Showing posts with label Famous Monsters of Filmland. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Famous Monsters of Filmland. Show all posts

"Famous Monsters Speak" Record


It's the first Friday of October, and that can mean only one thing...

Freebie Fridays!

If you're new to the Cemetery, you've stumbled in at just the right time! Every Friday in October, I dig up one of the vintage novelty Halloween soundtrack cassettes or vinyl records from my ever-growing collection and share it with all of my "spooky sounds" junkies.

I've been doing this for quite a few years now, and I still absolutely love doing it. It's a great way to share the love during the Halloween season, and a great way to discover some really neat-and-or-hilarious old novelty soundtracks from Halloweens past.

So let's get down to business!!


I just added this classic gem to the collection, and I'm so, so glad I did! Famous Monsters Speak is a horror classic from 1963, originally available from the the back pages of Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine. It features two "modern" tellings of classic movie monster characters, Frankenstein's Monster and Count Dracula.

I was THOROUGHLY surprised at how good both stories really are, but the winner for me is "Frankenstein's Monster Talks!" It's a deep, tormenting look at the tortured life of Frankenstein's creation, as unexpectedly and very eloquently told by the monster himself. Complete madness, anger, and despair. Such palpable revenge!

"Which one of you is next?"


The flip side, "Dracula's Return!", contains an equally interesting telling of a reporter's fateful story on meeting Count Dracula himself! A fantastic, rich vampiric character, completely channeling Bela Lugosi. A classic, gothic tale of the vampire set in a modern metropolis.

"My friend, it is time. I have come for you."


Famous Monsters Speak isn't a standard "spooky sounds" record, but it is so much more!! Such great production all around with two really great horror stories, and this one should definitely be in your collection, too. It's a really great, fun release all around.


Download Famous Monsters Speak here.

  

Rest In Peace, Basil Gogos





I came home from a long weekend trip to the unfortunate news that iconic horror illustrator Basil Gogos had died. While the news wasn't completely shocking (his health had been declining for some time), it was still saddening.

I had tried to meet Gogos at two previous horror conventions, only to have him cancel both due to his poor health.

Last night, I had set up a quick photo shoot to honor Gogos, only to have my computer crash and delete all of the photos. This was getting worse by the minute!

So, I only have the original scan of my prized Basil Gogos autographed "The Mummy" Topps trading card that I had won in a contest back in 2010...




And had I had the chance to meet Gogos at either of those two cons, I would have had him sign my well-read copy of his book, Famous Monster Movie Art of Basil Gogos. This book showcases his iconic, richly illustrated portraits of classic movie monsters, most of which graced the covers of Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine during the 1960s and 70s.











And my personal favorite...



Rest in peace, Basil Gogos.

  

Happy Birthday, Basil Gogos!


From Amazon:

Basil Gogos changed the face of classic horror with his film monster portrait art. Like a bizarro-world Norman Rockwell, he created magazine covers of Frankenstein, the Creature from the Black Lagoon, the Phantom of the Opera, and countless others in horrifying yet dazzling images throughout the 1960s and '70s. His intense colour and bold, impressionistic brushwork gave a unique sense of drama and sophistication to these iconic characters.

Gogos is most famous for his lush monster portraits that adorned the covers of Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine during the 60s and 70s.














All photos courtesy of wheezersociety.com. Click the link to see more.


And finally, my autographed Topps Universal Monsters card featuring Boris Karloff as The Mummy. I won this in 2010 from Weird Hollow. Still one of my favorite pieces...




Gogos' work has been compiled into a collectible book entitled, Famous Monster Movie Art of Basil Gogos. Available now at amazon.com.