Category Archives: Misc. Ramblings

Little Shoppe of Horrors Hits the Big 50!

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Issue # 50 of simply the best magazine devoted to Hammer Studios is about to release their 50th issue. Issue # 1 was published in June of 1972, over 50 years ago. And if you’ve purchased any of their issues, then you know just how packed full of information they are. This one is no different.

With the incredible cover art by Mark Maddox, this issue features in-depth making of The Devil Rides Out by Bruce G. Hallenbeck, called Angel of Death. There are also pieces on Charles Gray, as well as one on special effects artist Michael Stainer-Hutchins, an analysis of Richard Matheson’s screenplay for the film called The Devil in the Details, by Constantine Nasr.

Plus, Mr. Hallenbeck also gives us Fresh Blood, Fresh Brains: The Making of Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell!

Filled out with the other usual content, from book reviews, the Keith Dudley report, and Confessions of a Monster Chick by Pam Murray, this issue will be just as entertaining and engaging as all the rest. I can’t wait! You can order your copy now by clicking HERE.

Severin Drops Danza Macabra Vol. 3

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Fans of Spanish horror are going to love this latest box set from Severin Films. They still just blow me away with the titles they are releasing. This set has 2 films that I’ve never even heard of, and that is coming from a huge fan of Spanish horror! Not to mention the fact that they’ve never been released over here in the states. In fact, 3 out of the 4 titles have never legitimately been released over here! Plus, as usual with Severin’s releases, these are just packed full of extras, from commentaries to interviews, and much more.

PLUS, 3 of the titles are scanned in 4K from original negatives, while the last one is scanned in 2K from the negative. Keep in mind, the last time I saw Cross of the Devil was from about a 10 generation VHS tape. This was a rare title that was written by Paul Naschy and directed by John Gilling. So going from that to a 4K print!?!?! What a time to be alive!

Here’s a breakdown of the films and what extras each of them has:

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Curators . . . Not Collectors

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I’ve been a movie poster collector for over 30 years. The cost of what I will spend has gone up a bit over those three decades. In the past, the thought of spending $50 on a single poster was way too much for me to even consider. Then I saw an American 1-sheet for The Green Slime for $50. I bought it instantly. Now, I’m still not one of these big-time collectors, spending hundreds and hundreds of dollars on them, mainly just because of my budget. But what I will spend has increased to even dropping $175 for an Astro Zombies 1-sheet. I mean, it’s Ted V. Mikels!

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Last Chance for Rondos!

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In case you haven’t voted yet, the deadline for the 2023 Rondo Awards ends at midnight on Tuesday the 16th. Yes, I am nominated in few categories (Best Column, Best Article, and Best Podcast), and would love your vote, but more importantly, just vote. There are a lot of hard-working people nominated there, so it’s always nice to be recognized for that hard work. So, head over to the Rondo site (just click HERE) and take a few minutes to send off an email to them with your votes. It’s pretty simple. Just copy and paste the ballot, and mark who you’re voting for, and send it off to David Colton, the Grand Poobah of the Rondos!

Nightbreed Soundtrack Expanded!

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Almost 35 years since its release, we’re finally going to get the Danny Elfman’s complete soundtrack for Clive Barker’s Nightbreed. Needless to say, I’m more than thrilled. Say what you will about the film, whether it’s the theatrical cut, director’s cut, or any of the extended, bootleg, Cabal-cuts out there, I just love this movie, and have always loved the score.

Originally released by MCA which had 22 tracks and ran 46:42 minutes, it was pretty great. But now, thanks to fine folks at Intrada, we will now have the complete score which runs 75:19 minutes, in a special 2-disc release. The first disc has the complete score, while the second disc has the original release of the score, plus another 21:16 minutes of extra stuff, such as some alternate cuts, and 3 different versions of the song Country Skin, which no version of that is included first disc.

You can order it directly from Intrada (click HERE) or from Screen Archives (click HERE), where I get a lot of my soundtracks from!

Golden Age of Sci-Fi Soundtracks

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Sure, it might say Sci-Fi, but we know these films are really horror films! None the less, fans of these movies just might want to get their pre-order in for this new soundtrack release coming out next month!

Dragon’s Domain has announced Volume 3 in their Golden Age of Science Fiction series, which features the scores from Elmer Bernstein’s work on Cat-Women of the Moon (1953) and Robot Monster (1953), and Edwin Astley’s score for Devil Girl from Mars (1954). Each soundtrack also includes the theatrical trailer. The total running time for the release is 56:52 min, with about 16 to 18 minutes for each film.

There is a special note when ordering, that these recordings are taken from analog masters and music & effects tracks, so there are certain limitations from the source tapes. But they have worked hard to preserve them as closely to the original recordings as possible.

It’s Rondo Time!

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That’s right, folks, it’s that time of year again. The official ballot has been cast for the annual Rondo Awards celebrating 2023. I have been fortunate enough to have been nominated in 3 different categories this year, a personal best, I believe!

But before I get to all that gloating, I wish to congratulate everyone who has been nominated, and a special shoutout to my personal friends that were as well. They are Rod Barnett, Eric McNaughton, Darrell Buxton & the We Below Dead family, Christopher Wayne Curry, Anthony Taylor, John Bowen, Ron Adams, Richard J. Schellbach, Derek Koch, and my HorrorHound family: Aaron Crowell, Nathan Hanneman, Ernie Rockelman, Jessica Dwyer, and Jason Edmiston.

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HorrorHound 100th Issue!

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It was way back in April of 2006, when Aaron Crowell walked up to my vendor table at Cinema Wasteland and handed me a copy of this new magazine they had just started, called simply enough HorrorHound. While I did a thing here and there for them, I officially became a columnist for them with issue #16, which was in 2009. Now, here is it 2024 and issue #100 is about to hit the newsstands. Where the hell did the time go?

I grew up with horror magazines, being the starting point for my horror education. While there were the reference books, it was magazines like Fangoria, Gorezone, Famous Monsters, and Cinefastique leading the way, along with other titles like Rue Morgue, HorrorFan, Slaughterhouse, Monsterscene, and countless others that came out over the years, was where we learned about our favorite movies and those behind them. So, to think that at some point in the future, I would be a staff writer for one of the leading magazines out there now is pretty surreal.

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Do We Need Another Naschy T-Shirt?

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Of course, that answer is a big YES! Not only is it another Naschy shirt, but it is from my very first and still my favorite of Naschy’s work, Horror Rises from the Tomb (1973)!

Taken from an ad sheet for the film, Silk Screams have used that to create a brilliant looking shirt that really is a must for any fans of Paul Naschy. They are taking pre-orders now so if you’re interested, just click on the link HERE and get your own Horror Rises from the Tomb shirt! You can never have too many Naschy shirts. Trust me on this one! You can check out the rest of their stuff HERE!

New Stop-Animated Short from Adam Ciolfi

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Back in Jan. of 2020, I first became aware of the incredible work of stop-motion animator Adam Ciolfi when he sent me a link for his short Fifth (2019). I enjoyed it so much that I immediately checked out some of his earlier work and found it all amazing. The fact that this old school style of animation still exists just warms my demented heart, bringing back memories of Mad Monster Party and the likes. Now, Ciolfi has a new short done and posted, one that gives a little nod to the good old-fashioned monster movies, entitled It Came from Beyond the Drain!

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