THE 31 DAYS OF HALLOWEEN: DAY 25 The Undead (1957)

Originally inspired by the book, "The Search for Bridey Murphy".

On the twenty-fifth day of Halloween, my true blood gave to me, twenty-five Rattling Bones, twenty-four Creepy Crawlers, twenty-three Gypsy Curses, twenty-two Hissing Reptiles, twenty-one Tana Leaves, twenty Trembling Tendrils, nineteen Creepy Uncles, eighteen Eerie Cousins, seventeen Famous Monsters, sixteen Spiders Spinning, fifteen Witches Brewing, fourteen Voodoo Dollies, thirteen Ghosts a-Haunting, twelve Ghouls a-Grumbling, eleven Skulls a-Screaming, ten Zombies Feasting, nine Werewolves Howling, eight Mummies Crumbling, seven Vampires Preying, six Creatures S'laying, five Ghoulish Things, four Severed Limbs, three Shrunken Heads, two Devil Bats, and a Senior Lon Chaney!

THE 31 DAYS OF HALLOWEEN: DAY 24 Squirm (1976)

Killer worms... writhing across the land in a tidal wave of terror!

On the twenty-fourth day of Halloween, my true blood gave to me, twenty-four Creepy Crawlers, twenty-three Gypsy Curses, twenty-two Hissing Reptiles, twenty-one Tana Leaves, twenty Trembling Tendrils, nineteen Creepy Uncles, eighteen Eerie Cousins, seventeen Famous Monsters, sixteen Spiders Spinning, fifteen Witches Brewing, fourteen Voodoo Dollies, thirteen Ghosts a-Haunting, twelve Ghouls a-Grumbling, eleven Skulls a-Screaming, ten Zombies Feasting, nine Werewolves Howling, eight Mummies Crumbling, seven Vampires Preying, six Creatures S'laying, five Ghoulish Things, four Severed Limbs, three Shrunken Heads, two Devil Bats, and a Senior Lon Chaney!

THE 31 DAYS OF HALLOWEEN: DAY 23 The Mark of the Wolfman (1968)

Released in the US as FRANKENSTEIN'S BLOODY TERROR (1971)!

On the twenty-third day of Halloween, my true blood gave to me, twenty-three Gypsy Curses, twenty-two Hissing Reptiles, twenty-one Tana Leaves, twenty Trembling Tendrils, nineteen Creepy Uncles, eighteen Eerie Cousins, seventeen Famous Monsters, sixteen Spiders Spinning, fifteen Witches Brewing, fourteen Voodoo Dollies, thirteen Ghosts a-Haunting, twelve Ghouls a-Grumbling, eleven Skulls a-Screaming, ten Zombies Feasting, nine Werewolves Howling, eight Mummies Crumbling, seven Vampires Preying, six Creatures S'laying, five Ghoulish Things, four Severed Limbs, three Shrunken Heads, two Devil Bats, and a Senior Lon Chaney!

THE 31 DAYS OF HALLOWEEN: DAY 22 The Giant Gila Monster (1959)

From those Texas fiends who brought you THE KILLER SHEWS (1959)!

On the twenty-second day of Halloween, my true blood gave to me, twenty-two Hissing Reptiles, twenty-one Tana Leaves, twenty Trembling Tendrils, nineteen Creepy Uncles, eighteen Eerie Cousins, seventeen Famous Monsters, sixteen Spiders Spinning, fifteen Witches Brewing, fourteen Voodoo Dollies, thirteen Ghosts a-Haunting, twelve Ghouls a-Grumbling, eleven Skulls a-Screaming, ten Zombies Feasting, nine Werewolves Howling, eight Mummies Crumbling, seven Vampires Preying, six Creatures S'laying, five Ghoulish Things, four Severed Limbs, three Shrunken Heads, two Devil Bats, and a Senior Lon Chaney!

THE 31 DAYS OF HALLOWEEN: DAY 21 The Mummy's Shroud (1967)

Hammer's third Mummy outing and final film shot at Bray Studios.

On the twenty-first day of Halloween, my true blood gave to me, twenty-one Tana Leaves, twenty Trembling Tendrils, nineteen Creepy Uncles, eighteen Eerie Cousins, seventeen Famous Monsters, sixteen Spiders Spinning, fifteen Witches Brewing, fourteen Voodoo Dollies, thirteen Ghosts a-Haunting, twelve Ghouls a-Grumbling, eleven Skulls a-Screaming, ten Zombies Feasting, nine Werewolves Howling, eight Mummies Crumbling, seven Vampires Preying, six Creatures S'laying, five Ghoulish Things, four Severed Limbs, three Shrunken Heads, two Devil Bats, and a Senior Lon Chaney!

THE 31 DAYS OF HALLOWEEN: DAY 20 The Navy vs. The Night Monsters (1966)

Based on Murray Leinster's "The Monster at the End of the World".

On the twentieth day of Halloween, my true blood gave to me, twenty Trembling Tendrils, nineteen Creepy Uncles, eighteen Eerie Cousins, seventeen Famous Monsters, sixteen Spiders Spinning, fifteen Witches Brewing, fourteen Voodoo Dollies, thirteen Ghosts a-Haunting, twelve Ghouls a-Grumbling, eleven Skulls a-Screaming, ten Zombies Feasting, nine Werewolves Howling, eight Mummies Crumbling, seven Vampires Preying, six Creatures S'laying, five Ghoulish Things, four Severed Limbs, three Shrunken Heads, two Devil Bats, and a Senior Lon Chaney!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BELA LUGOSI! October 20, 1882 - August 16, 1956

An autographed 1930s portrait of the unforgettable Hungarian actor.

THE 31 DAYS OF HALLOWEEN: DAY 19 Creepy Magazine Fan Club Button (1964)

The loquacious Uncle Creepy was created by the talented Russ Jones.

On the nineteenth day of Halloween, my true blood gave to me, nineteen Creepy Uncles, eighteen Eerie Cousins, seventeen Famous Monsters, sixteen Spiders Spinning, fifteen Witches Brewing, fourteen Voodoo Dollies, thirteen Ghosts a-Haunting, twelve Ghouls a-Grumbling, eleven Skulls a-Screaming, ten Zombies Feasting, nine Werewolves Howling, eight Mummies Crumbling, seven Vampires Preying, six Creatures S'laying, five Ghoulish Things, four Severed Limbs, three Shrunken Heads, two Devil Bats, and a Senior Lon Chaney!

THE 31 DAYS OF HALLOWEEN: DAY 18 Eerie Magazine Fan Club Button (1966)

The coquettish Cousin Eerie was created by the legendary Jack Davis.

On the eighteenth day of Halloween, my true blood gave to me, eighteen Eerie Cousins, seventeen Famous Monsters, sixteen Spiders Spinning, fifteen Witches Brewing, fourteen Voodoo Dollies, thirteen Ghosts a-Haunting, twelve Ghouls a-Grumbling, eleven Skulls a-Screaming, ten Zombies Feasting, nine Werewolves Howling, eight Mummies Crumbling, seven Vampires Preying, six Creatures S'laying, five Ghoulish Things, four Severed Limbs, three Shrunken Heads, two Devil Bats, and a Senior Lon Chaney!

SPACE BATTLESHIP YAMATO: 2199 (2012) Spoilers for Chapter 3: "The Endless Voyage"

Cover of the Program Book for Chapter 3: The Endless Voyage.

HERE BE SPOILERS: WARING! WARING! WARING!

Episode 7 "Bid Farewell to the Earth": The party thrown aboard the Yamato is based on the Earth-bound, "Line-crossing Ceremony" aka "Crossing the Line", the long-held martime celebration of traversing the equator. In 2199, this is for crossing the Heliopause, the outer-most area of our Solar System. This features elements from Episodes 10 ("We Will Return") and 14 ("Octopus Star Storm") of the original 1974 series.



Episode 8 "When You Wish Upon a Star": Combines some elements from Episodes 9 ("Asteroid Belt"), 11 ("Desslok Mines"), and 12 ("The Sea of Fire") of the 1974 series. Instead of being a complete invention of Dessler, the living "Ectogas" was instead created by manipulating a primordial lifeform from the Mirbelia Star System, and unleashed against the Yamato at Gliese 581, a red dwarf star approximately 22 light years from Earth.



The Dessler Mines in the original 1974 scenario, have been changed into "Dessler Torpedos". These special weapons are equipped aboard Shultz' flagship to drive the Yamato into the trap at Gliese 581. Thus eliminating the "magnetic space net", and combining the Gamlias tactical operations from Episodes 11 ("Desslok Mines"),  and 12 ("The Sea of Fire") of the original.



Episode 9 "A Clockwork Prisoner": Original Story. The reactivated Gamiloid, captured in Episode 5 of 2199, is dubbed "Oruta", ("オルタ", previously rendered as "Orta"), which is actually derived from the Japanese rendering of the English word, "Alternative" (from his designation as an "Alternative Reboot"). So, this automaton should therefore be rendered as "Alter" in English.



Episode 10 "The Cosmic Graveyard": Incorporating elements from Episodes 13 ("The Gamilon Pilot"), 14 ("Octopus Star Storm"), and 15 ("Galactic Whirlpool") of the original. When the Yamato enters the dimensional rift, it passes through a graveyard of ships. Eagle-eyed viewers may spot, among the myriad of derelict spacecraft, a lone Devastator — the horseshoe crab-shaped attack fighter belonging to the Comet Empire!



Aboard the trapped Gamlias Meltoria Cruiser EX-178 are Commander Valess Rang (ヴァレス・ラング), a "2nd Class Gamilan" from planet Zalts, and a pure-blooded Gamilan, Captain Palen Nerge (パレン・ネルゲ), of Dessler's Protection Squad (essentially, the Schutz-Staffel aka the SS). Tensions arise between the two men, when Rang decides to reach out to the crew of the Yamato, so that both ships may make it out of the dimensional rift, alive.



Lastly, the ecological restoration device offered to Earth by Queen Starsha of Iscandar, originally dubbed the "Cosmo Cleaner" or "Cosmo Cleaner D" ("Cosmo DNA" in the Star Blazers version), is now to be called the "Cosmo Reverse System" (コスモリバースシステム). This must sound much better to Japanese ears...

Stay tuned to this blog and the official Star Blazers website for more news and information on SPACE BATTLESHIP YAMATO: 2199 as they develop — and we'll be off to outer space, again, just like the first time!

(Some of the preceding information was gleaned from the Japanese YAMATO: 2199 Wikipedia entry.)

THE 31 DAYS OF HALLOWEEN: DAY 17 Famous Monsters of Filmland #9, 1960

A portrait of Vincent Price was the first cover painted by Basil Gogos!

On the seventeenth day of Halloween, my true blood gave to me, seventeen Famous Monsters, sixteen Spiders Spinning, fifteen Witches Brewing, fourteen Voodoo Dollies, thirteen Ghosts a-Haunting, twelve Ghouls a-Grumbling, eleven Skulls a-Screaming, ten Zombies Feasting, nine Werewolves Howling, eight Mummies Crumbling, seven Vampires Preying, six Creatures S'laying, five Ghoulish Things, four Severed Limbs, three Shrunken Heads, two Devil Bats, and a Senior Lon Chaney!

THE 31 DAYS OF HALLOWEEN: DAY 16 The Spider (1958)

Retitled EARTH VS. THE SPIDER to capitalize on a popular UFO flick.

On the sixteenth day of Halloween, my true blood gave to me, sixteen Spiders Spinning, fifteen Witches Brewing, fourteen Voodoo Dollies, thirteen Ghosts a-Haunting, twelve Ghouls a-Grumbling, eleven Skulls a-Screaming, ten Zombies Feasting, nine Werewolves Howling, eight Mummies Crumbling, seven Vampires Preying, six Creatures S'laying, five Ghoulish Things, four Severed Limbs, three Shrunken Heads, two Devil Bats, and a Senior Lon Chaney!

THE 31 DAYS OF HALLOWEEN: DAY 15 The Virgin Witch (1972)

There's nothing more to add to the wild ballyhoo on this one-sheet.

On the fifteenth day of Halloween, my true blood gave to me, fifteen Witches Brewing, fourteen Voodoo Dollies, thirteen Ghosts a-Haunting, twelve Ghouls a-Grumbling, eleven Skulls a-Screaming, ten Zombies Feasting, nine Werewolves Howling, eight Mummies Crumbling, seven Vampires Preying, six Creatures S'laying, five Ghoulish Things, four Severed Limbs, three Shrunken Heads, two Devil Bats, and a Senior Lon Chaney!

THE 31 DAYS OF HALLOWEEN: DAY 14 Dr. Terror's House of Horrors (1965)

"Terror. An unfortunate misnomer for I am the mildest of men." 

On the fourteenth day of Halloween, my true blood gave to me, fourteen Voodoo Dollies, thirteen Ghosts a-Haunting, twelve Ghouls a-Grumbling, eleven Skulls a-Screaming, ten Zombies Feasting, nine Werewolves Howling, eight Mummies Crumbling, seven Vampires Preying, six Creatures S'laying, five Ghoulish Things, four Severed Limbs, three Shrunken Heads, two Devil Bats, and a Senior Lon Chaney!