Welcome back to another edition of every nerd, geek, and horror collector’s wettest dream! (Yeah, I really just wrote that.) This week is a special edition that I’m going to “deadicate” to Twitter fiend Katie Garwood @moonrisesister for the direct inspiration for the theme of today’s fiendish flea market shopping spree, as well as Kitty @spwkitty for watching The Omen at the right time when Katie and I were in goofy moods and setting off this wing-ding whirlwind of wicked widgets that you might be interested in for your man cave, bat cave, or the old bat’s birthday rave! So step right up for this hellacious ride through demonic décor, tickets for a whole seat are free, but you’re only going to need the edge!
The Omen One Sheet Movie Poster
If you Google movie posters you will see such details listed like “one sheet, half sheet, etc”. This is a general description of exactly what it is. The “one sheet” is actually a “whole sized, one piece poster”. Again as I have stated in earlier articles, the original movie posters prior to the mid 80s measured 27 x 41 inches, slightly larger than the ones today. This accounted for the use of the white border around the artwork. This along with the name of the movie on the lower right border and production company at the lower left help collectors spot a fake. Finally, look for the fold lines. Again, prior to the mid 80s posters were shipped folded (about 95% were folded unless the theater owner picked them up directly from the printing company) with one vertical line and three horizontal lines. Stains, rips, and push pin holes lower the value. The Omen one sheet poster can go for about $50 and up in good condition.
Here is a fun fact that you don’t care about: The Omen opened to theaters two months prior to me being born. My mother half joked about naming me Damien, until I came out with three red birthmarks shaped in a triangle on my forehead, the same as the mark of the Beast according to the movie!
Vintage Ben Cooper Devil Halloween Costume
Now, I’m old enough to remember the shitty but had-to-have Ben Cooper Halloween costumes with a thin plastic mask that was held onto your head with a rubber band and an even thinner vinyl full body-short sleeve costume that ripped the first time you put it on. They were hotter than hell (temperature wise) and still are hotter than hell today (collectible wise). Many collectors buy these to bring them back to their childhood. THIS WAS AN AMERICAN STAPLE FOR HALLOWEEN! Anybody who was anybody went down to Kmart or the closest drug store and bought these for about only a couple of bucks (literally). The Ben Cooper Inc. Company held the market when it came to kids Halloween costumes from the 1930s -1980s when the company filed for bankruptcy and the factory burnt down mysteriously within the same year. (Things that make you go “Hmm”.) They had the licensing for most every fucking character from Darth Vader to Bozo, from Mickey Mouse to Frankenstein, from Wonder Woman to Snow White. If you could show it on either a large screen or small screen, this company made it. To think about it, the costumes from an adult perspective were rather stupid. It would have a picture of the character you were supposed to be on the chest rather than trying to make the costume look like the character. Then with white Nikes and short plastic sleeves, that 4ft tall Incredible Hulk looked really freaking stupid walking around with a plastic jack-o-lantern begging for candy. Whatever, I’m still trying to find a Darth Vader one like I had when I was 5. (Side note – the clown mask that young Michael Myers wore in the Rob Zombie remake was made to look like a Ben Cooper design.) The masks are collectible if you can’t find the entire costume with box. The complete box will go for about $30 and up depending on the character.
Marvel Son of Satan Comic #1 1975
Well don’t think Marvel didn’t catch shit for this one. Now that the Comic Code that censored comics had been lifted, Marvel set out to capture some curious deep pocketed kids with disposable money during the Satanic Panic of the 70s. Originally it was supposed to be called “Mark of Satan” but that was pushing the censors and Marvel settled for a kinder, gentler, demonic figure, Daimon Hellstrom. (Ah, aren’t “plague” on words great?) Anyway, this half-demon, half-human clings to his humanity side as opposed to his evil sister, Satana. (Again, with the “plague” on words.) Well I’m sure the hilarity ensues with this comic as it was canceled only a few years later being that no one gave two shits about a friendly son of Satan that is heaven bent on saving humanity. Snore. I wouldn’t pay much for it since it isn’t worth anything but a nap.
Faust Anheuser Busch Beer Tap Handle
We’ve all heard the German tale of Faust who sold his soul to the Devil in return for knowledge. Well in the late 1880s Busch (as it was known at the time) brewed Faust beer which by today’s standards would be a dark lager. I’m not entirely sure when the beer was discontinued, but it was revived for a short time in 1995 when this handle was released in limited number. This is possibly the coolest item on today’s list in my opinion…even if the beer is made by Anheuser Busch which is considered “piss beer”. I’ve seen these handles go for $125 and up.
By the way, speaking of Budweiser, do you know how Bud Light and making love in a canoe are similar? They are both fucking pretty close to water! (Yeah, I just wrote that too!)
So that is all for this week’s deliciously demonic doodads. Hope you enjoyed the theme this week which once again was brought to you by my Horror-writers.net’ friends @moonrisesiter and @spwkitty. They have been extremely supportive of us at HW and also all these stupid little rants I go on every week. Plus they haven’t put a restraining order out on me like Kate Upton or Kat Dennings, so there’s that. Give them some love and follow them on Twitter. Tell them I sent you, and that “The Devil made me do it”!
Until you call on the dark,
Renfield Rasputin
Renfield Rasputin has been to the end of the internet. Twice.