Happy January, and welcome to the first edition of Horror Hunting! in 2016! This week we will travel back to the Prohibition Era for some early, eerie goodness. And fast forwarding a bit to present day, the ever-so-popular line of Reaction figures, designed to appeal to the retro crowd, continue to rule the action figure world. Fans and imitators alike have become both collectors and imitators, some much better than the rest. We’ll introduce you to some custom horror figs that are sure to force you to open your wallet happily….
“We have such sights to show you!” – Pinhead
LAUGH CLOWN, LAUGH (1928) – 1928 Sheet music (Creepy Classics)
What makes this item cool and collectible to horror fans, other than its 90-year existence? This sheet music, which accompanies the 1928 silent film “Laugh, Clown, Laugh”, features a post-Hunchback of Notre Dame, post-Phantom of the Opera, and defending man of a thousand faces Lon Chaney Sr. on the cover illustration. His depiction of a clown in full makeup drums up more-modern visions of Pennywise, John Wayne Gacy, and even that upcoming sure-to-disappoint Rob Zombie joint “31”. While he’s not quite the horror icon that his son would go on to be, this is still a unique piece that belongs hanging in a museum as much as in a horror fan’s playroom. And for $20, how can you go wrong?
http://www.creepyclassics.com/product.sc?productId=5365&categoryId=51
Custom Phantasm Mike Vintage/Reaction Style Horror action figure (EBay)
A few years back, the fine folks over at Funko had a brilliant idea to feast upon our nostalgic souls with the cleverly-marketed, simply-created ReAction line of figures. Drawing upon all areas of pop culture during the last 40+ years, the ReAction collection featured the brightly-carded artwork, 3 3/4 inch dimensions, and surprisingly unlimited 5/10-points-of-articulation that made the vintage Star Wars and GI Joe action figures so cherished and sought after. While Funko did put out awesome Universal Monsters and Jaws lines, some horror fans found their film offerings to be a bit lacking and decided to take matters into their own hands. While some custom jobs are downright laughable, EBay toy store merchant Old Colony Hobbies has some real gems for sale at the reasonable price of $39.95 each. While it may seem pricey, please remember that anything custom deserves a premium price tag. And when you see the Phantasm, Basket Case, Dawn of the Dead and Friday the 13th lines, I guarantee you’ll stop at nothing to add these figures to your collection (or start one, if you haven’t yet).
http://stores.ebay.com/Old-Colony-Hobbies?_trksid=p2047675.l2568
HAPPY HUNTING!!!
