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Michael But Scary @selmerguy.bsky.social · 10h

She had a nightclub act in the 1950s that I would have loved to have seen.

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Michael But Scary @selmerguy.bsky.social · 10h

It’s one of the Black Birds mentioned in this article.

The Mystery of the Maltese Falcon, One of the Most Valuable Movie Props in History

A statuette from the John Huston–Humphrey Bogart classic The Maltese Falcon is one of the most recognizable, and sought-after, pieces of movie memorabilia in history.

www.vanityfair.com

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Michael But Scary @selmerguy.bsky.social · 10h

@thebasementtan.bsky.social Weren’t you looking for a Maltese Falcon?

A figure of the Maltese Falcon

A figure of the Maltese Falcon, presumably used in the Maltese Falcon motion picture, Alva Productions, made of grey casting plaster and painted with what was then known as "sketching ink" (India ink)...

live.clars.com

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Michael But Scary @selmerguy.bsky.social · 10h

I think it’s an excellent likeness. Did you know she released a couple of LPs of bawdy music hall songs?

Cover of Elsa Lanchester’s record Songs for a Smoke Filled Room. The illustration is a drawing of Elsa laughing.

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Michael But Scary @selmerguy.bsky.social · 16h

Well, the owner of one of the Black Birds in question ran afoul of the IRS and it was seized by the government. And now one of them is coming up for auction in a few days.

A figure of the Maltese Falcon

A figure of the Maltese Falcon, presumably used in the Maltese Falcon motion picture, Alva Productions, made of grey casting plaster and painted with what was then known as "sketching ink" (India ink)...

live.clars.com

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Michael But Scary @selmerguy.bsky.social · 16h

@selfstyledsiren.bsky.social You may remember an article in Vanity Fair a few years ago about some shenanigans involving a supposed prop of the Maltese Falcon that was used in the movie.

The Mystery of the Maltese Falcon, One of the Most Valuable Movie Props in History

A statuette from the John Huston–Humphrey Bogart classic The Maltese Falcon is one of the most recognizable, and sought-after, pieces of movie memorabilia in history.

www.vanityfair.com

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Michael But Scary @selmerguy.bsky.social · 17h

Not a novella, but The Countess of Stanlein Restored
by Nicholas Delbanco is a short book (104 pages) about restoring a Strad cello that at the time belonged to Bernard Greenhouse but used to belong to Paganini. It's just a lovely book.

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Michael But Scary @selmerguy.bsky.social · 1d

I’ve been posting some of my favorite scary books in honor of Spooky Season. Please take a look if that sort of thing interests you. What are your favorite scary books?

Michael But Scary @selmerguy.bsky.social · 7d

In honor of of the first day of Spooky Season, here's Dracutwig, a novel about Dracula’s daughter who becomes a Twiggy-inspired model in late 1960s Swingin’ London. This could have been a great Hammer, or maybe an Amicus, movie. But I think Twigula is a better name for the character.

Cover of a novel called Dracutwig. The tagline mentions the “daughter of Dracula who has a body like Twiggy and turns into a vampire whenever she makes love.”

Michael But Scary @selmerguy.bsky.social · 1d

For day 7 of Books for Spooky Season here’s Satanic Panic: Pop-Cultural Paranoia in the 1980s. This collection of essays looks at the era when Satan was everywhere including heavy metal, Dungeons & Dragons, pulp paperbacks, Saturday morning cartoons, TV talk shows and home computers.

Cover of book called Satanic Panic: Pop-Cultural Paranoia in the 1980s. The editors are Kier-La Janisse and Paul Corupe.

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Michael But Scary @selmerguy.bsky.social · 2d

But the black robes will show cat fur.

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Michael But Scary @selmerguy.bsky.social · 2d

Not this time. I saw three lizards and this was the only one that stayed still long enough for a photo. He bolted a few seconds later.

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Michael But Scary @selmerguy.bsky.social · 2d

I saw a dinosaur on my walk this afternoon.

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Michael But Scary @selmerguy.bsky.social · 2d

@theharvestmaid.bsky.social Happy Britt Ekland’s Birthday! How are you celebrating?

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Michael But Scary @selmerguy.bsky.social · 2d

For day 6 of Books for Spooky Season here’s The Hearse. This is the novelization of a movie of the same name. The story is about devil worshipers in a small Northern California town and features a ghostly hearse.

Cover for a book titled The Hearse. The illustration shows a hearse with an open door and a ghostly woman.

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Michael But Scary @selmerguy.bsky.social · 3d

The White Buffalo is kinda, sorta in the same category. What about Pet Sematary and the sacred Indian burial ground?

Poster for the movie The White Buffalo. The illustration shows a large, white buffalo charging two men.

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Michael But Scary @selmerguy.bsky.social · 3d

I see you mentioned Southern Gothic, which is also what first came mind for me. Another thought is movies like Wendigo, The Manitou or anything with a Sasquatch. They are based, loosely, on Native American folklore, but I don’t know if I would say they draw on the landscape, though.

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Reposted by Michael But Scary

John Reppion @johnreppion.bsky.social · 7d

I have a lot of books about ghosts and hauntings on my shelves. So, as we countdown to Halloween 2025, I'm going to pick a book and a ghost/haunting from that book and post a little bluesky sized summary of that on here.
#DailyGhost

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Reposted by Michael But Scary

Amanda Watson @amndw2.bsky.social · 3d

I couldn't resist. #pleasingterror

A bingo card for the ghost stories of M.R. James. Boxes read:
"Spiders
Terrible hotel stay
Narrator makes fun of golf
Latin passages
Eerie disembodied voices
Confirmed bachelor main character
Vengeful spirit
Evil magician
Working-class character as comic relief
Bleak East Anglian coast
Visit to an archive
Narrator in guidebook mode
FREE SPACE
Unholy doings in a church
Frogs or toads
Queen Anne style house
Cursed artifact
Don't buy that rare book!
Something hairy and horrible
Someone gets too curious
Tentacles
Story told via old manuscript
Research trip gone horribly wrong
Beds are scary
Tactile horror

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Michael But Scary @selmerguy.bsky.social · 3d

For day 5 Books for Spooky Season, here’s Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sorcery* But Were Afraid to Ask. This was published in 1973 and it has information about devil worshipers, witch circles and death candles, among other subjects.

Cover of book called Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sorcery* But Were Afraid to Ask.

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Reposted by Michael But Scary

Movies Silently @moviessilently.bsky.social · 3d

I love the review details in Wid's and demand that we bring this format back

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Michael But Scary @selmerguy.bsky.social · 4d

I’m going to write a novel about a crime solving autistic retired actor who becomes a priest. He also writes an advice column, owns a pub, rides a skateboard and plays the banjo. Oh, and he’s a lord who lives in a castle and his best friend is a wise cracking ghost. I’m going to be rich.

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Michael But Scary @selmerguy.bsky.social · 4d

Nice! Have you seen Murder Before Evensong yet? I'll give it a go but do I really need another crime-solving member of the clergy in my life?

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Reposted by Michael But Scary

Matt Zoller Seitz @mattzollerseitz.bsky.social · 4d

Phillip Glass hasn't actually done that many film scores in the greater scheme of things, but every single one is a banger

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Michael But Scary @selmerguy.bsky.social · 4d

Celebrating the death and resurrection of John Barleycorn, as is proper this time of year.

Martin Carthy - John Barleycorn

YouTube video by Joe Stead

youtu.be

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Michael But Scary @selmerguy.bsky.social · 4d

For day 4 of Books for Spooky Season, here’s the Necronomicon. This paperback edition was published in 1980 and its editor is named simply as Simon. Is this the fabled book described by H.P. Lovecraft or was it written by Peter Levenda in the early 1970s using bits and pieces of earlier works?

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