Another sumptuous pressbook (campaign manual) from Universal Studios, Son of Dracula (1943). While I will agree that Lon Chaney’s physique is the least beneficial asset to his portrayal of Count Alucard, the movie’s atmosphere and effectively applied special effects create a uniquely intimate Gothic-noir.
Comic reader version: Download Son of Dracula Pressbook
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Universal Studios certainly knew how to do pressbooks (campaign manuals) for their horror movies. They were large, filled with many pages of publicity information, and presented with style. The showmanship pages have some clever ideas to promote the movie. I’ve left out a few of the poster and ad mat pages. (This color copy of the original pressbook is courtesy of Professor Kinema.)
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Movie Heralds were way cool extras to the movie-going experience before all the media- hyping via Facebook, Twitter, and (name-your-own-preference-here) took over. A sample “newspaper” would usually come with the pressbook and the theater would then purchase them in bulk, to hand out to patrons as free advertising to promote the movie.
Here’s the one for The Legend of Hell House.
Here’s the pressbook for The Return of Count Yorga, a solid contemporary vampire story that adds 1970s grittiness.
See more movie pressbooks From Zombos’ Closet.
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This Amicus movie is one of my favorite scares. I found this nifty pressbook and merchandising manual in Professor Kinema’s archives.
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Move over silent era, step aside talkies, hit the road 3D. Now we have Duo-vision. Duo-Vision was by no means ground-breaking. It was just a promotional marketing term to describe split screen.
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Here is an 8 page pressbook for the Vault of Horror. I always smile when I look at Glynis Johns (remember her in Mary Poppins?) brandishing that hammer with such malicious glee. The screamiere promotion gimmick is smart: a scream and one ticket buys two seats to see the movie.
Now I just scream after buying a ticket and a snack at the concession stand.
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The 13 pages promoting The Legend of Hell House do not appear in their printed order, but this is the complete pressbook.
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Can your heart take the blood-letting? This heart-stopping moment courtesy of Professor Kinema. Don't skip the exploitation page at the end. It's got some nifty publicity gimmicks, especially the midnight menu.
See more movie pressbooks From Zombos' Closet.
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Vampire Circus and Countess Dracula
Double Bill PressbookRead More »
My eyes popped out when I saw this 1923 souvenir program for The Hunchback of Notre Dame in Professor Kinema’s archives. After I put them back in so I could see better, I knew I had to share these fantastic 18 pages of movie history. And you don’t even need to pay the 25¢ cover charge!
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On a recent visit to Professor Kinema’s archives, I found quite a stash of horror movie promotional material. Lucky me. Lucky you.
This neat promotional "newspaper," created by the Columbia Tristar Marketing Group, was circulated before Silent Hill hit the movie theaters. Maybe I should have read it before seeing the movie.
See more movie pressbooks From Zombos' Closet.