June, 2023 - From Zombos' Closet

The Cat and the Canary
Spook Show Advert (1939)

June 1, 2023 / Pressbooks (Horror, Sci Fi, Fantasy) / 1 Comment

Jun 1 2023

This bit of campaign promotion came with the Cat and the Canary pressbook. El-Wyn, a magician, was the first to realize that putting in seance-related spookiness into a regular magic show, done after hours, would generate buzz and bucks. In 1929, his Midnight Spook Party captured audiences looking for chills and fun. Spook Shows lasted for decades until television and horror hosts took the buzz to the boob tube. Cardone (read my review), a contemporary magician, is keeping the tradition alive.

The Invisible Ghost (1941)
Mexican Lobby Card

June 1, 2023 / Azteca/Mexican Lobby Cards / 1 Comment

Jun 1 2023

Another in-your-face illustration from Spanish artist Aguirre. This one is for The Invisible Ghost (El Asesino Invisible) with Bela Lugosi. While it may be a Monogram cheapie, it has an oddity to it, mostly due to Lugosi's presence and his character's psychological menace and ambiguity. The story is more involved than the usual Poverty Row pictures Lugosi starred in, and has a nice level of creepiness to it that makes this worth watching. Notice the illustration for this lobby card draws from Lugosi's Dracula persona, with blood dripping hands, fangs, and bats flittering about (even with his bat-like wings in the background). Not sure why he's sporting a goatee, but it does make this visage especially menacing to pique interest in seeing the movie.