House of Mysterious Secrets Blog

Official Michael Myers Halloween II Masks

2012-02-14T08:35:00.003-05:00

Sculpted by Justin Mabry

Trick or Treat Studios and Universal Studios is proud to present the Official Halloween II Blood Tears Michael Myers Mask!

This mask is an identical replica of the mask worn by one of the most famous movie serial killers of all time, Michael Myers, in Universal's Halloween II, a spine-tingling dark ride into the scariest night of the year.

The Official Halloween II Michael Myers mask was sculpted by our Art Director, Justin Mabry, and was based on numerous screen shots from Halloween II to make it the most screen accurate Michael Myers mask ever released.

So order your Official Halloween II Michael Myers mask, get yourself some coveralls and a nice replica butcher knife and give your friends the ultimate scare this Halloween!

Mask Ships in July 2012.

Check them out by clicking the Links below!

Official Michael Myers Halloween II Blood Tears Mask

Official Michael Myers Halloween II Mask

NYC Toy Fair 2012

2012-02-13T08:07:00.008-05:00

Not the best at photography, so hopefully you'll enjoy these shots of upcoming and already existing toys at the NYC Toy Fair 2012

Friday The 13th - Part 3 Jason Voorhees 7" Figure

2012-02-07T10:18:00.002-05:00

Oh shit! Time to get excited! Here is a look at NECA's upcoming Friday The 13th - Part 3 Jason Voorhees 7" figure. From the hit movie circa 1982, comes this terror of Crystal Lake, Jason Voorhees, depicted in 7 inches of blood curdling madness!

NECA Friday the 13th Figures!

2012-01-14T09:29:00.001-05:00

NECA is going to be releasing Friday the 13th figures!!! Here is a sneak peak.

Evil Dead 2 Deadite Ash Figure

2012-01-05T15:47:00.003-05:00

Here is the packaged image for NECA's upcoming Evil Dead 2 Deadite Ash figure which is slated to hit the House of Mysterious Secrets in February!

Cat in the Brain Weird Wobbler Bobblehead

2011-12-01T11:47:00.003-05:00

Coming very soon! Cat in the Brain Weird Wobbler Bobblehead!

CULT COLLECTIBLES in association with GRINDHOUSE RELEASING/BOXOFFICE SPECTACULARS is proud to present the world's first fully authorized figure of legendary Italian director, Lucio Fulci from his 1990 film, CAT IN THE BRAIN!

The film features the acclaimed Italian horror maestro Lucio Fulci (director of such genre classics as ZOMBIE, HOUSE BY THE CEMETERY, THE BEYOND, CITY OF THE LIVING DEAD and more), starring in this blood-soaked epic as a director being driven insane by his own movies. Fulci is thrust into an ultra-violent nightmare of death and depravity where murder and madness consume his sanity in a vortex of violence!

Outfitted in the flannel "hunting outfit" fans love from the film, Fulci also holds a pipe and stands on a blood dripping base. No true fan of Lucio Fulci and Italian horror cinema would want to be without this! FULCI LIVES!!!

Limited to 1,000 individually numbered figures.
7 inches of lightweight polyresin.
Meticulously hand sculpted / painted likeness.
Housed in a awesome full color gore soaked retail box designed by Stephen Romano!

New 7" Evil Dead 2 Ash Figure Images

2011-12-01T10:18:00.006-05:00

Here are new press images for NECA's upcoming Evil Dead 2 Ash figures, regular Ash and Deadite Ash. Look for these to be at the House of Mysterious Secrets in February 2012!

Web Stuff

2011-11-18T09:16:00.001-05:00

Some interesting news: In the next couple of weeks, you should (hopefully) start seeing a customer service phone number on the website! You'll be able to call and place orders over the phone. Neat, eh? And thanks to our friends at VHS Preservation Society we'll be venturing out to do more conventions. Since the world is gonna blow up in December 2012, we might as well make the best of it while we can, right?

Cereal Killers Trading Cards and Tumblr

2011-11-13T10:14:00.004-05:00

Coming very soon to the House of Mysterious: Secrets: Cereal Killers Trading Cards! I've never seen them in person, but checking out the images of the product, it truly looks like a fantastic collection of stuff! Perfect for fans of Garbage Pail Kids and Wacky Packages! I am totally going to purchase one for myself!

I also created a Tumblr page for the House of Mysterious Secrets recently! Don't know what Tumblr is? Well, neither do I, but I'm trying to figure it out. So far our Tumblr page will just be a showcase of random horror related images that I dig. Just for fun. If you have a Tumblr account, please follow it and I'll return the favor! Check it out!

House of Mysterious Secrets Tumblr Page

Shady Brook Farms

2011-10-26T08:52:00.000-04:00

Halloween is fast approaching. With only a few days left, I hope you have all gotten in some adequate fright time in. For some of us here at The House, October is a very busy time. Life doesn't always allow for what should be a month long scare fest. So, we do what we can.

A few weeks ago we got out to Shady Brook Farms in Yardly Pa for their annual Horror Fest. I myself hadn't been there in a few years and was eager to go. So, we loaded up in the car, made a quick hot chocolate stop at Wawa and headed out for a spooktacular good time.

Shady Brook didn't let us down. The main court yard was rich with the smells of fall. Kettle corn, pies, funnel cake. It was fantastic. The crowd wasn't over baring which surprised me for a Saturday night.

We headed to the hayride first. I didn't have very high hopes for this ride since it was a bit lack luster the last time I was there, but, this time around I was very impressed. Great scene design and characters. We had the luck of sitting next to a teenage girl that was scared out of her mind. This added to the fun. This girl could not get her face out of her lap and the actors took full advantage of it. Going so far as to climbing onto the wagon and surrounding her. The icing on the cake was Freddy Krueger climbing on and having a seat next to her. She looked up and jumped clear across the wagon.

Next we made our way to the Barn of Horror. Well, with a brief stop to pet the goats which Kevin was very excited to do. The Barn was very well done. Disturbing sets and characters that were quite chill inducing. My only issue was that it was too short.

Over all it was a fun and much needed night of terror. Shady Brook is one of the better haunts I've been to and I highly recommend it.

Hope you all have an enjoyable Halloween. If October is as busy as a month for you as it is for us, try to find some time to visit a haunt, turn on Fear Fest on AMC, or just brows the Halloween section of K-Mart. The month will be over before you know it.

So, I'll leave you with this little You Tube gem.

Happy Halloween
Until Next Time Try To Enjoy The Day Light
Steve

Famous Monsters of Filmland Retro #71

2011-10-10T18:57:00.002-04:00

Wow! What a beautiful cover! I love it!

Welcome to October!

2011-10-07T11:44:00.008-04:00

Welcome to October everyone! We are now in the full swing of the Halloween season. I've finally gotten the chance to get out and see what ghoulish goodies the stores have to offer, but, more importantly had the time to sit down and write about it. Hope you enjoy.

First up we that the offerings of Party Fair. Located in the Barnes and Noble Shopping center in Willow Grove, Pa, Party Fair has a great amount of Halloween fun. Check out the pix and see what nightmares can be picked up there.

Next up, is by far my favorite place I've been to on my Halloween rounds. Spirit Halloween is a very well know chain of fright and they have impressed me greatly with both there merchandise and displays I've been in a couple Spirit stores this year. The one pictured is the Langhorne, PA location currently in the former space of Border's Books. On this trip I was accompanied by mister Kevin Miller. He and I had a blast going through this store.

If you are in the area of either of these store, I highly recommend checking them out. Even if you're just browsing, they are a lot of fun.

Until next time, try to enjoy the daylight.
Steve.

New HorrorHound Magazine Advertisement

2011-09-23T12:13:00.003-04:00

New advertisement for HorrorHound magazine. All thanks to Nate for putting this together for me!

Night of the Living Dead "Karen Cooper" Bobblehead

2011-09-20T10:13:00.002-04:00

"Karen Cooper," the child-zombie from George A. Romero's Night of the Living Dead who eats her father and stabs her mother to death with a trowel is captured down to every bloody detail in a limited-edition bobblehead!

• 7" TALL, polyresin bobble-head
• FIRST in a series of pop culture bobbleheads

Night of the Living Dead Karen Cooper Bobblehead

Night of the Demons Shirt

2011-09-19T12:00:00.002-04:00

Here's a look at the new House of Mysterious Secrets exclusive shirt: Night of the Demons! Artwork by the amazing Matty Ryan Tobin. Coming soon!!!

AMC Monsterfest 2007 Promo

2011-09-15T08:50:00.001-04:00

It's stuff like this that makes me still wish that I had cable television. Great montage of classic horror clips, too bad the music makes me want to jump out of a window. Enjoy!

NECA Freddy Figure Update

2011-09-12T15:39:00.008-04:00

OK, so all the pictures of the NECA Freddy Krueger figure from A Nightmare on Elm Street apparently were taken from the promo photos for the toy. This is important because the photos do not match what's in the box! I happened to be at Toys R Us and ran across a fresh stocked shelf of these figures and to my surprise the face on the toy isn't the same as the face I originally posted about. Maybe it's the lighting in the photo or maybe it was a prototype used for the photos before the final sculpt was defined. Whatever it was, I have to update my previous statements about this figure.

It's really a great toy. The hat in this case is flexible, not hard plastic like other Freddy figure hats. This means it fits better and will stay on better. It comes with two super long arms that easily pop off and on, but not so easy that they fall off. The joints are nice and movable but stay in place too. The hands have to be popped off and on to swap the arms, so be careful when doing this with the gloved hand as you could potentially break a blade. The figure gave me a little difficulty with standing up, but after messing with it for a bit I was able to get the feet into position for standing and they don't look funny or anything.

The actual sculpt of the face does indeed look like Freddy from the first movie. As I said before, my benchmark for a good sculpt is if I can see the person behind the mask/makeup, and I definitely can see Robert Englund in this sculpt. As an added bonus they also include a variant head from the same scene that the figure is taken from. This is the head with the skin peeled back to reveal the skull and big eye balls.

I'm glad to add this figure to my collection and I would suggest anyone into collecting pick this one up for sure. It's an odd piece because of the long arms and that makes it stand out on a shelf full of normal looking figures. I have to take back my original rating for this toy of two screams and give it a good four screams along with the Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2 figure.

-- - Mr. Frights
http://about.me/mrfrights

YouTube Tricks and Treats

2011-09-07T08:29:00.001-04:00

With Labor Day being the unofficial end of summer, its time to once again welcome the Halloween season with open arms. So, here are a few YouTube joys of mine to get us a little more into the holiday spirit.

First up, The trailer for Trick r Treat. This is one of my favorite movies to come out in the last few years. It captures Halloween so perfectly. Like many others, this trailer very much intrigued me from the first time I saw it. I became more and more excited to see this each time I watched it. Little did I know that the journey to seeing this film would take 2 years, thanks to the folks over at Warner Brothers. After the long wait, I ran to Best Buy the day it was released on DVD. That night I immersed myself in the ghoulish goodness that is Trick r Treat. When I reached the end of the film, the only thing I could say is "that was absolutely amazing." Trick r Treat lived up to every expectation I had for it and has since become a new Halloween tradition for me.

Next, We have the movie that has been a Halloween tradition for many people for the last 33 years. John Carpenter's Halloween. This video I spent quite sometime looking for on YouTube. This is the opening bumper for Halloween the first time it aired on NBC in 1981. Truly a piece of TV history not only for Halloween and horror fans, but for everyone that sat in their living rooms that Friday night in 1981. For many, this was the first time they were to witness this amazing piece of cinema.

Well, That will do it for right now. I'll be back with some more Halloween goodies soon. I'll be getting out and about to see what stores are offering us this year in the way of Spooky Merchandise and decor.

Until Next Time, Try To Enjoy The Day Light.
Steve

Funko Universal Monsters Wacky Wobblers

2011-08-29T14:26:00.009-04:00

FUNKO is a toy company relatively new to me. I didn't start noticing their stuff until earlier this year [2011] when I picked up several of their Pop! vinyl figures including a Freddy, Jason, and Michael Myers. They are one of the only companies to pull together a nice line of Universal Monster toys too. Which is why I'm writing this.

I was lucky enough to get in on purchasing their new Universal Monsters Wacky Wobblers from HOUSEOFMYSTERIOUSSECRETS.COM. Having the chance to get them all at one time, I couldn't miss out. Wolfman, Dracula, Frankenstein, and of course The Creature [from the Black Lagoon], all are represented in this line as well as in their Plushies line and their Funko Force line (which I also have).

The wobblers are very nice. They sport what looks like the same exact sculpt for the heads as the Funko Force figures, but that's fine because it's a darn good sculpt. They have different bodies though which also makes it really cool to have these guys. They are sturdy, made from lightweight vinyl and each featuring it's own base to match the character. Also, their arms move which adds a nice little feature, though they are sculpted as if meant to be in one position. One of the really cool things about these is the faces. If you looks close enough at them you can actually see the resemblance to the actors/costumes of the characters from the movies. It's a really nice capture of the likenesses of these figures, which seems to be typical of Funko toys [other than the Plushies which are just fun little plush doll versions of these characters].

Lastly, each wobbler features a name plate on the front of the base styled to the character which I really like because it makes them more like museum pieces and less like toys to be played with. I almost feel like setting up a little pole next to each one with one of those information engraved plates telling the passers by about the history of each character. Fun stuff! I'd also like to mention the boxes they come in because each one features artwork specific to the character and a picture of the characters head on the top of the box each with a different spooky color background.

For someone like myself who missed out on most of the glory of the Universal Monsters stuff from when they were first popularized, and even for someone who's a long time fan from when the characters were first created, these little toy bobble heads are really quite awesome. I highly recommend getting yourself a set or at least getting your favorite of the four. Funko is one of the companies I can thank for allowing me the chance to catch my collection up from some most important missing pieces. Their Universal Monsters stuff is most excellent and I'm super glad I got them!

You can check out their other stuff directly on their site at http://www.funko.com. You can also get most of the really good stuff from Funko at Houseofmysterioussecrets.com.

I give these toys four screams for sure!

- Mr. Frights
http://about.me/mrfrights

Some Awesome & Random YouTube Goodness

2011-08-26T21:34:00.003-04:00

Predator 2 Extreme Head Knocker by NECA

2011-08-26T09:06:00.007-04:00

OK, so I've been collecting these Extreme Head Knockers from NECA for a while now. I think I have just about every one of the horror statues that have been released to date. Every single one of these things is impressive. I can't deny it no matter how many problems I can come up with, and I haven't come up with many at this point. That is until I pulled the Predator 2 Extreme Head Knocker out of it's box.

First off, the paint. On the box and in the ads I've seen online this thing is a nice greenish color with spots and clearly defined abdominal and chest muscles. Pretty much looks exactly like it did in the movie. But, I pull it out of the box and it's a pretty salmon color with little or no definition in the muscles at all. It looks more like a light tiger orange than anything and reminds me of Kintaro from Mortal Kombat, but just in a Predator body. Also, the netting across his body isn't as well defined as it is on the box's photo. The rest of the details on this are painted on in what looks like a very lazy way. The picture on the box shows fine details for instance around the neck colar area in the form of some tiny silver spots. The statue instead has a few large spots that cover several of the rings in the collar like someone just thought it would be easier and lazily slapped on some silver paint here and there.

Secondly, the skull/spine that the predator is holding. The box shows the spine hanging freely and more to the left with lots of blood on it. The actual bobble head has the spine sitting on the predator's knee and has little visible blood painting. The problem that is causing this particular issue is that they attacked the spine to the skull backwards. The pelvis is facing back instead of front like it should be. Hmmmm.

Aside from what the box shows, the statue is holding one of the lances all closed up in it's right hand and the claws from the arm band are extended. Cool features for sure. The problem is that one of the claws doesn't fit into the sculpt the way it should so the one claw is tilted upward throwing off the way the blades should look. You can even see the base of the claw that's messed up and how it is lifted from the surface of the arm and there's a bit of separation.

It's not all bad though. The figure does look cool [aside from it being pinkish] and it still looks like Predator from Predator 2 generally speaking. It also is attached to a pretty sweet base that looks like the corner of the building that the monster stood on at one point in the movie showing off it's dangling prize and letting out it's vicious roar. The bricks in the base also carry the title "Predator 2".

The packed the statue really well, which is typical of these things, wrapping it's neck in some foam to keep it from breaking. The skull/spine was protected as was the claws. I'd still worry about breakage or even just having that one claw just fall out from some minor jarring movements, so if you get this thing, just be super careful when messing with it.

I seriously don't like giving negative reviews to things I want to love, but my disappointment in this figure is just amplified by how amazing the other Extreme Head Knockers have been. It really seems like this one ended up in some lazy hands and they made as little effort to make it right as possible not taking into account how a collector would see it. It's a real shame because it reflects badly on NECA and their image and makes you more cautious about buying their stuff since you really don't know if you'll get something amazing or something that was just slapped together. Hit or miss on a company really sucks.

I'm going to have to give this toy two screams and two screams only. Bummer.

- Mr. Frights
http://about.me/mrfrights

The Cast of Eerie Publications perform the Johnson-Smith Novelty Company "Horror Record"

2011-08-24T14:33:00.003-04:00

Here is simply an amazing piece of work by the creator and author of the blog Scar Stuff: Jason Willis.

"This lurid mess is a short film that I made around Halloween of 2010. It marries the audio from what is probably the WorstBest horror record I own (mail ordered from a comic book ad when I was 8) with visuals culled from the crude and gruesome cover art favored by the company that gave me nightmares as a child, Eerie Publications."

AC Moore Halloween Goodness

2011-08-23T10:57:00.011-04:00

A few days ago I stopped into AC Moore and to my surprise, they had Halloween stuff out! OK, it wasn't that big of a surprise considering most stores put there seasonal goods way too early. Any way, This is my first interaction with Halloween for the 2011 haunting season and I found a few fun things.

Most of the items that stuck out were in the culinary category. The item that stuck out to me most were the butcher knife cake decoration. My daughter was the first to point them out and get excited for them before I could. Yes, my kid is that cool. Her first statement after showing them to me was "Dad, Look, you can make cupcakes bleed!" I can't express how proud I am of her. Moving along, AC Moore also boasted a number of cake pan and candy molds to make all of your baking nightmares come true. Trust me, Halloween pastries are cool. Take a look at the pictures and see for yourself.

So, in the midst of the fun things we found, my daughter and I settled on buying small wooden coffins to paint. We'll be back for the rest of the spooky wares. So, for being the first things this year I've seen for Halloween, I'm feeling pretty good about what is in store for this years creepy season.

Until next time, try to enjoy the daylight.
- Steve

Halloween 2 RARE TV SPOT Commercial From 1988

2011-08-22T14:56:00.002-04:00

Having grown up in the Philadelphia, PA area, I am quite familiar with Channel 17, I sure do miss it, they aired lots of great stuff. This Halloween 2 commercial that they put together is simply fantastic.

Creature Double Feature

2011-08-16T09:03:00.004-04:00

I've been wanting to post this video clip for months now.

Growing up in Philadelphia, we were very fortunate to have a generous selection of horror and science fiction television shows. Creature Double Feature, Doctor Shock, Saturday Night Dead, and some show that used to air on Channel 29 on Saturday afternoons...though I can't remember the name at the moment. Anyway, Creature Double Feature (from the long gone, but not forgotten, station Channel 48) was my absolute favorite, if for any reason, the opening credits
were so amazing. Amazing for a kid, mind you.

I've been searching for these credits for years, doubtful that they would ever be found. When YouTube came around, I searched it weekly, hoping that one day someone would post it. Finally, on Aug 27, 2010...someone did just that! And not only did they post it....the picture quality was absolutely pristine! Beautiful! You can not imagine the joy, the pure bliss I felt watching it again. It made me so happy, so excited, so relieved that after all this time, I could be reunited with that spooky hand coming out of the grave!

And as to why the video looks so amazing? Read this paragraph from the up-loader's video description:

"Let me take you back to the 70's. If you remember the open and close of "Creature Double Feature" aired on Saturday afternoon's about 1:00pm. Well the hand that came out of the grave belonged to me, my name is tony and I was the film department supervisor at the time. It took about 7 hours to produce the open and close and a few takes.Those great black and white classic horror films are the one's our department edited for commercial time. Yo, those spots keep our station on the air. I hope you enjoy seeing this again, because memories can never be lost. Thank's for watching"

How amazing is that?

I got so excited, that I even posted a comment. I was the first one! You can see how nerdy I got:

"!!!!!!!!!! You have no idea how long I've waited to see this! Aaaaaah! Thank you so so so so much! This is so awesome! Years! I've waited decades to see this opening sequence again! Where did you find it!? I never thought I've ever see it on Youtube!"

"Puff" Printed Horror

2011-08-14T10:06:00.003-04:00

This scan is taken from a 1988 Fangoria Magazine, which is right around the same time I was in high school.

I actually had (and still own) the Evil Dead 2 shirt, and I recall pretty much wearing it nearly every single day in school. In fact, my t-shirt collection was rather small back then, so you would often see me wearing the same 5-6 t-shirts every week. Make due with what you have.

It would have been awesome to have gotten the Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 design! I wish I had ordered them both!

"Your friends will die of envy when they see you in your eye-popping tank top, your drop-dead T-shirt or your shock effect sweatshirt with artwork from your favorite horror flick!"

What a phenomenon the "horror shirt" has become, it's an almost necessity now for any horror fan.

And here is my poor, old, stained Evil Dead 2 shirt. If it didn't have that bizarre stain at the top, I'd probably still wear it today.

FANGORIA Magazine Back Cover Scans Part 2

2011-08-12T10:36:00.005-04:00

Fangoria #26 - Filmgore with Elvira!
Filmgore? Never heard of this before! Now I have to track it down and see if it really does exist. Special hostess Elvira brings us "Murderous Movie Moments" from such classics as The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Snuff, 2000 Maniacs, Driller Killer, Blood Feast...and...well...all the films that Wizard Video was currently carrying. Looks awesome! Must find a copy! Only $44.95!

Fangoria #29 - Dance of Death
I forgot all about this poster. It shows up on the back cover of several early issues of Fangoria, I remember drooling over it, wishing that I had a poster of my own. Years later in High School, my friends and I would hang out in the basement of this super heavy metal dude's house, and of course, he had it on his wall. So jealous. I remember this dude also had a couple of the Mego KISS Dolls, a coffin, a pool table, lots of fake skulls, and lots of pot. Despite the fact that his basement was a metal paradise, that dude terrified me...because you'd never know when he was going to chase you around the place with a real hunting knife. Which he DID do...on occasion.

Fangoria #30 Distortions Mask!
I'm not much of a mask collector, but I do know that Distortion Masks are sought after pieces. This catalog dates back to 1983 and check out some of the prices! $210.00! $74.95! $54.95! Expensive today. Majorly expensive in 1983. Try searching for some of these masks on eBay.

Love for Halloween III & Friday the 13th: A New Beginning

2011-08-11T08:08:00.006-04:00

Sequels have always been hit or miss among horror fans. We have our likes and dislikes among our franchise favorites. But, among the vast array of sequels, there are two films that for most remain the worst installments of any major horror franchise. As for this horror geek, they stand as two of my favorites. They are Halloween III: Season of the witch and Friday the 13th: A New Beginning.

For years, I've heard numerous complaints about these two installments and I've come to the conclusion that the origin of dislike stems from people simply not giving these films a chance to be liked. I myself shunned Halloween III for years because of the lack of Michael Myers. But, I gave it another chance and discovered truly remarkable things about the movie. The pure insanity of Conell Cockren to kill children on Halloween. The awesome presence of Tom Atkins on screen. Truly incredible.

The same can be said for the second subject of this post, Friday the 13th: A New Beginning. Yes, This film lacks our favorite hockey masked killer. But, it boasts some great kill scenes and a load of viewing fun. Tommy Jarvis' intensity is quite phenomenal despite the fact that he has about a sentence worth of dialog through out the movie. And who can deny the fantastic line, "Damn enchiladas."

I have an understanding as to why these are the least favored among fans. They lack the icons we have come to love from previous installments. Perhaps its a feeling that we've been cheated out of our time invested in watching these movies and didn't get the pay off that was felt to be deserved.

Never the less, we still got quality films that more than satisfy the desire to see carnage unfold on screen. Far better than most installments that followed these movies. So, if you're one of the neigh sayers of these movies, Take the time to watch them over again. You may just find something you didn't see before.

Until next next time, try to enjoy the day light.
- Steve

3 New Shirts - Coming Soon!

2011-08-10T09:17:00.002-04:00

3 New amazing shirts coming soon! Motel Hell. The Gate. And Ilsa - She Wolf of the SS!

FANGORIA Magazine Back Cover Scans

2011-08-09T08:52:00.007-04:00

Here are some fantastic back cover scans from the early years of FANGORIA magazine. How awesome would it be to still have the opportunity to order some of these amazing products TODAY?!

Fangoria Magazine #12 - Don Post Masks!

Fangoria Magazine #15 - Death Studios!
Through out the years, Death Studios advertised many fantastic and bizarre original monsters and aliens in Fangoria. In high school, I remember I had created a check list of all of the stuff I would eventually order...when I actually had money. Sadly, I never did. Order anything, that is.

Fangoria #21 - 4 Splatter Movies!
Driller Killer! Drive-In Massacre! Snuff! And Blood Feast! Amazing VHS Cassettes, only $44.95 each! The Snuff cover art is brutal! Better than the entire movie.

Fangoria #22 - 2000 Maniacs!
First time ever on video! I like how in the early years of horror, "Splatter Movie" was a very common term, where as today, is it nearly obsolete. Another masterpiece from H.G. Lewis, only $44.95 on VHS!

Fangoria Magazine #23 - An Unholy 9!
Wow! What a line-up! Blood Feast! Snuff! Zombie! The Boogey Man, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Season of the Witch, Slave of the Cannibal God, I Spit On Your Grave, and The Twilight People! Lots of heavy hitters and some less than popular titles in there. I am assuming this is WIZARD VIDEO prior to changing their name from MERLIN MAIL, and that these are "big boxes", or maybe some of them are. Again, all can be yours for only $44.95 each!

Fangoria Magazine #24 - The Texas Chainsaw Massacre ATARI Game!
Beautiful advertisement for the legendary ATARI game. There are two things that really grab my attention in this ad:

1. "The First Violent Video Game", which is quite a boast, considering Atari games were 10-bit, and everything pretty much looked like oddly shaped blocks.

2. The illustration of the man firing the gun...wearing the hat. Who is he? When does he show up in the game? Or the movie? Or anywhere? What a mystery! We may never learn the truth. This gore fest video can be yours for only $34.95.

If you want to see just how terrifying and violent this game really is, here is some actual game play.

Fangoria Magazine #25 - The First Scary Video Games!
I dunno where these people are, but I want to go there! If you look to the left, you can see someone playing a game called "3D Frankenstein". Shit! Where is that game?

When I was a kid, I knew someone that actually had both games on one cartridge. It was one of those split ATARI cartridges, where you flip either side around to play the games. One side: Texas, the other side: Halloween. I could be wrong though, because I've searched Google for an image of this and haven't found anything. Either way, I do remember playing both games when I was a kid.

And here is some game play of Halloween:

A Nightmare on Elm Street Freddy Krueger Figures Review

2011-08-07T11:42:00.020-04:00

I started out thinking on a review of the new NECA Freddy Krueger from Nightmare on Elm Street pt 2, but I have a lot more than that on my chest when I look at my N.o.E.S. shelf. I missed out on a lot of the Freddy figures as I began my actually collecting phase late. By the time I really hit my stride McFarlane already had Movie Maniacs series 6 and had to do a lot of back date buying to catch up. The thing is, at the time those figures were so popular that I missed out on a lot and I knew little about the other toy producers like NECA or Mezco or whatever.

The only Freddy I could get was the Wes Craven's New Nightmare one and unfortunately, that isn't actually Freddy as in the movie it's a demon that chooses the form of Freddy Krueger from the movies. So for years now, I've been stuck with only one "Freddy" and it wasn't even really him and it has always bothered me. Recently I've been doing some catch up and have been picking up what (original Elm Street) Freddy's I could. After looking at the ones I've picked up, and seeing the latest release from NECA, I decided a review isn't enough. I had to do a versus.

So, let's start with NECA/REEL Toys NEW NIGHTMARE "Freddy". It's a nice little figure; comes with a solid base that has a part of a pillar on one end. You can remove his hat. He comes with a tiny script like in the movie, and a second head which is the demon form. His hand with the blades on it is muscle and the claw/glove is actually bones that lead to the fingers and become the blades. It's very movie accurate and because of all this, I didn't mind owning it. It's a good figure to have even though it hasn't gained any value and you can still easily get it:

Cult Classics New Nightmare Freddy 7" Action Figure

More recently I picked up the McFarlane Movie Maniacs Freddy, a retro buy for me as it's series 1. It was available pretty cheap so I figured why not. When I got it I was a little disappointed, the thing didn't look like Robert Englund. Now I know it's supposed to look like Freddy, but my basis for any figure that comes based off of a movie or show is that it looks like it does on the screen. Robert Englund plays Freddy and you can totally see him through the makeup/masking and so I expect any Freddy Krueger figure to take that into consideration.

I'm actually a little surprised because back then McFarlane was the balls when it came to making figures that were movie accurate, while everyone else was playing catch up. I guess back then I may not have minded. A buddy of mine had this figure and I think I remember wishing I'd gotten it. Now I have it and I'm glad but on my scale of how good the figure is... well it's kind of lower. I have yet to take it out of the box, but lets talk about what is included - a movie poster stand which was typical of these figures back then and a mini-krueger which might indicate which movie they went with for the sculpt, but it doesn't mention anything specific on the box. The textures added into the figure and even the sculpt itself is not good at all. The head on Freddy looks way to small and his features, while really messed up, are very simple. The eyes are even just white (on mine) and the face details make him look dirty. There is absolutely no sign of Robert Englund in this figure. It's still easily available:

Movie Maniacs 1: Freddy Krueger A Nightmare On Elm Street Action Figure

Now, the newly released NECA Freddy from Nightmare 2 is (in my opinion) exceptional! The figure doesn't come with much more than the others had, a second head with the mouth open and brains exposed on the right side & a second hand that has no glove but blades coming from the fingers. Typical of the other figures, the hat comes off. The thing that really got me with this figure is that it very much resembles Robert Englund's Freddy face!

The down sides are that 1. it comes with no base and 2. it has a hard time standing on its own on some surfaces. I'm not sure what happened to these companies and the bases that should be coming with these figures, but it bugs me. Some of my figures have some great bases that come with them that look like they are from a part of the movie, others have a simple base that's just there to help them stand. Sure you can buy bases separately, but come on, why should the collector have to go out of their way to buy a whole pack of bases just to get the figures to stand up. They should stand up on their own first of all, and secondly, bases should be standard accessories with these things.

These are both still widely available:

A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 1 Figure
A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2 Figure

There's also a series 4 McFarlane Freddy and a newly released Nightmare 1 Freddy from NECA that has the super long outstretched arms... I don't own either of them, but I'll say the series 4 Movie Maniacs one looks a bit better than the series 1, though still not quite what I'd say good. The new NECA w/ the long arms also looks really weird in the face, kind of like it's been stylized or something rather than a sculpt directly from the movie. This is why I haven't bothered getting them. Still, it might be cool, if I can find them reasonably priced, to have them just for the sake of adding to the collection.

It seems to me that it must be pretty difficult to get this guy's face right. Out of all the figures and toys out there they've only been able to get his face right once? Some of the more recent releases over the past two years even include admittedly made up looks for the guy using the "stylized" tag to excuse why it's not looking like Robert behind the Freddy face. I can say with great confidence that NECA knocked it out of the park with their 2011 Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2 Freddy Krueger figure.

- Mr. Frights
About Me - Mr. Frights

HOMS RADIO Update

2011-08-06T09:00:00.002-04:00

New HOMS RADIO playlist added today - 68 tracks of pure horrific madness! This playlist is probably one of the most diverse I've ever put together! Hopefully those who listen will enjoy it.

Halloween (1978) Deleted Scenes

2011-08-02T09:20:00.003-04:00

Recently some new deleted scenes from John Carpenter's Halloween have surfaced. These never-before-seen clips shows an entirely different direction from the original movie. As you can see, these scenes are truly amazing! It gives Michael Myers a whole new perspective which we have never seen before!

Magic Manor

2011-07-29T09:19:00.002-04:00

Oh Magic Manor, how I wish I could travel back in time and visit your amazing store back in '70s.

Friday the 13th - The Ultimate Edition (DVD)

2011-07-29T08:39:00.009-04:00

I'm gonna give it you straight about Jason. He's slashing his way back to store shelves in a new box set. Paramount is yet again releasing the Friday the 13th films in a shinny new package and its got this horror nerd's collector senses all tingly. Much like our favorite hockey masked killer, Paramount keeps finding ways to resurrect These films on DVD. Yes, DVD not Blu-Ray. Which doesn't bother me cause I don't have a Blu-Ray Player anyway.

The features on here look pretty impressive, but, its the packaging that really seals the deal for me this time around. IT COMES WITH A FREAKING MASK!!!! This indeed is something special.

I know what you're saying to yourself. "Shouldn't a horror fan already have every F13 movie?" Duh, of course I do, but this thing comes with a mask! So, my illogical side has kicked in and I'm going to have to buy it. Unless you are a collector, you're not gonna get it and that is fine. You don't have to. But that is a whole different post in and of itself.

I haven't seen a release date yet, but, it will be out just before Halloween. Check out the pictures and see for your self how great this set is.

- Steven Heller

Dead Island: Official Announcement Trailer

2011-02-18T12:43:00.003-05:00

This stunning trailer for the upcoming DEAD ISLAND game has been sweeping all over the internet just like a zombie virus, and deservingly so. It is truly breathtaking and worth multiple viewings, just so that you can completely absorb all the outstanding details and imagery. That is...if you can handle watching it more than once. It is quite somber if not devastating in nature. If you haven't watched this yet, do it now!

The House of the Devil Dance Party

2010-12-02T09:33:00.003-05:00

I'll confess that I wasn't a huge fan of The House of The Devil, well, that is, I liked it up to a point. And then I completely lost interest. But besides all of that, the most memorable sequence was when the main character puts on her ancient Walkman headphones and rocks out 80s style to the FIXX's awesome song "One Thing Leads to Another". This sequence was pure 80s gold. A very faithful homage to the decade of decadence.

Happy Halloween Darling

2010-10-16T09:32:00.002-04:00

I think I may just put this video on repeat for the next 30 minutes or so. Wowzers!

The Nightmare Dream Package

2010-09-15T11:29:00.004-04:00

Seems like a pretty good deal to me:

Mask
Hat
Poster
Glove
Game
Book
Video Tape

All for $98.00!

Too bad this ad is from the back of a 1989 magazine!

Horror Epix

2010-09-14T11:05:00.000-04:00

I don't know what the hell "Epix" is, but this sure does make me want to find out! Looks like a lot of love and fun want into this trailer. Got to admire anyone that actually uses footage from Amityville II: The Possession.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Misfit

2010-09-14T08:38:00.000-04:00

Found this image from the archives. Eric Talbot, who used to do some art for The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and other Mirage Studios books, drew this for me at a horror convention back in 1990. He wasn't doing any sketches that day, but when I asked him to draw for me a Ninja Turtle with a Devilock and Crimson Ghost shirt, he was more than excited to comply!

Woah. Unlucky little dude.

2010-08-15T12:18:00.001-04:00

Boy, 13, Struck by Lightning at 13:13 on Friday 13th

LONDON (Aug. 15) -- Friday the 13th proved especially unlucky for one 13-year-old British boy, who was struck by lightning at exactly 13:13 on the much-feared date.

The teenager was among a crowd of 170,000 people watching an aeronautical display at the Lowestoft Seafront Air Festival in the east of England when he was zapped by a bolt from the sky, reported The Mirror. He suffered minor burns and is expected to make a full recovery.

Rex Clarke, who led the St. John ambulance team that treated the boy, said that it had been raining and thundering throughout the day, and so many air show spectators were clutching umbrellas -- good conductors, he told the Daily Mail -- when the electrical storm hit.

"Suddenly there was this huge crack of lightning really close to the seafront and really loud thunder," he said to the Mirror. "Seconds later we got a call someone had been hit. The boy was breathing and was conscious. He had a minor burn to his shoulder and was taken to hospital as a precaution. It could have been a lot worse."

He added that the timing of the event was quite eerie, saying, "It's all a bit strange that he was 13, and it happened at 13:13 on Friday 13."

Another teenager and a woman standing near to the unnamed boy were also struck and received treatment. "We were just watching the planes go past and ... there was a flash of lightning," Jordan Gissing, 16, told Norwich Evening News, explaining how he threw his umbrella to the ground after seeing a spark on his hand. "I couldn't speak. I was shocked."

Source Material

Halloween Paperback Novels.

2010-06-12T10:30:00.003-04:00

My friend Steve picked up these two books for me as birthday gifts. Pretty damn cool. Can't wait to read them!

New Horror Collection Gallery

2010-06-05T10:27:00.005-04:00

A Horror Collection Gallery - something I've been thinking about doing for a long time. I finally put it together yesterday. So far I've received 4 submissions and they are all rather awesome. I'm always curious to check out people's collections and this is a unique way that collectors can see and share their own personal collection with other fans. Neat stuff.

New Horror Collection Gallery

Goblins Don't Exist! Goblins Don't Exist!

2010-06-03T12:37:00.002-04:00

New "Welcome to NILBOG" Street Sign! Goblins do exist! Just ask Grandpa Seth! Long live TROLL 2!

This sign is made of sturdy aluminum and is .040" thick. It measures 12" x 18" so it are not some small sign that others sell. This sign is lettered with computer cut 6 year automotive grade outdoor vinyl.

WELCOME TO NILBOG

The Prowler VHS Goof

2010-05-13T10:34:00.005-04:00

A friend of mine recently went to a used book store and came across an old VHS copy of the slasher classic The Prowler. I'm only mentioning this because it was pretty funny to me when he got home and took the tape out of the sleeve:

Awesome VHS box:

Even more awesome cassette inside:

New Product Banners

2010-04-27T12:09:00.006-04:00

Been kinda bored lately, so periodically I'm going to test my very amateur Photoshop skills by creating new product banners on the site. I made two of them today (The Exorcist and Tarman) and kinda sorta stole one from another source. Shhhh, don't tell anyone.

Sales have been pretty much dead lately, so I guess this is an interesting way to help pass some time.

Hobo With A Shotgun

2010-04-20T10:38:00.002-04:00

Got to love it. I don't know much about this trailer, but it certainly captures the look and feel of the old Grindhouse exploitation films of yesteryear. This would be a great double bill with Machete.

In Love With VHS

2010-04-10T10:28:00.004-04:00

Oh yeah...I found these videos this morning and it's pure gold! If my stupid VCR wasn't busted, I'd probably be spending my Saturday catching up on some movies, but sadly this is not meant to be. Thank goodness for Youtube and it's endless collection of wonders such as this.

How many of these do you remember from those care free days of VHS?

Mega Piranha

2010-04-07T13:29:00.003-04:00

Not as good as Megaladon 3, but Tiffany sure has some nice breasts.

George Romero - The Sprites

2010-04-07T12:18:00.002-04:00

Cute song. Great video.

HOMS RADIO Update

2010-04-06T10:18:00.002-04:00

Spent most of the morning updating the HOMS Radio station; all new songs, movie trailers, random sound clips, and other weird oddities. I never know if anyone ever actually listens to it, but if people do, I sure hope that they enjoy it.

Monday Monday

2010-04-05T09:35:00.007-04:00

Hmmm. It was an interesting weekend. My band They Wait Below got to open up for Calabrese in Philly. That was really cool. A rare chance for a nobody band like us to open up for a somebody band at a decent venue. Neat. I can't even count how many times I fell in love with the girls there. Good grief. Where did they all come from? Because I've never seen the likes of them before around here.

Here's a flyer for our next show:

While I was digging around my flicker account today, I found this old poster that my friend Dixie Jones put together for me. I really wish it was at 300 dpi resolution, so I could make posters...stickers..or anything out of it, because it's really amazing. I am a huge fan of the old Spook Show posters! And this piece captures that perfectly!

Burger King & Slashers

2010-03-31T12:18:00.003-04:00

Interesting. I've so far seen this on three blogs today: Geekadelphia, Topless Robot, and Manchester Morgue.

Burger King is launching a new ad campaign that features some of the big names of the slasher genre. Jason, Freddy, Chucky, and Scream. Where's Myers, Leatherface, and Madman Marz?

Skeleflex & Bad Day Blues

2010-03-30T08:50:00.001-04:00

Man, yesterday was certainly a bad day. I woke up early, as usual, and the first thing I had planned on doing was to post a new geeky entry about these two new toys I picked up over the weekend, but that just never came to be. My main HOMS website crashed and I spent the entire bulk of the day trying to figure out exactly what happened.

Apparently it was my server's fault. Which in some weird way, makes me feel slightly better knowing that it wasn't my fault. Everything finally got all sorted out, and it seems as though the site is back to normal...or so I hope.

So, with that out of the way, here are some images of these neat pieces I picked up over the weekend. They are called SKELEFLEX! I think they were both about $3.00 each in the clearance section at Toys R Us! My apologies in advance for being such an amateur with a camera!

You can see more of these cool toys at SKELEFLEX. I may actually be a super nerd and try to pick up more of them.

Don't

2010-03-26T15:18:00.002-04:00

Wow. This is the first time I've actually watched this since seeing it for the first time in the theater. It was such an unbelievable thrill watching it, because not only did I "get it", but I also I saw a handful of clips in there that I recognized from other classic films. Most of them Italian. Profondo Rosso and Shock are the two that immediately come to mind. Damn, if Edgar Wright ever made this movie, I'd totally see it for sure.

Screamin' Lord Sutch

2010-03-26T06:43:00.000-04:00

So, I decided to resurrect the HOMS blog. Why? I dunno. Seemed like a good idea at the time. Rather than babble about the site on this blog exclusively, I think I'm just going to babble about cool things as well. Uh Huh.

Let me first introduce a song that has recently bewitched me, by the amazing Screamin' Lord Sutch.

During the 1960s, Screaming Lord Sutch was known for his horror-themed stage show, dressing as Jack the Ripper, pre-dating the shock rock antics of Alice Cooper. Accompanied by his band, The Savages, he started by coming out of a black coffin. Other props included knives and daggers, skulls and "bodies". Sutch booked themed tours, such as 'Sutch and the Roman Empire', where Sutch and the band members would be dressed up as Roman soldiers.

New House of Mysterious Secrets Shirt

2009-11-17T11:41:00.005-05:00

The official House of Mysterious Secrets shirt! Featuring our lovely grinning mascot! Fashioned after the classic and horrific Spook Show fliers of yesteryear. Scream in terror!

2009-09-21T08:56:00.003-04:00

This past Friday I was quite honored and absolutely privileged to be selected as the Geek of the Week on the web site Geekadelphia! It was a rare treat indeed! It's not every day that you are approached for an interview just because you run a website selling stuff!

Needless to say, I'm totally thrilled and excited to share it. A little vain? Perhaps, but you would be too!

THE INTERVIEW

Labor Day Weekend Sale!

2009-09-04T06:53:00.000-04:00

House of Mysterious Secrets newsletter 08.12.09

2009-08-12T10:37:00.002-04:00

House of Mysterious Secrets Newsletter 08.12.09

House of Mysterious Secrets Newsletter 05.14.09

2009-05-14T18:17:00.000-04:00

New HOMS newsletter went out today! Not on our mailing list? No problem! Just click the link below and you'll be able to view the newsletter!

HOMS Newsletter 05.14.09

New Promotional Sales

2009-04-21T15:04:00.001-04:00

Ah well, here's the latest promotion going on at the House of Mysterious Secrets...

Buy 3 shirts, get the 4th shirt FREE!

Buy 2 books, get the 3rd book 25% off cover!

Woo! Madness, I tell ya. Madness.

They Wait Below show flier

2009-04-04T14:34:00.006-04:00

So I'm in this band now called They Wait Below, I put together a flier for our upcoming show.

10% Off All Shirts Sale Starts Today

2009-04-02T10:43:00.002-04:00

New Rue Morgue Advertisement

2009-04-01T12:14:00.002-04:00

So I signed up to advertise with Rue Morgue magazine for another year and asked if art director Gary Pullin would design a new ad for me. Well...he did, and here it is!

I think it's quite possibly the coolest ad I've ever had!

Some new Aliens, Robots, and Monsters Images

2009-03-20T15:45:00.003-04:00

Just some images of my nerd collection of Alien and other random stuff. Click each image to see the larger, full size.

New "New Stuff" Banners

2009-02-04T08:56:00.004-05:00

Okay, I admit it, I'm getting a little to carried away with photoshop. But what the hell, I got nothing else to do.

Here are a couple more banners I created for the "New Stuff" section of the website, I currently have the banners set as random, so at any time you are bound to see at least one of these when you visit the home page.

To see the full image...ya gotta click it!

Halloween III Shirt - Now In Stock!

2009-02-03T18:07:00.003-05:00

New Halloween Three Masks Shirt!

"It's almost time, kids. The clock is ticking. Be in front of your TV sets for the Horrorthon, followed by the Big Giveaway. Don't miss it. And don't forget to wear your masks. The clock is ticking. It's almost time."

Alien 8" Vinyl Collectible Dolls

2009-01-30T10:06:00.003-05:00

I'm a sucker for anything based off of the original Alien movie, and I think I may have to pick up one of each for my own collection.

hy im a good Iead guitar pIayer

2009-01-23T19:22:00.002-05:00

A couple of years ago, I was briefly in a band that was looking for a 2nd guitar player. We had just recorded a song called The Killing of Satan, and was using that as a demo to try out new people. We got many emails from the ad we posted on Craiglist, but this one was the only one I kept, for obvious reasons. I just stumbled upon it tonight and felt it would be a crime not to share it's brilliance with others.

hy im a good Iead guitar pIayer /and rythm.im in south phIIiy I HAVE PRO geir my name is mario im 45 but Iook 30. fee ike im 18 .IM IN TO KiIIing satan him seIf.with my guitar.im aIIso in to hevey stuf to origenaIs .im very creative and comited to what i do.

Fun with Photoshop

2009-01-10T08:54:00.005-05:00

I've been wanting to change the graphics that I had on my site for each category for a long time, but was just at a loss as to what exactly I wanted to do. Then, by accident, I kinda sorta came up with something. Poked around in Photoshop until I got a better grasp as to what I wanted, then gave it a shot. By no means am I great with Photoshop, I'm about as amateur as you can get, but I think some of these banners came out rather nicely.

To see the full image, you'll have to click each banner individually.

Special 4 day sale starts today! Everything is 10% off!

2009-01-08T08:07:00.002-05:00

Friday the 13th Remake Merch Coming Soon!

2009-01-07T10:05:00.003-05:00

Love it. Hate it. Wherever your blackest heart may lead you, you can not evade it. The Friday the 13th remake is coming soon, and you can certainly believe that the House of Mysterious Secrets will be carrying some pretty awesome pieces in conjunction with the film's upcoming release.

Check out these exciting new Friday the 13th pieces coming soon!

Cinema Of Fear Friday the 13th Figure
The legendary slasher of Camp Crystal Lake strikes again in the all new Friday the 13th film. The newest Friday The 13th film is a terrifying revision of the iconic horror franchise. The Jason Voorhees figure is craftier with incredible detail & comes with an array of weapons used in the film. Each figure stands over 7 inches tall and is fully articulated.

Jason Voorhees 19" Action Figure
From on the upcoming re-make of the Horror classic this brand new Jason figure stands 19" tall. Jason comes with 2 interchangeable heads and a machete that can be slid in out of a sheath on Jason's left leg. The figure is incredibly detailed and is based on his new look. Ball jointed neck and shoulders and swivel forearms, wrists and waist.

Living Dead Dolls Presents: Jason Voorhees
Mezco's Living Dead Dolls Presents Series continues with this Friday the 13th Jason Voorhees (2009 Remake) offering.

The legendary slasher of Camp Crystal Lake strikes again in the all new Friday the 13th film. The newest Friday The 13th film is a terrifying revision of the iconic horror franchise. The LDD Jason Voorhees figure is crafted with incredible detail & features real cloth clothing.

Friday the 13th Replica Mask in Wooden Case
A true collector's item, Jason's Mask is cast directly from a film used prop. This resin reproduction of Jason's iconic mask comes mounted in a wooden shadowbox, ready to hang and display on your wall or shelf.

Friday the 13th Replica Machete
Jason's Machete is cast directly from a film used prop. This metal and wood reproduction of Jason's iconic weapon is 3 feet in length and has the real weight and feel of an actual machete. The blade edge is dull and this item is not a toy, it is a prop replica for display use only.

Me personally? Eh...that's not MY Jason Voorhees, but what the hell do I know? I still think Friday the 13th Part V is great! So there!

UPS / Recently Views / Phone Number...and 3D slashers

2009-01-02T08:00:00.003-05:00

So it's official, UPS Ground has been added to the list as a choice for shipping, now customers can choose between USPS and UPS. Took me an absolutely long time to work out all the bugs, but so far - so good. It's amazing how much work it takes to do something so simple. Damn PHP!

In other news, the Recently Viewed Items section is now up and running. Pretty cool feature.

And lastly, starting some time next week a phone number will (finally) be posted for various customer service help as well as the ability to place orders. Going to take me some time to work all of that out, but it's a nice way to open up more lines of communication for my customers.

Now I never thought I would say this, but it seems I'm a little curious about this My Bloody Valentine 3D film. I recently watched the trailer and it was enough to make me say "hmmmm, could be fun." We shall see.

Monster Scenes

2008-12-29T11:26:00.007-05:00

Here's a photo gallery of the new Monster Scenes model kits; the artwork is beautiful, just wish I could see one out of the package that's been built.

"Although once decried as an unthinkable premise in plastic hobby modeling, Monster Scenes have been on hobbyists' must-have lists since their controversial introduction in 1971. Finally, after more than three decades, hobbyists and modelers are about to see their wildest dreams come true! If you have a taste for the unusual and aren't afraid to teeter on the edge of the unseemly and the insane, then welcome to this little dungeon of diabolical delights! Don't recoil - it's only Monster Scenes, a collection of delightfully devious assembly kits that work together in creepy combinations for some frightfully good fun. Come, acquaint yourself with a deranged doctor, his unsuspecting guest, and his assemblage of unique "playthings" that will make you gasp - for more! Choose from Dr. Deadly, The Victim, or The Pendulum, and add some unforgettable frights to your collection! Best of all, these model kits require no cement and feature simple, snap-together assembly. Now, who could possibly object to that? Some assembly required."

Christmas Madness

2008-12-21T22:36:00.003-05:00

Look at all these packages, just hanging out waiting for the post office to come pick 'em up. Christmas is awesome!

New Shirt Designs.

2008-12-21T22:24:00.004-05:00

Here's a sneak peek at two upcoming shirt designs that I'm producing exclusively for the House of Mysterious Secrets. Artwork inspired by Salem's Lot and Halloween III.

Shark Attack 3: Megalodon

2008-04-25T22:45:00.000-04:00

These past few months I’ve been really attracted to the idea of staying at home on Friday nights, feeling sorry for myself and gouging my face with cheap pizza and bad movies. Tonight was no exception to rule. However, where most nights I just pass out on the couch before a film is even completed, tonight I was fully awake for the absurd masterpiece called Shark Attack 3: Megalodon.

Normally I stay clear away from these "direct to video" pieces of poop, but this film was totally a diamond in the rough. Absolutely not afraid to be what it is...

and what is it? Totally ridiculous.

Don't believe me? Just watch this fantastic piece of suburb cinema.

Though not as beautiful as Troll 2, it certainly would go well as a double feature.

Megalodons are so cool...I wish they were still around today. Life would be really interesting.

On the Hunt for...Creature Double Feature

2008-04-20T10:06:00.000-04:00

If you are as old as I am (or older), and grew up in the Delaware Valley area, then you may remember watching Creature Double Feature on Saturday mornings. I barely remember it, however, I seem to distinctly recall the opening sequence...with a grotesque corpse like hand crawling out of the dirt, clutching for the tombstone which rests behind.

You would think with the wonderful world of the internet and YouTube, somebody would have a copy of this and post it, but after several years of wishing and searching...it appears as though it will never surface.

And what distresses me the most is nearly all references to this show on the net are linked to it being aired in the Boston area on Channel 56. It's nearly impossible to find ANYTHING for this show which aired locally for me on Channel 48 in Philadelphia, PA.

Sigh.

Perhaps one day I'll see this again. Until then, here are two neat little horror intros; the first one is a mock up someone made up using music from the original Boston show; and the second one has the same intro that Channel 29 used to use for their show with the same name. I had been searching for this one for years, just couldn't remember what the heck it was called. It may not be Creature Double Feature, but it gave me a big smile nonetheless.

My Nerdy and Horrific Bedroom

2008-02-02T13:00:00.000-05:00

Occasionally I'll get an email asking about my personal collection of horror stuff, and for the most part it's pretty much spread out through out my house. So, in an attempt to kinda show some of it off, I'm going to post some photos of my..um..collections of stuff.

To start it all off, I figured I go with the one area that's probably the most congested of stuff: and that's my bedroom. A pure heavenly land for dust. Click the photo below to see the rest of them! Enter at your own risk!

DVD Insanity

2007-12-23T09:29:00.001-05:00

Haven't had much time to add to this blog, almost seems pointless to keep it if I'm only going to post once a month! Hmmm, must make an effort to add to it more.

Anyway, I guess it's the holiday season that's making me loose my mind, or perhaps it's just old age; but I've been going on a DVD buying spree this month, as well as trying to catch up with all of the damn movies that I've previously owned.

Here's a list of titles that I just recently purchased, with links to their IMDB home page.

Evil Aliens
Ghidorah The Three-Headed Monster
Black Roses
Deadly Friend
Alligator
The Last Hunter
Invasion of Astro Monster
The Muppet Show Season 1
The Losers
Land of the Minotaur
Terror
The Psychic
From Beyond the Grave

I always wanted to see From Beyond The Grave, mainly due to it's awesome poster art

I've only been able to watch of few of the new DVDs, so far out of the bunch that I have watched From Beyond the Grave was surprisingly very cool. With the exception of Tales from the Crypt, most Amicus anthology films are never as impressive as I would like them to be, however, From Beyond the Grave was not exactly scary, it certainly was interesting. The piece about the man with the irate (and homicidal) "elemental" on his shoulder was quite fun to watch. The wacky clairvoyant in that segment was something right out of a Harry Potter book.

I also finally sat down to watch Thriller: A Cruel Picture, and boy oh boy, what an amazing film! Admittedly the hardcore sex scenes were a little...odd and unnecessary, but as a whole it was a very powerful film. My only question is where the hell did the horse come from???

Been reading the Crystal Lake Memories on and off as well as the absolutely amazing Nightmare USA. Holy smokes, THAT book will take me at least five years to complete!

Okay, that's it for now...

Godzilla vs Gigan (1972)

2007-11-23T07:59:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, while the family was mostly passed out from eating Thanksgiving crap, myself and another watched Godzilla vs Gigan. I had brought over a small stack of what I thought were suitable films for such a special day, and somehow this was the gem was the one that was chosen.

It's always been one of my favorites, since it's so goofy, especially when you think about how the main antagonists or simply cockroaches wearing the skin of two recently deceased Japanese men. It's an interesting plot that they should have used later on. Actually, I don't think they ever used a continuing story line until they started to put out the newer films in the 90s. Hmmm.

Anyway, despite my initial love for this film, yesterday it just got totally boring real quick. Maybe it was the Thanksgiving food messing with my brain, or maybe several minutes of no dialog and just four monsters pouncing around suddenly got to me? I don't know, but I sure hope that my love for giant monsters is gone. That would stink.

Friday the 13th Part 5

2007-11-21T13:07:00.001-05:00

I must admit, I really do enjoy Friday the 13th part 5...I just don't understand why it gets such a bad rep. I mean, yeah...sure, Jason technically isn't in there...but then again, he is. You can't really tell the difference. The guy playing Faux Jason is just as standard as you can get to the Voorhees character. Plus Tommy is absolutely intense through out the whole film, although I'm a little disapointed he doesn't pull the whole kick ass routine at Jason towards the end. Sure, he's traumatized, but you'd think he'd at least go down fighting. And Violet is, like, totally rad to the max. God bless her Robot Dance routine. It matches perfectly with Crispen Clover's frantic dance scene in part 4. Plus "Demon" & "Reckless"! Whoa! I enjoy part 5 far more than part 6, now that one is far too goofy for me.

Hmmm. okay, anyway, just had to get that out.

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