CRACK SHOT!

During my latest trip to LA I visited the Playland Arcade at the Santa Monica Pier for the first time. The first game I encountered was a life-size, western-themed shooting gallery. Instinctively, I took a snap shot, and at that very moment the entire scene erupted with motion and sound. It took me a second to figure out that my flash had simultaneously set off every light-sensitive target in the gallery! Another photo (seen above) confirmed my theory. We got a video of my grand discovery as the staff was making their way over to put an end to my winning streak. Here's the video...

FAMILY SERPENT

 

Two of my favorite things collide: The Family Circus and the ol' Snake Nut Can gag. From the book Quiet! Mommy's Asleep! (1974) by Bil Keane

LAKE BEAST

Lake Beast is an excellent new animated short about a man who investigates a mysterious vision from his childhood. It's the latest work from my friend Vance Reeser who also animated Foot: Phantom of the Forest, the short I co-directed for FunKo. The project has been three years in the making, and was among the very first to get funding from Kickstarter.com. If your day could use an intriguing, eerie story that's filled with atmospheric beauty then I highly recommend watching it. Don't forget to turn up your headphones and hit the full screen button. A pay-what-you-want download is available HERE.


Lake Beast from Vance Reeser on Vimeo.

LINK: ALL ABOUT GAG BOXES

Gag boxes were once a hugely popular facet of the novelty world and yet any information on them has been scarce— until now. Collectors Weekly recently posted a great article on the topic which probably qualifies as the single largest source of gag box knowledge on the entire internet. Read it here!

GAYLE HOUSE GHOUL MASK

The enjoyable image seen above is the entire marketing campaign for a sound effects record called The Haunting, a mail-order exclusive released in 1971 by an enigmatic company called The Gayle House. The outreaching specter in the ad is a child-devouring Blood Banshee, the record's antagonist and a rare example of a creature-ghost hybrid. I'm delighted to learn (via Scarstuff) that recently the fabled spook has been adapted into a highly accurate latex mask by independent mask maker, The Devil's Workshop...

For more information check out Devils-Workshop.com.

If you care to listen to the blue-faced one feast on a room full of kids then sit back and enjoy...

KREATURE KID'S HALLOWEEN NIGHTMARE MODELS

Adam Dougherty aka The KreatureKid created a set of unbelievable resin models based on the esteemed Topstone brand monster masks that were available in Famous Monsters of Filmland among other places. These have been out for over a year but they're still well worth celebrating. Dougherty not only imagined appropriate bodies to go with the familiar faces, he turned the creatures loose on Halloween night where trick or treaters must contend with them. The kids themselves are decked out in fantastic costumes from yesteryear and details such as the Hamilton's Invaders helmet, the creature costume and the trick or treat bag are spot-on recreations of the real thing.  It's rare to see the essence of the holiday so perfectly captured.

See many more amazing photos HERE.  I doubt any are still available, but more info can be found HERE.

 

 

Oh yeah, Dougherty also created a larger than life size version of the Shock Monster.