Two Months 'till Halloween!

It's hard to believe we're only two months away from Halloween! It's go time for all the mask makers out there. And to all the home haunters and enthusiasts, have fun gearing up for the big night.

That kid up front does not look happy standing around with these ghouls!

Neato Coolville's Faux Stretch Monster Mask

I was poking around the Neato Coolville archives a few nights ago and ran into these excellent doctored photos of a Collegeville Stretch Monster mask and costume. The Stretch Monster was my absolute favorite toy back in the late 70's, so this really put a big smile on my face. Check out this post for the details.

Image Source: Neato Coolville

Daniel Horne Article - RM#102

Issue #102 of Rue Morgue featured a beautiful photo heavy article on super talented artist Daniel Horne...

Christopher Lee Masks by Carol Hicks

These were among the first flyers I received from Dr. Lady back in the mid-nineties. The world of limited edition independent artists was all new to me back in these days and I was absolutely floored by this stuff.  In fact, I am still floored by the Carol Hick's Hammer masks which remain all time classics to this very day...

Christopher Lee Frankenstein's Creature Mask Flier

Christopher Lee Frankenstein's Creature Mask

Christopher Lee Kharis the Mummy Mask Flier

Christopher Lee Kharis the Mummy Mask

Bert Wheeler Hollywood Magic Catalog - Ellis Burman Masks

The normal pre-work morning email routine was ramped up to near heart attack moment this morning with an email from the Green Ghoul. I opened it up and there was the holy grail of catalogs... the Bert Wheeler Hollywood Magic Catalog! Let me explain my excitement...

The Bert Wheeler Hollywood Magic Shop was the place to go for the highest quality latex monster masks in the early 1960's. Before the advent of the Don Post Studios calendar masks, Ellis Burman Sr. created a high quality line of monster masks. These masks were on proud display at the Wheeler Magic Shop on Hollywood Boulevard. 

The masks themselves are the stuff of pure legend. Like most mask collectors, I have never seen the Burman masks in person, and have only caught glimpses through pictures like the two shots in Dr. Lady's Monster Mask Book, or a slight glimpse in a low res photo. So for the ol' Phantom, today's attachment was a look at a lost world of maskdom. A wonderful world filled with old school masks that have only existed in headhunter lore. Old school masks with a charm unmatched in monster mask history.

It's crazy that the fun and random "Good Time Frankie" posts of the last two days led to today's post!  With that another BIG thanks go out to the Green Ghoul...

Image Source: The Night Owl Green Ghoul

Good Time Frankie Strikes Again!

I got an email from the Green Ghoul yesterday with some great shots of Frankie and his ghoulish gaggle having fun with more unsuspecting victims. In addition to the Frankenstein Monster there are some classic Topstone monster masks sharing in the fun. This must have been one helluva party, with some boys that know how to really charm the ladies!

Sound asleep after a wild night with the gang!

Image Source: The Night Owl Green Ghoul

Good Time Frankie...

Ellis Burman Frankenstein Mask

Image Source: http://magiccarpetburn.blogspot.com

1980 Don Post Mask-erade Ads

Both of these 1980 Don Post monster mask ads where scanned from issues of Cinemagic magazine. The color ad came from the back cover of issue #6 and the black and white from page 31 of issue #9. The ad represents an interesting Don Post era in which the studio offered a nice blend of classic monster designs and sci-fi aliens and features some prominent Bill Malone sculptures.

Monster Makers Series #2: Dick Smith

The Monster Makers series is a monthly look at the men that made the monsters. Many FX and make-up men started as garage mask and monsters makers. Some graduated to making rubber monster masks or monster suits for Hollywood films. Still others went on to produce revolutionary effects...

The second edition of the Monster Makers series features an article from issue # 17 of Famous Monsters of Filmland featuring Dick Smith's creation of Dorain Grey.

The Mask Man Murders!

Another cool creepy short film by Neal Harvey featuring the "Mask Man" and some sweet Rubber Gorilla masks...

Dracula Overhead Mask Classified Ad

A classified ad from the April 1981 issue of Fango (#12) from ARG Novelty featuring a classic old Be Something Studios mask...

The BSS 1980 Catalog shot of the Dracula mask pictured in the ad...

Devil's Workshop - Super Frankenstein Relica Mask

As many of you know, the ol' Phantom occasionally likes to make a mask or two of his own. Last week marked the occasion of just such an event when the Devil's Workshop  Super Frankenstein Replica Mask went into production. While the Super Frank debuted at Maskfest this past Spring, it hasn't been available on the Devil's Workshop site until now. The edition will be limited to 25 copies and can be ordered in a faded retro green or putrid purple color. Any monster kid will recognize the iconic illustration that the replica is based on...

Devil's Workshop Super Frankenstein Replica Mask

The Creep Factory

The Creep Factory has been on a full tilt mad tear this past month knocking out bad-ass mask after mask. Since early July, six different masks have been posted over at the Creep Factory Blog...

Image Source: http://creep-factory.blogspot.com/