From Zombos' Closet

Halloween 2017 Boney Bunch At Yankee Candle

Very hard to resist these adorable boney characters. 

Monster Mania Issue 3, 1967

One astute reader's Mania Mailbag entry summed up Monster Mania's coverage pretty well: "...just the absence of corny puns in the picture captions is enough to gladden the heart of one like me who has grown up with horror movies and is sick of seeing them treated as kids stuff. Thank you." No kid stuff in this issue 3, just more Hammer coverage, a lengthy blow by blow description of The Wolf Man by Richard Bojarski, followed by production information, and lots of unmarred photos. The Monster Record Jamboree ad page will bring back memories for some of you, as well as The Sorcerer's Shop of goodies. How many of you ordered the Spyscope Pen (I did!) or the Haunted House Mystery Bank (I did!) or the miniature camera (yup on that one, too!) The Cobweb ad page shows more nifty swag: there's the Spooky Lite (yes, got that one), and the awesome Pin the Monster head (hung that on the back of my bedroom door and loved it). 

Comic reader version: Download Monster Mania Issue 3 (see more monster magazines in the morgue)

Marshalls, TJ Maxx, and Home Goods Halloween 2017

While I was in Newton, Massachusetts, I paid a visit to Marshalls, TJ Maxx, and Home Goods to check out their Halloween decorations. I was not disappointed. Here are some pictures to whet your trick or treat appetite.

Famous Monsters and Creatures Playset

Just saw this on eBay. Surprised they didn't include a more sizable backdrop: like a castle with broken battlements, you know, surrounded by a lagoon, with a nice creepy cemetery. Check out the other stand up stories playsets they listed on the enclosed sheet.

Home Depot Halloween 2017

Home Depot has their Halloween 2017 into full swing. Here's the pictorial lowdown on the cool stuff you can entertain the kids with this year. Or just yourself. They outdo themselves each year with lawn decorations and animated home novelties to spice up your parties: this year? Nice skeleton T-Rex, a haunted toaster, and these little ghoulies to help you hand out candy.

The Monster Times Issue 48 (1976) The Last Issue

The Monster Times went out with a whimper when issue 48, the last issue, hit the magazine racks. Not that the Six Million Dollar Man and cyborg coverage was poor, but at only 25 pages, with 5 full page ads, it was a slim issue to go out on. The teaser for issue 49, which never happened, would have entertained us with more Mexican monster movie coverage, It Came from Beneath the Sea, interviews with Vincent Price and others, and an "eye-opening treatise on horror stamp collecting." And...a look at the eeriest amusement parks! I wonder if any galley proofs of that lost issue exist?

Comic reader version:  Download Monster Times Issue 48

The Gamma People (1956) Pressbook

I've not seen this one yet, but it's about mind control and a totalitarian government; and a mind-wiping plot element similar to Captain America: The Winter Soldier, but this one uses gamma rays. Interesting.

Comic reader version:  Download The Gamma People Pressbook

See more movie pressbooks From Zombos' Closet.

White Zombie (1932) Pressbook

This is the 1938 re-release pressbook for White Zombie. Still a powerful film, with one of Bela Lugosi's best roles.

Comic reader version:  Download White Zombie Pressbook

See more movie pressbooks From Zombos' Closet.

La Maldicion De La Momia (1957) Mexican Lobby Cards

Here's the 8 card Azteca Mexican lobby card set to La Maldcion de la Momia. On the Azteca lobby cards (which were printed for Spanish-speaking American movie theaters), each inset scene is an actual photograph. The cards are also smaller than the regular Mexican lobby cards. Evil Dr. Krupp squares off against Popoca, a masked wrestler, and other annoyances to his mad master plan. Very enjoyable, even if a bit slower moving than today's movies.

2 Caras Tiene La Muerte (Second Face 1954) Mexican Lobby card

Thanks to Geraldo for identifying this crime movie as Second Face, 1954. I had searched IMDb  for director Joy Rich, but came up empty. So I either need to polish my searching skills or IMDb needs to work on their search algorithm. But either way, this Mexican lobby card is illustrated beautifully. The elements, the colors, and the inset scene photo, as well as the choice of font style, blends into a big must-see-this-movie for theater patrons when they saw this lobby card in the theater's, well, lobby.

The Pirates of Blood River (1962) Mexican Lobby Card

While the pirate antics don't quite match up to the illustration on this Mexican lobby card, Pirates of Blood River does have Christopher Lee and Kerwin Mathews in it. A good non-horror movie from Hammer.

Hustler Squad (1976) Pressbook

The poster art is pretty eye-grabbing in that pulp paperback sort of way; but don't expect that level of sleaze in the movie. It's just a tease for trash-loving movie buffs. Comic reader version:  Download Hustler Squad Pressbook