Kiss of the Damned (2012) is one of my favorite vampire flicks and style over substance films. As an homage to Giallo and 60s/70's vampire euro horror flicks, it has a beautiful cast(including "This Is Us" Milo Ventimiglia), amazing music and an enchanting choice of locations, costumes, and style. 

shop/twitter/facebook/instagram

I want a house that sexy, luxe, but gothic, but minimalistic?

Source:Element20's Etsy

shop/twitter/facebook/instagram

What is this? Halloween? I have been in a horror mood for the last couple of weeks. From 80's horror synthwave to 70's horror erotica to UFO's to horror comics. This interest was sparked by the show I'm currently binging, Dark Shadows ( I have like 600 episodes left, it's taken about 2 years to get to episode 800). Anyways, I saw this funny but ghoulish comic photo on 

 Ben Von Strawn's Instagram and had to find it. It is from this 1950's horror comic called 

Stranger Mysteries.

 Each issue has about 3-4 stories. I just imagine how exciting and terrifying at the 

time it was published and especially for youth. Sadly, I don't get those fun fear feelings anymore.

I use to get as a kid (jaded) but I still enjoy trying.

What I am also most excited about is this new comic coming out called Gothic Tales of Haunted Love. They have a kickstarter going,the great thing about this new book is it features lots of diversity of races and orientations, something vintage gothic romance comics didn't have. My two favorite things wrapped up together HORROR and LOVE. 

 Gothic things remind me how my store was when I first started it. I wanted it to be a dark,romantic and modern jewelry store. I have fallen off the mark trying please people, because it pays the bills. I want to go back though, maybe I can revamp the shop. Who knows?

shop/twitter/facebook/instagram

Daughters of Darkness

Everyday is Halloween for me. Over the past couple of weeks, I have lucked upon Giallo films, which lead to erotic horror films of the past. Giallo films are from an era of Italian films that favored style over substance but became cult classics. Erotic thrillers and horror films similar to that style are quite similar. How I came to watch this movie was through a suggestion and because I recognized one of the main characters through my favorite TV shows, Dark Shadows. Servant to Barnabus Collins(head vampire in charge), Willie Loomis played by John Karlen costars in this vampire horror film known as The Daughters of Darkness(1971) or Les Levres Rouges. Not to be confused with Vampyres: Daughters of Darkness(1974); which I also accidentally watched, thinking it was the previous film. This film is just beautiful reds, interiors,fashion, and glamour.

shop/twitter/facebook/instagram

shop/twitter/facebook/instagram

Coolest Girl in Vietnam: Plaaastic

Read her blog here

shop/twitter/facebook/instagram

The Morbid Anatomy Museum

This cool new museum opened in Brooklyn (NYC I miss you). It reminds me of the Museum of Death in LA but much more educational and scientific.

shop/twitter/facebook/instagram

Kiss of the Damned Review

Remember when I talked about this movie coming out? Well its finally on VOD and like a giggly school girl I ordered it immediately! And I'm back with the results!

I loveddddd it! It was visually stimulating, funky soundtrack,vibrant colors and I love the direction it took. It was quite a nostalgic arthouse film. It makes me want to rethink my jewelry selections for the store a bit, maybe I will take more of an interest in the vintage style of jewelry. It also makes me want to explore different fashion styles, because whoever the wardrobe stylist was on this filmed picked amazing pieces, even the simplest outfits stood out to me. Kiss of the Damned was Parisian class meets Retro Goth converses with classic European 70s Horror and has dinner with the New Age ---a mix of the old and new. I never heard of Xan Cassavettes before this but I am pretty much hooked on what ever she does next. This film often reminded me of Dario Argento (Suspiria) and Jean Rollin films with the mixture of blood, gore, erotica (sounds like fun right?) and even the sound effects.

Kiss of the Damned is about a French classy vamp named Djuna who meets an American screenwriter named Paolo. They fall instantly and it doesn't take the long before they are going to be together,forever. Everything is going blissfully until her sister Mimi shows up... Mimi represents the dark allure that the "good monsters" in this film wish to avoid to insure the longevity in their species. A important question in the film ponders that the vampires must answer about their existence:

"Does the existence of Dr.Jerkyll make Mr.Hyde any less of a monster?"

Dark Shadows House

It was much more vibrant in the film than these photos. The Dark Shadows house is gothic but quite 70's funky with it's vibrant violets and blue. Its more like "perky goth". I would love to live in a house like this, but could you imagine the heat/air bill to fund a house this huge! Maybe I will take screenshots of the film and reshow them here.

(source: LA Times)