From Zombos' Closet

Mexican Lobby Card: The Invisible Terror (1969)

I'm not sure who the artist is here, for this The Invisible Terror Mexican lobby card, but this minimalist illustration always catches my eye.

Mexican Lobby Card: Aventuras Del Latigo Negro (1961)

Beautiful blend of colors, illustration, and inset scene make this Mexican lobby card for Aventuras Del Latigo Negro a sophisticated promotional piece. (See another great Latigo Negro lobby here.)

Mexican Lobby Card: Curucu, Beast of the Amazon (1956)

Beast of a movie is more like it. Curucu, Beast of the Amazon is an awful mess of editing, direction (Curt Siodmak), and acting, which make this one a terror to watch. Monster is laughable. From IMDb: "Director Curt Siodmak said of this film, "I shot it down there [in Brazil], in the jungles. I never recovered, physically." Neither did the audience.

Mexican Lobby Card: House of Frights (1963)

Light-hearted illustration with pastel colors makes this La Cas De Los Espantos Mexican lobby card a good teaser for the movie. Is it just me or does the inset scene remind you of a Jack Kirby drawn panel in the way the women are positioned and emoting?

Mexican Lobby Card: The Body Snatchers (1956)

A wrestler is forced to swap brains with a gorilla, the usual mayhem ensues: Ladron De Cadaveras, The Body Snatchers. This Mexican lobby card is unbalanced with the floating heads added in the top left corner, but from bottom left to top right, there's a more stylized flow showing.

Mexican Lobby Card: Fury Unleashed (1957)

Great illustration and colors make this Mexican lobby card for Furias Desatadas, Fury Unleashed, a winner. 

Mexican Lobby Card: Dynasty of Dracula (1980)

La Dinastia Dracula, Dynasty of Dracula, has a very effective Mexican lobby card.

Double Bill Pressbook: The Devil's Partner and Creature from the Haunted Sea

Here's a nifty double bill pressbook for The Devil's Partner and Creature from the Haunted Sea. This one has a unique design: you unfold the left and right edges to read the first page, then lift that page to see the ads. Striking combination of blue and yellow make this one pop. As does the lurid illustrations.

Mexican Lobby Card: Mole Men Against the Son of Hercules

More sword and sandal artistry on this Mexican lobby card for the Italian movie, Mole Men Against the Son of Hercules (1961). Beautiful, stylized illustration, font, and inset scene placement make this a colorful lobby for promoting the movie.

Mexican Lobby Card: The Giant Claw (1957)

Here's the Mexican lobby card for The Giant Claw, La Garra Gigante. (See the movie pressbook here.) None of the actors knew what the giant bird they were reacting to looked like until after the movie was in the can. Special effects for the creature were farmed out to the wrong people. Much hilarity for audiences ensued. Interesting that the lobby card shows what strongly appears to be an eagle. Actor Jeff Morrow was so mortified during a first time showing in his home-town theater he snuck out to avoid his friends and family after the showing. Dialog in this one's a turkey, as is the scientific hooey to justify the alien bird. I suppose this one was destined to...lay an egg at the box office.

Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things (1972) Movie Pressbook

Possibly a better title than a movie, Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things (1972) still holds a lot of charm for me and many other horror fans. When you think of VHS, this one definitely comes to mind (for those of us who still think of VHS, that is). To see the theater giveaways, go here.

King of Jungleland (1936) Movie Pressbook

Wikipedia lists this as the first Republic serial made. Also, "Darkest Africa contained the first use of the flying special effects that Republic would go on to use in future serials, such as the acclaimed Adventures of Captain Marvel. This serial also showcased examples of the studio's model work that would be one of the factors in its future reputation and success. The destruction of the lost city in the final chapter is particularly highlighted by Cline as a "picturesque example." It was re-released to television and renamed Batmen of Africa to capitalize on the Adam West Batman craze. Hey, it's got Ray "Crash" Corrigan playing Bonga the ape: that works for me.