We lost a lot of fine performers over the last few weeks, including Reggie Bannister, Hayden Panettiere, Tim Curry and Dolly Parton. Each one a gift, each one a valuable reminder that our time here is short, its end is often unexpected, and we have to make the most of the few moments we have. Welcome back to Sunday Scaries.

Reggie Bannister is best remembered for his character of the same name in the weird and wild Phantasm series which, if you've never seen them, started in 1979 with a strange and surreal ultra-low-budget mausoleum-set cosmic horror mind-bender made by indie Don Coscarelli and his friends. Simultaneously goofy, gory and oddly creepy, the film’s success rested largely on its bizarre visuals, the frightening presence of ‘Tall Man’ Angus Scrimm, and the easy chemistry of its young male leads. Bannister appeared in a few other films, including Coscarelli’s Bubba Ho-Tep, Wishmaster and one of the later entries in the holly jolly Silent Night, Deadly Night franchise. I saw Phantasm on the big screen when it first came out, the way it was meant to be seen: with a bunch of horny half-drunk teenage friends who were every bit as agog as I was. Angus Scrimm shouting “BOY” can still run a shiver through me.

Actress and singer Hayden Panettiere, a former child star, reached the height of her fame on the television shows Heroes and Nashville, and in several films in the Scream franchise, where she made a strong impression as horror-savvy Kirby Reed. She was also a treat in the frightfully interactive survival horror video game Until Dawn, co-written by Larry Fessenden. Panettiere’s recent autobiography revealed that she had been subject to predatory behaviour from within the industry and conflict within her family, and subsequently struggled with substance use, postpartum depression and other mental health issues. Her brother’s death in 2023 seemed to weigh especially heavily on her.

Multi-talented British performer Tim Curry launched a generation of queer and trans people to Transsexual Transylvania with his indelible portrayal of Dr. Frank N. Furter in the untoucha-toucha-touchable sci-fi horror comedy musical The Rocky Horror Picture Show. But he was much more than just that one highly memorable character, with roles in more than 100 films and TV shows as well as on stage, in video games (!!), and as a reader of audiobooks. Highlights include Legend, IT, Home Alone 2, The Three Musketeers, The Hunt for Red October, Annie, Congo, Muppet Treasure Island and, of course, Clue. He was also a gifted songwriter and recording artist, with his song Birds of a Feather notably performed by Canadian band Rough Trade.

And what is there to say about country music megastar, actress and philanthropist Dolly Parton that has not already been said? While Parton kept things light and lively on screens big and small with hits like 9 to 5, Steel Magnolias, Rhinestone, Joyful Noise, Straight Talk and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, she did not shy away from the darker side of life in her recordings, with songs like Down from Dover, Evening Shade, The Bridge, Dark as a Dungeon, Me and Little Andy, Tangled Vines and Jeannie’s Afraid of the Dark. She also has a surprising connection to the horror genre through her company Sandollar Productions, which backed both the 1992 feature film Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its beloved TV series adaptation. Dolly, wherever you are, our hearts are with you.

Cool Story, Bro: “Hey, want to see something messed up?” Magen Cubed has written movingly about the value of sharing art (and particularly weird art) with the people you love, and through them gaining new insights into the meaning of challenging work. Her examples include the unsettling Adult Swim films Unedited Footage of a Bear and This House Has People In It which, you know, I’ve been selective about showing to my loved ones. But I probably don’t know you so consider this an encouragement!

This Week in Horror: Apparently some people are renaming Great Lakes now. Coolio. Also, there is an island that mysteriously appeared—and then disappeared—in a B.C. reservoir.

Currently watching: A conversation with my friend Willow earlier today prompted me to rewatch one of my childhood pleasures, 1972’s smash hit TV movie The Night Stalker with Darren McGavin as persistent but journalistically unsound newspaper reporter Carl Kolchak investigating a series of Las Vegas murders that may be the work of a vampire. (Well, let’s be real, that’s exactly what they are.) Short, sharp, funny and scary, the film was directed by John Llewellyn Moxey, who made several other memorable TV movies including the Christmas-themed proto-slasher Home for the Holidays (Jessica Walter! Julie Harris! Eleanor Parker! Sally Field!), No Place to Hide, A Taste of Evil and The House That Would Not Die, as well as the big screen features Nightmare in Badham County and City of the Dead. I know I keep threatening to have an all TV-movie edition of Sunday Scaries, but a weekend-long John Llewellyn Moxey film festival would be a great start. Dig in.

That’s all for this week. I don’t think I can take much more! September is just a stone’s throw away. Have a great week and a restful Labour Day weekend, and let’s hope we don’t lose anyone else from the Home Alone 2 cast that we actually like. (No comment on those that we don’t.) Go see Colony or Coyote vs. Acme or Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma. Coming from someone who lives in a town with one Cineplex complex (all Spider-man all the time), no indie theatres and no indie bookstores: Keep the dream alive.