instead greatly expanding my pastures.

Tales from Overguild, part one

  

Tales from Overguilds Part 3

It's autumn at Overguilds and the immigration wave swells my population to 17, and a I have a sudden food shortage- my brewer has turned brewed all my stocks, without my notice. Fortunately, with the immigrants came a ranger who is is also a fisherdwarf. I hope this will relieve any my food shortage before any fun ensues.

Speaking of food, I have designated space for a dining hall, near the site of what will be a meeting area and statue garden. Hopefully, this should keep the masses happy for some time to come.

The walls will be smoothed and tastelessly engraved, of course.

And by late autumn the outpost liason and caravan had arrived to my relief. I had begun to fear they would not arrive. Too bad that I don't have many useless crafts lying around yet, the only things I have to trade are some of my excess booze and a giant toad in a cage that I had been hoping to train. Luckily I am able to obtain some bronze for my weaponsmith to forge some axes, and I ask my outpost liason to bring more bronze and steel next year for good measure.

And here's what my population looks like at the start of winter 1052:

Looks like I need to get those idlers to work.

In addition, my food supplies have improved for now and I have enough fish and plum helmets on hand to avoid starvation in the near future. But next season I will need to spend time optimizing my food industry.

Also I've noticed random items have disappeared... a few crafts here, a stack of cave wheat there. I suspect I've been visited by thieves- the only question is are they kobolds or are they goblins?


Tales from Overguilds, part one.

Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter (2001)

This wholesome looking fellow is the narrator.

When vampire begin to walk in the sunlight and hunt the lesbian of Ottawa, the Catholic Church turns the only one they can: Jesus Christ himself (played by Phil Caracas, who also starred in Harry Knuckles and the Pearl Necklace).

After being recalled to duty by the church, Jesus updates his image with a shave and haircut, pierced ears and a new wardrobe. Then he battle mobs of atheists, lots of vampires, and the mad scientist Dr. Pretorius using his awesome Kung Fu and sidekicks Mary Magnum and El Santos.

El Santos & Jesus Christ 

Even though this movie's budget was probably too low for it to be even a B-movie, it's got everything a good B movies should have: a ridiculous premise, fun music numbers, and lots of action. Nevermind the poor film quality, this movie's brilliant.

 If you enjoy this you might check out the similar movie, Ultrachrist.

Imdb

Tales from Overguilds Part 2

New Immigrants hanging out in the meeting area.

In late summer I receive migrants including a very friendly 23 year old weaponsmith named Iton Athelmeng and her husband, the quick tempered 20 year old craftsdwarf Dastot Kinzas- remind be to put a nicely crafted door on his room. With this young married couple in my fortress will I soon have richly decorated battle axes in my stockrooms?

Well no. While Overguilds is built on a mountain of flux, there are no useful ores present. So any metal work will have to wait until I can obtain metal by other means. In the meantime I will order the carpenter to construct a set of training weapons and order a squad of dwarves to begin training with them.

I have struck amethyst.

The trade depot has been built, and just in time; soon it will be fall and the caravan from the mountainhomes will arrive. Hopefully they will bring some metal bars that can forged into suitable weapons.

And the new entrance has been dug. A ramp from the surface leads to a U shaped corridor. Along one side of this corridor will be placed a barracks for my axedwarves to train and defend the fortress. The opposite end of this corridor leads down to the trade depot. On this level will be warehouses for finished goods and workshops dedicated towards the manufacture and decoration of trade goods.

The new entry level and future barracks sight.

 The next major construction project will be to dig out permanent living space- in rock not dirt, and to wall off the old entrance and surface pastures.

Tales From Overguilds part 1

Sock Monkey Revisited

The cat didn't like this but she was too busy watching TV to move.

I enjoyed making the last sock monkey, so I decided to give it another try. This time I embroidered the eyes and mouth with black thread and I was happy with how that turned out.