If you’re a Hammer Horror fan, you’ll definitely want to take a look at a new series of custom-made collectible figures that are just being made available for sale. The figures – which are produced by an independent company named Distinctive Dummies – are part of a line dubbed “Mego Style,” and are made in the vein of 8-inch tall figures released by iconic toymaker Mego during the 1970s and early ’80s.

I’m a huge fan of the 1979′s Alien. To me, Ridley Scott’s classic shocker is the perfect marriage between sci-fi and horror and I still remember being memorized as a seven-year-old by the film’s pulse pounding television ad spots when they aired during the film’s original theatrical run. I was finally able to watch the film a few years later when it was broadcast on pay TV station First Choice-Superchannel back in the early 1980s. And I’ve been enamoured with it ever since.

So, it’s no wonder that I’m happy to have stumbled across news (of which I unfortunately missed out on when it was first announced a while back) that California-based toy and collectibles company Super7 will be marketing a line of retro-styled, 3 3/4-inch Alien action figures sometime this year. What makes this series so special though is that the figures will be styled exactly like the prototypes created by legendary toy manufacturer Kenner back in the late ’70s for an unrealized Alien toy line. Adding a nice touch is that the figures will come packaged on retro-styled blister cards featuring vintage 1979 Kenner artwork.

With the third season of AMC’s The Walking Dead now upon us, there’s probably no better time to post a few images from the soon-to-be released second series of TWD action figures from McFarlane Toys. Due to hit stores at the end of this month, this new wave consists of Deputy Rick Grimes, a shaved-headed Shane Walsh and three walkers: the memorable Bicycle Girl Zombie, the bloated Well Zombie and the RV Zombie.

In addition to my Dark Shadows coverage for this month’s issue of Rue Morgue, I was fortunate enough to be able to write a piece on the obscure Canadian TV series Strange Paradise – a program which was actually created to take advantage of the success of the monster-filled DS. A fantastically offbeat show featuring supernatural elements like voodoo, reincarnation, witchcraft and demonic possession, it ran here in Canada weekday afternoons (on the CBC, believe it or not) from October 1969 to July 1970. Though never to enjoy the same level of popularity as Dark Shadows, Strange Paradise did spawn a few pieces of memorabilia, some of which I thought I’d showcase here.

Though it’s been 41 years since the cult daytime drama Dark Shadows originally left the airwaves, the coffin never really remained shut on vampire Barnabas Collins and the show’s cast of other creepy characters. Between spinoff movies, syndicated repeats on television, yearly fan conventions, a 1991 remake series, merchandise and numerous home video releases, interest in the gothic sudser has remained strong throughout the decades.

To celebrate the May issue of Rue Morgue and our coverage of both the original 1966-71 television classic and the soon-to-be released film version from Tim Burton (out this Friday, May 11), here is a look at some of the various Dark Shadows collectibles that have been produced over the past 46 years.

Okay, so you’ve seen The Raven when it opened this past weekend and were so impressed with John Cusack’s performance as Edgar Allan Poe that it made you feel like perhaps picking up a new item to add to your collection of Poe memorabilia. If so, might I suggest the new Edgar Allan Poe bobblehead from Funko.

With The Walking Dead’s heart-rending mid-season finale having just aired Sunday night, I thought it the perfect time to let fans know (if they don’t already) about a fantastic line of TV series-inspired 6-inch figures that will soon be hitting stores. Series One will be comprised of four offerings: Deputy Rick Grimes, fan-favourite Daryl Dixon and two flesh-eaters: the Zombie Walker and Zombie Biter.

I’ve long been a huge fan of the The Phantom of the Opera — or more precisely, the early filmic versions of Gaston Leroux’s classic novel. To me, Lon Chaney’s ghastly, skull-like visage and fantastically grand performance as mad composer Erik in the original 1925 version was as close to perfection as one could get, with Claude Rains’ elegantly malevolent portrayal of the Phantom in the 1945 remake and Herbert Lom’s melancholy characterization (this time named Professor Petrie) in Hammer’s 1962 version also being worthy of praise.

So, in recognition of this month’s Phantom of the Opera cover story, I thought I would take the opportunity to unmask some of the various Phantom collectibles I have hidden away in my collection. Enjoy!

After a bit of a hiatus, Cryptic Collectibles is up and running again – just in time for Halloween.  While mulling over what to post, I serendipitously came into possession of a few vintage (30-year-old or more) issues of TV Guide – one of which covered Halloween of 1981. So, seeing that many horror fans (particularly if you’re of a certain age) were introduced to the genre through television, I thought it would be nice to celebrate our favourite holiday with a look at some the classic ads featured within the magazine.

With the U.S. political landscape being such as it is right now, I though it would be a good time to unleash some photos of a fun new line of figures that many horror fans may want for their collection: the Presidential Monsters.

Produced by new toy company Heroes in Action, this mash-up of presidential figures and classic movie monsters is comprised of seven offerings: Baracula (Barack Obama), Zom-Bush (George W. Bush), Wolf Bill (Bill Clinton), The Ronmy (Ronald Regan), Monster from the Watergate Lagoon (Richard Nixon), Phantom of the White House (John F. Kennedy) and Lincolnstein (Abraham Lincoln).