Extremely Difficult Trivia About "The Evil Dead" (1982)

      For the last post in October 2022, just before Halloween, I'll discuss the classic movie "The Evil Dead."  (The original, not the remake.)  The movie that started the careers of writer/director Sam Raimi, producer Rob Tapert, actor/producer Bruce Campbell, et. al.  The little independent production that proved that imagination and talent can be more important that a large, or even medium budget.  Anyway, let's get into it.  As usual I'll ask the questions first, followed by the answers at the end.  And the questions are true trivia--tiny, usually insignificant details, of interest only to the most rabid and obsessive fans.  Also, SPOILERS abound ahead, for this 40 year old movie.

Questions:

1)    What is the first noise we hear in the movie, and also the last noise at the very end?

2)    What song are Shelly and later Scott singing in the car as we first see them?

3)    A truck nearly hits our gang as the evil Force apparently temporarily takes hold of the car's steering wheel.  What make of truck is it?

4)    What is this truck's license plate?

5)    The truck also has twin bumper stickers on the front.  What do they say?

6)    At one point we see Scotty drinking something while driving.  What is it?

7)    According to the warning sign for the dilapidated bridge, what is its weight limit?

8)    According to the clock in the cabin, what time does the group arrive?

9)    Scott checks out the work shed.  There are several hanging bones, but only one visible skull.  What animal is the skull from?

10)   As Cheryl is finishing up the sketch of the clock it stops.  At what time?

11)   How many times does the clock then chime?

12)   Ash tries to make a toast in another language, which Scott interprets as "Party down!"  What language was it?

13)   Linda is wearing a college sweatshirt.  For what institute of higher learning?

14)   A ripped movie poster is hanging in the cellar, near the Book, shotgun, etc.  What movie is it?

15)   The crew avoided most brand names, but some slipped through.  What brand is the box of shotgun shells?

16)   What make and model is the shotgun?

17)   What brand of tape recorder is the deadly incantation played on?

18)   We learn that the demons are Kandarian in origin.  What culture is the city of Kandar a part of?

19)   How many keys are on the cabin's key ring?

20)   True or False?  Linda demonstrates ESP while trying to guess the playing cards' suits and numbers.

21)   Possessed Cheryl then correctly guesses a series of cards.  What six does she say?

22)   We see a shirt for a camp in the closet.  What camp is it?

23)   Of the five characters, which ones are stabbed with the ancient Kandarian dagger?  (Either as humans, or when possessed by demons.)

24)   As Ash is dragging Linda's body outside, we see a bluish-purple book on the floor, near Scott's body.  What is the title?

25)   What brand of chainsaw is in the work shed, which Ash then wields?

26)   What jazzy song plays during the "blood rain" cellar scene, and then over the end credits?

27)   Only one attack in the movie involves a bite.  Describe it.

28)   After the near accident with the truck in the beginning of the movie, Scott claims the car is faulty.  When does Ash say was the last time the Delta 88 had a tune up?

29)   Aside from "fake Shemping," (standing in for another character when their faces are off camera or covered with makeup), producer Rob Tapert is seen twice--once intentionally, and once accidently.  Explain these two incidents.

30)   The famous writing/directing/producing Coen brothers team both worked on "The Evil Dead."  What were their contributions?

31)   Who narrated the professor's voice on the taped recording?

32)   True or false?  There is no nudity in the movie.

33)   True or false?  While battling with the possessed Scott, Ash ghoulishly pulls off Scott's penis.

34)   What brand is the famous clock?

35)   Why did the Kandarian demons need the spoken incantation read again to possess the group we see?  (Obviously this is just conjectural, not fact.)

36)   Why don't the demons possess Ash?  (Again, another answer which is just opinion.)

37)   What non-human living creatures do we see in the movie?

38)   What state is the cabin located in?

Answers:

1)    The buzzing of a fly.  Sam Raimi says the idea was that this "fly on the wall" was observing the entire movie.

2)    This is complicated. Most sources credit Baby Moses and the Thrillers' version of "Old Baby Moses and the Thrillers Song."  Baby Moses and the Thrillers were a band made up of the crew and cast.  However, another source claims that this was a cover of a 1972 song, "Word Back Here," by Bruce Reynolds, who taught it to Sam Raimi at camp.

3)    It's definitely a Ford.  There's lots of online debate about what year and model though--the consensus seems to be that it's a renovated/rebuilt 1965 F Series truck.

4)    63F 81N, from Tennessee.

5)    "Lazy Mary."

6)    Moonshine, from a jar.  This was from a longer deleted scene.  

7)    3 tons.

8)    5.20 pm.  Pm. since night falls quickly afterwards.

9)    It's a cow skull.

10)   5:52, almost 5:53.

11)   8 times.  So the clock is apparently faulty, or else the demons are messing around, I guess.

12)   Greek.

13)   Michigan State.  Several members of the cast and crew had attended this college.

14)   "The Hills Have Eyes" (1977).  Which started a back and forth between Wes Craven and Sam Raimi, as Wes then showed "The Evil Dead" on television in "A Nightmare on Elm Street," etc.

15)   They're Federal 20 gauge Hi-Power shotgun shells.

16)   A Winchester 37A, 20 gauge, single barrel shotgun.

17)   A Panasonic, specifically a Solid State RQ 706S.

18)   It's an Ancient Sumerian city.

19)   6.  5 larger ones, and 1 small padlock key.

20)   False.  We see her guess 2 times, incorrectly, but Shelly inexplicably lies and says she guessed right.

21)   Queen of spades, 4 of hearts, 8 of spades, 2 of spades, Jack of diamonds, Jack of clubs.

22)   Camp Tamawka, which Sam Raimi attended.

23)   Possessed Shelly by Scott, possessed Linda by Ash, and Ash by possessed Linda.  So only Scott and Cheryl are not stabbed, either in human or possessed form.

24)   "Four Sweet Old Ladies."  Which may be a real book by Doris Miles Disney.  I couldn't confirm this definitely.

25)   It's a Homelite XL-12.  The 12 refers to the pounds it weighs.  The brand name is covered with black tape.  In later movies they used the lighter Homelite XL, probably because Campbell had it attached to his hand for long stretches.

26)   "Charleston."  Some debate over who wrote this--some say James P. Johnson and Cecil Mack, others say Erik Markman.

27)   Possessed Scott bites Ash on the leg near the end.

28)   The day before.  Suggesting it's the demonic Force that's affecting the car.

29)   He and director Sam Raimi are the fisherman on the road that Scott doesn't wave at, but then, accidently, you can see him standing on the right, behind the bridge, as the car drives down it.

30)   Joel Coen was the assistant film editor, and Ethan Coen co-wrote the professor's speech on the tape recorder.

31)   Bob Dornan, probably best known as the primetime host of American Movie Classics.

32)   False.  You briefly see Shelly topless from the side, and Cheryl partially topless during the tree rape scene.

33)   False.  Despite what many fans think, Ash is pulling a stick out of Scott's lower abdomen.

34)   It's an Ansonia Regulator, Ledger No. 1 model, which ran for 8 days on a full winding, and dates back to the early 1900's.

35)  Clearly the short answer is because the movie needed it for tension and plotting.  But within the movie's logic itself, it's a good question--the professor read it once, and possessions happened.  So why couldn't the demons possess anyone else who came to the cabin?  Maybe the demons can only possess people who were present when the incantation is read?

36)   The rules for possession seem to be that after the incantation is read, anyone can be possessed after they're received an injury from a demon, or The Evil Force.  Cheryl is attacked by the trees and vines, and is even raped.  Shelly is presumably cut when the window breaks upon her.  Linda is stabbed in the ankle with a pencil.  Scott is cut by Shelly's nails on his face, and later is cut badly by the trees.  But, Ash is stabbed with the Kandarian dagger by Linda, and also has his leg cut by her fingernails, among other injuries.  So why wasn't he possessed?  The only answer I can think of is that the demons were having fun taunting and torturing him.  Since he's the last person alive, and unpossessed, perhaps possessing him too soon would ruin their fun.  After all, they knew he was trapped in the area, so there wasn't really a rush.  And yes, so the movie could happen, I know.

37)   We see a mouse, or small rat, in the work shed when Ash goes to cut up Linda, and cockroaches in the bloody mess of Scott and Cheryl's dissolved bodies at the end.  Although the roaches disappear quickly, so maybe they were supernatural?

38)   This one seems obvious, but in looking at the movie again it might be different from what everybody thinks.  It's purportedly Tennessee, as Ash mentions they just crossed the border in the car.  And the movie was really filmed in and around Morristown, Tennessee for most of it.  However, the map shown, which is real, seems to indicate that they're east of Robbinsville.  There's no town of that name in Tennessee, but there is one in North Carolina.  That along with the highway number shown (129), and a body of water named Santeelah (also in North Carolina)  makes it look like they just crossed the border into far western North Carolina, below the Great Smoky Mountains.

     I hope this deep dive into such an awesome horror flick was fun.  Enjoy Halloween, everyone!  Also, JOIN US!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

   

   

October Issue of "InD'tale" is Available!

 

     The new issue of "InD'tale" is out, and ready to be read.  This month's issue, obviously, has a bit of a Halloween theme to it.  Including my contribution, which is an article about ghost stories.  Some of which happened to friends of mine, and one that I experienced.  Also, as you can see from the cover shown above, there are further articles from S.L. Carpenter, Elise Kova, Julie L. York, Randy Overbeck, and Tamara Cribley.  As well as an interview with author Helen Harper.  Along with the usual collection of book reviews.  So head on over, and enjoy!  Thanks as usual to Owner/Publisher/Editor-in-Chief TJ Mackay, Executive Editor Katy Nielsen, and all the rest of the InD'tale staff.  The address is below:

                                  http://www.indtale.com

     Like last week, this is a special, mid-week post.  There will be, however, another post on Saturday, October 29th.  That one will be about yet another horror movie classic.  See you in a few days!

Exotic/Disgusting Foods and Beverages Forum--Eerie, Unsettling Peeps

      A few weeks ago, at my local grocery, I shopped for candy that would be given out to Halloween trick or treaters.  There were few surprises--it was the usual bags of the same candy that's sold year round for the most part.  Probably the biggest difference is that there were bags of "miniatures," which are just smaller versions of the usual sweet fare.  But there was one notable exception--a new kind of Peeps.  I quickly snapped up their Monsters, their Ghosts, and their Skulls flavors.

    I'm guessing every American is familiar with Peeps--the marshmallow candy, synonymous with the Easter season in the spring.  However, perhaps readers in other countries are not.  I'm not sure how widely Peeps are sold around the globe.  Anyway, the Peeps story begins in 1891, with the birth of Samuel Bernstein, in Russia.  Sam immigrated to the U.S. in 1909, and changed his name to Sam Born.  He flourished rather quickly.  In 1916 he received the key to the city of San Francisco in recognition for inventing a machine that stuck sticks into lollipops.  Then, in 1917, Sam opened up a retail store in Brooklyn, NY.  Among other things, he sold candy, some of which he'd manufactured himself.  In 1923 Sam started the Just Born, Inc. candy company, along with his in-laws Irv and Jack Shaffer.  The company moved to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania in 1932.  21 years later, in 1953, Just Born made their most important decision--they acquired the Rodda Candy Company, which made jelly beans and a distinctive marshmallow-based candy called Peeps.  As the name suggests, Peeps were bird-themed, shaped like little birds, although later they were also formed into rabbit shapes.  These became seasonal favorites, sold around Easter.  (Somewhat ironically, I suppose, since Sam Bernstein was Jewish originally.  Maybe he converted?)  Much later, in 2003, Just Born acquired the Goldenberg Candy Company, notable for their Peanut Chews.  Other brands made by Just Born include Hot Tamales, Just Born jelly beans, and their main seller, Mike and Ikes.

     This recent experience has alerted me that there's much about Peeps that's changed over the years.  I thought it was just an Easter thing, but that's not so anymore.  For example, during the winter there are Christmas-y Peeps, shaped like gingerbread men, Christmas trees, snowmen, and stockings.  Aside from the three Halloween ones I got, there's also a pumpkin-shaped kind.  And, of late Peeps are sold year round, not just during holiday seasons.  There are more colors and flavors, too, such as strawberry, vanilla, and chocolate, to go along with the traditional yellow, pink, white, and blue Peeps.  Moving on, Just Born is the 10th largest candy manufacturer in the country, and employs over 600 people.  There's even a Peepsfest held annually, in Bethlehem, which features family-friendly entertainment such as fun runs, live music, magic shows, animals, crafts, and dioramas.  Also held annually, since 1994, is a Peeps eating contest, in National Harbor, Maryland.  In 2017 Matt Stonie ate 255 of them in only 5 minutes, which is evidently the record.  Finally, there's a Peeps movie in development.  This animated production is slated to be written by David Goldblum, and produced by Christine and Mark Holder.  Stay tuned!

Skull Peeps:  These were, naturally, skull-shaped, about 6 cm. by 4 cm. (about 2.5 inches by 1.5 inches), with a white color, nostrils, scar mouth, pink eyes, and green locks of hair (?), one with a heart shape to it.  These were typical Peeps.  Slightly crusty, but very marshmallow-y.  They tasted like regular Peeps, the flavor wasn't distinctively different as near as I can recall.  Meaning they were okay, but not spectacular or anything.

Ghost Peeps:  These Peeps were about the same size as the Skull ones, only obviously in a ghost shape. The arms were raised above the head, kind of like they were signaling a touchdown in football.  White color, with black eyes and a mouth.  These had a softer texture, but once again, didn't taste any different from regular Peeps, at least as I remember them.  Therefore, once again, they were decent, but not great.

Monster Peeps:  These were clearly Frankenstein's Monster, but they left off  the "Frankenstein" part, perhaps due to copyright issues or something.  The size was about the same as the others, only they were formed like the Monster's head, with green skin, and black facial features--eyes, nose, mouth, scar, hair.  Despite the green color, they tasted the same as the others, and correspondingly, similar to the regular Peeps I used to eat.  So okay, but not awesome.

     Peeps seem to be mostly polarizing--folks seem to either really like them, or hate them.  I guess I'm a bit of an anomaly in that I just think they're alright.  I'll eat them if they're available, but I don't go out of my way to buy them, or obsess over them.  Basically, if you like marshmallows, you'll probably like them, but if you don't, these probably won't change your mind drastically.  But I did appreciate the fun, spooky-themed Halloween take on an old standard.  This might be a rare case when appearance is more important than flavor in a confection.  So I recommend them out for shallow, cosmetic reasons rather than a superior taste.  I might buy the Christmas ones if I see them in a couple of months, too.  Furthermore, if you enjoy microwave shenanigans, get some Peeps and put them in one.  Heated up the results are dramatically expanding!  (And they won't damage your microwave or anything, although it will probably make quite a mess.)

 

"Death's Garden Revisited" is Out!

     Regular readers have been hearing about "Death's Garden Revisited" since this spring, when I first talked about the anthology.  Included among these posts were several about the Kickstarter campaign which helped to fund it.  As well as an interview with the woman who birthed this project, Loren Rhoads.  Anyway, the book's been published, just in time for Halloween.  Appropriate for a book that's more than a bit morbid in tone, being about all aspects of cemeteries, and the people interested in them.

     Alas, there have been some snags.  This book will be available on the bigger book buying platforms such as Amazon soon, but because of some distribution issues, at this time it's available only on Loren's personal website, and the printer's website.  These are as follows:

                          LorenRhoads.com

                   https://www.blurb.com/b/11281469-death-s-garden-revisited

     Plus I'll reprint the contributor list below.  These can be divided into three main categories, although obviously there is significant overlap.

Horror Authors:

A.M. Muffaz        Angela Yuriko Smith         Christine Sutton  

Denise N. Tapscott

E.M. Markoff        Emerian Rich            Francesca Maria 

        Frances Lu-Pai Ippolito

Greg Roensch         Mary Rajotte                     Melodie Bolt

              Priscilla Bettis

Rena Mason           Robert Holt                       R.L. Merrill

                Saraliza Anzaldua

Trish Wilson           Stephen Mark Rainey

 

Cemetery Writers/Genealogists/Historians:

Anne Born             Barbara Baird                    Carrie Sessarego 

       Carole Tyrrell

Erika Mailman       J'aime Rubio                     Jo Nell Huff 

               Joane M. Austin

Sharon Pajka          Trilby Plants                     Rachelle Meilleur

 

Morbid Curiosity Contributors:

Brian Thomas        Benjamin Scuglia          Chris LaMay-West

     George Neville-Neil

M. Parfitt               Paul Stansfield                   Rain Graves    

 

     Once again I'd like to thank Loren Rhoads for all her hard work and passion for this project, as well as my talented co-authors.  So what are you waiting for?  Head on over and pick yourself up a copy, and enjoy! 

     Also, this was a special  mid-week post.  But I will be making my usual Saturday post on October 22nd, or 4 days from now.  This one will be about a food that's SCARY!!!!!!  Stop by, if you dare!

 

Extremely Difficult Trivia About "Day of the Dead" (1985)

      Two weeks ago I did a trivia quiz about "Re-Animator," the classic 1985 zombie movie.  Today I'll be covering another classic 1985 zombie movie, "Day of the Dead."  Which is, obviously, the 3rd movie in George Romero's series about the living dead, starting with "Night of the Living Dead" in 1968, and "Dawn of the Dead" in 1978.  "Day of the Dead" seems to be a bit polarizing.  Some horror fans love it, and even consider it the best of Romero's series, while other didn't like it much, and consider it too talky, with unsympathetic characters.  Personally I really enjoyed it.  Anyway, typical rules apply here--I'll ask the questions first, followed by the answers, with many SPOILERS ahead.

Questions:

1)    In Sarah's dream in the opening scene, we see a calendar.  What date does it indicate it is?

2)    According to McDermott, what two places has he been sending radio signals up and down the coast to, as in from where to where?

3)    What is the helicopter call sign?

4)    When was the First National Bank building, shown in the city visited in the early scenes, erected?  (It's printed on the outside of the building.)

5)    In that zombie-infested city the group visits, what is the name of the theater that's shown?

6)    We briefly see a soldier watering a type of plant atop the underground facility where the group resides.  What kind of plant is it?

7)    What is the helicopter number?

8)    With Major Cooper recently dead, how many people are living in this facility?

9)    What is the name of the facility/bunker where the group is living and working?

10)   According to the poorly kept, and possibly inaccurate corral reports, when was the last time a zombie was removed from the corral underground?

11)   Rhodes announces a complete group meeting later.  For what time?

12)   According to Dr. Logan, because of the decomposition within zombies, about how long could they continue to function?

13)   According to Logan, what is the last place in the brain to decay after death?

14)   According to McDermott, how old is the radio and communications equipment he's forced to use?

15)   According to McDermott, why can't the compound communicate with Washington D.C. anymore?

16)   How many people were at the facility at its start?

17)   Logan estimates that the current ratio of zombies to living humans is what?

18)   What is the basis for Sarah's scientific research?

19)   According to Sarah, how long a time was their operation put together in?

20)   What kind of alcohol does McDermott offer Sarah in the hallway?

21)   What is the name of John and McDermott's house trailer?

22)   According to John, how big is the complex?

23)   Fisher is trying to feed the zombies, unsuccessfully.  What is this attempted meal?

24)   Zombie Bub is named after Dr. Logan's father.  What was his father's profession?

25)   Aside from a book, what items does Logan first give Bub to examine and play with?

26)   What famous book does Bub examine?

27)   Fisher says he saw a zombie trying to drive in Washington D.C.  What street was this happening on?

28)   What words does Bub utter?

29)   True or False?  It's Miguel's fault that a zombie gets loose and fatally attacks a soldier at the corral during a removal.

30)   Bub listens to music on walkman.  What song does he listen to?

31)   One of the zombies near the end is still wearing a football uniform.  What is written on its jersey?

32)   How many times does Bub fire his gun?

33)   According to the chart that we briefly see, showing the zombie records, how many zombies were in the corral, total?

34)   Which soldier is wearing a wedding band?

35)   At the end, on the island, Sarah crosses off a date on a makeshift calendar.  What day is it?

36)   Most characters are only referred to by one name, either a first, or presumed surname.  Name the three exceptions to this.  (All the character have probably been given full names in comic books, or other media, but I mean just within this move.)

37)   What characters are seen directly killed by a zombie or zombies?

38)   Why doesn't Dr. Logan revive as a zombie?  We see him apparently only shot in the torso, with brain intact.

39)   What actor or actress from "Dawn of the Dead" (1978) was one of the New York casting associates for "Day of the Dead"?

40)   The stunt coordinator from "Dawn of the Dead" (1978) also played a named character (not an anonymous zombie) in "Day of the Dead."  Who was the actor, and the character's name?

41)   The assistant to special effects maestro Tom Savini also played a character in this movie.  Name them.  (Again I mean a named character, not an anonymous zombie.)

42)   Where is the underground facility located?

43)   Aside from Joe Pilato, who played Rhodes in this movie, and a cop in the original "Dawn of the Dead," but saw his scenes mostly cut from the theatrical cut of the film, who was the only person to appear as named characters (no anonymous zombies or bikers) in both "Dawn of the Dead" (1978) and this film?

44)   What kind of handgun does Sarah own and use, which is also given to Bub to examine?

45)   What make and model are Captain Rhodes's signature paired handguns?

46)   What kind of submachine gun do Sarah, John, and McDermott carry early in the movie, in the city scene?

47)  Who is the first person in the movie to threaten another living person with a gun?

Answers:

1)    It's showing October, with all 31 days crossed out, so presumably the date of the first day of the movie is November 1st, of an unspecified year.

2)    From Sarasota to the Everglades.

3)    4--0--Alpha, or 40 Alpha.

4)    1915.

5)    The Theatre Edison.

6)    Marijuana.  Naughty, naughty!

7)    N57404.

8)    12.  Consisting of 7 soldiers, 3 scientists, 1 electronics/communications engineer, 1 pilot.    

9)    The Seminole Storage Facility.

10)   The 15th, presumably of October.

11)   7 p.m.

12)   10-12 years, for early revivals.

13)   The R complex, in the core of the brain, center of animal instincts.

14)   World War II era.

15)   Because the power is now out on the mainland, meaning the relays are no longer working.

16)   18.  Rhodes notes that 5 military personnel have died, and only 1 scientist/civilian.  Since there are 12 alive left at the beginning of the film, that gives us 18.

17)   400,000:1

18)   To reverse the process, and eradicate the zombie problem that way.

19)   A matter of days.

20)   Brandy.

21)   "The Ritz," according to its sign.

22)   14 miles!

23)   The army issued, canned "Beef Treats."

24)   He was a surgeon, and disapproved of his son's decision to only practice purely research medicine.

25)   A toothbrush and a razor.

26)   Stephen King's "'Salem's Lot."

27)   Independence Avenue.

28)   "Hello Aunt Elisha," at Logan's urging.  He also might say, "I'm sorry" in very garbled speech to Sarah when he startles her during their initial encounter.

29)   False.  He's holding the pole properly, but the collar strap around the zombie's neck rips apart, freeing it.

30)   Beethoven's "Ode to Joy."

31)   Mailbox 22.  Maybe he was part of a postal team?

32)   6 times.  He misses Steele with his first shot.  Then he hits Rhodes with his 3rd shot (in the shoulder), his 5th shot (leg), and his 6th shot (lower right torso).  So all in all, pretty good marksmanship!

33)   The highest number we see is #83, so at least that many.

34)   Rickles.  We see it clearly several times.

35)   She crosses off November 4th, so it's apparently the 5th.  Although there is a continuity error, as she has November 1st being on a Monday, when the previous calendar had it on a Friday.

36)   Miguel Salazar, Ted Fisher, and William (Bill) McDermott.

37)   There are 4--Rhodes, Torrez, Rickles, and Miguel Salazar.  Fisher and Logan are shot dead by Rhodes.  Johnson is accidently shot by Miller.  Steele is bitten, but commits suicide before he's eaten.  Miller is fatally bitten, but technically mercy killed and prevented from returning as a zombie by a bullet from Steele seconds before he bleeds to death.  

38)   Good question!  I think there are 4 possibilities.  1) It's a mistake by the filmmakers. 2) He dies in a refrigerated room, and maybe the cold delays reanimation. 3) One of the many machine gun bullets actually did hit him in the brain, although it was subtle so we didn't see it, or blood.  4) It's a monumental bit of evidence that the situation has changed--dead bodies with intact brains aren't always reviving as zombies.

39)   Gaylen Ross, who played "Frannie" in "Dawn."

40)   Taso Stavrakis, who played the soldier Torrez.

41)   Greg Nicotero, later part of the famous KNB special effects business, plays the soldier "Johnson."

42)   Another good question, with some hypothetical elements.  It's clearly in Florida--there are maps of the world, then of the U.S., and then Florida in the conference room.  The group clearly visits Fort Myers, Florida in the beginning, as several landmarks are shown.  And McDermott mentions sending radio signals from Sarasota to the Everglades, both in Florida.  Also, supposedly the city they visited, Fort Myers, is the biggest one within 150 miles of their facility.  Moving on, the real life set of the facility is in Pennsylvania.  Florida is a low lying state, so an underground complex like we see isn't very plausible.  That said, given the information we're provided, I'm going to guess that it's Central Florida.  South of Orlando and Tampa, and North of the Everglades, since a subterranean bunker makes even less sense in a huge swamp!  And given all of the action on the Gulf Coast, the facility is probably closer to the west side of the state than the east. Atlantic Ocean side.  In reality, the facility above ground entrance seen, along with the island that John, Sarah, and McDermott reach at the end, is on Sanibel Island, near Fort Myers, where George Romero had a vacation home.  But neither of these places is explicitly stated as being Sanibel Island.

43)   John Amplas was "Martinez" in "Dawn," and scientist Ted Fisher in "Day."

44)   She has a Smith & Wesson 59.

45)   They are matching Smith & Wesson Model 629s, which are .44 Magnum revolvers with 6 inch barrels.

46)   They use 9 mm. Uzi SMGs.

47)  Surprisingly it's Sarah, who threatens to shoot Steele when he's manhandling Miguel Salazar at the zombie corral toward the beginning of the movie.

 

 

    

 

Exotic/Disgusting Foods and Beverages Forum--Pumpkin Beers (Updated Yet Again)

 

     (Regular readers of this blog might be saying, “Wait a second, this post sounds awfully familiar.”  And they’d be right, this is double reprint, of an article I originally posted back nearly a decade ago, and then the year after that.  However, I have updated it a little bit, as I was able to try some more pumpkin beer offerings this year.  I wanted to have at least one weird food or beverage post during this month, so I revisited one that fits the Halloween season theme.  New updates are marked with an asterisk (*) in front of them.)

     Since it’s the Halloween season I thought I’d do a post about the brew of the season—pumpkin beers.  By doing so I may be risking alienating (or boring) any non-American readers, because pumpkin beers appear to be a nearly exclusive American beverage.  Also, these beers are probably pushing the “exotic” title, as due to their type’s popularity explosion in the past decade or so they’re probably more like “slightly unusual.”  But what the hell—I want to post about at least one food or beverage with a tie to Halloween this month, so let’s get on with it.

     In researching pumpkin beers, I was surprised to learn that their history is extensive.  Like before the U.S. was even a country.  One website I consulted noted that America’s first folk song, written in 1643, was a satire about eating (and drinking, in the form of pumpkin ales) nothing but pumpkins and parsnips.  The lyrics I viewed weren’t that funny to me, but humor can be culturally and time period bound, and this song is over 350 years old, so I’ll give it a break, and not mock it.  During this period, evidently malt was hard to come by, so early European colonists looking to brew beer turned to a local plant that was a good source of fermentable sugars, the humble pumpkin.  As a result, pumpkin ale was quite popular, especially in the 1700’s, along with regular porters and ales.  A recipe for making it survives from 1771, even.  However, this popularity took a major hit in the early 1800’s.  Pumpkin ale was seen as passé, and apparently malt sources weren’t such a problem to easily locate anymore.  Regular grain ales, porters, and then lagers especially came to dominate the U.S. beer scene in the mid to late 1800’s, and up until the present day.

     However, in the early days of the craft, microbrewing movement, in the late 1980’s, a brewer decided to experiment, and reintroduce the pumpkin beer.  This brewer, Buffalo Bill’s Brewery (out of the Pacific Northwest) even used one of founding father George Washington’s personal recipes for their prototype (although the commercial version was apparently different, and used pumpkin pie spices in place of actual pumpkin to make it).  Over the next couple of decades pumpkin beers steadily grew in popularity, and now hundreds of U.S. breweries offer them.

     And this in itself produced surprising information.  I didn’t realize how polarizing an issue pumpkin beer is.  People seem to mostly love it or hate.  I read a particularly vicious quote about the style from a Washington City Times beer writer, Orr Stuhl:  “Even picking a favorite is like picking a favorite airborne disease.”  Looking through some comments in the websites and blogs I looked at, I saw some similar opinions—how much they hated pumpkin beers, and in some cases, how they hated that they were sold, and how those that enjoy them are not “real” beer drinkers, etc.  These were balanced by comments defending pumpkin beers, many of whom extolled (or at least appreciated) the style.

     I myself, not shockingly, love to try new types of beer (and meat, organs, cheeses, vegetables, fruit—you get the idea), and I’m not adverse to all the fruit-flavored beer types, either, like lambics, krieks, winter seasonals—some are quite tasty.  Although I have to say that even the good ones, like decent ciders, are usually so sweet that I can only have one or two in a sitting, and can’t drink them all night.  But as a switch up, I can appreciate them from time to time.  Over the years I’ve tried the occasional pumpkin beer, and recall liking some, so I went into this project with enthusiasm.  But enough history and chatter, let’s get to the rankings.  I deliberately chose a mix of larger, macrobrewery offering, and smaller, local microbrews.  And these are listed, worst to best, using the school   A(excellent) through F (failure) rankings.

* Shipyard Smashed Pumpkin Ale:  D-.  Orange-yellow color, no real odor.  Odd taste, not good.  Much too boozy (it's 9% alcohol), and kind of overly sweet-sour-y.  Full disclosure--it's possible this might be a 2021 bottle, or completely stale.  I couldn't read the "born on/drink by" dates on the bottom of the can.  Overall this was terrible, and very difficult to finish.  Maybe I'll try another one if I can find a container with a legible date, so I know it's still fresh enough.

 

Southampton Pumpkin Ale (New York State): D.  Very nasty, and astringent.  Not good at all.

 

Starr Hill Boxcar Pumpkin Porter (Virginia): D.  I like that they tried a different beer style—most pumpkin beers are ales or lagers—but the result was tremendously disappointing.  It was tasteless, like water.  Akin to a light beer—that’s how watery it was.

 

Blue Moon Harvest Pumpkin Ale (Colorado): D.  Thin, tasteless, and not worth it.

 

Long Trail Unfiltered Pumpkin Ale (Vermont): D.  Bad.  Metallic-tasting.  Not pumpkin-y at all.  What happened?  Long Trail is usually a quality brewery—a rare miss.

 

Buffalo Bill’s Brewery American Original Pumpkin Ale (Pacific Northwest): D+. You may recall from above, this was the one that reintroduced the style back in the late 1980’s.  So I expected it to be exceptional, since so many copied it, or at least the idea.  But no, for me.  I found it only slightly pumpkin-y, and a lot astringent.

* New Belgium Voodoo Ranger Atomic Pumpkin: D+.  Orange-yellow hue, no real odor.  Starts out okay, but ends badly.  Spicy, in a bad way.  Unpleasantly bitter, and astringent.  Peppery, also in a bad way.  Drinkable, but just barely.  Kind of surprising, too, since  I like most New Belgium offerings in general, and their other Voodoo Ranger kinds in particular.  

 

Lakefront Pumpkin Lager (Wisconsin): C-.  Disappointing.  Only a hint of pumpkin flavor.  Watery and weak.

 

Post Road Pumpkin Ale (Brooklyn Brewery, NY):  C.  Okay, not great.  Slightly bitter in an unpleasant way.

 

Shocktop Pumpkin Wheat (Missouri):  C.  Mediocre.  Had slight cinnamon taste.

 

Shipyard Brewing Pumpkinhead (Maine):  C.  Drinkable.  Not very pumpkin-y.  Rather bland and inoffensive.

 

Wolaver’s Pumpkin Ale (Vermont): C.  Just average.  Kind of bland-ish.  Not bad, just not a very compelling flavor.

* Ship Bottom Imperial Pumpkin Ale: C.  Orange-brown hue.  Not much of an odor.  Kind of mediocre.  Not great, not terrible.  Not extremely pumpkin-y, but not bland.  Okay, I suppose.  Hides its high alcohol content (9.4%!) well, at least.

 

Ithaca Country Pumpkin (NY):  C+.  Okay, weakish.  Not great.

 

Great South Bay Splashing Pumpkin Ale (Long Island, NY): C+.  Pumpkin-y at first, but ends a little weakly.

 

Sam Adams Harvest Pumpkin Ale (Massachussetts):  C+.  Slightly better than average, but still not very special.

 

The Traveler Beer Company Jack-o Shandy (Vermont):  C+.  Really different—it’s a shandy (lemon peel) mixed with pumpkin.  Weird.  Flavor pairing is a little off-putting and strange, but somehow is not terrible, and is oddly drinkable.

* Lancaster Baked Pumpkin Pie Ale: C+.  Orange-brown color, slight pumpkin-y odor.  Pumpkin-y taste.  A little thin.  But better than average.  Hides alcohol content (7.5%) well.  I would have liked a bolder taste.

* Dogfish Head Punkin  Brown Ale: C+.  Orange-brown color, slight pumpkin-y odor.  Okay.  Kind of like the Lancaster one--some pumpkin-y flavors, but not a very strong taste.  A little bland.  Once again, I was surprised, since Dogfish Head is one of my favorite breweries.  I guess even the greats put out mediocre beers every once in a while.

 

Uinta Punk’n Harvest Pumpkin Ale (Utah):  B-.  Nice odor.  Okay, a tad blandish.  Still a marked improvement over most of the others.

 

Harpoon Pumpkin UFO Unfiltered Ale (New England): B-.  A bit weak, but better than average.  Slightly more pumpkin-y.

* Two Roads Roadsmary's Baby Ale: B-.  Orange-brown hue.  Slight pumpkin-y odor.  Pretty good.  A little stronger taste than most.  Maybe a tad chalky.  But decent overall.

* Schlafly Pumpkin Ale: B-.  Orange-brown color.  Slight pumpkin-y odor.  Again, pretty good.  Starts off promisingly, ends a little off.  But still good for the style.  Hides its alcohol content (8%) well.  Not great, but alright to good.

 

Harpoon Imperial Pumpkin (New England): B.  This was a surprise, as I usually do not like stouts at all.  Tastes very heavy and strong (it’s 10.5% alcohol!).  Slightly spicy.  Weird.  Has sweetish, vanilla-y burn at end.  Really grew on me.

 

Southern Tier Pumking (NY): B.  Sweet, vanilla-y.  Good.  Hides alcohol content (8.6%) well.  To be fair, it didn’t taste very pumpkin-y, but it was tasty all the same.

 

Smuttynose Pumpkin Ale (New Hampshire): B+.  Nice odor, very good.  Spicy.  Tastes normal at first, than pumpkin flavor really kicks in nicely.

 

Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin Ale (Pennsylvania): A-.  Very good.  Blend of spices was well done.

 

    In conclusion, looking at my rankings, I’m struck that I’m apparently an exception to the “love it or hate it” dichotomy.  Almost half (9, now 12) I found to be mediocre and average (“C” rating), and I disliked (“D”) 5, now 7), and really enjoyed (“B to A”) 6, now 8).  And even the 5 (now 7) lowest ranked ones weren’t terrible, weren’t drain pours or anything.  So it appears, if I generalize, that I kind of like the style, but only slightly.  Also, I should note that despite having reviewed 27 examples of this style over the years, I've only scratched the surface.  There have to be dozens more.  (So don't be shocked if I revisit this post even more times in future Octobers.)  Finally, I couldn't help but notice that pumpkin beers seem to be getting stronger, booze-wise.  Of the 7 I tried at random this year, the weakest was 6.4%, 3 were 7-8%, and 2 were 9% or more. 

     * Furthermore, I’ve been a little puzzled, and amused, by the relatively recent furor over “pumpkin spice.”  It appears that some people are really upset over this flavor being added to coffee/lattes, doughnuts, cakes, candy, candles, etc.  I get that many people don’t like pumpkin spice flavoring, or are a little annoyed that it’s being offered in tons of products, and you see the words everywhere, but it still seems like an overreaction.  It seems pretty easy to just not order the offending flavor, and just ignore the fad for a few weeks.

 

Extremely Difficult Trivia about "Re-Animator" (1985)

      We're going to start off the Halloween season on this blog by talking about a classic horror movie, "Re-Animator," which opened in 1985.  I think most horror fans are at least familiar with its infamous "disembodied head giving head" scene, but it's so much more than that.  It's an excellent zombie movie, and is probably a bit underrated.  And it helped launch the careers of horror icons like co-writer/director Stuart Gordon, actor Jeffrey Combs, and actress Barbara Crampton.  So let's get into some really detailed trivia about this movie.  As usual, I'll pose the questions first, and answer them at the end.  And clearly, many SPOILERS for the movie ahead.

Questions:

1)    Where does the movie open?  

2)    What room number do the police and doctor go to?

3)    What is Dr. Gruber's first name?

4)    Where is the (fictional) Miskatonic Medical School?

5)    What is printed on the medical machine that the doctors use in the opening death scene?

6)    What is the name of the morgue security guard?

7)    What is the room number of the morgue?

8)    What year is medical student Dan Cain currently in?

9)    How many minutes does Dr. Hill say life can remain in the brain stem after death?

10)   As we read on his flyer, what is the street address of Dan Cain's apartment?

11)   And what is Dan's phone number?

12)   Another flyer is partially visible on the bulletin board.  What is it advertising for?

13)   What poster is hanging right above Dan's bed?

14)   What does Dr. Hill jokingly compare pulling back the skin of a human head to?

15)   At the dinner at the Halsey house, they're celebrating the large grant that Dr. Hill has won.  What organization is the grant from?

16)   What is the only decoration we see in Herbert West's bedroom?

17)   According to Herbert West, how did Rufus the cat die?

18)   When confronting the re-animated Rufus, Dan wields a baseball bat.  What does Herbert use?

19)   According to West, what kinds of dead animals has he re-animated with his reagent?

20)   Herbert lists four qualities that make Dan the perfect assistant for him.  What are they?

21)  While looking for a dead human to re-animate, Herbert checks each corpse in the morgue.  He describes each one with how they died.  Name these.

22)  What day and time do West and Dan start their first attempt to re-animate a human corpse?

23)   What doctor does Dean Halsey instruct to suspend Dan Cain from having access to the hospital?

24)   How many cc's of reagent does it take to re-animate the first cadaver?

25)   On the intercom, where is Dan instructed to report?

26)   How does Herbert kill (de-animate) the first resurrected corpse?

27)   According to Herbert, what is one of man's few durable inventions?

28)   How many cc's of reagent does Herbert give to the deceased Dean Halsey?

29)   How many seconds does it take Halsey to re-animate, according to Herbert?

30)   The sign for the elevator is printed in two languages.  What is the non-English one?

31)   What is the number of Dr. Hill's office?

32)   In the "stalking file" of Meg that Dan finds in Hill's office, what visible newspaper article has Hill saved?

33)   What other items are seen in this creepy file?

34)   At this point in the movie, while Dan is observing Halsey in Hill's office, Dan is wearing a t-shirt with a real company's logo on it.  What is that company?

35)   Herbert West is seen to laugh twice in the movie.  What are these isolated incidents?

36)   What porn-ish looking magazine is the morgue security guard reading when Hill sneaks into the morgue?

37)   Dr. Hill is rightfully accused of stealing other people's scientific ideas, and inventions.  However, what invention appears to be his alone?

38)   What is the final fate of Dean Halsey's re-animated body?

39)   Which re-animated corpse kills Meg?

40)   A member of director Stuart Gordon's family plays a small role in the movie.  Who is it?

41)  Much of the background music, especially during the opening credits, is inspired by the music of what famous movie?  (Some critics think it's a blatant rip off, in fact.)

42)   Someone who appeared in the movie also had roles in some of the "Halloween" series movies.  Name them.

43)    Another character in the movie was played by the person known for doubling a famous action movie star.  Name the actor, and the famous star they doubled for.

44)   Why on Earth would Herbert inject his reagent into both Hill's severed head, and his intact body on the floor, without taking safety precautions?

Answers:

1)    The Universitat Zurich Institut Fur Medizin, or in English, the University of Zurich Institute for Medicine.  If you're curious, there is a real University of Zurich, and they do have a medical school.  (Although the exterior shots shown are actually a high school in the Los Angeles area, and the interiors were shot at CalTech, also in the L.A. area.)

2)    121.

3)    Hans.  Yes, just like the main villain in the later 1988 action movie "Die Hard."

4)    The equally fictitious Arkham, Massachusetts, Both of these fictitious names were derived from horror author H.P. Lovecraft, who wrote the the story this film is based on.

5)    Mennen Medical 744.  Mennen is a real company.  

6)    Mace.  More on him later.

7)    B-10.

8)    His 3rd year.

9)    6-12 minutes.

10)   666 Darkmore.  Yes, a little on the nose.

11)   555-8785.

12)   Maids, Inc. who will, naturally, clean your house.

13)   It's the musical group The Talking Heads "Stop Making Sense" from their 1984 live album.  (And I never put together the obvious joke about that particular name until today!)

14)   Peeling a large orange.

15)   The National Science Foundation.

16)   A propped up poster diagram of a brain.

17)   He suffocated from getting his head caught in a jar he got out of the garbage.  (Although, knowing Herbert, maybe this was a lie, since he surely lusted for a convenient lab test animal.)

18)   A croquet mallet.

19)   Rabbits, guinea pigs, dogs, and cats.

20)   Dan is hard working, bright, people respect him, and he has access to certain authority figures (i.e., Dean Halsey).

21)   Burn victim, meatball, hit by semi, shotgun wound to the head, rotten, malpractice, a John Doe with a case of heart failure.

22)   October 10th, 10:33 p.m.

23)   Dr. Riley, who doesn't enforce this because he's been in emergency surgery for 4 hours.

24)   35.  An initial dose of 15 cc's, then 20 more after that first dose has no effect.  (Incidentally, knowledgeable folks have noted that Combs is clearly injecting more cc's than he keeps saying.)

25)   The Level L Security Desk.

26)   He uses a bone saw to cut through the man's back, and through his heart.

27)   Unbreakable plastic, which is the substance used for the bottles that contain Herbert's reagent.

28)  12.  Herbert decides to use less given how recently the body died.

29)  17 seconds.

30)   Surprisingly, Portuguese.  You would think that Spanish would have been the obvious choice, but "elevador" is "elevator" in Portuguese, while it's "ascensor" in Spanish.

31)   305.

32)   "Megan Halsey voted Sophomore Sweetheart."  

33)   Napkins (presumably used), photographs, and a lock of her hair.

34)   Nike, although it doesn't have the company's usual "Swoosh" symbol.

35)   He finds it hilarious to yell "look out!" to Dan after Rufus is killed, and later he's amused when he learns that Dr. Hill is obsessed with Meg.

36)   "Boudoir."  As far as I can tell, this is not a real publication.  Also, on that topic, Mace is the worst security guard ever.  He takes long coffee breaks from his periods of doing nothing but sitting around and perusing porn.  He doesn't notice when Dr. Hill enters, even when Hill is using a fake head on top of his body.  Then, his response to the mayhem at the end of the film it to run away.  He's useless! 

37)   The laser surgical drill, which makes it possible for him to develop a new lobotomy technique that results in "mastery of the human will."  (Meaning his victims are essentially Hill's slaves, although Dean Halsey manages to resist at the end.)

38)   After helping Meg, and attacking Dr. Hill, he's literally ripped apart, limb from limb, by the rest of Hill's zombie servants.   

39)   Given his appearance, it seems to be the burn victim zombie.

40)   His wife, Carolyn Purdy-Gordon, plays Dr. Harrod, the woman who twice instructs Dan to admit defeat while trying to revive a dead patient (Meg at the end, of course).

41)   The 1960 horror classic "Psycho."

42)   George Wilbur, who was a stunt person in "Re-Animator," appeared as Michael Myers in both 1988's "Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers," and 1995's "Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers."

43)   "Melvin the Re-Animated," the first corpse revived by Herbert and Dan, is played by Peter Kent, arguably best known for doubling for Arnold Schwarzenegger.

44)   There's no good answer for this!  Other than, the plot of the movie needed for it to happen.