Welcome back guys to day six of Daily Dead’s 2015 Holiday Gift Guide! Hard to believe we’re now past the halfway mark with this year’s HGG, so I’ll be sure to keep giving you guys as many great gift ideas as I can find for the rest of this week. Today’s guide is paying tribute to the icons of the genre and features several books either written by or featuring the legends of the industry, as well as an upcoming release from Guillermo del Toro.
We’ve also got a fun zombie shooting game for all those younger undead enthusiasts out there, an adorable selection of gift ideas for the ladies, an array of fun apparel and accessories from one of my personal favorite sites, Stylin Online, and so much more.
This year’s Holiday Gift Guide is being sponsored by RLJ Entertainment and their recent terrifying yuletide release, A Christmas Horror Story, and to help you guys get into the spirit of the season, we’ve put together 10 amazing prize packs filled with goodies, a T-shirt and your very own copy of A Christmas Horror Story to get you ready for the holiday season.
For a chance to win one of our 2015 Holiday Gift Guide prize packs, send an email to contest@dailydead.com with “Holiday Gift Guide” in the subject line and be sure to include your full name and mailing address as well.
Books:
The original 1974 film The Texas Chain Saw Massacre seized the imaginations of audiences and critics alike. A controversial cult sensation recognized by Total Film as the greatest horror movie ever made, it's been shown at Cannes, briefly banned in England, and included in the permanent collection of New York's MoMA. This fascinating literary memoir of the making of the film comes from the utterly unique perspective of Gunnar Hansen, the actor who played the chain saw-wielding Leatherface. A critically acclaimed poet and author, Hansen tells the real story of the film, debunking myths, giving behind-the-scenes details, and offering insights on the film's reception and our enduring fascination with the horror genre today.
Christopher Lee: Tall, Dark and Gruesome
International film actor Christopher Lee details his childhood, war years, friendships with Peter Cushing, Vincent Price, Robert Bloch and Boris Karloff, and, of course, his varied and interesting film career. Mr. Lee first published his autobiography in Britain in 1977. The Midnight Marquee edition is updated, Americanized and includes many new and rare photos personally selected by Mr. Lee A must for all film fans.
“An eye-opening dazzler” (Stephen King) about a pair of globetrotting, gore-obsessed journalists whose entanglement in a French philosopher’s death becomes a surreal journey into global conspiracy from legendary filmmaker David Cronenberg.
Stylish and camera-obsessed, Naomi and Nathan thrive on the yellow journalism of the social-media age. Naomi finds herself drawn to the headlines surrounding a famous couple, Célestine and Aristide, Marxist philosophers and sexual libertines. Célestine has been found dead, and Aristide has disappeared. Police suspect him of killing her and consuming parts of her body. Yet Naomi sets off to find him, and as she delves deeper into the couple’s lives, she discovers the news story may only skim the surface of the disturbing acts they performed together.
Journalist Nathan, meanwhile, is in Budapest photographing the controversial work of an unlicensed surgeon named Zoltán Molnár, once sought by Interpol for organ trafficking. After sleeping with one of Molnár’s patients, Nathan contracts a rare STD called Roiphe’s and travels to Toronto, determined to meet the man who discovered the syndrome. Dr. Barry Roiphe, Nathan learns, now studies his own adult daughter, whose bizarre behavior masks a devastating secret.
These parallel narratives become entwined in a gripping, dreamlike plot that involves geopolitics, 3-D printing, North Korea, the Cannes Film Festival, cancer, and, in an incredible number of varieties, sex. Consumed is an exuberant, provocative debut novel from one of the world’s leading film directors, a writer of “fierce sculptural intensity” (Jonathan Lethem, The New York Times Book Review) who makes it “impossible to look away” (Publishers Weekly).
Guillermo del Toro Deluxe Hardcover Sketchbook (AVAILABLE 12/15)
Inspired by the fabled journals in which acclaimed filmmaker Guillermo del Toro records his innermost thoughts and unleashes his vivid imagination, Insight Editions has created a replica sketchbook aimed at the director’s legion of fans. Similar in design to del Toro’s leather-bound volumes, this sketchbook features an inspirational message from the director along with selected examples of his incredible art. Intended to spur readers to jot down their every thought and create their own works of art, the Guillermo del Toro Deluxe Hardcover Sketchbook is an enchanting and essential tome for creative minds everywhere.
John Carpenter’s producing partner Debra Hill hired photographer Kim Gottlieb-Walker to be the unit photographer on Halloween, and Kim soon became part of Carpenter’s filmmaking family, going on to shoot stills on the sets of some of his most iconic films including Halloween, The Fog, Escape from New York, Halloween II and Christine.
Collected together here for the first time is the best of that on-set photography, with iconic, rare, and previously unseen images. All accompanied by exclusive commentary from those involved, including John Carpenter himself, and other key crew and cast.
From production stills, to candids of the stars between takes, and the crew in action, alongside portrait shots of the actors who would eagerly pose for Kim, this book gives an unprecedented glimpse into the action on set with John Carpenter.
Wes Craven: The Man and His Nightmares
An absorbing portrait of horror's most terrifyingly imaginative writer-director. Wes Craven is one of the most successful and iconic horror movie directors in Hollywood, with a career that has spanned almost forty years. His examination of the nightmarish nexus of dreams and reality has enthralled millions around the world. This book goes beyond the screen to examine what really led to Wes Craven's nightmares—and ours.
Why was Craven reluctant to direct Scream, which spawned the number one horror franchise of all time? What led him to begin his career as a film director by making one of the most controversial horror movies ever? What inspired him to create the horrifying Freddy Krueger of A Nightmare on Elm Street? In this fascinating and insightful biography filled with new revelations from the author's most recent interview with Craven, you'll discover the answers to these and many more questions about the man whose name has become synonymous with horror.
Movies:
Manos: The Hands of Fate (Synapse Releasing, Blu-ray)
Mike (Harold P. Warren) and Maggie (Diane Mahree), on a road trip with their daughter and family dog, take a wrong turn in Texas and become trapped at a weird lodge inhabited by a polygamous pagan cult. They soon find themselves in the middle of a power struggle between caretaker Torgo (John Reynolds), cult leader The Master (Tom Neyman), and two warring factions of the Master's wives. As the family tries to escape, the worshipers of Manos decide their fate...
MANOS: THE HANDS OF FATE, the sole directorial effort of Texas fertilizer salesman Harold P. Warren, perplexed even the most jaded Drive-In audiences and was deemed by many "the worst movie ever made". Nearly lost, the original 16mm Ektachrome film elements have been finally unearthed and lovingly restored by Ben Solovey to create the definitive version of this accidental masterpiece. There's no other movie like MANOS... now in HD with picture and sound unseen since 1966. Special Features include New 2K Restoration, Audio Commentary, Hands: The Fate of MANOS Featurette, Restoring the Hands of Fate Featurette, FELT: The Puppet Hands of Fate Featurette and Manos: The Hands of Fate: Grindhouse Edition (Blu-ray ONLY Bonus).
Apparel:
For almost 20 years now, Stylin Online has established themselves as one of the premiere sites where fans of any genre can find practically anything they could imagine that’s related to their favorite movies, TV series, comics and video games.
StylinOnline.com does specialize in apparel for fans of all ages, but they do offer up some awesome geeky accessories and housewares as well.
Especially for the Scream Queens:
Spooky Boutique was another awesome shop I discovered while making my rounds on Etsy over the last several weeks. Their entire selection is downright adorable (with a horror twist, of course!) and a few items that really stuck out to me were their Wednesday Addams Stocking, the GingerDead Cookie Perfume Stick and their wicked cute Spider Pouch.
Music & Art:
Another Etsy find, Golden Planet Prints features a ton of geek-inspired artwork that caught my eye. I’m a sucker for posters with a clean design, which is probably why I totally dug this six poster Star Wars Print Set that features the Millennium Falcon, the X-Wing Fighter, the Air Speeder, the AT-AT Walker, the Tie Interceptor, and the AT-ST Walker all getting their own tribute poster. I also really enjoyed these Rear Window and Friday the 13th prints. Definitely take some time to look around their online shop, as Golden Planet Prints has a great selection of artwork to choose from.
Games & Collectibles:
"You're Gonna Need a Bigger Boat!" It's a hot summer day in 1975 and terror has come to Amity Island. Join Quint, Brody and Matt as they begin their hunt for the Great White, but now you control the shark with America's #1 dice game! Roll classic dice combinations like Full House, Large Straight and Five of a Kind as you try to stop the beast with this Jaws edition of YAHTZEE.
Play America's all-time #1 dice game in post-apocalyptic Atlanta with the Walking Dead Collector's Edition of Yahtzee. Now with two ways to play you can roll for classic dice combinations or play Battle Yahtzee and try to be the last player remaining.
Light it up with this special 30th Anniversary edition of YAHTZEE: Back to the Future Collector/'s Edition. This unique YAHTZEE game features a light up version of the famous Flux Capacitor from the ever popular Back to the Future movie.
Includes:
1 Collectible Flux Capacitor dice cup
5 Custom Dice
Score Pad
Pencil
Rules
Requires 2 AA batteries, not included.
Ages 8+ 1+ Players
For the Little Ghouls:
Defeat the zombie in this fast-paced shooting game!
10.5"H zombie shambles toward you making realistic "undead" grunts and groans. Shoot him 9 times within 30 seconds to dismember and disable him before he gets you!
Shoot him 3 times in the forehead and he loses an arm. After 6 shots, his other arm flies off, and if you can shoot him 3 more times before the clock runs out, he collapses and you've won! If you don't, he'll laugh at your feeble attempts.
Blaster with harmless infrared beam has a range of up to 15 feet. Uses 6 AAA batteries; not included.
Etsy Spotlight:
A shop that primarily specializes in jewelry, I discovered a lot of great holiday items at the Etsy shop for 3Quartermoon Creative, including this Little Shop of Horrors Ornament and this Godzilla Ornament too. They also offer a Xenomorph & facehugger Magnet Set which is, frankly, a must-have for anyone who owns a fridge.
Heather A. Wixson was born and raised in the Chicago suburbs, until she followed her dreams and moved to Los Angeles in 2009. A 14-year veteran in the world of horror entertainment journalism, Wixson fell in love with genre films at a very early age, and has spent more than a decade as a writer and supporter of preserving the history of horror and science fiction cinema. Throughout her career, Wixson has contributed to several notable websites, including Fangoria, Dread Central, Terror Tube, and FEARnet, and she currently serves as the Managing Editor for Daily Dead, which has been her home since 2013. She's also written for both Fangoria Magazine & ReMind Magazine, and her latest book project, Monsters, Makeup & Effects: Volume One will be released on October 20, 2021.
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