Harold von Braunhut – born plain old Harold Nathan Braunhut – was one of the greatest marketing geniuses of his age…possibly of any age. Taking snake oil to brave new pastures, he was the Emperor of Comic Book ads. He created dozens upon dozens of crackpot novelties, available for only a handful of coins. Yet, despite […]
Founded in 1939, Ben Cooper Inc. was the manufacturer of choice for children who demanded the very latest in Halloween fashion. So dazzling and far-ranging were their choice of costumes and masks that it blinded not just children but parents into accepting incredibly flammable, unrealistic plastic junk into being worn year in, year out for […]
John Eckhardt, Jr., known as Johnny Eck, was born in Baltimore, Maryland at 622 North Milton Avenue in 1911. One of twins, unlike his brother, Robert (and their elder sister by fourteen years, Caroline), was born with only half a body due to a condition called sacral agenesis, a rare birth defect affecting the development […]
Since the late 1960s, zombies have become one of the most referenced monsters in popular culture, whether it be film, literature or art. It makes sense – creatures that are essentially ‘us’ as the greatest threat to our survival, killing and consuming us for no reason other than an inherent, primal desire are going to […]
If you believe in God, the inevitable consequence is that you must also believe in the Devil. Fond of saints and angels? There are a surprising number of their dark counterparts to acquaint yourself with. You can’t have it all your own way. The big surprise is that the story of the Devil and his […]
Prince Randian was born in 1871 in the Demerara area of what was then British Guiana (now called Guyana). Randian’s real name is unknown – indeed, little at all is known about his early life, other than that he was born with tetra-amelia syndrome to Hindi parents, believed to be British-Indian servants. Tetra-amelia syndrome is […]
In 1984, The New York Times reported on the release of a set of recordings which by any standards were historic. Away from MTV, stadium rock tours, 12″ remixes and Band Aid, seventeen tracks made their way into the public realm, having previously existed scattered across classical collections of choral music, stamped on brittle shellac […]
Two handy guides for you if you happen to have an interest in being a werewolf. Relatively straightforward, I’d say, indeed with a certain amount of ejaculating in public required, some of you may well be ahead of the game. Lycanthropy: A Handbook of Werewolfism by Frater D. Preliminary Exercises Before we get into the […]
It has been just under 25 years since the band Tad split up. Their final single, ‘Oppenheimer’s Pretty Nightmare‘, was released in 1999, and a collection of latter-day recordings and errant stray tracks, ‘Quick and Dirty‘ appeared in 2018. Since then, Tad (the man) formed the band Hog Molly, releasing one album, ‘Kung-Fu Cocktail Grip‘ […]
David Rappaport was unquestionably one of Britain’s greatest actors of the 70s and 80s. Intelligent, witty, debonair and at home playing both good guys and bad, that there isn’t a physical tribute to him is scandalous. From the stage to hit television shows on both sides of the Atlantic to blockbuster movies, it was impossible […]
