Creepy Classics & Monster Bash News
Monday August 31 - Tuesday September 1, 2026
MONSTER BASH PHAN PHOTO: One of the magical creatures from 7 FACES OF DR. LAO (1964).
Re-Stocked! Autumn Viewing Selections on DVD
We just re-stocked on these great films on factory sealed DVDs. These titles are perfect for autumn viewing as we head towards Halloween:
THE STRANGE CASE OF DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE (1968) - DVD
Jack Palance in a tour de force performance as Jekyll/Hyde. This version of the Robert Louis Stevenson classic had 6 Emmy Award nominations. This is the fully restored version of this film that aired on TV back in 1968. 120 minutes long and in color. A Dan Curtis Production in cooperation with Canada.
THE TURN OF THE SCREW (1974) - DVD
The classic Henry James novella about a governess watching after two children. The children seem to be possesed by long dead people who had an affair in the house. Dan Curtis directed this version which stars Lynn Redgrave.
Stars Martin Kosleck, Byron Sanders, Barbara Wilkinn, Rita Morley and Ray Tudor. Martin Kosleck plays a twisted, reclusive Nazi scientist living on an island with his experiments. His experimnents? Flesh eating bacteria that chomp up human flesh like nobody's business. An odd mix of people get standed on the isand by accident -- boatman, Hollywood starlet, assistant and, later, beatnik. Kosleck begins a game of cat-and-mouse with the intruders, applying his science experiment for kicks. Some REALLY wild scenes and pretty shocking for 1964. Includes the deleted Nazi experiment sequence, trailers and outtakes.
...and for zany movie fun:
CAT-WOMEN OF THE MOON (1953) - DVD
Astronauts find a cave on the moon filled with women in leopard-skin outfits...? Okay, I'm game. What is their evil intent on the spacemen? Far-Out and wacked-out!
ZOMBIES OF THE STRATOSPHERE (1952) - DVD Set
Stars Judd Holdren, Aline Towne, Lane Bradford, Stanley Waxman and Leonard Nimoy. Action packed rocket man fun. Zombies from outer space are trying to explode the earth right out of its orbit. The Interplanetary Patrol tries to thwart the evil beings. Complete 12 chapter. Great stuff.
Plus, what would the fall season be without this collection:
THE ADDAMS FAMILY (COMPLETE ORIGINAL SERIES) - DVD Set
They're spooky and they're kooky! he complete ADDAMS FAMILY TV series from the 1960s! Stars John Astin, Carolyn Jones, Jackie Coogan, Ted Cassidy, Marie Blake, Lisa Loring, Ken Weatherwax, Felix Silla and "Thing!" It's 1964 all over again with the greatest black humor on TV. Creepy cool, lots of extras!
Get these fresh factory-sealed DVDs in our DVD Department (where else?) here at Creepy Classics.
Re-Stocked! And...Autumn Viewing Selections on Blu-Rays
For the Blu-Ray collector, get these for the watching as we ramp up to Halloween:
THE GHOST AND MR. CHICKEN (1966) - Blu-Ray
Stars Don Knotts, Joan Staley, Dick Sargent and Liam Redmond. One of the funniest haunted house movies with Don Knotts (Barney in the original Andy Griffth TV Show). Knotts is a typesetter at a newspaper and sees his big break as a reporter coming by spending a night in a reported haunted house and clearing up many mysteries that revolve around the old place. I saw this in the theater at the age of five....AND I WILL NEVER FORGET the organ in the house (with bloody keys), playing by itself and a knife that appears in the heart of a portrait hanging n a wall...with blood flowing from it! Scared the heck outta this five-year-old...and I loved it.
THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (1962) - Blu-Ray
The version of the Phantom story that is more "horror-story." Hammer studio's twist has Herbert Lom as the Phantom with a hunchbacked assistant living under the opera house. Jam-packed with special features: multiple commentaries, featurette "The Man Who Made Hammer," altered TV version of the film, interviews, trailer, featurette "The Making of PHANTOM OF THE OPERA."
THE UNINVITED (1944/Criterion) - Blu-Ray
One of the best ghost stories ever filmed. Ray Milland and his sister purchase a house and find it to be haunted. The ghost is not a friendly one. A riveting movie for lovers of supernatural films. The ghost effects are stunning. Extras: restoration, booklet, trailer, two radio shows.
CALTIKI - THE IMMORTAL MONSTER (1959) - Blu-Ray & DVD Combo
Mario Bava's (Cinematographer) blob-monster movie. Weird cosmic forces at work near a Mayan temple...a monster is the result. Evil from an ancient civilization is unleashed. A man is transformed into an insane killer and an insatiable blob-like creature eats human flesh and grows gigantic. Eerie atmosphere and great scenes. Packed with extras, packed! Blu-Rat disc and HD DVD disc included in this double pack.
These are re-stocked titles, ready to creep your way? Missing any in your collection? Get them here in our Blu-Ray Department at Creepy Classics.
It's Back! The MONSTER MASH COLLECTION CD
Horror hi-fi for your CD player:
MONSTER MASH COLLECTION (Bobby "Boris" Pickett & Zacherley) - CD
A collection of 30 songs! 16 by Bobby "Boris" Pickett and 14 by Zacherley (John Zacherle). Include songs: Monster Mash, Graveyard Shift, Monster Mash Party, Monsters' Holiday, Weird Watusi, Dinner With Drac, and many more!
When we first listed this, it sold out almost immediately. We've just re-stocked, get yours before we sell out again! It's in our CD Department here at Creepy Classics.
In Shock Stock! The Rarer Classic Universal Horrors
You gotta get these on your shelf of Universal horror flicks...don't let them sip though the cracks:
David Bruce becomes the Mad Ghoul at the hand of the delightfully evil, lecherous George Zucco. Robert Armstrong (KING KONG) plays a reporter looking for the ghoul. Turhan Bey and Evelyn Ankers too!
Another one of those films that scared me for...well...I guess it permanently instilled a fear in me. Whenever I'm walking near a wooded area at night and crickets stop chirping...I think there's a monster afoot. A memorable scene of a skeleton that is materialized out of thin air...holding a small coffin and dripping blood. Lugosi's a butler, Atwill a bull-headed doctor.
Rondo Hatton rules. The Creeper (Rondo) is used by a mad artist (Martin Kosleck) to get revenge on people that look at him the wrong way!
Bela Lugosi shines as a Poe obsessed doctor...evil to the core. Boris Karloff as a gangster mutilated into a murderous monster by Lugosi. A dark house, torture chambers...Karloff growling like the Frankenstein monster. Total fun.
Get these undeniable Universal ghoulies in our Universal Monsters Department here at Creepy Classics.
Just Added! Vintage Monster Movie Magazines
It's more selection! More monster mags available right now:
The second issue of CHILLER THEATRE magazine! Inside: THE CURSE OF THE WEREWOLF from Hammer, Zacherle, Roger Corman, Barbara Leigh, and more! Plus, The Bela Lugosi Quiz, THE GORGON, model kits.
CHILLER THEATRE #19 - Magazine
It's an all-glossy edition of CHILLER THEATRE magazine from 2003! Inside: Gary Conway (TEENAGE FRANKENSTEIN), Alex Gordon's underwater adventure THE ATOMIC SUBMARINE, FRANKENSTEIN 1970 with Boris Karloff, Dan Roebuck, Interview with Hammer's Valerie Leon, and more!
CHILLER THEATRE #23 - Magazine
The 15th Anniversary issue! Inside this monster movie mag from 2005: Remembering the 1939 version of THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME, Gorilla Man Emil Van Horn, and loads more.
MIDNIGHT MARQUEE #40 - Used Magazine
HAND OF THE NIGHT, DEVIL DOLL, Val Lewton - classic horror from the golden age! Cover has shelf wear, interior in perfect condition.
MIDNIGHT MARQUEE #45 - Magazine
The 30th anniversary edition of MIDNIGHT MARQUEE. A fan favorite monster movie magazine. In this issue: Vampire Films of the 1970s, ISLAND OF LOST SOULS, MAD LOVE with Peter Lorre, THE BLACK SLEEP, Essential Ray Harryhausen - THE BEAST FROM 20,000 FATHOMS, and much more. Slight cover scuffing, but overall in good condition!
SCARY MONSTERS #100 - Magazine
The 100th issue of Dennis Druktenis' fan favorite magazine, SCARY MONSTERS. Inside: THE SHE-CREATURE, THE OUTER LIMITS, GODZILLA, Bela Lugosi at home, Vincent Price...and more! Monster Kid packed.
Get any of these magazines, and see hundreds more available in our on-line Creepy Newsstand at Creepy Classics!
MONSTER BASH Magazine Is For All Classic Monster Movie Fans of All Ages
Did you grow up watching classic monster movies on TV? Love those horror and science fiction classics? Well, THIS is the magazine for you!
It's packed with rare photos and articles by the best film historians and writers in the field. From Frankenstein to King Kong to Creature From the Black Lagoon, and all the obscure films...we got you covered!
See all the issues and select the ones you would like from our MONSTER BASH MAGAZINE Department at home here at Creepy Classics.
You can subscribe too!
Rondo Remembers: The Frankenstein Series
There was never as much excitement as when I saw in the TV GUIDE that the upcoming Saturday night horror movie (on CREATURE FEATURE, Channel 5 for me) was a Universal Frankenstein movie. The build up and excitement for my first time viewings of these was over-the-top. The other kids in the neighborhood thought they were cool, but that just didn't seem enough for me! This was real thrills, excitement.
Some of the greatest moments for me are still in my brain like freeze-dried food re-energized years later. In THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1935) when Karloff is first seen in the water below the burning mill. The sparks and hot embers flying through the air as Henry and Fritz look on in the watch tower from FRANKENSTEIN (1931). The long awaited all-out battle between monster and werewolf in FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLF MAN (1943); equipment toppling, the flood water crashing. These moments are still explosions of Monster Kid emotion deep within me.
I didn't see them in proper sequential order. With help from articles in FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND magazine, I was slowly able to piece the flow of events through the films. Plus, I got to know the monsters. Boris Karloff, Lon Chaney Jr., Bela Lugosi and Glenn Strange.
And that finale of the series! ABBOTT & COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN (1948) was viewed on a Sunday afternoon. Noon time on Sundays meant Abbott & Costello films. I love all of that team's movies...but I was waiting, waiting for that ABBOTT & COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN. There I was in front of the Zenith black and white TV on the rolling cart. Cross-legged on the floor. I watched as the monsters all rallied with Bela Lugosi's Dracula running the show. But the moment that totally embedded itself in my cranium was the Frankenstein Monster plodding down the dock towards A&C. They were trying and trying to "untie the boat" and get away...but the monster (Glenn Strange) kept coming.
These movies are just the tops and I was never so keen with anticipation to see them. I don't think those childhood remembrances will ever be eclipsed.
Ron Adams
Ligonier, PA
The Latest! MONSTER BASH MAGAZINE #60
Now, you too, can get this latest issue:
MONSTER BASH MAGAZINE #60 - Magazine
It's the all-glossy classic movie monster magazine! Informative and fun for all those that grew up watching horror and science fiction films. Inside the pages of this issue: Teenage Monster Run Wild in movies like I WAS A TEENAGE FRANKENSTEIN, I WAS A TEENAGE WEREWOLF, BLOOD OF DRACULA and TEENAGE MONSTER! Plus, a look at The Thin Monster -- John Carradine. The Page of Disclosure, a Martian in a full color center poster for your wall. Ted Cassidy...The Tall Monster -- he was Lurch on THE ADDAMS FAMILY. And look out for the Gallery of Ghouls, a collection of rare photo stills from your favorite movies. Contributions by Tom Weaver, Frank Dello Stritto, Thom Shubilla, Ron Adams, Micah Carey, and more. Packed with monster movie celebration.
It's loaded up in our MONSTER BASH Magazine Department, lurking for you, at Creepy Classics.
In Shock Stock! Many Issues of England's Horror Movie Mag, CLASSIC MONSTERS
File the issues you need for your collection, get them here:
CLASSIC MONSTERS OF THE MOVIES #19 - Magazine
All glossy horror movie mag from England. Inside this issue: The Rats of WILLARD, Claude Rains, Plant Monster Movies, THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN with Christopher Lee...and much more. New condition.
CLASSIC MONSTERS OF THE MOVIES #18 - Magazine
All glossy horror movie mag from England. Inside this issue: Universal's THE OLD DARK HOUSE, Hammer Horror, Anne Gwynne: A Profile...and much more. New condition.
See these and so many more cool mags in our Miscellaneous Magazine Selection here on-line at Creepy Classics.
Now In! Classic Doc Savage Paperback Books
I used to spend many minutes just staring at a wall of paperbacks in our local newsstand. There was the Dark Shadows book series and the intriguing Doc Savage series of paperbacks. The covers were amazing. I found out years later that most of the covers were painted by James Bama. He's the artist that painted the beloved Aurora monster model boxes in their original releases.
How amazing these books by Kenneth Robeson are. Here's just one example that's available here:
DOC SAVAGE: THE MONSTERS - Used Paperback
The classic Kenneth Robeson series of books featured dynamic hero Doc Savage. A mysterious figure of strength, bronze skin, and golden eyes. Savage is a man of superhuman strength and a team of distinct characters that support him. In this adventure Savage faces sure death in a mysterious walled castle that houses the creepy scum of the Earth! Name on inside front page, otherwise, a tight spine and in great shape!
Get this one, and see may more Doc Savage selections in our Creepy Bookstore here on-line at Creepy Classics!
Now Here! Used Blu-Rays Budget Priced To Add To Your Movie Library
These used Blu-Rays are now available:
HAMMER HORROR COLLECTION (8 Movies) - Used Blu-Ray Box Set
HD picture and theater quality sound! Stunning quality on 8 of the very best Hammer films: BRIDES OF DRACULA, CURSE OF THE WEREWOLF, NIGHT CREATURES, PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, PARANOIAC, KISS OF THE VAMPIRE, NIGHTMARE and THE EVIL OF FRANKENSTEIN.
2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (1968) - Used Blu-Ray
The enigmatic, ahead-of-its-time feature film by Stanley Kubrick. A trip into space where an astronaut faces a murderous computer system. And, then faces the very brink of reality and life. An amazing, beautiful, and frightening film. Loads of extras, documentary, commentary by the actors, four featurettes, and even more!
See these or see many of the other titles available for you in our Used Blu-Ray Department right now at Creepy Classics.
Coming October 23-24, 2026! A MONSTER BASH British Invasion at the Grand Palace Theatre
Thrill and chill to these movies on the big screen:
It's Hammer and Amicus time with great British horror films on the giant screen at a real 1920's movie palace.
See the preview trailer, CLICK HERE!
This autumn's MONSTER BASH FILM FESTIVAL at the majestic Palace Theatre in Canton, Ohio....is October 23-24, 2026! We'll be the week BEFORE Halloween in 2026 with the creepy coolest British classic horror films. The change from August to October for the Monster Bash is due to renovations that will be happening at The Palace in August-September 2026.
ADVANCE MEMBERSHIP ADMISSION available now:
Full Festival Membership Admission...it's the BRITISH Horror Movie INVASION! Two days, Eight feature films. Plus, vendors with collectible monster movie merchandise. It's all October 23-24, 2026 at the grand Palace Theatre in Canton, Ohio. A restored 1920s movie palace! Get your full festival admission membership now. Full membership also includes a free prize toss at the end of the night on Saturday! Single feature admissions will be available at the door as well. Films and events subject to change. Admission is NON-REFUNDABLE, non-transferable.
ADMISSION WILL ALSO BE AVAILABLE AT THE DOOR for all 8 movie two-day passes or individual movie admission as well. Address: The Palace Theatre, 605 Market Ave N, Canton, OH 44702-1016.
Call for information at: (330) 454-8172.
Reserve your Double Tree hotel room (closest hotel, just 5 blocks away) call (330) 471-8000 (ask for the MONSTER BASH special rate discount)....or, do it on-line easily, just CLICK HERE!
Other hotel and motel options in Canton, CLICK HERE.
Vendors in the lobby and on the second floor mezzanine level too!
All the details, CLICK HERE.
In Shock Stock! We're Bringing the Monsters To You
The monster model kits are here. Build your own monsters in your own mad lab:
FRANKENSTEIN (X-Plus) - Deluxe Model Kit
Here he lumbers! It's the Frankenstein Monster licensed through Universal Studios. It's a Boris Karloff likeness as he stalks past Strickfaden electric equipment in Henry Frankenstein's mad lab. 1/8 scale plastic model kit. Assembly required, paint and glue not included. New and factory sealed.
and there's these "GLOW" kits:
FORGOTTEN PRISONER GLOWS-IN-THE-DARK (Square Box) - Model Kit
He's been left behind and only a skeleton now...that glows eerily in the dark. The classic model kit in the retro square box. All plastic assembly kit. 1/8th scale. Prison wall, rats, snake, spider, name plate...and the remains of a forgotten Baron! Paint and glue not included.
THE WOLF MAN (Aurora Design, Glows) - Model Kit
The classic Aurora design model kit that glows in the dark! Made from the original Aurora molds. Detailed base, rats, skull all here, plus extra glow parts. 1/8 scale. Glue and paint not included. Assembly required. What a great, classic kit...that's back!
THE MUMMY (Glows/Classic Aurora Design) - Model Kit
The classic Aurora design model kit that glows in the dark! Made from the original Aurora molds. Detailed base, temple ruins, cobra all here, plus extra glow parts. 1/8 scale. Glue and paint not included. Assembly required. What a great, classic kit...that's back!
THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (Square Box) - Model Kit
Classic Aurora design and retro pop glow-in-the-dark model kit! The horrifying MAN OF A THOUSAND FACES Phantom image shocks and glows! His poor prisoner behind bars in the cellar of the opera house! 1/8 scale, about 10 inches tall. Assembly required, all plastic kit. Paint and glue not included.
Get any of these model kits (or, heck, all of them) from our Models, Toys & Action Figures Department at Creepy Classics.
You can also add our pro building and painting service if you want.
New! Budget-Line Horrors on DVD
These are the cool slim-line snap case DVDs, new...just no shrink wrap:
INDESTRUCTIBLE MAN (1956/Vision) - DVD
Lon Chaney Jr. gets electrocuted, then revived as a super-charged "man made monster." He's nicknamed "The Butcher," because of his murderous reputation. Electrifying fun! New, just no shrink wrap.
INVISIBLE GHOST (1941/Vision) - DVD
Lugosi in a great poverty row flick. He is obsessed with his "dead" wife and develops a split personality. From kindly doctor, to insane murderer, Lugosi's hystronics and intensity are a sight to behold. New, just no shrink wrap.
THE PHANTOM CREEPS (1939/Feature Version/Vision) - DVD
The same year Bela Lugosi played Ygor in SON OF FRANKENSTEIN, he played Dr. Zorkov here! Zorkov is a demented (what else!) mad scientist who has invented invisibility. The other star of the film is a huge....mean-lookin' robot with metal teeth! Edward Van Sloan (DRACULA/FRANKENSTEIN) co-stars. This DVD is the feature film version. New, just no shrink wrap.
NIGHTMARE CASTLE (1965/Vision) - DVD
A cheating wife of a demented evil scientist (not a person to cross!) has an affair. The husband kills his wife and her lover. To retain the estate, he marries his wife's half-wacky sister and tries to scare her to death. Ghosts of the murder victims also join the party. New, just no shrink wrap.
THE LAST MAN ON EARTH (1964/Vincent Price) - DVD
New, just no shrink wrap! Vincent Price is top-flight as the last man (so he thinks) on earth after a plague has turned the population into vampires. He is somehow immune and barricades himself in at night while the vampire-zombies pound outside. "Morgan, come out MORGAN!" Whoah.
THE HUMAN MONSTER (1939/Vision) - DVD
Also known as DARK EYES OF LONDON, this is a dark Bela Lugosi classic. He is truly evil in a dual role as an insurance salesman and proprietor of a school for the blind. Really gruesome for its time! Made in England. New, just no shrink wrap.
HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL (1959/Vision) - DVD
Vincent Price as a millionaire who has a Halloween party! He invites people he doesn't know to spend a night in a haunted house. He awards a cash prize for anyone who can make it through. Elisha Cook Jr. as a nervous wreck is wonderful. Blood drips from the ceiling, a gruesome hand behind a curtain, a head in the box, floating ghosts, hanging bodies, moving skeletons.....it's got it all! One of director William Castle's absolute best. New, just no shrink wrap.
Get these and see hundreds of other horror DVDs in our DVD Department, here at your horror home, Creepy Classics.
Well, This Is EERIE! Vintage Magazines Are Here
THe above, and more, are ready to be added to your nightstand reading stack:
Another great Warren publication. This issue from 1975. The classic black and white illustrated horror magazine. Look at this line-up of great artists: Berni Wrightson, Alex Toth, Rich Corben, Jose Ortiz, Paul Neary, and others! Cover by Ken Kelly. Cover has some tiny tears and chipping, but overall, pretty good condition, no pen marks, or cut-outs.
This and many other mags are available right now in our Eerie Magazine Department at Creepy Classics.
Andale! Andale! It's Mexican Horror on DVD
Creepy weirdness at every dark corner, it's THE LIVING COFFIN on the Casanegra label:
THE LIVING COFFIN (1959/Casanegra) - DVD
Mexican Creature Feature with the "Crying Woman" back from the grave for revenge! It's up to Gaston Santos and Crazy Coyote to stop the horror in Skeleton Swamp! Wild west horror. Original uncut version, in Spanish with optional English subtitles, poster and still gallery, and more extras!
Get this in our Mexican Monsters Department for your late night viewing from Creepy Classics.
It's The Season Upon Us! Get Your Own Copy of IT'S THE GREAT PUMPKIN, CHARLIE BROWN with Extras on Blu-Ray
How can you be without a super clean Blu-Ray version of IT'S THE GREAT PUMPKIN, CHARLIE BROWN (1966) this upcoming autumn? Get yours now to be ready for the Great Pumpkin's arrival:
IT'S THE GREAT PUMPKIN CHARLIE BROWN (1966) - Blu-Ray
IT'S THE GREAT PUMPKIN CHARLIE BROWN is a 1966 American animated Halloween television special based on the comic strip Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz. The third Peanuts special, and the second holiday-themed special, to be created, it was written by Schulz along with director/animator Bill Melendez and producer Lee Mendelson. Re-released through Warner Brothers with an additional Charlie Brown special and featurette on this classic as extras! Don;t just get a rock for trick-or-treating, get this Blu-Ray!
Head to our creepy pumpkin patch and find this in our New Additions Department now at Creepy Classics.
Sign-Up Memberships Now Being Taken! It's MONSTER BASH June 18-20, 2027
The dates are locked in! Put them on your calendar and get signed-up now for a initial discounted low price (won't last long). It's the Made-For-TV MONSTER BASH! Celebration The Monster Boom Generation! Us kids that grew up with cool TV shows and seeing all the classic monster movies on TV!
Building monster models, reading FAMOUS MONSTERS magazine, circling all the horror and science fiction films in the TV GUIDE...
Let's all go back in time and be kids again for an extended fun weekend. Forget your troubles, and let's BASH together:
MONSTER BASH EXPO JUNE 18-20, 2027 - 3-Day VIP Membership Admission
Admission membership for all three days! June 18-20, 2027 at the Pittsburgh Marriott North, (Cranberry Township-Mars, PA). The classic monster movie conference and festival! Three days of monster fan fun. Movie and TV stars appearing, wall-to-wall monster merchandise, special events, special screenings. Discounted for a limited time. Admission is non-refundable, non-transferable. You will be mailed a hard copy confirmation. See details, guest stars, schedule and more, CLICK HERE.
Book your on-site hotel room now, CLICK HERE! Or, call (724) 772-3700.
Vendors, tables for the June 2027 BASH will go on sale at this October's MONSTER BASH EXPO first, then on-line (those remaining) on October 19 or 20, 2026.
MONSTER BASH SPECIAL #7 Magazine & New Stuff
This special issue of MONSTER BASH MAGAZINE is comimg soon. I'm working hard on finishing layouts and pulling together all the retro stories of Halloween and Trick-Or-Treating that you, our readers, have shared! It should be to the printer later this week and published by the following week.
-Ron at Creepy Classics/Monster Bash
Rondo Remembers! Discovering Silent Screams
Before I even knew it was a silent movie, my first exciting encounter was with THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA. Not the silent film, but the Aurora model. A local G.C. Murphy's store in Grove City, Pennsylvania had a display of that kit built and painted. I stood there, maybe five or six years old just staring at it. My mom went on with shopping and I spent my whole time in the store just looking at this. "Look, but don't touch," Mom had said. The diabolical, exuberant laughing of The Phantom, and his poor agonized prisoner in the cell below. This might have been the second Aurora monster model I got as a gift after the Frankenstein one.
I found out that this model represented a silent film through my grandfather. He grew up through the silent era and told me that it was a Lon Chaney movie. Who was Lon Chaney? Well, the next time I visiting my material grandfather he had taken out of the college library a book simply called THE MOVIES by Richard Griffith and Arthur Mayer. He showed my a two-page spread in that book that was an eye-popping series of Lon Chaney photos. The title across the top of the pages, "The Man of a Thousand Faces." THAT was who Lon Chaney was.
In the back bedroom of my grandparents house I looked and looked at these Lon Chaney photos, all different characters from different movies. So cool. I turned the page and there was Boris Karloff's FRANKENSTEIN and Bela Lugosi's DRACULA, but that leads to another whole story of my film education!
I never forgot those Chaney faces. Fast forward a few years and I learned more about Lon Chaney from the pages of FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND magazine. Editor Forrest J Ackerman pronounced "Lon Chaney Shall Not Die!" in many issues. He schooled me in articles on many other early films that were pre-sound era. A whole world of film history.
Zip ahead a few more years and I was in junior high school (now more commonly called middle school). For us bus riders that got to school early some administrator or teacher must have been a fan of silent films. Short versions of classic silents were screened in the school auditorium before school started. I saw twenty minute versions of Lon Chaney films, Charlie Chaplin comedies, Laurel and Hardy, and even John Barrymore's DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE (1920). How lucky was I!
Also, at one Halloween, when I was in 7th grade, my homeroom teacher had an A/V helper wheel in a 16mm projector. And there, my home room teacher Mr. Burchill, screened TERROR OF DRACULA for us. I knew from my FAMOUS MONSTERS magazines that this was really a condensed version of NOSFERATU (1922). The kids laughed at the speeded up scene of the vampire's carriage...but I was just too mesmerized to movie, laugh, or say anything. The purring of the 16mm film put a spell on me. Wow.
During that same time period in the 1970s I discovered PBS. I had shied away from that (Channel 13) as I thought it was just boring stuff and MR. ROGER'S NEIGHBORHOOD. My eyes were opened to their program that screened silent films. These flickering, expressive antiques of the silver screen were wondrous. Almost otherworldly. It solidified my appreciation for silents, especially the ones with silent screams.
Ron Adams
Ligonier, PA
August 2026
New! Silent Screams & Early Sound Films
Just added here, new factory sealed DVDs:
Stars Lon Chaney, Lois Moran, Owen Moore and Henry B. Walthall. A heart-wrenching melodrama from Tod Browning (director) and Lon Chaney. Chaney plays a reforming gangster who watches over his daughter from a distance. She has been raised by Chaney's brother. She falls in love with a former gang mate if Chaney's. Chaney tries to stop the unholy union! Extra: fragments of the lost film THE MIRACLE MAN (1919) starring Lon Chaney.
THE MAN WHO LAUGHS (1928) - DVD
Conrad Veidt (CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI) as a tormented soul who was tortured as a youth. The result was a hideous smile that never leaves his face. Pathos and melodrama in one of the great silents. Also stars Olga Baclanova (FREAKS).
THE MYSTERIOUS DR. FU MANCHU (1929) - DVD
During the Boxer rebellion, Fu Manchu's wife and child are killed. Fu Manchu (Warner Oland) becomes a master-mind, evil genius on the goal of total destruction of everyone associated with the death of his family. A wild, early talkie with Oland locking in as the evil Dr. Fu Manchu.
THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND (1929) - DVD
Stars Lionel Barrymore, Jacqueline Gadsden and Lloyd Hughes. A scientist and his friends escape a mysterious island just as a wild revolt war explodes. They escape in a newly invented submarine vessel and discover strange things below the surface. Sea serpents, monster squids and weird alien-like dwarfs that populate the strange underwater terrain. Black and white and colorized versions.
Get these early film classics in our Recent Additions Department here at Creepy Classics.
Still Discounted $10 Off the "At the Door" Price! Get Your Membership Admission To MONSTER BASH in October!
Don't wait, get your plans for this October's lined up for the MONSTER BASH CONVENTION October 2026!
Besides a packed wall-to-wall vendor displays, talks, monster game shows, live theater, film fest, and entertainment...here are the guests so far: Glenn Strange's grandson Michael Glenn Nix, Lynne Lugosi-Sparks (Bela Lugosi's granddaughter), Victoria Price (Vincent Price's daughter), Renee Browning (The Creature Kid, Ricou Browning's daughter), and more to come.
Plus, Director/Writer/Actor/Super Collector Dan Roebuck, TV Horror Host Legend "Son of Ghoul," Bill Diamond's Basil Gogos & Muppet Museum, Live Theatre with Zach Zito, Leonard Hayhurst's monster game shows, Mexican Monster night, Saturday Night Free Cake in the Lobby, the Midnight Free Prize Toss...and so much more. So much Bash...almost three non-stop days.
Get your admission membership locked in now, currently $10 off the "At the Door" admission price:
MONSTER BASH EXPO OCTOBER 16-18, 2026 - 3-Day VIP Membership Admission
Admission membership for all three days! October 16-18, 2026 at the Pittsburgh Marriott North, (Cranberry Township-Mars, PA). The classic monster movie conference and festival! Three days of monster fan fun. Movie and TV stars appearing, wall-to-wall monster merchandise, special events, special screenings. Discounted for a limited time. Admission is non-refundable, non-transferable. You will be mailed a hard copy confirmation.
Here's the link for discounted on-site hotel rooms at the Pittsburgh Marriott North, get yours before they sell out, CLICK HERE!
Check out the growing details by CLICKING HERE. The MONSTER BASH CONVENTION is produced by Creepy Classics.
Check out the preview trailer, CLICK HERE!
And...here's a walk-through courtesy of Dark Ride Dracula, CLICK HERE!