Zombos’ Closet…a vast trove of endearingly cheap thrills, including movie and book reviews, and scans of his collections of cinema pressbooks, goofy paper-cutout Halloween decorations, and his amazing collection of Mexican lobby cards from B-grade films. If you have time to descend into a serious rabbit-hole of marvelous trash-culture nostalgia, visit that site just as soon as you possibly can.” (DangerousMinds.net)
Ugghhh…
Hello, Children. You’ll have to pardon me. Your old Granny is feeling the after-effects of an over–indulgence of candy, pies, desserts of all kinds, eggnog and food, food, and more food that I have had since the holidays started back in late October. All this yummy stuff was too good to pass up! I’m sure there are a lot of you out there suffering from Holiday Hangover. But, it was all worth it! It’ll just take a few more days to recover.
I just love the holiday season. Cool weather means Halloween, then Thanksgiving and Christmas. And then the anticipation of a new year and all the good things to come. There is just something magical about this time of year and I look forward to it with eager anticipation. It’s just a time for family, friends, sharing, and good times.
And speaking of good times, this past Halloween’s Monster Bash was a hit. We all are still talking about it. An added treat for me was when “Me and My Mummy” from the album Monster Mash was playing and The Radio Reaper approached me and asked if I could follow him back to his crypt. I did, and it was then he handed me a dusty old record of radio spots he had found buried at the bottom of his reliquary. I looked at it and commented that I had forgotten about these two features from the ‘50s that were released together as a double bill. I thanked him for the record and we hurried back to the party. I was anxious to hear the spots and present them to you. So, enjoy the spots for Return of the Fly and The Alligator People. …
Return of the Fly
and The Alligator People
Radio SpotsRead More »
I won’t be using words like masterpiece or homerun, or the usual hyperbole punted around too easily in reviews these days, but Nick Roberts is a writer to reckon with and his The Exorcist’s House: Genesis is rather a bold attempt at moving the exorcism-horror trope a rung up on the ladder of creativity, through a more complex story structure tied into his growing novel-verse, centered around a recurring evil. It doesn’t reach quite high enough, though, with its overarching story split across twenty-seven chapters alternating between two distinct timelines that don’t mesh until one, by necessity, takes precedence toward the end. It is as if Roberts wrote two novels, then decided to combine both into one. Each half moves itself up the ladder, but the two main timelines and their multiple past and present events and summaries, to tie in Robert’s prior novel, The Exorcist’s House, serve only to stifle the main narrative flow, killing its suspense-building and leading to a one-sided climactic battle (which, not so surprisingly, primes the next book in this exorcism-fueled novel-verse).
The more immersive narrative comes from the backstory timeline of 1967 with Merle Blatty, whose farmhouse becomes the titular epicenter of evil. Merle is quite a character: plain spoken, simple-living, smokes too much, but he is a reluctant yet determined exorcist. Note Merle’s last name too, which is a nod to William Peter Blatty, who wrote the granddaddy of them all, The Exorcist (and its sequel, Legion). Roberts gives nods to other fictional works here and there, usually through a character’s dialog. Horror fans may find that gratifying, but it tends to pull at the threads of Robert’s own storyline logic with these incessant, wink-wink, intrusions.
The 1967 timeline begins with chapter one, and what a chapter it is. Not only the best chapter in the book, but an exemplary chapter that sets a tone and mood that fails to continue through the alternating timelines of Merle’s for 1967 and 1973, and those of the Hill Family for 1997. Every action and description in chapter one is saturated with Merle’s determination and the evil power he is up against as he meets the Spider—the main entity of destruction hopping into Merle’s life and taking up residence in his farmhouse—through a visit to Ward F, the criminally insane ward of Weston State Hospital.
From there the book alternates between Merle’s trials and tribulations and Daniel Hill’s struggle against the ever-increasing terrors facing his family in 1997 when his none-too-bright brother Adam, looking to do an Amityville Horror-styled expose for quick money, returns to the farmhouse and opens the well in the basement–actually rather easily, given how it was supposed to be sealed good and tight after the last foray into the supernatural.
The well provides the otherworld portal between the story’s here, and the hellish there, and a cramped home for the Spider, an emissary (outcast?), looking to please something older, more powerful, and just as malevolent. Robert’s Spider is a unique supernatural character in that it is serving (or hopes to serve and impress) another being who seems indifferent to it, to curry favor and personal stature. It is also described as having combined demonic and human qualities, giving it the power to send strands of control through minds and souls across great distances, even when sealed in the well. So anxious to please its master, the Spider’s intentions provide a depth to its nature and goals, creating a more dimensionally fleshed-out creature beyond its usual deadly persuasions while still keeping it all very mysterious and even pitiable, like some Igor-like mad scientist’s assistant. While Roberts is not one for lengthy character descriptions, he does devote his best efforts to the Spider’s gory handling of anyone, either possessed or getting in the way, with aplomb.
The 1997 timeline kicks into high gear as it moves between the two Hill brothers, Daniel and Adam, as Adam unwittingly unleashes the Spider from the well and both Daniel’s family and Adam’s friends fall under the Spider’s growing control, increasing the body count gore and the blood flow. Two priests, although mentioned in flashback and in the current predicament, remain mostly referred to instead of active participants until the climax, which, given the buildup Robert’s painstakingly assembles through his complicated narrative structure, makes priestly intervention less stellar than anticipated. Remember how Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining treated the Dick Halloran character? That’s the same treatment given in the final battle between the Spider, Daniel, a priest, and assorted living and dead family members: lots of build-up to a too quick and one-sided, mostly, ending.
A simpler story structure and more good versus evil give and take would have made The Exorcist’s House: Genesis a stronger entry on the exorcism theme. But as a critic, my jaded mileage varies from yours, the reader, who just wants a good horror to snuggle up to. If that is where your mileage takes you, then, yes, Nick Roberts provides enough terror and bloody bits to make you want to snuggle up with a hot drink, a single light on, and this novel, especially if you have already read The Exorcist’s House. He may also sour you from visiting old farmhouses with old wells in their basements too, but that’s entirely on him. I personally find such places way too creepy anyway. I recommend you read the Merle Blatty chapters completely through before turning to the Hill Family’s struggles in their chapters. Taken in that order the horror mood may just leap up at you even more.
John M. Cozzoli, Staff Book Reviewer for The Horror Zine
Here are the centerfolds for 47 issues (complete run was 48 plus specials) of The Monster Times magazine from the 1970s. Not familiar with The Monster Times? Read all about it. Issue 23 was not printed in tabloid format but was magazine-sized, so didn’t have a centerfold. Instead, it had three color pages spread throughout the issue. Issue 39 also did not have a centerfold, but focused on the classic monsters. I included the page for Frankenstein’s monster, though it wasn’t in color, as an example. Issue 44 reprinted the centerfold from issue 7. If you’d like to read the issues, you can find them here. Just do a search on them. At one point Fangoria was looking to rekindle the brand name and post the issues, but that never materialized.
I highly recommend Welcome to the Monster Times, another, more insanely organized, archive for TMT. A final note: TMT was printed on newspaper, a cheap and highly acidic medium. Combined with some iffy printing, the images are hard to capture in their original glory. I did work on these to present the best visual quality I could muster without ruining the original vibe, so I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. And if you decide to grab a few issues off of eBay, make sure to hang up the centerfolds in your man cave or she shed or whatever you call your cave. Be cool like a monsterkid.
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Greetings, lovers of all things Halloween!
Have you all recovered? Mercy, it has been a week to remember! Everyone here in Squirrel Hollow is still talking about how much fun Halloween was this year and how successful our Monster Bash was.
Let me tell you all about it. It first started with the annual Trick or Treat time in town. All the houses were decorated so lovingly with jack o’lanterns, ghosts, spiders, skeletons and assorted creepy scenes eerily lit to add to the scary mood. At my house I had my usual CD playing various screams, moans and haunted house sound effects to entice the little monsters to my door…if they so dared, and they came in droves.
Once there, I welcomed them with the sad news that Uncle Edgar had died earlier in the week, but that we had his brain preserved and floating in a large jar of formaldehyde. They could touch it if they wanted, and many did. Others said, “No!” (Hee hee). After that my trusted assistant, Creepy, offered them some rubber bugs and worms, and edible treats. Lastly, I offered the female monsters a mouse that I had caught in the basement earlier in the day. Again, many accepted the creepy, wriggling little critters while others shrieked and ran away. It was all fun and exciting.
At midnight, everyone gathered at the Witchwood Cemetery for the Monster Bash. What a time! All the residents turned out for the party, and it was a blast. We had food of all kinds…eyeballs (grapes), veins and arteries (spaghetti), fresh cadaver meat (hamburgers) and finger sandwiches (!), as well as all the Witch’s Brew you wanted. Great Granddaughter Grizelda brought her old cassette player and the 1962 “Monster Mash” album supplied the dance music.
After a while, we had the best costume awards, and then Uncle Oscar, caretaker for the cemetery, entertained everyone with stories of the origin of the cemetery and of its first residents. He concluded with a few short ghost stories and then… it was time for the finale…the best scream contest.
We had thirteen contestants and the winner was Sophronia Hauntshade who let loose with a blood-curdling, mournful wail that seemed to last forever. It was loud enough to wake the dead…if they hadn’t already been awake and partying with us, and it echoed through the countryside. (It was later reported in the newspaper that residents of the Crescent Hotel in Eureka Springs heard it wafting through the Ozarks ‘way over there and wondered who had been murdered).
After everyone’s ears had stopped ringing, she was awarded the Scream Award Urn for her efforts.
Morning was approaching and everyone bid each other goodbye, the residents of Witchwood returned to their assigned places and we all went home, tired but exhilarated from the day’s events. It was a night to be remembered and talked about for weeks to come.
And, dear children, that is how my Halloween went. It was a night of fun, spooky imaginings, candy, treats, and make believe. I hope yours was equally memorable.
Next week…radio spots for a monstrous double-feature from 1959!
Winners of the various costume contests at the Monster Bash. Photos taken by Big Abner Creech with his vintage Kodak camera.
Longtime ZC reader, West Nelson, sends along this Florida Frontiers Radio Program Number 565 with Ricou Browning. The full show is very interesting, so I recommend you give it a listen. This snippet contains the Ricou Browning segment. In it he talks about the Gill-Man and Flipper. (Thanks, West!)
Count Yorga, Vampire, helped bridge the Victorian-styled, mostly in the country vampire, to the urban vampire, prowling city streets for his (or her) next victim. Holding this movie back from becoming a more impressive note in the history of cinema vampires is its bare bones budget and lack of style in direction. Robert Quarry is a standout in the role, but he’s given a pedestrian script that lacks nuance and vitality. That aside, it did spawn a sequel, so the box office was less lifeless than the movie.
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Here are some naughty terror tales to keep you busy while munching on your candy swag from trick or treating. Of course, if you’re an adult, you can just buy the stuff and pig out (a perk, really, no begging involved, and you can avoid the weird things some people think make good treats). This magazine will definitely not cause cavities, but may give you nightmares. We can only be so lucky.
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Greetings, My Children!
Old Granny Creech here just bursting with excitement! Why? Because it’s Halloween week!
Things have been very busy in Squirrel Hollow because we’ve all been getting ready for our annual Monster Bash at the Witchwood Cemetery late Halloween night. It promises to be the best ever as we have a lot of new residents eagerly waiting to join the festivities.
For this installment of radio spots, I’ve decided to feature 15 odds-and-ends that capture the wide spectrum of spooks and apparitions that will surely make an appearance at your house this Halloween evening to terrorize and torment you. I hope you appease them with some delectable treat of some sort, dead or…alive (hee hee). These spots are from my collection and that of the old cadaver himself, The Radio Reaper.
I’ll be back next week to see how you all survived and to give a report on the ghastly goings-on at the Bash. Oh…and by the way…you are invited if you dare to come and join in the fun after you’ve finished appeasing the little monsters that come to your door. The party starts at midnight. Just wear your favorite disguise or, if you are scary enough, just come as you are. We all will be there. There will be lots to do and goodies to eat. Plus, lots of my Witch’s Brew to go around!
I hope to see you there! Bring a date, if you can dig one up. And, remember: “Don’t spook until you’re spooken too!” Beware!
Happy Halloween!!
4D Man, Circus of Horrors, The Blob and Dinosaurus Radio Spots
The Creeping Flesh, The Green Slime, The Haunted Strangler, The Thing From Another World, Thirteen Ghosts (Lobby Spot) Radio Spots
Paul McVay over at It Came From Hollywood dug deep to find these radio spots. Here’s what Paul had to say about them.
“Filmways had barely completed their purchase of American International before rushing out massive movie marathon packages to any exhibitor who would take them, and to their credit, it was a pretty smart idea. Attempting to recoup as much money as they could on their investment before they themselves went bankrupt.
“Filmways put together four black-film-oriented movie packages that appealed to every kind of theater and every time of day. Represented here are two of the four packages, Black Classic Unit 2 & Black Classic Unit 4. They include the “All-Day Motion Picture Marathon,” the All-Night Motion Picture Marathon, and the ultra groovy Dusk-To-Dawn Drive-In Movie Marathon. The movies included in the Black Classic Unit 2 package were Truck Turner (1974), Cooley High (1973), Bucktown (1975), and, for
some reason, Kung Fu Killers (1974). Each cut is tailored to that specific movie-going experience, be it all night at the Drive-in, all night at your local hardtop or if you weren’t encumbered by a job, all day long in your favorite local theater.
Black Classic Unit 4 included Friday Foster (1975), Slaughter (1972), Cornbread, Earl, and Me (1975), and Black Mamma, White Mamma (1973.) There are three 60-second cuts for each package for a total of six 60-second spots. All are highly polished with film audio drop-ins, sound effects, and some wonderful funky backing tracks. All six spots are different from each other. This was, perhaps, the last time radio advertising for film was this satisfying.”
Black Classic 2-All Day Motion Picture Marathon
Black Classic 2-All Nght Motion Picture Marathon
Black Classic 2-Dusk to Dawn DI Movie Marathon
Black Classic 4-All Day Motion Picture Marathon
Black Classic 4-All Night Motion Picture Marathon
Black Classic 4-Dusk to Dawn DI Motion Picture Marathon
Lloyd Bridges only movie serial, Secret Agent X-9, also featured two actors who played Charlie Chan’s sons in that popular movie series, Key Luke and Benson Fong. Going after a synthetic fuel formula provides the motivation for thirteen chapters of action and cliff hangers. Universal was unique with their serials by not providing the traditional chapter recap of the story so far. Instead, they had characters in a following chapter recap, through their dialog, what transpired in the previous chapter (as noted in Gripping Chapters: The Sound Movie Serial, by Ron Backer, BearManor Media). Universal did a Secret Agent X-9 serial in 1937 too. That storyline centered around stolen jewels. Both serials were based on the comic strip character of the same name written by Dashiell Hammett and drawn by Alex Raymond.
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Myron Fass of Eerie Publications came out with this non-comic look at Dracula in 1976 (with the short story, Dracula’s Guest, by Bram Stoker, included). It was followed up with another one-shot, Revenge of Dracula, in 1977. Both covers featured Bela Lugosi as the undead count. In Revenge, Sheridan Le Fanu’s Carmilla was added. John Thomas Church provided the non-prose content for both. Revenge was the last magazine to be published by Myron Fass under the Eerie Publications name as he and Stanley Harris split over differences and Harris took the name with him in 1977.
In The Weird World of Eerie Publications by Mike Howlett (Feral House), he recounts how things came to a head. Fass kept a gun in the office. “In the summer of 1976, there was the typical tension in the air, and Myron Fass was storming around the office after having a heated argument with Harris. He retreated to his office and then a gunshot rang out.”
“It was really loud, and everybody freaked out, Howard Smukler recalled. “We had a number of gay editors/artists, or at least non-violent English major types, and they were really going nuts.” The shot went through the wall into Harris’ office, barely missing him.
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Wow! I didn’t know last week’s article would have such a reaction!
The gang and I went to Witchwood Cemetery to plan our layout for the upcoming Monster Bash on Halloween and I was besieged by countless apparitions, spooks, cadavers and assorted goblins all wanting to tell me what their favorite Harryhausen film is. They also wanted to share their favorite scenes and why they liked them and how great the effects were. The responses were as varied as the ghouls themselves. We all set around on various tombstones sharing recollections and stories about these films. They truly have had an impact on monsterkids past and present.
After a few hours of sharing, the gals and I did eventually get to plan for The Bash as most of the ghoulish beings had made their way back to their assigned places of repose. I was exhausted from all the talking and moderating the discussions. They liked my radio spots and were excited to see what this week’s entry would bring.
Sadly, I just have two remaining titles to feature, and the movies are some of Ray’s best: The Valley of Gwangi and The Golden Voyage of Sinbad.
What can I say about The Valley of Gwangi? The visual effects are near perfect, especially the roping scene between the cowboys and Gwangi. I am still amazed by that sequence and can appreciate the time that went into filming it. Matching the miniature model ropes to the live action plate ropes is something to see! I just wonder how many trips Ray made from the camera’s viewfinder to the model stage and back to ensure the perfect lineup? He had more patience than I ever did! I’m also sure that sequence brought back bittersweet memories of working with his mentor Willis O’Brien on a similar set-up for Mighty Joe Young. Obie would have been proud of the Gwangi one.
In addition, the battle between Gwangi and the elephant surely caused him to harken back to his days working on 20 Million Miles to Earth. This time, though, the sequence is more brutal, as it is plain Gwangi is out for blood and not merely defending himself as the Ymir was. Also the initial appearance of Gwangi is well done and comes as a surprise. Imagine chasing a little critter only to run into a full-grown Allosaurus. Whoops! Better turn around quick!
I watched Sinbad the other day just to refresh my memory of it and was surprised how really good it is. The locations and set pieces were some of his best. It has a grittier look about it compared to 1958’s The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad. Characterizations are good and John Phillip Law does an admirable job as Sinbad. And don’t forget Caroline Munro: She was one of the highlights of the film for most male monsterkids.
The spots for The Valley of Gwangi are effective, although they don’t tell the whole story. My only gripe with them is Gwangi’s roar: Did Rodan fill in for him? The spots for The Golden Voyage of Sinbad are somewhat different from what we are used to. It was the ‘70s after all.
So, I present them here as the end of my two-week tribute to Ray Harryhausen, the man who had an effect on many monsterkids through the years. He was a pioneer and an inspiration to us all. He will live on through his movies, and his movies will still make us wonder, ”How did he do that?”
The Golden Voyage of Sinbad Radio Spots (including those done by Stan Lee)
Valley of Gwangi Radio Spots
Do you have any movie radio spots you would like to share? Contact Gary at [email protected].