Fox; Not Rated; 437 mins; Amazon

Now available from 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment is 9-1-1: The Complete Season One, featuring all ten episodes. There are no special features or bonus extras on the 3-disc set.

Created by Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Tim Minear (American Horror Story), the series stars Angela Bassett, Peter Krause, Connie Britton, Oliver Stark, Aisha Hinds, Kenneth Choi, and Rockmond Dunbar.

9-1-1 centers around the lives of Los Angeles police officers, paramedics, firefighters, and 911 operators. An 911 operator named Abigail "Abby" Clark (played by Connie Britton) must find a way to take care her mother, who has dementia, along with dealing with the daily stress that comes with her job.

 LAPD patrol sergeant Athena Grant who is one of the first to arrive at an emergency. Despite the chaos of her job, Athena's home life is a complete mess, especially after husband, Michael (played by Rockmond Dunbar), announces that he's always been gay, even before they were married. To make her life even worse, her daughter tries to commit suicide.

Robert "Bobby" Nash (played by Peter Krause), the LAFD station 118 captain, is probably the most stressed of the first responders. With every 911 call, he makes it a personal mission to save everyone. However, this isn't an easy thing to do when he doesn't have faith in his firefighters, especially when cocky Evan "Buck" Buckley (Oliver Stark) has his mind getting laid instead of saving people's lives.

Episodes on the DVD set include

• Pilot
• Let Go
• Next of Kin
• Worst Day Ever
• Point of Origin
• Heartbreaker
• Full Moon (Creepy AF)
• Karma's a Bith
• Trapped
• A Whole New Year

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Many people will probably find it a bit weird for a man to like reading Harlequin-type novels, as romance novels are targeted towards women and not men. Personally, I do like reading romance novels, which was a habit I picked up during my teenage years. Growing up in a small town with very tiny library/city hall with 30+ year-old reject books, I didn't have much to read unless I went to the next town's library. I had already read most of the books in my school's library, so I eventually started reading the romance books (Jude Deveraux, Johanna Lindsey, etc.) that my mother owned. Yes, some of those books were a little erotic, but to me a book was a book.

Anyhow, I was around 19 or 20 years-old when I stumbled upon a thrift store, where I found $.10 Harlequin paperbacks and, of course, I purchased many of them. The those type of books are fast-paced, guilty pleasure reads. Some of them are written really well, while others aren't very good. Nevertheless, I was crazy about them at that point in my life.

Over the years, I have continued to read a few Harlequin novels here and there, though not as many as I did when I was younger. My reading tastes have expanded, so I now read other genres, such as Amish fiction, crime novels, supernatural romances, mysteries, etc..

Honestly, I don't know why romances appeal to me. Maybe it's because I like the thought of romance in general. Well, at least in the last year or so romance has been on my thoughts. Being single at 37 is not a fun thing. If you are a follower of this blog, then you would already know about my thoughts on online dating. I still haven't actually gotten the nerve to join a dating site yet due to my fear of being rejected.

Tyndale Fiction; 408 pages; $14.99; Amazon

I believe The Promise Of Breeze Hill has been sitting on a shelf for nearly year before I finally got around to reading it. It's was published by Tyndale and written by Pam Hillman. I'm not for sure it's book one in a series or not, but the "A Natchez Trace Novel" on the cover makes me believe that it's part of a series.

Set in Natchez near the Mississippi River in 1791, the novel centers around Isabella Bartholomew, a young woman who has taken the responsibility of rebuilding her family's home, Breeze Hill Plantation. A fire had destroyed their crops, damaged their home, and killed loved ones. With her father not in good health, Isabella is given the task of recruiting a carpenter to help rebuild their home and their lives.

That carpenter happens to be Connor O'Shea, a man who had came to America to work as a carpenter for Master Benson for seven years without wages in exchange for his four brothers passage from Ireland. The work was hard, but the thought of being reunited with his family kept him going. However, things don't go as planned when Master Benson dies and Connor is put up on the auction block. This is when he meets Isabella, who buys him at the auction. In exchange for rebuilding the Breeze Hill Plantation, Isabella promises him her family will pay for his brothers' passage to America.

Thanks to the fire that almost destroyed the plantation, the Bartholomew family is in dire need of money. They are barely scrapping by as it is when Connor takes it upon himself to hire a man, his pregnant wife, and their many many children. Despite not being able to give them anything but a roof over the heads and a little food, Isabella's father approves of the decision, as the man and his children can help in the fields.

Isabella must find a way to save Breeze Hill Plantation, but it's a little difficult to do when someone is threatening them. And this someone might be responsible for starting the fire that took her brother's life.

Scholastic; 154 pages; $6.99; Amazon

For the last "Back to School Reads" post this year, I'm featuring Goosebumps: Haunted Halloween - Movie Novel, which was recently released by Scholastic. It's the novelization of the upcoming movie Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween, which will be released to theaters on October 12th. The movie is a sequel to 2015 horror-comedy Goosebumps, which was inspired by a series of books of the same name by bestselling author R.L. Stine. I'm not for sure who wrote the sequel novelization, but it's based on the screenplay by Rob Lieber. R.L. Stine edited the book and wrote the introduction.

Set in Wardenclyffe, New York, Goosebumps: Haunted Halloween centers around two seventh-graders, Sonny Quinn and Sam Carter, who are starting their own business called Junk Bros. After being hired to clean out an old abandoned house, they stumble upon an old locked book and the key to go with it. The kids unlock the book, which unleashes the ventriloquist dummy, Slappy.

That was their first mistake. The second mistake was reciting the words "Karru Marri Odonna Loma Molonu Karrano" that were written on a scrap of paper that was poked in the dummy's mouth. What they don't know is the words are magical and they just brought Slappy to life!

The only person who can help them is Sonny's older sister, Sarah. On Halloween Night, Slappy uses his magical words to bring to life all the Halloween decorations in town, which includes zombies, jack-o-lanterns, gnomes, witches, and the Headless Horseman. Sarah, Sonny, and Sam must work together (along with a little help from R.L. Stine himself) to find a way to stop Slappy from taking over the entire town.

Fox; 569 mins; Amazon

Available now on DVD from 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment is The Gifted: The Complete First Season, featuring all 13 episodes from the 2017-2018 series.

Created by Max Nix, The Gifted is set in the X-Men film universe, but in an an alternate timeline where the all of the X-Men have vanished. All that is left is an underground network of mutants, who are being chased down by the Sentinel Services agency.

The series stars, Stephen Moyer (True Blood), Amy Acker (Suits), Natalie Alyn Lind (The Goldbergs) and Percy Hynes White (Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb) as the Strucker family. Also featured in the series are Sean Teale (Voltron) as Eclipse/Marcos Diaz; Jamie Chung (Gotham) as Blink/Clarice Fong; Emma Dumont (Pretty Little Liars) as Polaris/ Lorna Dane; Blair Redford (CSI) as Thunderbird/John Proudstar; and Coby Bell (The Game) as Sentinel Services Agent Jace Turner.

The Gifted centers around Reed and Caitlin Strucker, a husband and wife who are trying to protect their mutant children, Lauren and Andy, from being taken by the Sentinel Services, which is lead by Jace Turner. The Strucker family takes refuge with an underground network of mutants, which consists of Sonya Simonson (Dreamer), John Proudstar (Thunderbird), Marcos Diaz (Eclipse), Lorna Dane (Polaris), and Clarice Fong (Blink).

While the mutants aren't outrunning the Sentinels and their robots, they must find a way to stop Roderick Campbell (played by Garret Dillahunt), a military researcher who is obsessed with capturing the Strucker children. To make matters even worse, the Hellfire Club is slowly rebuilding their mutant army against humanity.

The first day of October is almost here, which means the Halloween season will official begin. Well, at least for me it will be the beginning. For others, the season started many weeks ago, which would explain why I've been seeing Halloween decorations in people's yards in September. For me, the All Hollows' Eve season starts on October 1st and ends at 11:59 PM on October 31st!

While Halloween is my #1 favorite holiday, it has become a very depressing event for me for the past few years. Since I was a teenager back in the mid-90s, I have always went all out, with me decorating the porch or yards (I've moved over the years.) with frightening decorations. Then I would put together little bags of candy for the trick-or-treaters. Lastly, I would carve a pumpkin and roast the the seeds, so I could eat them late that night while I watch my favorite movie - Halloween (1978).

This year I'm planning on making a few changes. I'm not going to put out the Halloween decorations, which included three inflatables, orange lights, hanging ghosts & goblins, and a huge graveyard scene full of tombstones, skeletons, zombies, and a fog machine, and I'm not putting together the trick-or-treat bags. Actually, I'm not even going to give out candy this year. Instead, I'm going to turn off lights and hope nobody bothers me.

Why the change of heart this year?

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My Answer:

I used to be a bit crazy about the post views, but anymore I don't really care much about it.

As a horror fan I feel rather fortunate that so many of my favorite thrillers released on the year of my birth. A quick Google re-search will reveal a VHS candy store of goody gore and lovable murderers, from The Thing to Poltergeist to Halloween III (the one without Myers) to Amityville II: The Possession (the one that was like The Exorcist but with incest) to The New York Ripper to Pieces, Parasite, The Slumber Party Massacre, and... Friday the 13th...PART 3D (cue groovy disco music). And among the other entries in the franchise, PART 3D is I would say my second favorite. There are many factors that play into my rating but unless you've seen it you probably won't understand. So, do me a solid and go pop in that flayed VHS cause this review will be chopped full of SPOILERS. Readers...you have been warned!

Directed by: Steve Miner

Writing Credits:  Martin Kitrosser, Carol Watson, and Sean S. Cunningham.

Music by: Harry Manfredini

Special effects: Martin Becker

Release Date: 13 August 1982 (USA)

"Having revived from his wound, Jason Voorhees takes refuge at a cabin near Crystal Lake. As a group of co-eds arrive for their vacation, Jason continues his killing spree."

Among many reasons why I love Friday the 13th part III, one would be that it is the first true Jason Voorhees slasher. Yup. Obviously part 1 was really about mommy Voorhees, a character who wasn't even given a first name until...what, part 2? And while fantastic in its own right, it was not a "Jason" movie, not yet anyway. Now some would say, "But hey, Tommy, what about part 2? Isn't that considered a Jason Voorhees movie, it does have Jason in it after all?" And I would of course nod my head knowledgeably. Yes, part 2 does have Jason...but not the Jason. What we got was a backwoods deranged potato sack wearing weirdo who at times certainly had classic Jason mannerisms, but in the end still just an inbred acting mongoloid. Now that said, part 2 has its charm and some really excellent kills, but if you want Jason as we love him today (hockey mask and all), you gotta start with part 3.

Part 3 is also really awesome because it has what every good indie horror movie should, a cast a unrecognizable actors and actresses. While still young, parts 1 and 2 had some fairly recognizable cast members, including Kevin Bacon, John Furey (a known TV actor), Harry Crosby (son if Bing Crosby), and not to mention the late great Betsy Palmer who was one of the most veteran and highly respected actors on set. Part 3? Nadda. They didn't even have Chong, of the Cheech and Chong variety, star as the lead stoner, instead they dressed some dude named Chuck in a blue bandanna, green button down, and red pants with not quite as much weed as Up In Smoke.

I'd be amiss not to comment on what PART 3 has no other addition does. Shelly. Shelly is the best part of this movie. From humble awkward to cartoonish to a astonishingly flamboyant runner, Shelly is still by far my favorite character in the film. Sure, he fails to get the girl Vera and he's socially immature, who isn't?!? Shelly does have a few things going for him. Sweet yo-yo skills and a magic box that is literally "his entire world" full of tricks and gags to annoy the entire gang of friends, and the largest white-boy fro ever shot on a 3D film.  On a low par, I wasn't all that thrilled with leading lady Chris Higgins (Dana Kimmell).  She seemed too annoyed at times. Bored. And too drawl. The best part about her, I thought, was her really strange back story of a previous "unfilmed" encounter with Jason Voorhees. An encounter that sounded almost as if it were some kind of sexual assault. Going back to the amazing documentary

Crystal Lake Memories, actress Dana Kimmell confirms this backstory, but she says that producers did not want to pursue it in any kind of depth. This revelation is kinda dark for a Friday the 13th film as they typically follow a blood, guts, and gags methodology.

So, we've covered the more manly killing machine Jason. We got the actors. Next is the music. Harry Manfredini, who scored most of the Friday the 13's, including the original, crafted one hell of a soundtrack for this third installment. Part disco, part horror, 100% awesomeness. It is also one of the few, if not only, horror sound track to garner its own cover band by the name of Nilbog. Check them out on YouTube. Link provided below.

But like any horror slasher flick, there's gotta be a seemingly solid foundational plot. In PART 3, Chris Higgins invites a gang of friends to include a pregnant bestie (who gets slaughtered later btw...also a very dark moment for a Friday the 13th movie), two stoners, a Mexican chick, and Shelly. They met up later with lurch looking boytoy Rick (Paul Kratka). Events escalate into a series of weed smoking, beer drinking, skinny dipping, practical jokes, and heartfelt life lessons until Shelly and Vera end up pissing off a low-level biker gang. After Shelly runs over some of their motorcycles, the b-squad gang vows revenge that never really materializes. Instead, after following Shelly and Vera back to the cabin, they are quickly dispatched by Jason.

After Chris goes off with Rick to blow off some steam, the night consummates in more weed smoking and beer drinking, a sexual encounter, and Shelly in a wet suit. I know, sounds amazing doesn't it? Where does all this debauchery go? To one of the coolest kills. Once Shelly is dispatched, Jason finally obtains his moniker look by putting on the hockey mask that Shelly was so kind enough to bring along. Jeez, imagine if he brought a faded Captain Kirk mask? Talk about a lawsuit! Anyways, with Jason now complete, he causally strolls out on to the deck where a waiting Vera is fishing for Shelly's dropped wallet on the edge of the lake. He aims at her, much to her confusion, as she thinks he's Shelly. Just as she says, "Wait...who are you?" Jason pulls the trigger on the speargun popping her eye out the back of her head. Simply amazing. Its the small things folks.

More killings ensue until finally Rick and Morty...oops, Rick and Chris arrive back at the cabin. With everyone gone and blood everywhere, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to put two and two together. During the attack, ole handsome lurch Rick gets his eyeball popped out his socket, which must have been a real thrill for kids who matched this back in 1982 in 3D. And finally, Chris and Jason go toe to toe. During the struggle, one of the surviving bikers revives just to be killed again, but distracting Jason long enough for Chris to throw a noose around Jason's neck and shove him out the barn. When that proves useless, she plants an ax deep in his skull. That seems to have done the trick and as the credits roll, the cabin is surrounded by police and paramedics.

For me, my horror appetites are not hard to please. And PART 3D, given some of its flaws, is a groovy good time for a slasher flick, and especially a Friday the 13th slasher flick.