Saturday, February 27, 2021

FORRY FROLICS WITH BEAUTIES AND BEASTS


It's no secret that Forrest J Ackerman strayed from his magazine about famous monsters to write for other media, including men's magazines. A self-avowed nudist, FJA was not averse to an appreciative eye for the ladies, it seems. This is all apart from his more recent allegations of being a little too familiar with the female persuasion. These claims have created an altered perspective on his association with the underage fan Heidi Saha, who he bent over backwards to promote as a so-called "favor" to her parents. In any event, exploitation was a helluva lot more open and "overlooked" in the 1970's than it is now.

So, Forry had an article published in the men's magazine, SHOWCASE #4 (1961), which was a few years after the appearance of FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND. By then, he was fairly well known as the go-to guy for all things monsters and science-fiction, having been merely a fan himself back in the 1930's, so his cachet was probably a pretty good selling point for acceptance of his work.

The story is a puff piece and if you are familiar with his trademark puns and alliterations, you won't be disappointed as it's positively bursting with them. Written for a men's magazine, the focus is of course on the female actresses that had appeared in various sci-fi and horror films -- among them Fay Wray, Mala Powers, Mara Corday and Peggy Castle.







Friday, February 26, 2021

A CANDLE IN THE DARK


One of the many ways to convey tension and fear in films and other visual media is by the use of a woman carrying a candle in the dark. A beautiful woman fearfully creeping through the shadowed halls of an ancient and decrepit castle whilst carrying a candelabra of flickering tapers before her is a sure sign that there is terror ahead.

French filmmaker Jean Rollin put this trope to good use in many of his vampire films, usually with the candle-bearer wearing a diaphanous gown -- or more often than not -- wearing nothing at all. Other European horror films (those starring Barbara Steele immediately come to mind) used this device that seemed to never fail in creating an atmosphere of dread. What was waiting for them in the shadows, just beyond the candlelight?





Kuelan Herce in Le Frisson des Vampires.


From Le Vampire Nue by Jean Rollin.


Diana Lorys in The Awful Dr. Orloff.


From Don't Deliver Us From Evil.


Jane Fonda in Spirits of the Dead.





Wednesday, February 24, 2021

NEW FRANKENFIGURE REVEAL


If you're into monster action figures NECA Toys are the one to watch right now. Currently, they are introducing some pretty fine looking Universal monsters, led by Frankenstein's monster, The Mummy and now they've just announced the Wolf Man.

These are nicely done sculpts with the added bonus of how they actually looked in their respective films. To add "realism", they also have been colored in shades of black and white. Not only that, they're reasonably priced at around 30 bucks (although Amazon oddly has it priced against other online retailers at $55.00).

Shown here at WOM a week or so ago with one teaser image, here is the whole kitten caboodle of pics offered by NECA. I am also very impressed by the diorama and photography used for these shots.


Universal Monsters
7” Scale Action Figure – Ultimate Frankenstein’s Monster (B&W)

Overview:
To celebrate the 90th anniversary of the acclaimed silver-screen classic Frankenstein, NECA announces the triumphant debut of Universal Monsters in its Ultimate action figure line!

The sculpt captures Boris Karloff’s poignant portrayal of the misunderstood monster in authentic black-and-white just like the movie. Standing in 7” scale, the figure comes in premium anniversary packaging with plenty of accessories: 3 interchangeable heads, 6 interchangeable hands, shackles and daisies.

Details:
Release Date: Late June/Early July 2021
Item Number: 04805
UPC: 63448204805-4















Also announced is The Mummy. Here's a teaser image of Karloff as Imhotep. I am exited about this one.