Why do apes and ape-like monsters always go for the girls? Just asking. It’s staggering how many gut-wrenchingly bad movies John Carradine acted in. He deserved better. This Mexican lobby card for Bigfoot (1970) at least promotes the King Kong tie-in (although there isn’t any), and highlights the proper way a monster should carry a girl: over the shoulder; the arms tire too quickly, no matter how big and hairy you are.
What drew me to this card is the primitive spook house ride illustration. I believe this Mexican lobby card is for Fritz Lang's The Testament of Dr. Mabuse, also known as The Last Will of Dr. Mabuse (1933).
This Mexican lobby card for La Cripta Del Terror has it all: bats, skeleton, crypt, death, victim (suitably undressed), would be rescuer, moonlight, and a dollop of seedy exploitation guaranteed to bring in the audience every time. The colors are vivid, the promise of horror palpable. Oh, and having Christopher Lee in the movie doesn’t hurt, either.
Don’t laugh, this 1970 “first sex-horror” movie (La Rose Ecorchee) has a 6 rating on IMDb. So there. The pressbook is a 6 page foldout, 9 x 12 inches in size. Pretty much the same size as that furry dwarf with the menacing spear.
Here's the 6 page foldout, 12 x 18 inches, pressbook for Universal's double bill, Curucu, Beast of the Amazon, and The Mole People. Sweet.
Here's the movie pressbook for Weird Woman (1944)). A less than stellar remake in 1980, Witches' Brew, starring Teri Garr and the tall man himself, Angus Scrimm, doesn't conjure up as much deviltry. How could it without Lon Chaney, Jr?
A few small ad mat cuts, but otherwise all here. Blood Bath‘s poster artwork condemnable with its sadistic victimization. Tagline’s no walk in the park, either. Hostel seems mild in comparison.
Here's a wonderful pressbook for a good movie that was lost in the shuffle from classic monster to classic sci fi in the 1950s. For me, John Agar epitomized the 1950s sci-horror everyman who showed equal measures of tupperware party simplicity and cool smarts.
With permission from Arena Publishing and Dr. Vollin, MD (aka Freddie Poe), here's How to Collect a Monster: The Birth of a Magician and the Tragedy of the Spook Show, from Movie Collector's World, issue 689, November 2005.
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How to Collect a Monster:
Harry Wise and the Lost Art
Of Spook ShowsRead More »
With permission from Arena Publishing and Dr. Vollin, MD (aka Freddie Poe), here’s How to Collect a Monster from issue # 711, September 2007, of Movie Collector’s World. Wherein the good Dr. V pays a visit to the metaphysically inspiring Monster Bash Convention.
Funny, but we must have brushed shoulders without realizing it because I was at the Bash that year, too. On top of that, it was the first time I met up with the zany Drunken Severed Head (aka Max). Max spent a good amount of time at the convention carrying around Bela Lugosi’s pants. But that’s another story.
In the 1960s I spent hours in the basement running my film projector, playing all of my Castle Films and Republic small reel movies. Adventures of Captain Marvel was my favorite mini-movie. I had to splice the celluloid together now and then with scotch tape, but I did get a lot of use out of it. Just think, all 12 chapters condensed into a few minutes running time. Now that’s editing.
Ronald Stephenson informed me this booklet is one of several published by Jack Mathis in the late 60s or early 70s. Mathis wrote Valley of the Cliffhangers and Republic Confidential. His Valley of the Cliffhangers Supplement gave the chapter by chapter synopsis and cliffhanger photos for all 66 Republic serials.
Outrageous poster art makes this movie come alive. Mexican lobby cards use the ‘pretty face’ poster art (see page 7) instead of the skull face.