Horror Monsters was published by Charlton Publications for 10 quarterly issues in the mid 1960s. This is a very ragged copy of the 10th and final issue, which is listed as Winter 1964-65.
The magazine was a competitor to Famous Monsters of Filmland and, ultimately, didn't seem to succeed in that endeavor. The monster market wasn't big enough for both of them.
Horror Monsters gave it the good college try, though. This final issue includes an extensive feature story about Vincent Price, photo-filled looks at Mario Bava's Black Sabbath (of my favorites) and Hammer's The Curse of Frankenstein, and a feature article about alleged true-life cases of vampirism throughout history.
It also has cool advertisements aimed at an audience that was composed primarily of teenage boys. There are a decent number of ads, but they are from just a handful of companies — Cult of Horror, Victor Specialties and World Wide Specialties — which was likely another sign of the magazine's flagging viability.
As you'll see, there is both a Do-It-Yourself Vampire Kit and a Do-It-Yourself Werewolf Kit. They cost $1 apiece and, while that's $10 in today's dollars, I can't imagine the package kids got back in the mail were too exciting. But maybe someone has happy memories of getting their kit.
Finally, this small advertisement, nestled among chattering teeth, a shark-tooth necklace and a plastic snake, made me smile. The Worry Bird was a minor phenomenon in the 1960s, though no one seems to know much about the official origins of the big-beaked, sad-eyed creature.
Why do I think you would just receive a pair of those plastic fangs for both the Vampire and Werewolf kits?
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