"Who let Barnabas out of his coffin?" -- LA TIMES Film Review
During my early years as a Monster Kid I found it tough to pass up any chance I could to collect information about my beloved monsters. This included cutting out magazine and newspaper articles about anything monster or horror-related, along with ads and reviews covering the latest movies. And, let me tell you, back in the days of the Monster Craze, there was plenty.
Somehow surviving all these years of moving and the dreaded, "Honey, get rid of this junk!" purges, I've managed to hang on to a couple of file folders and a 3-ring binder of collected material from that halcyon era of horror. In essence, I was scrapbooking and have preserved what amounts to a veritable time capsule of monster memories.
Looking through this stuff has been enjoyable, as I remember the thrill of each new movie that came out along with he exciting possibility that I might even get to see some of them!
A lot of these clippings ended up in my homemade monster magazine called, imaginatively enough, MONSTERS MAGAZINE. I've found a handful of those, too, and friend Doug has surprised me with a few himself that he has been holding on to since purchasing them from me lo, these many years ago, found in a box tucked away in his garage.
The only thing I had to be careful of during this period of intensive scrapbooking was not to cut up anything before my parents had a chance to read the newspaper!
Admittedly, the items contained in MY MONSTER SCRAPBOOK are aging. Thankfully, we've got scanners and the means to save things in a digital format these days. Back then it was notebook paper, scotch tape and rubber cement.
Before this stuff crumbles into a pile of decayed wood pulp, I'm working on preserving it all electronically for posterity. I also thought while I'm at it, why not share it with the readers of MONSTER MAGAZINE WORLD?
So, henceforth I'll be posting a parade of monster pleasure for anyone interested in clicking on a thumbnail and zooming in to read some of the commentary that was going on at the time.
My first offering is from the original release of the first DARK SHADOWS feature length film from 1970, HOUSE OF DARK SHADOWS. Reading the review reveals that this movie used an entirely different approach than the recent Burton/Depp box-office disappointment.
Phil Wright, the LOS ANGELES TIMES reviewer had this to say about it: "Let there be one thing perfectly clear, this is not camp. They play it all the way with soap-opera seriousness."
I make no apoligies for the condition of this material as it has weathered the years in a less than satisfactory archival environment. As a result, what you see is only minimally retouched and post-processed. I've descreened the images during scanning to minimize the usual moire pattern of newspaper and magazine print and adjusted the contrast to add a little extra visual appeal.
So, here it is, folks -- I give you the first pages from MY MONSTER SCRAPBOOK, in all their ragged glory!
Totally awesome!
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