The Mostly-Complete Dino Drac Archives.

Deadsites: House on Haunted Hill!

I saw House on Haunted Hill on its opening night – October 29th, 1999. A stone’s throw from the last Halloween of the ‘90s. I wonder if that’s why I have such fond memories of it? I really do. I think it’s amazing. Too many people focus on its admittedly dopey ending, and forget

Imperial’s Classic Movie Monsters!

If Imperial’s “Classic Movie Monsters” seem vaguely familiar… GOOD. That’s the best way to describe them. “Vaguely familiar.” The small collection of laaaarge Universal Monsters figures arrived in 1986, and in one way or another, I’m convinced that everyone on the planet ha

The Times Scare Disaster.

On Saturday night, a bunch of us went to Times Scare New York City, a restaurant slash haunted house that I’ve been spying on for years. This group also included my friends from Freddy in Space and The Sexy Armpit, so before I get too deep into the more boring parts of this review, let m

Six Foot Freddy Krueger Decoration!

A friend – let’s call him “M” – told me to keep an eye on the mailbox. Assuming “M” did not mean this literally, I complied. My reward was a 72-inch Freddy Krueger with a huge head and absolutely no feet. “M” apologized for leaving the price sticker on. He feared that any

Halloween Color Blanks, Super-Sized!

During last year’s Countdown, I tossed up a ditty about RoseArt’s Halloween Color Blanks – the “naked” vinyl figures that come with really inky markers to help you to bring them to life. I didn’t expect to be writing about them again, but the upgrade for 2013 is too major to sk

The Jones Soda 2013 Halloween Flavors!

They’re BACK. The key points: 1. Jones Soda’s Halloween flavors have RETURNED. 2. This year, the collection includes Red Licorice, Candy Corn, Blood Orange and Caramel Apple. 3. I made a big long video about them! Enjoy. I’m gonna go spend an hour doing nothing productive.

Spooky Old Cereal Prizes!

Longtime readers should remember my obsession with old cereal prizes. If you’re not a longtime reader: I’m obsessed with old cereal prizes. You’ll still find free toys in certain boxes, but it isn’t like it used to be. Growing up, the competition between breakfast cereals seemed as

Lucky Charms Halloween Treats!

Today was the day that all Targets were supposed to officially switch from “back to school” from “Halloween,” or so the said the rumor mill. Turns out, the news was only partially true. I had to hit three different Targets to finally escape the spread of schoolbags and notebooks, b

Friday the 13th: Vintage TV Spots!

You know what today is, right? FRIDAY THE 13th. One that’s occurring smack dab in the middle of the HALLOWEEN SEASON. Don’t squander it, guys. Calendar blessings like this won’t happen often. I’m mandating that all of you watch at least one of the Friday the 13th movies today. I’

Halloween at Kmart!

Doing the Halloween Countdown involves a lot of hunting. It always has. I can’t rely on any one or two stores to “fill the tank” for two months’ worth of posts, so I’m constantly searching for more, and my core base of “retail hot spots” is always growing. For the first sever

Halloween Lunchables!

Last night’s trip to Target was looking like another fruitless pile of trashy despair. The “back to school” section was still in full swing, and Halloween was nowhere in sight. This would’ve been much more depressing had frozen raspberries not been on sale. But miracles do happen,

Vicious Videocassette Boxes!

I’ve written about my lifelong fascination with horror videos too many times to get away with it again, but the gist of it is that I don’t look at them as just “tapes.” Some are mementos, others are art, but all are more than the mere means to watch movies in an archaic way.

Roseanne’s LETHAL LODGE.

One of my favorite posts from last year’s Countdown was this tribute to Roseanne’s first Halloween special, titled “Boo.” The Emmy-nominated second season episode kicked off a tradition that would last until the end of the series. Every year, you could always count on the Conners t

The “Terror Tires” Art Expo!

PAGES: ONE | TWO | THREE | FOUR Well guys, you didn’t let me down. Almost eighty of you participated in the Terror Tires Art Expo, successfully changing a boring ass tire graphic into incredibly Halloweeny works of art. Thanks a million to everyone who joined the fun. If you missed the d

“Tropical Terror” Fruit by the Foot!

Another great thing about the 2013 Halloween season is that it isn’t just about the heavy hitters. Fruit Brute and Ghoul-Aid Jammers may be getting the bulk of the press, but even plenty of the simpler things are amazing. Don’t overlook ‘em! For example, take Fruit by the Foot’

The Real Ghostbusters Happy Meal!

If you’re around my age – and even if you’re not – you should be able to remember a dozen times when McDonald’s sweetened the Halloween season. From McBoo pails to the costumed McNugget buddies, Ronald McDonald has often seemed like Halloween’s Santa Claus, always ready to rewa

Gurglin Gutz. That’s what they’re called!

Gurglin Gutz was a smallish line of gruesome “stress balls” that made rude noises when you squeezed them. That about says it all, but I live to stretch! The collection debuted in 1995, and as you can tell from the above example, the toys weren’t much different from the “unpackaged�

Ghoul-Aid Jammers ARE HERE!

I finally found them. THANK GOD. Now I can breathe again. I’d like to introduce you to the greatest thing that’s ever been served in a foil pouch: GHOUL-AID JAMMERS! *cheers* It’s great stuff. Amazing flavor, amazing packaging, amazing everything. One note: I didn’t

Deadsites: 1995’s Halloween Mart!

At some point over the next two months, you’ll probably find yourself wading through the glut of online costume shops, hoping to find that rare glow-in-the-dark Predator mask that I’m pretty sure I just made up. If so, there’s a good chance you’ll land at Halloween Mart, which boa