Horror Series: The Headless Nun

I totally should have started this series off as "Horror Series" and not "Legendary Creature Series." Anyways...

courtesy of miramichionline.com.

Hailing from the great Canadian landscape, the Headless Nun is a ghost story from Miramachi, New Brunswick. According to legend, she was a nun in the area back in the 18th Century who was decapitated... Though it was not known who had done it. Accusations have been pointed towards sailors, a run-of-the-mill murderer or even a crazed woodsman, but there's no consensus exactly who was the responsible party. Nowadays, she is said to wander the area in search for her head.

Sadly, as she has been wandering the land for a couple centuries, we have disrespected her plight by playing a TV show that not only seemed to mock her, but mock her in the worst way. The Flying Nun (1967 - 1970) was a TV show that aired on ABC that starred Sally Field as a nun whose head wear (cornette) and light build would allow her to fly.

Seriously... The Headless Nun is spending an eternity looking for her head and we actually air that show? Seems like a complete dickhole move on our part. Sally Field can fly around because of something she wears on her head, the ultimate freedom... While the Headless Nun doesn't even have the luxury of having a head.

Seriously, we deserve to be haunted.

Courtesy tvtropes.com.
Then again, maybe our curse is to have this series as a part of our collective memory.

Legendary Creature Series: Manananggal

The Manananggal is a vampire-like creature within Philippine folklore. It usually takes the form of a beautiful young woman and has the lovely ability to utterly tear its own torso from its legs, grow wings and begin to fly in search of its prey. ITs preferred prey seems to be women, namely pregnant women that are sleeping.

Similar to western vampires (of the non-glittery persuasion), they seem to be weak against sunlight and garlic. Though instead of a stake through the heart or leaving them in the sun during the daylight hours, the way to defeat a Manananggal is to find its abandoned lower half and cover the gaping wound with salt and ashes before day break to ensure that it cannot reconnect.

Courtesy of booalert.com

Perhaps the most disturbing thing about this creature is the lack of points one can get in Scrabble from it. With no modifiers, this creature can only net you 15 points despite how many letters are required to spell it.

General Mills' Monster Cereals

Damn near one of my favorite things about the entire Halloween season would have to be the time limited release of Count Chocula. Ever since I was young, I was always happy when he made his annual appearance and I know that I'd be soon downing all of his chocolatey goodness and his marshmallows... That are sorta just like pebbles when dry. God forbid you eat one that's stale, by the way.

Count Chocula has been making yearly appearances at your local supermarket since 1971... Regardless of day or night, it seems fluorescent lights aren't enough to burn his flesh. Even though it's enough to burn normal human flesh. Perhaps that's why they use those lights... To appease the grocery vampire gods or something. Or maybe it's to assure that Chocula will come back every year or something.

Back then he was known as Dr. Count Chocula (who in the hell gave him a PhD.?) and debuted alongside Frankenberry.

Seen here being way too happy eating his own cereal in a form of cannibalism both delicious and horrendous.

Speaking of Frankenberry, this is something that has bugged me for quite some time...

This is Dr. Frankenstein...

This is also Dr. Frankenstein... ('s grandson, Frederick)

This is Frankenstein's Monster... NOT Frankenstein.

This is Peter Boyle.

Alrighty... My nerd rage will subside quite a bit with that. Getting back on track.

Count Chocula and Frankenberry were the first two, but in 1973 they were followed by Boo Berry.

Boo Berry, Count Chocula and Frankenberry. This was the trio that I remember for most of my life. I had tried all three and well... Yeah, Count Chocula was the best in my opinion. I mean, he's a bit loony, but at least he's not a cannibal like Frankenberry nor was he higher than a coked out bonobo that just had fifteen balloons pop in its ass.

What I didn't know was that, for many years, there were other monster cereals.

In 1975, Fruit Brute made his debut. This was a multi-fruit flavor cereal on par with Trix or Fruit Loops... But with a rainbow overall wearing brute of a wolf. Though it was around for a few years, sharing the limelight with the Count, Fruit Brute was discontinued in 1984. Though this year, General Mills had re-issued Fruit Brute and you can buy it once more.

To fill that hairy, fruity void in our lives... General Mills released Yummy Mummy in 1987. Yummy Mummy was, essentially, the same as Fruit Brute but with a minor change. Fruit Brute had lime flavored marshmallows, Yummy Mummy had vanilla flavored marshmallows. Yummy Mummy was discontinued in 1993, having a shelf life shorter than Fruit Brute. Again, in 2013, Yummy Mummy was re-issued... So now we have TWO fruit flavored marshmallow monster cereals. Clearly this is a great idea.

I need to point out that, thus far, we have a number of the Universal Monsters in cereal form: Dracula, Frankenstein's Monster, Wolf Man and the Mummy. Boo Berry is the only exception, maybe he's like, the Invisible Man or something. I mean, he's wearing a hat and all.

So there you have it. Take this chance to try each and every one of these cereals. The main trio should stick around, but Yummy Mummy and Frute Brute may not, if history is any indication. Enjoy them and get some of the taste of Halloween in you... For those who absolute must live, breathe and eat Halloween... These are all essential.

October 1st!

Today is the beginning of what I believe is the "holiday season." The first day of the long holidays has officially begun in my eyes... And which holiday takes the cake for October? That's right, Columbus Day! ...Wait, I mean, Halloween.

Halloween has been one of my all time favorite holidays for a number of reasons. It's when the weather finally starts turning fall/winter-like here, it's when I view the holiday season as starting and the entire spooky, superstition stuff that goes along with it. It also helps that a plethora of items get Halloween themed makeovers and Count Chocula comes out of hiding to become the best cereal of the year. This year, I sincerely hope I actually get around to making a few posts about Halloween related items within the month of October.

Then again, my track record exemplifies Halloween at its best: Horrific. I hope to finally change that this year and make a number of posts that are Halloween themed. Whether they're good or not is up for potentially ironic discussion.

Anyways... Happy Holidays everyone! I can finally say it!