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JM Cozzoli

A horror genre fan with a blog. Scary.

Teenage Rebellion and
It’s a Bikini World (1967) Pressbook

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Well, it is summer, so here’s a double bill to splash your world: Teenage Rebellion and It’s a Bikini World. America has always been an unruly mess of generational issues, but the 1960s were as turbulent as today’s social and political morass. However, the 1960s got it right, we just didn’t listen: make love, not war. Seems we just love to make war these days. So imagine it’s a warm summer’s evening at your local, nicely air-conditioned theater. It’s the late 1960s all over again, and the double bill is something your date wanted to see, but you could take it or leave it. You really rather see Frankenstein Created Women, but at least It’s a Bikini World has Sig Haig in it, so there’s that. It also was the last gasp, pretty much, for the beach picture genre of sand, songs, and humor. That teenage rebellion had something to do with that. Now, at this point, you’re thinking why pair both movies? Easy answer: Teenage Rebellion spent much of its camera time on girls and bikini’s on girls. Get the picture? And yes, It Came From Hollywood!

Teenage Rebellion and Its a Bikini World pressbook …

Teenage Rebellion and
It’s a Bikini World (1967) PressbookRead More »

Tarzan Lives!
Detroit News Article 1972

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The first person to portray Tarzan in the movies was Elmo Lincoln in 1918. In 1932, Johnny Weismuller assumed the roll and became the definitive Tarzan, although he wasn’t quite the educated man that Edgar Rice Burroughs imagined in his books. Buster Crabbe (Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers) portrayed the ape man in a 1933 serial, and Herman Brix took a turn in 1935. Brix’s serial, The New Adventures of Tarzan, was the only one where Burroughs was involved in the production. Gordon Scott, Ron Ely, and other actors portrayed the jungle lord also. Jane Goodall noted that the Tarzan series had a major influence on her childhood. Jerry Siegel (co-creator of Superman) noted that Tarzan and John Carter of Mars were early inspirations for Superman. As for me, watching the Tarzan movies every Sunday on local television was an essential part of my childhood.

Tarzan Lives Detroit News Article 1972

The Horror Chamber of Dr. Faustus
and The Manster
Pressbook

/ Pressbooks (Horror, Sci Fi, Fantasy) / 3 Comments

The Master Suspense Thrill Show! See The Horror Chamber of Dr. Faustus, cringe in terror from The Manster! Ah, the good old days, when two movies were shown back to back for an admission fee that was about 1/15th the cost of today. You could spend a few leisurely hours in a nicely air-conditioned theater, sitting in the balcony, munching on popcorn (or flicking it across the heads of the patrons below) and too many sugary sweets, watching the horror. Now the horror is more likely seated next to you, with someone eating something smelly, that idiot in the front who can’t seem to stop texting, the guy with the pail of Coke and a small bladder, and you looking back toward the concession stand you can no longer afford. Oh, wait, at least you can spend a few hours–no balcony anymore, bummer–watching a single movie that is as long as a double bill. That’s something, I suppose.

the manster pressbook …

The Horror Chamber of Dr. Faustus
and The Manster
PressbookRead More »

The Manster (1959)
The First Two-Headed Human Monster Movie

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This movie review was originally written for Unsung Horrors, edited by Eric McNaughton. I have a few more reviews in the book, but there are dozens upon dozens of reviews, written by We Belong Dead magazine contributors, sharing their passions for those neglected horror movies you should know about.

Watch out! The Manster and his mad companion Dr. Faustus are terrorizing (your city). This thrill show will be the shock experience of your life. Suspense like Hitchcock! Mood like Tennessee Williams! See The Horror Chamber of Dr. Faustus and The Manster at the Bijou Theatre, NOW! (15 second radio spot copy from the Lopert Pictures Corporation Double Bill Pressbook, The Master Suspense Thrill Show! for The Manster and The Horror Chamber of Doctor Faustus)

The manster posterOkay, so what if Psychotronic described reporter Larry Stanford’s (played by Peter Dyneley) unwelcomed second head as a “carved coconut”? And so what if Bill Warren doesn’t much care for the movie in his so-big-it-could-give-you-a-hernia-reading-it book, Keep Watching the Skies! (He flatly states it “stunk.”) And, well, yes, there’s that dreadful, awfully written monologue given by Matthews (Norman Van Hawley), Stanford’s newspaper boss, who, after the movie should have ended, reflects with “who really did all these things” and “he was just an average joe” musings. Groan.

And I suppose we can’t easily ignore the stagey acting by Larry’s wife in every scene she’s in (played by Jane Hylton, Dyneley’s real-life wife), but especially when she ruins a perfectly good close-up by telling the Police Superintendent (Jerry Ito of Mothra and Message from Space) “when you find him, will you remember something has happened to him, something he can’t control.”

Sure, you bet. Something that makes him kill again and again and grow hair in the worst places, like some Dr. Jekyll strung along for an acid ride with Mr. Hyde. Only this time he’s dressed in a trench coat splattered with blood and has a homicidal second head calling the shots while his first one downs quite a few of the more intoxicating kind.

But let’s ignore all of that and examine the reasons you should see this movie.

The Manster, Half Man-Half Monster (also titled The Split in Britain) was released to U.S. theaters in 1962, on a double bill with The Horror Chamber of Dr. Faustus (which the so-darn-picky Bill Warren found “evocative” and “poetic”). A science fiction movie with horror overtone, The Manster is a low budget, noir-ish looking schlock propelled by a crazed Japanese scientist meddling with nature-flavored tokusatsu body horror.

Certainly any monsterkid worth his electrodes will vividly remember the impact of seeing that horror’s result: first, the unblinking eye peering up from Stanford’s shoulder; soon after followed by that homicidal, hairy, coconut-head sprouting from the same spot. You can bet monsterkids everywhere reacted to this in either of two ways, of course: (1) wishing for an eye to pop up on their shoulders, too, so they could bring it to show-and-tell at school (Munsters and Addams Family chit-chat could only go so far, you know); or (2), for the more squeamish among them, clapping hands to their mouths, hoping that the screams they promised they’d never make hadn’t awakened their sleeping parents who had warned, in no uncertain terms, to NOT stay up late and watch THOSE movies on television.

Yes, The Manster is one of THOSE movies that epitomizes 1950s horror. …

The Manster (1959)
The First Two-Headed Human Monster MovieRead More »

More Not So Boring Movie Radio Spots!

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Forbidden World Movie PosterIt Came From Hollywood by way of Granny Creech…

I was sitting in my kitchen the other morning when Big Abner comes running into my house, his laptop in hand.

“Granny, did you see your latest posting on Zombos’ Closet? he yelled.” He changed it!”

I took his computer from him and I couldn’t believe my eyes.

“Why that old….he took off all of my horror and science-fiction spots and replaced them with beach party spots and spots for some sleazy girlie movies,” I exclaimed.

“Yep, and he called yours “boring”!” added Abner.

I fumed. I thought the spots I had chosen from the It Came From Hollywood collection were pretty good and in keeping with the theme of my postings. But here he called them boring?? Hmmm. I would get to the bottom of this and have a nice long talk with Zombos’ valet, Zoc.

Big Abner sat down with me and we listened to the spots Zoc had chosen to replace mine. The Beach Blanket Bingo spots were pretty interesting and the lobby spots for Beach Party were cool; ah, that Frankie Avalon. Then we listened to the spots for The Student Nurses, The Young Nurses and then The Swinging Barmaids.

“Humpf,” I said. “Who would pay money to go see those movies?” I grumbled.

I looked at Abner. His eyes were glazed over and sweat was beginning to form on his brow.

“Abner!” I said. “Put your tongue back in your mouth and wipe that silly grin off your face.”

“Bye, Granny,” he said abruptly. “I’ve got to go!”

“Where are you off to?” I asked.

“The thrift store! I’ve got to find those movies and watch them….especially The Swinging Barmaids!” And with that he was out the door. …

More Not So Boring Movie Radio Spots!Read More »

Scary Humor with Cracked’s For Monsters Only Magazine

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Cracked's For Monsters Only Issue OneI contributed this article, originally, to 70s Monster Memories, edited by Eric McNaughton (publisher of We Belong Dead magazine). I’m happy to say the book has gone into reprints.

 

In 1965, the neighborhood corner store’s magazine rack was filled with monster magazines and many freshly minted monster kids. Gorged on the zany, horror-host-hosted Shock! television packages of classic (and often spastic) horror and science fiction movies, monsterish humor was hotter than an angry villager’s sputtering torch. It would take maturing monsterkids in the 1970s to clamor for more sophisticated reading, but until then blame Vampira and Forrest J. Ackerman’s Famous Monsters of Filmland for making horror movies cool by poking a little fun, and a lot of puns, their way.

And also profitable. It didn’t’ take a mad scientist’s machinations to realize that by adding funny captions to movie photos (often already owned or loaned from the movie studios), you could easily fill up a magazine’s pages on the cheap.

Carrying this humor angle to the extreme was Cracked’s For Monsters Only: The Official Magazine for All Monsters! Begun in 1965, and running through to its 10th and last issue in 1972, its funny cartoons and illustrations, wacky John Severin drawn comics and covers, and wide assortment of crazy-captioned movie photos populated by aliens, monsters, and other assorted creatures (and their victims), were aimed at the reader’s funny bone instead of his or her jugular vein.

Never quite finding its circulation or format footing, the issues wavered between being overrun by Cracked-slanted cartoons, illustrations, and captioned photos, or nominally kept at bay by non-humorous content, like the The Secret Files of Marc Vangoro’s comic-illustrated stories, tossed in for the horror comics fan, and the informative articles, written by Richard Bojarski, which highlighted the notables of horror along with their movies.

By 1972, Cracked’s For Monster’s Only was doomed. More relevant magazines clamored for the corner store’s rack space, and avid readers, by appealing to the multi-genre fans emerging in the 1970s. Monster kid appetites were becoming more voracious, seasoned by the beginnings of the comic book and popular culture conventions, into devouring anything and everything comic books, horror movies, and science fiction and fantasy. Cracked’s For Monsters Only, whose content was never really enough to satisfy that appetite, and with its publication too sporadic to become more than a mouthful, would be left on the racks and lose its readership faster than a vampire could make a blood bank withdrawal.

But before its end came, the Cracked visual style, led by John Severin, would create an unforgettable visual mix of detail and exaggeration that would bring charm, fancifulness, and satire to the classic monsters that is still highly regarded today.

Following are some notes on each issue for your edification pleasure. …

Scary Humor with Cracked’s For Monsters Only MagazineRead More »

The Masked Rider (1941) Pressbook

/ It Came From Hollywood, Pressbooks (Non-Horror) / Leave a Comment

It Came From Hollywood sends along this pressbook for Johnny Mack Brown’s The Masked Rider. Ford Beebe directed (Night Monster, Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe). Beebe preferred directing westerns, which were the staple movies for many studios at the time. Then the 1950s rolled around and science fiction took over (just like Woody getting sidelined by Buzz Lightyear in Toy Story). John Brown played in many westerns. His handsome mug got a choice spot on Wheaties cereal boxes in 1927, leading to Hollywood and a string of casting in top-liners until he was suddenly replaced during a 1931 movie, Laughing Sinners. According to b-westerns.com “Apparently Brown’s slow, southern drawl caused some problems when talkies arrived, and MGM opted not to renew his contract.” His career nose-dived and he changed his name to Johnny Mack Brown and starred in B-movie westerns, which made him quite popular.

The Masked Rider 1943 pressbook The Masked Rider 1943 pressbook The Masked Rider 1943 pressbook The Masked Rider 1943 pressbook

Stairway to Heaven (1946) Pressbook
It’s Heavenly

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This 12-page, large format, pressbook for Stairway to Heaven, 1946 (the American title), is heavenly. Lots of promotion, articles, and theater lobby eye-candy to bring in the romantic couples. You can thank director Joe Dante (Gremlins, Piranha, The Howling, need I continue?) for sending along this beauty to ZC. This movie is a fantasy romance and stands at 20 in the British Film Institutes’ 100 Best British Movies list. Operation Ethel, the massive escalator built for the titular stairway between here and there, cost a lot of money at the time, but was noteworthy onscreen. Bosley Crowther, the persnickety film critic for the New York Times liked it–a miracle right there.

stairway to heaven 1943 pressbook …

Stairway to Heaven (1946) Pressbook
It’s HeavenlyRead More »

It Came From Hollywood Radio Spots!
It’s All About the Girls!

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Beach Blanket Bingo Dell Comic
Source: The Mermaid Wiki

Courtesy of It Came From Hollywood, and through the peregrinations of one Granny Creech, come these hot radio spots for movies from a time when women were eye-candy and men were drooling idiots oggling and dreaming about them as they appeared in various states of distress and undress on the silver screen (story, what story?) We’ve come a long way, baby, as Loretta Lynn sang in her song (which was based on an advertising slogan to entice women to smoke Virginia Slims and get cancer like the men: equal rights for all!) Now you can enjoy these racy radio spots in the privacy of your own computer space. Lucky you.

And now a word from Granny…

I was cleaning up the kitchen the other day after an all-nighter of cooking up some of my famous brew when I heard an awful noise coming from the front of my house.  It sounded like something was being dragged, creating a loud screeching sound. I hurried to the front door and opened it, and my eyes fell upon a creepy sight. Coming up my sidewalk were two ghastly figures, both wearing worn black suits with top hats, and dragging what appeared to be a large coffin-shaped wooden box. I approached them and asked what in the world they were doing.

“Are you Granny Creech?” the one on the left asked in a creaky old voice.

“I am. What are you two doing here?”

“My name is Paul McShroud. This is my business associate Robert O’Graves. We have something for you.”

I went and looked at the large wooden box, the top fastened to the bottom with a large rusty lock.

“What is this? What’s in it?”, I asked.

“This is a collection of a lifetime,” Mr. O’Graves said. “We need to pass all of this along and we knew it would be safe and cared for in your hands.” he added. (ZC Note: I found out later the stuff was HOT! They had to ditch it fast and Granny is such a pushover.)

Mr. McShroud reached in his pocket and pulled out an old key. He unlocked the rusty old lock and together he and Mr. O’Graves opened it. I peered in and couldn’t believe my eyes. It was full of musty old radio spots and all sorts of promotional audio material. I stood there with my mouth wide open and glanced at the two cadaverous persons in front of me. …

It Came From Hollywood Radio Spots!
It’s All About the Girls!Read More »

The Moor (2023)
When More Should be Less

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The Moor 2023 movie poster

Zombos Says: Almost fully terrifying, but bogs down from a slow pace.

Some movies take a lot of time to build suspense or atmosphere. I think movement is more important than time. That movement can come from the camera, from dialog, and from how the story plays out. The Moor, directed by Chris Cronin and written by Paul Thomas has four truly chilling moments surrounded by a lot of dull moments that stretch its running time almost as large as the titular Moor that Bill (David Edward-Robertson), Claire (Sophia La Porta), Ellie (Elizabeth Dormer-Philips), Alex (Mark Peachey), and Liz (Vicki Hackett) find themselves trudging through. I will say up front that Sam Cronin, the cinematographer, makes me dislike that moor (filmed in Yorkshire, England). The endless, boggy and foggy moor-scape imaged here is, alone, quite unsettling. I can see why this movie won the Best Scare at the Total Film FrightFest Awards in 2023, but you will need to be patient because the scares come toward the last third or so of the movie. The last scare, on that dreary moor, is classic.

The Moor 2023 movie scene

Bill’s son went missing twenty-five years ago. Since then, he has been searching the moor with the help of Liz, a ranger with experience and sense, something he starts losing throughout the movie. He approaches Claire, a former podcaster, to drum up attention to the case again, as the child-abductor is actually known and was sent to prison for twenty-five years. But with the chance of him being released, Bill is desperate to find anything on the moor that will keep him in prison. …

The Moor (2023)
When More Should be LessRead More »

Exhuma (2024) Movie Review

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Exhuma movie poster“Hello?”

“I’m calling for Zoc.”

“Yes?

“Hi. I’m Will Cast from Mirackle Streaming.”

“I’m sorry, who?”

“Will Cast. You know. Our motto is if it’s good streaming it’s a mirakle.”

“Oh, right. I think I got you in a bundle with Disney+ and Shudder. What can I do for you?”

“Yeah, don’t get me started on those bundles. It’s like cable all over again. Anyway, we’re pushing the South Korean creeper, Exhuma. Made a lot of money over there and its got some legs with all the Korean and Japanese political and supernatural elements. They do good ghost stories, though a bit slow-walking to watch, but always moody and broody, you know what I mean?

“Yes, on pacing. Just finished watching the Norwegian Handling the Undead. A lot of slow-walking there but has its moments, some intense ones, so memorable.”

“Yeah, well this baby keeps your eyes busy with inquisitive camera movement, ominous and dreary atmosphere, and murderous ghosts. Especially one really big Japanese ghost–really an anima, as they say in the movie–that likes sweetfish and mellons and slaughtering people for their livers. Reminds me of that big demon, Samri, in Purana Mandir.

“It’s gory then?”

“Nah, tame stuff compared to what the U.S. puts out today.”

“What about the characters?” …

Exhuma (2024) Movie ReviewRead More »