Each Thursday (or Friday, since some weeks we seem to be running behind on everything), Needcoffee.com's staff of whackos will wrack our brains to give you interesting and new things to do over the weekend. Books, movies, whatever. We'll throw them out, you do with them what you will. And hey...if you have something you want to recommend--whatever it is--drop us a line.

Incidentally, we've provided links where we can for you to buy the stuff or find out more if you're interested, courtesy of those Amazon types. Hey, come on, we can't be totally selfless in this, can we?

October 31, 2002 - Halloween Edition

Book of the Week: The Call of Cthulhu and Other Weird Stories by H.P. Lovecraft. Nobody can match Howard Phillips when it comes to writing about "The Unspeakable Horror." Chocked full of Elder Gods, Great Old Ones, madmen and rats, his works are still revered today--and rightly so. He punched the ending of his stories like nobody's business. Read some of these around the campfire tonight, kiddies.

Comic Book of the Week: Tom Strong #18 by Alan Moore, Chris Sprouse & Karl Story. Well, of the books we have to pick from this week--this is the closest that comes to our theme for today. How does it do this? Gigantic ants from outer space that are on their way to invade Earth. Yeah, giant bugs, baby--a classic theme. This one brings out characters from all over the run thus far--including a three-eyed cowboy, the entire planet of Venus, and some weird space snail/jellyfish with a Aztec temple for a head--all trying to keep our home planet from becoming a massive ant farm. It's Alan Moore, so it's pop goodness.

Graphic Novel of the Week: Living Dead: London by Clive Barker, Steve Niles & Carlos Kastro. Wow, was this back in 1993? Jesus, I'm old. Barker takes Romero's Living Dead and shows us what happens across the pond. You get what you expect from Barker: a disturbed, completely whacked out, mind-destroying tale filled with sex, death and lots and lots of zombies. Out of print--but if you can find the trade, pick it up.

Fun DVD of the Week: Young Frankenstein. Don't like zombie movies? Well, what the hell is wrong with you? But seriously, if you like horror to tickle your funny bone, you can't go wrong with Mel Brooks and Gene Wilder. Not to mention Gene Hackman in probably one of the greatest cameos of all time. The DVD is not Criterion, but hey--comes complete with a Brooks commentary. And for Halloween night, as long as it's in widescreen, it will suffice. Go and laugh if you must.

Horror DVD of the Week: Re-Animator. God bless Elite Entertainment. Not content to just release horror flicks, they do them and do them right. Who else could you count on to deliver a kickass two-disc set of this wild Lovecraft classic, complete with two commentary tracks, a slew of interviews and that sick-sick green colored case? Rock on with Jeffrey Combs in his most famous role. Three cheers for the bonesaw scene!

CD of the Week: The Devil's Bris by Voltaire. Well-produced, with heavy Eastern European folk influence fused to a goth sensibility and fronted by the mascara-and-black-PVC set's equivalent of "Weird Al" Yankovic. Notable tracks include "The Man Upstairs," "When You're Evil," and "Ex-Lover's Lovers." Makes for great background music to unsettle trick or treaters.

DIY Snack of the Week: Halloween Coffee Cupcakes. Nothing else needs to be said. There's your recipe. Get to baking.