I checked my WordPress account on a whim, without expecting much activity since I haven’t posted in a few days.  However, I found a message telling me that Just Dread-Full had been nominated for a Liebster award!  Yayyy!

But, you might ask, what is a Liebster award?  Well, after reading a post by my nominator – and, out of interest, doing a little additional online research – I figured out that a Liebster award is essentially a way to recognize the work of relatively new bloggers (those who haven’t been around for years and don’t have a ton of WordPress followers), in a sort of chain that passes the recognition forward.  Those who accept the award are supposed to nominate other bloggers whose work they enjoy, but who don’t have thousands of followers.  Who am I to argue with that?  When I started this endeavor, I didn’t expect an award, but I’ll happily accept the nomination!

There are, however, some guidelines that come with accepting the nomination.  I will be following Blogferatu’s rules, since he nominated me, though I’ve seen some variations of these guidelines during my internet research.

The guidelines:

• Thank the blogger who nominated you.
• Answer the 11 questions the blogger gives you.
• Nominate up to 11 bloggers of your own choosing (Most guidelines say the blog should have less than 200 followers. I read one site that said the blog should have less than 1,000 followers, but the person who nominated me used 200 as a benchmark.  A couple of my nominations have follower numbers in the 200’s, as opposed to below 200, but none higher than that).
• Let them know (in a comment) you’ve nominated them.
• Give them 11 questions of your own.
• I’ve also read that you should post an image of the award on your post.

I would love for my nominees who accept the nomination to post their answers in a comment to this post (as well as on their own blogs) since I’d enjoy reading the responses!

Thanks, Blogferatu!

First, let me thank Blogferatu for the nomination!  Blogferatu operates an incredibly intelligent horror blog, containing not just movie reviews, but poetry, interviews, old comic reviews, and so forth.  Plus, bonus, I read his “about” section and learned that he teaches English like I do.  His blog is eclectic and well-written – I highly suggest you check it out.

Blogferatu’s Questions:

Here are the questions Blogferatu asked me, and, of course, the answers to those questions!

Liebster Award Questions:

1. What’s your favorite movie theater and why?:  I used to live in Houston, Texas.  There was a small indie theater called River Oaks theater, complete with a bar.  So, you could order a beer (or an apple martini, which was one of my favorites then) and see movies not typically shown in mainstream movie theaters.  The theater had a lot of character, and it’s one of many things I miss about Houston, especially because I now live in a town that is decidedly narrow about its cinematic preferences.  It was in a beautiful area of town, too.
2. What’s the most overrated horror movie you’ve ever seen?  I see merit in a lot of horror movies, but I guess I never got into the Friday the 13^th movies as much as some people do.  I don’t hate them, but their merit doesn’t match their hype, in my opinion.  I was going to say I don’t like “slasher flicks,” but the first Scream was incredibly clever and post-modern, and I think the first Halloween movie is well-executed; I really like Jamie Lee Curtis’s character.  The Friday the 13^th movies always seemed a little formulaic – stereotypical deaths, characters without much depth.  Though I will say, Mrs. Voorhies is a phenomenal villain.  Jason interests me less.
3. Most underrated? I think Pet Sematary gets a lot of criticism for being poorly made and less-than-scary, but I really like the movie.  I admit, the acting leaves a little to be desired, but not at the expense of the movie’s intrigue.  I don’t claim that it’s incredibly artistic, but I think it’s a genuinely twisted, creepy movie.  The first time I saw it, I was in middle school and I was terrified, and I still get scared when Pascow’s ghost appears to warn Louis, or when Rachel has flashbacks of her vengeful, distorted dead sister, Zelda.
4. What horror movie do you refuse to ever watch and why?  I try to be open-minded, but I saw one Rob Zombie horror film and it’s really not my thing.  I don’t remember it well, but I remember not liking it.  I don’t plan to rent another.  Gore is okay with a compelling story-line, but I don’t like mindless killings with no intriguing plot.  Sometimes you can just tell from a movie’s beginning.
5. What is your favorite movie monster? Can be general or specific.  Well, pulling from a few drastically different ends of the horror spectrum, I think Jaws, the colossal, killer shark, is terrifying (he counts as a monster…right?) On the other hand, The Babadook was one of the scariest movies I’ve seen; I think the Babadook was an excellent, low-special effects monster, although the movie’s conclusion admittedly detracts from his scare-factor.   However, he has really creepy, sinister claws, and he’s just conceptually terrifying.  I also saw the 1922 Nosferatu for the first time last night.  He’s a frightening looking vampire – probably the best movie Dracula I’ve seen!
6. What’s your favorite movie villain death?  Jack Torrance’s death in The Shining is startling.  I love how his son tricks him in the hedge maze, and he looks terrifying in the concluding movie shot when he’s completely frozen.   I also like Darth Vader’s redemptive death in Return of the Jedi.  Granted, he’s not a “horror” villain, but I agree with those who think he’s one of the most intriguing bad guys in film, and who doesn’t love redemption?
7. Who is your favorite horror author?  Charles Beaumont’s short stories, those I’ve read, are fantastic.  I also love Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.  She may not be exclusively a horror author, but she wrote one of the most brilliant novels of all time, dealing with man’s desire for dominance over life and death and the consequences of hubris.  Mary Shelley took part in a challenge between friends to concoct the scariest horror story, and Frankenstein arose from that challenge.   Of course, King and Matheson are also worth noting, and I got my start with horror by reading R.L. Stine.
8. Favorite story or novel by that author?  See above – Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein.  I haven’t read it in awhile but would like to re-visit it.
9. What’s the best adaptation you’ve ever seen? Can but does not have to be the author from #7 (or even horror): The 1960’s film The Innocents based off Henry James’s 19^th century novella, The Turn of the Screw.  Interestingly, I found James’s story so-so (the content is good, but I prefer James’s storytelling in a non-horror context), but the later film rendition of the story is an exceptionally eerie, psychologically complex film.
10. The worst?  I have mixed feelings on Francis Ford Coppola’s version of Bram Stoker’s Dracula.  I like the mood of the film but always get bored toward the middle.
11. How important are previews to your movie-going experience?  I have to watch the previews!  I rarely – probably never – get to a movie after the previews start.  A good trailer is an art form in and of itself, in any genre, and I always get excited to see new horror films during horror movie trailers!

My Nominees:  I adhered to the “about” 200 followers or less parameter and chose blogs with well-developed, entertaining, well-written content (because I’m such an English teacher).  In some cases, the blog follower count was not available for viewing, but the blogs were pretty new according to a sift through the archives, so I assumed they had less than 200 followers and determined that they qualify for the award.  My nominees span a variety of topics!  Click on the links to their blogs and check out their work!

Ande Strega

Argh!By Girl Horror

Born in the year of the dog

The Cerebral Hedonist

The Imperial Talker

Kata Louise

My Comic Relief

New To Comics

The Watcher Blog

My Questions:  It was challenging developing a set of “general” questions, since the blogs I nominated span a broad scope of topics.  Here are the questions for the nominees:

1.)  I started my blog on a whim, after making an off-hand comment to my boyfriend.  What prompted you to start your blog?

2.)  Blogging is, well, writing for fun. As an English teacher, I know that many people don’t consider writing fun (and others certainly do).  What inspires you to do your blogging work?

3.)  How did you choose the theme of your blog? (Or, why are you writing about the topics you’re writing about?)

4.)  What sort of projects (writing or otherwise) are you involved in outside of blogging?

5.)  What are some issues or causes that are important to you, and why?

6.)  Who is your favorite movie hero/heroine, and why?

7.)  Who is your favorite movie villain, and why?

8.)  What is one book that you think everyone should read, and why? Or, if you don’t have a book that you think everyone should read, what’s one of your favorites?

9.)  What is a particular piece of music that moves you, and why?

10.)  Describe a challenge you’ve faced or currently face as a writer.

11.)  Is there a principle or philosophy that guides your writing? If so, what is it?

That sums up the Liebster nomination post!  Again, if you accept the nomination, I hope you’ll post the answers to my questions in a comment to this page !  Thanks again for the nomination, Blogferatu!