Last week I got a little discouraged by all the AI artwork, more specifically the hoarding of information and promotion of ads and bs in search engines. It seems like the world wide web is now locked behind paywalls and prejudices.
Just when I was about to give up, I came across the Hero Complex Gallery. Today we pay tribute to the illustrator and graphic designer John Dunn, who pop culture artworks and alternative movie posters can be seen on hcgart.com
Why we love it: John Dunn’s artwork and alternative movie posters are exquisite and anyone who pays tribute to Hammer Horror is a super cool dude in our book.
Happy Friday! Tonight’s Friday Fright Nightcap is a deep blue concoction called the Boo-Scary Margarita. It’s only got 4 ingredients and it’s highly customizable to taste.
Ingredients: 2 oz. Tequila Blanco (white) 2 oz. Cranberry juice 1 oz. Blue Curacao 1 oz. Sour Apple
Garnish: Rim salt or sugar or fresh lime
Pour chilled ingredients into a mixer and shake well. Then, pour into a glass with a salted rim.
Amateur bartender and it shows!
I tried to make my own black rim salt and it turned blue-green. It could’ve been cool but my glass was too wet or the salt was too cheap, who knows, it didn’t stick right.😄
Spookiesboo is the epitome of spooky and cute! It’s been so great to watch her little independent art shop grow into a full-on art branded merchandising business, including exclusive collaborations, with Laika Studios, Coraline, Paranorman, Yo Gabba Gabba! and many more!
Explorer Coraline Enamel Pin, $15, Spookiesboo x Coraline (TM)
Coraline(TM) x Spooksieboo (TM) Ghost Children T-Shirt, Hot Topic (currently sold out)
In addition to her online shop, you can find Spookiesboo in-person at San Diego Comic Con, Midsummer Scream and various trade shows across the nation throughout the year.
Creature features are any movies featuring a non-human horror element. They’re monster movies, man vs. monster, sometimes nature vs man, survival is usually on the line. Nearly all Universal’s classic monster movies are creature features, Dracula, Frankenstein, Wolfman, Creature from the Black Lagoon…and, we certainly cannot forget the legendary King Kong, 1933.
King King 1933, RKO Pictures
All vampire, werewolves, and zombie films are creature features, so are most of the Hammer Horror, and the atomic-age creatures from the 1950s, like The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, the giant ants of Them! and of course, the King of the monsters, Godzilla, along with all his friends.
Godzilla 1954 (Toho)
Creature Features was a weekly American television broadcast that started in 1950s and ran through the 80s and featured Univeral monster classics, Hammer films and other British horror, RKO gems, American International Pictures, including Roger Corman b-movies, Toho Studios Kaiju films, and all the atomic nuclear monster hits of the 50s. If you ask any movie director, actor, or filmmaker over 30, I’d bet good money they’ll admit it was weekly theater matinees and these late night horror shows that inspired them to get into the business.
Them! 1954 Warner Bros. Pictures
Animal horror from the 70s, 80s & 90s brought real terror with movies like Willard, Ben, Grizzly, Cujo, and Piranha, a bloody fun franchise with military experiments and girls gone wild. Spanning over 40 years, the Piranha and Piranha DD movies grossed over $100 million collectively.
As eye-opening as that sounds, it pales in comparison to the now iconic Jaws, 1975, the first summer blockbuster about a vengeful man-eating shark that spawned 3 sequels, its own shark horror sub-subcategory, domestic inflation-adjusted lifetime gross of $1.5 billion dollars (just Jaws 1) and hundreds of millions of people worldwide suffering from galeophobia, the fear of sharks. What a legacy!
Jaws 1975 (Universal Pictures)
Personally, I’m a big fan of scary movies featuring mythical forest beings like Bigfoot, wendigos, evil fairies, trolls, and whatever that terrifying Norse creature was in The Ritual, 2017.
The Ritual 2017 (The Imaginarium)
While it’s true many are horror films, two of the greatest sci-fi movies, Alien and Predator, are considered the top-grossing creature features franchises of all-time, with Alien films grossing $1.6 billion collectively and Predator following close behind with $885 million. These two behemoths crossed over into each other’s territory in the 2004 film Alien vs. Predator or AVP.
Alien vs. Predator (AVP) 2004, (20th Century Studios)
Proving that creature features have no genre, anyone looking for quieter entertainment should search out Neil Jordan’s Ondine, 2009 starring Colin Farrell, set in Irleand, or Spring, 2014 starring Lou Taylor Pucci and Nadia Hilker set in Italy, a beautiful romatic horror film, one of my faves.
Of course, no one does creature features like the masterful Guillermo Del Toro, whose magnum opus Pan’s Labyrinth, 2006 won three Academy Awards, and changed the landscape of fantasy films forever. Ten years later, The Shape of Water, 2017, would also win four Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director, securing his place as the greatest creature feature director ever to walk the planet.
Pan’s Labyrinth, 2006 (Warner Bros. Pictures)
I could go on forever raving about how much I love creature features, but I better just let you go to watch some of these great films instead. Hit up Google or IMDB or check local listing to see where you can stream one of the movies listed above, and don’t forget to leave a comment and tell me your favorite creature feature.
There’s only a few days left in June, but Summer’s just getting started. Don’t let soaring temps ruin your spooky fun! There’s no better way to celebrate than by firing up the BBQ, mixing up the sangria, chilling in your favorite collapsible chair, while watching these amazing summer camp horror movies!
Friday the 13th The Ritual Tucker and Dale vs Evil The Cabin in the Woods Evil Dead II Eden Lake In a Violent Nature The Blair Witch Project Wrong Turn Cabin Fever Sleepaway Camp Significant Other Nobody Sleeps in the Woods Tonight
Happy Summer Solstice! Werewolf summer returns and the beasts of washignton are on the prowl. They may very well be the scariest most evil monsters on the planet.
summer cherries old beasts sniffing around in search of victims
I wanted to pay a little tribute to the great horror icon Udo Kier, who passed away last month.
Udo Kier, the charming blue-eyed German actor with over 280 film credits across multiple countries, worked with every director under the sun, and starred in every type of genre movie you can think of, from arthouse cult classics to Marvel blockbusters. He was mostly a champion for small and independent foreign films, and a LGBTQ rights advocate.
Udo Kier and Jim Carrey from Ace Ventura Pet Detective 1994
Udo Kier made small movies and big movies. He loved making art. He was smart, funny, and understood the movie business. He understood sometimes you went in to make money, and only money, and sometimes you went in to make art, no matter what it cost.
Kier often played villains, weirdos or deviants, and his immense talent could elevate even the smallest roles. He once said “The villain is the character that people remember.” Udo Kier’s menacing villains will always be remembered by horror fans and filmgoers.
Severin Films has a great collection of enamel pins celebrating horror directors and horror stars of The Theatre Bizarre, a horror anthology from 2011, with wraparound segments featuring Udo Kier.
I think Blood of Dracula is one of Udo Kier’s best roles. This is autograph reprint is a great small gift for anyone who loves those old indie euro subculture films.
Blood for Dracula and Flesh for Frankenstein starring Udo Kier and Joe Dallesandro, directed by Paul Morrissey were arguably both actors’ most memorable films. Filmed in Italy, the films were repackaged and released in the US under Andy Warhol’s production company. This Italian box set looks amazing.
One of Udo Kier’s first roles was a supporting character in the infamous Hexen bis aufs Blut gequält a.k.a Mark of the Devil, a 1970 German knock-off of The Witchfinder General. This horror historical film was known for its realistic scenes of torture and violence towards women, and featured a marketing campaign that leaned in and promoted the film with the slogan “rated V for violence.” Theaters even handed out sick bags. It’s no wonder the filmed eventually got banned in England under the video nasty age and wasn’t publicly shown again until heavy cuts were made.
Udo Kier had a small but important role in Dario Argento’s 1977 classic Suspiria. As Dr. Mandel, Udo showed off his range. Yes, he was known for over-the-top villains, but he could tone it down when he needed to.
Brand New Blade Trilogy (Blu-ray, 2024) Exclusive Slipcover, Wesley Snipes, $26 (varies by eBay seller)
In Marvel comic book adaption of Blade starring Wesley Snipes and Stephen Dorff, Udo Kier had a small but fitting part playing Vampire Elder Dragonetti who butts heads with young rebel vampire Deacon Frost played by Dorff.
Udo Kier joined fellow scene chewers Willem Dafoe and John Malkovich for a spine-tingling movie about the filming of Nosferatu in 2000 Shadow of the Vampire.
Udo Kier and John Malkovich Shadow of the Vampire, 2000
Obviously, with 280 films, there’s no way I can post suggestions to all of Udo Kier’s movies, but he has starred in some pretty iconic films that would make cult-film lovers and horror fans mighty proud to have on their shelf. He worked with Lars von Trier and Gus Van Sant a lot, so be sure to check out all those titles.
Buyer Beware Warning: Be sure to check specs before purchasing any movie DVDs, as some of these are in PAL format and won’t play in the USA. You can find almost anything on Amazon, but I suggest shopping small and independent this holiday season.
Earlier this fall, Toho Co., Ltd. celebrated the 70th anniversary of Godzilla, King of the Monsters. I wanted to do something a little better than a birthday shout-out to one of my favorite SciFi creatures, so I came up with a list of cool gifts for Kaiju lovers this holiday season.
Most of these are collector items, so if you’re looking for kids toys or less serious items, maybe try your local toy store. There’s no particular order to the list either, nor do I have any affiliation to any companies. My gift giving guides are always simply to help like-minded fans find awesome collectible gifts to buy for their loved ones.
10 Gifts for Kaiju Lovers
Godzilla Enamel Pins by Tom Whalen and others from Mondo Shop, $10
Enamel Pins make great stocking stuffers and Mondo Shop has several monsters, not just Godzilla.
Bandai’s Godzilla Store Limited Movie Monster Series Action Figurine from Godzilla.com, $32
Figure based off 1964 movie Mothra vs. Godzilla.
Pre-order Godzilla x Misfit Fiend T-shirt and Exclusive Apparel from Godzilla.com, $32
Two legendary icons brought together. This t-shirt is sure to become its own icon.
Godzilla Minus One Blu-ray Deluxe Japan Collector’s Edition, from Godzilla.com $65
An amazing collector’s boxset for this incredible reboot film, which showed big studios how to properly make a Godzilla film and brought in a whole new generation of fans.
Godzilla: The First 70 Years Art Book (Hardcover) from authors Steve Ryfle and Ed Godziszewski, published over at Abrams Books, $75
Written with love by kaiju super fan, Steve Ryfle, this is no mere coffee table book. A legendary giant needs a giant book to cover 70 years of narrative and visual history featuring exclusive behind the scenes photography, production materials, and other artwork.
From the 70 Years of Godzilla exhibition featuring artists from around the globe in conjunction with Spoke Art Gallery and Ghost X Ghost, you can find poster size prints for your wall.
Matt Taylor “Godzilla ’54” 24″ x 36″ print, $70
Dawn of the Monsters Video Game from 13am Games, prices vary by system
“Dawn of the Monsters is a co-operative kaiju beat ’em up out for Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4 and 5, Dawn of the Monsters is a co-operative kaiju beat ’em up out for Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One and Series X, and Stadia.”
Perfect for gamers and anyone who wants a little more interactive kaiju experience. I haven’t played myself to be honest but I hear this game is the most fun. You get to play as a kaiju!
Godzilla: The Showa-Era Films, 1954–1975 Collector’s Blu-Ray Set, from The Criterion Collection, $225
Godzilla and friends get The Criterion treatment with this one of kind Collector’s boxset featuring remastered original cuts of all the monster kaiju films, from the beginning to when the big studios started to rule the world.
Criterion films specializes in preserving only the best of the best in film history, and Godzilla is the best, he’s the king of the monster films! This is the most incredible boxset I’ve ever seen!
Happy Friday! Tonight’s Friday Fright Nightcap is The Bride’s Nightcap, a Midori and pear vodka cocktail in celebration of Frankenstein Friday.
Ingredients:
2 oz. Midori 2 oz. pear vodka .5 oz. Malibu (or white rum) .5 oz. Key West lime juice (or lime juice) 4 oz. lemonade
Mix ingredients well. Garnish with Maraschino cherries or fresh fruit. Serve chilled.
I got a little exotic using Malibu and Key West lime juice. Honestly, regular white rum and lime juice will work too. It’s a little sweet if you don’t add the lime juice and Isuppose regular vodka is fine too. F*** it, use what you got. Midori is the star of the show no matter how you dice it.
This is my last post in October. Such a bittersweet moment. I thank everyone who stopped by all 31 days this Halloween season!
Happy Wicked Art Wednesday! I was feeling a like need a little more tiki artin our lives so today’s artist is the world renowned tiki creator Doug Horne.
Why we love it: Phoenix born Doug Horne, who now resides in Long Beach, CA, has been creating tiki art and tiki mugs for generations. We love his pop culture monsters tiki mash ups. Doug also creates art for tiki bars around the globe. Chances are you may have seen his work up close while sipping on Mai Tais
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