Here's an article on Kirk Alyn, who played Superman (and possibly Clark Kent) in the Superman serials of 1948 and 1950. It's from the Amazing Heroes issue of February 29, 1988. You DO know that this date was Superman's fiftieth birthday?
Thursday, November 12, 2026
Monday, November 09, 2026
Are All Mutants Strange?
When in one of my book-ordering frenzies, I got this "book" by speculative legend John Keel.
Here's the front cover.
... And the rear cover.
Here's the cover art of my 1970 Fawcett paperback, and it's a keeper from Frank Frazetta.
What this is, is a cut-and-pasteup of Keel's 1970 classic Strange Creatures from Time and Space. The newer version is a 8.5" x 11" pamphlet type of publication. The outside is cover stock.
Maybe Keel was going broke, and signed the book rights to someone who would re-publish it? I do not know.
At a later time we'll talk bout the creepy, disturbing topics of the actual contents ... but for now you can compare the classic pulp-type art of Frazetta with the sixth-grade-level cover of the pamphlet reissue.
TTFN!
Thursday, November 05, 2026
Monday, November 02, 2026
A Tass-le Tale!
This tale from the Tulsa World harks back to the end of the Evil Empire. If you don't know what that is historically, thank your grandparents and great-grandparents who both held marches for peace, and manned nuclear silos.
This is from the October 10, 1989 World. The "official" collapse of the USSR happened a couple of years later.
By the way, pay no attention to that globe behind the curtain! See you Thursday.
This article mentions a plethora of weird tales that have been emanating from the Soviet Union around this time. Could it be that these tales of outré events were part of a disinformation scheme to distract the tovarisches (comrades) from their own real-world miseries?
Friday, October 30, 2026
New, Just for You -- BOO!
Three new Halloween music comps, part of the backlog of items not shared before.
It was fun to come across and include some of the underscores for Scooby-Doo.
Yup, it’s another buncha Halloween songs from the Seventies! The country preacher in the middle of Track 7 is so out there, I’m envious!
Track 4, “Bone Shaker,” is a fun reimagining of Carl Stalling’s “Skeleton Dance,” the first Silly Symphony.
01 - The 4-D Man - Dor and the Confederates - 1959 (1:57)
02 - Ghoulman Confidential - The Fleshtones - 2013 (2:31)
03 - Frankenboogie - Frankie Stein - 1973 (2:23)
04 - Spooky - Count Stephen - 1961 (2:35)
05 - Mothra - Those Darn Accordions! - 1996 (3:18)
06 - “Scooby Doo Where Are You?” Underscore 1 - Nichols-Curtin - 1969 (2:41)
07 - Frankenstein - Subsonics - 1997 (3:07)
08 - King Kong's Monkey - Gary (US) Bonds - 1964 (2:22)
09 - Werewolf - Harla Horror - 2005 (4:21)
10 - My Were Wolf Mama - Lenny Bruce - 1957 (2:21)
11 - I'm a Witch - Joyce Terry - 1959 (2:06)
12 - Frankenstein Cha Cha Cha - Sigue Sigue Sputnik - 1980 (3:39)
13 - Halloween - The Coffinshakers - 2000 (3:08)
14 - The Vampire's Ghost - Jimmy Bowers - 1958 (2:50)
15 - Oh Frankie - Chuck McCann - 1962 (2:39)
16 - I'm a Werewolf, Baby - The Tragically Hip - 1987 (3:21)
17 - Spooky Spider - The Buddies - 1961 (2:55)
18 - Dracula's Wedding - Lord Chatterley & the Transylvanian Septet - 1959 (2:36)
19 - The Bat - Frank Rondell and the Chancellors - 1964 (2:16)
20 - Mr Were Wolf - Ricky Durham - 1961 (1:58)
21 - Dr Jekyll or Mr Hyde - Babs Tino - 1963 (2:10)
22 - The Eye - Edwin & Alvin - 1959 (2:20)
23 - A Tribute to Dracula - The Streaplers - 1965 (2:27)
24 - “Scooby Doo Where Are You?” Underscore 2 - Nichols-Curtin - 1969 (2:45)
25 - Will the Real Dr Frankenstein Please Stand Up - The Zanies - 1971 (2:12)
26 - Monster Beach - The Surf Trio - 1986 (2:41)
***
01 - Trapped Like a Rat - Gerhard Helmut - 1979 (1:58)
02 - Frankenstein Pt 1 - Chuck Osbourne - 1975 (3:06)
03 - Dracula (Part 2) - The Jimmy Castor Bunch - 1976 (4:38)
04 - Too Many Skeletons in the Closet - Nat Fross - 1970 (2:33)
05 - Frankenstein's Heartbeat (live) - The Art Attacks - 1977 (2:58)
06 - Playing Golf (with My Flesh Crawling) - Family Fodder - 1979 (4:32)
07 - The Exorcism - Tommy Scott and Scotty Lee - 1975 (3:31)
08 - The Legend of Bigfoot - Chuck Lawson - 1975 (4:39)
09 - Mummy Drag - Jerry White - 1975 (2:58)
10 - Werewolf - Michael Hurley - 1971 (4:31)
11 - Bela Lugosi - Mick Farren - 1978 (2:02)
12 - Horror Movie - Skyhooks - 1974 (3:46)
13 - Jekyll and Hyde - Mighty 'Em - 1973 (3:14)
14 - Dracula's Undying Love - Children of the Night - 1976 (3:11)
15 - Monster Au-Go-Go - The Suicide Commandos - 1976 (2:06)
16 - Bigfoot - Earl Shepherd - 1975 (2:48)
17 - Dracula's Daughter - Thunderthighs - 1974 (3:48)
18 - Grave Yard Creep - James Duhon - 1974 (2:36)
19 - The Hippys Graveyard - Johnny G - 1978 (2:58)
20 - Take Me with You - Destroy All Monsters - 1974 (2:33)
21 - Descent into the Maelstrom (live) - Radio Birdman - 1976 (4:18)
22 - Old King Kong - George Jones - 1977 (2:18)
23 - Meat House - Negative Trends - 1978 (3:05)
***
01 - What Would Hallowe'en Be - Gil Slote and the Children of New York PS 24 - 1964 (1:11)
02 - Amityville (The House on the Hill) - Lovebug Starski - 1986 (5:45)
03 - Grave Digger - The Morticians - 1967 (2:20)
04 - Bone Shaker - Zerox - 2024 (1:53)
05 - Horror Show - Stompin' Riffraffs - 2010 (1:49)
06 - Panic at the Horror Disco - The Southern Tenant - 2022 (3:18)
07 - Ghost Division - The Creation - 1996 (3:56)
08 - All Hallows - Aviators - 2019 (4:50)
09 - Meet the Creature - Buchanan and Ancell - 1957 (2:44)
10 - Regan - The Demonics - 2000 (3:15)
11 - The Boogie Woogie Boogie Man - The Brian Sisters - 1942 (1:51)
12 - The Haunted - Forbidden Dimension - 1990 (2:01)
13 - Skin and Bones - Dean Gitter - 1957 (1:10)
14 - Halloween - Bob Malone - 2007 (3:54)
15 - Waking the Dead - The Busters - 2009 (3:16)
16 - Taboo - Gene Summers - 1964 (2:01)
17 - Zombie Skank - The Jesters - 1998 (2:23)
18 - Rotting Pumpkin - Animal Liberation Orchestra - 1998 (4:07)
19 - Hell's Bells (Silly Symphony) - Carl Stalling - 1929 (5:51)
20 - Come to the Sabbat (live) - John the Postman & the Legendary Lost - 1988 (3:56)
21 - Headless Horseman - Marcel Bontempi - 2014 (3:16)
22 - Graveyard Sale - Black Panties - 2013 (2:01)
23 - Bomp in the Night - Bruce and the Heartbeats - 2005 (2:50)
24 - Halloween - Abstractions - 1985 (3:59)
***
Well, Fiends and Slaybors, this is the end of another grave-poppin', Moon-freakin', cracker-jackin' Halloween season. Thanks for riding along! See you on Monday for a new something pulled from the hat.
Wednesday, October 28, 2026
A Very Old Owl
Just a little bit today, with a lot o' history.
Ya see, this owl has been haunting me for 65 years. I colored it (mostly) in October 1961. This was in Kindergarten. I had just turned five.
I say "mostly" colored. Note the literally empty, staring eyes. I didn't add a single touch of color. I just left the mimeographed concentric circles untouched.
Did I independently -- at five freakin' years old -- invent the concept of negative space?
See you at the end of the week for our final FRIGHTFUL FRIDAY with three Halloween comps never shared before!
Monday, October 26, 2026
Maruned with the Gasser!
Scary Books, Kiddies!
The Mad Gasser of Mattoon: Dispelling the Hysteria. By Scott Maruna. Swamp Gas Publishing Company, 2003. Cover art by Michael Schwab.
Yes, friends, my parents’ hometown was the site of an intrusion of the outré into WWII middle America.
The Mad
Gasser incidents stirred up a fuss all over the country, but the actual
so-called attacks happened in two brief months in the fall of 1944.
Believe me,
Mattoon, Illinois is not a big town.
It’s the anchor of a hundred square miles of farmland. Nowadays it has a few hotels along the
interstate, and some chain restaurants.
But in 1944 it was not that big.
It had a population just over 15,000 in the 1940 US census. In 1944, Ralph Smith became Mattoon’s first
black mailman. Mattoon’s first radio
station was WLBH (1170 AM), signing on in November 1946. During the Mad Gasser days of August-September
1944, radio signals streamed in from Chicago, but otherwise the Mattoon Journal-Gazette
was the prime local “official” source of information.
Maruna does
a good job of describing the incidents and their surrounding hysteria. Something happened and made a few
people turn dizzy. Then public panic and hysteria popped up. What? Why? Who?
Well,
Maruna has a theory, involving a town pharmacist and his son. Is this likely what happened? I don’t know.
What do you think? (By the way, if you want to sound like an authentic Mattooner, you refer to the local paper as the “Gaze-at-it.”)
Friday, October 23, 2026
Frolic in Unsettled Doom
Three more Halloween compilations for your disgusting delectation ...
MA-23 is one of my early aggregations, dating to around 2011.
This one is new to you. Please note that several vinyl-sourced tracks have surface noise or pops ...
01 - Count Chocula Intro - Count Chocula - 1979 (0:41)
02 - Trick or Treat - Halloween - 1984 (3:12)
03 - Have You Ever Seen? - Boss Martians - 2000 (3:15)
04 - Spook Opera - The Hawaiian Pups - 1982 (3:02)
05 - TV Monster Show - The Munsters - 1964 (2:05)
06 - Land of the Dead - Voltaire - 2007 (1:58)
07 - Dracula's Deuce - Freddy & the Four-Gone Conclusions - 2000 (2:36)
08 - It's Spooky in Here - Baha Men - 2001 (2:42)
09 - The Green Slime - The Green Slime - 1969 (2:19)
10 - My Body's a Zombie for You - Dead Man's Bones - 2009 (4:28)
11 - Spooksville - Nu-Trends - 1963 (2:37)
12 - The Mummy - Radio Ad - 1959 (0:49)
13 - The Ballad of Vlad the Impaler - Bettie Blackchurch - 2010 (1:32)
14 - Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? - Matthew Sweet - 1995 (3:12)
15 - Exorcist Theme - Halloween Remix - unknown - 2012 (5:00)
16 - I'm Gonna Scare You - Sue Rose - 2001 (2:40)
17 - The Bat - Children of the Night - 1976 (2:33)
18 - Munsters Theme Halloween Edit - Figure - 2007 (2:43)
19 - Return of the Living Dead - Ghoultown - 2002 (3:32)
20 - Martian Hop - Ran-Dells - 1963 (2:10)
21 - Halloween Party Music - Andrew Gold - 1996 (3:01)
22 - The Haunt of Room 402 - Wally Wingert - 2001 (2:57)
23 - Cockroach That Ate Cincinnati - Rose & the Arrangement - 1973 (2:08)
24 - Rockin' in the Graveyard - Jackie Morningstar - 1959 (2:40)
25 - Banditos Halloween Mash - Jonathan Rubinger - 2010 (4:48)
26 - Phantom of the A-Go-Go - Don Hinson & the Rigamorticians - 1964 (2:33)
27 - Castin' My Spell - Marci Lee and Johnny Otis - 1959 (2:10)
28 - Attack of the Killer Tomatoes - Lewis Lee - 1978 (2:50)
29 - Werewolf - Five Man Electrical Band - 1974 (3:29)
MA-23 is one of my early aggregations, dating to around 2011.
***
01 - You Have Booped Your Last Boop - Helen Kane - Bela Lugosi - 1933 (0:31)
02 - Trouble - Bonnie McKee - 2004 (3:59)
03 - The Devil Train - Rhys Evans - 1957 (2:19)
04 - Diggin' That Grave - Jesters of Destiny - 1986 (4:52)
05 - Frankenstein (live) - Kaye Stevens - 1963 (2:12)
06 - Ilonka's Dance (from House of Frankenstein) - Hans Salter - 1944 (1:45)
07 - Teenage Brain Surgeon - Eddie Davis - 1958 (2:04)
08 - Dr Poop - Howie Post - 1969 (2:09)
09 - The Headless Ghost - The Nightmares - 1959 (1:43)
10 - A Practice of Evil - The Fraudulent Frauleins - 1967 (2:52)
11 - Doin' the Zombie - Chubby Checker - 1997 (3:12)
12 - Night of Fear - The Move - 1966 (2:15)
13 - Things Go Bump in the Night - Mel Street - 1969 (2:06)
14 - Is There an Exit? - Absolute Body Control - 1981 (4:10)
15 - Bloodsuckers of the Universe - Spider Babies - 1984 (2:15)
16 - Haunted House - The Raftsmen - 1967 (3:59)
17 - Night of the Living Dead - The Alley Cats - 1982 (4:03)
18 - Hello There Mr Grave Digger - The Creators - 1962 (2:26)
19 - The Graveyard Hop - The Chants - 1959 (2:37)
20 - Can You Get Me Out of This Place - Four Commandments - 1968 (3:13)
21 - You're Gonna Die (live) - Destroy All Monsters - 1979 (2:50)
22 - My Friend the Ghost - Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra - 1955 (2:55)
23 - Ghost Hunter - No Strings Attached - 1968 (2:47)
24 - I Love My Monsters - The Voronas - 2004 (4:21)
25 - Danse Macabre - Sylvia Houtzager and Band - 1991 (2:54)
26 - You'd Scream If You Knew What I Did Last Halloween! - Zombina and the Skeletones - 2003 (1:45)
Track 1 is lifted from a 1933 short, Hollywood on Parade. Track 6 is the delicious Gypsy dance from House of Frankenstein. Track 8, “Dr Poop,” has nothing to do with body functions! Track 10 has an interesting witch-trial interlude. Track 25 is a breathtaking take on Saint-Saëns’ “Danse Macabre.”
Have fun discovering the charms of the other tracks!
PS yes, the staked vampire featured on the disc art is yours truly!
***
01 - Voodoo Doll - The Interiors - 1959 (2:36)
02 - Ghost on the Highway - The Gun Club - 1981 (2:45)
03 - Demons - The Clique - 1967 (2:21)
04 - Jack the Ripper - David Lastie and His Rippers - 1961 (2:46)
05 - Godzilla - Kicks - 1980 (4:31)
06 - It Was a Nightmare - The Beach-Niks - 1966 (2:14)
07 - The Raven - Bobby Russell and the Impollos - 1958 (2:26)
08 - The Face of Death - The Soft Boys - 1989 (3:14)
09 - I Created a Monster - Glenn Barber - 1967 (1:51)
10 - Green Slime (live) - Last Four Digits - 1982 (1:54)
11 - The Gates of Hell - Sorrells Pickard - 1968 (3:40)
12 - It Was a Dream - Billy David - 1959 (2:05)
13 - Dr Terror's House of Horror - Roy Castle - 1965 (3:58)
14 - Vampirella - Copy Cats - 2000 (4:27)
15 - Long Black Veil - Paul Thomas - 1959 (2:14)
16 - Nightmare - The Marvels - 1962 (2:38)
17 - Death on the Elevator - Super Heroines - 1981 (1:28)
18 - The Halloween Dance - Reverend Horton Heat - 1998 (3:09)
19 - Undead - The Undead - 1991 (2:33)
20 - Superstition - The Green Beans - 1965 (1:47)
21 - Who Is My Killer - Charlie 'ungry - 1980 (5:40)
22 - Pumpkin Punk - John Bartles - 1986 (2:09)
23 - Wolf Man - Laurie Allen - 1962 (2:03)
24 - How to Make a Monster - Zombina and the Skeletones - 2014 (3:05)
25 - Heads Will Roll - Yeah Yeah Yeahs - 2009 (3:41)
26 - Honky Tonk Halloween - Captain Clegg and the Night Creatures - 2009 (3:05)
Here is another unshared-before frisky fresco of spooky sounds, with musical genres running from Sixties psychedelia to Western swing, hard rock to doo-wop.
Have a wild weekend, my creepy cousins!
Wednesday, October 21, 2026
I Love the Ladies
In the Sixties and Seventies, monster models were so much fun! The surfer tropes of Big Daddy Roth faded, and the creatures seen in Universal's Shock Theatre syndication package drew the attention of countless kids, age five to fifteen.
This ad filled the back cover of Superboy #124, cover-dated August 1965. I bought 'em and built 'em, but over the years they lost their sets and accoutrements, leaving only the ladies themselves.
But they still have places of honor in our decorations! You'll see the Witch on the left, behind the Wolf Man and Frankenstein. On the right, the Bride reclines supine at the front.
Above is what's left of the Bride.
The Witch is sitting on her skirt. Her ankles and feet vanished long ago.
What creepy leftovers from YOUR childhood are still kickin' around?
See you Friday with three more Halloween music comps!
Monday, October 19, 2026
Read in the Light
Scary Books, Kiddies!
I was
mildly irritated by Taylor’s inability to decide how to handle an en dash in
his text. Sometimes we have a single hyphen, sometimes two hyphens—sometimes in
the same paragraph!
Some photo captions have a period
at the end, some do not (pp 184-85 for example).
There are a few line-spacing issues
near some of the photos, which I have encountered myself when dealing with
photos and text in WORD.
Most of the
tales woven by Taylor were news to me. I
bought the book because of its subtitle.
My parents were born and raised in Mattoon—home of the Mad Gasser and
his 1944 reign of fear—and to my eternal regret, I never quizzed them on THEIR
memories or thoughts anent the fellow.
I certainly
DID NOT know that the Mad Gasser had a very similar precursor, in Virginia, in
the winter of 1933-34!
There are a
few proofreading issues, but not a lot.
The most silly is on page 232 when Taylor says that the Mad Gasser case
“left an edible mark on our history.”
The correct word, of course, is “indelible.”
Overall, I
recommend this book as a sometimes creepy, sometimes wry recounting of some
“sinister stranger” tales that you too might not have heard of—until now.
Friday, October 16, 2026
I'll Have an Old-Fashioned or Three
Today our three Halloween comps share the same concept: A little old-fashioned and a lot of amateurish cover art!
MA-149 - An Old-Fashioned Halloween (77:27):
01 - Halloween Party - Pepper Tanner Creative Sales Service - 1973 (0:31)
02 - Main Title (It! The Terror from Beyond Space) - Paul Sawtell & Bert Shefter - 1958 (1:05)
03 - Hey Jude - Paul Frees - 1970 (3:53)
04 - Weebles Haunted House - Hasbro Playskool - 1976 (0:29)
05 - Monster Approaches (Jonny Quest) - Hoyt Curtin & Ted Nichols - 1964 (0:45)
06 - Halloween Driving Safety - Pepper Tanner Creative Sales Service - 1973 (0:31)
07 - Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? Underscore #1 - Ted Nichols - 1969 (0:37)
08 - Attack of the Mole Men - The Dickies - 1979 (3:40)
09 - Main Title / Shooting Stars (This Island Earth) - Herman Stein - 1978 (3:49)
10 - The Mad Scientist - The Zanies - 1958 (1:59)
11 - The Munsters (1st Season Opening Theme) - Jack Marshall - 1964 (0:44)
12 - The Munsters (1st Season End Credits) - Jack Marshall - 1964 (0:31)
13 - Hollywood Halloween - Section 8 - 1979 (3:06)
14 - Mysterioso, Burglar Music - J S Zamecnik - 1913 (0:46)
15 - Plodding Monster (Jonny Quest) - Hoyt Curtin & Ted Nichols - 1964 (0:37)
16 - The Raven - Kenny and the Fiends - 1963 (1:55)
17 - The Witch (Album Version) - The Rattles - 1970 (2:56)
18 - Halloween Values - Pepper Tanner Creative Sales Service - 1973 (0:28)
19 - Sonik Re-Entry (Fantastic Theatre) - The Electrosonics - 1962 (2:34)
20 - Son of Dracula Main Title - Hans J Salter - 1978 (1:07)
21 - TV Monster - The Bounce - 1980 (2:49)
22 - Return to the the Haunted House - The Fleshtones - 1985 (2:22)
23 - Visitors from Space (It Came from Outer Space) - Herman Stein - 1978 (1:40)
24 - Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? Underscore #2 - Ted Nichols - 1969 (1:05)
25 - What Can We Be for Halloween? - Jill Gallina - 1978 (2:05)
26 - Halloween Treats & Candy - Pepper Tanner Creative Sales Service - 1973 (0:28)
27 - Mysterioso Pizzicato - J Bodewalt Lampe - 1914 (0:22)
28 - Spookie Movies - Gary Paxton - 1962 (2:17)
29 - Night Gallery Theme - Gil Melle - 1970 (0:36)
30 - The Octopus - Angel and the Devines - 1964 (2:13)
31 - Halloween Jingle - William B Tanner Co - 1974 (0:32)
32 - Plan 9 from Outer Space - The Happy Few - 1981 (3:36)
33 - Shocks and Stingers (Jonny Quest) - Hoyt Curtin & Ted Nichols - 1964 (1:11)
34 - Graveyard Theme (It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown) - Vince Guaraldi - 1966 (0:53)
35 - Dumb Ways to Die - Metro Trains Melbourne - 2012 (3:00)
36 - Monsters (Jonny Quest) - Hoyt Curtin & Ted Nichols - 1964 (0:51)
37 - Do They Know It's Halloween? - North American Halloween Prevention Initiative - 2005 (5:52)
38 - Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? Underscore #3 - Ted Nichols - 1969 (0:45)
39 - Halloween Jack-o-Lantern Contest - Pepper Tanner Creative Sales Service - 1973 (0:33)
40 - Winged Death (The Deadly Mantis) - William Lava - 1978 (2:53)
41 - Trick or Treat (It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown) - John Scott Trotter - 1966 (1:14)
42 - The Night Stalker Suite - Robert Cobert - 1972 (4:00)
43 - Prologue - Welcome to Creepshow - John Harrison - 1982 (4:07)
***
01 - It's a Good Old Halloween - The Wonderland Singers - 1974 (1:50)
02 - The Boogie Man - Louie Ramirez - 1967 (2:41)
03 - Blue Ghost Blues - Lonnie Johnson - 1938 (3:03)
04 - From the Underworld - The Herd - 1968 (3:13)
05 - Opening the Coffin - Count Baltes & the Egors - 1973 (2:12)
06 - Monster Party - Bill Doggett - 1959 (2:04)
07 - Egor's Chant - Ziggy Gee and His Combo - 1959 (2:04)
08 - Superstition - The Migil Five - 1967 (3:19)
09 - Cold Touch of Death - No Hope for the Kids - 2008 (1:37)
10 - Frankenstein's Party - The Swingin' Phillies - 1958 (2:38)
11 - My Daddy Is a Vampire - The Meteors - 1981 (3:40)
12 - The Raven - Glass Prism - 1969 (3:58)
13 - Nightmare - Don Bishop - 1959 (2:00)
14 - I Was a Teenage Monster - The Keytones - 1961 (2:18)
15 - Monster Man Jam - Bobby (Boris) Pickett - 1970 (2:24)
16 - The Vampire - Buffy Sainte-Marie - 1969 (2:06)
17 - Monster Mash - Ill Repute - 1985 (2:20)
18 - Shock Party - Amery Lynn - 1959 (2:22)
19 - Queen of Halloween - The Chotalls - 1962 (2:39)
20 - The Rockin' Ghost - Archie Bleyer - 1956 (2:32)
21 - The Phantom Skier - The New Dimensions - 1964 (2:22)
22 - Vampire - Bobby Garrett - 1962 (2:04)
23 - Creepy Willy - Griz Green - 1965 (2:00)
24 - Shrimpenstein TV Theme - Gene Moss - 1967 (0:52)
25 - Ghost Creepin' Blues - Blue Belle - 1928 (3:10)
26 - Vampire Daddy - Jerry Bryan - 1959 (1:52)
27 - Plan Nine from Outer Space - 3-D Invisibles - 1986 (2:38)
28 - Dr Jekyll - The Blizzards - 1965 (2:47)
29 - Honky Tonk Jekyll & Hyde - Dinosaurs - 1988 (4:14)
30 - Our Little Girl Wants to Be a Monster - Mark Alfred - 2010 (2:12)
The frightening aspects of an Old-Fashioned Halloween are always scares mixed with a wink. You might call it Corn on the Macabre.
Let me know if you like it!
***
01 - The Monster Swim - Bobby Pickett and the Rolling Bones - 1964 (2:11)
02 - Scooby Doo - The Jinkies - 1996 (2:12)
03 - King Kong Is Back Again - Century Orchestra - 1976 (3:19)
04 - Ghost Train - 50% Potato - 2007 (3:09)
05 - Haunted Disco - Chromium - 1979 (3:40)
06 - The Creature (From a Science Fiction Movie) - Buchanan and Ancell - 1957 (2:49)
07 - Frankenstein the Disco Monster - The Southern Tenant - 2022 (4:58)
08 - The Gorilla - Bert Convy - 1958 (1:49)
09 - Uncle Willy - The Dynamics - 1964 (2:39)
10 - His Ghoul - Dick “Ghoulardy” Knight - 1973 (3:10)
11 - Foul Owl on the Prowl - Boomer & Travis - 1967 (2:30)
12 - The Boogie Man, Parts 1 and 2 - Greg Perry - 1974 (7:00)
13 - Gammera (from Gammera the Invincible) - The Moons - 1967 (2:06)
14 - Witching Hour Blues - Tampa Red - 1934 (3:15)
15 - Barnabas - Vampire State Building - 1969 (2:56)
16 - Bigfoot - Bro Smith - 1976 (3:06)
17 - Rockin' Zombie - The Crewnecks - 1959 (2:53)
18 - Vampire Tango - Taboo - 1968 (3:36)
19 - Frankenstein Is a Soul Brother - Dr Shock - 1973 (2:48)
20 - Creature Features - Beauregarde with the Poppers - 1975 (2:54)
21 - Horror Story - Colour Me Wednesday - 2016 (1:58)
22 - Skeleton Bookie - Abe Link and the Western Spotlighters - 1955 (3:23)
23 - The Voodoo Walk - Sonny Richard's Panics with Cindy & Misty - 1962 (2:16)
24 - They're Gonna Get You - Count Five - 1966 (2:38)
You may ask, what makes these songs old-fashioned? Well, you have:
… Old-fashioned ripoffs like Track 10 parodying “My Girl,” and Track 13 imitating the Batman theme
… Old-fashioned corny humor in Tracks 1, 8
… Old-fashioned disco in Tracks 5 and 7
… Old-fashioned fuzz guitars on Track 18
And an old-fashioned CD presentation!
See you on Monday, fellow creeps and crepes!
Wednesday, October 14, 2026
Frights from Fifty Years Ago
Fifty years ago I clipped thus Sunday panel of Blondie from the Sunday Oklahoman.
Specifically, it was September 19. Wish I could be that scary!
See you on Friday for three more Halloween comps.
Monday, October 12, 2026
Some People Like This Stuff
Or just reading about it ....
Scary Books, Kiddies!
The History of Torture. By Daniel P Mannix. Dell, 1964.
No cover credit.
This is the
first printing, and a Dell original.
Mannix was a many-faceted guy, according to Wikipedia, having been “an
American author, journalist, photographer, sideshow performer, stage magician,
animal trainer, and filmmaker.” And he
wrote a book The Fox and the Hound which Disney made into a
cartoon movie.
But this tome is all about man’s inhumanity to man—the theory as well as the practice of—umm, let’s call it “forceful coercion.”
The
illustrations are line drawings or prints from past histories of terrors.
Perhaps too
ironically, above is the bookmark for the book.
EXTRA EXTRA READ
ALL ABOUT IT!
Giveaway!
I will give this paperback to the first fiend who emails me,
at msuperfan1956@gmail.com. Shoot me your request. Then I’ll reply to you with a request
for your mailing address. Yes, FREE and
postage paid!
Friday, October 09, 2026
I COMPILE You to Listen!
Three more comps of Halloween (or ALMOST) music from all kindsa places.
ALL CLASSICAL, ALL FUN!
1 Halloween Sale Goodwill 0:59
2 Attack Of The Fifty Foot Woman The Tubes 4:25
3 It's a Nerdy Halloween Herbert Midgley 2:42
4 Frankie-Stein Robbie Robison 2:58
5 This Is Halloween Panic! At the Disco 3:27
6 I Only Have Eyes for You Spike Jones 3:26
7 Horray For Horrorwood Frankenstein Drag Queens 2:18
8 It's Halloween Greg Conley 3:07
9 Zombie Dance The Cramps 1:51
10 Mummy Beach Hot Lava 2:59
11 Love Song For A Vampire Annie Lennox 4:12
12 Creature with the Atom Brain JezusFactory 2:40
13 Saturday Evening Ghost Frankie Stein and His Ghouls 2:01
14 Halloween Song Evangelicals 2:15
15 Mummy Walk Contrails 2:36
16 Main Theme Dracula Twins 1:32
17 Vincent Price Zombina & the Skeletones2:19
18 Monster Mash Misfits 2:34
19 Kids Halloween 10/30/2008 ASK U 1:14
20 Halloween Linda Book 2:52
21 Feed My Frankenstein Alice Cooper 4:40
22 Dead Man's Curve Jan & Dean 2:25
23 Creature from Outer Space Big Eyed Beans from Venus 3:05
24 Bo Meets the Monster Bo Diddley 3:03
25 TV Theme Gigantor 0:52
26 Frankenstein Stomp Count Lorry & The Biters 2:01
27 The Skeleton In The Closet Louis Armstrong 3:08
28 Frankenstein Twist The Crystals 2:53
29 Frankenstein Meets The Beetles Jekyll & Hyde 1:51
Someday I may tell the story of how these VERY EARLY and VERY ECLECTIC comps came to pass.
Until then, ponder our next slab of slime ...
***
01 - Riboflavin-Flavored, Non-Carbonated, Polyunsaturated Blood - 45 Grave 1980 (2:53)
02 - Halloween - Distant Drums 1982 (3:36)
03 - Monster Island - The Dickies 1985 (1:56)
04 - Bates Motel - The Hitmen 1981 (3:19)
05 - Monster Rock - Screaming Lord Sutch 1982 (2:25)
06 - Jazz Butcher Meets Count Dracula - The Jazz Butcher 1983 (2:52)
07 - The Cabinet - Das Kabinette 1983 (3:57)
08 - Lycanthropia - Harry 1988 (5:00)
09 - Shaking of the Sheets - Steeleye Span 1989 (4:10)
10 - Horror Stories - Dance on Water 1984 (3:39)
11 - Final Scene - Greg Vandike 1980 (2:43)
12 - Like a Ghost - Ignatius Jones 1981 (3:22)
13 - The Masque - The Dark 1982 (3:42)
14 - Horror Movies - The Bollock Brothers 1983 (5:09)
15 - Dead Things - The Gorehounds 1987 (2:49)
16 - Halloween - The Wigs 1985 (2:28)
17 - The Vegas Vampire - Jim Parker 1983 (2:18)
18 - Count Duckula Theme - TV Soundtrack 1988 (1:09)
19 - Stuck in a Nightmare - Tooth & Nail 1988 (3:54)
20 - See You in the Boneyard - The Flesh Eaters 1981 (3:31)
21 - Scared of the Dark - Unit 5 1981 (4:00)
22 - I Kill with Warning - Rash of Stabbings 1983 (2:38)
23 - Something in My House - Dead or Alive 1987 (3:49)
24 - Slave Beyond the Grave - Johanna Went 1981 (2:51)
All of the above meditations, as you should have deduced, were released in the 1980s.
***
01 - Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565 - Johann Sebastian Bach (8:27)
02 - Nightmare Fantasy Rag - A Night on Rag Mountain - William Albright (10:09)
03 - Piano Sonata #2 In B Flat Minor, Op. 35, B 128 - 3. Marche Funèbre - Frédéric Chopin (8:57)
04 - 3 Ghost Rags No. 1, Graceful Ghost Rag - William Bolcom (4:30)
05 - 3 Ghost Rags No. 2, The Poltergeist - William Bolcom (3:28)
06 - 3 Ghost Rags No. 3, Dream Shadows - William Bolcom (7:23)
07 - Carnival of the Animals - Zoological Fantasy XII. Fossils - Camille Saint-Saëns (1:22)
08 - Violin Sonata in G Minor, The Devil's Trill - Giuseppe Tartini - 1997 (18:49)
09 - A Rag-Time Nightmare - Tom Turpin (1:15)
10 - Ave Satani (from The Omen) - Jerry Goldsmith (2:32)
11 - Symphonie Fantastique, Op. 14 - 5. Songe D'une Nuit Du Sabbat - Hector Berlioz (10:21)
These classical pieces may remind you of Halloween, even if they weren’t specifically intended that way when composed or published. When I hear them or see their titles, I get a small smile reminding me that Autumn (aka Halloween Time) can be a state of mind, not just a date range on a calendar.
You can listen to this one and call it a presage of Halloween, a foreshadowing if you will. And if you’re like me, YOU WILL! Listen to MA-234 and feel your mouth curling up, your musical horizons broaden, and a lift to them gloomy ole Halloween spirits.
See you Monday!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
