Grievings and salivations my fine festering freaks.
I’ve noticed that I am not the only one who collects horror toys, models, posters, etc. As you know Metallica’s Kirk Hammett has such an addiction to the same that he released a book last year “Too Much Horror Business” (cleaver, I wonder if he thought that up himself…) chronicling his efforts during his years of achieving his collection. Now, my collection of such is not nearly as spectacular as his, only because my band “Up Spook Hill”, “Old Kate Batts”, and “South Texas Deathride” have yet to achieve international status such as Metallica, but I’m not bitter.
On my many travels through flea markets, eBay, garage sales, grave robbings…(uh, nevermind that last one) I’ve encountered several badass horror items that overtime I’ve added to my collection just so that my maid has more crap to break every week. While this hobby (and my maid) is getting expensive, it is still fun to chase down these finds and bargain for the best prices.
I’ve considered myself sort of an amateur expert on most of the toys that I find since I have owned, drooled over, or studied the piece more times than I have the map to possible escape routes out of the Harris County Correctional Facility. Since the history of the item to me is just as fun as collecting, with this section I will share pictures and links to the site as well as a historical perspective about the item.
So without further ado, I would like to introduce a new section that I call “Renfield’s Re-Collections”.
I would also like to point out that neither HW nor I are profiting in any way from the sale of this merchandise. This article is strictly for entertainment and educational purposes only.
Jaws 1, 2, and 3 Novelizations
One of my favorite things that I collect is novelizations of horror movies. This probably stems back to when my parents encouraged me to read rather than to going to the movies and watching “Those damn devil movies”. So I walked my little ass down to the used bookstore and bought the novelization. It wasn’t exactly the same as the movie but it was close enough. There is a large market for horror novelizations today and most all can be found rather cheap at Amazon, eBay, or your local used bookstore for a couple bucks each.
6 Foot Zacherley Poster Reproduction
Long before Elvira, Bob Wilkens, and Svengoolie, there was Zacherle. He was the host of Shock Theater, which was a television show during the 1950’s that premiered horror movies to the television viewing world on the weekend. Wearing an undertaker’s coat as the character “Roland,” who lived in a crypt with his wife “My Dear” and his lab assistant, Igor he provided comic relief to the horror viewers (a staple that is still reproduced today, although I can’t think of anyone personally. Insert cricket noises here.) The posters such as these were sold in the back of comic books via mail order. You would send in your cash (yes, I said “cash” because back then no one stole it) and wait six week for this poster to show up. This is a reproduction of the one from long ago. I highly doubt any of the originals still exist. This poster was very popular in the 50’s with other such characters such as Dracula and Frankenstein, all of which are still available for nostalgia purposes online.
The Mummy “Soaky”
The “Monster kids” generation of the 50’s and 60’s grew up in a time where everything that was marketable to kids revolved around horror or sci-fi. This included personal hygiene. The Colgate-Palmolive Company received the license from the Universal Film Industry to create the “Soaky”, bubble bath filled sculptures in such characters as the Wolfman, Creature from the Black Lagoon, the Mummy, and Frankenstein (the most sought after). Children would hurry to use up the bubble bath so that they could play with the figures. The company never thought that they would become such a hit with collector’s years later. Other Soaky characters such as Bozo, and Pinochio will run about $10-$15, however the horror characters with resemble paint damage and cracks in the plastic could fetch around $100 any day.
Friday the 13th NES Game Cartridge
When Nintendo released the “Nintendo Entertainment System” game console in 1985, it turned the gaming world on its side. Up until the release of the 8 bit graphic system, kids had to deal with block shaped, slow moving graphics. In 1989 the LJN Company released Friday the 13th NES game. The game was released around the same time as Friday the 13th part 7 (the last of the original franchise to be set at Crystal Lake). As a camper at Camp Crystal Lake the player must move from cabin to cabin and achieve weapons to kill Jason Voorhees before he kills them. Jason is twice the size of the player and moves three times as fast. These games can still be found for a relatively cheap price.
Well, that’s all that I have for today. Hope you enjoyed it and even more, I hope you learned something. So now that I have found a few things I want, I have to go pawn a few rings that I…found. (Blood stains wash off silver and gold, right?)
Until next time we see each other I ask you, “Who will survive…and what will be left of them?”
Rev. Renfield Rasputin
Renfield Rasputin is the last of a dying breed…Thank God.