Monster Mash: The Creepy, Kooky Monster Craze In America 1957-1972

Product Description

• Time-trip back to the frightening era of 1957-1972, when monsters stomped into the American mainstream! Once Frankenstein and fiends infiltrated TV in 1957, an avalanche of monster magazines, toys, games, trading cards, and comic books crashed upon an unsuspecting public. This profusely illustrated, full-color hardcover covers that creepy, kooky Monster Craze through features on Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine, the #1 hit "Monster Mash," Aurora's model kits, TV shows (Shock Theatre, The Addams Family, The Munsters, and Dark Shadows), Mars Attacks trading cards, Eerie Publications, Planet of the Apes, and more!
• It features interviews with James Warren (Creepy, Eerie, and Vampirella magazines), Forrest J Ackerman (Famous Monsters of Filmland), John Astin (The Addams Family), Al Lewis (The Munsters), Jonathan Frid (Dark Shadows), George Barris (monster car customizer), Ed "Big Daddy" Roth (Rat Fink), Bobby (Boris) Pickett ("Monster Mash" singer/songwriter) and others, with a Foreword by TV horror host Zacherley, the "Cool Ghoul."

Top Reviews

Great read for Munster & Addams Family fans!
by Sealed Fate (3 out of 5 stars)
September 22, 2015

This book is ok....I guess I was expecting more of a thorough overview of all things Monster from the stated time period, but then, the author didn't claim that this was to be an exhaustive treatise on the subject. Lots of great color photo's inside and the book does have a nice layout. I think for me personally I found too much attention given to the Munsters and The Addams Family. While I do appreciate both, and agree that they are relevant to the time period celebrated here, I feel that their focus is unbalanced and excessive. Just my opinion. Of course, if monster themed sitcoms, replete with canned laughter, is your idea of the Monster Golden Age then you'll likely add a star or two!
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Fun, fact & photo-filled book covers multiple facets of the "Monster Boom" that swept America from 1
by Jinzo Ningen (formerly Hose Knows) (4 out of 5 stars)
December 25, 2017

BOTTOM LINE: This book reads a lot like an old issue of FAMOUS MONSTERS, which, I suppose, was probably the intent of the author. It covers a wide variety of aspects related to the 'Monster Boom' which delighted legions of kids (and horrified their concerned parents) for almost two decades. While it doesn't go into great depth on any one particular subject, it does a fine job of giving casual monster fans a pretty good overview of the various ways in which the creepy creature craze wormed its way into the hearts & minds of Baby Boomers (and early Gen-Xers) during their critical formative years. It's a breezy read at under 200 pages, only about 40% of which is text. The remaining pages are jam-packed with hundreds of black & white and full-color photos, many of them full-page. Oldsters who grew up during this period will have a lot of great childhood memories stirred up while perusing within these pages. And, since there's nothing too gruesome inside, it's pretty safe for younger readers who may be curious about what Dad (and Grandpa) found "cool" when they were young 'uns.

THOUGHTS: As with any book that attempts to cover a wide spectrum of sub-topics within a specific genre, certain chapters will likely be more appealing to some readers than others. I found the Ed "Big Daddy" Roth stuff especially interesting, along with the brief overview of the Aurora monster modeling madness (and the army of cheap knock-offs it spawned). Physically, the book itself is fairly large (approx 11.5" x 9" x .75"), with a sturdy hardcover, and it's printed on medium weight matte finish paperstock. The photo reproduction is excellent and the print is razor sharp as well. After reading this, I was inspired to do a little digging and bone up on some of the lesser-known (to me) aspects of the Monster Craze, of which I happily stumbled across in its final fading years. I found MONSTER MASH: THE CREEPY, KOOKY MONSTER CRAZE IN AMERICA to be an excellent purchase, well worth the $20 or so bucks I paid for it. I can whole-heartedly recommend it to anyone who loves monsters. 4 STARS
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Like A Conversation With a Fellow Monster Kid!
by Pueblo West (5 out of 5 stars)
June 27, 2019

Mark Voger is certainly not the best writer or researcher; then again, MONSTER MASH never claims to be a "comprehensive" volume on ANY aspect of the "Monster Craze" lasting roughly from 1957 to 1972...(and I would argue, beyond.) With that said, any true "monster kid" of the era will not be disappointed; not in Mark's writing, not in the beautiful production from Two Morrows publishing, certainly not in the 'mini-interviews' throughout the book with artists, writers and actors of that time, including conversations with Forrest Ackerman and James Warren. This is a love letter to our childhood -- for every adult who carried their love of monsters from then until now. Mark's style is breezy and conversational. Giving the reader a look into his own VERY personal childhood memories -- sometimes light-hearted, perhaps a bit corny, with some editorializing in between -- it's easy to roll your eyes and dismiss many of Mark's obviously personal comments...unless one has their OWN stories regarding that time as it relates to all things "monster". Then, it is simply like a conversation with an old friend. Us Monster Kids have our own tales to tell. Mark Voger has given us a book containing not only his tales, but a wealth of common nostalgia to which we all can relate, complete with some fantastic pictures, insider information and an overwhelming sense of respect and deep love for all things MONSTER. Highly recommended!
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"Monster Kid" memories.....
by Skip (5 out of 5 stars)
March 22, 2016

This is an exceptionally well written book that for me as a former "monster kid" growing up in the very late 1950's/early '60's brought back a lot of pleasant memories of watching many of the films mentioned on television and in the movie houses where it seemed almost as if there was something in the science fiction, fantasy, and horror genre playing each week. I also collected the magazines of which Famous Monsters of Filmland was the "hands down" favorite for me along with the Warren magazines/ comics Creepy, Eerie, and Vampirella. I remember watching Zacherley on the old WWOR channel 9 television station broadcast in the New York/New Jersey area around 1960 and introducing old monster movies where he would do little "scenes" related to what was going on in the film at the time. Highly recommend this to any and all "monster kids" of my generation as well as those interested in wanting to know what it was like growing up in the "monster filled" atmosphere of those times of which this book clearly celebrates......
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Monster Kids Rejoice!
by Sandra (5 out of 5 stars)
August 7, 2015

If you were born in the mid to late 1950s to the 1960s,and you (like me) grew-up a "Monster Kid" then this book is for you. It's all here! Famous Monsters, Creepy, Eerie, Don Post's Awesome Monster Masks, Aurora Monster Model's, Pre VHS Super 8 Monster Movies, Mars Attacks, The Adams Family, The Munsters...I could go on and on listing all the cool Monster Stuff that author Mark Voger included in this book, but if you are in fact a "Monster Kid" of any age I strongly recommend that you purchase this wonderful book.

I feel like I stepped into a time machine and went back to the late 1970 when I was just a small lad waiting for the next issue of The Monster Times to come out.

Filled with great pictures, Interviews, Bios and a bit of Monster History as well. Foreward by Zacherley - The Cool Ghoul.
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NOTHING NEW, BUT GREAT MEMORIES!
by Robert E. Behers (4 out of 5 stars)
November 25, 2015

Interesting journey for those of us that just happened to grow up during the huge monster mania period from the late 50's to the early 70's. This book brings back many memories of Saturday late night tv horror fests, building the fun Aurora models, being entertained at halloween with various radio recordings, Cooper costumes, and Famous Monsters of Filmland issues. Nothing really new here to find, but a fun bunch of memories which bring a smile to your face if you where part of the scene.
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fangs for the memories
by Col. William Russell (ret) (5 out of 5 stars)
January 1, 2017

As a kid who came in when the monster craze was at its peak, this book is a fun stroll down memory lane (or was it Mockingbird Lane?). If you remember when Karloff, Rathbone, Lorre, Carradine, and Chaney Jr were still alive and working as well as rushing to get the latest issue of Famous Monsters, this book is for you. Grab it while you can as books like this go out of print quickly.
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If you loved Monster Stuff in the 60s or 70s, BUY THIS BOOK!
by crawdad mcgoo (5 out of 5 stars)
July 17, 2015

A lot of great stuff in here...told from what is mostly a Famous Monsters of Filmland-esque perspective...I was born in the mid sixties, so my youth in the early seventies is my frame of reference on this stuff and I would argue that the dating of the end of the Monster Craze could be pushed back to 1975, when Jaws came along and changed what a Monster movie could mean to the general public and culture. Up until that point, there was still a lot of classic and gothic horror elements all over pop culture (Carl Kolchak should be in here!), Saturday afternoon Creature Feature (on channel 44 in Tampa, with your host Dr Paul Bearer) was still a big deal for kids, and the 70s relaxation of the comics code brought a lot of classic horror back into mainstream comics...I might even push it through to 1977 when Star Wars put the last nail in the coffin of old school horror...I just wish there was a section on Japanese monster movies in here...I think those movies were as much a part of this era as the Universal classics...
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Brilliant Monster Fun!!!
by Steven V. Turner (5 out of 5 stars)
August 11, 2015

This book is incredible!!! The pictures, the layout, the writing, everything, was tailor made for that wonderful wide eyed Monster Kid that still lives inside my heart. All the Monster stuff I had when I was a kid and all the Monster stuff I wished I'd had; its all here in this awesome book.

I really and truly recommend Monster Mash, by Mark Voger, to anyone and everyone who ever wore plastic glow in dark fangs and stayed up past their bedtime to watch scary movies on late night TV wile reading Famous Monsters magazine and assembling monster model kits (yes, you know who you are) This book is for you :)
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Award Winning Book for Monster Loving Boomers
by MovieGuy (5 out of 5 stars)
November 10, 2016

This Book won the Rondo Hatton award for good reason. As a senior citizen I fondly recall those years. I still love everything "monsters" and still watch Monster Movies...even saw Shin Godzilla and I was the oldest person in the movie theatre by 20 years.

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