Welcome to Milwaukee Record’s 66 Days of Halloween countdown! You can find Part I, which covers Days 0-22, HERE. You can find Part III, which covers Days 45-66, HERE.

DAY 44: DINOSAUR DRACULA

As we wrap up Part II of this Halloween countdown, it’s high time we kiss the ring of one of the Halloween countdown kings: Dinosaur Dracula. All hail the king!

For those unfamiliar, Dino Drac is a longtime blogger of all things ’80s and ’90s—and, during the Halloween season, all things Halloween-y. Dude has been at it since 2000 (back then the site was known as “X-Entertainment”), and he’s always been funny, knowledgable, and positive. If you’re looking for deep thoughts on random Friday The 13th sequels and essays on discontinued soda and cereal from the early ’90s, Dino Drac is your guy. Plus, his old Halloween hype reels are legendary:

Dino Drac’s Halloween countdowns are a little more subdued these days—no hype reels or other videos—but they’re still a huge part of my Halloween season. (Find the 2025 countdown HERE.) Ditto the long-running Purple Stuff Podcast, which Dino Drac (his real name is Matt, by the way) does with his buddy Jay.

Anyway, Dino Drac rules. Who else could so expertly soundtrack gory horror movie clips to Britney Spears’ “…Baby One More Time”?

DAY 43: MICHAEL’S HALLOWEEN JUNK

I was recently wandering through the Michael’s on 27th Street when I realized…it was my first time in a Michael’s. Like, my first time ever. Huh. I guess I’d never needed blank T-shirts or fake flowers for my bedroom before.

But my kid did need some blank T-shirts and fake flowers for her bedroom, so there I was. The Halloween junk was pretty picked over, but I did spot a couple of winners. The Monster and the Bride in a bubble bath, and the Big Bad Wolf taking a dump are Halloween images you’ll never forget.

DAY 42: YEP, THAT TREE AGAIN

Not much left! October is going fast!

DAY 41: NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION

Night Of The Living Dead was released in 1968. In the 57 years (!) since, it’s become a stone-cold classic of the horror genre. That half-century canonization makes this 1993 roundtable discussion between NOTLD filmmakers George Romero, John Russo, Russell Streiner, and Karl Hardman fascinating. Yes, the film was already regarded as a classic 25 years after its release, but it wasn’t such a classic that it could avoid being treated to a cheaply made behind-the-scenes feature like this:

I originally came across this informal discussion in a double-VHS “25th Anniversary Collector’s Set” of NOTLD I bought back in the ’90s. I still love watching these horror titans shoot the shit in a wood-paneled basement you just know smelled like old cigars. Enjoy!

DAY 40: STREETS OF OLD MILWAUKEE HALLOWEEN DECORATIONS

Heads-up, folks: Milwaukee Public Museum’s beloved Streets of Old Milwaukee are all done up for Halloween! And this will be one of the last times you’ll be able to experience it before the big early-2027 move to the not-so-big new museum (the thrillingly named Nature & Culture Museum of Wisconsin)! Here a small taste of the action! Check it out for yourselves!

DAY 39: RE-ANIMATOR SCREENING WITH JEFFREY COMBS

Remember when I mentioned that a 40th-anniversary screening of ’80s cult horror flick Re-Animator was coming to The Pabst Theater, and that I would be moderating a post-film Q&A with star Jeffrey Combs? Well, it happened last night! And it went super well!

I got to the Pabst around 6 p.m. and was quickly ushered into the theater’s subterranean green room. The film started at 7, and as I chilled in the green room I could hear the crowd cheering and laughing as Combs’ character, Herbert West, delivered classic lines like “What would a note say, Dan? ‘Cat dead, details later’?” Oh, did I mention I was rocking a button-up shirt with skeletons on it? Because I totally was.

Combs himself arrived at 8. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but the 71-year-old actor proved to be friendly, down to earth, and up for the assignment. (He had stepped in some weird epoxy gunk on his way into the Pabst, and he spent most of his time in the green room trying to clean it off his shoes.) We made our way upstairs and waited in the wings as the credits rolled at 8:30. The lights came up. I took the stage, quickly introduced myself (“Don’t applaud me!” I implored the handful of people who applauded me), and brought out Combs. The crowd—not huge, but way into it—greeted him with rapturous applause.

Combs and I settled into two chairs on the Pabst stage and launched into a breezy, smooth-as-butter 60-minute discussion. I was prepared and knew my shit. Combs was gregarious and generous with his anecdotes. And, unlike 99% of Q&As I’ve witnessed in my life, the audience actually had good, succinct, and not-embarrassing questions. Like I said, it went super well! Afterward, Combs gave me a big hug and told me how well I/we had done. He seemed thrilled.

Aaaaaand in all the excitement I forgot to take a goddamn selfie with him. Doh! The only photo I did take of Combs was this unflattering shot of him chatting with some remaining fans. I’m still kicking myself today.

Selfie or no selfie, I had a great time. The event came at the tail end of a loooong day for me, a day in which I also did a live segment for TMJ4 morning show The Morning Blend (I talked about upcoming fall festivals), and a taped segment for TMJ4 afternoon show What’s Brewing Wisconsin (I talked about pinball lol). Was I absolutely shot when I got home Friday night? Yes. Was I also incredibly grateful for a job that allows me to do so many cool and unexpected things? You bet I was. I was on TV twice! And then I chatted with the dude from Re-Animator! Pretty neat!

DAY 38: ANOTHER HALLOWEEN PLAYLIST SONG

I love the Pixies. The ’80s/’90s alt-rock legends are one of my favorite rock bands of all time, full stop. Surfer Rosa. Doolittle. Bossanova. Trompe Le Monde. That EP with “Caribou” on it. These albums ruled 30-plus years ago, and they still rule today. I love, love, LOVE the Pixies.

And, apparently, I’m one of the few Pixies fans who has not only kept up with Frank Black / Black Francis and company since they started releasing new albums in the 2010s, but who actually enjoys those albums. Indie Cindy (2014), Head Carrier (2016), Beneath The Eyrie (2019), Doggerel (2022), and The Night The Zombies Came (2024) have all been savaged, politely acknowledged, or straight-up ignored by critics and fans alike. They’re not on the same level as those classic Pixies albums, but they all have plenty of top-shelf songs that elevate them far above typical latter-day legacy band releases.

Need proof? Here’s the opening song from last year’s The Night The Zombies Came, “Primrose.” It’s lovely, isn’t it? A beautiful and dreamy instrumental sprinkled with folk-horror-esque lyrics like “Is there a sheep gone down in the well? / Now the bleating grows,” and “If there are darkness over the land / Winter wind follows.” Great stuff. The “new” Pixies albums are loaded with songs like this.

Is “Primrose” an odd choice for a Halloween playlist? Probably. Still, my Halloween playlist is all about the vibes, and “Primrose” has vibes to spare. I hope you dig it!

(The Night The Zombies Came features Emma Richardson on bass, a.k.a. the third Pixies bassist not named Kim Deal. I’ll save my thoughts on the band’s revolving female bassist door for when we see each other in person!)

DAY 37: CHURCH PUMPKINS HAVE ARRIVED

They’re here! The St. Mark’s pumpkins I mentioned a couple of days ago have arrived! Via forklift! I’ll probably pick some up this weekend!

DAY 36: FIRST DAY OF OCTOBER

Happy (unseasonably warm) October! The wait is over! Let’s celebrate with this wonderful, bittersweet, and achingly nostalgic song from ’90s band Polaris, “Waiting For October.” And yes, Polaris is the band from the wonderful, bittersweet, and achingly nostalgic ’90s Nickelodeon show The Adventures Of Pete & Pete. And yes, Pete & Pete‘s Halloween episode, “Halloweenie,” will absolutely get its own writeup soon! Woo!

DAY 35: SPOOKY SPIDER WEB

I spotted this beauty tonight on a walk around the East Side. My family was horrified. I was horrified and excited.

DAY 34: CHURCH PUMPKINS COMING SOON

‘Tis the season for the church in my neighborhood, St. Mark’s, to tease their annual pumpkin sale. Well, “sale” might be stretching it, because, as you can see, it’s an “honor system” kind of thing. Not that I’ve ever welched on a church pumpkin—I’m always happy to toss $20 to a progressive and inclusive church—but I’ve definitely seen some local ne’er-do-wells make off without paying. ‘Tis the season for that, too, I suppose!