Whoa, what the fuck? Did you see that? Let's take a closer look at my latest post.

Do you see the duende? The picture is blurry, but if you squint your eyes and open your mind, you might see it. We can do better, though. Computer, enhance the picture and remove all filters.

THATS HIM THATS HIM HOLY SHIT. MARCIANITO.

My last art post might have raised some questions for anyone paying attention to the Moon's Eye Saga lore. As promised, I'm here to elaborate more on that. Revealing Jennifer's identity as Spring-Heels is something I've been waffling back and forth on. I was gonna reveal it in Spring-Heels' updated character sheet, but held back. Only decided to let the secret out now.

Why? I feel it's integral to understanding her backstory and character. I think it's a worthwhile exchange; give her that added depth, even at the cost of potentially robbing viewers that initial shock of it being first revealed within the story itself. Especially since it might be awhile before I get to telling that story, if ever.

All that preamble aside, let's dig a bit deeper into her past. Jennifer's father was a man named George Halton, a chairman of the board at the Omnitropos Corporation. Inspired by tales of Spring Heeled Jack, George used company resources to build equipment in the urban legend's image. He took to the Belfry Haven streets, earning the nickname Spring-Heels for obvious reasons. Spring-Heels quickly gained a reputation for brutalizing criminals, leaving countless dead in his wake... if they were lucky.

George eventually grew so attached to this alter ego, he sought to keep it alive even after his own death. To this purpose, he took his daughter from their home on her twelfth birthday. For seven years, he trained her, molded her to fit his perfect image of a successor: the same kind of killer he was. Forced to live in the condemned Omnitropos warehouse that was his hideout, Jennifer lived a lonely life.

On her nineteenth birthday, things changed. Finally gathering the courage to stand up to her father, Jennifer swiftly defeated him. She had long since surpassed his skill level. After leaving him, Jennifer took to living the streets for awhile. Eventually, she returned to the warehouse to find it abandoned. Everything was as she left it.

Taking the money he had stashed away and a spare set of Spring-Heels gear just in case, Jennifer left it behind for good. Using that loot to put her foot in the door, Jennifer got herself a nice apartment and a job at the local mall. Maybe she wasn't as far gone as she thought.

Yet, reintegrating with a society that had passed her by proved difficult. Robbed of important developmental years of her life, she had a hard time connecting with others. She hardly made any friends beyond those she knew at work and all relationships crashed, primarily due to her unwillingness to open up. For five years she tried living like this, tried to move on, but she never could escape the shadows of her past.

At her wit's end, she dug up that old Spring-Heels costume she stashed away. Maybe, maybe she really couldn't live a normal life. Maybe George did succeed at turning her into a monster and she was just living in denial. Donning the costume for the first time, she sought to at least do some good for the world if she should spiral. Now utilizing methods far less brutal than her father, Spring-Heels had returned.

Yet, it's just when she had finally given up that life threw a curveball Jen's way. It was a night as ordinary as any other when a stranger popped up outside her window. A stranger that would change the trajectory of her life forever...

And that's story of Jennifer Halton at the start. Knowing all of this, you might finally see the parallels between her and Ninji. It's a very important factor in their dynamic and relationship. You also now have a better understanding of her burning hatred for Leapin' Jack.

I do fear I'm revealing too much, but very little of what I've unveiled so far extends past the so-called 'first act' of the story. After all, even this backstory leaves a few unanswered questions.

You might be thinking, "Hey, I've never followed a 'MetalDoom' before!" Yeah, I decided to FINALLY change my username after all these years. Why? Well, it's just not cool anymore.

What? No, Metal Sonic is still cool. Do you know what'd happen if you swore on the bible that Metal Sonic wasn't cool? That's right, you'd burn in Hell. An eternity of damnation and suffering awaits for lying under oath with God as your witness. Unfortunately, @MetalSoNic is taken. God, I'd be SO cool if I had that as my username.

What I really mean is that names with numbers aren't cool anymore. Back in like, 2009 when I first came up with it, putting numbers in your name was the style at the time. EVERYBODY did it. Now, though? It's a new era. Rather than a name a 10 year old would come up with, my username is one a 15 year old would think is cool instead. Progress!

my god...

Hey, man, it's been over two months since the last art post? What gives?

Yes, it has been a minute, hasn't it? I prefer keeping my real life at an arm's length from my online life, but I do feel you're all owed an update. A lot of my focus has been on said real life, something I've neglected for a long time now. Things have been, interesting lately. To quote one of the great American novels, "It was the best of times, it was the BLURST of times."

Mixed affairs, very mixed affairs. Highest highs, lowest lows. I'm currently recovering from one of those lows right now, actually. It can be hard to come to terms with the way things shake out sometimes. Some days I wonder if things will ever work out in the way I hope. I think they will, one day. Hey, if I keep telling myself that, maybe I'll actually believe it someday.

So, that's a vague statement on how things have been going. Again, consciously trying to keep real life at an arm's length here.

Anyway, what's all this mean for my art? I've been a little burnt creatively. Had an image cooking in the oven for months now, but I'm not really feeling it. I work on it for a couple minutes, dislike how its coming along, and then close the window. There hasn't been much of a solid vision behind it, which has resulted in something that feels stiff and unsure. Speaks to a lack of confidence I've been feeling lately.

Of course I still love my OCs, but I think that year long period of constant creation has officially ended. So, I'm not sure when I'll draw them again. I should really commission more art featuring them at some point if nothing else. We'll see about that.

I hope things have been going well for you all. If not, try to keep your head up high. I know that's easier said than done, but hard times always pass, even if it takes awhile.

206 to be exact.

Way back in the once distant year 2010, I created this account. This is one of few things Street Fighter 2010: The Final Fight accurately predicted. Now, before you say that's not true, have YOU played that game, let alone to completion? Didn't think so, buddy. For all you know, it could be in there somewhere.

It's surreal to think about, really. I never could have imagined I'd get 200 fans here on Newgrounds. Maybe sometime in the next 14 years, I'll get 200 more. Yeah, we'll see about that. I'll be honest, I don't have anything special planned for this, but I'm sure I can dig something up...

Ahh, yeah, here we go. Here's four things I never posted on here. Two for my main OCs and then two more for their respective arch enemies. Heads up, the first two are kinda old so they look outdated compared to my more recent works.

Now you can see the some of the sources I pull inspiration from, both the obvious and maybe less conventional. I'm one of those freaks that gets satisfaction from filling out arbitrary charts, so these were fun to do. Tempted to make more.

Anyway, wow! The big two hundred! The support I've gotten on here has been unreal and I can't thank you all enough for it. So many genuinely skilled and talented people have expressed interest in what I make, something I never could have imagined when I first started. You're all so cool!

you either play the station or the station plays you. something to think about.

What? Already? Yes.

As the new year approaches, I figure it'd be worth writing something like this. Truthfully, I'm not even sure where or how to begin. It's been an interesting year on my Newgrounds account, to say the least. There's so much I could say. Let's just get the obvious out of the way.

A WHOLE BUNCHA OC NONSENSE

If you've been following me for awhile, you've no doubt noticed the major shift in content around the beginning of the year. I'm of course talking about the major focus on my OCs. I actually started putting them out there back in 2022, but it's only this year that I started to really LEAN in on that. Many of them are characters I've had floating around in my head for so many years at this point.

I'm not gonna lie, I was in a terrible headspace at the end of 2022. Not to throw a pity party for myself, but I felt like I was going through the wringer beginning the October of that year. Some of it was self inflicted, admittedly, but a lot of it wasn't. Regardless, I don't want to get too deep into real life shit like that on here.

What I'm getting at is that as I entered 2023, I realized that I'm not getting any younger. Life is passing me by and if I don't start doing something with these characters, these ideas, then will I ever?

To finally put all this out there has been truly cathartic and I'm happy to share that with you all. I can only hope you feel the same about them, in some way. They're very personal to me, two of them in particular. To see any kind of positive feedback for them has just been so rewarding. Whether that be through faves, reviews, or even fan art. My OCs have FAN ART. HOW

It's also been quite strange, admittedly. I've never considered myself a visual artist and in a lot of ways I still struggle to see myself that way. I often feel that it's almost disrespectful to call myself one, like I haven't "earned" it and I'm not really putting in the effort to earn it either. I don't go through steps like sketching things out, I don't really watch many tutorials (some here or there if I'm really struggling), I'm not going to classes, I don't look at references as often as I should, and I haven't got any of the proper equipment. Can I really call myself an artist? Eh, not worth stressing over ultimately.

With my lack of skill, equipment, and general knowledge I'm just diving into it all headfirst, trying to have fun more than anything. Like I said before, I just wanted to put my OCs out there into the world, regardless of it all. Just fuckin' DO IT before it's too late.

Even though I haven't really been following any kind of structure, it's undeniable that I've improved. Like, visibly so! This was the first year where I was drawing seriously in years, outside the shield of irony and, "it's supposed to look like shit bro." In general I've been trying to be more sincere, both through my work and as a person. It can be so hard to be vulnerable like that, but I know it's even more tiring for others to deal with someone that acts so jaded all the time. It's also much more gratifying to be open with others, to an extent anyway.

If you want an easy way to keep up with what I've posted so far for my OCs, you can check the various playlists I've made for them. Though, it's still not gonna be too easy to keep track of since I post content from all over the hypothetical timeline of events I've set up. If you're also just too darn lazy to go through all that, then here's...

TEN HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE PAST YEAR

Yep, here's ten pieces from this year that I'm either really proud of now or was proud of at the time. Not in any particular order and I'll try not to write too much about them since they already tend to have descriptions that go on for way too long.

The latest piece I'll be highlighting, I'm a little sad this one kinda underperformed compared to the posts around it tbh. Maybe I just posted it on a bad day or it could just suck. I dunno. Even if it does, I still like it. It was interesting to draw Ninjiro completely outside of his ninja uniform without a mask for the first time and I think this is the best I've drawn Jenny's body (so far). I've always imagined her being pretty bottom heavy with a slimmer frame up top. That is the, uhhh, nicest way I can phrase that. I'm not the most consistent artist, so that isn't clear sometimes. Hopefully I'll continue to get better at that.

Now the oldest image I'm gonna be featuring. Not the first comic I've done for my OCs, but the first one to focus on the daily life of Jennifer and Ninjiro. This was back when I was using Photofiltre 7 to draw before switching to Gimp later on. All of the images I used Photofiltre 7 have a certain, "crust" to them as it's an old photo editing program I stuck with for so long because I liked the UI.

You can see I was still using (mostly) handwritten text and speech bubbles. My handwriting already sucks, but done with a mouse? It's ROUGH. I didn't like typing the text in back then because whenever I tried it always looked out of place with PF7. Even with a more proper font. Just so much visually inconsistent with this one, some of it done for humor but most done out of error or laziness. I've gotten better with visual consistency in the time since, even if I'm not great with it even now. Still, I like the premise behind it so much, that I feel it (mostly) shines through the presentation.

I didn't do a lot of fanart this year, it just wasn't where my passion lied. Still, I did put out some here or there. Of them all, I think this is the best. I love the TMNT and their rogues gallery. Like I said in the description, I truly believe they have the best villains of any comic characters outside of Spider-Man and Batman. I didn't take from any one adaptation either, just drawing whichever ones I liked the best with the designs I liked best (at the time). Heck, in Rat King's case he's not really based on any one canonical look for the character. He's based on the Mirage look but with the colors of '87 toon version.

Can you call it fanart if it's technically for something you aren't a fan of? I dunno. I love Boba and Cad, but I'm not a fan of Book of Boba Fett at all, honest! I know I talk and joke about it way too much for someone who doesn't like it. The impact this show left on me and a group of friends has been damaging to an unspeakable degree. Unironically mindbroken, we're actually still living with the consequences of it to this day. This was so much fun to do and it... raised a bit of controversy lmao. Shoutouts to Cad Bane's little red blinking light.

This was perhaps my most ambitious comic of the year. Multiple backgrounds, dynamic paneling, and more involved posing. I think it was worth it. I've always been a big fan of Simpsons style "screw the audience" jokes, so I wanted to do something like that here. I liked this one so much, I even extended it out. It was originally going to end with the reveal of them eating literal Hertz Donuts, but I added those extra panels at the end to have a cute moment in it. Seemed like everyone else agrees since this one did major numbers and I am so thankful that.

My submission for the Loss Kollab. Truthfully, I wasn't planning on participating in this until @CrockettDK sent it my way and I was like, "Eh. Sure." I don't join many collabs since I'm not confident enough in my art to really do so (this is also a reason why I skipped out on Secret Santa 2023, which I kinda regret in hindsight).

Despite being a funny shitpost, I undeniably got some quite valuable practice in with this. As simple as they look, it was my first real attempt at that kind of background/object angling and perspective since middle school. The poses are a bit stiff, but that's because I was using CAD as a reference LMAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. Nah but seriously my posing is generally kinda stiff, should continue to work on that.

I was cookin with gas or somethin around this time since the last three images were posted concurrently. This was a bit of fanart for @HeartisttheArtist, featuring his character Contessa Scarlatta. My own vampire OC, Lord Velo Belosa, is also in the background there. I've drawn a couple pieces of fanart for Heartist this year, but conceptually I think this one hits the hardest. I was going for a Hammer poster type of vibe and think I nailed that aesthetic about as much as I could. It's very rare I use filters on the actual characters I draw, but I think it paid off here quite well. It's something a bit different for me. I've put some genuine thought into a Ronin/Ninjiro crossover, as forced and unrealistic as that'd likely turn out to be. Would certainly be cool, though!

Speaking of something different, this! This was a radically different style compared to what I'm usually doing and it was so exciting. Just filling out the page with all these different sketches and thoughts from the perspective of Jenners from around the time she first met Ninji. Jennifer being an artist has been a fairly recent addition to her character, though I've always seen her as a bit of a creative type. That hat you see her wearing sometimes was her own design, she sewed the "eyes" on herself and most of her skateboard decks were also designed by hand.

I can't believe how nice this turned out for what was ultimately my first attempt at this sort of style, one that's essentially the polar opposite of what I usually do. I'm not ranking these in any order, but this might be my fave of the year. Maybe. I'm just thrilled it performed so far above my expectations!

This one is important for a couple reasons. First of all, it introduced Carol! Carol here came to be when I wanted to recycle Jennifer's original gothic character design after I revamped her to be a more upbeat punk type girl. She's an important part of the dynamic since she sort of, grounds both Ninjiro and Jen. She's not only the straightman to their shenanigans, but she's also the closest their little group has to an 'average' civilian. Carrie here has slowly raised through the ranks to be my most reoccurring OC outside of the main two.

You'll also notice the second appearance of running gag Skate Dracula. This gag was actually born from this image. By the end of drawing this, I was so tired of it I couldn't think of anything to put on Jen's shirt so I just wrote SKATE DRACULA and called it a day. From there, I've just kept the bit going. I adore the absurd fake movie and TV shows/commercials gags in shows like The Simpsons and Gravity Falls so Skate Dracula falls into that category, fueled by my unironic and ironic obsession with Dracula. Surprised nobody had done much with the concept before now.

This also began the more subtle running gag of Jennifer being thirsty as fuck, always drinking something. I actually don't know if anybody has even noticed that this is a recurring thing. Truthfully, it wasn't even intended to be a bit at all until I noticed the following three posts also involved her sipping on something in one way or another. So I bring it back sometimes. Goddamn, can't believe I got this much out of this one.

There's a lot of posts I could have finished this retrospective with. In particular, I'm also quite fond of these. In the end, though, I decided to go with this one. While I've always had a loose idea for how Ninjiro would look without his mask, this is where I finally solidified it. I didn't think I could design an unmasked Ninji that I liked as much as his masked look, but I pulled it off somehow! This post also marked a sort of, slightly belated one year anniversary for when I first posted the original Ninjiro character sheet so it's worth highlighting for that as well.

Remember how I said I'd try not to write so much about this? Crazy how long ago that was, huh?

I've definitely been keeping myself busy with all this, as you can no doubt tell. When I started this, I was more than a little scared. Scared how it might be received by friend and follower alike. Would this be seen as embarrassing? What if nobody cares? Why should they care? It was completely new territory for me and it still kinda is, really.

Yet, my passion outweighed the fear and I just kept going. Kept going because I love these characters and I'm gonna keep shoving them in your face until you do too... or you at least tolerate and acknowledge them. That works too.

Oh, but they've definitely gotten some major love! In general, my posts have gradually been getting a warmer and more consistent reception as the months and my art progressed. And as I said before, I've even gotten fanart! Lots of great fanart! Love to see it so much!

I really can't thank everyone enough for the support. The reviews, the faves, the follows, and everything else. Like, really, I can't. I know I'm not the most skilled or talented artist, but in spite of that I've been truly blessed to have more people who enjoy my stuff than I could have hoped for. As I said before, I'm so happy I get to share all of this with you, whether you like it or not. Thankfully, a good chunk of you seem like you do. All this out the way, let's finally move on to other things.

MISCELLANEOUS NEWGROUNDS GOINGS ONS

I also lent my voice to a cartoon this year. That's right, I got to play the illustrious part of Ratmire McRat in the cartoon Eugene's Show! It feels like the role I was born to play.

Seriously, though, this was a cool thing to be apart of. Being a voice actor has been a bit of a dream of mine, but I also hate my voice so it's not something I've ever seriously pursued. Being asked to do this was really something else, Fezbet was totally cool with the few changes I made to their script and was very nice to work with overall.

If you ever want my vocal talents, feel free to ask. I don't know if I'm going to really be searching for roles myself quite yet.

If you're curious how things are going with me outside of NG, I'm doin' pretty good. Better than I was doing this time last year at least. That being said, I think I should wrap this up since good god that's a lot of words.

But before I go, I'd like to give a special thanks to a couple people.

THE BIG SHOUTOUTS

@HarukaFucksBees

@CommanderFordo

@Turbo-Tastic

Genuinely my oldest and dearest friends. Thanks for dealing with me through all this, even joining NG after I got so hard into it again. I know I can be a bit much to put up with sometimes, but you guys are always there for me. It's offical, you rule!

@Xaloid

Xaloid, my bro, you've been supporting me for so long and I really cannot explain how much I appreciate that. That validation has been so vital for my journey as an artist. So fun to talk with and so supremely talented, I'm glad I can call you a friend. I can't believe how lucky I am to have met someone who enjoys my company and work so much on the NG forums of all places. I hope to see more from you in 2024!

@HeartisttheArtist

Heartist, your OCs and dedication to them have proven to be vitally inspirational to me. It's always a delight to talk about them (and literally anything else) with you and I can only hope you feel the same with me. It's crazy to think someone as good as you likes what I make, but I'm so thankful for that. It means the world. Excited to see what you got in store for next year.

@CrockettDK

Another person I met on the NG forums back when I used to post on there and I've made many connections thanks to them. Genuinely a cool person with a bright future on here. Really looking to that Transformers collab, good luck with it!

@TheShokBlok

We don't talk much since the general forum closed, but you've always seemed super cool and your art style is too cute. Your Ninjiro and Jenny fanart really came at the perfect time after a particularly rotten day at work and I cherish it so much, you don't even know. Thank you.

@BUNKUMBITCH

We've never really chatted much so this might come completely out of nowhere for you, but your support for Jennifer and Ninjiro hasn't gone unnoticed. I appreciate it a lot and I really dig your sharp art style too. Dominique is a cool ass OC, keep up the good shit! Grateful for your support!

This year, I tried to actually reach out and form new connections. In some cases for the better, in others maybe not so much. That's just the way it goes, eh? For what it's worth, I've formed some of the strongest friendships I've made in years thanks to that, so I'd say it was totally worth it. I might just try more of that in the new year. I've never been the most social person in the world, but I'm trying to improve.

FINAL THOUGHTS AND PLANS FOR 2024

Uhhh, none? I dunno, I don't have a solid plan going into next year. I don't think I'm ready to do anything serious with the Moon's Eye Saga stuff yet, but that can always change. Either way, I'd also like to say thanks for 180 fans! Wow! Never did I think I'd get this far on NG, but I've managed it! To think I might even reach 200 one day...

Until then, stay cool. I appreciate every single one of you, much love for your support! I have one more new comic for the year going up sometime tomorrow and then that'll be that. I hope you have a happy new year and may 2024 be a better year for us all, regardless of how good or bad your 2023 was.

We're 13 days into September and with that I'd say we're finally in the full swing of the Halloween season. If you're an irritating little freak like me, you've honestly been ready for this since the middle of August. I love this time of year. Even mundane things like going to the store are so much more exciting, seeing the kinds of cheap crap they sell with pumpkins and witches and ghosts slapped on them. All the little snacks laced with pumpkin spice (if you're boring) or recolored orange with jack o' lantern faces slapped on them (that's the good shit).

Nothing makes this season feel more complete than sitting down to watch some scary movies. You can watch them anytime of the year, and you should, but there is something undeniably special about watching them this time of the year. If you're struggling to figure out just what to watch, here's ten of my favorite horror films that I will always recommend.

• Häxan (1922)

Silent movies can be so hard to get into for modern audiences, but if you want to give one a shot, I feel horror movies are definitely the way to go. They just hit different. Being over 100 years old, this movie feels SO far removed from today that you almost find yourself believing that it was filmed during the older periods it depicts.

This movie presents itself as a sort of, pseudo-documentary covering the history of witchcraft via little vignettes. The film itself is a visual marvel, with some truly striking imagery that'll stick with you long after you've watched it. The highlight is the witch's sabbath. Seeing their many silhouettes fly over the skies as demons call out their horns is first of many extremely memorable set pieces you will see during this part. A true feast for the eyes, made all the better by the surreal special effects.

Another highlight is the Devil, played by the director Benjamin Christensen himself. You can tell he's having so much fun with the role. I'd even say that he's the best depiction of Satan ever.

The ending of the movie then presents the case that many people accused of being witches were likely just the mentally ill, the poor, and general social outcasts. While it's a bit outdated in its views of female hysteria, it's still ultimately a very sympathetic take that is really fair for the era.

I remember thinking that I was just gonna watch the first hour or so before I went to do something else and then come back to it later, but I couldn't take myself away from it. It's such a strange, yet captivating film.

The movie is public domain so you can find it anywhere, HOWEVER a silent film is only as good as its soundtrack so I highly encourage you to watch this version on Youtube. This version has a hauntingly beautiful score by Matti Bye Ensemble. This is the one I initially watched and it enhances the film so much.

• Nosferatu (1922)

Classic really doesn't even begin to describe this movie. If you're only familiar with this movie through that Spongebob gag, you should definitely fix that. A moody atmosphere combined with the gothic, dreamlike visuals pair together to make one of the all-time greatest horror films.

There are even some shots in this movie that still kinda unnerve me. In particular, the visual of Count Orlok staring down Ellen Hutter from the window across from her house is just so freaky. In general, Orlok is really unsettling character, from his looks to the way he behaves. Unlike the suave gentlemanly Dracula you so often see, Orlok is just an awful little creature that can barely contain himself. Rather than converting people to creatures of the night such as himself, he instead spreads plague everywhere he goes. Orlok is like the personification of the black death, spreading disease where ever he finds himself.

This movie is also notable for starting the trend of vampires being killed by sunlight. That's right, before this movie vampires were typically only weakened by the sun. That's so much more recent than you'd think, but at the same time you still feel so far away from when this was originally filmed.

There's so much to say, but everyone's talked about this movie to death. Even if you haven't seen the movie, you've no doubt seen Orlok's shadow cross the stairs. It's one of the most iconic shots in all of cinema, constantly talked about in film schools across the world.

This is another movie that's easy to find due to being public domain. Unlike Haxan, I don't really have one specific version I'd recommend to you. I'd love to find the one scored by James Bernard, composer for many of the Hammer Horror films, but I've had no luck on that one. If you decide to watch this, make sure you're in the right mood. Turn down the lights, lie down in bed, put it up on the big screen, and you'll really feel like you're trapped in a nightmare.

• The Invisible Man (1933)

The classic Universal Monsters are some of the most beloved icons in all of horror, but between embarrassingly failed efforts to reboot them and the death of television, it feels like they're in a bit of a lull in terms of pop culture impact right now. Black and white movies are something else that modern audiences can struggle with, but if you can get past the lack of color there's none I'd recommend more than The Invisible Man from 1933.

While many actors refuse to have their face covered for more than a couple minutes, actor Claude Rains gives a tour de force performance as the titular character all while completely covered up or not even on the screen at all! His body language and tone of speech tells you his exact state of mind as he goes mad from power. Few villain speeches can hope to match the deranged energy he delivers when ranting about how even the moon is frightened of him-- frightened to death!

I think what might make this movie more digestible to modern viewers are the great special effects that mostly hold up remarkably well and that sense of dark humor that director James Whale gave all of his Universal horror movies.

While not as iconic or as flashy as the other Universal Monsters, Dr. Jack Griffin still manages to achieve the highest bodycount of them all. He might just be my favorite overall thanks to how well acted he is and his simple yet striking design. The wrapped up head combined with the reflective glasses and smoking jacket looks so damn cool. It's also worth noting that his mad cackling supposedly inspired Mark Hamill's iconic Joker laugh. When you listen to it, you definitely get that vibe.

This one isn't public domain so it's a bit harder to find. Definitely worth looking out for, though! If you like this one, check out the other Universal horror films! I think The Wolf Man and Bride of Frankenstein hold up just as well.

• Dracula (1958)

For all you people who cannot STAND to watch a film without color, we're finally getting to the movies for you. Also known as Horror of Dracula, this is the first in the Hammer series of Dracula films starring Christopher Lee as the titular count. I'm never sure if I like him or Bela Lugosi more in the role, both excel in very different areas, but I like this movie more as a whole.

Of all the Universal Monster movies, I feel the original Dracula is perhaps the hardest to get into for those not into those old movies. The lack of music for most of the movie is probably a major turn-off for most folks and the ending is a bit disappointing. Though there is a version scored by Philip Glass if you care to find it.

For people who can't get into the Universal film, but still want some old school Dracula action, this is the movie for you. Christopher Lee brings such a fierce quality to the role, you can say he gave Dracula his fangs back, both literally and metaphorically. Yeah, Lugosi didn't actually have fangs if you can believe it. Lee's Drac does, though, and he's always bearing them while glaring at you with those big bloodshot eyes of his.

The way he can just flip a switch to go from sophisticated gentleman to a nigh-feral, rabid beast is just incredible to watch. His commanding presence overtakes the movie anytime he's on-screen.

Making the movie even better is how he is paired off against the hyper competent Van Helsing, portrayed brilliantly by the Peter Cushing. While you can argue about Dracula all day, there's no denying that Cushing is still the definitive on-screen take of his character.

I could lay praise upon this movie all day, it's one of my all time favorites. I love it so much. Still, I think you get the point. If you like this movie, there's plenty of Hammer Dracula to go around after it. Dracula Prince of Darkness and Dracula Has Risen from the Grave are easily the best sequels, but almost all of them are worth watching at least once. Only one I can't recommend is Satanic Rites of Dracula. Not even the dynamic duo of Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee can save that terribly boring movie.

• The Abominable Doctor Phibes (1971)

Few horror actors can claim to be as well renowned as Vincent Price. The impact he left on the genre is legendary and I'll admit I really need to watch more movies featuring him. Of the few I've seen, this is the one I liked best.

Price plays the eponymous abominable doctor. Left deformed in a tragic accident that was thought to have left him dead, Dr. Anton Phibes returns to strike revenge on the 9 doctors he believes killed his wife. How does he do this? By using the 10 plagues of Egypt as a template. The easiest way to describe Phibes is that he's kinda like Jigsaw, but not pretentiously awful.

It's a very deliberately campy movie, which you're either gonna love or hate. Me personally? I think it's a lot of fun. I really enjoyed this one. Price's performance is wonderfully over-the-top, all delivered in such a strange way. Phibes doesn't really, talk due to his deformity. All of his lines are delivered through this weird voice box device, so Vincent Price has to work his vocal and physical acting prowess completely separately.

The highlight of the movie has definitely gotta be Phibes' lair, which has all these fucked up looking animatronics littered around it that play music. They're obviously people in-costumes, but that only adds to how weird they look. In general, the film has a very bizarre tone and design language that feels unlike anything else I've ever seen.

• Young Frankenstein (1974)

This might seem like an odd one to recommend without having recommended any of the actual Frankenstein movies, but this is one of those parodies that's still extremely funny without having seen the originals. I actually saw it before I watched any of the Universal Frankenstein movies and I still loved it. A lot of what it parodies is either so well known in the pop culture zeitgeist that you know it through osmosis or hilarious on its own even without the context.

Every character is genuinely really funny. From Gene Wilder's Doctor Frankenstein (it's pronounced Frahhnk-ehn-shteen) to Teri Gar's Inga, they all have their moments to shine. The absolute funniest one has gotta be Marty Feldman as Igor, though. Everything from his mannerisms to his facial expressions are so good.

While it is a parody of those classic Universal films, it's also a loving tribute to them as well. The set design feels so authentic to the gothic architecture in them and the monster's make-up is really well done. Despite the humorous tone, the movie takes its premise about as seriously as it can. This is the secret ingredient that elevates it above other parodies.

• Halloween (1978)

A modern classic, this is a movie that needs no introduction. While various movies before it laid the groundwork, THIS is the film that codified the slasher genre that would flood the '80s horror scene. Despite that, there's a notable lack of blood or gore in this movie. Instead, this is a film that relies on the tense sense of unease that slowly builds ups over the course of its runtime.

The entire movie has this sort of ambiguity to it. Watching the way Michael Myers operates makes him such an enigma. It seems like he's almost toying with his victims, the way he peeps in and out of Laurie Strode's peripheral vision and that little obstacle course of horror he sets up for her at the end. Not to mention putting on Bob's ghost sheet costume for no discernible reason other than to fuck with Lynda. The way he almost admires his work by tilting his head.

While at first you think that Michael's therapist, Doctor Loomis, is just a total crackpot, by the end you really do almost believe him. You really do start to think that there really is nothing left to Michael other than the essence of evil. No more a man than he is a shape. Hence why he's just called The Shape in the credits. What a badass name by the way, people should make the effort to just call him The Shape more.

There's still a lingering sense of the unknown at play here. While there's nothing that COMPLETELY dispels the idea that Michael is just a really resilient human, you can't help but get the feeling there must be something more to him. It's that fear of the unknown that future Halloween movies have mostly failed to recapture. I haven't even had the chance to mention John Carpenter's score, which is just so chilling. If you watch only one movie I've talked about today, make it this one. After all, on Halloween everyone's entitled to one good scare.

• Friday the 13th - Part 4: The Final Chapter (1984)

While Halloween codified slashers, I'd say none in the genre are more iconic than the Friday the 13th series. Everybody knows who Jason Voorhees is. These movies left SUCH an impact that goalie masks are now more associated with psychotic killers than they are with hockey! Go into any store right now and odds are you'll find some cheap hockey masks in the Halloween section.

This is really funny when you consider that Jason didn't even get that iconic mask until the third movie of the franchise! He wasn't in the first film, except as a little boy, and in the second movie he just wore a burlap sack over his ugly mug. While it was that third film that gave Jason his iconic look, I'd say it took until the fourth movie to get that definitive F13 movie.

While all three previous movies have their merit, Part 4 gives you EXACTLY what you want from a Friday the 13th movie. You got Jason in that iconic mask running around and killing people in uniquely gnarly ways. What makes this a step above Part 3 is the characters. While these movies are typically associated with shallow, two dimensional characters you just want to see get slaughtered, this one has quite a few standouts. The big one being that dead fuck Jimmy, played by Crispin Glover.

Glover's Jimmy is such a neurotic nerd, but you can't help but like him. You root for him and are even sad to see Jason run his face through with a knife. At least he finally got laid before that happened. Tommy Jarvis and his sister Trish are the two other standouts, Tommy in particular becoming the central protagonist for the following two movies.

While this isn't the best Friday the 13th (that title belongs to Jason Lives tbh), I still think that if you're just gonna watch one, make it The Final Chapter.

• Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986)

The original Texas Chainsaw Massacre is one of the masterpieces of horror. A genre defining film that helped lay the groundwork for the slasher genre that Halloween would later set in stone. A film that makes you feel completely uncomfortable in the best way a horror movie can. We're not talking about that one, though. We're talking about the utterly TRASHY sequel that I love instead!

TCM2 takes the dark comedy elements that were always kinda there in the original and ramps them up to eleven. EVERYONE in this movie is utterly insane, except for the final girl: Stretch. Poor Stretch is just caught in the middle of this war of the loonies going on between the Sawyer family and lieutenant Lefty Enright. Yeah, this is a movie where the heroic monster hunter character is JUST as deranged as the guys he's chasing down. Considering how psychotic the Sawyers are? This says a lot.

Best part of the movie is easily Chop Top, played by Bill Mosely. Mosely brings such a manic energy to the role, he steals just about every scene he's in. Mosely's not just chewing the scenery, he's outright gorging on it. Few characters can ever hope to be as unhinged as Chop Top is. Whoever came up with the idea of him picking at his plated head with a hot hanger and eating the skin off of it deserves a medal for just how out there and disgusting it is. The perfect mix of unsettling and hilarious, I seriously can't get enough of him.

Whole movie is just insanely quotable. I know it's sacrilege to say, but this is honestly my favorite TCM movie. Granted, the only one competing with it is the first movie since this franchise kinda fucking sucks outside of the original two.

• Evil Dead II (1987)

As is quite clear by now, horror comedy is a genre that's close to my heart. I love horror, I love comedy. Two great flavors that taste great together! No movie nails that balance of both quite like Evil Dead 2. Before he directed the best Spider-Man movies, Sam Raimi put together this little film series known as Evil Dead.

While I think Army of Darkness is my favorite, it leans VERY heavily towards the comedy side. To the extent that some people would say it isn't a horror movie at all by that point. I disagree, but regardless, Evil Dead 2 is honestly the stronger movie overall.

Bruce Campbell's Ash Williams is one of few heroes in the horror genre that has become completely iconic. From his groovy catchphrase to that chainsaw hand, Ash is undeniably one of the greats. Watching him go from a scared hapless stooge to a badass hapless stooge is just so good. Everything he says oozes with that charisma only Bruce can provide.

The special effects are also sublime, especially when you consider the budget. The best one being that utterly disgusting deadite Henrietta costume they stuffed poor Ted Raimi into.

The way it bounces from horror to comedy is also completely unmatched. That scene where Ash starts laughing with all the appliances in the house is so laughably goofy. That is until you start hearing his despair leak through the cackling, which is genuinely kinda heart wrenching to hear.

Also, check out the commentary track if you can find it! Yeah, I know, I'm even fucking recommending the commentary for this movie. It's honestly so funny, though, Bruce and Sam have such natural chemistry together, hearing them recall all the stories from the set is awesome.

That's all I've got for now. Hope you enjoyed reading this and decide to check one of these movies out! Or maybe you've seen all of them already and this is all just old news to you. Maybe give one of them a rewatch in that case?

That's right, a two for the price of one deal today for GREAT art, both requested by me for some huge milestones funnily enough. First of all, Ninjiro was included in @WizardoFrank's absolutely badass piece: Mural Del Pueblo.

Such a slick sense of style here, Ninjiro has never looked more dynamic. Great attention to detail, not only with the smoke bomb but he's even doing the Reflex pose. I love WizardoFrank's own reaper OCs, so this is a huge honor. Congrats to him for getting 500 fans, looks like he's getting closer and closer to getting 600. Quite deserved, might I say. Here's hoping it won't take him much longer to surpass even that!

Speaking of 600 fans...

@HeartisttheArtist is no stranger around here, and once again he has drawn one of my OCs at my request. This time: Jennifer! As expected, some really great work on his part. That smile is just so dang cute and her hair is absolutely spot-on. Sometimes even I'm not sure what I'm going for there lmao.

Seriously, I could go on, but a big congratulations goes out to him for getting 600 fans! Check him out if you haven't.

That, of course, goes for both artists here. Go check 'em out and get their follower numbers even higher!

With these two images, I've decided to create a playlist spotlighting art of my OCs that's been posted on Newgrounds. See what happens when artists with talent draw these characters:

Love seeing my OCs get this kind of art, especially Ninji and Jenny of course. I don't know how many times I've said thank you to everyone who's ever drawn them, but I'll say it just once more: thanks! Supremely grateful for it.