Another year down, another year of posters passes. Every year a Best Purchases thread starts...and with only 2 weeks left in the year, i thought I'd jump in and give it a start. Although my personal poster purchasing took a huge nosedive this year, the poster gods still smiled on me. I actually managed to eke out some decent paper this year--not spectacular, but decent. In ascending order, here are my top 10 scores for the year:
10)
CRUEL JAWS:Here's a prime example of the phrase 'One man's trash is another man's treasure.' Although this is in rough-ish shape ("Good to Very Good"), I love my JAWS ripoffs. CRUEL JAWS is one of the worst (cobbled together using footage from other JAWS ripoffs, including the the one Universal sued for copyright infringement and won, GREAT WHITE aka THE LAST SHARK). I had NEVER seen a poster for it before--or since. A search on eMovie's archives shows that this poster is the only copy they've ever sold. I am so glad I got it. Most wouldn't bother with this crap--but I love it. Thank you, eMovie!
9)
DELUSION:Although I'd never seen the film (It's rather obscure apparently. I'd never heard of it until seeing the poster and I'm guessing it is crap or it would be available somewhere on video.), I had been after this poster (riffing on--or downright stealing from-- Charles Allan Gilbert's 1892 painting, ALL IS VANITY) for YEARS. It's not the best poster ever--but when you are tracking something down and you finally get it, there is reason to celebrate it. Crap movie or not (Who knows?), I might actually frame/hang this. Despite being a ripoff of a better-known painting, it is still a cool image.
THE INVISIBLE MAN (French re-release)
:I have the large French posters for the re-releases of FRANKENSTEIN and BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN, but only had the small-sized one for INVISIBLE MAN. I am happy to finally have a large one to go with it. This is only 20 (?) years old, but crazily I've seen it listed on eBay for something like $1,000!?! Whatever--I'm just happy to have the larger format of all three finally.
7)
THE FUNHOUSE (Clown style)
:Like DELUSION above, I have been after one of these for a very long time. I don't know why it has been so had to track down. (I do have the more common version with the close-up of the freaky mouth.) Although the film isn't that great, I like this poster. It's ellusiveness made it all the more appealing, I suppose.
6)
TEENAGERS FROM OUTER SPACE:Another poster for a B-movie drive-in classic. It's not the best poster ever, but... Hot diggity!
5)
KINGDOM OF SPIDERS:Like DELUSION and the clown version of THE FUNHOUSE poster, KINGDOM OF SPIDERS has somehow always been on my watch list. Why did it take so long to finally snag one? Jiinkies! It surely isn't that rare. I remember when this came out. Although it is a little rough (giving it more of the grindhouse feel it deserves), I have this in a frame already, actually. Poor William Shatner, before STAR TREK was resurrected, got stuck doing a lot of cheese like this. (DEVIL'S RAIN, anyone?) Ha!
4)
THE DEADLY ORGAN:WOW! I NEVER thought I'd end up with one of these ellusive day-glo groovy babies! Unlike the other three on the list that have been on my list forever, this one truly is a rarity. Believe it or not, there was actually a novelization of this Argentinian flick at the time. Ha! It was also released as FEAST OF FLESH on a double bill with NIGHT OF THE BLOODY APES--but this is the poster to have. Yowza!
3)
TARZAN AND THE SHE-DEVIL:Lex Barker was the second "talking' Tarzan, taking over for Johnny Weissmuller when he was "retired" from the role. Barker is kind of the forgotten Tarzan, as most people think of Weissmuller and then jump to Gordon Scott, the first Tarzan in color. Whatever, I dig Tarz flicks and am always thrilled to score one I don't have---and the older the better. Great color and graphics on this gem.
2)
CAT-WOMEN OF THE MOON:Wow! It's vintage B-movie poster nirvana! Wow doesn't love CAT-WOMEN OF THE MOON? Uh...most people. It's pretty B-A-D! Ha! But the poster...Meee-OWWW! What a HOOT! LOVE it!
1)
HOMICIDAL (partial COWARD'S CORNER gimmick)
:I am still beside myself that I "won" this piece of movie gimmick history. Zowie! Yes, it is only a partial piece (the back and biggest section of the three-walled "Coward's Corner"), but come on!?! I NEVER EVER expected to see something like this come my way. WOWZER! And it comes with direction cards to guide the cowards, too! Ha! Incomplete or not, this amazing find is hands down my favorite purchase of the year.
And that's it for me. Did YOU score any goodies? What were
YOUR favorite purchases of the year?
Here's to great poster scores in 2023!
CHEERS!
