Pressbooks (Horror, Sci Fi, Fantasy)
The Boogens (1981) Pressbook
The Boogens pressbook is one large paper sheet, folded to create 16 pages, with each a little under 11×17 inches in size. It's more exciting than the movie, which drags on and on and on and…
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Schlock (1973) Pressbook
I have not seen this 1973 satire by John Landis. Not sure I want to. The television promo spots for Wilfred jogged my memory about it. Not sure I'd see Wilfred either. But the pressbook is impressive, so I just might catch Schlock.
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The Dunwich Horror (1970) Pressbook
If only the movie was as exciting as this pressbook layout. Good and alien evil battle in this story from H.P. Lovecraft, which is higly unusual because HPL ignored such dynamics in his other work. The Cthulhu Mythos is all about us against them and they're winning, with no cavalry on the way.
You won't see terms like "half-witted girl" used in mainstream movie poster art anymore, although its use here, with the lurid graphic, solidifies the presence of an unclean, deviant evil.
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Yog, Monster From Space (1970) Pressbook
As usual, the exploitation section is the most interesting part of this pressbook.
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Cat O’Nine Tails (1971) Pressbook
Don't miss the tie-ups on the exploitation page for barbershop, camera shop, and milk!
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Dr. Phibes Rises Again (1972) Pressbook
"Women's Lib Controversy Stunt — The character of Vulnavia…is an ideal example of female servitude as she plays background music to Dr. Phibes nasty machinations; pops grapes in his mouth and provides gorgeous feminine comfort in complete silence to the master criminal. Have pretty girls picket your theatre with signs stating "Dr. Phibes is a chauvinist male monster…""
–from the Exploitation section of the Dr. Phibes Rises Again pressbook.
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The Exorcist (1973) Pressbook
This is one of the finer examples of what a pressbook can be: a large format packed with lots of promotion for the movie. I'm missing a few admat pages, which I'll add in eventually.
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The Invisible Ray (1936)
Realart Pressbook
The is the re-release, Realart Pressbook for The Invisible Ray. I left out one page of ad mats.
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Gremlins (1984) Pressbook
Gremlins is a good example of how cute monsters can tie into merchandising the “horror” experience. This British pressbook for the movie is chock full of product tie-ins. The merchandising page (click image to enlarge) mentions items including soft drink concentrates, backpacks, tote bags, t-shirts, jigsaw puzzles, stickers, toys, and more. Who could resist a little Gizmo doll in his little car? Of course, true horror fans prefer Stripe.
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