As you can see from the above photo, its getting pretty crowded. My tiny little room has barely got room for a desk, chair and bed. With the exception of a small shelf that houses my McFarlane Toys Movie Maniacs, the box in the corner is the only place to store stuff for the time being. At present its home to a fibreglass hockey mask, several autographed 8x10s, The Evil Dead: Book of the Dead LE on DVD, a bunch of books and magazines, several CDs, and a whole load of action figures.
A bunch more items, including the massive Army of Darkness 10th Anniversary Statue and several 12" figures from Sideshow Collectibles, will be arriving within the next few weeks. Looks like they can have the bed and Ill be sleeping curled up in the chair...
You may notice two things about this site: firstly, that it sucks. Well, thats true. Its something Im knocking up at 1:00am on a Saturday night, partly because I want to do it but also to alleviate the boredom Im experiencing now that Ive completed Sonic CD with all the Time Stones. So forgive me if this site is nothing more than a bunch of text and some badly lit photos, but its the best youre gonna get. I am using the Copperplate Condensed SSi font, to make it look a little less crappy. If you dont have it, you can download it HERE.
Speaking of the photos, they also arent the most professional in the world. A good friend of mine, Peet, occasionally pops round with his digital camera. Peet, by the way, is also the proud owner of Spirit the Horse, who appears in a few of these photos. While hes more interested in getting photos of my pets (Bert, Maggie), I want to get photos of my horror merchandise, which is achieved by me taking the photos (if I can hold the damn thing steady) as Peet hovers around with a table lamp to light it. Repeat this for about 2 hours until Peet gets fed up with me and leaves. Hence, you dont end up with the best shots in the world, but they serve their purpose.
So, the photos.
First up, the aforementioned Movie Maniac action figures by McFarlane Toys. Wonderfully detailed figures, but they have their problems. Most of them dont much in the way of accessories, most just having a single weapon. They also offer very little articulation. You just cant pose them in different positions. While they do have a few points (usually in the arms), theyre sculpted in such a way that while you can twist their arm around, it just makes them look like they have a broken arm. Not exactly the menacing pose you were aiming for. Thirdly, some of them can be a little brittle. My Ash figure ended up armless (literally), and his chainsaw snapped. Me and my sister ended up burying him in the garden, complete with funerary incantation from the Book of the Dead, aka the awesome Tom Sullivan-designed DVD case for The Evil Dead. Yeah, we have too much free time. Anyway, despite those problems, the figures mostly look great and fill a shelf up nicely.
This photo shows four of the Maniacs. From left to right we have the well-sculpted Michael Myers from Halloween, complete with a really big, sharp kitchen knife. Next to him is Jason Voorhees, based on his JGTH look. Its not my favourite look, and as this figure was one of the very first produced by McFarlane, it pales in comparison to later efforts. Next to him is Freddy Krueger, in a cool menacing pose. This version of Freddy, based on his original ANOES look (note the lack of sleeve stripes), was from MM Series 4, and is a major improvement on the earlier version released a few years earlier. And on the far right we have my hero Bruce Campbell as Ash. One of McFarlanes best figures, he has a good likeness to Bruce, a bunch of cool accessories (note the boomstick in the back holster) and a nice dynamic pose.
And heres some more. Not included in these photos is the Djinn from Wishmaster, which I havent been able to photograph yet. What we do have is Solid Snake on the far left. Snake, based on his look in Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, was also produced by McFarlane Toys as part of their MGS2 line. A great figure - well-detailed, tons of articulation, an assault rifle (not pictured) and a SOCOM pistol. No pack of cigarettes though. To the right of him is Ash again, his hand on the lovely tummy of my beloved Stephanie McMahon - or at least, an action figure produced by Jakks. Shes the one with hand-slapping action. Insert your own pun. To the right of him is Ashs evil alter ego, the creatively-named Evil Ash. A great looking figure with a pair of swords, just a shame he cant move. Behind them, standing on a couple of Red Dwarf books and the FvJ novelisation, is Uber Jason from Jason X. Another great looking figure, but hes almost literally a statue. No play value whatsoever. Lets hope NECA rectifies this with their soon-to-be-released FvJ figures.
Speaking of NECA, my new favourite toy company, their 18" Jason Voorhees from Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood is spectacular. Pictures cant do the size and detail of this guy justice, but what the hell, heres some pictures anyway. What I cant show you is the motion-activated sound, which is a surprisingly loud ki ki ki ma ma ma sound effect that goes on for ages.
Here he is, captured in a cool pose. Hes got a fair amount of articulation for such a large figure.
Heres a shot that shows off the incredible detail NECA have put into this figure. The brown, rotted flesh, his ribs jutting out, his torn and ravaged clothes, his damaged hockey mask... theyve really gone all out with our favourite Meat Terminator.
Heres a close-up shot of his head. The mask looks great, and seeing his eyes (or eye, as the right one is only a skeletal socket thanks to Tommy Jarvis and a machete) peering out at you is great. Another cool detail is the way the damage on the mask matches that on his head. The axe mark in the top right matches with the scar on his head, and the propellor damage in the bottom right reveals a shattered jaw. Teach Jason to go swimming late at night.
One of the coolest features of this figure is the removable mask, and the hideously deformed and rotted face underneath.
And heres a close-up of that beautiful mug. Great lighting by Peet and the lamp here. This face sculpt is absolutely perfect, from the rotted flesh and decayed teeth to the missing nose and skeletal eye socket. NECA, once again, you rule.
Next up is my New Blood-style fibreglass hockey mask, created by the awesomely talented Gene Mazza, otherwise known as DedKid. These photos dont do the detailing justice, but you can still see what an awesome piece of work it is. Without sounding like too much of a shill, Id recommend DKs masks to anyone thats in need of a high quality, authentic-looking hockey mask. Check out his site, decayNYfx, for more information.
To break up the monotony of all this horror junk, heres a picture of my dog, a chocolate brown labrador. Her name is Maggie, and shes scared of cameras. Hence her woeful look in the photo below. Isnt she kawaii?
Next up is a model kit of Michael Myers from Halloween, part of Playing Mantis Polar Lights series. I actually brought it unboxed, already assembled and painted by somebody. I didnt know it was a model kit until I got it home and did a little online research. The Shape, knife in hand, is standing on the front porch of a house. Theres lots of cool details, such as a Jack-O-Lantern, a mailbox (reading 1031, nice touch), a bag of candy spilled on the floor and a clown mask. You cant see the base in my photos, but you can see a photo from Playing Mantiss official site by clicking HERE.
Next, some of my favourite horror products - 12" collectible figures from Sideshow Collectibles. I love these figures, because not only are they highly detailed (particularly in the faces), but they also have great accessories, real clothing, and can be posed in just about any position, which makes for some fun photos.
First off is Classic Jason Voorhees, as he appears in Friday the 13th Part 3. His hockey mask is removable, his face is highly detailed (and damn ugly), his blood-splattered clothing is faithful to the washing he stole from Edna Hocketts laundry, and he comes with a machete and a hefty axe.
Heres a shot of his head, mask and all, masked in shadow. This photo freaks me out, because if you look really closely at the eyeholes in his mask, you can faintly see his eyes staring out at you. I dont know why, but it just gives me a chill.
The hockey mask is easily removable, and underneath is the hideously deformed and bloated face weve all come to know and love. I really hope Richard Brooker is better looking without the makeup on... :D
And now for something completely different. This is a shot of Jason and Spirit the Horse. She is a tiny plastic horse that belongs to Peet. Shes gone on several exciting adventures, and now shes met one of horrors most prolific slashers.
Next, the 12" Classic Freddy Krueger, based on his design by David Miller in A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddys Revenge. Its not my favourite look for the dream stalker, but the figure is awesome. He has a strong resemblance to Robert Englund (although a bit more hideously burned, obviously), his fedora hat is removable, and each of his finger blades can be moved. Now thats detail. No accessories for Fred, but Sideshow did create a separate, very large Furnace Environment for him. Click HERE for a photo. Ive got one of these ordered, so Freddy will be back in his boiler room in no time.
Heres Mr. Krueger with his arms folded. Either hes satisfied after murdering a teenager and claiming their soul, or hes recording another rap video with the Fat Boys. Im not much into pain and torture, so lets hope its the former.
Heres a cool shot of Krueger and his razor glove. "This... is GOD!"
And to show you the detail Sideshow put into him, heres a close-up of his terribly burned face:
Showing that Freddy isnt all slashing and quipping, heres a shot of the dream demon with his equestrian pal, Spirit! YAY!
My third Sideshow Collectibles Modern Horror figure is Bubba Sawyer from The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, better known as Leatherface. Another great figure, with a realistic facial sculpt, real clothing (including a tie and apron), and some hefty weapons: a huge, bloody chainsaw and a small sledgehammer for tenderising that meat.
Heres a close-up of Leatherfaces face/mask. The coolest thing about this figure is the way the face and the mask look separate. It actually looks like a mask thats been placed over his real face, as opposed to just being a fucked-up head. Looks sinister when its viewed in close-up.
And, because you know you want it, heres a shot of Leatherface with Spirit. The Sawyers will be eating good tonight!
Sideshow have just released photos of their new Leatherface, Thomas Hewitt, from the 2003 remake of TCM. Click HERE for a picture of him. Sideshows attention to detail just gets more and more impressive with each figure released.
Following their fight to the death (sort of) in Freddy vs. Jason, the two biggest slashers in movie history settled their differences. Heres the photo to prove it:
Im not sure what I was thinking when I took this photo. Maybe Id just seen Ghost on TV. Note the position of Freddys right arm.
The pair strike a dramatic pose:
Unfortunately, bad habits die hard. As Jason sits and contemplates life, Freddy sneaks up and attempts to slice open his head.
And so the battle begins again!
Leatherface wasnt purchased until later, and I was a little concerned that he wouldnt be accepted by Freddy and Jason. My fears were unfounded. Within a few days, they were best buds.
In fact, Jason and Leatherface got on so well that they decided to take out Krueger! Thats GOTTA hurt! Small bit of advice, Freddy: when sharing space with two psychotic mommas boys, dont refer to said mothers as bitches and then start singing power ballads!
Imagine what will happen when Michael Myers arrives next week...
BERT ALERT! BERT ALERT!
Heres my Sonic and Shadow the Hedgehog bendy figures by JoyRide Studios. Great little figures, very good likenesses. But why only Sonic and Shadow? Wheres Tails, Knuckles and Amy?
Heres some promo shots from my fanfic: Jason Voorhees vs. Sonic the Hedgehog. The title is pretty self-explanatory. You can read the story HERE.
Heres a picture of my DVD collection. Like the other stuff, its getting really crowded. That photos actually out of date. I got the Indiana Jones boxset and X-Men 2 for Christmas, which filled up those few remaining gaps. I cant buy anymore DVDs until I get another rack for them. I have a wall-mounted one, I just havent gotten round to putting it up. Of course, Ill still be getting Freddy vs. Jason...
In case youre interested (yeah, right), a full listing of my DVD collection, thanks to DVD Profiler, can be seen by clicking HERE.
I attended the Collectormania 4 convention last October, and managed to get my hands on some cool signed stuff. I did get to meet a couple of celebrities and have them personally sign stuff, but Ill get to that later. First off, some signed 8x10s. These were signed and then sold off, so I didnt get them in person. Still awesome though.
First off, my hero, Bruce Campbell, in a still from Army of Darkness. I believe he signed a bunch of these at a Fangoria convention, which were then sold off to various places.
Next, another hero of mine, Robert Englund, complete with Freddy razor glove. Robert is attending the next Collectormania in May, so Ill be able to meet him personally. I cant wait! Until now, this will have to do. Sorry for the glare on these photos, its the light source (ie. lamp) reflecting off the protective cover.
Another horror icon now: The Shape, Michael Myers, from Halloween. This is signed by Nick Castle, who played the original Shape as a favour to John Carpenter. The still is from Halloween 5, for some reason. Note the fingerprints on the left: they didnt show up until after Id taken the photo.
Next up is Gunnar Hansen, who played Leatherface in the 1974 horror classic The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.
And finally, an 8x10 signed by my lady love, my dove, the lovely Stephanie McMahon. I actually have two signed 8x10s from her, but the signature on the other one is too dark to make out in a photo.
But even they pale in comparison to the stuff I got personally signed. I had the pleasure of meeting Doug Bradley (Pinhead, Hellraiser Series), Corey Feldman (Tommy Jarvis, F13: The Final Chapter) and Kristanna Loken (T-X, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines), and I got a handshake, a brief conversation, and a signed item from each of them. Even at £15 per autograph (steep price), it was well worth it.
First we met Doug Bradley. I was afraid of him, he just exudes this aura of evil. I mean, hes Pinhead! Seems like a great guy, very reserved. I got a photo with him (which I dont have, as my sister sent it our father - a big Pinhead fan - and we didnt have a copy), a handshake, a quick hi, and got an NECA Pinhead figure signed. Notice that after his name, hes put a spiky P for Pinhead. How cool is that?
Next up we got to meet Corey Feldman. This guy rules! He was easily the friendliest guy I met that day. While we were in the line, he was told that there was no more time for photos, so he got up, came around to our side and went down the line, giving photos to anyone who wanted them. Now thats a great thing to do. After that we got to meet him, and I got my huge Italian TFC poster signed. He seemed impressed by the poster, which was cool. His lovely girlfriend even blew on the signature to make sure it didnt smear, and he made us laugh by rolling his eyes as she leaned over and blew...
This is a terrible picture of the poster, as my red lightbulb is reflecting off it. But hey, there it is.
Heres a much better close-up of the signature. This is the pride of my horror collection!
Thirdly, we met Kristanna Loken. The line to see her was practically out of the door, and we got there just as she was finishing up. Unfortunately we didnt get a photo with her, it was a very quick hi, handshake, signature. I was a little put off by the fact that she was even more beautiful in person than she was in T3. She looks great with her hair down. She asked for my name, and I almost fell over. Now thats a woman! Very small hands. Kristanna signed a T-X figure from McFarlane Toys.
Well, thats it for now. If I can trick Peet into coming round again, Ill have some more photos soon. I really must get my own camera, theres so much you can do with it. Ive got a lot of items being delivered in the next couple of months, so thats a bunch more photos. Now, I really must get some shelves up for all this stuff...