The second week of High Spooky Month at The Tape Store is all about the 1998 Disney Original Movie "Halloweentown".  With an excellent cast led by Debbie Reynolds and Judith Hoag, this one was an instant classic.  We talk about the film's focus on the family element, and the importance of not running from who you're meant to be.  There's also the funny stuff, like the melodramatic Calabar, the neighborhood-punk-coolest-kid-in-town Luke, and more.

We usher in "High Spooky Month" (October) here at The Tape Store with Ernest Scared Stupid.  As we go through this 90s Halloween classic, we talk about the unique appeal of our favorite lovable simpleton--Ernest P. Worrell (Jim Varney), the crazy Lady Hackmore (Eartha Kitt), the hilarious Bobby Tulip (Bill Byrge), and the freaky and incredibly gross villain of the film--Trantor, the evil magic troll.  Other topics include childhood stories of being scared of Trantor, Super Soaker water guns, and a random tale about Harry Potter merchandise.

This week we go to the wonderful world of Disney to talk about an unsung masterpiece from 1985, The Black Cauldron.  In taking a closer look at this truly underappreciated fantasy classic, we talk about its ensemble of unique characters, the story's dark themes, the terrifying Horned King (John Hurt), and the story's message about courage and true heroism.  We also talk about Taran's hero's journey and the incredibly stark parallels we saw in this film to Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings films.

We honestly couldn't wait to get back to The X-Files to cover Season 1's third episode, "Squeeze" (air date: 9/24/93), which follows Mulder and Scully as they investigate a string of bizarre murders in Baltimore.  Not only known for being the first "Monster of the Week" episode of the series, it also features one of the scariest and most fascinating villains in the X-Files universe, the ravenous mutant predator Eugene Victor Tooms (Doug Hutchinson).  As we go through this truly creepy chapter in the X-Files saga, we delve deeper into the bond between Mulder and Scully.  We talk about the power of Scully's personal convictions that transcend even her trust in Mulder, but also make her his most powerful ally.  There's also Agent Tom Colton (Donal Logue), the ambitious agent who (vainly) attempts to rival the unassuming brilliance of Fox Mulder.  If that's not enough, we couldn't help but notice references and nods to other scary tales / paranormal legends: Edgar Allan Poe, Dracula, and It.

We continue "Spooky Month" at The Tape Store with the brilliant Jim Henson-produced film The Witches (1990).  We have a blast talking about this film that's filled with so many memorable moments and rich characters.  Join us as we discuss the adventures of one of our favorite film heroines, the witch hunter Helga (Mai Zetterling) and her grandson Luke (Jasen Fisher), along with other excellent players like the hilarious Herbert Jenkins (Bill Paterson), the irritable Mr. Stringer (Rowan Atkinson), the mysterious Ms. Irvine (Jane Horrocks), and of course, the iconic performance of Anjelica Huston as The Grand High Witch.  We also spend some time comparing the endings of the film with the book (written by Roald Dahl) and sharing the powerful messages we found throughout the film.

This week on The Tape Store we are joined by artist Brett Wilson and our good friend J.D. Gravatte to talk about the legendary 90s show "Are You Afraid of the Dark?".  We spend some time discussing our respective first encounters with the show, what it has meant to us as both kids and adults, and what sets it apart as such a unique and memorable moment in kids TV history.

All of this builds up to the REAL reason we gathered this week, which is to hear some INCREDIBLY exciting news from Brett and J.D. that Dark fans will be beyond PSYCHED about.  You will want to tune in for this one guys.

Art on this graphic courtesy of Brett Wilson (Instagram:  @brettwilsonart)

This week is an exciting one at The Tape Store as we return to talk more about one of our favorite films, Labyrinth (1986).  Along with guest host Jeff Darden, we explore the story from a different angle, through the lens of the film's young protagonist Sarah (Jennifer Connelly).  By doing so, we present two very different perspectives on the film's story:  Was Jareth (David Bowie) and the magical world of the Labyrinth literally real, or was the whole thing all in young Sarah's mind?  The evidence for both is compelling, and results in an interesting conversation.