Episode 24: Posters

The importance of the movie poster is almost lost in this day and age. With the internet flooding social media with trailers, photos, and all sorts of advertisements, the poster art might get lost in the shuffle. But decades ago, it was the first thing used to promote an upcoming feature film. It had to reach out and grab hold of your eyes, telling your brain you need to see this film. Shortly after that, the poster collecting started.

Why do we collect posters? What kinds are there? What is it about it that still holds a spell over movie goers? Join us and our special guest, Alan Tromp, as we try to answer all of those questions and more, as we discuss our own obsessions with movie posters, from one-sheets to British Quads to the French Grande size!

Movie titles mentioned in this episode:

Abbott & Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde (1953), Alabama’s Ghost (1973), An American Werewolf in London (1981), Astro Zombies (1968), Asylum (1972), The Beyond (1981), Baby Driver (2017), Blood Beast from Outer Space (1965), Blood for Dracula (1974), Blood Freak (1972), Blood of Ghastly Horrors (1967), Bloody Pit of Horror (1965), The Brain Eaters (1958), Brides of Blood (1968), Captain Kronos (1974), Cemetery Girls (1973), The Changeling (1980), Children Shouldn’t Play with Dead Things (1972), City of the Living Dead (1980), Clash of the Titans (1981), Corpse Eaters (1974), Count Dracula’s Great Love (1973), Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954), Creepshow (1982), Critters (1986), Crypt of Dark Secrets (1976), Cujo (1983), Curse of the Doll People (1961), Curse of the Voodoo (1965), The Deadly Mantis (1957), Deathdream (1974), Demon Lover (1976), Doomwatch (1972), Doctor Butcher M.D. (1980), Dracula Prince of Darkness (1966), Dracula vs Frankenstein (1971), Eaten Alive (1976), Evil Dead (1981), Evilspeak (1981), The Faculty (1998), Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! (1965), Frankenstein (1931), Frankenstein 1970 (1958), Frankenstein’s Bloody Terror (1967), Frankenstein Meets the Space Monster (1965), The Garden of the Dead (1972), The Giant Claw (1957), Goke: The Body Snatcher from Hell (1968), Grave of the Vampire (1972), The Green Slime (1968), Hellraiser (1987), Halloween (1978), Halloween H20 (1998), House by the Cemetery (1981), House of Psychotic Women (1974), Horror of Dracula (1958), Horror of Party Beach (1964), Horror of the Blood Monsters (1970), Horror of the Zombies (1974), How to Make a Monster (1958), I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997), Inquisition (1977), Invaders from Mars (1953), Invasion of Astro-Monster (1965), Invasion of the Blood Farmers (1972), Invasion of the Saucer Men (1957), Kingdom of the Spiders (1977), Lady Frankenstein (1971), Last House on the Left (1974), Legend of the Bayou (1976), Legend of Blood Mountain (1965), The Legendary Curse of Lemora (1973), Little Shop of Horror (1960), Living Dead at the Manchester Morgue (1974), The Living Head (1963), Make Them Die Slowly (1981), Matango (1963), The Mighty Gorgo (1969), Motel Hell (1980), Mystics in Bali (1981), Night of the Howling Beast (1975), Night of the Living Dead (1968), Nightmare Castle (1965), Old Dark House (1931), Orgy of the Living Dead triple feature, Piranha (1978), Pit Stop (1969), Plague of the Zombies (1966), Poltergeist (1982), Pumpkinhead (1988), Rasputin the Mad Monk (1966), Rats are Coming! The Werewolves are Here! (1972), The Reptile (1966), Return of the Living Dead (1984), Robot vs the Aztec Mummy (1958), Saw (2004), Scream (1996), The She-Beast (1966), Shock Waves (1977), Slave of the Cannibal God (1978), Terror Creatures from the Grave (1965), Terror from the Year 5000 (1958), The Time Travelers (1964), Three on a Meathook (1972), Tombs of the Blind Dead (1972), Twins of Evil (1971), Up from the Depths (1979), Vampire Lovers (1970), Vampire’s Coffin (1958), Vampyres (1974), Velvet Vampire (1971), Voodoo Heartbeat (1973), War of the Gargantuas (1966), Werewolf vs the Vampire Woman (1971), Wild Beasts (1984), Wizard of Mars (1965), The Wolf Man (2010), Zombie (1979)

Poster Books Mentioned in this episode:

Art of the Horror Movies, Art of B-Movie Poster, Children of the Night, Creepy Images, Graven Images, Monsters in the Movies, Movie Collector’s World, Muchas Gracias Senior Lobo, Shock Cinema, Sleeze, Too Much Horror Business, Voluptuous Terrors. Yesterday’s Tomorrow


2 thoughts on “Episode 24: Posters

  1. Another great episode, but you’re going to have to do a follow-up!

    Jon, you touched on displaying movie posters, but I’d like to know what kind of frames or hangers you use. What do you do about creases? I mean, if you flatten them with your finger or something, then fold them back up when you’re done, does that damage them or make them more fragile?

    How do you store your posters? File cabinets, boxes, other? Do you have any rolled posters and how do you store those?

    Do you count video store posters as collectible and are they generally worth anything? Or are theatrical release posters the only kind worth collecting?

    Finally, if you go to an advance screening, sometimes they give away full one-sheet sized posters. Are these legitimate collectibles, or do you put them in the category of reproductions?

    It was good to hear Alan; he’s a great guy! Keep up the good work…

    Liked by 1 person

  2. Glad you’re enjoying the show, Jeff! I’ll answer your questions, and then Damien and Aaron can give their two cents in.

    For frames, you generally have to go with the 27×40, though you can order the 27×41 online, but they might be a little pricier. I know some friends have snap frames mounted to their walls which makes it pretty easy to switch them out. If your poster doesn’t fit in the frame you have, you could always fold it over, but I’ve only done that if it is just the white board being folded. Otherwise, I get a bigger frame and maybe matt it in there.

    Yes, every time you open and close a fold, it does wear the paper out, so you want to avoid that as much as you can. Some of the foreign posters, like from Spain, are damn near rice paper and are very brittle, so you really have to be careful with those.

    All of my folded posters, which is a majority of them, are stored in manilla envelopes in a file cabinet. Any that are not folded are stored in a large portfolio that I bought that I can put in up to quad size (30×40). I do have some smaller portfolios for smaller ones, like half-sheets. If you do have rolled posters, there are round storage containers you can buy. Just need to make sure you label what you’re putting in there so you’re not taking them out over and over again.

    Here’s the thing about video posters, or any for that matter, if you like it, then it’s collectible to you. It might not be worth anything, but if it is special to you, like a favorite movie or great artwork, or maybe one that you always saw at the video store, then who cares if it is rare or worth month. But there are some video posters that might be more collectible than others, if they are more rare, or something for a big series like the Nightmare on Elm Street series.

    The posters usually given away at screenings are legit posters, if they are coming from the studios. Or they could be specially made for a particular event or maybe a movie marathon.

    It really comes down to what you like, if it is worth collecting. Hope that gives you some answers.

    Like

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