iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Orrin Grey @orringrey.com · 4h

First movie of Halloween: Haunted Mansion (2023) | Lakeith Stanfield deserves so much better than this.

The Hatbox Ghost stands at the end of a hallway with nice lighting.

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Orrin Grey @orringrey.com · 14h

Happy 1st of Halloween, y'all!

You are about to go on a journey into TERROR! Hope you have a strong heart!

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Orrin Grey @orringrey.com · 01/10/2026

Awhile back, during my never-ending quest to find "babysitter in peril" novels at the thrift store, I stumbled upon a withdrawn library hardcover of Paul Zindel's 1969 novel My Darling, My Hamburger - which I bought entirely because the title was so absurd.

A bright pink withdrawn library hardcover of Paul Zindel's My Darling, My Hamburger.

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Orrin Grey @orringrey.com · 30/09/2026

Genuinely mad that both of these roads exist within about twenty minutes of my house, and I don't live on either of them.

A street sign that says "Pumpkin Ridge."

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Orrin Grey @orringrey.com · 29/09/2026

Pimetime (2026) | This version of Moby Dick is weird. Was this bold or hackneyed? Smart, or very much the opposite? I'm genuinely not sure I know. Maybe I never will. But I appreciated my time with it.

Robert Pattinson lit in red with swirling lights double-exposed over his face.

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Orrin Grey @orringrey.com · 29/09/2026

Saw a giant Godzilla standee today.

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Orrin Grey @orringrey.com · 27/09/2026

This monster family tree by @neilaglet.bsky.social, from the book Monster School by Kate Coombs, illustrated by Gatlin, is wonderful.

A monster family tree, drawn by Lee Gatlin. There's a lot going on.

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Orrin Grey @orringrey.com · 27/09/2026

The Ghost Camera (1933) | "You wait, I'll show you something rummy." Somewhat inexplicable first-person POV sequence. Plot and particulars that could have been a giallo in a few decades' time. A charmingly verbose lead. Pre-code sexiness. Some clever editing. What more could you ask for?

Two hands hold a negative of what appears to be a murder.

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Orrin Grey @orringrey.com · 26/09/2026

Seems only fair to warn the neighbors...

A hand-made (not by me) wooden sign that says "HAUNTED HOUSE" hanging on my front porch.

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Orrin Grey @orringrey.com · 26/09/2026

I don't know if it's my favorite, but this one from Sh! The Octopus (1937) is an all-timer.

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Orrin Grey @orringrey.com · 26/09/2026

The Inerasable (2015) | I am never going to not find people looking at old plat maps and city planning documents riveting.

A woman hanging in a doorway in The Inerasable (2015).

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Orrin Grey @orringrey.com · 24/09/2026

That's a wrap on my Mexican Gothic film series! Thank you to Stray Cat Film Center for having me, the Mexican Consulate for all their support, and thank you to every single person who came out! This was an amazing experience, and I can't wait to do another film series!

A picture of a bat in a graveyard from an old Mexican horror comic. There's Spanish text along one side, and in the bottom right corner it says "FIN."

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Orrin Grey @orringrey.com · 24/09/2026

The buttons that are among the amazing things you might get if you came out to all four Mexican Gothic screenings!

Four buttons that say "I'm batty for Mexican Gothic."

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Orrin Grey @orringrey.com · 23/09/2026

TONIGHT! Join us at the Stray Cat Film Center for the final night of my Mexican Gothic film series! And get your tickets early to guarantee your seat!

An ad image for the final night of my Mexican Gothic film series, featuring Even the Wind is Afraid (1968).

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Orrin Grey @orringrey.com · 21/09/2026

Every week this month, I'll be posting images from the old Mexican horror comics that I'll be giving away to some of the folks who attend all four of my Mexican Gothic screenings, and this Wednesday the lucky winners will receive their spoils as we wrap up our series with Even the Wind is Afraid!

A spooky skeleton guy from the old Mexican horror comics that I'll be giving away to some of the folks who attend all four of my Mexican Gothic screenings at Stray Cat Film Center.

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Orrin Grey @orringrey.com · 21/09/2026

No thoughts, only this bat from the opening credits of My Neighbor Totoro (1988).

A very cheerful bat from the opening credits of My Neighbor Totoro (1988).

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Orrin Grey @orringrey.com · 20/09/2026

According to family lore, the first toy I ever picked out for myself was a rubber dragon. I still have it and, as you can see, it has seen better days. Now, thanks to @stuhorvath.com, it has a much more intact sibling.

A similar rubber dragon toy (different colorway, same sculpt) that is in MUCH better shape.

An old rubber dragon toy missing parts of its face and most of its spines.

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Orrin Grey @orringrey.com · 19/09/2026

Resident Evil (2026) | A blast to watch with a crowd. A joy to see without knowing where it's gonna go. But ultimately, just one extended running gag, and while it moves like a snowball rolling down a hill, it has nothing else in the chamber.

Austin Abrams holds a machine gun while approaching an emergency room crowded with ominous silhouettes in a still from Resident Evil (2026).

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Orrin Grey @orringrey.com · 18/09/2026

Castle in the Sky (1986) | So... don't accidentally say the word of destruction, is what I'm getting. This was one of three movies directed by Hayao Miyazaki that I hadn't ever seen before, and it was as delightful as expected.

Three people look up at a cave wall that looks like the night sky in Castle in the Sky (1986).

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Orrin Grey @orringrey.com · 17/09/2026

Oh yeah, Curse of the Crying Woman is just nothing but top shelf haunted house imagery from start to finish. The crowd I showed it to last night ate it up.

Rosita Arenas with black eyes in front of a wall with eyes projected on it in Curse of the Crying Woman (1963).

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Orrin Grey @orringrey.com · 16/09/2026

Part of the reason we're doing our Mexican Gothic film series when we're doing it is to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month (Sep 15-Oct 15). And what better way to kick it off than to come out TONIGHT as we meet Mexico's most famous phantom in Curse of the Crying Woman!

A graphic advertising a screening of Curse of the Crying Woman as part of my Mexican Gothic film series.

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Orrin Grey @orringrey.com · 15/09/2026

Gamaland (2026) | I feel like the subs I got were missing some vital information, but nonetheless, sometimes all you need is an abandoned, toad-themed amusement park.

A woman's face blurring in grainy video in a still from Gamaland (2026).

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Orrin Grey @orringrey.com · 15/09/2026

I love these little Halloween TV dioramas.

A Halloween TV diorama decoration showing a blue-lit scene with pumpkins in a graveyard and a tiny train.

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Orrin Grey @orringrey.com · 15/09/2026

The Samurai and the Prisoner (2026) |Kiyoshi Kurosawa movies are, pretty much to a one, slow and methodical. They're also just about always using that to build something. That's certainly true here, I'm just not entirely convinced that the edifice is worth the construction.

A room full of people all bowing to Masahiro Motoki in The Samurai and the Prisoner (2026).

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Orrin Grey @orringrey.com · 14/09/2026

Every week this month, I'll be posting images from the old Mexican horror comics that I'm giving away to some of the lucky folks who attend all four of my Mexican Gothic screenings at the Stray Cat! This Wednesday, we're showing the weirdest, wildest of the bunch: Curse of the Crying Woman!

A panel from an old Mexican horror comic showing the silhouette of a spooky castle. Over it is printed the exclamation: "AAAIIIIII!"

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Orrin Grey @orringrey.com · 14/09/2026

I had forgotten how much Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind feels like a (weirder looking) dry run for Princess Mononoke.

A scene from Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (1984) showing Nausicaa surrounded by weird creatures beneath the Sea of Decay.

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Orrin Grey @orringrey.com · 14/09/2026

King's Stage, Art of Fighting 2 (1994)

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Orrin Grey @orringrey.com · 13/09/2026

The novelization of The Night Walker is - as books from this era, and books of this type, often are - extremely preoccupied with how attractive everyone is, but "she had a nice spinal column" is a new one on me.

"He watched her draw a cup for him and pour evenly from the percolator. The lines of her body were exquisite. She had that sort of spinal column that must be exactly, evenly measured to distribute the rest of her figure so well. He smiled at his thoughts and got back to business. Time enough to admire her anatomy."

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Orrin Grey @orringrey.com · 12/09/2026

Joannie from Popcorn (1991) is one of my favorite characters in the annals of horror cinema.

Ivette Soler as Joannie grins at a hot dog machine in a still from Popcorn (1991).

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Orrin Grey @orringrey.com · 11/09/2026

Heretic (2024) | What if the most insufferable guy in your Philosophy of Religion class locked some people in his Jigsaw basement?

Hugh Grant carving a little figure for the diorama of his Jigsaw basement.

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Orrin Grey @orringrey.com · 11/09/2026

Everyone is freaking out over the Hello Kitty x Godzilla Happy Meal toys, but meanwhile Sonic has Universal Monster toys. Most of them aren't actually my thing, but Dracula with his bat friend who turns into his cape and Sleepy Mummy are both pretty great.

The Sonic toy of Dracula with his bat cape clipped on.

The Sonic Sleepy Mummy toy, eyes closed.

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Orrin Grey @orringrey.com · 10/09/2026

Tonight at Stray Cat Film Center, a representative from the Mexican Consulate in KC came out to help us kick off the second night of my Mexican Gothic film series!

Carlos Ancira as Elmer in melted face makeup occupies one half of the screen. The other half says "Mexican Gothic" and, below that, "Black Pit of Dr M."

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Orrin Grey @orringrey.com · 09/09/2026

"Too diabolical for you to take!" Join us TONIGHT at the Stray Cat Film Center, in cooperation with the Mexican Consulateof KC, for an evening of the EERIE, the SHOCKING, and the INCREDIBLE in the second installment of my Mexican Gothic film series as we watch Black Pit of Dr. M (1959)!

The second installment of my Mexican Gothic film series, featuring the Black Pit of Dr. M (1959).

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Orrin Grey @orringrey.com · 08/09/2026

Nobody needs me to convince them to watch a Hayao Miyazaki movie, but I think Castle of Cagliostro (1979) still gets left out of the conversation a lot, and it absolutely rules.

Lupin and Jigen look out across a lake at the eponymous castle in Castle of Cagliostro (1979).

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Orrin Grey @orringrey.com · 07/09/2026

Every week this month, I'll be posting images from the old Mexican horror comics that I'll be giving away to some of the lucky folks who attend all four of my Mexican Gothic screenings at Stray Cat Film Center! Be sure you join us this Wednesday for Black Pit of Dr. M!

A very prim and proper woman sits in front of a monstrous portrait.

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Orrin Grey @orringrey.com · 07/09/2026

Onslaught (2026) ironically grinds its gears once the actual onslaught starts, but the run up is pretty great. Between them, Adam Wingard and Simon Barrett have made one genuine classic (The Guest), but that's one more than most people ever make.

Adria Arjona in yellow aviators in a still from Onslaught (2026).

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Orrin Grey @orringrey.com · 04/09/2026

Colony (2026) can't rise to the heights of its ideas, but there's no denying it does some different stuff with zombies.

A bunch of zombies in a hallway, screaming up.

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Orrin Grey @orringrey.com · 03/09/2026

The first night of my Mexican Gothic film series is in the bag! Thanks to everyone who came out to the Stray Cat Film Center for Phantom of the Monastery, and be sure to join us next week for Black Pit of Dr. M!

The punch card for my Mexican Gothic film series.

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Orrin Grey @orringrey.com · 02/09/2026

TONIGHT at the Stray Cat Film Center in Kansas City, we kick off my Mexican Gothic film series with this early masterpiece of sinister shadows, menacing monks, and real mummies! (Graphic design by the great @elijahlafollette.bsky.social.)

A frame from Phantom of the Monastery (1934) showing angular coffins. Over it is printed info about my Mexican Gothic screening series and the film itself. Graphic design by Elijah LaFollette.

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Orrin Grey @orringrey.com · 02/09/2026

A vampire (?) who is maybe also a wolfman looms over a castle in a panel from an old Mexican horror comic.

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Orrin Grey @orringrey.com · 31/08/2026

Many, many years ago, before he became a director, Joe Dante used to write for Castle of Frankenstein magazine. Finally, I can check getting a byline in there off my own list, as the latest issue (44) features my article on the many odd intersections between Jack Kirby and Full Moon!

It says "There Were Giants in Those Days: Jack Kirby and Full Moon by Orrin Grey."

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Orrin Grey @orringrey.com · 30/08/2026

You and me both, Pinhead.

A foam statue of Pinhead from Hellraiser that looks like he has seen better days.

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Orrin Grey @orringrey.com · 29/08/2026

If your name is Willard Heaps, you're basically doomed to write a book about superstitions.

The cover of Superstition! by Willard A. Heaps, c. 1972.

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Orrin Grey @orringrey.com · 26/08/2026

The latest addition to my menagerie of plush Halloween animatronics rescued from thrift stores, a spooky tree from Hallmark, c. 2007. (Sound on.)

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