Director Guillermo del Toro created the upcoming The Simpsons “Treehouse of Horror XXIV” opening sequence. The nearly three-minute opening features enough movie and horror references to make it worth re-watching to try to catch all of them. del Toro does a cool job of incorporating all of the references with the traditional Simpsons’ opening, including Bart’s blackboard, the trip to the grocery, and the ending on the couch. Watch for some Alfred Hitchock, an appearance by Edgar Allen Poe, and many movie references, including Mr. Burns in a sequence using del Toro’s own Pan’s Labyrinth(2006).
The segment is pretty cool, and at the least, del Toro’s involvement has garnered a lot of press for the twenty-fourth installment of the Halloween tradition. What is your favorite part of the intro? Leave your two cents in the comments.
In a recent discussion of the song “The Raven” from The Alan Parsons Project album Tales of Mystery and Imagination: Edgar Allan Poe, I promised to revisit the 1976 album. My favorite song on Tales of Mystery and Imagination tells the saga of one of my favorite Edgar Allan Poe stories, “The Cask of Amontillado.”
“The Cask of Amontillado” is narrated by a man taking revenge upon a person named Fortunato for some unnamed insult. The narrator tempts Fortunato to his basement with a cask of the alcoholic beverage Amontillado, a type of sherry. And then begins his plan.
This fan video for The Alan Parsons Project song helps illustrate the disturbing tale, beginning with the wonderful opening haunting line by The Alan Parsons Project that encapsulates Poe’s story: “By the last breath of the four winds that blow / I’ll have revenge upon Fortunado.”
Toby Keith used the idea of “The Cask of Amontillado” in a video for his song “A Little Too Late” from the CD White Trash With Money“ (2006). In the video, Keith uses the same idea that appears in the Poe story of building a tomb of bricks around one’s “enemy.”
Although Keith’s song is not literally about the Poe story, the video, directed by Michael Salomon and featuring actress Krista Allen, gives a humorous twist to the original disturbing ending of the Poe story. Check it out.
“The Cask of Amontillado” has inspired other songs, TV shows, etc., in pop culture, such as an episode of The Simpsons where Mr. Burns tries the tactic on Homer. The twist in the Toby Keith video reportedly copied a 1971 episode of Rod Serling’s Night Gallery called “The Merciful” (available on Hulu) so it is unclear how much the director was thinking of Edgar Allan Poe and how much of Rod Serling.
Finally, did you know there is a word for building a wall around someone so they die? “Immurement.” Anyway, these immurements made some interesting stories and songs.
What do you think of “The Cask of Amontillado”? Leave your two cents in comments.
– The popularity of this Audrey Hepburn classic film, which turned 50 years old this month, prompted a run on ginger tomcats when the film was released.
– After eighteen years in prison, The West Memphis 3 reunited this week for a screening of the films that helped secure their release.
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Any thoughts on the pop culture events of this month? Leave a comment.
“ (2006). In the video, Keith uses the same idea that appears in the Poe story of building a tomb of bricks around one’s “enemy.”
