THE BASEMENT’S CABINET OF CURIOSITIES: The Minnesota Iceman!

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Cryptozoology is the study of hidden animals. These are either animals that were thought to have gone extinct in the past and yet are still being seen today or they are animals that no one has ever caught or officially recorded. Most accounts are based on eyewitness testimony or out of focus photos and though many reports seem bizarre or too good to be true, once in a while a new (or old) animal is discovered (or rediscovered) proving the eyewitnesses correct.

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The coelacanth, thought to be extinct for millions of years, was rediscovered in 1937.

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THE BASEMENT BOOK SHELF: “Movie Monsters in Scale: A Modeler’s Gallery of Science Fiction and Horror Figures and Dioramas

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Growing up, I loved monsters and always thought that the various plastic model kits offered by Aurora, Monogram and Revell were very cool. Though I did have some of these growing up, and had an absolute blast building them, I just never was able to paint them. My finishing skills on these kits were severely lacking and I found myself very jealous of the results some of my friends were getting with the very same kits.

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MOVIE REVIEW: The Giant Spider (2013)

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The 1950’s. Perhaps my all-time favorite decade when it comes to movies. This was one of the most prolific times in movie history when it comes to science fiction and horror movies (according to Wikipedia there were almost 200 science fiction films released during this 10-year period). So many great movies came from this time and though many were forced to be made on miniscule budgets, the movies were oftentimes very original and above all else, they were all a lot of fun to watch. Because of the almost non-existent budgets and short production schedules, film crews had to be more creative with what little they had and this oftentimes lead to very atmospheric films that may not have worked as well if more money and time was available.

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KINGDOM OF THE SPIDERS: William Shatner Treks Through Tarantulas!

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The 70’s were a special time for me. It was a great time to be a kid for so many reasons. I still vividly remember the cool toys like Micronauts and the 8″ Mego super-hero action figures (they are not dolls). Actually, pretty much any toy made by Mego at the time was cool! During this time there was also a constant availability of horror and monster movies to be seen on television.

This was also the time period that began my interest in entomology (the study of insects). Thanks to a Christmas gift of a kit for collecting butterflies and moths, I have had this interest ever since. Instead of actually collecting them now though, I am more into photography and conservation with them.

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CELEBRITY INTERVIEW: Author Mark Voger

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For my first celebrity interview I would like to introduce Mark Voger, author of the book “Monster Mash: The Creepy, Kooky Monster Craze In America 1957-1972.” I recently reviewed this amazing book (see review HERE) and thought talking to the man who made it happen would be a great follow-up! If you haven’t read this book yet, I highly recommend it to every monster kid!

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THE HALLOWEEN BOOMBOX: Seasonal Music To Die For Part 3

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Welcome to part three of THE HALLOWEEN BOOMBOX, my ongoing series showcasing spooky tunes and scary melodies. So far, in the first two entries, I covered 45 cd compilations of Halloween novelty songs (you can see part one HERE and part two HERE)! This time, not only will I be featuring more cd compilations but digital downloads as well, 17 to be exact! These should be available either on iTunes or Amazon.

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THE BASEMENT BOOK SHELF: “Monster Mash: The Creepy, Kooky Monster Craze In America 1957-1972”

As I get older I find myself getting more nostalgic for things that I had or experienced as a child. It may be as simple as opening a new comic book, reading a book that has stayed with me or even any of the cool toys I had growing up.

When it came to toys I was very partial to the Mego toy lines with such great toys like Micronauts and the World’s Greatest Superheroes 8″ action figures. My favorite though was monsters. In fact, I would get monster toys from other lines just to incorporate them into playtime with the toys I already had.

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ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: James Lurgio of Count Orlok’s Nightmare Gallery

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I have always been a fan of not only monsters but of Halloween. It was only natural for me that in 1985 I combined both loves into a small yard haunt. Each year the display got larger and it eventually got to a point where I had more than 30 people volunteering their time to make sure that my haunted yard (known as FRIGHT NIGHT since it was only open on Halloween night) went off without a hitch. It was at this time, in 1989, that I met James Lurgio, another resident of Jamestown, Rhode Island. Unbeknownst to me he was also a fan of monsters and Halloween and after one of my shows he called me. I invited him over to see my collection of masks, props and costumes and we have been friends ever since.

 

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