Above, two awesome covers for H.P. Lovecraft’s classic horror tales The Dunwich Horror and The Weird Shadow over Innsmouth (plus other stories), printed by Bart House, a New York City-based publisher that got its name from the structure that was its home—the Bartholomew Building on East 42nd Street. Lovecraft wrote Dunwich and Innsmouth in 1928 and 1931, but these editions appeared after his death—in 1945 and 1944 respectively. Lovecraft is an author most recognize, but surprisingly few have actually read. He’s sort of the horror version of The Godfather movies—everyone knows all about them, but it’s incredible how few have actually sat through them. If you don’t know his writing, his style can admittedly make for a difficult read. Plus there’s not much emotional payoff—his heroes generally face mind-bending horrors that simply can’t be beaten, which means you have to get used to them awaiting an inevitable death or going insane. But that’s one reason we like him more and more as time goes by—in this post-millennial era, what is more appropriate than a battle against forces too powerful to beat, too complex to comprehend, and too corrupt to look upon without losing every shred of your own goodness?

Above, a cover of Harry Steeger and Harold Goldsmith’s Horror Stories from June/July 1936 featuring a typical torture chamber cover executed by house illustrator John Newton Howitt. See another here. 

Vintage cover of Horror Stories from this month in 1940, with art by John Newton Howitt of a trio of torturers about to divvy up a nude blonde. Horror Stories debuted in 1935, and published only forty-seven issues, making the magazine extremely rare. For instance, we saw the above issue going for $300.00. The parent imprint Popular Publications had several other pulp monthlies in a similar vein, and you can see one of those, with another trademark damsel in distress cover, here. 

Above, a promo poster for the horror film Mark of Vampire. It was directed by Tod Browning of Freaks fame, was a remake of his earlier silent London After Midnight, and stars Bela Lugosi, Lionel Barrymore and Elizabeth Allan. It isn’t a flawless movie, but it does have some good moments, all the rubber bats notwithstanding. Mark of the Vampire premiered in the U.S. today in 1935. 

Amanti d’oltretomba, aka Love from Beyond the Tomb, aka Nightmare Castle proves true what we’ve always said—inheriting an old castle is never the stroke of good luck it seems. Suddenly you’re rich, yes, but with the wealth comes nightmares, disembodied maniacal laughter, and lots of creepy-ass organ music. And an old portrait of your dead relative whose eyes seem so… realistic. Oh, and a tomb. Let’s not forget the tomb. We decided this film should be called Nightmare Dialogue, especially after these lines were delivered with a straight face: “This is a case that makes one think very seriously about the frailty of human life. Only ten minutes ago that man was the picture of health, and now he’s ready for the worm.” Are you ready for Amanti d’oltretomba? It premiered in Italy today in 1965. 

Japanese poster for Italian horror master Dario Argento’s 1977 giallo Tenebre, released in Japan as Shiadô, or Shadow. 

Promo poster for Gli orrori del museo nero, aka Horrors of the Black Museum, aka Crime in the Museum of Horrors, with Michael Gough and June Cunningham. Made in Britain, and originally released in “hypnovista”, whatever that is, this opens with a scene of a woman falling for the old spring-loaded-needles-in-the-binoculars trick, and ends with the surprising spectacle of a man climbing the outside of a rapidly moving ferris wheel. Fans of the art of parkour should see that sequence. Everyone else, if you’re into old-fashioned Hammer-style pit horror, watch the whole movie. Gli orrori del museo nero opened in Italy today in 1959. 

Japanese poster for David Cronenberg’s 1977 foam-flecked horrorfest Rabid, starring Marilyn Chambers. We’ve already posted two Rabid one-sheets here and here, but each one we find is better than the last.  

Above we've posted two Spanish one-sheets for El Pajaro de las Plumas de Cristal, aka L’uccello dale piume de cristallo, aka The Bird with the Crystal Plumage. This was horror grandmaster Dario Argento’s first film, a thriller in the Hitchcockian mode about an American in Italy who witnesses an attempted murder. The police make him stay in the country, and the would-be killer soon begins stalking him. In subsequent films, Argento would explore realms of gore Hitchcock probably never dreamt of, but in this early effort, he relies on mood to achieve his goals, and the English language version succeeds despite the distraction of some less than breathtaking dubbing. The Bird with the Crystal Plumage premiered in Italy today in 1970. The poster art is by another grandmaster, Spanish illustrator Francisco Fernandez Zarza-Pérez, who worked under the pseudonym Jano—aka Janus, the two-faced Roman god of doorways, arches, beginnings and endings. Jano painted thousands of pieces beginning in the 1940s, and we’ve cobbled a few more together and posted them below for you to enjoy this lovely Friday. More on Jano later.