From Zombos' Closet

The Monster Times No. 42, 1975

In issue 42 of The Monster Times, the Werewolf of Woodstock gets skinned, the wizard of gore himself dishes it up in an interview, and Mark Carducci's personal appearance at the Shepperton Studios auction, when they changed hands and bled away their monstrous history, will bring a tear to your eye. There's an odd True Scream Confessions attempt at humor taking us inside the private lives of the monsters, but I can leave it. You may like it, though. Here's something else: The Transylvanian Catalogue by Macmillan, offering 16mm prints for rental, by mail. An interesting early attempt at catering to the movie going fan of horror and science fiction movies. They must have gotten hammered by the VHS market when it sparked up in 1977.

Comic book reader version:  Download Monster Times 42

More magazines on the slab in the Magazine Morgue.

The Monster of Piedras Blancas (1959) Mexican Lobby Card

An overly talky movie, yet still has its charms; especially with the monster hanging around the lighthouse for food scraps. In-between the gabfests, the unexpected gore (monster holding severed head, crab crawling over severed head) must have jolted kids in their theater seats, making it a must see movie for them. I saw it on local television in the 1960s and was nicely scared, thank you very much. The creature suit was fashioned by Universal veterans involved with the Creature from the Black Lagoon.

Teenage Zombies (1959) Mexican Lobby Card

The usual mad scientist on lonely island performs experiments they shouldn't kind of movie. Only done very very badly. You can watch this one on YouTube. Lucky you. There's something about this Mexican lobby card, though, that's kind of cool and very spook show stylish.

The Monster Times No. 47, 1976

Star Trek versus Space 1999 in issue 47 of The Monster Times. It figures just as things are aces for TMT content-wise the next issue would be its last. Bummer. One consolation is that there's a lot to read in this all science-fiction issue, from Flash Gordon to T.H.U.N.D.E.R Agents to Chinese Chillers from Hong Kong (okay, so a little horror's thrown in here, too). Of special note, there's an interview with Gene Roddenberry beginning on page 10 you shouldn't miss: he talks about the ST movie, Space 1999, and his television projects. Those were the days, my friend.

Comic book reader version:  Download The Monster Times 47

Dissect more magazines in the morgue From Zombos' Closet.

Diary of a Madman (1963) Mexican Lobby Card

This Mexican lobby card for Diary of a Madman, based on the Guy de Maupassant short story, The Horla, makes sure to show Vincent Price's patented sinister stare to best effect.  The essential model of the Horla, an unseen, unknown, maliciously intending alien entity moving from host to host, is now an often used one in science fiction and horror movies. The Horla is often mentioned as H.P. Lovecraft's inspiration for The Call of Cthulhu.

The Magic Sword (1962) Pressbook

Arguably Burt I. Gordon's best movie, The Magic Sword delivered an effective fantasy that certainly left an impression on me when I first saw it in the 1960s. Worth a crusade or two, the lobby standee, and that awesome giveaway flashlight sword, are two treasures I'd love to cast a spell on for my collection.

Comic book reader version:  Download The Magic Sword Pressbook

More pressbooks and heralds from Zombos' Closet.

The Monster Times Issue 44, 1975

A quick, skimpy, issue of The Monster Times, issue 44 went huge to contain the giant behemoths within. Now that King Kong is the size of Godzilla, I'd say it's time to do a nice behemoth smash down movie. What do you think? It would be huge. On another note, Glenn in Tell It to the Editor, gives TMT hell for denigrating Star Trek, and "was wondering why you can't do TMT in a good magazine form like the other monster magazines. I really enjoy your articles, but the thin, yellowing paper and the coloring of the pictures are more grotesque than some monsters I know."