Friday, October 21, 2016

Night 4 of the Attack of the 14 Nights of Halloween Giveaway



Welcome to night 4 of the 5th annual Attack of the 14 Nights of Halloween Giveaway. Stop by our MAIN GIVEAWAY POST and enter to win a Prize Pack full of goodies worth $300+ donated by 11 wickedly fabulous shops. In this post you will find our first Featured Shop ~ Calluna Muse, details on how to earn EXTRA ENTRIES with our Murder Mystery Scavenger Hunt & Halloween Movie Marathon and test your movie knowledge with the Guess the Movie Game. Make sure to visit us each day during the giveaway so you do not miss out on any of the fun!

Ashes of Crow Purse Hanger w/Mirror & Pill Box

Purchase any item(s) from Laughing Vixen Lounge through October 31st and get 10% off your order. Use code OCTOBER10 at checkout.


$1 from each sale at Laughing Vixen Lounge goes to support the Joy Cinema. A single screen theater in Tigard, Oregon that has been in operation since 1939. Purchase from LVL and help keep the classic cinema experience alive. See full fundraising details and the Joy's story HERE.


Murder Mystery Scavenger Hunt
Our scavenger hunt works like a game of Clue. Every day you will be looking for clues to a different part of the mystery ~ Settings, Suspects, Rooms, Weapons and Escapes. They will be hidden (at the top of the description) in a listing inside one of our participating shops. On each daily post you will be given a hint to which listing the clues are hiding in. Once you find a clue go to the MAIN GIVEAWAY POST and take the daily entry on the giveaway widget. Today's entry will be at the top of the list while all past entries will be at the bottom of the list.
*Make sure you are finding today's clue. Each clue has a date. Shops have more than one set of clues hiding there so pay attention. Submit the wrong clue and it will not count.
*You may start the Scavenger Hunt at anytime during the giveaway and find past clues.
*You can earn 5 extra entries in the giveaway for each set of clues found.
*Please only post clues on the giveaway widget. Anywhere else and they will be deleted.

Scavenger Hunt Special Giveaway!
Keep a list of the clues you find. On October 31st and November 1st you will be able to use the clues you have found and submit your guess of how the murder happened. 1 random winner from any correct guesses will win a $60 Gift Certificate to Laughing Vixen Lounge and a $30 Gift Certificate to Deep Midnight Perfumes. If no one guesses correctly then 1 random winner from all submitted guesses will win their choice of 1 item from Laughing Vixen Lounge (up to $20 value) and a Perfume Sampler Set (your choice of scents) from Deep Midnight Perfumes. Full details on how to submit your guess will be listed on October 31st. You do not need to find all of the clues to submit a guess but the more you find the better your guess.

Clue for October 21st
A murder has been committed! The body of Miss Death has been found at Raven's Perch Manor. Detective Heathmoor needs your help collecting the clues of the crime. Can you solve the mystery?

Night 4 ~ You will be collecting clues to the suspects of the crime.

Tonight's clue is hiding in Miss Bohemia.
Need a little help finding the clue? Wear your own Mr. Darcy.

*The clue is in the shop listed above. It will be in one of the listings.
*Make sure you are finding today's clue. It will have a date.
*The hint above is to help you find which listing the clue is in. DO NOT answer the above clue. Your entry will not count.
*The clue is not on this page.

Featured Shop ~ Calluna Muse
Calluna Muse is run by Heather from Fort Wayne, IN. You will find a wide variety of beaded earrings and necklaces.

Pegasus Earring Hanger

How did you choose your shop name?
"Calluna vulgara is actually Latin for the flower Heather, so I combined it with Muse, and CallunaMuse was born."

Turquoise Beaded French Barrette

Why did you choose to make/sell what you do?
"I really love to create, I love color and design, and this is just something I've always done for as
long as I can remember for myself - make jewelry and accessories. I took that love and experience and created to CallunaMuse to share what I do with the world."

Pineapple Earring Hanger

What inspires the designs/creations you make?
" I take a bit of inspiration from everything around me really, but a lot of time, something will pop into my head when I'm not even thinking about it."

Lightning Bolt Earrings

What new designs/creations would you like to add to your shop in the future?
"I will be adding some beaded Christmas ornaments."

Mini Autumn French Barrettes

You'll have a chance to win a $25 Gift Certificate (to use on Earrings and Hair Accessories) from Calluna Muse. Enter now on the MAIN GIVEAWAY POST.

Hanging Bat Earrings

Since it's Halloween I asked the shops to share their favorite spooky movies.
"I LOVE horror movies, so picking just one is not an easy task. I would say one of my favorites with a bit of history to it would be Friday The 13th. I wasn't allowed to see it when I was younger, so of course that meant secretly watching it at another friend's house. Let's just say trying to sleep at Girl Scout Camp the following years became a whole new adventure!"


Visit Calluna Muse on Website ~ Etsy ~ Facebook ~ Instagram


Attack of the 14 Nights of Halloween Movie Marathon.
Follow along with us for 2 full weeks of spooky movies. This year we feature personal favorites of Laughing Vixen Lounge. Find some new movies to watch this season, or maybe relive some old favorites, and receive EXTRA ENTRIES at the same time. On each daily post there will be a review of the next movie in our movie marathon. Leave a comment on the post with your opinion of that movie. Once you have posted go to the MAIN GIVEAWAY POST and take the daily entry on the giveaway widget. Today's entry will be at the top of the entry list while all past entries will be at the bottom of the list. Comment on all movies in the marathon and receive an EXTRA 20 ENTRIES at the end of the giveaway.
*You may start following the Movie Marathon at any time during the giveaway and post comments on past daily posts.
*Each comment will earn you an EXTRA 5 ENTRIES.
*Comment on each movie to earn an EXTRA 20 ENTRIES at the end of the giveaway.
*On October 31st or November 1st you must use the Magic Phrase (revealed on October 31st) and use it to unlock the entry on the giveaway widget to receive the 20 entries. You must have commented on each movie.

Guess The Movie Game
Think you know your scary movies? Try your luck with this fun game and receive EXTRA ENTRIES just for guessing. Each daily post will have a hint to the next night's movie. Leave your guess on the giveaway widget, on the MAIN GIVEAWAY POST, for an EXTRA 5 ENTRIES in the giveaway. You do not need to be right just give it an honest try.
*Guesses must be made the same day as their hint to receive the entry. Guessing for a past hint will not count and will be deleted.
*Entry will reset 24hrs after your last guess.
*Please only post guesses on the giveaway widget.


Tonight's Clue ~ Spend a relaxing week at The Colony.


Halloween Movie Marathon

Night 4 ~ Psycho



Taglines - No One ... BUT NO ONE ... Will Be
               Admitted To The Theatre After The Start
               Of Each Performance Of Alfred
               Hitchcock's Psycho.
               It Is Required That You See Psycho From
               The Very Beginning!
               Don't give away the ending - it's the only
               one we have!

Alfred Hitchcock directed this film version of the novel by Robert Bloch. Released by Paramount Studios (but actually owned by and filmed at Universal Studios) on August 25, 1960 (Not rated). Secretary Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) decides on a whim to steal $40,000 and run off to be with her boyfriend Sam Loomis (John Gavin). She may have gotten away with it if she had not made one fatal error...stopping at The Bates Motel for the night. Caretaker Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) and his "Mother" make this an unfortunate night for Marion. Can her sister Lila Crane (Vera Miles) and Sam solve the mystery of what happened to Marion or will they fall prey to the Bates Motel too?

I simply adore this movie. The black and white is gorgeous and the music is divine. It truly is one of the scariest scores out there. The fact that it is over 50 years old, there is no gore and not a lot of violence, and it can still scare you is a testament to how well made it is.

Anthony Perkins is brilliant as the overgrown child Norman Bates. His dialogue with Marion in the parlor is engrossing. He goes from innocent to dark and back again with ease (this probably should have been her cue to leave right then and there!). The whole scene where he cleans the bathroom just makes my skin crawl.

I know I am probably the only one that actually liked the Gus VanSant remake of Psycho but Vince Vaughn did a great job at the role of Norman. It is always tricky stepping into an iconic role like that but I think he did good at capturing Anthony Perkins' Norman while still making it his own. Either way you look at it it is still creepy watching either of them eating those candy corns with that slightly evil boyish smile.

The fact that the movie took inspiration from the real Ed Gein and his life makes for an all the more creepy feel. After watching the 2012 movie "Hitchcock", about the making of Psycho, it was very interesting to learn all the connections between the two.

And there is the house. I love it and the motel. Just plain creepy and wonderful! It was largely based on the painting "House by the Railroad" by Edward Hopper, 1925.



And of course now we have the TV show "Bates Motel". While it takes some liberties with the story and setting I am OK with most of it. Not real fond that they make Norman a killer from the beginning, and that he channels Mother before she is dead, but it does not bother me enough to stop watching it. The set is gorgeous!!! They rebuilt the entire motel and house up in British Columbia. It is great to see it brought to life again and this time used in much more depth. But my favorite part has to be Norma or "Mother". Vera Farmiga does an amazing job at making the character a full rounded human instead of just the overbearing mother. Her performance and the set is what really makes this version of the story a must see each week. The big problem with this show? It only airs 10 weeks out of the year!!! So unfair.

Norma and Norman arrive at their new home. 
Originally the "Seafairer Motel" will soon 
become the "Bates Motel".

Psycho, and its 3 sequels and remake, is available on most streaming services and DVD rental services.


Take a look at the original trailer.



Some trivia about the movie.
1. Alfred Hitchcock bought the rights to the novel anonymously from Robert Bloch for only US$9,000. He then bought up as many copies of the novel as he could to keep the ending a secret.
2. Alfred Hitchcock's cameo is about four minutes in wearing a cowboy hat outside Marion's office.
3. Walt Disney refused to allow Alfred Hitchcock to film at Disneyland in the early 1960s because Hitchcock had made "that disgusting movie "Psycho".
4. In the opening scene, Marion Crane is wearing a white bra because Alfred Hitchcock wanted to show her as being "angelic". After she has taken the money, the following scene has her in a black bra because now she has done something wrong and evil. Similarly, before she steals the money, she has a white purse; after she's stolen the money, her purse is black.
5. Marion's white 1957 Ford sedan is the same car (owned by Universal) that the Cleaver family drove on "Leave It to Beaver" (1957).
6. First American film ever to show a toilet flushing on screen.
7. The novel "Psycho", written by Robert Bloch, was actually part of a series of pulp novels marketed in conjunction with the popular spooky radio show "Inner Sanctum".
8. To ensure the people were in the theaters at the start of the film (rather than walking in part way through) the studio provided a record to play in the foyer of the theaters. The album featured background music, occasionally interrupted by a voice saying "Ten minutes to Psycho time," "Five minutes to Psycho time," and so on.
9. The Bates house was largely modeled on an oil painting at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. The canvas is called "House by the Railroad" and was painted in 1925 by American iconic artist Edward Hopper. The architectural details, viewpoint and austere sky is almost identical as seen in the film.
10. In the murder scene in the shower, we never see the knife actually touching the victim's body.
11. The last shot of Norman Bates' face has a still frame of a human skull superimposed on it, almost subliminally.
12. Alfred Hitchcock strictly mandated, and even wrote into theater managers' contracts, that no one arriving after the start of each showing of "Psycho" would be admitted into the theater until the beginning of the next showing.

Magic Potion Compact - Naturalists

20 comments:

  1. I remember watching Psycho as an adolescent. Anthony Perkins was sooo creepy as the deranged son and taking showers have never been the same for me since lol.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Such a classic! Bates Motel is really really good, they did a great job with the story and the acting and setting is spot on!

    ReplyDelete
  3. AWESOME movie, Mother in the rocking chair freaked me out as a child.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I love the old version. Didn't really care for the new version but I do like the TV series.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I've never seen the original. Another for my to-watch list!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Love and adore Psycho!! An instant classic!! My Mom and I used to watch it all the time! The original of course :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. I have never seen Psycho, but I probably should get around to watching it.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Love this movie! Huge fan of "Bates Motel" too and so have been trying to watch all of the Psycho movies lol

    ReplyDelete
  9. I love Psycho. So creepy and atmospheric... (cue "shower scene" music).

    ReplyDelete
  10. I have never seen Psycho but I really want to watch it because it's such a classic.

    ReplyDelete
  11. How can you not love Psycho!? It's one of my all time fave movies.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Love Psycho My mother wouldn't let me watch it until I was 13

    ReplyDelete
  13. love the movies and then i woud love t go on the set to the house an check it ou

    ReplyDelete
  14. Psycho is one of my favorite hitchcock movies. One of the few of his more modern movies that I like

    ReplyDelete
  15. This one has been one of my favorite since I was a kid. It still scares me.

    ReplyDelete
  16. I never saw this movie, but it's was a classic around my house when I was younger.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Classic horror flick! Great post for Halloween...
    Interesting first flushing toilet and not seeing the knife!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Nicole Carter (Weasley)October 25, 2016 at 6:08 PM

    Where would Halloween be without Psycho! Still creepy but do love the remakes and the TV Show!

    ReplyDelete
  19. A great classic horror movie to watch.

    ReplyDelete
  20. I've never seen the original. I did watch a few episodes of the newer Bates Motel. Super creepy.

    ReplyDelete