From Zombos Closet

JM Cozzoli

A horror genre fan with a blog. Scary.

Halloween 2011: Halloween Totem Pole

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I picked this Halloween Totem Pole up at a local old-fashioned hardware store last week. It was out front with the shiny garbage cans, new rakes, clean brooms, and other summer to fall utensils, along with a pumpkin-holding ghost and a somber witch. This one appealed to me most because it has the essential elements for a super Halloween: pumpkin, skull, black cat, and ghost. It's 32 inches high and a small light brightens up the skull for foggy Autumn evenings. Genfoam Plastics in Virginia makes this one, along with other Halloween blow molds including a modish Frankie and Dracula.

Yes, I'm old fashioned. I still like blow molds. I had a pumpkin man plastic lamp glowing orange on my nightstand every Halloween night as I grew up. Now I get to light up the whole house.  

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Halloween 2011 Sighted:
Target’s Glow in the Dark Skeleton

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They almost had to get the mop out at Target when I saw this 5 foot glow in the dark skeleton last night. Every year Target manages to bring some of the coolest  decorations a Halloween-lover can drool or wet themselves over. And what does a glow in the dark skeleton need? Why, glow in the dark spiders, skulls, and rats, of course. Can you say life-size Forgotten Prisoner of Castle-mare tableau? Add a motion-controlled cobra that strikes and a few hanging bats and bammmm!

glow in dark skeleton
glow in dark skull spider rat
striking halloween snake
halloween vampire bat

My Halloween: Penny Dreadful

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PennyThronePicFive questions asked over a glowing Jack o’Lantern, under an Autumn moon obscured by passing clouds…in between mouthfuls of candy corn…with horror hostess Penny Dreadful…

Why is Halloween important to you?

Halloween is a very special time of year for me. There’s something magical, otherworldly and a little scary about it. All Hallows Eve evokes such delightful thoughts of dead branches swaying in the breeze and the smell of burning leaves coming from people’s backyards. It brings to mind thoughts of bag-fulls of candy (chocolate was always the best!) and creepy costumed beings running through the crisp Autumn night. Truly, I love Hallowe’en.

Describe your ideal Halloween.

Mere words cannot describe the unspeakable horrors which make up MY ideal Halloween! However, I will describe a very GOOD Halloween. A very good Halloween is one in which I play numerous monster novelty and rock ‘n’ roll tunes through the use of one of those compact disc machines. Garou and I then don mysterious costumes to protect ourselves from the roaming revenants and head out for a festive Halloween gathering with its assorted games and revelry. Pumpkins are required and hot cider is a nice bonus.

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

One I always liked was a plastic pumpkin my mother used to hang on the front door. It had strange silvery eyes. Alas, it is long gone.

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

Too many centuries have elapsed dear Zombos. However, my most memorable Halloween involved getting together with my sisters and cousins, getting into our greasepaint and flowing costumes and running out into the cold New England night with the intermingled scents of candy and rotting leaves in the air.

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

Q: Should Halloween be declared a national holiday?

A: Of corpse it shouldn’t be a national holiday. It should be an INTERNATIONAL HOWLIDAY! On Halloween, no cool ghoul should be in school! On All Hallows Eve, those who lurk should not work! If I ever run for political office, this will be my (gallows) platform!

Halloween 2011:
Walgreens Dracula and Witch
Animated Figures

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So far it looks like the stores are going light on Halloween decorations and heavy on the candy. But I did find these delightfully cheery newlyweds at Walgreens. Don't Dracula and his blushing Witch bride make a charming dark couple? And how can you pass up this Jack-in-the-Box Evil Clown? You know, I wonder if there's a subliminal message going on here with those bright, toothy smiles? I mean, with all that candy piled up around them, you'd think they'd have fillings galore, not gleaming Colgate smiles.

walgreens dracula and witch figures
evil clown jack in the box

 

Comic Book Review: Lenore
The Cute Little Dead Girl Vols 2, 3

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Zombos Says: Excellent

Little? Yes. Dead? Without a doubt. Cute? That’s stretching it, buddy.

In her latest escapade, Where Pooty At? Lenore goes off on a few tangents, remembers a forgotten thing or two, and plants her friends in the dirt because she’s bored and wants to sprout more friends.

Let me explain.

Before I explain, though, I should mention we find out where Pooty’s been at, well into the story. He’s a bit annnoyed by not being found until then, but you’ll see what I mean when you read this issue…Lenore can be a little scatter-brained at times, which is most of the time.

The dancing, prancing, and singing flower opening turns into a nightmare when an insistent, pollinating-minded bee wants to buzz around Ragamuffin’s petals–

–Shoot, I suppose I should tell you up front that the dancing flower is Ragamuffin, the 400 year old vampire who fed on living flesh until he became a wormy, polyester rag doll and Lenore’s fast friend, although she occasionally treats him pretty mean and insensitively, which is most of the time–

–Until Lenore insists on planting Ragamuffin up to his neck in dirt, producing some unexpected results, or really I should say unexpected for us because she’s giddy with the results, as they turn out exactly as she hoped for, which doesn’t happen most of the time–her expectations producing the desired results I mean.

Which leads to the Pooty part of the story when he’s eventually found, though he’s pissed it took so long to find him. Now Pooty’s not a vampire or rag doll, he’s just a minion of Hell who took a fancy to Lenore and decided to stick around after he was sent to bring her back after she got bored and left. He does have an odd head, or rather it’s a bucket for a head, or maybe his head is just bucket-shaped. Either way he’s not happy Lenore didn’t find him sooner, so he sticks his trident in Ragamuffin’s brains–though it wasn’t Ragamuffin’s fault at all–which look and taste a lot like cotton candy by the way, and so Lenore and Pooty can’t help but munch on them. Reluctantly realizing it’s not a very good thing to chew on Ragamuffin’s brains, they stuff what’s left back in.

They spend more time beating up on Ragamuffin by telling him all about the mean things they did to him while he slept–Lenore and Pooty kept scrapbooks–until Lenore buries Pooty bucket-neck deep in the dirt because she just can’t have enough friends. He, of course, is now not so sure being found was a good thing.

There’s more, but you should be able to get the gist of this issue by now. And it’s in full color!

My Halloween: JG Faherty

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J-g-faherty Five questions asked over a glowing Jack o’Lantern, under an Autumn moon obscured by passing clouds…in between mouthfuls of candy corn…and coffie with author JG Faherty… 

 

Why is Halloween important to you?

Well, I don’t know if important is exactly the right word. It’s my favorite holiday, and I look forward to dressing up and going to costume parties. I always have, ever since I was a little kid. Historically it is important, both as a modern holiday and ancient celebration of life. But it’s not like I sit around all year and think about it.

Describe your ideal Halloween.

Well, it would have to fall on a weekend so you could celebrate for 3 days. I’d do a book reading or appearance, maybe have a book premiering. There’d be a party to go to where everyone dressed up in wild costumes. I’d make some Halloween-themed drinks or snacks. That’d be a good Halloween if I stayed local. You could add a photo trip to local cemetery as well. However, if I could plan the ultimate Halloween vacation, it would be to a haunted mansion or castle, where a group of us would spend the night.

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

What do you mean by collectibles? I have some statuettes and decorations that I like, and some Halloween-themed art and books. But they aren’t ‘collectibles’ per say; I certainly couldn’t retire (or even go away for the weekend!) if I sold them.

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

Probably somewhere around kindergarten or first grade. Back then just wearing a costume and getting candy was all that mattered. It wasn’t until my teenage years that I understood the history of Halloween.

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

Q: What is your best Halloween memory?

A: Probably a couple of years ago when my wife and I spent the weekend in Salem, MA. I’d wanted to go there for years.

Comic Book Review: Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E 1

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frankenstein DC comic Zombos Says: Good

Grate Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D onto Hellboy, add a little Universal Monster's seasoning, and bake until Metal Men done. Presto, you've got a dish of Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E. Don't forget to garnish with a little Tokyo Pop wildness. 

The Frankenstein Monster is the top agent for the Super Human Advanced Defense Executive group. The Ant Farm is the 3 inch-sized globe the group travels the, er, globe with, at over 600 miles per hour. Frankenstein thinks the whole miniaturization process to get into the Ant Farm is rather goofy, and that's something Jeff Lemire needs to write around: the goofy factor. Metal Men goofy was good; Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E goofy may or may not be so good, but it's hard to judge it all on the first issue.

Keeping up with Lemire's imagination is Alberto Ponticelli's detailed artwork, whose splash pages and large panels are exciting and well executed where they need to be. One large panel introduces Frankenstein's new team–although he prefers to work alone–the Creature Commandos: the Wolf Man, the Mummy, Dracula, and the Creature from the Black–no, wait a minute, I'm getting it all mixed up.

The actual Creature Commandos are: Dr. Nina Mazursky, amphibian human hybrid; Warren Griffith, Werewolf; Vincent Velcoro, Vampire; and Khalis, Mummy and medic. Father introduces them to Frankenstein when a town is overrun by hungry monsters that keep on coming, no matter how many are killed. Father is the mad scientist running S.H.A.D.E. He can regenerate himself into various human forms to keep on ticking. This time around he chose the form of a Japanese schoolgirl wearing a mask around her eyes. One of Lemire's naughty fantasies perhaps? Like I said, goofy. 

This first issue is perhaps a little too ambitious: there's a lot of matter of fact oddness to accept at face value, hopefully to be fleshed out later. Lemire manages to keep his story moving forward cleanly, however, and Ponticelli's pencils alone are a treat. The tone here reminds me of the storylines you'd find in DC comics from the 1970s, and Frankenstein's manner and dress make me think of the Robert De Niro Frankenstein character.

Although purists will have to deal with the Monster being named Frankenstein, this first issue is filled with enough wild, and promising, story and art to warrant your attention.