100boo: Halloween On The Brain

I know, I know, I’m early. Like most of you, I hate when the stores put out their Christmas decorations in September, so that’s why I didn’t post this video two weeks ago. I tried to at least start pre-celebrating in the same month as the actual holiday. Halloween is Bean’s absolute favorite time of the year, and I have this feeling she’s already seeing the world in a lovely hue of black and orange. Her enthusiasm is catching so I too have been trying to find things that’ll help make this year’s creepy celebrations even more frightful. While I was looking for scary songs I came across this video of Screamin’ Jay Hawkins’ “I Put A Spell On You” and could not wait to post it!

On its own the song is just a funny bit of novelty blues, but, good lord, combined with this performance by Screamin’ Jay and his crazy, crazy eyes, the manic whoops and oh yeah, that skull he keeps waving about, it gets an intensely frightening new layer. And I haven’t even started on the last thirty seconds of the video where he starts speaking in tongues, or whatever that is. It’s probably supposed to be funny, but I’m pooping my pants, man! He’s an incredible entertainer and he plays the role of bizarro court jester / Voodoo priest like this is just the way he is when he falls out of bed in the morning, or a coffin, or hanging upside down in a damp, dark place. I almost don’t want to look directly at the man in fear of an actual spell on meehee – I LOVE it!