Monstrous Toys for the Kids (and Parents)

Yes, the holiday gift-binge season has passed for another year, but Monsters will always be with us. The kids disappointed with Santa's deliveries?

May I suggest:

Groovy Tube - Monsters: the Hunt and the Capture

The best part? A tube full of plastic monster figures. Yes, all the classics are there...Frankenstein's Monster, Dracula. What makes this tube-o-monsters special is the inclusion of Cthulhu. Get it for less than $14.

Mudpuppy - Magnetic Monster Action Figures.

Build thousands of different monstrous combinations from three sheets of magnetic monster parts on four different backgrounds. The tin is magnetic, so the kids can take this one in the car. Of course...ours are on the refrigerator so Dad can play.

Scooby-Doo Haunted House 3-D Board Game.

Yeah, the ghost makes a ridiculous sound when you push him down. Yeah, the whole thing shakes and pops (it is designed to knock game pieces off, you know). But what makes this game special...it's a 3-D haunted house straight out of Scooby's universe. Tentacles in the pond, a spider, a haunted suit of armor, crazy vampire eyes on a portrait, a mummy who pops out of his sarcophagus...it all adds up to spooky awesomeness. Just make sure to play on a hard surface (like a table).

What I Owe Boris Karloff

I'm know other bloggers have more tidbits from the vaults to share about Mr. Karloff. So I ask myself, what can I bring to the table that's different?

Only my story.

As a senior in high school during the fall of 1992, I purchased a copy of Frankenstein (1931) on VHS. I'd grown up with the monster series from Crestwood Studios, but had never seen the film.

I have always been a fan of dark things. Even though doing so brought nightmares, I watched Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th with my neighbors, the Sullivans. We played silly games in the basement, games designed to terrify each other. They had a collection of old copies of Fangoria and Famous Monsters of Filmland.

But I hadn't actually seen Karloff in action until I was 17.

Elm Street and Friday the 13th weren't my style. Too much gore. Too little introspection. (Yeah, I was as goofy as a young kid as I am now) But the Monster...under all that make-up, Karloff pulled off pain and longing and betrayal and confusion and...

Wow. He made me believe in monsters. More accurately, he presented a monster I could believe in.

There's more, of course, and part of Karloff's story should be an inspiration to anyone working to make a go of his/her dream. The man made dozens of films and worked as a stage actor before Frankenstein, but work was never consistent. He filled the gaps with manual labor, digging ditches and driving a cement truck. Times were tough, and Karloff quite lean at 44 when the Monster was unleashed in 1931's Frankenstein.

The inspiration? Keep plugging away even when the dream is impossible.

Thanks Mr. Karloff. Thanks for bringing the Monster to life. Thanks for inspiring my love for the weird and gothic, and my continuing affair with Mary Shelley's hideous progeny. Most of all, thanks for all the hard work. Without you, there would be no odd stories trickling out of brain, no sympathy for the things that go bump in the night, no understanding that the monsters around us are people, too.

A Lego Tribute to Boris Karloff

Happy Birthday, Mr. Karloff.

Next Week: Boris Karlof Blog-a-thon!

(be there)

Monster-a-Day: Frankenstein

Boris Karloff stars in the quintessential monster film, Frankenstein directed by James Whale (1931). Leaner and hungrier (literally) than he would appear in 1935's Bride of Frankenstein, Karloff became an icon with this film.

Frankenstein at All Movie

Frankenstein at IMDb

Read Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (for free) at Project Gutenberg

or, listen to the book (also available free thanks to Project Gutenberg)

Monster-a-Day: Dracula

A native of Hungary, Bela Lugosi (born Béla Ferenc Dezsõ Blaskó) was nearly 50 years old when he played the iconic count in Tod Browning's 1931 Dracula. Dracula at All Movie

Dracula at IMDb

Read Dracula by Bram Stoker (for free) thanks to Project Gutenberg

or, listen to the book (also thanks to Project Gutenberg)

Monster-a-Day: The Mummy

Better known for his role as the creature in Frankenstein, Boris Karloff brings long "dead" Egyptian priest Imhotep to life with chilling results in 1932's The Mummy. A special nod to Karl Freund's direction, a great example of what one could do with a camera, even in the early '30s.

The Mummy at All Movie

The Mummy at IMDb

"The Mummy's Curse" (an article by John Warren at Tour Egypt)