Chapter 15
Psycho Studios: The Sprinkler
Chapter Fifteen
11.1.2024
Editor – Mykal - Content – Technical
Research & Editor – Mike - Content
Psycho Studios is an independent Film/TV production company. A multimedia platform with a podcast as well as this newsletter. Feel free to reach out to Psycho Studios through their website/email.
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Forward
Mike and Mykal are a father & son duo that started a production company about two years ago. They are working on the next phase of their production company and look forward to being involved in feature film making. They rolled out a podcast and newsletter to give their audience a means to hear where they are headed and what they are experiencing. The newsletter (The Sprinkler) is fun, informative and value add! They remind their audience that they leave politics at the door. They want their energy to be positive and wellness based. Share gratitude and be cool to one another!
We hope you will join us monthly as we explore different ways to enrich our lives and have some fun exploring the human race.
We bring old school and contemporary ideas to the table.
Mykal & I operate with the credo; be cool to one another. We want to connect with people, and be present while we enjoy this journey. We have embarked on something that is moving in a direction that affords us to display our creativity and love for film & music in our Psycho Studio’s Podcast on YouTube – now with video!
Come with us as we explore ways to live in the moment and appreciate all we have, rather than what we have not.
Welcome psychos one and all!
The Sprinkler
Film – Music - Wellness – Commentary – Some Sports and Random Headlines
Let’s start with a film quote we dig:
As long as you're telling a good story and making it compelling visually, I think there's room for both.
Sam Raimi
Before we jump into the rest of this Sprinkler, we would like to give a shout out to our Psycho Studio’s podcast! We continue to evolve with this piece and moving forward our podcast will include video! October’s Episode 15 was a hit! We focus on one film we’ve recently seen at the theatre and explore a uniquely deep dive. We continue with our Psycho Studio’s Scale – which is our movie - music scoring scale which is 1-Psycho (10). Available on our YouTube Channel as well as Apple, iHeart, Amazon Music, Spotify & Castbox!
Film
Let’s start with some brief reviews. Reminder, we utilize our Psycho Studio’s Scale (scale of 1-Psycho-10 for rating films.)
We also want to reiterate that we can’t be wrong or right about film, music or books! It is what moves us!
Film (In the order I watched them in October)
Deranged – 1974 – 1 - This twisted film is loosely based on Ed Gein, the degenerate killer from the middle of Wisconsin circa 1950s. The acting is terrible as are the special effects and story.
The Ring – 2002 – 7 – My top rated PG13 horror film of all time. Great cast. Story. Setting. The cinematography is amazing!
The Ring 2 – 2005 – 4 – This is such a weak sequel with a very similar story to the first film, and the first film was so good it is no wonder this one falls flat.
Final Girl – 2015 – 3 – This was a hard watch, no story, poor acting and dialogue – still has its moments. It should have been released in the 1980s.
Motel Hell – 1980 – 5 – This twisted classic from the 1980s is a must watch for classic horror fans from that era! Stay away from the smoked meats!
The Substance – 2024 – 3 – I know many said they enjoyed this – bravo! The movie had promise but after about half way through it falls apart due to the story, acting and dialogue.
Mausoleum – 1983 – 2 – I had fond recollections of this trippy 80s horror flick, but those were dashed quickly with terrible acting, special effects and story! Still worth a watch on a dare!
Texas Chainsaw Massacre – 1974 – 9 – The legend. This film too was based very loosely on Ed Gein, more from substance than story. The heat. The story. The acting. The sound of the chainsaw! A horror classic and in my horror hall of fame!
The Mummy – 1932 -7 – The classic with Boris Karloff, a must watch for all Universal Horror fans!
Creature from the Black Lagoon – 1954 – 7 – much like the Mummy, it is a timeless Universal Horror movie classic! The sound – music when the creature is present is amazing!
Border – An insane film – 2018 – 5 – This foreign film is twisted, weird and disturbing! A great watch for foreign horror film junkies!
Halloween – 1978 – 8.5 – It all started here, John Carpenter’s Halloween is iconic and holds its own amongst the most classic horror films of all time! The Night He Came Home!
Terrifier 2 and 3 – 2022 – 2024 - 7 each – see our podcast on these two sick and bloody and twisted horror films with Art the Clown! Wow!
Woman of the Hour – 2023 – 5 – I really like Anna Kendrick, and she directed this feature as well as stars in it. It has its moments but sputters in the last third. A good date night movie!
Magnum Force – 1973 - Mykal – 8 – Me – 7 – Mykal and I are making our way through the Dirty Harry films. I feel this second in the series is the best! A must watch for 1970s action film junkies!
Ginger Snaps – 2001 - Mykal – 5 – Me – 3 – Mykal enjoyed this more than I, recently rewatching it I liked the first half and then it lost its bite! She snaps alright!
Our next podcast, to close out October is a Horror Film Feast! We share some of our favorite horror films from past and present!
And in television series;
** TV – The Penguin – 2024 – Mykal - 7.5 Me – 6.5
I don’t watch very much TV, and rarely have any series in my queue. I am watching this based on Mykal’s recommendation. It is entertaining, it is missing the wow factor for me. It comes across like so many gangster – mafia films and TV shows and seems redundant.
Incredible! What a month of watching random horror features from multiple decades! Most of the films are weak at best but movies are like pizza to me. Hell, it’s a movie and a nice escape good or bad! That’s why we love movies!
Music
New
Motley Crue – new single – Dogs of War – Mykal – 1 – Me – 2
Their new single does not resonate with me, nor Mykal. We dig Motley’s old tracks, but they were never at the top of our list. This newest single does not have the energy or in your face sound the group was once famous for!
Motley Crue – Album – Shout at the Devil – 1983
11 tracks – Runtime 36 minutes.
The album is from the Hey Dey of the metal scene circa early 1980s. The hard charging sound of Sixx, Mars, and Tommy on drums coupled with Vince’s pure rock vocals are an incredible combination showcasing what heavy metal was all about!
Psycho Scale score is a 7.
More New
Tom Petty – New Single – Turning Point – single is an 8.
Tom Petty’s newly released album is Long After Dark. Released a couple of weeks ago, the deluxe edition consists of two discs and contains 22 songs and runtime of 81 minutes. This special release contains the new single listed above. This is a bittersweet release and a must listen to for all Tom Petty fans. RIP. I think of Last Dance with Mary Jane. Tom Petty’s music is timeless, thought provoking and brilliant! My favorite tune of his is You Wreck Me!
This latest compilation is a perfect album to throw on and head down the highway with the windows down!
Psycho Scale score is an 8.
Retro:
Led Zeppelin – Their second album which is simply titled II was raw and raucous in 1969! It’s a rock masterpiece like their first album and is a very short album for 1960’s and 1970’s standards. Nine songs clocking in at 41 minutes is like an appetizer to the rest of their catalog. I’m a huge Zeppelin fan and they are in my top five favorite rock groups of all time. It’s funny that I do not listen to them enough! (I built a Led Zeppelin Sunday before football playlist! See below.) Every track on this album kills it, with Whole Lotta Love as well as Heartbreaker ripping your face off! There are a couple of softer tracks that display the range this group would become known for. The Lemon Song is one of my favorites! For those that like to rock – give this album a spin or a re-listen! Psycho Scale score is a 10!
Horror movie soundtracks:
AC/DC – Soundtrack to Maximum Overdrive / Who Made Who
1986 – 9 tracks – 37-minute runtime.
This album – soundtrack rocks!
This is a unique soundtrack as the music and songs for the film Maximum Overdrive were all done by AC/DC! Stephen King’s only time directing one of his book ideas is Maximum Overdrive. The story is from one of King’s novellas. It turns out, that AC/DC was one of King’s favorite bands. The film has its moments, I think one of the best pieces is the soundtrack! Give it a try, both film and album!
Psycho Scale score is an 8.5!
Fastway – Soundtrack to Trick or Treat the movie.
Fastway – 1986 – 9 tracks. 33-minute runtime.
This album – soundtrack rocks!
Sound familiar? It is eerily similar to the soundtrack for Maximum, but taken to another level.
The film is an interesting mid-80s horror romp. Ozzie has a cameo in it, and Gene Simmons of Kiss has a smaller role in it too! Like the above-mentioned soundtrack, this one has both songs from the group Fastway as well as a musical score running through the film by Fastway. Fastway never reached the acclaimed status of AC/DC but they are an 80’s gem I really dig. Something different. Cool vocals, hard charging guitars and intense lyrics, what more could you ask for? Without spoiling the film, the album or at least the songs are incorporated into the script itself with the lead singer being a fictious rock star turned demon! A great watch over Halloween. Please do not confuse this with the movie Trick R Treat from the 2000s.
Psycho Scale score is an 8.5!
Check out this playlist, Kick Off to Led Zeppelin on Spotify –– 14 tracks – just over an hour.
Wellness
In lieu of our normal wellness tips and tricks we are going to share the history of Halloween!
We wish all our psychos a safe, happy and scary holiday!
Regardless, please take care of yourselves and show kindness in your day to day!
Be cool to one another.
Halloween Origins
Carving pumpkins, trick-or-treating, and wearing scary costumes are some of the time-honored traditions of Halloween. Yet, the Halloween holiday has its roots in the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain. (a Gaelic word pronounced “SAH-win”), a pagan religious celebration to welcome the harvest at the end of summer, when people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off ghosts. In the eighth century, Pope Gregory III designated November 1 as a time to honor saints. Soon after, All Saints Day came to incorporate some of the traditions of Samhain. The evening before All Saints’ Day was known as All Hallows Eve and later, Halloween.
Carve it Up
The tradition of carving pumpkins (which become jack o lanterns) originated in Ireland using turnips instead of pumpkins. It is allegedly based on a legend about a man named Stingy Jack who repeatedly trapped the Devil and only let him go on the condition that Jack would never go to Hell. But when Jack died, he learned that Heaven did not want his soul either, so he was forced to wander the Earth as a ghost for eternity. The Devil gave Jack a burning lump of coal in a carved-out turnip to light his way. Locals eventually began carving scary faces into their own turnips to frighten away evil spirits.
Spooky Times
The festival of Samhain marked the transition to the new year at the end of the harvest and beginning of the winter. Celtic people believed that during the festival, spirits walked the Earth. Later on, Christian missionaries introduced All Saints’ Day on November 2, which perpetuated the idea of the living coming into contact with the dead around the same time of year.
Get dressed up
In order to avoid being terrorized by all the evil spirits walking the Earth during Samhain, the Celts donned disguises in order to confuse the spirits and be left alone.
Tricks or Treats
There is much debate around the origins of trick-or-treating, but generally there are three theories. The first theory suggests that during Samhain, Celtic people would leave food out to appease the spirits. Over time, people began to dress as these unearthly beings in exchange for similar offerings of food and drink.
The second theory speculates that the candy boon stems from the Scottish practice of guising, which is a secular version of “souling.” During the Middle Ages, generally children and poor adults would collect food and money from local homes in return for prayers for the dead on All Saints’ Day. Guisers dropped the prayers in favor of non-religious practices with the inclusion of songs, jokes, and other “tricks.”A third theory argues that modern American trick-or-treating stems from “belsnickeling,” a German-American Christmas tradition where children would dress in costume and then call on their neighbors to see if the adults could guess the identities of the disguised. In one version of the practice, the children were rewarded with food or other treats if no one could identify them.
What’s in a color?
The traditional Halloween colors of black and orange also traces back to the Celtic festival of Samhain. For the Celts, black represented the “death” of summer while the orange symbolized the autumn harvest season.
Are you Punk’ing me?
Playing pranks often varies by region, but the pre-Halloween tradition known as Devil’s Night is credited to a different origin depending on the source. Some say that pranks started as part of May Day celebrations. But Samhain, and eventually All Souls Day, also included good-natured mischief. When Irish and Scottish immigrants came to America, they brought with them the tradition of celebrating Mischief Night as part of Halloween.
Sweet Tooth?
The act of going door-to-door for handouts has long been a part of Halloween revelries. But until the mid-20th century, the “treats” children received were not necessarily candy. Things like fruit, nuts, coins, and toys were just as likely to be given out. Trick-or-treating rose in popularity in the 1950s and it inspired candy companies to market small, individually wrapped candies. People began to favor the confections out of convenience, but candy did not dominate at the exclusion of all other treats until the 1970s when parents started fearing anything unwrapped.
It's Big Time!
The Halloween Holiday and tradition has become big business, and accounts for over $11billion dollars for the one-night holiday. Candy. Costumes. Decorations. Parties. Special films. The once simple holiday and act of wearing a cheap dime store costume and walking about for candy is long gone. We like to celebrate by watching scary movies and appreciating the horror side of this out-of-control commercial success! “The Night He Came Home!”
Psycho Studios wants to make sure our psychos are taking care of themselves. Remember, we have to take care of ourselves first in order to be there for others. Self-care means taking the time to do things that help you live well and improve both your physical health and mental health. This can help you manage stress, lower your risk of illness, and increase your energy. Even small acts of self-care in your daily life can have a big impact.
The key to a healthy life, is a healthy mind.
Commentary
As I write this newsletter the desert is experiencing an unprecedented summer. Per the weather report, today should be the last day of summer! 90 degrees is forecasted and it is so surprising that Phoenix has continued to experience such an insane summer! In the 30 years I have lived in the Desert Southwest, this summer is one to forget from a weather standpoint!
With the end of October on the horizon, we look at the last two months of this year. The cooler to cold weather is in the air. The Halloween holiday will give way to Thanksgiving and then THE holidays will unfold as we move into December and January.
Mykal and I are on a unique and interesting journey and I am grateful for everything we have done, everything we are doing as well as where we are going!
I’m not here to preach, my feedback is about all of us enjoying what we have as opposed to what we have not. To enjoy our family and friends and let them know how we feel about them. I’m going to enjoy all that the next couple of months have to offer, to include relishing the time I spend with family and friends! The commercialization, FOMO and social media in general have driven celebrations to be about money, gifts and always spending more than a lot of us have. Connecting with people is priceless.
I’m hopeful that all our psychos enjoyed Halloween! I’m also sending best wishes to everyone to have a safe and happy Thanksgiving! Let’s all be cool to one another!
Here’s to a great November for one and all!
Don’t use your energy to worry. Use your energy to believe, create, trust, grow, glow, manifest and heal!
Some Sports
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers have been getting on track in this, the NFL’s 105th season!
The Packers have had quite the season already! Currently the Packers are 6-2 and just behind the rival Detroit Lions in the NFC North! The Packers have won in spite of losing their starting quarterback Jordan Love for two and a half games. The backup QB that the Packer’s GM traded for about two months ago, Willis has played incredibly! The Packers had an issue with their kicker as the ones they had coming out of preseason were inaccurate to be kind. The Packers signed a veteran kicker who has played in a Super Bowl and is very accurate from less than 50 yards. The kicker comes with some questionable baggage. The NFL had cleared the incident and communicated as such to the Packers front office. This past Sunday the Packers were playing in the tropical conditions of Florida! Love had returned from injury and after going 2-2 the Love led Packers ripped off three wins in a row. The lousy and dare I say scary thing for the Packers and their fans is Love left very early in the third quarter with what is reported as a groin injury. Malik Willis came in to back up Love once again and led the Packers to a victory! Willis got the ball with less than two minutes to go in the game with the score tied. Willis threw a beautiful bomb to J Reed and set up the Packer’s still very new to them kicker with a short field goal attempt. The kicker made the short field goal without breaking a sweat giving the Packers their fourth win in a row!
The main concern at this point is the health of Jordan Love. The Packers host the Lions for the first game of November! Time will tell what Love’s status is. The Packers have their bye week after the Lions game. When they return to action their opponents are:
Bears – Niners – Dolphins – Lions. The Packers have shown they can win with Willis at the helm. Common sense says the Packers should rest Love until the game after the bye. Injuries suck! Let’s bring on the Lions!
We are sticking with our way to early predictions!
Previously: Our not too early prediction for the Green Bay Packer’s 2024 season;
Me – 12-5. Mykal – 13-4
Cheers to a continued great NFL season! Carry the G!
Milwaukee Bucks
The Bucks are looking to run it back with keeping their core starters intact and Doc Rivers leading the team. Darvin Ham has been brought back as an assistant and will most likely take over for Rivers when he decides to exit stage left. We look for the Bucks to bounce back this season – staying healthy is key! The Fear the Deer season kicked off on 10.23.2024.
The Bucks came out fast and furious on opening night against the 76ers! Subsequent to that the Bucks have lost three in a row, capping the third loss against the Celtics in Boston. The season is comprised of 82 games, we will reserve our opinions until at least a quarter of the way into the season. Many so-called experts are sounding the alarms and feel the Bucks trade to obtain Dame Lillard was a mistake last season. Time will tell!
Fear the Deer!
Milwaukee Brewers
Brewers – 93-69 – winning their division.
The Brewers crushed the regular season and won their division under new manager Pat Murphy! This was a surprise to many, as the Brew Crew pretty much led wire to wire. The Brewers faced the New York Mets in the Wild Card match and performed as they have over the last several years! The Brewers lost to the Mets 2 games to 1! Brewers fans saw their team lose early in the playoffs again after having a fantastic regular season. Take me out to the ball game? More like take me out to the cemetery! There’s always next season!
I’m fortunate that I follow the Brewers to a degree, being my previous home town baseball team. I’m not invested in them, which is beneficial when a team breaks your heart. Hang in there Brewers fans!
Random Headlines & Stuff
Let’s get to some interesting stories:
- Right out of the gate; A Wisconsin pizzeria apologizes after customers get high from pizzas accidentally contaminated with THC! Ask Cheech and Chong, they would not find that to be contamination! Famous Yeti’s Pizza apologized for making pizzas by mistake with THC infused dough. They are thinking of rebranding as Infamous Yeti’s Pizza! (Not)
- Fried bologna sandwich is considered both cowboy comfort food and five-star dining. My mom would make fried bologna sandwiches for me when I was a kid with cream style corn and fresh white bread. According to Kent Rollins who is a longtime rancher who grew up in Oklahoma its an amazing meal! He now resides in New Mexico and he states he would rather eat a fried bologna sandwich than just bologna. Dare you to try it!
- Just in time for Halloween, a bat infestation in a Northern Arizona University dorm forces students out for rest of school year! This sounds odd and funny on the surface but the first few bats found in the dorm tested positive for rabies. Once pest control visited the property it was determined this clearing of the bats would take some time.
- Arizona court says marijuana users must actually be impaired to be punished for DUI! Cheese and Chong - alright I will stop. The key element which was part of a vote titled Proposition 207 was about usage and tickets. It was passed that unimpaired driving after consuming marijuana cannot be penalized.
- There seems to be a theme in the headlines for the month, it was by accident I assure you. California will allow eating, drinking and smoking at Amsterdam style cannabis cafes. California Governor Gavin Newsome recently signed a bill that will allow cannabis dispensaries to serve hot food and non-alcoholic drinks! No word on a Red-Light District proposal mirroring more of Amsterdam!
- There has been renewed interested in the Menendez Brothers conviction, trials and conviction. The DA for Los Angeles revisited the case and the sentencing based on new evidence and it appears the brothers will be released soon for time served. The brothers have been in prison since the 1980’s murder of their parents.
- Check out a quiz from BuzzFeed from February 28, 2021 titled; Here are 30 words only people with an IQ range of 120-150 will know. It’s a cool quiz, I took the quiz and was pleasantly surprised by my results! I will share them in next month’s newsletter! Give the quiz a try and let us know how you did! The quiz is multiple choice. Sample; What is the definition of austere? Remember, no Googling or lifelines!
- FDA approves first new drug to treat schizophrenia in over 30 years! The medication, Cobenfy, combines two drugs and is taken as a twice daily pill. Manufactured by Bristol Myers Squibb could be a game changer for those with this debilitating condition! It’s great to hear progress related to mental health!
- In the recipe front, and to save a buck for a quick tasty meal; This $2, 2-ingredient dinner can become a go to meal! The two ingredients are a can of Swanson’s Chicken a la King and Knorr chicken flavor rice side. Follow the directions on each package and combine the two. This is a tasty and filling meal which hits the spot on those chilly Fall evenings!
- The Huffington Post had an interesting article published this past summer. Dated July 27 of this year. Titled, I’m an introvert who spent years trying to make friends. With one change, I suddenly had dozens. Considering the loneliness crisis our country is facing and the negative impact social media can have, this is an interesting read!
- Can an elephant sue to leave a zoo? Colorado’s top court must decide! There is no truth to the rumor that Harvey Birdman is representing the pachyderm! The trial may be long given the details the elephant never forgets!
- German police say pizza order number 40 came with a side of cocaine! German police have busted a pizzeria in Dusseldorf whose number 40 special was delivered with a side of the white powder! What’s with these pizza places?
- A Greek man was convicted for public disturbance recently. A Greek judge suspended a one-month prison sentence for a Greek man who was disturbing his neighbors. The Greek man would sneak into his neighbor’s homes repeatedly and smell their shoes. You literally can’t make this stuff up. Well, actually I could!
- Last one, fitting for October! A Pumpkin coming in at 2,471 pounds, or over a ton wins California contest! A Minnesota teacher retained their championship of an annual pumpkin-weighing contest in Northern Cali! Can you imagine the number of pumpkin seeds in that baby! BTW, I recently made roasted pumpkin seeds with a new recipe and they kicked ass! There was just too few in the old Jack o Lantern!
Reminder November 3rd is the end of Daylight Savings Time around the country. The change takes place at 2am. Arizona does not practice this antiquated practice.
October funny
What does a ghost panda eat?
Bam Boo!
Interesting individual of the month [IIM]
This month’s interesting individual is Seth Macfarlane!
Seth Macfarlane - is an American actor, animator, writer, producer, director, comedian, and singer. Family Guy, American Dad among others are unbelievably popular long running animated series!
Seth has also made films such as Ted, Ted 2 and A Million Ways to Die in the West.
He started out in TV animation with such classics as Cow and Chicken, Johnny Bravo and Dexter’s Lab! Too funny, as Mykal and I watched those amazing cartoons when he was much younger. Seth has also released eight albums and he models his singing style and albums after Frank Sinatra!
I can’t forget that Seth has also made and starred in the sci-fi live action TV series The Orville. Mykal really enjoys the show, I’m going to give it a go after the holidays.
Seth was born and raised in Connecticut by his two parents and has a sister that is a voice actor.
Seth was nominated for over 18 Emmys and has won five!
Macfarlane lives in Beverly Hills, and is not married nor does he have any children. Seth states he is a lot like Brian from Family Guy. He has confirmed, he dates as much as the next guy!
The thing we love about Seth is that he is creative and involved in such varying interests! I really enjoy the comedic element of his shows and films. I love his offbeat sense of humor that is over the top and unrelenting.
We highly recommend checking out his numerous TV series and films, who couldn’t use a good laugh based on some stupid humor?
Closing
Thank you for taking the time to read Chapter Fifteen of Psycho Studios; The Sprinkler. We always look forward to sharing our thoughts, ideas and more!
Be safe and stay psycho!
We would love to hear from our audience. Comments, feedback & suggestions are welcome!
Email us at - psychostudios66@gmail.com
Reach us at our website - psycho-studio.com.
Find our podcasts, newsletters and more on our website! We make announcements on Instagram, X when we drop new content!
The Sprinkler is dropped on the first of each month. Podcasts are dropped as content is available, at least twice per month.
Mike & Mykal
Psycho Studios ~ 11.1.2024