October is here, and you know what that means!

MOOD TABLE TIME.

Well, most of you know that, at least. If you’re new to Dino Drac, the Halloween Mood Table is a tradition I started on my old site, way back in 2007. The process involves turning a table — any table, big or small — into the center of your own personal Halloween universe.

Compared to the Mood Tables that I build now, my first one was downright diminutive. Hell, last year, I pretty much turned the thing into a video store from 1987.

Obviously, yours needn’t be so complex. The only purpose of a Halloween Mood Table is to give your home — and thus, your life — a static place where Halloween is always happening.

If work or other responsibilities have kept you from being able to “partake” in the season in any major way, the Mood Table is absolutely essential. Whenever you need to breathe and eat Halloween, your Mood Table will be there. Consider it October’s Christmas tree.

(Christmas tree slash witchy altar slash toy store.)

Starting with the same small tile table that’s been the backbone of every Mood Table I’ve ever built, it wouldn’t be long before it was rendered unrecognizable. I knew it’d be tough to top last year’s Mood Table, but I was willing to die trying. Read More…

Welcome to Dino Drac’s hot new series: OLD NEWS!

In this recurring feature, I’ll be digging up ancient newspaper ads and articles, mostly from the ‘80s and ‘90s. It doesn’t sound so interesting when I put it that way, but trust me, some this stuff will punch you in the heart.

After all, with virtually all video-related media being so easily accessible these days, it takes a much deeper dig to make us nostalgia nuts say “wow.”

When you see some of these clippings, I think you’ll say “wow.”

(November 1984)

Each edition of OLD NEWS will tackle one specific topic. Since I’m starting this series during the Halloween Countdown, it seemed appropriate to kick things off with Ghostbusters!

Scroll forth, and be merry. I’ve divided this edition’s clippings into sections, which cover everything from Kenner’s Real Ghostbusters toys to Hi-C Ecto Cooler! Read More…

With all of the fuss surrounding this year’s debuting Halloween goodies, some of you may be ignoring the old faithfuls. Big mistake!

Let’s take General Mills and their Monster Cereals, for example. Historically the gatekeepers of Halloween (General Mills is usually the first company to make announcements about the pending season), they keep finding new ways to make us go crazy for old cereal. It’s no different in 2015!

This year, General Mills has released our beloved trio in no less than three different box styles. Most stores will carry the “standard” boxes, which allow for interaction with your phone by way of a free app. Then you can head to Walmart for different boxes with cutout masks on the back. Last but not least, the Target-exclusive boxes have their own gimmick, and in my view, it’s clearly the best of the three.

Shown above, Target’s Monster Cereal boxes arrive with cutout pieces that can be joined to form THE MONSTERS’ CASTLE. Just so we’re clear, this is the part where you silently mouth “holy shit” before prematurely scrolling to this post’s final photos. (No, really, don’t be that guy.) Read More…