From Zombos Closet

JM Cozzoli

A horror genre fan with a blog. Scary.

Tron (1982) Pressbook

A Disney pressbook is always a tutorial on what movie promotion was all about in the decades before the internet and social media news. Disney, especially, went all out for tie-ins. This Tron pressbook is no exception when it comes to those tie-ins and promotions. There is also an interesting vibe in the articles regarding computer imagery: it’s so 1980s. ” The computer plays a major role in Tron, and, indeed, is playing a greater and greater role in our everyday lives. The use of the computer by the average person, while not yet commonplace, is growing phenomenally, and you should capitalize on this new interest…” For those of you who grew up during the birth of the home computer age, this pressbook provides a lot of nostalgia too.

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The House of Hammer Issue 17, 1978

The highlight for this issue 17 of The House of Hammer (volume 2, number 5) is the Vampire Circus comic, followed by Van Helsing’s Carnival of Fear. Dangerous children and Castle of the Living Dead add the movie-related info, along with Fairgrounds of Horror and Media Macabre. The artwork by Brian Holland and Goudenzi is splendid.

Comic reader version: Download House of Hammer Issue 17

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The Charge at Feather River (1953) Pressbook

This is the movie that introduced the name for the Wilhelm Scream. Used in countless movies and television shows since Distant Drums (1951), including Star Wars, and Indiana Jones, you’ll recognize it immediately when you hear it. It’s like that solitary wolf-baying you hear in The Munsters and countless other movies and television series, one sound effect used over and over again; though, I’m not sure if that wolf howling has a specific name attached to it. In this movie the Private Wilhelm character gets an arrow in his leg and screams (well, sound effect added, of course) the Wilhelm Scream.

Other interesting things to note about this movie were the use of a View Master display to sell the 3D effect, and the cheesecake (and beefcake) used in promotion. The 3D color-in mat was creative, and the feather headband theater giveaway provided something for the matinee, drop the kids off at the theater, audiences.

Comic reader version: Download Charge at Feather River Pressbook

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The Witch in Love (1966)
Mexican Lobby Card

A very ominous Mexican lobby card for Damiano Damiani’s The Witch in Love (La strega in amore).  This is a good example of how a simple layout can add subtle and not so subtle themes: the main scissor illustration showing violence and death; the younger woman on the left showing erotic fantasy but also foreboding as she faces toward the woman on the right; and the flaming passion or ill-intent shown by that older woman on the right. The eyes are drawn to each of these three visual statements in that order. The inset scene is one of action, too, which keeps the level of tension across this lobby card quite high.

La Bruja en Amor Lobby Card

The Wicker Man (1973) Pressbook

A truly terrifying movie in so many ways. And, of course, there’s Britt Ekland’s slappy nude dance, too. Instead of trying to remake an already excellent movie, the Nicolas Cage Wicker Man should have gone for a sequel instead. Who wouldn’t want to see Lord Summerisle burn bright when the harvest fails again the following year? Download The Wicker Man Pressbook (Comic Reader Version). See more pressbooks From Zombos’ Closet.

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