Another sketch this morning. The story of Stingy Jack is the backstory of today’s jack-o-lanterns.

Hell’s Bells ringing in my ears. Based on this peppy 1932 song from Syd Peltyn and his orchestra, “The New Yorkers.” Get a load of that licorice stick.

More about the song tomorrow, and the devilish final piece!

Welcome to Dragsylvania! Drac’s ‘32 hearse is ported, relieved, strokin’ four, she’ll do 140 in the top end floor, and if it had a pair wings, man, I know she could fly. So Dracula’s got that going for him.

Oh, the horror of these lyrics stay with you long after you hit stop (which will probably be around the 13 second mark.) From 1965, I give you:

Dracula’s Deuce – The Ghouls

Special bonus song! (Amazing how many tunes there are about Dracula drag racing.)

Dracula Drag – Dickie Goodman

A much better tune for this illustration is “Dragula Au Go Go” from a great surf band, the Moon-Rays. I wish I could embed it, but head over to their MySpace page and it’s in their playlist. That platter’s got bite!

Rubber-Hose Dracula drag racing?! Will the horror ever subside around here??

There are lots of neat songs from days gone by about monsters dancing, surfing and even drag racing. Here we have Dracula in his Deuce rat rod roadster with dropped axle, disc brakes, and coilovers, whammy in the front and four on the floor. Full evinrude in the jimmy-caw-caw, and it’s draggin’. Finished black and white 30’s rubber-hose cartoon tomorrow!

The tune today is HOT. Seriously, one of the best Halloween tunes out there and I have my bud Trev to thank for it.

Hearse with a Curse – Mr. Gasser & The Weirdos

Love the Beatles! Any era! Even their brief famous monster phase.

Hard Day’s Night – Dickie Goodman

Meet the Famous Monster Beatles! And enjoy another Gene Moss classic from “Dracula’s Greatest Hits.” Creepy color version tomorrow.

I Want To Bite Your Hand – Gene Moss

The idea for this t-shirt came from the B-Movie Cast podcast. Really, anyone who can make it all the way through Manos: The Hands of Fate should proudly declare their success to the world.

More Info:

• The B-Movie Cast
• Watch “Manos: Hands of Fate” for free at Archive.org
• Hotel Torgo: The Making of Manos (YouTube)

Forgetting You (Closing Theme from Manos)

So far, the subjects of my Countdown to Halloween have been slightly … eclectic? Obtuse? Obscure. I’ll be getting into some more famous monsters starting tomorrow.

Some sketches today for a t-shirt idea that came from “The B-Movie Cast.” They’ve been talking about Manos: The Hands of Fate lately, and, judging from their reactions, the listeners seem to feel it’s the worst movie ever made. I’ve only experienced the MST3K version. I don’t think there’s any reason to try to watch it without Joel and the Bots.

I have the final look in my head, something that should look good in Adobe Illustrator. Is it possible to make Torgo hip? Even with those monstrous thighs? We’ll see tomorrow.

I recently got a Pogo Sketch stylus for my iPhone, so I’ve been sketching in an app called “Sketchbook Mobile.” So far I like it, though it does feel a bit slow and non-responsive at times. But hey, I’m drawing on my phone! Here’s Torgo tripping, drawn in Sketchbook Mobile:

And to get you into the mood, here’s some chilling music from Manos: The Hands of Fate.

The Haunting Torgo Theme

Don’t pick up strange, skinny toes. What sort of germs do you think are on that thing?

“Skinny Toe” is a story off the old “Scary Spooky Stories” record and is a variation of the “Golden Arm” story that Mark Twain loved to tell. Many kids had great giggling fun speeding up the story on the record player. Courtesy of the awesome WFMU blog, I present “Skinny Toe” at scary, spooky speed.

Skinny Toe, 45 rpm

More:

• WFMU Blog: An Aural Halloween Trinity: Scar Stuff, Arch Oboler, Reverend Frost
• View the sketch
• Download a desktop: 1440 x 900 (widescreen) (Right Click, Save Link As…)
• Download a desktop: 1280 x 1024 (fullscreen) (Right Click, Save Link As…)

Do you dare listen to the terrifying tale of the Skinny Toe? Come back tomorrow for scares of a silly nature. For now, here’s a pro-tip from Winchell’s Donuts.

Watch Out For Ghosts – Winchells Donut Record