Childe Mattman to the Dark Tower Came: Book 2 -The Drawing of the Three

I recently decided to re-read Stephen King's Dark Tower series, something I haven't done since I read the books as they came out.  Almost as soon as I decided to do this I thought it might be a cool idea to blog my way through it.  This is my second entry.  It consists of my thoughts on Book 2 of the series - 

Now just a note before I go on: I realize in my previous blog entry I said that I was going to write up a blog for every couple hundred pages I read of the series but I've decided not to do that and just blog when I'm finished reading the chosen book in it's entirety instead.  To me it just works better than way and since I'm not on any kind of time table here (I mean come on, I've only got two people officially following this blog and I know you guys personally so I know you'll be patient with me) that's how I'm going to do things.

OK, so now on to my thoughts on book 2.  Just a word of warning before we go on; if you haven't read these books I might be delving into spoiler territory but I'll try to keep it to a minimum.  By that I mean, I won't be going over the plot of the book from beginning to end but I will be mentioning some key points in the story, so be warned.

Book 2 basically consists of Roland gathering his "knights" so to speak.  It starts up literally hours after the events of book 1 and it does so in a very ballsy way.  Roland, the Last Gunslinger has succumbed to exhaustion and finds himself asleep on a seemingly endless stretch of beach just as the tide comes in, bringing with it a surprise attack from giant crustacean-like creatures he calls lobstrositys.  The ocean water has soaked his guns and most of the bullets in his gunbelt, effectively making him defenseless to their attack and he ends up losing two fingers on his main shooting hand and one of his toes in the ensuing fight for life.  I bring this up because as I read the first couple pages of this book I was impressed with not just how King started the action right off the bat, but also how he took the brazen move of basically taking our main hero, crippling him (I mean, what good is a gunslinger if he can't shoot his guns?) and seemingly dooming him by page 3.  Defenseless, dying from infection due to his grave wounds and stuck between a beach with no visible end on one side and an equally expansive forest on the other, Roland does the only thing he can do - he walks, or should I say he stumbles until he comes upon the first of 3 doors that have been fated by the Man in Black's Tarot card reading to lead to the companions Roland will be taking with him on his journey to the Dark Tower (and hopefully they'll be able to get him the medical help he needs before he dies).

Just as the first book mostly took place almost entirely on an endless span of desert, most of this book takes place on an endless span of beach.  Given King's tendency for representation in these books I think this was done on purpose.  The aforementioned doors he comes upon just sort of float, attached to nothing but air.  Only Roland can open these doors and when he steps through them he enters the mind and body of three individuals living in the Manhattan of our world at three distinctly different time periods.  Eddie Dean, a heroin addicted drug runner resides in 1988.  Odetta Holmes, a wheelchair bound civil rights activist with multiple personality disorder lives in 1964.  And Jack Mort, a mercilessly evil psychopath who comes to Roland's attention in the early 1970's.  It's ultimately a story of redemption and healing not just for Roland but also for two of the three individuals chosen by fate to aid Roland in his quest.  For Roland that redemption comes in the form of righting a great wrong that he committed as he races against time not just to bring his new companions to his world but also to get the antibiotics he desperately needs to kill the massive infection coursing through his body due to his grave injuries.

When I first read in book back in 1990 I honestly didn't like it.  In fact I almost didn't read the rest of the series because of it.  I'm not sure why.  I think I just felt that it was too simple.  I felt that it kind of just meandered along until the ending, but after re-reading it all I have to say is boy was I wrong.  I honestly don't know what I was thinking.  Maybe it was the mindset I was in at the time.  Maybe I just needed to grow up a little and get some life experience.  In any case, I fully appreciate this book now.  One thing I really noticed was how much King put his own life into it. You see, as I stated in my previous blog, book 1 of this series was mostly written when King was in college.  He published it in 1982 in a limited edition run and only continued the series after it was met with great enthusiasm by his fans.  Book 2 was written for the most part in the late-80's.  At the time King, who had just gone through a very long battle with alcoholism and drug addiction (he's been sober for the last 20 plus years and writes about it extensively in his excellent book ON WRITING) was essentially learning to write without his crutches so to speak.  

He channels this experience through the character of Eddie Dean in a very genuine and realistic way.  As Dean hits his metaphorical "rock bottom" and suffers through painful withdrawals you're right there with him and you feel it.  It's great writing and it's one of the reasons why Dean is my favorite character in the series.  Just as Jack Torrance from THE SHINING was basically King subconsciously writing about his addictions, Eddie Dean is basically King subconsciously writing about his recovery.

The character of Odetta Holmes (as well as her savage alter-ego Detta Walker) is also very interesting.  She is the only child of a black dentist and inventor who has left her a vast fortune, which she uses to aid in the Civil Rights Movement.  She has suffered two great injuries in her life.  The first, a falling brick striking her on the head, results in her mind splitting into two distinct individuals who have no idea that the other exists.  The other, being pushed in front of the path of a subway car, results in the loss of her legs below the knee.  She is both a heroic and villainous character in this book, depending on which personality is in charge.  She also plays a key role in Eddie Dean's recovery.  Her own redemption comes in the form of reforming her broken mind and coming to terms with her fate.  But in so doing comes at a great price.

Jack Mort is quite simply an evil psychopath who keeps his true face well hidden, and he is also an unknowing agent of the Man In Black.  His presence runs through the many threads not just of this book, but the previous one as well, long before he is formally introduced.  For Jack Mort there is no redemption, and yet Roland needs him just the same.  In fact, given his condition throughout most of this book, Roland ends up needing Jack Mort the most, at least when it comes to his own survival in his current condition.         

In many ways this book is mostly build-up, but it's very exciting build-up and it takes some crazy turns you just don't see coming.  As in the previous book, the Dark Tower itself remains very ambiguous.  You as the reader continue to not really know exactly what it is, or why it's so important for Roland to get there.  But this time you have the other characters to also question his motives which makes it easier as the reader to accept the mysterious nature of the story's main focal point.  This book is basically the end of Act I of the epic tale of the Dark Tower.

And so with that it's on to book 3 - THE WASTELANDS, which I'm really looking forward to re-reading because it's my favorite book in the series.  So until next time, I wish you long days and pleasant nights...

                       

Childe Mattman To the Dark Tower Came: Book 1 - The Gunslinger

I recently decided to re-read Stephen King's Dark Tower series, something I haven't done since I read the books as they came out.  Almost as soon as I decided to do this I thought it might be a cool idea to blog my way through it.  This is my first entry.  It consists of my thoughts on Book 1 of the series - 

A lot of people I've talked to say THE GUNSLINGER is the hardest of the 7 books to get through.  On one hand I can understand this.  The book consists of 5 longish short-stories, the first of which was written by King when he was still in college, and there is some very heavy English Major prose within it.  At some points the book reads like it was written by a very young writer who is very impressed with the cool sentences he's coming up with, and when you're a young Stephen King that's not only to be expected but completely understandable.  On the other hand I find it funny that people say this book is hard to get through because it's the shortest of the DARK TOWER books.  It clocks in at a very brisk 231 pages.  Trust me when I say for King that's a very short book, and once it really gets going it's hard to put down.  

But like I already said, it's not so much a novel as it is 5 interrelated short stories that detail the journey of a mysterious gunslinger named Roland as he walks through a vast desert wasteland, following the even more mysterious Man in Black. The loose narrative might be what initially puts people off, and it also doesn't help that our protagonist is not very likable in this book.  He does some very nasty, soul-damning things in the name of his mission to catch up with the Man in Black and in turn find the location of the Dark Tower.  And what exactly is the Dark Tower?  Well it remains somewhat ambiguous in Book 1 but fear not, it does get explained later on.  Just rest assured that the Dark Tower is very important, and it is in grave danger unless Roland can save it.


One of the things I love about this book is the way it gradually reveals the setting to the reader.  At first you think it's some kind of spaghetti western, until the random dude with a bird's head walks by and just as quickly flees, or a piano player in the doomed town of Tull plays 'Hey Jude' in a dusty bar full of singing patrons.  With this book in particular King is channeling his inner Louis L'Amour and J.R.R. Tolkien (with a healthy dash of King Arther mythos in the flashback sequences that detail Roland's youth).  And just when you're used to the strange other-worldly setting and its strange inhabitants, in walks a young boy named Jake who hails from a distant land called Manhattan and has no idea how he got to this strange desolate place.  In no time at all Jake becomes a surrogate son to Roland, which ultimately doesn't turn out too well for either of them.         

This is also the simplest book in the series to follow story-wise.  The Dark Tower books as a whole eventually become very dense and expansive but Book 1 is pretty straight forward and can be best described in the iconic opening sentence -- "The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed."  That is the gist if Book 1, and the simplicity of it is what makes it such a great read.

And now for some spoilers for those who have read the books.  Those of you who haven't read it might want to skip this part...

The edition that I just finished reading is the revised and expanded edition King put out in 2003.  It has modified language and narrative changes to make it sync up better with the later books.  For example: in the original edition that was published in 1982 there was no mention of Roland's doomed soul-mate Susan Delgado but in the expanded edition he is haunted by her memory numerous times.  There are also a number of changes made to the major flashback scenes detailing Roland's past as a young Gunslinger in training under the tutelage of the brutal yet fair teacher Cort.  This is primarily noticeable in the later flashback detailing Roland's discovery of his mother's illicit affair with his father's trusted adviser Marten Broadcloak.  A discovery that eventually leads him to take on Cort in battle and thus becoming the youngest Gunslinger to ever come to be.  King has also tried to clean up some of the clunky writing (probably the main reason so many people I know had a hard time getting through it when it was first published) which makes the narrative easier to digest.  Generally I'm not too happy when storytellers such as George Lucas of Steven Speilberg re-write themselves but in this case I think it helps things immensely.  There's also a pretty awesome introduction by the author where he explains the origins of his writing these books and the reasons for the changes in this newest edition.

One of the highlights of Book 1 is Roland's sacrifice of the young boy Jake.  It's one of those scenes you know is coming but it still manages to come as a complete shock.  Even after we've seen Roland slaughter an entire town of men women and children we still can't fathom that he would do something so callously selfish as allowing his young companion whom he has grown very fond of to be taken to a long torturous death at the hands of the slow mutants.  Of course, as future books show, this sacrifice was anything but selfish, and Roland eventually gets around to saving the young man in a very complicated way that nearly drives both of them irreversibly insane.

And speaking of Jake's death, one thing I noticed more in my re-reading of the book was the juxtaposition of it's placement with the flashback story where Roland sacrifices his beloved falcon David to beat Cort in battle, thus earning his guns.  It's a great indicator that although his doesn't know it at the time, at the core of his character, Roland understands that he has a very important mission.  A mission that might very well require the death of everyone he holds dear.  And so focused is he on this mission that he walks into it with nary a second thought.  

And now it's on to Book 2 -- THE DRAWING OF THE THREE.  Seeing as how Book 1 is only a little over 200 pages long, and seeing as how the future books get progressively longer I think I'll blog for every 200 pages or so that I read, this way I can keep my thoughts fresh.  Until then -- long days and pleasant nights, and may you never forget the face of your father...

          

A Fanboy's Response to the Real-Life Superhero Movement

Well it was bound to happen at some point.  Frankly, I'm a little surprised that it didn't happen a lot sooner.  And somewhere in the far regions of my psyche is a 10 year old boy who is absolutely ecstatic about the Real Life Superhero Movement, but the 36 year old me?  Not so much.  The 36 year old me thinks someone's going to get hurt, or maybe even killed very soon.

Oops, spoke too late...

What you just witnessed with those two videos is the rise and fall of Phoenix Jones, Seattle's very own masked crime-fighter.  I'm sure his intentions are good, but if you're going to walk the mean streets of a major city righting wrongs and beating up bad guys, and you choose to do this whist dressed in a costume that makes you look ridiculous, you better make damn sure you can turn your neck.  Batman learned it in the movies (although let's be honest, it took five of them before he finally got the hint) so there's no reason why some steroided out fanboy with a secret superhero lair in the back of the comic shop he works at can't figure it out.  You're your own worst enemy Phoenix Jones.  Just sayin'.
 

Detailing the Experience of Seeing Roger Waters Perform THE WALL

*Just a word of warning before reading further.  What you're about to read was originally posted on my Facebook profile on December 10th 2010.  Since the vast number of you who are following my blog are my Facebook friends chances are you already read it.  But fear not, for what I'm about to post is a "special edition" that I've re-written at certain points.  There are also a couple video-postings that weren't included when I initially wrote this so please sit back, do what you've got to do to get yourself relaxed, and enjoy...*

December 10th 2010...

It's been two days and it's still sinking in.  You see, The Wall was a concert I never thought I'd ever get to see.  When Pink Floyd initially released the album in late-1979 there were only 18 live performances and only two of those were in the United States.  Then Roger Waters left the group and only performed The Wall as a solo-act on the remains of the Berlin Wall in 1990, and that was it.  I more or less accepted that I was probably never going to see this performed live, the way it's always been meant to be seen.  And for a long time, like so many other Pink Floyd fans,  I have had no choice but to be cool with that. 

 

Now I want to give you a little history lesson so you have some perspective on what The Wall is all about mainly because I know my mother is reading this and she has no idea who Roger Waters is and only a passing realization of who Pink Floyd is.  

The Wall is a concept album that tells the story of a rock star named Pink (an inside joke with the band because up until that point one of the most asked questions they faced by fans was "Who is Pink Floyd?" - kind of like Alice Cooper) who builds a thematic wall in his head separating himself from the rest of the world.  

There were two major events that influenced Roger Waters as he was writing the songs for this rock opera.  

One being the death of his father.  Eric Fletcher Waters was a member of the British Communist Party and a conscientious objector who upon witnessing the evils of the German Nazi Party joined the British Army and died in Anzio Italy on February 18th 1944.  Roger was 5 months old.

 

The other influence was the mental breakdown of Pink Floyd founder and former front-man Syd Barrett. 

                       Before...

                        

                       After...

Of course that's simplifying things greatly since the whole album is seeping with autobiographical details (the breakdown of Waters' marriage at the time being a major one).  However, the true catalyst of the album was a performance during the band's In The Flesh tour in 1977 where a particularly obnoxious crowd made Waters mention that he wished there was a wall separating the band from the audience.  

The funny thing is, as popular as the album was when it was first released (it was the biggest selling album of that year) the band as a whole lost money on the venture initially.  Most of this was due to bad investments but I also suspect a lot of it had to do with the very elaborate stage show.  

Roger Waters envisioned the show split in two.  The first half involving the literal building of a wall separating the band from the audience, Act I ending with the last brink being put in place.  The second half details Pink's attempts at communicating with those outside his wall and builds towards it's eventual destruction, which of course ends the show.  The characters featured in the story are represented by huge inflated puppets...

The overbearing School Master... 

The overprotective Mother...

The praying mantis-like Wife...

And of course the Wall itself...

...which is used to project literally hundreds of images one after the other, bombarding the audience with a barrage of animation and film-clips from various media detailing the inner struggle going on in Pink's head.  

For example...

The initial tour was extremely expensive, which explains why there were only 18 performances.  Not long afterword, Water left Pink Floyd and The Wall would not be heard live for thirty-years.

Flash forward three and a half years ago.  Roger Waters did a tour where he performed Dark Side of the Moon in its entirety.  I saw this show with my wife at Shoreline Amphitheater and up until two days ago it was the best concert I've ever been to.  I have a feeling that the success of the Dark Side of the Moon tour is what made Waters decide to do a proper tour of The Wall to commemorate the 30th anniversary of of its release, but that's only speculation on my part.  

In any case, the tour was announced about a year and a half ago, and I just knew I wasn't going to be able to see it.  For a show like The Wall, seats are everything, and the good seats for this show were very expensive.  There was just no way we were going to be able to afford it.  So once again I had to accept the idea that I was never to get to see this.  And up until about two hours before the show that's was where my head remained.

Then my wife called and said she had gotten a "very good tip" on one of her deliveries.  She had me call the box-office to see if any of the cheapie-nosebleed seats were available and I figured, "OK, cheap seats are still seats," so I looked into it.  It turned out there were two "upper-level obscured view" seats going for a very reasonable price, so I got those.  I figured we could keep our eye open for any empty seats in a better location and move there for the second act.  

We arrived at the Shark Tank and made our way in.  The person at the door scanned our tickets and said "Oh, you've been upgraded.  Go over to the information booth to get your new seat assignment."  HOLY SHIT!!  We felt like we had just won the lottery.  Our new seats were now in Section 128, Row 20 (look those up to see just how awesome they are).  We were so close to the stage that I felt the rush of heat coming off of the pyrotechnics as the show started.

This YouTube video I found was shot by someone sitting very close to where we were sitting...

And what a show it was!!  There is no way I can even come close to explaining how incredible this show is so I'm not even going to bother.  What I will say is how the general tone of the audience was so cool and welcoming.  Complete strangers walking up to you and asking if you're enjoying the show during the intermission, everyone having this silly grin on their faces and just being happy to be there (although I have a feeling this might have a lot to do with the "mysterious" thick cloud of smoke that enveloped the place within minutes of the lights coming down).  Like me, no one here thought they would ever live to see this show, and we were all grateful just to be there.

So there.  That's the story of my favorite concert.  Thanks for reading.  I leave you with the grand finale of the show - 'Outside the Wall' which ends with a most awesome shout-out from Roger Waters to John Lennon, exactly 30 years to the day after died in a senseless act of violence.  "He may have been a dreamer, but he's not the only one..."

Book Review: FULL DARK, NO STARS

Anyone who knows me knows that I am a huge Stephen King fan.  He has a style that feels good in my head as I'm reading.  I anticipate the arrival of each new King book the way your average crackhead might relate to, and that suits me fine.  It's been that way for about as long as I can remember and God willing it will stay that way for many years to come.   

What I'm trying to say is, please understand that I personally find something to like in everything Stephen King writes, so it should come as no surprise that this review is not going to be a negative one. 

What I will do is give my honest opinion based on what I call the four levels that make up most people's knowledge of the man and his books. 

The Levels are as follows...

Level 4 - You have never read a Stephen King novel but you've heard of him.  You're not really into "horror stuff" and you're shocked when I tell you THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION is based on a Stephen King story.

Level 3 - You've read one or two (or three or four) of his books, mostly because you're either dating or are married to someone who pestered you into doing it  You liked it well enough, but you're still not all that into the "horror stuff".  My wife is a perfect example of a Level 3.

Level 2 - You were a huge fan at one point in your life but you've "outgrown" him.  

Level 1 - You are the choir and I'm the preacher.

Now that we have that out of the way let's move forward with the review shall we?

FULL DARK, NO STARS is a book that is made up of four separate stories.  Three of the stories are a little over a hundred pages long while a fourth is about thirty.  Those of you who feel King tends to get a little wordy have nothing to fear with this one.  Each one of these stories move very fast.  This is King firing on all cylinders.  And those of you who might be turned off by the supernatural nature of a lot of King's books have nothing to fear either.  With the exception of an allegorical ghost and a roadside salesman who may or may not be the devil, all of these stories are very much grounded in reality.  But be warned, that doesn't mean there aren't certain parts of this book that will haunt your dreams.  In fact, as King himself says in the afterword, "The stories in this book are harsh.  You may have found them hard to read in places.  If so, be assured that I found them equally hard to write in places." 

So using my 4 level system, let's break this book down story by story shall we?


The story 1922 takes place in the same year as the title.  It tells the tale of a lethally stubborn man who paves a road to hell for both him and his 14 year old son when he decides to murder his wife.  

Level 4 - Hmm.  This one's pretty dark, but it's a great American Gothic.  Check it out!  


Level 3 - Do you like a great page turner?  Well do you?  Of course you do.


Level 2 - This is King channeling Steinbeck circa-GRAPES OF WRATH and du Maurier circa-REBECCA (with just a hint of Chandler circa-DOUBLE INDEMINITY.)  In many ways, I think it's probably the darkest thing he's written since APT PUPIL.

Level 1 - You're going to love it. 

OK, next story...

BIG DRIVER is at its core a revenge fantasy tale in the tradition of DEATH WISH or I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE.

Level 4 - You might want to skip this one.


Level 3 -  Between you and me, this is probably my least favorite of the four.  Please don't read too much into that.  It's very readable and it keeps you on the edge of your seat all the way through, but a central part of this particular tale involves a very brutal rape and this part was pretty hard to get through.  It's not that King goes into gory detail, but he writes in a very matter-of-fact style that really drives it home in a way that is all too real without beating you over the head with what's happening.  Powerful stuff, but it's not for everyone.

Level 2 - The problem I have with this story is, you kind of have to use some suspension of disbelief in order to enjoy it in the last half, because the lead character makes a few questionable decisions for the sake of the story.  


Level 1 - You're going to love it.


NEXT!


FAIR EXTENSION reads like one of those great TWILIGHT ZONE episodes.  It's the tale of a terminally ill man who is sold an extension on his life at the cost of a the life of the one person he hates the most.  Seems like a cut and dry deal doesn't it?  Of course it isn't.

Level 4 - Did you like The Twilight Zone?  Come on, I know you did.  Everyone likes The Twilight Zone.  Anyway, if so you'll really like this story.  At 30 pages (and that includes the title page) it's the shortest story in the book and if you have some time to kill at Barnes and Noble this would make a nice read.

Level 3 - See above statement.

Level 2 - This one is a lot of fun.  It would have been perfectly placed in SKELETON CREW (my person favorite King short-story collection.)

Level 1 - You're going to love it!

And now for the grand finale!

Mark my words, A GOOD MARRIAGE (the last and in my opinion best of the bunch) is going to make the next great Stephen King movie.  When I think about what someone like David Fincher would do with this one my geek-meter hits red.

Level 4 - Imagine you've been married for over 25 years.  Imagine one day you find a box belonging to your significant other that you shouldn't have.  What's in the box?  Oh, very bad things.  The worst of things when you stop and think about it.  What would you do?  

Level 3 - Are you into true-crime?  Are you familiar with the BTK murders in Kansas?  This story takes it's influence directly from that case.

Level 2 - As I read this story I imagined it was a sequel to STRAWBERRY SPRING and I found it rather enjoyable.

Level 1 - You're going to love it!

There.  Over.  Out.  'Night all! 

And now a few words from our nation's leader...

Average Saturday In My Misspent Youth

"... and you can bet your last money, it's all gonna be a stone gas, honey! I'm Don Cornelius, and as always in parting, we wish you love, peace and soul!"

On Saturday mornings as a little kid, these were the words I would anxiously wait to hear.  For those of you who don't know, the above quote was a catchphrase the immortally cool Don Cornelius would use to end his television program Soul Train...

...and when I was 5 years old hearing it meant only one thing.  It meant it was time for Chiller Diller.  Chiller Diller was a Creature Features-style television program that aired on KTVU Channel 2 in the 1970s...

...and it played a huge role in my meticulously planned Saturday schedule at that time.  

When I was a kid my Saturdays usually went as follows:

I would often get up early and stuff my face with a heaping bowl of Captain Crunch, followed by a nice helping of cartoons.  'Challenge of the Super-Friends' was my personal favorite but I was also partial to Thundar the Barbarian (God I miss Saturday morning cartoons!).  Soon enough the rest of my family took over the living room television to watch sports.  Everyone in my family loved sports.  I was outvoted.  Sports bored me to tears.  I've learned to appreciate it now but back then every game looked the same.  So after my banishment from the living room I would move into the kitchen area over by the sliding glass door, where we had our old black and white television set up and a small couch.  I would turn it on, put on Channel 2, and for some reason it always seemed to be during the last 10 minutes of Soul Train.  So I'd patiently wait for Mr. Cornelious' aforementioned famous catchphrase, sit through a couple of commercials then kick back on the little couch and watch the opening credits to Chiller Diller.  


It featured a clip of music from the movie 'Goldfinger'...

...played over a scene of two grave robbers crossing a creepy old cemetery, (it was years later that I realized this was the opening scene from 'Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman'.)  Then the words CHILLER DILLER would bleed through as the deep baritone voice of the KTVU announcer would break in.   

"Welcome to Chiller Diller, todays movie is (insert horror movie title here)" 

And I would know I was in for a real treat if he followed this up with "Viewer discretion is advised" because back then most local channels didn't bother to edit movies.  When they warned you about content they meant it. 

And for the next two hours I was transfixed.  Sometimes the movie would be too scary and I'd have to hide with my eyes peaking over the bar that separated the kitchen from this little TV area we had made.  Chiller Diller tended to show a lot of the Hammer Horror films.  Stuff like 'Curse of Frankenstein' and 'Horror of Dracula' - which reminds me of something.  For most people when you think of Dracula this is the image that comes to mind...

...but not me.


No way.  For me when you mention Dracula this is what comes to mind...

...Christopher Lee absolutely terrified me.  I still get chills just looking at this picture.  There is nothing human in those eyes.  I could not even be in house when Chiller Diller showed a Christopher Lee Dracula movie.  No way.  I had a violently frightened reaction to this man when I was a kid.  One look and instant nightmares.  Guaranteed.  On those days I'd just go outside and play until The Monstrous Movie came on at 2 o'clock.
  
The Monstrous Movie was another scary movie themed show that aired on KBHK Channel 44.  It eventually became Son of Svengoolie...

   ...which was a wonderful show that still has a very strong cult following (just check out all the YouTube postings).

For the most part, the stuff they showed on Monstrous Movie/Svengoolie was along the lines of the old Universal horror flicks, so it was a little easier for me to sit through a whole movie without hiding.  

The movie would end at 4 o'clock and unless the Abbott and Costello movie that followed had a monster in it I'd go outside to play for another couple hours before being called in for dinner. 

At 8 o'clock another scary movie show would start on Channel 44.  This one was called Shock Theater...

 ...this show played a lot of the old Roger Corman stuff.  I remember this was usually the show we'd watch as a family.  I have a very vivid memory of watching Vincent Price in The House of Wax for the first time on Shock Theater.  

Then it was bath time and off to bed when the movie was over, where I would pretend to go to sleep.  I'd listen for my parents to go to bed (which was usually right after the news) at which point I would listen for my dad's snoring before sneaking out into my little TV room in the kitchen area where I would turn the old black and white back on and end the day back on Channel 2.  Because it was time for the one and only Creature Features with Bob Wilkins!!

And if the movie wasn't too scary (and I'll admit, sometimes it was) I would end my night watching my 4th consecutive scary movie.  I didn't sleep all that much when I was 5 and I probably had no business watching some of the stuff I was watching.  But the way I look at it is this, it was a different time, and a different place, and sometimes I think I'd give just about anything to go back there.  Even if it's just to visit.