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Pressbooks (Horror, Sci Fi, Fantasy)

Movie Pressbook: Ghost of Frankenstein (1942)

Professor Kinema pulled out a Xerox copy, buried deeply in his archives, of this pressbook for The Ghost of Frankenstein. The movie stills in the copy didn't scan well, but overall you will find this a treat, especially when you consider how difficult it is to find this pressbook, and the cost when you do. (Note: I'm not sure if this copy contains all of the pages in the original pressbook.)

What piqued my interest the most, however, is the wartime publiclity angle on page 7. Will the Nazi Frankenstein Monster Follow the Famous Legend and Destroy Its Makers, timely monster contest.

"Cash in on the times with a patriotic contest calling for letters stating how and when entrants think the Frankenstein Monster created by the Axis and now endangering the world will turn on its Nazi makers just as the screen monster in "The Ghost of Frankenstein" turns and destroys its creator."

ghost of frankenstein pressbook
ghost of frankenstein pressbook
ghost of frankenstein pressbook
ghost of frankenstein pressbook
ghost of frankenstein pressbook
ghost of frankenstein pressbook
ghost of frankenstein pressbook

Double Bill Pressbook:
Night of the Blood Beast
and She Gods of Shark Reef

This folder styled campaign manual for Night of the Blood Beast and She Gods of Shark Reef double bill is approximately 11 x 15 inches when folded, and highlights the sensational poster art depicting damsels in distress. The use of strategically placed Leilani flowers in the She Gods of Shark Reef Poster  is inspiring, isn't it?

she gods of shark reef pressbook
she gods of shark reef pressbook
she gods of shark reef pressbook
she gods of shark reef pressbook
she gods of shark reef pressbook
07
she gods of shark reef pressbook
she gods of shark reef pressbook
she gods of shark reef pressbook
she gods of shark reef pressbook
11
she gods of shark reef pressbook
Here's a shot of the the opened folder showing the slightly overlapping For Profits! column. Unfolding the page on the right opens the folder into three sections, with the middle section holding the separate promotion sheets for each movie for an impressive commercial presentation.

Movie Pressbook: Atragon (1963)

This neat pressbook for Toho Studios Atragon is 11 x 17 inches, printed in landscape orientation. I'm a sucker for movies with super technological vehicles and Atragon is one of my favorites. Besides, you've got that unique Toho Touch for concise special effects and storyline (see Famed Special Effects Team Give Atragon Top Thrills article).

One page sheet has been neatly cut from the pressbook. The seller I purchased this from said all the copies of this pressbook he has seen have that same page-sheet removed. So there you have a mystery! I'm open to any solutions you may have. Sorry for clipping the last sentence on one page, and the pages do not appear in their correct order.

atragon pressbook
atragon pressbook
atragon pressbook
atragon pressbook
atragon pressbook
atragon pressbook
atragon pressbook
atragon pressbook
atragon pressbook
atragon pressbook

Movie Pressbook: Chamber of Horrors (1966)

Here's a terrific pressbook for Chamber of Horrors, filled with lurid illustrations and nifty theater giveaways like horror rings and a herald. Also noteworthy are the gimmicks to get butts in seats like the Fear Flasher and the Horror Horn. (I had to break the centerfold spread into three scans due to its size, and the pages are not in exact sequence.) The pressbook size is 11 inches by 17 inches.

chamber of horrors pressbook

PP06212012_0000
PP06212012_0001
chamber of horrors pressbook
chamber of horrors pressbook

chamber of horrors pressbook
chamber of horrors pressbook
chamber of horrors pressbook
chamber of horrors pressbook
chamber of horrors pressbook
chamber of horrors pressbook
chamber of horrors pressbook

chamber of horrors pressbook