SPOOKY SPECIAL EDITION

Throughout its short run (*celebrating 3 years of gothic centric drama on the 25th of October*) TO BENIGHT & BEGUILE's main focus has been on the complicated and often times terrifying romances of tortured heroine Evie Jordan-Lord. First was her tragic marriage to Sebastian Lord that left him a vampire and her a single mother with several stays in a sanitarium and more recently freshly freed from being buried alive. In between asylum stints, there was a short connection with Constable Christian Evans whose mind was brain-washed by Evie's therapist to use him as his own personal hitman. More recently, however, her paramour has been hero fisherman and back-from the dead Matthew Winterborn who miraculously survived a shipwreck only to recover with slight amnesia.

But another love story is slowly emerging into view that seems to have a lasting impact on the Welshport canvas: that of the very unlikely pairing of former Lord family page Filipe Braga and novice sorceress Mary Goode. 

The twosome's previous relationships fizzled out in dramatic fashion which helped draw them together. Filipe had a decade long relationship with Celeste DeViana, a woman he believed was the love of his life. They lived together and adored each other for all that time until a family secret involving Celeste's younger brother Johnathon being the illegitimate son of the late Albert Lord changed everything. Celeste realized that diabolical Jacob Lord would have a bullseye on their mutual half-brother who stood to inherit a hefty portion of the family fortune, and so, to protect Johnathon, Celeste had an affair with Jacob twisting him into a relationship so tightly that he'd never betray her and kill Johnathon out of loyalty to his love interest-- that affair with his former boss Jacob, devastated Filipe. 

Similarly flows Mary's past. Her most significant lover to date has been, ironically, Jacob Lord. The two share a 14-year-old daughter Charlotte born when they were still on good terms. Jacob's wondering eye moved over to his brother's wife Sabrina and when Sabrina did not return his affections he killed her in a crime of passion. After the murder Jacob's mental breakdown trickled down to his relationship with Mary-- sabotaging it anyway he could by cruelly damaging Mary's reputation around town then taking custody of their daughter.

Filipe & Mary's connection came as shocking twist of fate thanks in part to being held prisoner together by Jacob. As time ticked away in their imprisonment, they believed they were in their final moments of life and their wish for one last moment of passion came true and they made love. Thankfully, they were saved by Charlotte before it was too late and realized together, they were stronger than apart and their love bloomed.

It hasn't been easy for Mary and Filipe. The trials and tribulations of life in Welshport has seen them battle evil demons to save their respective friends and families, thanklessly of course. Mary's reliance on the book of spells she inherited from her late mother Eliza has too brought major heartache: a wayward member of Mary's coven helped decode the spell book but went rogue and physically attacked Mary causing her to miscarry her child with Filipe. 

Filipe himself hasn't remained unscathed. His recent battle with a ghostly wolf has left him cursed, and Mary is currently scrambling to find a way to save him before the full moon comes. They have, together, fought major foes and survived and luckily have kept their growing family together safe and strong. And yet, the biggest and most dangerous test is still to come. 

In an exclusive BOOK6 spoiler: Mary discovers the way to cure Filipe of his wolf curse but only if she can find her missing cousin Sebastian who vanished at the beginning of Book6. Evie, who has moved on from Sebastian as best she can, is the only person who knows where Sebastian is and it's uncertain if she'll reveal his location to Mary. All this is predicated on, of course, if they all survive Filipe's transition into a werewolf! 

In Book6, not everyone will escape with their lives but who'll be left to tell the tale?

New Chapters of "TO BENIGHT & BEGUILE" are posted
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THE PHIX-SIX WITH WRITER/VLOGGER of

RESIDENT OF COLLINWOOD: JULE T. SAYNES

It's that time of year again when all of the creepy crawly and all things unknown make their appearance on TV and Movie screens around the world. Whether it's your favorite slasher film or the latest season of scary shows audiences are keen to get into spooky season once stories of ghosts and goblins, demons and hauntings flood their senses. 

But where does all this ghostly inspiration come from and is it all just regurgitations of the same frightening song and monster mash of days gone by? I thought I'd ask one my favorite Horror gurus Jule T. Sayes of YouTube's RESDIENT OF COLLINWOOD to find out-- a superb source of the genre especially on late Gothic Soap DARK SHADOWS. 

THE PHIX FILES: Over the decades shows like shows like Dark Shadows, The Twilight Zone, Twin Peaks, The X-Files and more recently American Horror Story, have moved into a more mainstream realm but at the same time stall as a niche form of drama. As a fan of all things horror, why do you think this genre is still so polarizing? 

JULE SAYNES: Yes, they're very polarizing, and yet more relevant now than ever is Gothic horror, even though DS has been off the air for well over 50 years you can see it's gothic influence in shows today. 

PHIX: In my opinion, Dark Shadows will forever be the granddaddy of TV Gothic Horror, the one that built them all. Its remained incredibly popular even after being off the air for 50 years. What made it special? 

JULE: DS is just timeless! I was wearing my Barnabas Collins shirt, and twenty different people stopped me at Walmart and said 'Hey that's Barnabas, man I miss Dark Shadows', DS will live forever with us all.

PHIX: It definitely has lived forever. Sort of ironically, give that it's predominantly about vampire that's been around for centuries. There is something about the way the stories in the show hit that really make it oddly universal in the world of soaps. On that note, do you think there's a character trope in gothic/horror serials that are overused or done in a way that cheapens a series of this genre? For example: the evil witch, the lonely vampire etc.?

JULE: This is a great question, there can be, but it's also up to the writer or writers to make those creatures different. For example, what if there is a vampire who runs a hotel, or a witch who owns a bar, what if these supernatural creatures were hiding in plain sight.

PHIX: Oh I like that! Yes, open up those kinds of shadowy characters to have a more modern life instead of just lurking around spooky old houses. On your YouTube show "Resident of Collinwood" you speak to guests often about the influence Horror TV shows and films have had on pop culture. If you could pick just one or two shows or films, which do you think are the most influential and why? 

JULE: Lets take a look at horror in general: Monsters, the supernatural. It all seems to fit together. Not just talking Dark Shadows, look at the world Dracula and Frankenstein's Monster they include elements of science. You have all of these fields of horror and science that merge together. Some of it is supernatural some of it is scientific. The Invisible Man incorporates science too! So whether accidental or on purpose you have other elements that brings it all together and create something that really lasts and makes an impression on the audience. Another genre like Westerns, which you know I like westerns too, do this. Star Wars is basically a science fiction western. The bringing together of other elements into storytelling is what makes things influential and really make the audience pay attention and not realize they're watching so many different types of narratives in one. You watch something you like and think 'What made me love this?' and its never just one thing, its many. 

PHIX: I've always found your writing incredibly imaginative, and I've read several of your short stories and serials. I think my favorites had to be your serial The Desert Rose Killer and your Dark Shadows series. Will you have anything new or revive any in the coming months?

JULE: Writing has been very slow for me, due to time constraints, I think I am going to take down my stories and start all over with something else.

PHIX: Let me know when you get something new up! Speaking of new, CBS is (in my opinion) renewing the face of daytime TV with a new soap opera called "Beyond the Gates". It'll probably be very traditional in-line with their current two shows. Given the simi-popularity of spooky primetime shows (thanks to Ryan Murphy really) right now, could you ever imagine a revival of shows on daytime like Dark Shadows, Strange Paradise, Passions of even Port Charles (General Hospital spin off that dabbled in gothic romance)? 

JULE: Yes, and I hope we get a new DS or a new Nightstalker!

PHIX: THANKS FOR THE CHAT JULE! Hope to see more stories soon! 

You can catch up on all of Jule's interviews on his
YOUTUBE Channel by clicking the image below!

PHIX'S PIX 
SIX: Soap's GREATEST Frights 

MARLENA EVANS POSESSED-- Days of Our Lives

If you're a 90's soap kid, you'll remember the autumn of 1994 when in an effort to win the love of his favorite kidnapping victim Dr. Marlena Evans, DAYS super villain Stefano DiMera had the good doctor hypnotized to trick her affections. Unfortunately, this left Doc Marlena suspectable to evil forces and bing-bang-boom the devil came and got her! What was truly creepy was seeing such a beloved character turn so freakin' evil! The levitation, the shapeshifting, the pea soup spitting (note to anyone else do not feed possessed people pea soup they will always spit it out) and of course that menacing voice! It was all a nightmare on soap street and it became an instant iconic story. 

CARLY MANNING BURIED ALIVE -- Days of our Lives

Speaking of nightmares just the year before Marlena's possession, another doctor on DAYS went to an early grave! So, early she wasn't even dead. You see, Dr. Carly Manning's world went dark after her biological son Nicholas, whom she thought died, reappeared as the adopted son of the diabolical Vivian Alamain. Vivian was so threatened that Carly would take back her darling Nicky, she enlisted the help of an herbal specialist and gave Carly herbs that made her look dead. Viv succeeded too! Carly had a whole funeral, burial etc. but that wasn't all! Carly eventually woke from her dead like state in her buried coffin and Aunt Viv began tormenting her through a speaker she placed inside. Eventually everything was exposed, and Carly was saved before suffocation, but Salem was never the same again!

CHARITY STANDISH GOES TO HELL -- Passions

Love has a weird way of making us do crazy things, and as for Kay Bennet of PASSIONS that meant selling the soul of her good-witch cousin Charity to evil witch Hecuba in return of the love of handsome Miguel Lopez-FitzGerald. Kay's obsessions and jealousy of Charity and Miguel's love was such that she had, apparently, no other choice but to sell Charity's soul to Hecuba who knew just how powerful a witch Charity was. Question is where's the best place to stash a more powerful sorceress? Lock her in the flames of hell of course! When everyone discovered this, a portal in a closet of all places was where Charity's family watched her torment in the flames. Really dark stuff, even by Passions standards! In the end, Charity survived her hellfire torment and is now a nun somewhere. 

CORINTH SERIAL KILLER-- Loving 

Serial killers in Soaps have a long sordid history: Salem Slasher/Staker on DAYS, The Blackmailer on PASSIONS, Mark on SUNSET BEACH, but something about The Corinth killer on LOVING hit different. First of all, people were dying left and right and all in really similar ways. The show was practically liquidating the cast due to it's cancellation as it was and setting up for a major rebrand as THE CITY (that's for another blog). When town heroine Gwyn Alden was revealed to be the insane culprit running around this New England town killing all her friends and family to "take away their pain"-- her words not mine -- she turned the needle on herself and ended it all. A very dark end to a show that was supposed to be about love! 

KIMBERLY'S TRAUMA --Melrose Place

In the craziest apartment complex TV has ever seen there were a slew of wild events that'd make even the most casual watcher wonder WTF is going on here! But the story that made your blood run cold was the deterioration of MELROSE PLACE's deranged Dr. Kimberly Shaw's sanity. Most times, Kimberly was in a world all her own, but when she was haunted by a voice and face of a man she called Henry things came crashing down. Everywhere Kim turned there was Henry's creepy face in a reflection taunting her to do the unthinkable -- BLOW up Melrose Place! Which she did! Later after Peter Burns brings Kim's mom to the looney-bin she's been stashed away at, it is revealed that Henry's haunting was really Kim's suppressed childhood memory of the family gardener that she caught raping her mother -- chilling stuff!

MAGGIE'S KIDNAPPING -- Dark Shadows

When no-good-grave-robbing-jewel thief Willie Loomis stuck his crowbar into an ancient coffin in 1967, no one knew the hell it would unleash in the little town of Collinsport. Whispers around town grew when local farmer's discovered cows on their land drained of all their blood. Then additional horrifying news of local waitress Maggie Evans suddenly vanished into the night. The entire mystery set town's nerves on edge! The culprit in both cases: Vampire Barnabas Collins of course. Everyone in town thought a deranged mad man was on the loose murdering livestock and taking young women. Little did they know the man they all saw as a reclusive and shy member of the Collins clan had a taste for human blood and locking up young women in a dungeon below his crumbling mansion. Maggie began to feel hopelessly trapped in Barnabas' clutches. Yet her luck would change when the ghost of a little girl helped Maggie escape, not before she'd fall prey again to Dr. Julia Hoffman's hypnosis-- a ploy crafted by Barnabas to virtually erase Maggie's memories of her captor. Lucky is the vampire! 

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