COUNTDOWN TO HALLOWEEN DAY 3: CRESTWOOD HOUSE MONSTERS SERIES

I stumbled upon the CRESTWOOD HOUSE MONSTERS SERIES as a young student in the library trying to find something interesting to read, but mostly to look at. I wasn’t much of a reader of real books back then. I was always interested in something visually striking for my eyes to devour. The school library had a little something for everyone back in those days, but I’m not sure they’d be as apt to carry Crestwood House’s series of books about the monster movies as they were back then.



The Monsters Series consisted of twelve volumes, each about one of the horror films of the past and featuring as many pictures as there were pages of text about each movie’s plot. Originally printed in 1977, these were reprinted in 1984. The twelve books were:

THE DEADLY MANTIS
IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE
FRANKENSTEIN MEETS WOLFMAN
CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON
THE WOLF MAN
MAD SCIENTISTS (which is the only one to talk of several films)
THE MUMMY
FRANKENSTEIN
GODZILLA
KING KONG
THE BLOB
DRACULA


There was a later set that was done in a slightly different format in 1985. There is no complete listing of them that I’ve found, but it featured books such as:

WEREWOLF OF LONDON
TARANTULA
HOUSE OF FEAR
THE MOLE PEOPLE
BLACK FRIDAY
THE RAVEN



All these years later, I had completely forgotten about them until I was at a local library’s book sale this September and my nephew picked up one from a table to show me. Apparently, they are a touchstone for many fans of the genre as I’ve found many examples of them being mentioned fondly here online. Many of whom have done a great job commemorating them:

http://titansterrorstoys.blogspot.com/2010/03/crestwood-house-of-horrors.html

http://www.brandedinthe80s.com/index.php?post_id=125980

http://www.cinemassacre.com/2010/09/12/the-crestwood-house-monster-series/

http://www.reverendphantom.com/2009/08/crestwood-house-monsters-anybody.html

http://waffyjon.blogspot.com/2010/04/crestwood-house-movie-monsters-books.html

Rue-Morgue

http://blog.paxholley.net/2008/10/30/awesome-tober-fest-a-look-back-at-the-crestwood-monster-books/

That's all for now, kiddies, but enjoy the following Halloween Greeting until tomorrow...

COUNTDOWN TO HALLOWEEN: Day 1

This will be my first year participating in the COUNTDOWN TO HALLOWEEN over at http://www.countdowntohalloween.com and I'd like to thank the guys for having me along with about 200 others participating. Every day I will post something. It may not be a detailed review of a film or book or a finished piece of artwork, but it will be something that I connect with--which usually means movies, books and comics.

And speaking of comics, the most ambitious part of my personal countdown to all hallow's eve will be my focus on the KIRBY MONSTERS. Any comic book fan knows the name Jack Kirby and if you don't know that name, then you aren't a fan of comics. Way back before he co-created the Fantastic Four, Thor, the Hulk, Silver Surfer, Black Panther, Iron Man and well after he co-created Captain America he designed the most interesting monsters to ever appear in comics. They are strange, they are weird, they are horrific, they are hideous and even hilarious; but, certainly they are unique. I'll do a feature on a handful of the Kirby designed MONSTERS and will try my hand at portraying each of them in pencil, pen, ink, or even digitally. So be prepared to meet the likes of GROOT, GOOGAM, GOOM, TABOO, ELEKTRO, METALLO, GORKILL, DIABLO and MORE!!! There will be surprises and thrills-a-plenty!



I will also post about those characters we relate to and sympathize with--the Fraidy Cats; I will post halloween cards of old; Halloween related comic covers; the Crestwood House Monsters Series of books that influenced me as a child; and many more mysterious manifestations of the macabre! (Here I go trying to sound like Stan Lee)

So, buck up, sit up and get ready... the great and secret show starts now!!!