1983 Don Post Studios Indexing Guide

The rest of the 1983 Don Post Catalog scans still need to be polished up a bit, but in the meantime, check out the Indexing Guide to the 1983 Don Post Studios Products Catalog. This Indexing Guide could be found sandwiched in the middle of the '83 catalog and features a nice large spread of the entire line up. Want a hi-res version? Right click here and save a 300dpi copy of the bi-fold.

1983 Don Post Catalog - Part 1

 With some big licenses including Return of the Jedi, E.T., Dark Crystal,  Halloween III, as well as the re-issuing of some classic Universal Monster masks, 1983 set up to be a big year for Don Post Studios, and it was certainly reflected in the Cast of Characters catalog theme of the 1983 catalog.

The range of characters offered throughout the catalog is quite staggering. While a new era was being ushered in with more modern characters, plenty of old classics remained. There are several aspects to the '83 catalog that really make it shine. First and foremost, the large product shots throughout the entire catalog. Some real attention was spent to showcase the masks. The poses and lighting are top notch, and the size of most of the photos really let the viewer take in and appreciate the masks. And... the monsters are all wearing suits! The dapper ghouls featured throughout the pages instantly makes this catalog a true classic.

I'm looking to archive this catalog in 300dpi scans. I was able to scan about half of the catalog last night, and it'll take one more run on the scan bed tonight to get the rest. When complete, I'll compile a hi-res .PDF for download. For now enjoy the first fifteen pages of Don Post glory...

In one of the many light-hearted moments present in the catalog, poor Bela gets stuck posing with the clown nose on page 13...

Be sure to check out the remaining pages of the 1983 Don Post catalog in Part Two


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Monster Makers Series #4: Paul Blaisdell How To Article

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...

This month's edition of the Monster Makers series features an article written by Paul Blaisdell for issue #1 of Fantastic Monsters of the Films. Paul describes a primitive, but effective, way off building up a small rubber monster suit which could potentially work for a head too. This info must have been gold for monster kids that were aspiring monster makers back in 1962...

The Return of the HMA

Praise the lord, the HMA has returned! Talk about the icing on the cake for the long holiday weekend.

 In retrospect, it was only down a short while, but, it's a part of my daily routine. Quite literally, a part of my very fabric. Kinda like smoking. First thing in the morning, last thing at night before bed, probably even a few times during the day. Alright, probably more than just a few times. So I'm an HMA junkie, is that so bad?

 Anyway, it was well worth the wait. I eagerly logged into the beta version Friday night, and it's SO much more than I could have hoped for. EA and the team at the HMA have been busy. Very busy! A multitude of great blogs are up and running, and each was a wonderful read. Dr. Lady looks to be running two fun video blogs, "Cheapie Creepies" and "Mask-Fan-Attic". Again, LOVE it! I can't wait for another glimpse into Dr. Lady's attic. There could be anything lurking up there.

Now that my equilibrium has been restored, and everything feels right in the world again, I can't wait to see how everything evolves over at the epicenter of the mask universe.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I'll be spending a few days away from the computer, but I wanted to take a moment to wish you and your families a very healthy and happy Thanksgiving. Do your best to relax a bit and eat a lot. See you in a few days creeps!

Headhunters Quaterly Vol. 2 Num.4

Continuing along with the goal of eventually scanning each of the HHQ issues to preserve for mask and monster enthusiasts, here is issue #8 (Vol.2 Num.4) As always, a .PDF of the issue can be downloaded, just right click here and save!

 The cover to issue #8 featured a festive Flukeman mask from the Devil's Workshop. The mask was custom painted by Doug Goins of Hoosier Effects Lab. The readers were quickly greeted by a full page ad for Dr. Lady's Super Deluxe Collector's Edition Boris Karloff mask...

Dr. Lady Boris Karloff Mask Ad

 The main article of the issue showcased one of the worlds finest monster mask collections of Yuichi Kiyohara. Before the days of the internet, this was one of the few methods available for seeing another mask collectors collections. I remember being floored (and still am) at the impressive stash of rubber monsters that Mr. Kiyohara amassed.

Other points of note include an article written by Paul Daniels of Darkside Studios reminiscing about his first trip to Death Studios. Personally, this is a fun read for me, it conjures up a lot of the memories and excitement I share from my first trip to DS.

And finally, the issue wound down nicely with two articles. One titled "Mask Collecting Can Be Dangerous" by John Denley. And another titled "Support Your Masks" with some good suggestions for displaying and supporting monster masks.

Distortions - Brain Attack! Ad

This Distortions ad featuring the "Shark Bait", "Demon Possessed" and "Dragon Breath" over the head masks was scanned from the May '94 issue of Fango (#131), and also appeared a month later in issue 132. The ad itself looks nothing like any Distortions ad that ran prior to, or after this. I suspect it was designed by the folks at Morris Costumes, as the logo is plastered above the Distortions logo. I never ran into the three masks pictured atop the ad in person, but I have always been intrigued by the concept!

Monster Masks on Flickr Week Day 7 - Halloween Mask Pool

Some very dedicated mask collectors and enthusiasts have maintained Flickr accounts that are among the best monster mask resources on all the world wide web. Over the course of the next week we'll celebrate these terrifying treasure troves of monster mask photos.

Well creeps, it's been a fun week of looking at various sets of monster masks on Flickr. I think it's appropriate to wrap up the week with the Halloween Mask Group, which is a group pool of mask related photos from all across the Flickrsphere. There's tons of good stuff in this pool, and valuable links to galleries here and there. Here are a few of my favs from the group...

Image Source: Welovethedark

 Image Source: Bart D. Frescura

 Image Source: Jody-Rodgers

Image Source: Illhuicamina

Image Source: lg-fotografia

Image Source: Ghostofhalloweenpast

Image Source: Delvin Thompson

Image Source: Welovethedark

Monster Masks on Flickr Week Day 6 - Jason Willis

Some very dedicated mask collectors and enthusiasts have maintained Flickr accounts that are among the best monster mask resources on all the world wide web. Over the course of the next week we'll celebrate these terrifying treasure troves of monster mask photos.

If you've spent anytime here on the Blood Curdling Blog of Monster Masks, some of the shots in this set will undoubtedly be familiar. The Jason Willis Mask photo set is one of my favorite photo galleries in the universe period. The photos were shot by Jackie Alpers and feature retro styled monster masks from a variety of different artists and eras. Pure wholesome monster mask goodness right here folks...

Monster Masks on Flickr Week Day 5 - Brechtbug

Some very dedicated mask collectors and enthusiasts have maintained Flickr accounts that are among the best monster mask resources on all the world wide web. Over the course of the next week we'll celebrate these terrifying treasure troves of monster mask photos.

Holy gallery of horrible heads! The Brechtbug Halloween Costume Vintage Photos set contains the largest group of vacuform monster mask photos I know of in one location.  Seriously, this is one impressive grouping, in scale, presentation, and description. To top it all off, the majority of these grouped images are super high resolution!

 While in Brechtbug's neighborhood, check out the stunning Wax Museum Monsters and Heroes photo set too.

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Monster Masks on Flickr Week Day 4 - Joey Myers

Some very dedicated mask collectors and enthusiasts have maintained Flickr accounts that are among the best monster mask resources on all the world wide web. Over the course of the next week we'll celebrate these terrifying treasure troves of monster mask photos.


Joey Myer has a ghoulishly good Monster Mask Photo Set for viewing on Flickr. While smaller in scale than the others I posted about this week, this is one of my very favorite for different reasons... The arrangements of monster masks together and with other monster goodies makes for an overall excellent viewing experience. In fact, the whole Joey Myers Photostream is full of visual wonderment, with several monster related galleries and even a Tiki gallery to check out.

Monster Masks on Flickr Week Day 3 - Night Owl Ghoul

Some very dedicated mask collectors and enthusiasts have maintained Flickr accounts that are among the best monster mask resources on all the world wide web. Over the course of the next week we'll celebrate these terrifying treasure troves of monster mask photos.

The Night Owl Ghoul's Photo Sets are the subject of Day 3 of Monster Masks on Flickr Week. There are a good number of monster mask related sets that the Night Owl Ghoul has set up to share.  First off, this is always the place to check after any major industry event. Most are documented through the past Maskfests, Monsterpaloozas, and some Trans-Worlds.

In addition to these excellent sets, there are several individual mask sets. The Ghoul has the largest photo archive of Death Studios masks I know of online. The set covers a wide range of Death Studios history from new to old.

In addition, the Ghoul has smaller galleries set up for Don Post, Distortions and Trick or Treat Studios. As well as a set that has been dedicated just to monster mask catalogs!

One of the highlights of the visiting the Night Owl Ghoul's Flickr galleries is the massive Ben Cooper and Collegeville photo set...

Finally, is the Night Owl Productions Mask set which features a nice range of early and current Night Owl masks...