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JM Cozzoli

A horror genre fan with a blog. Scary.

The Beast With A Million Eyes
By Professor Kinema

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Poster_of_the_movie_The_Beast_with_a_Million_Eyes

One interestingly unique little film from the 1950s that I've always had an affection for is The Beast with a Million Eyes (1955). The original ad art featured a never-never creature with a body containing an endless array of eyes that disappeared off the edge of the poster. It was hyped as "filmed for Wide Screen in Terror-Scope." Since this film was promoted and sold before it was ever filmed, one can assume the 'Wide Screen and Terror-Scope' elements were there from the beginning. This same line appeared in the later printed lobby cards, which consisted of stills from the finished production. All showings that I've seen have been in the normal 1:66 to 1 format. The IMdB lists the 'official' format as 1:37 to 1, not really a 'wide screen' and surely not anything that could be recognized as being in any sort of 'terror-scope.' On the other hand I haven't heard of anyone expressing disappointment over not being thrilled by something that was not in any sort of 'terror-scope.'

If this little opus occupies any place in film history it would be for one main fact; it contains the very first Paul Blaisdell cinematic creature.

The premier issue of Fantastic Monsters of the Films (1962) features an article documenting the creation of this creature; 'Little Hercules.' The copy of the article emphasizes " …we (the monster makers) do not always work on Million Dollar Movies, and we do not take home Million Dollar Paychecks. Often we have to work within limited funds in a budgeted amount of time." Not mentioned is the actual amount of money Blaisdell did in fact recieve for his work: $400 – half of which was spent on materials. In a series of step-by-step illustrations the creation of the model unfolds. Materials mentioned for the construction of the model were modeling clay and liquid latex rubber. Other materials listed, for a generic background structure, include chicken mesh wire and plaster of paris. Randy Palmer's affectionate book Paul Blaisdell, Monster Maker (McFarland, 1997) mentions the additional materials needed to complete the model; small plastic eyes, plastic fangs, rubber lizard tails for antennae and wire hangers for the bat-like wings.

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The Beast With A Million Eyes
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My Halloween: WGON Helicopter

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Superheroes (1974)Five questions asked over a glowing Jack o’Lantern, under an Autumn moon obscured by passing clouds…in between mouthfuls of candy corn…riding on the WGON Helicopter…

Why is Halloween important to you?

Halloween has always represented a sort of “cutting loose” in my life. I don’t normally dress as Dr. Clayton Forrester from Mystery Science Theater 3000 in my daily life, but on Halloween, it’s not only perfectly acceptable, but expected. Growing up, it was that one day a year when my brother and I would start planning what our costumes would be weeks before the actual day. We spent our childhood in a very rural setting, and so we often couldn’t go door-to-door. Our parents would drive us and during some years, actually make our costumes for us.

I’m from northern Michigan, so the autumn was always crisp and clean, leaves on the ground, occasionally a snowflake or two. The air was perfect, the sun seemed to shine a little differently during October. The mysterious mood generated by “scary” costumes and a good ghost story or three nestled into my memory, sending a part of me back in time every instance I hear the word “Halloween.” It was important to me for the feeling of freedom, both in attitude and in nature.

MeasDrForrester1993Describe your ideal Halloween.

The child-like spirit is first and foremost. You’re “too grown up inside” to enjoy it? Tough…you better learn to quickly because that’s the part that comes out during Halloween. A sunny day with a few clouds here and there, and a blue sky through the bare trees. The air has to be crisp and cool, but not too cold. There doesn’t have to be a party – I’m fine with not going to one, although they’re usually a good time. Plenty of candy for trick-or-treaters, and when that’s done, two or three carefully-selected horror movies are on the docket to close out the night.

What Halloween collectibles do you cherish, or hate, or both?

Believe it or not, I’m an antique-y, vintage-y kind of guy. I have specific things I look for when I go to an antique store or flea market. The Halloween collectibles I enjoy now, or want to get a hold of, are usually the ones I grew up with. Specific decorations or toys that I might have had when I was a kid in the 70’s.

In fact, that’s my cut-off point, right around 1979. Maybe into as late as 1982 is OK, but there’s a certain kind of magic attached to those decorations or toys that my mom would put out a week before Halloween. I can’t name anything specific, but I’d know it if I saw it. Such is the fun of collectible hunting.

What was your first Halloween…?

I try to remember my first experience with Halloween, and as I get older, the memories get a little hazier. An early one that stood out for me was 1974. My brother and I wanted to be superheroes, and you have to understand that the both of us have been comic nerds since the days when it wasn’t “cool” to be a comic nerd. The only problem was which one we wanted to be. We were immense fans of Thor, Spider-Man, Superman, both Captain Marvels (you comic fans know what I mean by that), the X-Men, the Metal Men. The problem was settling on one. That was OK, because our parents did it for us.

We had oversized books of Superman and DC’s Captain Marvel, so that is what they went with: homemade costumes that, while not as intricate as the cosplay experts can churn out, was good enough for us in 1974. Sweatshirts, shorts over pants, and capes made from old dress shirts…they weren’t perfect, but that night we were the mighty Justice League brought to life in a seven- and four-year-old’s imaginations. And we got some pretty sweet candy that year.

WgonhalloweenWhat’s the one Halloween question you want to be asked, and what’s your answer?

One question I wouldn’t mind being asked about Halloween is “What’s a good movie marathon for Halloween night?”

My answer might depend on the personal tastes of the person who’s asking, but I could provide a general list that I might run with on a good Halloween night. First off, without question, is the original 1978 Dawn of the Dead. That’s a Halloween tradition. For sheer atmosphere, I’d recommend the original version of The Haunting. You really can’t go wrong with that one. The recent mockumentary Lake Mungo is a fantastic chiller that depends on atmosphere. For downright scares, I usually go with the tense, frenetic [REC] films from Spain. For more international atmosphere and creepiness, I’d recommend The Pang Brothers’ stylish The Eye(NOT the remake). For some yuks of the comedic kind, it’s good to pick from the trio of Shaun of the Dead, Zombieland, and Evil Dead 2.

So many to choose from, so little space.

My Halloween: Evil von Scarry

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Five questions asked over a glowing Jack o’Lantern, under an Autumn moon obscured by passing clouds…in between mouthfuls of candy corn…with Evil von Scarry…

Why is Halloween important to you?

My wife and I’s anniversary is on Halloween. We had a Halloween/Carnival theme to our wedding and we’re both Halloween freaks.

Describe your ideal Halloween.

No costume No candy. Kids going out all night gettting treats and dressing like monsters and ghosts, haunted houses, carving jack o lanterns.

What Halloween collectibles do you cherish, or hate, or both?

We’re both kind of into Nightmare Before Christmas, lots of Tim Burton memorabilia around, skulls, black cats, ghosts, scary trees, the works.

When was your very first Halloween, the one where you really knew it was Halloween, and how was it?

It was awesome, the one I remember best. My brother and I used pillow cases and when they were full went back home, dropped em off, and went out again. I think that year was about a 2 1/2 pillow case year, lol.

What’s the one Halloween question you want to be asked and what’s your answer?

Q: Is it supposed to be scary?

A: YES!!!

 

My Halloween: Pandora’s Pen

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ZombiejoFive questions asked over a glowing Jack o’Lantern, under an Autumn moon obscured by passing clouds…in between mouthfuls of candy corn…inked with Pandora’s Pen…

Why is Halloween important to you?

There’s a certain type of magic unleashed into the spiced autumn air of late-October. Children sense it and relish in its mysterious chill, but many adults tend to turn their noses up at it, thinking they are too old for Halloween. But it is truly the one time of the year when lovers of the macabre are allowed to embrace their true selves and roam free among the normal people of the world. Halloween is important to me because the atmosphere allows me to feel right at home and to try and show others the magic of fall.

Describe your ideal Halloween.

My ideal Halloween lasts the entire month of October (and preferably some of September, too) because the magic of Halloween is hard to capture in a single day. I will do a marathon of all the best Halloween-themed movies, read plenty of Halloween stories, and listen to the right music to gear up. Then I’ll decorate the house, create my costume, and carve pumpkins.

As a kid, nothing could beat the pumpkin farms where we went on hayrides, ate elephant ears, and examined the best pumpkins. As we near the day, only the best haunted houses are in store. Finally, as Halloween arrives, I’ll witness the spectacle of costumed children trick-or-treating and throw a party with Halloween-themed food and drinks… and who knows, maybe a ghost or two will show up…

What Halloween collectibles do you cherish, or hate, or both?

One Halloween quite a few years ago, my mother (who is just as much a fanatic as I am) bought a 2-ft tall poseable skeleton who we named Benny. But after Halloween that year, we couldn’t find any space in our cluttered basement to store him, so we left him out sitting beside the fireplace. A stuffed turkey ended up in his lap for Thanksgiving; he donned a Santa hat for Christmas; the Fourth of July gave him an American flag bandana. Even now we keep him out year-round as part of the family, and he recently wore a paper top-hat and tie for my sister’s engagement party.

When was your very first Halloween, the one where you really knew it was Halloween, and how was it?

My first Halloween, I was too young to recall, but I distinctly remember my kindergarten or first-grade Halloween where we dressed up for school and paraded down the hallways. The other girls wore Dorothy’s ruby red shoes and princess dresses. Me? I went as a skeleton, complete with full-body bone suit and painted face. I knew then that there was something different about me, and that afternoon as I reluctantly put on a heavy denim jacket and raced over the dead leaves with the neighborhood kids as we went house to house, I knew that this was truly Halloween.

What’s the one Halloween question you want to be asked and what’s your answer?

Q: I think I’ve lost the magic of Halloween since growing up. What can I do to get it back?

A: There are so many things you can do, and I’ll tell you all of them on Pandora’s Pen’s Halloween Countdown.

Book Review: In Extremis by John Shirley

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InextremisZombos Says: Excellent

Reading John Shirley's In Extremis is like sticking your moistened middle finger into a live lamp socket: it's punishing but oddly exhilirating after the initial shock. These stories are nasty; they're rude, roiling attitudes of sludge scooped up into the palms of your hands, all greasy slippery feeling and gnarly intense, forcing you to look behind you fearing someone's going to catch you reading them. And you will. Read them. Losers abound, sick humanity thrives, and the scariest thing about Shirley's bowery dark environs is they're crazy batshit and familiar and you sitting there wishing they aught'nt, really shouldn't be. 

The acid test is getting past Just Like Suzie. The two stories before it, Cram and You Blundering Idiot may trip you up, but they're the warm up acts for the burlesque and grotesque reality show in  Just Like Suzie. Sure, getting caught in a train during an earthquake, and maybe hiring some guy to kill you but he's a shlub so he has to keep doing it to get it right are enough to dishearten you from continuing, but if you can keep going after Just Like Suzie, you've earned it. Seriously.

I can't describe the story too much, it's got that 1970s badassness to it, along with its gritty, adult comedy of errors, with those errors piling up into one big clusterfu–like I said; its all 70s badassness. Suzie's a prostitute who dies, I can tell you that, but her attachment to her junkie-john, a guy named Perrick, is fast and rock solid. In all the wrong place. Without any doubt you will squirm and sweat along with him, and find it well darn funny, too. Bad habits are hard to break and some break you hard, and some just leave you whimpering, dangling limp in resignation.

I can describe Faces in Walls for you a little more, though, and this one and Just Like Suzie are my favorite nightmares in this collection, but there are plenty more to go round. Imagine you're paralyzed, neck down, vegetating in Wemberly Sanitarium for years, bedded in a lifeless room with walls peeling their green paint, bed sores pressing angrily against you, and no one visiting you except for Sam Sack and those faces in the walls. Conversation with one of those faces in particular holds your interest, but Sam's attention you don't want. He wears a pillow case over his head and comes into your room late at night to play. His kind of play you don't need. But you can only lie there.  Until that one particular face tells you more.

There's a short story by Oliver Onions–can't quite put my finger on it I read it so long ago– that Shirley reminded me of with this one. And no it's not The Beckoning Fair One. It had a fairy tale quality to it as I recollect, a girl, and a curious friend. Shirley's less prosaic than Onions, of course, but darker in intent, and his rythm between narrative and dialog is more insolent and unforgiving, and with the psychological horror of each situation leeching the life out of his characters captured with such exhuberance, Shirley wins hand over fist. I wonder if Shirley looks over his shoulder while he writes, fearful someone might catch him in the act?

So pour yourself a glass of Shiraz, volume up The Three Tenors, and sit near a mirror so you can reassure yourself there's no one looking over your shoulder while you read. The wine and music will help sweeten the bitter spirit aftertaste when you've finished the book–if you get that far.

But not by much.

Famous Monsters of Filmland:
The Annotated Issue # 1

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famous monsters annotated issue 1

Zombos Says: Very Good

Having acquired a distributor, Warren phoned me. “I know you’re quite serious about your films,” he said, so I’m going to tell you something and then I’m going to hold the phone a yard away from my ear because I’m sure I’ll hear you scream all the way to New York.” You, Forrest J-no-period Ackerman, are about to become editor of — are you ready for this? — FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND!”

“Oh, no! [groaned Forry Ackerman] Do I have to put my name on it!”

 

In Famous Monsters of Filmland: The Annotated Issue # 1, Joe Moe opens the vault to bring Forry’s original hand-typed and pencil-edited manuscript for the first issue of FM to light, and Kevin Burns and Dennis Billows remember the sci fi man who crash landed on Planet Horror with a shock wave still reverberating today.

I took the above quote from Forry’s Birth of a Notion, wherein he describes how FM evolved from an initial idea of doing a oneshot magazine based on the French Cinema 57 issue devoted to classic monsters, then to the idea of doing a oneshot called Wonderama (The Mag of a Thousand Faces), comprised of movie stills from Forry’s vast collection, and eventually to fate stepping in with lucky timing. Teenage horror movies were becoming hot and the magazine distributors Warren failed to impress at first with “his mad idea” suddenly remembered him: now they craved the monsters. And soon thousands of kids would crave them, too.

Burns follows with an affectionate recollection of meeting Forry for the first time, Following Forry, and Billows, “one of Forry’s most valued assistants” provides glimpses into the mettle of the man with a selection of Ackermanisms culled from tape and written interviews on why Forry collected, his first movie,  his friendship with Fritz Lang, and Forry’s touching recollection of Boris Karloff.

A room by room photo tour of the treasures in the Ackerminimansion, Forry’s last residence and smaller repository for wonders and terrors, rounds out these prefatory articles, leading into the hand-written outline for the issue’s contents and the old-fashioned typed pages, with penciled edits here and there, revealing Forry’s creative process in bringing the first issue of FM to the newstands. Earlier in Birth of a Notion, Forry mentions how Warren would hold a card in front of him as he typed. Written on the card  were the words “I’m 11 and 1/2 Years Old, and I am your reader. Forry Ackerman, Make me laugh.”

It worked.

My Halloween: Know Joe Moe

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Five questions asked over a glowing Jack o’Lantern, under an Autumn moon obscured by passing clouds…in between mouthfuls of candy corn…with Joe Moe…so you know…

Why is Halloween important to you?

Like our favorite Horror movies themselves, Halloween represents such a high degree of art, craft, and creativity. It’s so theatrical, clever, and creepy. A great way for parents to encourage imagination and share their limited (or vast) knowledge of tradition, stagecraft and spooky mythology with their family. If all else fails, it’s a nationally sanctioned day for kids to piss off uptight parents!

Halloween is also transformative. As a kid, you could be whoever you wanted for that one magical night. Or, at the very least, not be your regular self for a spell. All of this contributed to my aspiration to tell spooky stories as an adult. While I haven’t accomplished all I have left to do yet, I have made movies, designed haunted rides for theme parks internationally, and lived with and took care of one of the pioneers of our genre, the late great Forrest J Ackerman. Thanks, Halloween! Pretty good trip so far!

Describe your ideal Halloween.

One that goes on for the entire month of October. It starts with planning the big, themed Halloween party for the actual day. This year it’s Vampire Spaghetti Dinner with my fanatic Halloween pal, actress Carol Ann Susi (from the original Night Stalker series and now Mrs. Wolowitz on The Big Bang Theory). But long before the 31st, there’s exploring Disneyland’s family-friendly Halloweenification, Knott’s Scary Farm’s infamous, immersive, month-long Halloween Haunt. Universal Studio’s Halloween Horror Nights is hit or miss, but I personally never miss it! There’s even the fun of scoping out the mainstream department stores to see what innovations, decorations and novelties are offered this season. And no Halloween can go by without a visit to Del And Sue at Dark Delicacies in Burbank. Oddly, nowadays, I hardly ever wear a costume as part of my Halloween celebration?!

Photo What Halloween collectibles do you cherish, or hate, or both?

I worship any Don Post Studios mask. Back in the 70s, having one of those deluxe, over-your-head treasures was like owning an actual piece of classic horror history. There was no better way to become your favorite monster than to squirm into one of those remarkable, detailed latex masks. I don’t own any myself today, but I do have a copy of the mask I actually sculpted for Don Post Studios in the 80s (Schizoid, at left). I can’t express what an incredible dream come true it was for this (then) 22-year-old kid from Hawaii to contribute a monster mask to the company that so affected my childhood dreams and ambitions. Seeing my mask on shelves at the Hollywood costume shops and theme parks was beyond exciting.

When was your very first Halloween, the one where you really knew it was Halloween, and how was it?

I was nine when Halloween coalesced into understanding of the tradition and fun of the holiday. It was the year my parents finally allowed me to read Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine. Now I could put all the creatures and movies I was drawn to into the context of the genre. I also got my first store-bought costume, Frankenstein’s monster! It was one of those boxed costumes. A flimsy printed, shiny jumpsuit, tied in back like a hospital gown. And the vacu-formed mask printed with garish colors that smelled like plastic (and later, spit). I wore that costume days before Halloween. I shredded it. I won my first Halloween contest that year. Today I realize that I won, not because of my lousy commercial costume, but because I stood next to a kid in an identical costume and the judges thought we were cute twins. Luckily, I was handed the prize and not that other kid.

What’s the one Halloween question you want to be asked and what’s your answer?

Joe, will you please attend my:

a) Halloween Party

b) Haunted House

c) Seance

d) Homemade graveyard

e) Spooky movie screening

f) All of the above

My answer is…YES!

Joe&Werewolf

Joe and Werewolf under a full moon. (Joe’s on the right)

 

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Forry’s Don Post Life Masks

My Halloween: Wicked Crochet

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CrystalballFive questions asked over a glowing Jack o’Lantern, under an Autumn moon obscured by passing clouds…in between mouthfuls of candy corn…with Kara of Wicked Crochet…

Why is Halloween important to you?

I look forward every year to Halloween’s approach. What I really love is that for one night of the year you can be whatever or whoever you want with no judgement from society. From a beautiful princess to a rotting zombie corpse, anything goes. A night of whimsy, magic and imagination that takes me back to my childhood.

Halloween is also the one night of the year where the veil between the living and the dead is lifted. Ghosts, monsters and witches creep through the night. Carved jack-o-lanterns adorn every doorstep, the smell of the pumpkins burning flesh wafting through the crisp air. It’s the lore and myth that fascinates me. Halloween is the night to scare and be scared and that is a total rush.

Oh and I almost forgot….The Candy.

Describe your ideal Halloween.

A walk through a corn maze, a visit to a haunted house, a little trick or treating, and, to top the evening off, a midnight stroll through an old cemetery.

What Halloween collectibles do you cherish, or hate, or both?

I have an adorable little jack-o-lantern trophy that I display proudly every year. In 1978, when I was seven, I won a pumpkin carving contest. Just that it has survived all these years amazes me.

When was your very first Halloween, the one where you knew it was Halloween and how was it?

I remember it well. I know the year was 1977 because every kid out trick-or-treating that night was dressed in a store bought Star Wars costume, except of course for me: my mom always made my costumes. I was dressed as Dracula’s bride. I had a fabulous dress, high collared cape, and my awesome plastic vampire teeth with fake blood dripping out of the corners of my mouth. I can remember thinking how funny it was that the other kids weren’t scary at all. What fun is that?

There was one house we went to trick-or-treat at that night that was decorated amazingly. There was a huge spider web made of rope that covered the front of the garage.The man on the other side was dressed as a creepy old wizard. The garage was full of fog from dry ice and had a black light going. I was so scared but I walked up to that creepy guy, reached my hand through that spider web, and got my candy!

Whats the one Halloween question you want to be asked and what’s your answer?

Q: What is the strangest thing you have done for the love of Halloween?

A: Three years ago I had a jack-o-lantern tattooed on my leg. That’s how much I love Halloween.