The May L.A. Comic Book and Science Fiction Convention

by Armand Vaquer

The Los Angeles Comic Book and Science Fiction Convention mailer arrived today. Their next show is set for May 6 at the Shrine Auditorium Expo Center and the special guest list is quite impressive.

Lara Parker (left), who played Angelique in ABC-TV's Dark Shadows.

Photo by Armand Vaquer.












Kathryn Leigh Scott (below right), who played Maggie Evans and Josette on ABC-TV's Dark Shadows.

Photo by Armand Vaquer.




















Barbara Leigh, the original Vampirella cover model for the classic run of Warren's Vampirella magazine.

Ian Ogilvy, who starred as The Saint in the 1978-79 television series The Return of The Saint.

Audrey Dalton, who starred in Boris Karloff's Thriller and The Monster That Challenged The World.

Ann Robinson, who starred in the George Pal (and still the best) version of War of the Worlds.

Georges Jeanty, Dark Horse comics artist on Buffy The Vampire Slayer.

Last January, I had a table for The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan. I may just do it again at this show. I've a couple of weeks to decide.

It is timely that the show will feature two of the original Dark Shadows cast members as the Tim Burton movie version will be released the same month. Both actresses appear in a cameo.

The Monstrous Movie Photo Of The Day: Unleashing The Newest, Biggest Double Shock The Screen Ever Got!

Written By: Ken Hulsey

Today I continue on deeper into my personal collection of movie and TV related images. Like my last promotional item from "The Land Unknown" this full page advert was not something created for the eyes of the general public but instead to entice theater owners to screen the film, or in this case films, at their respective movie house.

I really love this dual advertisement for the films "The Monster That Challenged The World" and "The Vampire". The graphics are really sharp, though I could do without the banner that spans across the image. Like I stated before in a previous article, every single promotional image for "The Monster That Challenged The Word" looks like human-slug intercourse.

Am I wrong? Tell me that isn't what that looks like! Please! I may have a dirty mind but even Mother Theresa would say that looks a lot like the "horizontal mambo".

Anyway ... as film buffs will recall both films ran as a double feature in most cinemas though "The Vampire" (actually known as "El Vampiro in it's native Mexico) never enjoyed the cult status achieved by "Slugs Gone Wild!"

Here is some history:

The Monster That Challenged the World (1957) is a science-fiction monster movie, about an army of giant mollusks that emerge from the Salton Sea, California. Directed by Arnold Laven, the film starred Tim Holt and Audrey Dalton.

It was produced by Gramercy Pictures (not related to the former PolyGram division) and released by United Artists.

An earthquake has led to the hatching of eggs belonging to a prehistoric mollusk. The hatchlings emerge from the Salton Sea, escape into an underground aquifer, and proceed to terrorize the citizens of California's Imperial Valley. The navy is called in to battle these monsters. Navy Lieutenant Commander John Twillinger (Holt), teams up with several scientists to battle the threat.

El vampiro (English: The Vampire) is a 1957 Mexican horror film, directed by Fernando Méndez. The film is about Marta, a young woman, who travels to her childhood village, only to find that one of her aunts is dead and another is under the influence of Mr. Duval, who later turns out to be a vampire whose name is the Count Karol de Lavud. It is possibly the first movie to actually show a vampire with elongated canines. F.W. Murnau's Nosferatu (Max Schrek) had elongated incisors; Tod Browning's Dracula (Bela Lugosi) did not show his teeth at all.

- Wikipedia

THE MONSTER THAT CHALLENGED THE WORLD Worm On Girl Promo Pics

Written By: Ken Hulsey

Okay here is another topic that I had been talking about on Facebook. Is it my imagination or do all the promo photos from the 1957 movie "The Monster That Challenged The World" look like worm on woman intercourse?

Really! Look at the photo on the left and tell me what comes to mind? Be honest!

If that doesn't look like monster rape I don't know what does?

Then again .... maybe she consented?

Anyway .... pretty racy stuff for the 1950s.

Actually I had never seen the movie until last week and I honestly thought it was one of the better monster movies from that era.

I'll post a better review in the next few weeks .... I promise.

Here is the info:

The Monster That Challenged the World (1957) is a science-fiction monster movie, about an army of giant mollusks that emerge from the Salton Sea, California. Directed by Arnold Laven, the film starred Tim Holt and Audrey Dalton.

It was produced by Gramercy Pictures (not related to the former PolyGram division) and released by United Artists. The film is currently available on DVD as part of UA sister Metro-Goldwyn Mayer's Midnight Movies collection.

An earthquake has led to the hatching of eggs belonging to a prehistoric mollusk. The hatchlings emerge from the Salton Sea, escape into an underground aquifer, and proceed to terrorize the citizens of California's Imperial Valley. The navy is called in to battle these monsters. Navy Lieutenant Commander John Twillinger (Holt), teams up with several scientists to battle the threat.

Here are a couple more of the scandalous photos: