Planes, Trains and Automobiles

The Skeletal Spotlight shines this time on:

"Planes, Trains and Automobiles"

This film is an annual Thanksgiving tradition at our house, after the big meal. This sequence is one of my favorites in a movie full of funny moments! Neal Page and Del Griffith get a glimpse of their mortality during a near-death experience.

I have to admit that I well up and get all emotional at the end when Neal takes Del home with him for the holiday.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving holiday weekend!

The House On Skull Mountain

The Skeletal Spotlight shines this time on:

"The House on Skull Mountain" poster art

(Click on image to view larger size.)

Sure, it's a bad, bad (and not in a good way) movie. But I loves me that skullicious poster art! There's just so much going on there... wicked lightning, a bleeding skull, which happens to be on fire, a panties-revealing defenestration, and probably more up in the house we aren't even seeing.

This is one of those that caught my eye when the ad appeared in my local Macon, GA newspaper in 1974. Check it out at my other blog Held Over! if you want to see it in glorious black and white halftone.

The Conqueror Worm poster

The Skeletal Spotlight shines this time on:
"The Conqueror Worm" poster
(click on image for hi-rez)

A great rotting-skull-centric poster with awesome artwork, for a movie that features the legendary Vincent Price. Initially released in 1968 under the title "Witchfinder General," it was released under this new title later to link it to the successful series of Corman/Price/Poe films that had come before.

Although I missed seeing nearly all of the Price films when they came out, I've been steadily collecting them on DVD as they are released. So far, I don't have this one, but am on the lookout for it. If the movie is as good as the poster I'll have a classic.

A printable page for the kiddies to color when they're getting in your hair.

If you have an insight or memory, or even a mini-review of this film you'd like to share, leave a comment and do so, please!

Theatre of Blood poster

First, an apology to my regular readers; I haven't been able to post for a few weeks, as "real" life caught up to me lately and I had very little extra time for awhile. Hopefully now I can get back in the swing of things and post at least once a week. Also, my yahoo mail account is acting weird, I can send mail to it but anyone else seems to get a bounceback message. As soon as I can open another account somewhere I'll post the address!

Thanks for sticking around! -Fred

The Skeletal Spotlight shines this time on:
The "Theatre Of Blood" Poster

My first glimpse of this cool poster art was on the very first "Monster Times" issue I ever saw. This paper and I fell in love the moment we met, and I bought every issue I could find thereafter. I even have this cover framed on displayed with other special (to me) TMT covers. You can see them on the wall over my DVD collection.

The level of writing and the humor inherent in the magazine were somewhat above the level found in any other monster mag, and was a joy to read. I was 14 when I got this issue, and we were a perfect match.

Here for your ocular enjoyment is both the poster and the Monster Times cover which I scanned in. There are so many memories wrapped up in that issue that I could never blog about them all without boring you.

The milkman was always leaving something extra just to show he cared.

If you've never seen the movie, it's a must for any horror/Vincent Price fan. Living out an actor's dream, he takes bloody and ironic revenge on his theatrical critics. Making a living criticising others who do what they cannot, they have it coming and you cheer each time another one bites the dust.

The Disembodied poster art

The Skeletal Spotlight shines this time on:
"The Disembodied" poster art

Haunted Horror artwork

The Skeletal Spotlight shines this time on:
The back card artwork for the Halloween sound effects cassette "Haunted Horror."
(Click on image for a frighteningly large version!)

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Well, writing many words on this blog right now is tough since it's getting into the busy time of year for me. So, rather than let it languish, I will just post some skelecentric images that I like and let them do the talking for me.

Here is the rather neat-o artwork for a horror sounds cassette tape I bought back in the early 80's and have kept ever since. And with all the many blog entries out there showcasing Halloween Sound Effects LP and CD covers, I've never seen this posted anywhere before. Not earth-shaking or soul-changing, but hey... it's a new post! Whoopee!

And more will follow with the pressure off to wax eloquent. Below is a Halloween party plate I saved from a few years ago. I suppose in 50 years it'll be worth something... but I like it.

Ray Bradbury's Skeleton

Published in 1994, special issue #1 0f Topps' adaptations of Ray Bradbury stories featured this version of his classic story "Skeleton," about a man who fears those bony horrors to such an extent that he wishes to rid himself of the one hiding inside his own body! Ordinarily this could only be solved by repeated and expensive visits to a psychoanalyst; but unfortunately (for him) he finds someone all too willing to help him achieve his goal...

Well, a little inconvenient, I'll admit... but with a large rolling bucket Clarisse should be able to help him get around. Feeding him, changing his diaper, bathing him... it's all a chore, but she looks at the good side; his not having a backbone means he'll never stand up to her mother again!

The moral: Love your skeleton or you'll lose it's support!