The annual San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC) is paradise for collectors of horror and monster-related toys and from what I’ve seen online, this year’s event was no exception. As I was unable to attend the show, I asked RM Editor-in-Chief Dave Alexander if he would pick me up this set of figures over there based on the creepy 60s TV soap opera Dark Shadows. The creation of a brand new toy company named Spectre Toys this first wave of just-released 8-inch figures consists of reluctant vampire Barnabas Collins, evil witch Angelique Bouchard (responsible for putting a curse of vampirism on poor Barnabas) and a Comic-Con exclusive: the tragic werewolf character Chris Jennings.

With all the recent “Chupacabras” incidents in Texas, I figured it’s only appropriate that I comment on this, especially since some of the creatures were discovered only a short distance from where I live. This may be old news to those who followed the reports a few weeks ago, but nonetheless there’s some interesting conclusions to be drawn here.

I love the smell of glavin in the morning, so there’s no better place to be than the 40th annual San Diego Comic Con. Like every year, this year’s nerdsplosion of geekiness was hectic, exhausting, informative and ridiculously fun. Here’s a peek at this year’s pop culture sensory overload.

For those fans who actually went out and purchased Rob Zombie’s newest album, Hellbilly Deluxe 2, guess what: you get to buy it again! A “special edition” of Hellybilly Deluxe 2 hits stores Sept. 28 and includes three new songs, videos and a tour documentary.

After scarfing down some hot dogs, a few cobs of corn, a baker’s dozen of beers and some waters to keep things civil, the trio of myself, Ghoulish Gary and your host of The Blood Spattered Guide, Liisa Ladouceur, readied ourselves for a blue plate special of bombastic metal.

This past Saturday, I took in the Heavy MTL festival with RM cohorts Ghoulish Gary Pullin and Liisa Ladouceur in what would prove to be one illustrious day of metal and a festival that should serve as the model for music festivals everywhere. A reported 20,000 people gathered on Saturday to have their eardrums assaulted by such genre luminaries as Mastodon, Testament, Fear Factory, Slayer, Alice Cooper and Megadeth in Parc Jean Drapeau, just east of downtown Montreal and right on the subway line (so close to the festival entrance that there were merch vendors right in the metro station for heavy metal heaven’s sake).

Stumbled across this pic while researching another article. I always thought Lady Gaga had bite, while some say she sucks…

The Congo basin, made up of several countries in western Africa, is one of the most dangerous and inhospitable places in the world. Also referred to as the “Heart of Darkness”, the region has a long history of horrors linked to violent tribal warfare, the ivory trade, and a host of beasties that slither, claw and bite. Not surprising, the Congo oozes with legends of human-hunting cannibals and mysterious creatures, some of which have been hard to disprove due to the near-impenetrable jungles that seem unwilling to give up their secrets. One such legendary monster is the KONGAMATO.

Hello, boys and ghouls and welcome to the very first installment of Cryptic Collectibles! In this space, I hope to make you shudder with delight as I showcase examples of cool horror and monster collectibles – both vintage and recent releases. There’s certainly been no shortage of terrifically terrifying toys and creeptastic cinematic memorabilia produced throughout the years and it’s my wish to provide a platform – a virtual display case, if you will – to show off some fiendishly frightful figures, malevolent model kits, bloodcurdling books, petrifying poster art, chilling comics and more.

Danish horrorcore rapper CrackmordaZ has released a nasty little horror music video for the track “I Shall Return,” from their forthcoming, as-yet-untitled EP. According to director Casper Haugegaard, who lensed the clip in pseudo tribute to Stuart Gordon’s Re-Animator, “It ain’t proper nasty without the element of scheisse!” So be aware, the final act does indeed get a little messy.