The new red band trailer for Evil Dead Burn is INSANE! And, yeah. It’s age-restricted for very good reasons.
Author: Chas.
Stages 3-5
That saying about idolizing someone always proves to be true. It’s been nearly three years since the big red flag. And now it’s been eight months or so since she fully came out, and I am still struggling. Not so much with denial. It’s all in black and white on her Twitter (I refuse to call it X) feed. I can’t deny that my favorite singer and performer is a nasty, hateful, transphobic piece of trash. I have anger because she courted the queer community and used us for her art. I have anger because she is freely punching down on a vulnerable community. I have anger because she has said some really disgusting and hateful things to longtime fans who have expressed their hurt and confusion over her coming out as viciously transphobic. I have anger that she thinks she is some brave free speech “warrior” who has been cancelled by the “woke mob.” I have anger that she was probably always an awful person all along and duped us all into believing she was an ally. And, I have a lot of depression because I now can’t listen to the music that I loved and has been such a part of my life for the last 7+ years.
Halloween in May!
Well. Here we are at the start of what is quite possibly the most exciting May for horror fans EVER! At least one major horror film opens almost every weekend this month. AND … three of them are highly anticipated heavy hitters (Hokum, Obsession, and Backrooms). Let’s gooooooooooo!!!
Your May 2026 Horror Movie Schedule:
Hokum (May 1, 2026)
Deep Water (May 1, 2026)
Obsession (May 15, 2026)
Passenger (May 22, 2026)
Corporate Retreat (May 22, 2026)
Backrooms (May 29, 2026)
Aida Blues
I started that super secret cross stitch project the other night. I got the black stitching done, but only after a lot of fighting with the threaded needle. Anytime I came up through the back of the fabric with the needle and reached around to pull it through, it would just fall out the back. Frustrating! I started on the next color and decided things just weren’t right. So, I started comparing the Loops & Thread (Michael’s house brand) fabric I was using to some other 14-count fabric I have on hand, and the issue became immediately apparent.
Bad Fabric!!!
Good Fabric!
No wonder my needle wouldn’t stay put. The holes on the Loops & Thead fabric are waaaaaaay too big. That issue aside, the fabric’s overall quality isn’t all that great either. I really should have been paying more attention before I got started. Now I get to ditch what I have done so far and start from scratch on new (and better) fabric.
I swear this isn’t going to become a crafting blog. Ha ha.
Weekend Blues
Ugh. What a weekend. The simple plumbing job of replacing a faucet that I was going to knock out quickly on Saturday has turned into a multi-day annoyance. The install itself went pretty smoothly, but reinstalling the P-trap (which wasn’t leaking before but is now) has led to two trips to Lowe’s … and it’s still leaking. This whole situation really put me into a foul mood for most of the weekend. Argh!!! So, take a wild guess what I am going to be dealing with this evening.
I did manage to make it to Michael’s for more cross stitching supplies. I have four projects lined up. The first one is a super secret piece that will be gifted to a dear friend. (Shhhhh. Don’t tell them!) And the next two will be vintage gay magazine covers. The patterns are courtesy of JockStitch. His videos started popping up in my TikTok feed, and I was instantly hooked on his work/patterns. Check him out!
Honcho Magazine cross stitch patterns.
DMC embroidery floss and more fabric!
I have been toying with investing in a program that will convert images into patterns. The possibilities of what to stitch would be endless! I have this insane idea of doing a whole series of naked men as cross stitch art. Ha ha.
And, courtesy of Fathom Events, I was able to see one of my favoritest movies on the big screen again yesterday. The Silence of the Lambs is a seriously perfect film.
And now it’s Monday … which means the work is underway … which means, “Shoot me!”
Happy 40th!
Wow. Today marks the 40th Anniversary of my favoritest album of all time.
When I was in high school, a guy named Normal would walk around the halls of Tuscola carrying various Siouxsie and the Banshees albums. This is how I became aware of them as a band. Being a small mountain town in the ’80s, it was hard to come by what was, at the time, more exotic or alternative music. It took until the summer of 1987, while we were on a trip to Florida, for me to get my hands on two Siouxsie and the Banshees cassettes, Tinderbox and Through the Looking Glass. Tinderbox immediately imprinted on me. Everything about it was so mesmerizing. Siouxsie’s voice, the instrumentation, the lyrics, the way the songs are sequenced, the album art. Later, when I was able to get the CD, I discovered the equally enthralling B-sides that were released with the “Candyman” and “Cities in Dust” singles. I listen to this album often. I buy anything Tinderbox-related on vinyl when I run across it. I have even thought about having the ampersand from the album cover or the distinctive 33-1/3 from the record label tattooed on me.
If you had told my 15-year-old self that I would be here 40 years later typing about my undying love for eight album tracks and four B-sides, I would have told you to go take a hike. Thank you, Sioux, Severin, Budgie, and Carruthers for making this absolute gem.
Didn’t Die This Weekend
So, I went on my first backpacking trip in four years this past weekend. I guess I need to realize my age (or maybe think about my lack of preparedness) next time, because Saturday became the one day in all my years of hiking that I thought I was not going to make it out of the woods.
Jack and I did the Appalachian Trail from Newfound Gap to the Dry Sluice Gap Trail to Campsite 49 on the Cabin Flats Trail. The route was just shy of ten miles the first day and right at five miles on the second day. I was really most worried about crapping out on the climb from Newfound Gap up and over Mount Ambler. That actually went pretty well. We followed the AT past Ice Water Springs and Charlie’s Bunion to Dry Sluice Gap. From there, it was a short climb and then all about three miles downhill to Cabin Flats on the Bradley Fork.
This section of the hike turned out to be the worst few hours I have ever spent on a trail. It was relentlessly downhill and very steep. My feet kept jamming into the front of my boots. It became uncomfortably warm without much of a breeze to cool off with. The pack felt like it was getting heavier and heavier. My pace slowed to a crawl, and I really began to wonder if I was going to make it. At one point, a trail runner passed us, and he asked if I was okay. I must have looked terrible. I know I felt terrible. I debated with myself about telling Jack that I needed to get out of the woods immediately. That would have meant hiking another five miles, and I really didn’t think I could do that.
When we got to the next trail intersection, our packs came off, and I started to feel a little better. Jack and I discussed how I was feeling. It was decided that we would head to the campsite, which was a half mile away, instead of walking five miles out of the woods. Once we got to camp and got settled, I started to feel human again. Jack said my color looked a lot better. Crisis averted! We relaxed, made dinner, and went to bed early because of the burn ban with no possibility of a campfire.
It rained overnight, and we woke up to a howling wind, much cooler temps, and an overcast sky. We packed our soggy tents and headed out. The walk out along the Bradley Fork was very pretty and a lot less strenuous than the previous day’s up and downhill slogs. We got to cross a cool trestle bridge and see lots of pretty creekside scenery. Then it was out of the woods and home for some rest and recuperation.
Here are some photos from the adventure.
And here are the obligatory trail signs that marked our route!
Good Grief
Criterion is trying to bankrupt me this summer, what with the two John Waters releases in June and now these 4K Blu-rays in July …
“Mmm… Forbidden Donut.”
Not much to report … just a fat boy here stitching donuts.
Randomness
– Taxes have *finally* been filed, and I was super happy to not have to pay anything extra over my estimated payments this year. That’s a “Win!”
– Last Wednesday, my left foot started aching, and by the end of the day, I could barely put any weight on it. It wasn’t any better on Thursday morning, so I went to the doctor. She examined me and asked questions (and, no, I didn’t hit my foot against anything or drop something on it). She was stumped. So, I was sent for bloodwork to test for infections or gout. I was sent for X-rays to make sure nothing crazy was going on. Later in the day, my foot started feeling significantly better, and I could actually walk again. All the results have come back now, and they found nothing wrong. No infection. No gout. No breaks. No inflammation. Who knows what the fucked happened other than I spent $600+ for no reason. I guess the “win” is that I don’t have gout, but overall this is a “Lose!”
– I got to catch up with a long-time theater friend on Saturday. We had fallen out of touch. He’s been having health issues that have kept him from performing, and I don’t do theater anymore for “reasons.” We had a nice time chatting, but the conversation did turn to the theater we had worked at together and how messed it got towards the end. So, it was a “Win!” for seeing a friend again, but a “Lose!” because it stirred up all those very bad feelings about the theater again. Yay!
– Have I mentioned that I am old and bitter these days?
– And, I really need a nap.
The Saga Ends
And, it’s done!
After way too many years, this damn Dimensions “Butterfly Accents” cross stitch kit is finally done. The home stretch on this thing was a slog. The “light gold” floss was so old that it disintegrated when I was stitching with it. Thankfully, DMC had a matching color that I was able to use. But let me tell you, the backstitching on the butterfly wings was a bitch and a half. VERY tedious. I have never done cording before, so the cording for the medalion and scroll didn’t turn out 100%, but not too bad for a first time trying it.
I stitched my signature “C” and added a “22” below it because that’s how many years it took to finish this damn thing. Just for reference, this blog will turn 24 in November.
Upcoming [Norwiegian Edition]
I am pretty excited that, in May, Second Sight Films in the UK is releasing a 4K of Erik Skjoldbjærg‘s most excellent 1997 thriller, Insomnia. I have an insane amount of love for this film. C’mon, May 25th!
Special Features
• New 4K restoration presented with Second Sight Films Director Approved HDR grade with Dolby Vision
• Dual format edition including both UHD and Blu-ray with main feature and bonus features on both discs
• New audio commentary with Director Erik Skjoldbjærg and Co-writer Nikolaj Frobenius
• Running on Instinct: a new interview with Director Erik Skjoldbjærg
• Falling Into It: a new interview with Producer Petter J. Borgli
• Private Prisons: Alexandra Heller-Nicholas on Insomnia
• Erik Skjoldbjærg’s Short Films: Spor, Close to Home, and Near Winter
Limited Edition Contents
• Rigid slipcase with new artwork by Peter Strain
• 120-page book with new essays by Jenn Adams, Mitchell Beaupre, Barry Forshaw, Francesco Massaccesi, Priscilla Page, and Travis Woods
• 6 collectors’ art cards
As a Side Note: I am really loving the art that’s been done for this release.
Mood [Non-Entity Edition]
I am ghost walking through life right now.
You don’t wanna be around me anymore
I don’t wanna be around me anymore
You can’t stand to be around me anymore
I’m not here
And it’s all too
Far too clear
What’re you doing?
And why do you do this?
Why do you do this to yourself?
Why do you do this to yourself?