Crestwood House Monsters- Frankenstein

We're nearing the end of our Friday Night Frights exploration of the Crestwood House Monsters books before diving head first into the Zone Base Halloween season. While there's still plenty more books to cover, these last two weeks need to go out with a Friday Night Fright bang! So it's time to pull out the big guns and the heavy hitters to bring the show home. Who better than Frankenstein to do so with?

One of the main Universal Monsters and certainly most relatable, Frankenstein's Monster is an icon of horror. I've loved the big guy ever since getting a Remco doll of him at an extremely impressionable age (I was a freaking toddler). It glowed in the dark and would give you a hug. The hug was a play feature intended as him grabbing a victim, but homeboy just needed a hug. Who doesn't? I got him and my brother got The Mummy. Years later upon moving into a new house, my father acquired a rather large model yacht in which he proudly put on display in the living room. For that yachts lifetime in our home, it bore two passengers. Frankenstein and the Mummy. Who were out for a lovely day at sea.

The book is presented above in it's entirety or can be downloaded from the link under it. Know what, the monster got two more books in the series. I suggest you give them a look too!

Crestwood House Monsters- The Wolfman

Things are getting hairy around the base, and that's because it's Friday Night Frights time! We're coming around the corner of the end of Spooky Summer and into the Halloween season. Mid August is when the pumpkin spiced mayhem goes into effect and with it, Friday Night Frights will go into hiatus until November. So I figured a good wrap up of the Crestwood House Monsters exploration we've been doing would be with the heavy hitters! Not that I'm out of these classic books, just it's time to spice things up a bit, and given that spice will be of the pumpkin variety... I think you get my point. Spooky shit.

The Wolfman is one the more layered stories from the Universal Monsters gang. Larry is convinced he has become a werewolf and is the one responsible for the recent murders in town. Everyone thinks he's loosing his mind while looking for the source of the killings while the guilt is tearing Larry apart. I'd like to point out the cover of the book though, that's not The Wolfman. That's the Werewolf of London which Universal released six years prior to The Wolfman. Frankly, I've always found it's story to be better than Larry's adventure.

Wilfred is a scientist who travels to Tibet in search of a rare plant. While there, he's attacked by a werewolf. Back in London we see that Wilfred's wife is bored of him being locked away in his lab and not paying attention to her. Wilfred is now a werewolf and is murdering locals at night. Afraid of what he might do, he locks himself away in hopes of keeping his wife safe. His wife, all the while getting increasingly more and more fed up with him ignoring her and locked away in the lab. In case the situation wasn't complex enough, an old flame comes calling.

Several of the Universal Monsters tend to make the viewer feel sympathy for them. In the werewolf movies that theme is really driven home. They're sad movies under all that fur and fangs. The book is in it's entirety in the above preview or available to download for free from the link underneath it.

Crestwood House Monsters: Godzilla

Continuing our Friday Night Frights excursion into the legendary Crestwood House Monsters books, I thought Godzilla would be super appropriate as Kaiju Con.Line was last weekend. Admittedly last weekend probably would have been a better time, but I was in a Blob mood. Gnaw meen brah? I was already a fast fan of Godzilla when I stumbled onto this entry into the Crestwood House Monsters books. Between movie showings on cable and various toys at our house, I loved every bit of it.

Information wasn't as readily available as it is now back then, especially when you were in the 3rd grade. That's part of why I loved these books so much. They proved a great resource for my young mind to learn more about those cool movies Grandpa Munster would show on TBS. You can read the entire book above for free or download it to your tablet from the link in the viewer.

Crestwood House Monsters: The Blob

Friday Nights mean Frights here on the base! Continuing on our excursion into the Crestwood House Monsters books, I thought another fitting for the summer season story would be The Blob. Honestly it's because I associate the 80's remake with summer more than anything, but hey... work with me a little here. Between seeing the various commercials on TV one summer, and then the following summer regularly seeing the cardboard standee at the local video store, it's just a summer time movie in my head.

The Blob is the story of a weird slime from space consuming every person in it's way. The blob gets bigger the more people it eats and before you know it, things get really out of hand. Even with the classic movie represented above in it's Crestwood House form, all I can think of is the standee at the video store. I was a horror fan from a very early age, but usually was instructed to pick from the kids section on our visits. While picking out a collection of cartoon episodes of Centurions or Peanuts, I'd eye the boxes of the horror stuff that was literally in the same aisle.

I don't know if the shop staff were being jerks, or it just somehow worked out that way, but I can still see other kids bawling their eyes out at the various cardboard standees of Freddy Kruger and company staring at them. Me, I liked looking over the boxes as much as I could. I still miss the horror section of the video store. Preferably in the VHS era when those boxes had so much character. Ironically I don't know if the remake Blob still exists. The movie is probably in a discount bin at Walmart somewhere. But the blob substance used in the original movie, it never dried out and is still kept in a bucket. Weird.

The preview above shows the full book, but if you want to download it to a tablet or phone, you can do so for free by following it's links.

Crestwood House Monsters- The Mummy

Friday night is the time for frights, aight? Going down our weekly look at the legendary children's book series by Crestwood House as we enter a summer holiday here in the US, I figure The Mummy would be pretty appropriate. It's so hot I'll be walking like old Imhotep by the end of the weekend and smelling like baby powder. Summer is a Spooky Season and nothing is more terrifying than chaffing. Ow.

It looks like the full book is in the preview this time, but if you want to download it to your phone or tablet for free, follow the link in the viewer.

I've always been more partial to Karis than Imhotep as far as the Universal Mummies go. Whenever you think of a traditional Mummy, you're thinking of Karis. Imhotep just left his tomb is the bandages and went about sorcery. I generally like Karis's movies better too. Though there on all the Universal Monsters signage, there's Imhotep. I'd say it's because Imhotep was in the original and Karis was in all the sequels (not counting remakes). But Jason wasn't the killer in the original Friday the 13th either. It's not fair. Karis, I appreciate you man.  Just wanted you to know that dude.

Crestwood House Monsters: The Creature From The Black Lagoon

Hey, it's Friday night and you know what that means? Well, for a little bit, something different. Variety is the spice of life. Gnaw meen brah? I thought we'd spend a few Friday nights going over the much beloved Crestwood House Monsters book series. I was just a kid who loved robots and monsters (and misadventure!). Sometimes when your a kid it's hard to enjoy the things you love. Especially in the 80's and 90's. I sure the decades before had the same problem, but I can only speak from my own viewpoint. Duh.

The weekly trip to the school library often was an outlet for the very things I wanted to enjoy. Random paranormal books were always present, as were comic strip collections. But what was really a winner on those dusty shelves was the Crestwood House Monsters. Little hardback books individually focusing on a classic monster. I loved these and reread them over and over. I'd love to have a set of my own one day, thankfully they're available online. For free even, not late fee's or anything. No foolin' mister.

We're going to start off with a personal favorite of mine, The Creature from the Black Lagoon. My love for the Universal Monsters isn't a secret around here. The ghoulish gang have been around forever and find their way on a ton of stuff. The Gillman was one of the last of the monsters (if you don't count Chucky) and one of the more unique. He never appeared with the others officially (Monster Squad really skirted around legalities) and has always stood out to me. There's a limited preview of the book above and if you feel like reading the entire thing, it's free to do so (just follow the links).

Friday Night Frights- The Most Dangerous Game Master

Friday Night means Frights and who's more frightening than Dracula? Don't answer that. Everyone in video land knows Castlevania is a scary place to be. So what better a location for Captain N to have a showdown with an evil clone of his real world bully? Well I guess anywhere, but dang son, monsters!

The two duke it out while traversing the evil castle in a spooky montage set to Michael Jackson's Thriller! Ok, not actually sung by Michael Jackson, but the off-brand singers usually found on party soundtracks! The kind you get at the party store for your Halloween party! Only this is summer and just Friday night... ah fuck it.

Friday Night Frights- Jake The Snake, The The Ultimate Warrior, The Hell Am I Doing With My Life

Oh, yes, it's Friday Night and the Frights are right, it's Friday Night...Frights. Summer is a Spooky season, as you all are used to seeing by now, and as a spooky season that leads up to THE spooky season... there's some spooky shit to be had. What am I talking about, well, that was literally just filler. I have no clue how to start this.

*cough*

Back in 1991, The Ultimate Warrior was in a feud with The Undertaker. Which means all sorts of stuff filmed in a graveyard while Paul Bearer did that face thing... the hell was that? Did... did he poop himself or something? As The Ultimate Warrior was facing a dark evil foe, he needed the help of another dark and evil individual, Jake The Snake! If nothing says dark and evil in the early 90's it's a guy with a mullet in a silk shirt who owns a snake. Jake begins showing the Ultimate Warrior the ways of the darkness and to believe in a thing called love. Just listen to the rhythm of your heart, Warrior. Which beats the blood of the warrior.

We are then treated to various clips of Jake and Warrior in a graveyard doing such things as digging up bodies, closing the Warrior in a casket, and other spooky shit until the culmination in a shed full of snakes. It's a carnival haunted house come to life with SO MUCH HEAVY BREATHING.

Friday Night Frights- Swing You Sinners (1930)

I post spooky shit all year on this here site. In fact, part of making this whole Friday Night Frights was a way of working it in all year. The site is a Halloween blog as well as a weird site about robots and monsters... but it's not Halloween all year.. technically anyway. Summer preludes to Halloween with it being a Spooky Season all of it's own. Not to mention, it's like the appetizer before pumpkin spice time. I don't care what any calendar says, Memorial Day is the start to summer and the spooky half of the year is starting on Zone Base!

So yeah, it's spooky shit time every Friday night right?

It totally is! Since summer is a more mean spirited part of the spooky season, what better way to kick that off than with some scary ass shit? I mean... look, I'm not convinced this cartoon isn't cursed. Swing You Sinners is a 90 year old cartoon that's probably the most horrible thing made. Let me give you the run down. Bimbo (I didn't name him) goes to steal a chicken one night. The cops nearly catch him and he escapes into a local cemetery to hide. This is where things go full tilt fever dream insane. The spirits of the graveyard come out to punish Bimbo for his sinning ways and we're treated (damned) to the weirdest nightmare that you never saw coming.

It's terrifying. Enjoy!

Friday Night Frights- Banish That Banshee

It's Friday Night, and you know what that means? That's right pizza! Wait... well... that's like what I do and... you know... oh hey... It's time for another edition of Friday Night Frights here on the Base! Filmation's Ghostbusters is kinda weird sometimes. I don't mean the kind of weird you'd expect from a group hunting ghosts. I mean like... they've got to stop a banshee in this weeks episode.

Honestly, that's the kind of thing you'd expect a team of Ghostbusters to do. But first, they need to find a leprechaun. I know I have hard days at the office, but you know, not weird ass wild goose chase days. Normally anyway. You know Eddie eventually quit and started working overnights at Kroger. Stocking Mio > Tracy's farts in the flying ghost car.

Friday Night Frights- The Haunted Mask

Time for another edition of Friday Night Frights here on the Base and let me just tell you, Goosebumps is good as hell. I know I said a little while back that I was going to scale back on the Halloween stuff until the actual the season starts here on the site and I lied. I'm not going to apologize about it either. I mean, even Disney is getting in on the spooky shit early. Know what? Disney does Halloween right. If they're pulling my act, so can I. Candy corn y'all.

Goosebumps is good as hell, I've said so a few poorly written sentences up. In The Haunted Mask, we see Carly Beth try to overcome her fear of everything by wearing a scary ass mask for Halloween. She gets said mask from a magic store and boy howdy things go wrong. Fast. For good measure, the sequel episode is attached.

Friday Night Frights- The Haunted House

It's time for another Friday Night Frights here on the base! That little taste of spooky shit to end out the week and this week... well... let's watch one of the classics. The Haunted House starring Mickey Mouse finds the mouse in a house full of ghosts and goblins! While known for their family fun and wholesome imagery... Disney gets dark often. In this awesome old short, Mickey finds himself inside a haunted house and it's pretty amazing that he lives to be honest.

Friday Night Frights- Ghost Hunting In A Chinese Cemetary

It's time for another edition of Friday Night Frights here on Zone Base, a weird ass site about robots and monsters. This week we have a live stream from ghost hunters in a Chinese cemetery. The crew of Bajul TV manage to contact the spirit of a woman buried in the cemetery. *cough* It's TOTALLY REAL GUYS. Outside of the *cough* ghost, they had a pretty good video going on here though. Streaming from a cemetery late a night would have made for a good spooky time even without ghost hunting on the itinerary. It's a pretty fun time still and admittedly the effects aren't bad for such a small production.

Friday Night Frights- Halloween Safety (1985)

It's another Friday night and that means it's time for another edition of Friday Night Frights here on the base! While I normally use these posts as a fun way to share oooky spooky things with y'all, the past few weeks I've gave it a Halloween focus. We all know what's been going on with the virus, the lock downs and everything... it sucks. Halloween is the most fun time on this here site. I took it as a good time to share some of Halloween classics just so we can all have some fun and try not to think about everything else for a while.

Fortunately things are easing and we can all get back to some sort of normality soon. Not to mention, after Memorial Day, this site kicks high into spooky shit gear. Sure, I post spooky shit regularly as is. I like it and obviously so do a lot of you (I get more traffic from it than anything else), but it gets an extra focus with spooky summer and Halloween content.

Maybe just one last specifically Halloween themed Friday Night Fights until mid August when it's officially pumpkin spice time. But just like all our officials are saying, we have to ease back into normalcy slowly. We still have to observe safety guidelines and procedures in this new normal we're living in. So how about some general safety rules to help you all out until the pumpkins roll in?

Friday Night Frights- Jack O' Lantern (1972)

Wash your hands and click play, it's time for another pumpkin spice edition of Friday Night Frights here on the Base! What's that? It's a little too early for such a thing? Nonsense, it's Halloween every day on this here site! It's also much better to think of the best time of the year during the current state of things. Because this sucks and Halloween is awesome. This week we're going to watch something freaking weird. Jack O' Lantern is about a pumpkin headed scarecrow piloted by a leprechaun who gets in an epic magic fight with a witch and warlock on a farm. No, seriously.

Friday Night Frights- Halloween Party (1953)

It's Friday, and you know what that means around the base? Friday Night Frights, where I disguise a video as a post! We're all still walking around in masks, in fact, now it's getting mandated in some areas! I swear we didn't usher in a early Halloween...because this sucks and Halloween is awesome. But we could all use a little extra fun right now and what better way than one of my specialties? I've double dipped some of the videos before, I admit. I posted this last Halloween. I figure there's a fair amount of time in between postings when it's fair game again and hey.. who cares right?

This is Halloween Party, a school film allegedly from 1953 that... I really have no clue about it's purpose. There's no safety tips or anything. Just a little production of a family celebrating Halloween and their dog Shep who causes some trouble. There's actually a shorter version of this that cuts off as the family goes to bed, while this the longer version goes into an adventure with costuming. I initially thought Shep gets rabies and attempts to kill the children at the end... but on further viewings have noticed something. If you skim ahead to minute 6:03 it becomes clear. Shep is clearly targeting the kid with racist costume. Get 'em Shep!

Friday Night Frights- Halloween Saftey (1977)

Time for another Friday Night Frights here on the Base! It seems like everywhere I look these days there's all sorts of safety tips ad guidelines for the world we live in. I find myself walking around in a mask, not going inside stranger's homes, not eating unwrapped snacks, not... Did I somehow wish us into a early Halloween? No, sadly no. Halloween is awesome and fun, what's going on right now sucks. Hopefully all will be somewhat back to normal by fall (or I'm going to the corona's house and kicking it's ass). Because Halloween is awesome and fun... which we all could use some of that right now.

Friday Night Frights- The Boogieman Cometh

It's time for another Friday Night Frights here on the Base! A little over a week ago, I figured I'd be a Toylanta and doing the annual big ole' con update post and forgo the weekly spooky shit. Things changed and I'm at my desk buried in work. Lot's of things have changed over the past few days, but you know what never changes? The Boogieman.

When I was a kid I was told the Boogieman would visit me at night if I lied. In the Ghostbusters cartoon above, he scared Egon as a child. This episode scared the hell out of a generation when they were children. It's just a little mind blowing just how crazy this show got for a Saturday morning cartoon. The Real Ghostbusters was serious business... and man the Boogieman is some seriously spooky shit.

Friday Night Frights- The Scooby-Doo Project

It's Friday Night and you know what that means? Another Friday Night Frights here on the base! Seeing as it's not just any other Friday... but like the 13th man... let's do something groovy. Back in 1999 The Blair Witch Project was everywhere, it was a huge hit which inspired The Scooby-Doo Project. A series of shorts shown in between episodes of the Halloween Night Scooby-Doo marathon. Scooby-Doo has been a pleasant surprise source of spooky shit so far in 2020 and really fells kinda appropriate today.

Friday Night Frights- Doggone Werewolf

It's Friday night, and you know what that means! Another edition of Friday Night Frights here on the Base. As a kid, I was a huge fan of werewolves. Especially in the third grade which is when this episode would have aired. I particularly thought Fangster was pretty awesome. He seemed like one of the more badass villains the Ghost Busters had to deal with. Even in his little green shortie shorts.