Mark Voger’s Monster Mash is a look at “The Creepy, Kooky Monster Craze in America 1957-1972.” This is a hardback book from Two Morrow Publishing from 2015.

I got this book thinking it would be an overview of horror from 1957-1972. No, this covers monsters in popular culture in that period. The book has six “chapters” or rather section that are sub-divided into topics.

“The Genesis” is the beginning with Screen Gems “Shock!” package of 52 Universal horror films released to T.V. Schock Theater” in Philadelphia hosted by Zacherle really got things going. Voger devotes some time to the local weekend late night horror shows around the country. That is an interesting topic. Cleveland had Ghoulardi, Pittsburgh had Chilly Billy. There is an interview with Zacherle. Sections are devoted to James Warren, Forrest J. Ackerman, Famous Monsters.

Ghoulardi

“Mainstream Invasion” has monsters meet rock ‘n’ roll, an interview with Bobby (Boris) Pickett, the Aurora monster models, an interview with James Bama.

“Movie Monsters” has the 9 mm and Super 8 films, veteran horror stars, and Boris Karloff remembered.

“Monsterbilia” covers the Mars Attacks cards, ugly stickers, trading cards, monster iron-ons, and monster masks.

“Terrorvision” covers T.V. shows such as Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits but not Chiller. Most of this section is for The Munsters and The Addams Family including some interviews with stars of the shows.

“Mobile Monsters” covers “Jitters and Jalopies,” Big Daddy Ed Roth, more stickers.

“Monsters in Print” is about the Warren magazines with a section on Frank Frazetta, Basil Gogos, Castle of Frankenstein.

“Barnabas and Fiends” is all about Dark Shadows including several interviews.

“The Final Countdown” covers Planet of the Apes and how things ran down by 1972.

I can remember the tail end of that era passing around copies of Warren magazines on the school bus, the late night Saturday night sci-fi and horror double feature (Weirdo), the glow in the dark Aurora models.

This book was not quite what I thought it would, but it is a fun and entertaining book. It is profusely illustrated. Paperbacks From Hell covers the book side fairly well though the emphasis is more on the 70s and 80s.