TALES FROM THE CHRISTMAS CRYPT

This afternoon after we prepared this evening's big continental Christmas meal for an elderly guest and ourselves we put our feet up. the Missus watched Judge Judy - doesn't matter that its Xmas Day! - and I managed to watch my fave tale in the anthology horror Tales from the Crypt from 1972. Fortunately its on You Tube.

The story is the first one starring Joan Collins as a murderous wife at Christmas. She bumps off her hubby for the insurance but fails to notice that her young daughter has let in a Santa-suited homicidal maniac recently escaped from the asylum!

Its a classic EC tale where the perpetrator always gets what's coming to them.

A similarly sobering segment is the Valentine's Card, in which the aging binman Grimsdyke - one Peter Cushing - is forced to take his own life by the mean, callous and terribly snobbish neighbour. Alas, said neighbour gets his come-uppance in the grisly finale, which was probably quite shocking in 1972.

Old horror anthologies like Crypt were and are simply fantastic viewing and I could watch them all day. Have you got a fave anthology or segment?

EXPLORER III

Ever since finding an Explorer 12 book in the early 90's I've admired this range of small plastic space toys.

Here's an Explorer III Super Land Vehicle in a window box I saw on auction. Wotan would know better but I think this is a precursor to Explorer 12.

Have you anything like this readers?

I bet some lucky kids got it one Christmas in the mid 80's.

THE MEZZOTINT

After a very emotional evening on Christmas Eve consoling a friend I opened a bottle of sherry and settled down to watch the eagerly-awaited and new Ghost Story for Christmas, The Mezzotint.

Made by the MR James' superfan Mark Gatiss, who studied not too far from Moonbase at Bretton College, the Mezzotint was just half an hour but I enjoyed every minute. Characteristic of James' bent for haranguing indulgent scholars with all things creepy the Mezzotint didn't disappoint. Despite being sporadic, Gatiss has done a fine job continuing this noble tradition of televising a few of James' fantastic ghost stories at Christmas and I've enjoyed them all over the last ten years, jewels in the late night Christmas Eve programming crown across a hundred channels littered with dross.

By way of a masterclass in bringing James to the screen, Mezzotint was followed a little later by the likely prototype for the BBC Ghost Stories at Christmas series, Whistle and I'll Come to You directed by Jonathan Miller. Starring Shakespearian stalwart Michael Horden as a self-absorbed Professor holidaying in a guest house, the monochrome TV play was and is hugely impactive and the first time I saw it the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end! Hordern is simply brilliant as the mumbling don and along with the lonely Norfolk coastline the play creates an almost hypnotic und totally uncanny atmosphere. There is no music and there is no need for any. It must have been scary as hell back in 1968 when there were just three UK TV channels and many people still had coal fires burning in their parlours ideal for creating a room of flickering shadows as the sherry took its toll.

Did you and do you watch Ghost Stories for Christmas?

Happy Christmas from Space Trucks!

Holiday Cheers from Fra Mauro Station!! 🖖🏻🎅🏻👍🏼

Space Trucks

USA

Merry Christmas from Ed

Hope all is well with everyone and that you're enjoying the season as best one can in these trying times!

Merry Christmas

Happy Christmas

Frohe Weinachten

Ed and Bettina Berg

USA

BRINGERS OF WONDER TEASER PHOTOS

 Here's some photos from Sixteen 12  of their pre-production Bringers of Wonders set. I'll do a proper blog post on the photo shoot I did for them later next week.

FULL SIZE ALPHA SPACE HELMET COMING FROM 16/12

Scheduled for release Summer, 2022.

A couple of photos from the Cromford Event showing one of the original helmet props.

Seasons Greetings from Wotan