You may call it a B movie, but any film starring Boris Karloff is aces with me. The Man They Could Not Hang was one of 20 titles included in the Son of Shock movie package for television broadcast in 1958.
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With its mystery and suspense building, The Maze can be seen as a transitional movie between the supernatural horror of the 1940s to the scientific and alien horrors of the 1950s. The shock makeup is not quite up to par, not even by 1950s standards. But a little gem of horror it remains. I know YouTube had a 3D copy for view, but you need a big screen to appreciate the depth. This and Night Monster would make an excellent double bill viewing for a midnight show (your home or in the theater 😉 Here's the comic reader version: Download The Maze Pressbook
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Here is the 1958 re-release pressbook for Walt Disney's Peter Pan animated movie. Lots of merchandising (the Disney pressbooks are filled to the brim with it) and a wonderful coloring page for Peter make this a good pressbook promotion to movie theaters. Here is the comic book reader version: Download Peter Pan R58 Pressbook
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Also known as Phantom of the Ferris Wheel and A Cold Wind from Hell, here's another example of hidden disfigurement and revenge. Comic book reader version: Download Pyro-Thing Without a Face Pressbook
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Gamma radiation, space exploration, the 1950s. A perfect match up for date night at the local movie house. Here's the pressbook for First Man into Space. And before you go blasting off, here's the comic reader version for you: Download First Man into Space Pressbook. (See the movie herald here.)
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A fun movie to watch even if not the definitive biography. I don't know what the hell they were thinking with that mini-series with Adrienne Brody, but I recommend you watch this instead. Also read Walter Gibson's book, Houdini's Escapes and Magic if you want to go behind the scenes.
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Continuing my postings on the American International pressbooks for the Vincent Price and Roger Corman collaborations, here's The Pit and the Pendulum, arguably one of the best examples of champagne artistry on a beer budget. The eerie chamber, the encroaching madness, and the razor sharp blade, descending with every swing, is sheer delight for horror fans with a classic leaning, visually and thematically. This pressbook follows the same format as before: contest coloring page (this time a terrifying one), a stylish caricature, tie-ins with Famous Monsters of Filmland and, for additional Barbara Steele coverage, Pageant Magazine, and lots more exploitation material. The large pressbook does justice to the poster art, too. Here's the comic book reader version: Download The Pit and the Pendulum Pressbook
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Another exemplary American International pressbook, this time for Tales of Terror. Lots of tie-in promotions with a Dell comic book, Famous Monsters of Filmland ("a popular magazine which is carried by your local newstands and in drug store magazine racks"), a caricature for print media, a paperback book, a bookmark (gee, remember those?) and a contest coloring page. Richard Matheson adapts Poe's stories for screen and Roger Corman directs. With a few exceptions in recent memory, when was the last time a horror movie starred "name" actors like Rathbone, Price, and Lorre?
(Here's the comic book reader version: Download Tales of Terror Pressbook)
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American International's over-sized pressbook for House of Usher sells the Price, Poe, and terror quite well. And! There's a coloring page! What better way to promote horror than with a coloring page and crayons! Sadly, they didn't make the poster art the coloring page. Pity. Try getting those flesh tones right on the screaming woman in the coffin. Here's the comic book reader version: Download House of Usher Pressbook. Tattered gown white and morbid crimson would be hard to find in the crayon box, too.
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The Comedy of Terrors pressbook is filled with promotion: articles on the notable cast, lots of ballyhoo, and suitably black-humored illustrations. There's even an exclusive caricature and an interview record to hype the movie. Here's the comic book reader version: Download Comedy of Terrors Pressbook
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Can't you just smell the chocolate? You don't need a golden ticket to read the Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory pressbook from Zombos' Closet. Here it is for your scrumdidilyumptious pleasure. Just don't let Slugworth get a hold of it. What this original movie has over its highly creative remake is more mystery. Not knowing Willy Wonka's backstory, he's more mysterious, more magical, and more sublime. Too many remakes mistake the flash of CGI and the unnecessary origin story as must haves, when they aren't needed for the story proper. ( Download Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory Pressbook)
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Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971) PressbookRead More »
Here's the movie herald that came with the pressbook for Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. I like both the original and the remake, but there's just something a little more special about the original. I think leaving the mystery of Willy Wonka intact is why.