Friday, March 11, 2011

Old Horror Movie Posters – The Blob, House on Haunted Hill, More

Old school horror movies are a lot of fun to watch. I have many fond memories from my childhood watching movies like Creature from the Black Lagoon, The Blob, The Thing, Curse of the Werewolf, and many others. Obviously, the special effects in these movies can’t compare to that of today’s modern movies. But, they’re still classic films and a great way to spend date night!
The artwork that went into promoting these old school horror movies was fantastic. Many top artists of their day helped to create promotional posters for these movies. Below are some of my favorite old school horror movie posters. Enjoy!
The Blob Old School Horror Movie Poster

The Blob

1958 — Directed by Irvin S. Yeaworth Jr.. Starring Steve McQueen, Aneta Corsaut, and Earl Rowe. An alien life form lands on Earth and consumes everything in its path as it grows and grows.
This is a perfect example of a 1950′s Horror Movie Poster! Nothing really “scary” about this one. It just has that classic 50′s fontography and appeal!

The Fly Old School Horror Movie Poster

The Fly

1958 — Directed by Kurt Neumann. Starring David Hedison, Patricia Owens, and Vincent Price. A scientist has a horrific accident when he tries to use his newly invented teleportation device – he actually becomes half man / half fly. (Vincent Price – One of my favorite old school horror movie actors!)
Interesting that the artist of this poster chose to focus on a woman screaming – instead of The Fly man/monster itself. And, the taglines are great “The Monster Created by Atoms Gone Wild!” -and- “For Your Own Good We Urge You Not To See It Alone” – Classic!



Meatcleaver Massacre Horror Movie Poster

Meatcleaver Massacre

1977 — Directed by Evan Lee. With Christopher Lee, Larry Justin, J. Arthur Craig. Four crazed killers, butchered his wife, son and daughter. From his hospital deathbed he called upon the power of the occult for revenge… And he got it, he really got it!
This poster is fantastic. Love the heads on the end of the fingertips, projecting from the hospitalized victim – and, of course, it wouldn’t be complete without the giant meatcleaver in the background.

Up from the Depths Movie Poster

Up From The Depths

1979 — Directed by Charles B. Griffith. Starring Sam Bottoms, Susanne Reed, and Virgil Frye. A giant shark-like creature ravages a Hawaiian tourist community. (This is a remake of a 1915 film.)
This horror movie poster is a true classic. Much like the “Jaws” movie posters, this poster preys on every ocean swimmer’s primal fear of sharks and other creatures from the deep.

House on Haunted Hill Horror Movie Posters

The House On Haunted Hill

1959 — Directed by William Castle. Starring Vincent Price, Carol Ohmart, Richard Long. Eccentric millionaire Fredrick Loren and his wife, Annabelle, invite 5 people to the house on Haunted Hill for a “haunted House” party. Anyone who stays in the house for the entire night will receive ten thousand dollars each. As the night moves forward, all the guests are trapped inside the house with ghosts, murderers, and other terrors. Another Vincent Price masterpiece. This horror movie was remade in 1999 and a sequel, Return to House on Haunted Hill, was released in 2007.
This is one of my absolute favorite horror movie posters. It’s got everything… A scantily dressed woman hanging from a skeleton’s grip, Vincent Price holding a decapitated head by her long hair, a creepy house, and an arm rising up out of sand in the basement. AWESOME!!!


Crater Lake Monster

1977 — Directed by William R. Stromberg. Starring Richard Cardella, Glen Roberts, and Mark Siegel. A meteor crashes into Oregon's Crater Lake and unearths a dinosaur egg. The meteor’s heat causes the egg to hatch, and the emerging dinosaur makes meals out of the town locals.
Love the artwork on this horror movie poster. The dinosaur looks more like a plant eater to me (well, minus the teeth) and the sunken boat in two feet of water is too funny! Still I really like this poster. The colors are nice, the artwork is typical of the late 70′s and the fonts are great period examples.


The Evil of Frankenstein

1964 — Directed by Freddie Francis. Starring Peter Cushing, Peter Woodthorpe, Duncan Lamont. Penniless, Baron Frankenstein and his eager assistant Hans, arrive at the family castle near the town of Karlstaad, vowing to continue his experiments in the creation of life. Fortunately finding the creature he was previously working on, Dr. Frankenstein brings it back to a near life but requires the services of a mesmerist, Zoltan, to successfully animate it. The greedy and vengeful Zoltan secretly sends the monster into town to steal gold and “punish” the town folk and the chief of police. These acts lead to a violent confrontation between the baron and the townspeople.
This poster is fantastic. I really enjoy the use of “almost” black and white, with a splash of color mixed in. Very nice use of color. I also love the lightning bolt, which divides the artwork in half, and the use of the tagline in the bolt itself “He’s Never Been More Shocking! Shocking! Shocking!” – CLASSIC.


The Creature from the Black Lagoon

1954 — Directed by Jack Arnold. Starring Richard Carlson, Julie Adams, and Richard Denning. A scientific expedition traveling up the Amazon River encounters a dangerous humanoid amphibious fish creature from Earth’s ancient past.
This horror movie poster is so cool. A fabulous illustration of the Creature highlights this poster, both intriguing and compelling you to WANT to see this movie. There’s lots of action going on in the poster as well, with what appears to be a depiction of the creature attacking a diver. The font work is terrific as well, and the stars of the movie in their swim suits is true classic 1950′s Hollywood.

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