HAPPY EARTH DAY 2026 (4/22)

 

CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON: A CLASSIC MONSTERS OF THE MOVIES TRIBUTE

Classic Monsters of the Movies, courtesy of authors/researchers Nige Burton and Jamie Jones, have unleased a revised edition of their celebrated, Creature from the Black Lagoon homage. 

This special, 36-pg deluxe edition features many historic details on the Creature, aka the Gill-man, including its director, monster-maestro Jack Arnold; producer William Alland; Gill-man designer, Millicent Patrick; Gill-man sculptors, Jack Kevan and Chris Mueller Jr.; art director Hilyard M. Brown; composers Henry Mancini, Hans Salter and Herman Stein; cinematographer Scotty Welbourne; its ticket-securing, 3-D draw; and its memorable cast: Richard Carlson, Julia Adams, Richard Denning, Antonio Morena, Nestor Paiva, Whit Bissell, Ginger Stanley (Adams' underwater understudy); and, as the titular specimen, Ricou Browning (submerged) and Ben Chapman (on land). 

This "ultimate" guide also includes a plethora of rare stills, trivia blurbs and clever quotes, which every Creature connoisseur will appreciate. 

If one loves the Gill-man (or Universal monsters in general), this Classic Monsters volume is an essential: a comprehensive triumph that one will return to it time and again. 

Order Classic Monsters of the Movies' Creature from the Black Lagoon at

https://www.classic-monsters.com/shop/product/creature-from-the-black-lagoon-1954-ultimate-guide-new-edition-signed-art-print/

TERRIFIC TEAM-UP IMAGE: GODZILLA & WEDNESDAY

THE DEVIL RIDES OUT (THE DEVIL'S BRIDE): A CLASSIC MONSTERS OF THE MOVIES TRIBUTE

Hammer Films-Seven Arts/20th Century Fox's The Devil Rides Out, aka The Devil's Bride (for U.S. distribution) is a wicked, 1968 masterpiece, based on Dennis Wheatley's 1934 novel, adapted for the screen by the prolific Richard Matheson and directed by terror maestro Terence Fisher. Thanks to writers/historians Nige Burton & Jamie Jones, Classic Monsters of the Movies now celebrates this cinematic, (oc)cult classic in a meaty, 36-page volume.

The plot centers on Lee's investigator/adventurer Duc de Richleau (Wheatley's popular, Black Magic-series protagonist), who tangles with Charles Gray's mind-bending warlock, Mocata, who intends to baptize Nike Arrighi's Tanith Carlisle and torment Leon Greene's Rex Van Ryn, all in the blasphemous name of Baphomet, i.e. Satan. Duc de Richleau will have none of it, despite Mocata's daunting array of apparitions, which include a humongous spider, a sneering, hypnotic-eyed entity and an unearthly horse with a Templar-implied rider. (BTW: Lee and Gray would go on to play Bond villains, making this confrontation a pre-Scaramanga-vs Blofeld-allusion of sorts.)

Burton & Jones do an outstanding job detailing the adaptation's development, placing keen attention on Wheatley, Matheson and Fisher, as well as producer Anthony Nelson Keyes, composer James Bernard, special-effects wizard Les Bowie, cinematographer Arthur Grant and of course, the movie's sophisticated cast, which in addition to Lee, Gray, Arrighi and Greene, features Patrick Mower, Sara Lawson, Paul Eddington, Gwen Ffragcon-Davis, Rosalyn Landor, Russell Waters and stuntman Eddie Powell.  

Adorning Burton & Jones' text are "Quotable Quotes," delightful trivia and archival, publicity materials, which possess extra vibrancy, thanks to the volume's high-quality, paper stock.

The Devil Rides Out is one of the best of its kind, holding a status comparable to such contemporary examples as Night (Curse) of the Demon, The City of the Dead (Horror Hotel), The Innocents, The Haunting, Rosemary's Baby and The Legend of Hell House. Burton & Jones' meticulous work also ensures this Classic Monsters submission as one of the best in their grand, encyclopedic succession. 

To summon a copy of Classic Monsters of the Movies: The Devil Rides Out, visit  

https://www.classic-monsters.com/shop/product/the-devil-rides-out-1968-ultimate-guide-signed-art-print/

FOR THE FUN OF IT:

 

I SAW THE DREADFUL

The Dreadful is writer/director/producer Natasha (Abraham's Boys: A Dracula Tale) Kermani's latest: a foreboding, folk horror yarn that features a set of Game of Thrones stars as a headlining enticer.   

The medieval exploit takes place during the War of the Roses (when the House of Lancaster battled the House of York), and like most wars, the consequences reek of recklessness and subsequent sorrow, though such are told more through allusion than succinct depiction. 

For the most part, The Dreadful's proceedings are confined and result in Psycho-type murders. Marcia Gay Harden's relentless Morwen is the culprit behind most of the deaths. She's a mad, paranoid woman who lives with her daughter-in-law, Sophie Turner's amiable Anne, whose husband, Shamus (Laurence O'Furarain: shown in flashback) went off to war, but died, or so his returning friend, Kit Harington's evasive Jago, claims. To add to the menace, a mysterious knight haunts the countryside, killing as well, but why? 

To reveal the link would spoil the outcome. However, the gnawing build-up enriches the plot, with Kermani creating a notching dread, comparable to her Abraham's Boys, but with  trimmings lifted from Witchfinder General, Mark of the Devil and The Blood on Satan's Claw. 

Jamal Green's earthy score and Julia Swain's idyllic photography ensure the folkish quality, and if but for a moment, The Dreadful seems inclined to enter Wuthering Heights territory, but its unnerving undercurrent (sprung from dashed hopes and dreams) are pinned on classic, slasher tropes. Not only does Psycho color the concept, but Homicidal, Dementia 13, Halloween, Friday the 13th, Silent Night, Bloody Night and, if I may be so bold, Black Sunday (The Mask of Satan), if only per a peripheral but saturating, visual strand. 

Kermani is proving herself a master at taking the established and spinning it on its head, all through serene settings, character development and general irony. In other words, she makes the familiar feel unfamiliar. That's impressive, and when all is said and done, so is The Dreadful. 

FOR THE FUN OF IT:

 

DONNA UPDATE: SUPERHEROIC RESULTS!

To all who've requested a Donna update, I'm ecstatic to report that my Power Girl's recent, medical tests have conveyed superheroic results. In other words, she's doing far better than expected. Hallelujah!

Thanks for keeping us in mind, and rest assured, you've never left our minds or our hearts. God bless.

💗

WISE WORDS:

 

COLLECTIBLE TIME: MR. LOBO TIKI MUG (CINEMA INSOMNIA 25TH ANNIVERSARY TIE-IN)

Lo and behold! To commemorate and exalt the 25th anniversary of Mr. Lobo's Cinema Insomnia, James Moore of MooreMonsters has sculpted a tiki mug based on a caricature that Mr. Lobo sketched of himself.  

The tiki design also references the imposing (Moai/Rapi Nui) heads of Easter Island. The detailed novelty will be finished in earthy green (with varying interior hues), with the sentient, bleary-eyed, Cinema Insomnia logo sculpted on the back.  

The mugs are now in production, with an anticipated May release. (This post features images of the production line.) 

To learn more about this limited-edition release (and to secure a mug per preorder), visit the OSI74 shop. The Mr. Lobo Tiki Mug is an ideal collectible to mark Cinema Insomnia's significant benchmark and a pleasing piece that one will relish for years to come. 

https://osi74.square.site/shop/mr-lobo-s-cinema-insomnia/5

TERRIFIC TEAM-UP IMAGE: GODZILLA VS THE WOLFMAN

 

THE HAMMER VAMPIRE FILMS: A CLASSIC MONSTERS OF THE MOVIES TRIBUTE

Nige Burton & Jamie Jones, along with distinguished, guest contributor, John (Penny Dreadful) Logan, detail Hammer's rich, marginal expanse on supernatural, parasitic lore, in the highly anticipated The Hammer Vampire Films. 

The issue contains satisfying overviews on The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires, Captain Kronos - Vampire Hunter, Vampire Circus, Twins of Evil, Countess Dracula, The Vampire Lovers, Lust for a Vampire, The Kiss of the Vampire and The Brides of Dracula.

These titles may not have seized the public's wider fancy in the way that Christopher Lee's Dracula movies did, but a few are considered classics, thanks to their avant-garde angles: case in point, Captain Kronos and Vampire Circus, though The Brides of Dracula and Twins of Evil often receive ample praise for their sexy, Gothic sophistication. Nevertheless, and no matter the title, the authors handle each submission with analytical appropriation, which Hammerheads will respect. 

The publicity content featured in this special edition is superb, as one can only expect from Classic Monsters, thus making this installment an exceptional, pictorial treat if ever there was. 

The Hammer Vampire Films is an ideal addition to Classic Monsters' prior, Hammer tributes, making it as an unanimous must-have. Unearth it at 

https://www.classic-monsters.com/shop/product/the-hammer-vampire-films-signed-art-print/